Re: Experimentation & Process

Hey Jen!

It's strange--logos make the wheels turn in my brain; unlike page layouts I find that they do not intimidate me. Whenever I see a logo I begin thinking of various ways that it could be done differently. Sometimes this leads to doodling, other times random mishmashes in my head that flow together like Rain Man (okay, maybe not Rain Man, but you get the picture).

That being said, I think it would be best for me to focus on my process when it comes to magazine layouts, as I find them most daunting:

How are you feeling about your process?

Magazine layouts terrify me. For some reason I never seem to think outside of the box and end up producing boring layouts that fit into a straightforward grid. I believe my biggest issue is that I have no clue how to break the grid that I am given. In a classroom setting surrounded by great designers, I find myself constantly saying "Why didn't I think of that??"

What designers' processes have you come across that you admire?

While there is not a specific designer that I admire with regard to magazine layouts, there are types of layouts that inspire me and those are two page spreads that include splash pages:







Each of the layouts above utilize both pages in their entirety seamlessly, which I strongly admire. The manner in which the text and image is treated allows for both to play well, making sure that one does not detract from the other.

What techniques for experimentation do you use/have you used that take your work somewhere unexpected or interesting (even if the ultimate design was different)?

Research, research, research! The phrase "Magazine Layout Designs" and variations of it are constantly entered into both my Google Image Search and Pinterest (which has great ideas, might I add!) Seeing other designers and their ideas help with my personal process of collecting and creating my own.

If you're like me and sometimes find you've limited your own ideas, how do you break out of that?

--See above--

Thanks for making this post--it really help me understand my own process and open the door to any help from those who read this!

Re: Experimentation & Process

 I've learned over the years to always keep a small note pad and pen to write and sketch ideas down because there are always ideas in front of us that we sometimes fail to see. Sometimes I gain inspiration and ideals from simply walking down the street or even looking at the ads on the side of the bus while I am sitting at a red light. There are always ideas around us. I tend to get my big "Ah Ha" moment when time is vastly approaching towards the deadline. As much as I hate this process, it always seems to work for me. I know that it is very bad but it is something that I continue to work on to perfect my time management skills.

When I am stuck on a project or simply can't think of anything to start a concept, I simply take a break and listen to music. I also browse through a few blogs that often post about art, music, architecture and fashion. Also I look at different pieces of artwork to draw my inspiration especially for color combinations. Coming from an art background,  I often have a difficult time putting the artist side down to focus on the designer side, In hopes to come up with a clear and precise concept.

As for logo designs, I just simply take a few hours or maybe a day to simply sketch out different concepts that come to mind. Sometimes you have to do the "cliche"research of other logo designs that are similar to what your client is looking for.. That can be a good and bad thing. Good because you are aware of what's out there and bad because you will get stuck on something that has already been done.

Here is a website that you all may like:
www.thecoolhunter.net

The Cool Hunter has a variety of categories for you to view. Also the designers and artist that are published  are from around the world.

Re: Experimentation & Process

Great topic, Jen. I hope to hone my process during this class. The first thing I thought about while I was driving home on Thursday after class was, “I have to determine the process ALL BY MYSELF.” In my previous classes, the steps have been dictated to me. But I feel like I’ve learned enough that I am ready to go it alone!

There are two steps in the process that I think are really important – before design even starts: research and the creative brief.  For me, it is critical to spend time considering the context of the project and trying to understand what the client is hoping to accomplish and who their audience is.  But, it is hard during this time to really be open minded and not get stuck on an idea.

However, you can’t always discount the first idea. In this video, Paula Scher discusses how she usually gets things on the “first or second crack” and how she designed the Citi logo on a napkin before she even left the first client meeting.

http://www.aiga.org/artist-series-by-hillman-curtis-paula-scher/

On the contrary, there are some really great tips in this PBS OffBook video about logo design, including the many iterations of the OffBook logo. The video does a great job of capturing the questions you should ask while you are experimenting. Does it have the right tone/meet client needs/timelessness/workable at all sizes, ect. FYI - it is a 7 minute video. But action-packed :)

http://youtu.be/x3jTSB2ez-g

Thanks to all who posted blog links – these are fantastic to get inspiration and learn new tricks.

Re: Experimentation & Process

Hi Jen,

Great post to start of the semester! in regards to my design process I think it is all over the place. I find myself surfing the Internet, reading magazines, looking anywhere for design inspiration! One of the major problems I have is not finding a place to start. But once I do look out! the craziness continues. I create multiple pieces and place them all on my wall and as I walk in and out of my room I'm constantly trying to narrow down the pieces to work with. I'm sure you can start to see how dysfunctional this sounds already. But it works for me, it's "my process" as of now (one that needs changing). My goal for this semester is turn my design process into a more professional process so that I can be organized and not all over the place.

 I found the links posted below very helpful and saved most of them to my bookmarks folder, I can't wait to see where this class takes us all! 

Re: Experimentation & Process

Over the years, I've come to realize how important the design process is to the end product. Starting out, I don't think I truly appreciated how crucial the process is to feeling you have an effective piece. It always felt like I was all over the place and throwing stuff together. But now, when I have awesome inspiration, a creative topic, an open minded client or anything that really gets me motivated right from the start, my process is always better which makes my end result much more successful.

Jen, I can totally agree about logo design. For whatever reason I feel so much pressure with designing a logo. Making design decisions that will be the identity of a certain company/person for (hopefully) the duration of it's existence is a huge commitment. For me, my process does include A LOT of experimentation, because I have such a hard time committing to an idea or concept. I like to make sure that I have explored every possibility to ensure that I make the best design decisions. Because let's be honest- there is nothing worse then having a piece that your aren't 100% proud of. I probably take a little more time than necessary to commit, but in order to sleep peacefully, I just have to do it. And I've just come to accept that as part of my process.

I know it may seem cliche, but I am a total pinterest advocate. If I feel stuck, I usually start there. In terms of design, its 1000% better than a google search if you need a little push. Most the time, I end up on a design/typography blog that was originally pinned, but it's definitely a sure fire way to find some creative juices that you may be lacking.

Re: Experimentation & Process

For years I have been creating stuff (invitations, announcements, flyers, etc.) for family, friends and small start-up businesses and non-profits. My inspiration for an idea always came from what they desired. I was introduced to the Pub Design program by a former student because she knew how much I loved graphic design but she also knew I never had formal training. After my first project in Typography I, I felt I had no business in this program. I had no idea what I was doing. I started out looking at assignments as work, homework to be exact so I went in on a project like ok I just have to get this done. But once I started looking at them as new ways to be creative, I think I took the pressure off of having to get it done. I began to embrace the thought, hey this can be fun! By the end of the semester I started producing much better pieces, partly because I developed a new approach to tackling design assignments. After taking Creative Concepts last semester, that process has developed even more. I still start out like mostly everyone else with an idea but instead of just jumping on the first thing that comes to mind, I look for alternative ways to produce the end result and not just jump to the obvious, easy, plain and simple. I also seek inspiration from creative works by others on blogs and websites like, You the Designer and Graphic Mania. Here is a great example of logos you may enjoy, 40 Clever logos that combine 2 concepts into one graphic.

Re: Experimentation and Process

A few thoughts regarding process:

1. No matter how much I work on an idea systematically, I often am struck with last minute inspiration. So, despite refining an idea and attempting to work it through to completion, I often wind up scrapping things at the last minute because a better idea smacks me in the face. Often, my new inspiration uses my working idea and takes it in a different direction. 

This is exactly what happened to me while working on my final project for Words and Images in the spring. The deliverable for the final project was a pitch book; throughout my work on the project--designing and redesigning a logo, picking treatments on which to use the logo, creating mockups, etc.--I had intended to turn in a traditional pitch book, much like the process books we had been creating all semester. Each element of the pitch had gone through a relatively straightforward process, with what I considered to be a normal evolution from idea to execution; even if my final logo looked nothing like the original one I had designed, it contained the same inspiration and context. 

As I was crankily beginning to assemble my final pitch book, I realized that my lack of inspiration and motivation was coming from my lack of interest in creating a traditional pitch book. I was trying to incorporate aspects of my inspiration--children's science textbooks from the 1950s and 60s--into a form that didn't highlight them. So, with 8 hours until the project was due, I decided to scrap the pitch book I had been so diligently assembling and create an imitation science textbook to pitch a rebranding. And I loved the result (still do). 

This is an example of my experimentation coming at the end of the process. I didn't deliberately experiment with form, but when inspiration struck, I ran with it. This doesn't always work, of course. And, for me, work-work-working on a idea is the most reliable way for me to find inspiration.

2. Sometimes inspiration comes from failure. You may have an amazing idea that doesn't solve the problem at hand; figuring out why an idea fails can help you figure out what would work. This approach might also help you break out of myopia. You keep working and working on an idea and it never seems to work. Look at WHY it's not working, or HOW it's not working. Answering these questions might help you find a new starting point, or at least point to a potential direction for your existing idea.

3. As cliche as it sounds, "necessity is the mother of invention." Having ideas that you might not necessarily have the technical skills to execute can provide an opportunity to try a different way of acheiving the same goal. Can't make it in Illustrator? Try drawing by hand. Can't draw? Try collage.

Anyhoo, those are my thoughts for tonight. Sorry for no pictures :)