I'll try this again...

http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/

Adobe tutorials

I was shown this site awhile ago...very useful.

Question about Caddyshack

A golf cup is normally 4 1/4 inches in diameter....big enough for you to reach in and grab your golf ball out after you drill a putt. The PVC pipe I have for the DVD package prototype is much smaller in diameter, but big enough for the golf ball to fit through cleanly. Problem is it's not big enough for anyone to reach into to grab the ball out...you'd actually have to flip the package over briefly to dump the ball out. My estimation is that I'd have to get about a 3 inch diameter pipe to accomodate reaching a forefinger and thumb into the hole to extract the golf ball. While a bigger pipe would also potentially solve the "scale of the gopher" issue, it also would cause an issue in that the golf ball wouldn't hide the entire gopher illustration.

I'm also concerned about how much space a larger pipe would command on the front of the DVD package...with a ball rattling around in it.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on whether I should stick with the pipe I have or go for something bigger. I think I was fine up until realizing the scale of the ball is off in relation to the hole, but I'm not sure how much that matters with a "surprise" (the golf ball) that probably will be used and won't ever go back in the hole once extracted.

20 Photoshop Tips

I learned most of these a few years ago, they help with my work flow and save a bunch of time, which is important because who wants to be working in Photoshop all the time? (me)

I hope you guys find them useful.

Spec Work > BOO!

I have very strong feelings on spec work. It sucks.

I have thought about this issue a great deal and I recently read an article in CA's photography annual about the state of design that you should all read. Basically the issues is this: there is no certification for graphic design like there is for architecture, industrial design and interior design. According to the article there are thousands of design programs at universities across the country, for these other fields in design, there are a couple hundred—combined. So colleges are creating programs, allowing almost anyone to enter (the money factor) with or without what it takes to contribute successfully to the fieled of graphic design. The job market gets flooded each year at graduation time with a huge population of under-qualified designers, all looking for a job or taking any job they can get and usually, under-cutting quality designers and firms. In the end, nobody wins because the work is usually poor, thus leaving a blemish on the face of quality designers, good designers who do good design are ignored and the client ends up looking bad and wasting money.

Don't think UB isn't also guilty of this trend. I anguish over the work of some classmates in the program and I can't believe what they hand in. Many of these students do not have what it takes and sadly they end up with a graduate degree in a field they do not understand or are prepared to contribute successfully. I personally think the program suffers greatly from this, it cheapens the degree in my opinion and that sucks too.

So, what does this all have to do with spec work? Simply, thousand of people pumped into the industry each year, on top of the thousands who are already struggling, limited jobs and a corporate greed system that takes advantage of graphic designers. If there was some sort of certification system, perhaps schools would cut back on the cash cow of false hopes they label a design program.

It is easy to eliminate spec work, don't do it and the results will trickle down.

I have a lot more to contribute to this issue, I'm glad it was brought up. See you all in class.

PS- I barely proofed this, so please excuse any mistakes, I gotta run.

Office 2010 Trailer

WATCH THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUawhjxLS2I

Its the the Office 2010 Trailer. Map and PC aren't the only ones coming out of the box.

Spec Work

I happened to be looking for some poster inspiration from the AIGA archives and noticed a link to an article on the AIGA's position on spec work. I haven't had much luck with spec work myself (It usually leads to work I am not satisfied with and didn't get paid for). But I have noticed an alarming trend in a number of creative fields to use online contests to solicit spec work.

Threadless (which I heart by the way) asks illustrators and designers to compete for a chance to have their designs printed. Zuda is owned by DC Comics and has comic book creators competing monthly for a chance at publication. The best part is: If you win you get to sign over all rights to your work to DC.

Recently, I was introduced to a site called, crowdSPRING, where clients can post design projects and have designers compete for the work by submitting their designs if they are fortunate enough to "win" they will be paid for the work. Looking at the site I have to admit some of the projects are tempting, but I have to remind myself that no good can come of it.

I am glad that the AIGA includes this kind of spec work in their position statement, and I hope it is a passing trend...

My Poster Direction

Hey Gang,

I left some comments on other entries regarding this, but I'll be illsutrating my poster, or at least the majority of it. I've been very intrigued by the art-deco look but in conversation with Amy last night, mimicking the old constructivist posters might be more suitable for the agression of my director, Oliver Stone. I have some cool books to bring in for tonight's class...and they may actually spark something in you all when we pass them around for show and tell. I think the biggest thrill I'm getting from alot of these old posters is the use of space. especially in the books tonight, you'll see that even the negative space is an object in some posters. Here are two quick examples of contructivist-style posters I found on-line.

Movie Poster Design

I have been having a hard time getting started on my director series of posters--I am hoping to have something next week. In the meantime, here is a web site that features some of the movie posters of 2008. I especially like the posters that use a hand-made element, such as an illustration or hand-drawn typography.

New Materials: Here is a blog post I stumbled across this morning, classic film posters recreated using Legos.

OK, Baltimore, stop throwing your weight around

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful (and speedy) feedback on the latest round of TBR revisions. I agree that contrast is the main issue. The all-Jenson versions were the most integrated of the ones I posted previously, and all commenters agreed #2 worked best—but insufficient contrast is a problem even with bold/light weights.

I'm continuing to explore various solutions with this—italics, different san-serifs, different typefaces altogether. Unfortunately the same contrast issue crops up w/other oldstyle faces. I'm attached to the Jenson but would replace it if doing so would solve the contrast problem; so far the alternatives aren't an improvement. Haven't found a sans-serif that's working either.

So, here's my latest shot at this: flipping, as shown, so the lighter weight is used for "Baltimore" and the heavier weight for "view." These are the same weights I used earlier, but this feels more balanced to me. In the earlier versions, "view" was getting lost at the end of the long, heavy line of text. Here it stands out, and the contrast in weight is more apparent with the lighter weight being used for the first and longer word. (Or so I think. If I'm deluding myself on this point, let me know.) "Baltimore" is still taking enough of the line that no one will miss it, and the play on words comes across more clearly with the emphasis on "view."

Second opinions welcome... thanks again for the earlier input.

Cool Book Redesigns

If you don;t get The Daily Heller, I would like to share with you his post today. He features these great book redesigns aimed at re-branding some classics as "cool" so younger audiences develop interest. I want to own them myself even though I already have copies, they are great. Animal Farm is just fantastic. The illustrative style is simple, yet very interesting. On rethinking my 3 Poster series I have been pursuing this approach, simple illustrative style, compelling, fresh and maybe a little rock 'n roll influence. There is another point I want to make about these great covers, they all could work as just posters and I think that is very important for book cover design and DVD packaging design. Does the message come across quickly and elegantly? It better.

Packaging Design Ethics

I don't know why I keep on posting these ethical topics, but here's some food for thought . . . I found this article in TIME magazine that talks about companies doing the most marketing on their most unhealthy cereals. I thought about two things: (1) Damn, I love Lucky Charms, but (according to the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity) I should find other sources of magically delicious foods. (2) The design of the packaging and websites along with the production of the commercials are critical components of the marketing for those cereals. With that in mind, UB's MFA program covers those areas, and I always hear professors say how rewarding package design is. So if we consider a career in package design, whether it be cereal or cigarettes, at what point does the "you can't be designing ish like that" light kick on? It seems everything you eat and look at gives you cancer or makes you unhealthy. Do the designers take blame on some level?? I mean, I know I want to have kids soon and these may be some issues I have to face. And maybe one day, I will be designing cereal boxes, who knows? I know most things are ok in moderation, but who wants to be the dad that designs the cereal box of the cereal that contributes to child obesity across America? Where do aspirations and ethics meet?

HOLY SHIT

Let me repost...Hey Bland, turn to RGB in Photoshop...geezus, that much i know.

Update and epiphany

I've turned the corner on Flagship and hopefully with the other projects after a pep-talk with a friend who took this class last Fall.

First Flagship:
I chose a high-contrast midnight blue and a nice yellow-gold. Blue signifies strength, intelligence and peace, and the yellow-gold adds feelings of happiness and joy. I also like the contrast of cold and warm. This has worked much better in my revised pieces as well.

Other stuff:
During last week's class I set my stuff out without looking at anyone else's work and thought, "this looks like crap". After the class I decided from now on I need to critique my work like I do other people's, prior to class. I think part of my frustration is that I'm still learning Photoshop on the fly. I asked my friend to go out to lunch on Friday and she slapped some sense into me. "Do what you do well" was her message. "Other people know Photoshop well, so that's what they're working in. You are good in something else, so use that." She drew comparisons to successful designers, who are able to produce brilliant work doing what they know. With all this in mind, I have a fresh concept for the posters. For now it's a secret until I am sure I can make it work.

Solar Eclipse

Hi gang, this isn't the lighting effect tutorial I was speaking of in class regarding Kristin's project, but I actually think this works better. The one I was thinking of requires a membership to NAPP to watch (it's a QT video).Give it a shot and make your new skills work for you. I can't wait to see it.

baltimore review, once again with feeling

Following last night's suggestions in crit, here are several new versions of the Baltimore Review logo. These are the best of a couple dozen I tried. Among those not posted here are some using the colon option Amy suggested, and others that emphasize the r to show the demarcation between the two words. I haven't dismissed those options, and I'll post 'em if you like, but I do not think they work as well.

From top to bottom:

(1) Jenson graduated from bold to semi to Roman to light.

(2) Jenson bold/light.

(3) Jenson semibold/Candara.

(4) Jenson bold/Candara.

(5) Jenson semibold/Helvetica light.

Also revisited other oldstyle typefaces—Caslon, Garamond, and Goudy—but I think those introduce some competition between the e's since the bar is horizontal, whereas the diagonal crossbar clearly differentiates the first e from the second.

I have other thoughts on these, but would also like to hear yours.

Thanks again to Mariana for steering me in this direction.

11 Paradox of graphic design

After our small talk on class about how designers can look to others as egocentric people with egocentric aptitude in their work or personality, I was thinking that maybe that can also be a part on how we designers deal with subjects like rejection, envy, and plagiarism. Here is the eleventh paradox of graphic design.

01: There’s no such thing as bad clients (well maybe I can disagree a little bit here) only bad designers. We love to blame our clients for poor work. When projects go sour, it’s always the clients — never us — who are at fault.

02: The best way to learn how to become a better graphic designer is to become a client. It’s only by commissioning graphic designers that we discover that most of us are not very good at articulating what we do and how we work.

03: If we want to educate our clients about design, we must first educate ourselves about our clients.

04: If we want to make money as a graphic designer, we must concentrate on the work, not the money. This is not to say that designers shouldn’t be properly paid for their work, or that designers shouldn't be financially savvy (clients usually are). But the designer’s primary motive has to be the quality of the design and not the size of the fee. When the focus is on the money, the work is usually poor.

05: For designers, verbal skills are as important as visual skills. Since graphic design should be self-explanatory, designers might be forgiven for thinking that the need to provide a verbal rationale for their work is unimportant. Surely the work should succeed on its own merits without requiring a designer’s advocacy? True. Except there never was a client who didn’t want an explanation for every aspect of every piece of creative work they commissioned. If we can’t talk about our work in a clear, rational and objective way — free from all jargon — then we can’t be surprised when we meet with rejection.

06: Ideas usually fail not because they're bad ideas, but because they're badly presented. The ability to present an idea is as important as the idea itself. The thing we need to remember when presenting work to clients is that they are terrified at the prospect of what we are going to show them.

07: “I’m a professional: I know best.” The only designers who use this argument are unprofessional designers. Designers often say, “No one tells a doctor what to do, so why is it OK to tell me what to do?” But the myth of professional omnipotence has been debunked. We no longer accept that doctors, lawyers and plumbers have a monopoly on knowledge. We are all armed with information downloaded from the internet. Anyone who uses the “I’m a professional therefore you must accept what I say” argument has lost the argument.

08: “All the good jobs go to other designers.” Not true: in fact, nearly all jobs start off as neither good nor bad. We are deluded if we think only other people get good jobs and we only get the rubble. Truth is, nearly all jobs start off the same, and our responses as designers determine the success or failure of each job. There are no good or bad projects in design, only good or bad responses. Good projects are made not found.

09: The best way to run a studio is to be domineering and forceful. In fact, the opposite is true. Designers who run studios or lead teams often think they have to lead from the front. They think they have to dominate. They think they have to take credit for everything. In fact, the opposite is true. Good leaders of design teams lead from behind. They put themselves last and allow others to shine. When designers are allowed to shine, they shine more brightly.

10: If we believe in nothing, we shouldn’t wonder why no one believes in us. In a world with no principles, people respect those who have principles. Impersonating a doormat is a poor way to be an effective graphic designer. In fact, standing up for what we believe in — ethics, morality, professional standards, even aesthetic preferences — is the only way to produce meaningful work. Of course we won’t win every time, but we will win more often than the designer who doesn't believe in anything.

11: When a client says the words — “you have complete creative freedom,” they never mean complete creative freedom. Whatever you show them, they will find a problem with. Happens every time.

Why don't we work for ourselves? Sure there's the obvious answers: security, marketing, etc. But what about our sanity? If we are driven crazy by our boss' odd requests our job security may not be as strong as we initially believed. What about our individualism? How great of a designer can we really be if we aren't allowed to flourish to our full potential? It's about time we stop putting it off and start making a plan for our own path to success. After-all: if you fail to plan then you're planning to fail. Nervous? Don't be. I believe in you. :)

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

If you have a chance, I recommend checking out the AVAM's new exhibition, "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." It's definitely one of the stronger AVAM exhibitions I've seen here, in terms of both subject matter and (often painstakingly, obsessively detailed) execution. Some of the featured artists who stood out especially for me:

• Richard McMahan, who's recreating 30,000 years' worth of art in miniature, piece by piece
• Vincent Nardone, who's been incarcerated since the mid-70'—his drawings capture 1950s-1970s American culture: diners, drive-ins, etc. (Google turns up a different artist by the same name.)
• Renaldo Kuhler, who's built this weird, kitschy yet fascinating series around the fictional country and culture of Rocaterrania
• Jean-Pierre Nadau, who tells us that New York does not exist

More details here and here and here.

Salon redesign

I must be psychic. Sixty seconds ago I was idly wondering to myself why Salon's home page was still so scrolly and that the layout really needed an update with a stronger grid structure. Then I went to the site, as I do pretty much daily, and lo... there it was.

Definitely an improvement. Unfortunately, though, they buried the links to their forums, The Well and TableTalk—interesting choice since a number of Salon Premium subscribers are there mostly for the forums. (I don't know what people on the Well are saying, but a gajillion posters on TableTalk have said they'd let their Salon sub run out if not for wanting to keep access to the forum.)

Also, Camille Paglia does not need to be right up at the top of the page in red. In fact, she does not need to be anywhere. IMHO.

New 'ish

Just when I thought I had the latest, newest, freshest, crispiest apple, they go and make some NEW iMACS. I can't keep up with Adobe either. I am still using CS2. As soon as I switch to 4, there going to release 5. How much does it mean to have the latest computer/software, etc... as long as you get jobs done? I know there's all kinds of innovations with work flow and such, but companies update so quick, making everything so obsolete... it's like running behind a train and never getting on board...

Computer Games for Graphic Designers

I was surfing the web today and stumbled across The Font Game, a game that tests your ability to identify fonts. I felt pretty nerdy playing the game and even nerdier emailing the link to my design friends. However, I thought the game tied in perfectly with Tess's blog post. Tess made a great point, there is a "fine line between seeking inspiration and seeking distraction."

Mr Eaves

I just got an message from Emigre that Zuzana Licko has designed a new sans serif typeface to compliment Mrs Eaves. Mr Eaves seems to share a lot in common with Gill and Johnston Sans but with notable exceptions, g, l, Q, R being among the most obvious.

I wonder what this font choice would say about me?

Trajan

Everyone knows Trajan has been over used to the point that it now sucks. Watch this. But, there are alternatives to this over used and ancient type. The Font Shop has several "more better" options. Have fun and remember, what do your fonts choices say about you?

john stossel 20/20 - graphic design

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RqdZCo6vkI

Fairey Lied about Obama image

Here is a lesson for all designers, be careful about how influenced you are for your own work by other people's work. With a myriad of sources to be influenced by, all the imagery we are bombarded with on a daily bases, we must be extra careful not to be overly influenced. (I believe Kristin wrote something about this earlier.) I myself had to change my DVD project from Aliens because I saw a movie poster redesign that was just too perfect and I couldn't help but be consumed by the concept, so I had to walk away from the idea. I guess it was an ethical crossroads for me and the devil lost this round. Read about Shepard's latest here.

Flagship revision

I think I have this solved. I worked on this quite a bit last night. I would love your feedback...thanks!

10,000 hours

You need to put in roughly 10,000 hours of sustained effort to get really good at anything.

That's one premise of Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success. I highly recommend this book. Often we attribute success—especially in the case of phenomenally successful people—to intelligence and ambition. Gladwell argues that while these factors absolutely matter, they're less important than (1) being in the right place at the right time in history and (2) getting your 10,000 hours in.

It's the latter concept that interests me in terms of design and other creative pursuits. Gladwell explains that—partly through circumstance and partly through personal choice—the people we regard as creative geniuses, people who redefined an industry or a genre, are those who got their 10,000 hours in early on. It's well known, for instance, that the Beatles spent the early 60s playing clubs in Germany. Here's what I didn't know: In Liverpool, the Beatles had played 1-hour sessions. In Hamburg, between 1960 and 1962, they routinely played eight-hour sessions, night after night. Gladwell notes:

"By the time they had their first burst of success in 1964... they had performed live an estimated twelve hundred times. Do you know how extraordinary that is? Most bands today don't perform twelve hundred times in their entire careers. The Hamburg crucible is one of the things that set the Beatles apart."

Gladwell goes on to quote an interview in which John Lennon explains that the sheer number of hours onstage not only built up the band's stamina but forced them to become more inventive as artists. So without those formative years in Hamburg, would there have been a White Album later on? Who knows. Maybe not.

Aside from the Beatles' story, Outliers does not explore in great depth how the "10,000 hour rule" applies specifically to the arts. This raises a couple of interesting questions:

(1) How does the 10,000-hour rule jibe with the concept of the "Renaissance Man" who pursues multiple creative outlets? How do you explore different outlets without sacrificing the time you spend perfecting one craft? There are artists who do it, of course, but few who do it well.

(2) How do you balance your active creative time with your passive, receptive creative time—the time you spend taking in images and ideas? No one's a self-contained fountain of creative inspiration. Good writers read. Good designers look. But there can be a fine line between seeking inspiration and seeking distraction, and there are 10,000 distractions clamoring for our attention.

Incidentally, 10,000 hours is about 5 years at a typical 9-5 gig (40 hrs/week x 50 weeks/year). If you're lucky, your day job includes a lot of time spent on the work that matters most to you. But even if it doesn't—every hour you get in counts, including those that feel wasted or failed. Remember that the next time you throw out a creative experiment gone disastrously wrong, be it visual or literary or even culinary. Every hour counts.

Another Design Blog

Some cool stuff here. If you scroll down to the second series there are a bunch of samples from a movie poster mash-up contest. Some are pretty good, but most are weak in my opinion. Worth a look though & I think that would be a fun project. The image I chose to upload is pretty fun to look at, but an obvious choice. Enjoy.

print vs web

As I began work on project 2, I realized how difficult it is maintaining a style between a magazine and website. Both medium serve slightly different purposes. One to give as much information on a page without it becoming crowded and with enough images to maintain interest. The other's mission seems to be the exact oposite. Less words, more images--because more info is only a click away. If only people would be ok with turning a page seveal times so each page could be clean and crisp. I will attempt to use a clean layout without too much on the page. I think the internet can teach us something about crowed jumbled messes and poor hirarchy. It learned these things from the world of print, and in the case of some magazines, it's time for an upgrade.

Carcode Generator

As promised. LINK

Most US consumer goods use UPC A.

I would just copy the number from a product you have handy, generate it and save the .eps to you machine.

This Week

Hello Everyone,

I have had a great deal going on in the past week but still trying to focus hard on the projects. I have change my concept slightly for project 2 with the idea of the magazine. It will know be focused on a Spanish magazine for girls, like seventeen magazine. I have an overall concept for project 3 with Alred Hitchcock, it is not developed thoroughly but I will bring it to class. For the logo, I went much simpler with just using EBLO. Can't wait to hear your feedback!!!! See you guys soon!!!

Busy Week

I was out sick last week and have been scurrying to catch up on my life ever since. I am happy to say I feel much more on top of things today than yesterday. I'm really disappointed that I wasn't in class though because it seems like there was a lot of good feedback on everyone's logos. I am so impressed with all the ones posted this week. They really look great. Tons of progress over the past few weeks.

I've been working on Project 2 and doing a lot of research on DVD covers (especially looking at the work from the Criterion Collection) and also looking at a lot of book covers being a similar medium, and I have become completely addicted to his site--the Book Cover Archive.

Project 2

Looking good, Mariana!

This week I've been focused on Project 2. As soon as we got this assignment, I knew what I wanted to do for this one—or I had a nebulous concept of it, anyway. I want to do a magazine aimed at people in their late teens/early 20s, broadly focused on politics and culture but with (duh) a youth focus: how does the recession affect students trying to work their way through college, for instance. Some recurring columns would address "real life 101" information that no one teaches you but everyone needs: for example, what do you need to know when you go to buy a car for the first time.

I see the audience as kids/young adults who would likely be reading publications like The Nation, The New Republic, slate.com, and salon.com if they were a little older. Music, ,the arts, and celebrity news might be included here and there but would not the main attraction. Meghan McCain would be more likely to appear on the cover than Megan Fox.

I know I need to work on defining the audience/focus more tightly. And, of course, the name I'd come up with is taken. Sigh. Bringing preliminary mockup to class tonight.

Project1_FFL Logo

I have been working more in the logo and I feel I'm almost done. I hope you guys can let me know tonight in class what do you think? I feel that the whole process has improved a lot the first idea and allowed me to also incorporated much more meaning.

Reading David Airey blog, I like what he has to say on this subject. He always check five elements in every iconic logo, maybe if you read this that can help us to discuss tonight:

1. It’s describable
2. It’s memorable
3. It’s effective without colour
4. It’s scalable i.e. works when just an inch in size
5. It’s relevant to the industry in question

Maybe points one and two go hand-in-hand, because if you can’t describe what a logo looks like then how will you be able to remember it?

Point number three is important because colour is secondary to the shape and form. I leave colour to the end of the design process as Amy suggested, because if the mark doesn’t work in black only, no amount of colour will rescue it.

Point number four (It’s scalable ) is vital for collateral, such as office stationery (pens, pin badges etc.)—all those little things that can easily be overlooked.

Point number five, the design must be relevant for the business it identifies. This is accomplished through in depth research into the industry involved, and helps to differentiate from closely associated competitors.

Thanks and see you soon.

Project 3: Director Change - Wes Anderson

I want to do my poster series on Wes Anderson. I am thinking of using the movies: The Royal Tenenbaums, Bottle Rocket, and The Darjeeling Limited, which portray characters who are struggling with reaching maturity and adulthood. For my typeface, I might make an adolescent-looking handwritten font.

Font based Art

This show is being held Down Unda, but thanks to the mighty intra-web we can enjoy the artwork from our cosi homes. (how the hell do you spell cosi anyway?)



I find great inspiration in type based art, I think typography in itself is a great art form. There was a publication that lived years ago called U&LC, it showcased magnificent type based work, new typefaces and type used in many interesting ways. I have a gallery of their work, I'll bring it this evening for everyone to look at. Sometimes when you try to solve your problem with just type, you can end up with the simplest and most elegant solution.

P2…Taxi Driver DVD

Here is the concept I want to use for my Taxi Driver DVD re-design. The magnum & the cab are two elements that when brought together, I think, encapsulate the movie without being too obvious. Let me know what you guys think. Obviously, there is not type treatment yet, that will come.
Thanks.

Making the Grid

I have been doing a lot of research on grids since last week's class. Grid systems are a great organization tool; they are used in everything from signage systems to typography. If you, like me, are struggling to create a grid structure for the magazine project, this web site is a great resource: http://www.thegridsystem.org. It showcases some interesting work utilizing the grid.

Big Bad Wolf

Before I can call this complete, I wanted to run it by everyone once again. Let me know what you think. Thanks gang.

How to beat burnout & stay motivated/ Glaser

I think it is safe to assume we all have pretty specific goals in our professional lives. We are graduate students for some reason, right? I certainly have very specific goals, both short term and long term, that relate to my professional development. And, sometimes I feel burned out, it happens. There are so many factors out of my control that sometimes I just loose motivation or I get frustrated, but in the end I want to remain focused on my goals and I want to stay steadfast in my pursuit to make them reality. Here is a good article addressing some zen-like points to help us stay the course and remain dedicated to reaching the promised land.



I also watched a short video of Milton Glaser talking about drawing. That inspired me greatly. The man is so calm and brilliant. Even if you think you can't draw, I have to agree with Milton, I find it a great way to solve any design issue; drawing gets my right-brain fired up and I can see things differently and find better solutions than just brainstorming. Give it a shot.

beyond frustrated

Okay, so I've used Photoshop and Illustrator before and utilize online tutorials... but I'm encountering some minor issues.

I've scanned my typeface in and have it saved. It's a full page of letters I am using for the posters. I want to do the following:

1. Save the letters on a transparent background so I can pluck each individual letter without any white square background behind it.
2. Change the color of the letters if I choose to do so. I found a way with the replacement color tool, but it is tedious given my brush restrictions (for some reason the brush palette is grayed out).

I have the doc saved in 3 formats right now...psd, jpeg, and tif.

Any tips are greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Chris

AIGA Blend

Hi gang,

Like I posted earlier I am going to try to get AIGA to be more active at UB. The monthly Blend is at One-Eye Mike's in Fells Point on Wednesday. I'll be there and encourage anyone who is not an AIGA member, is a member who isn't so active or just curious to show up and meet some of your peers. It is a good time. I hope to see some of you there, networking is uber important.

INX file plug-in

I run CS3 on my iMAC at home, and the UB runs CS4. Luckily it's possible to save any work done in CS4 to an INX exchange file that allows me to open the file in my CS3 environment. Except that my system wouldn't allow me to do that. Does anyone know what specific plug-in I need to obtain to accomplish this? I went on the Adobe site and couldn't find what I need.

I'm also hoping it's not expensive...

Updates

Hey Class,

Looking very much towards our class Thursday night. I feel like I'm making some headway idea-wise on the 2nd and 3rd projects and looking forward to getting everyone's opinion on if these ideas will fly. If they do it's full steam ahead. See you in class!

Chris

Whose turn is it this week?

Resume

A designers res should showcase your "steez." Check these out for some inspiration, these kick arse.

Project #1 revision

Hey Gang,

I incorporated a brush stroke and used an organic typeface for "rehab". i also rotated the icon a bit more to look less like an eye, and tried to cradle the text a bit more...hopefully this gives it more of a nurturing feel. Thoughts are welcome please!

British Reading Rainbow

Sorry, I suck at this embedding links thing.

But this was a creepy British Reading Rainbow Video somebody sent to me. I was referencing Bob's illustrated WhateverPeter Book.

font hacks unite

I found this old post but I thought it was somewhat relevant to some discussions on this blog regarding typography and open source. Apparently some geniuses downloaded the NYC MTA font and made signs that were displayed as if they were information regarding a time shift for train schedules.






I wonder if he was ever caught.




















And speaking of disturbing children's teachings around the world (in reference to Bob's WhatteverPeter book), Check out the British version of Reading Rainbow





... never in my life . . .

student of the month

I am not a fan of bumper stickers at all, but I thought these were a clever spin on parent's bragging rights for their child doing well at school.


Being behind this car, all i could see was . . .

a. Proud Parent of a
STUDENT OF THE MONTH
b. AGAIN
c. AND AGAIN
d. AND AGAIN

What a NERD!!!



However, i am not going to think of a bunch of clever bumper stickers to design, cuz I still hate 'em!

NYTimes.com "Exploring the past: Creativity in Old Age”

Here is the link to the article at NYTimes.com called "Exploring the past: Creativity in Old Age”:
http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/02/style/exploring-the-past-creativity-in-old-age.html?sec=health
Sorry I forgot to linked on Kristins post

Thanks, Bob and Meg for some really great posts about inspiration. I actually was just have a conversation about this with some creative types from a variety of backgrounds, musician, designers, and writer, and we were talking about the tricky balance between inspiration and emulation. A hypothetical example would be, a musician who is currently recording who doesn't want to listen to that new Radiohead record because they are afraid they will hear something that will influence them (even if it is just on a subconscious level) causing them to knock off a particular sound or style.

We didn't come to any conclusions, but for me, I try to look at a lot of different kinds of designs fairly regularly and appreciate the concepts rather than seeking out one particular style. I don't know. Is that a concern for anyone else out there?

Learning from the Past & Mastering the Present

I totally agree with Meg and I have a little to add to her post. I studied fine art before I studied design so I learned a decent amount on how to become an "artist" which, as we all know, is very different than being a designer. To become a fine artist, like a painter, one must first study and learn the fundamentals of art: composition, hierarchy, layout, color theory, anatomy, proportion/scale, depth of field, etc. Once these fundamentals are mastered the student focuses on technique, mediums, styles, etc. Over the course of time the student will master both of these skills and focus on mastering a technique that, usually, is modern for the time. Once mastered the student start developing and mastering their own style, eventually the artist becomes known for this style and becomes a master themselves. If you look at the history of modern art you will see this progression in artist like Picasso, but we all know this.



In design I have tried to follow a similar path and I think most designs would benefit from doing the same. Mastering the fundamentals of design, mastering the equipment then mimicking the styles and techniques of great designers whose work I/you admire, all with the hopes of developing my own style and like Picasso or David Carson it is original and perhaps game changing.



So, I find it very important & beneficial to refer back to super-star designers like Bass, Rand, etc. to learn about what made their work great. I think it is even more important to see what today's great designers are up to. Look at Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Shor, Micheal Beruit, etc. to see what's hot and what styles are popular.

Project 3

So I think I've hit on the theme I want to carry through my poster for Project 3: the ocean. But not fun, sunny, happy beach times. Think cold, gray, windy. It's a recurring element in several of Breillat's films. Sex is Comedy opens with a pair of young actors flubbing a love scene on a beach in winter under their tyrannical director's gaze. In Fat Girl, the younger, overweight, tagalong sister, Anais, drearily lounges on the beach while her sister frolics in the distance with her new boyfriend. Brief Crossing centers on an awkward romantic encounter between mismatched strangers on a ferry crossing the English Channel. But always, the water is chilly and uninviting--words that could also describe this director's portrayal of love and sex.

AFI Logo

Get it here & you're welcome.

Google logo

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Did anyone see the Google logo today? They do fun stuff with it daily it seems, but today it's a bar code:

Has anyone verified if this really says Google in bar code lingo?? I'm not seeing it...even with being cross-eyed from staring at spreadsheets all day...

See you all in class!

AIGA UB

I am an AIGA member.

There are millions of benefits to being an AIGA member. If you went to Dan Shub's lecture on finding a job, you will know first hand that networking is key to breaking into a career in design, getting a better job and even landing more clients. If you did little more than attend the AIGA Blend events and socialized you will expand your network immensely. That is just on benefit.

If you are not a member, you should join. This week I am working with Ed Gold and Chris Jones (AIGA Baltimore President) on making AIGA UB more visible and relevant at UB. I think we need to be more involved in the design scene in town, I'm tired of everyone thinking there is MICA and nothing else. This will be an ongoing project and nothing will happen over night.

If you have any suggestions on how we should approach this campaign I encourage you to share with me. If you want to help, let me know too.

Thanks,

-bob

Project 2

I finally decided on what I will do for project 2. I want to redesign the UB annual report. You can download the PDF on this page.

While this might be one of the most challenging projects to work on, I can see it helping my portfolio. Many design firms make their largest profits from annual reports, while I do have one in my portfolio I think having a second, especially for an educational institution, could help me out. After all, my goal is to work for a small local firm and I would have to show I can hit the ground running if they choose me. Designing the mag or the packaging would be beneficial, but the more difficult project will be the best choice. I guess that is the way it always is.

Please everyone look at the report, I want to discuss it in class this week. Thanks.

Do a Pangram and you will have all the letters

I was working on the type project and I was trying to see how many letters do I need to create for my idea, and I found “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s? is a pangram that has been used to test typewriters and computer keyboards.
It was chosen because it’s coherent, short, and contains all the letters of the English alphabet. Here are some others:
How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. (30 letters)
Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. (30 letters)
Quick Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs. (30 letters)
Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack. (29 letters)
Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim. (29 letters)
Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. (29 letters)
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow. (29 letters)
Sex-charged fop blew my junk TV quiz (29 letters)
Junk MTV quiz graced by fox whelps (28 letters)
Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymphs. (28 letters)
Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex. (28 letters)
Fox nymphs grab quick jived waltz. (28 letters)
Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox. (28 letters)
DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog. (27 letters)

Keeping in line with Meg's inspirational post (Thanks Meg!), I am recently having one hell of a time coming up with a magazine idea. It seems every one I come up with has been done. I went to Barnes & Noble per Amy's suggestion and they have a periodical stand the length of an 18 wheeler. Even when I want t0 put a different spin on something, I'm wondering if it has enough meat around it to stick...
Running mag? been done...Runners World, Running Times, Trail Runner
Beer mag? been done for my exact target audience...Brew. I had considered a beer magazine for distributors, but not feeling that too much
Golf magazine? been done...I saw 7 magazines about golf at B&N
I could go on, but you get the point....

Right now, it's between two ideas:
1. A magazine about Fatherhood. There aren't many...I only saw one online, and none at B&N. The issue here is that I just did a group project of a similar imaginary magazine in Magazine Design last semester, BUT I wasn't happy with certain aspects of how our project turned out and the daddy mag I'm considering would have a much different spin. That one was kind of political and changing the perceptions that dads are uninvolved. This new one would be more about dealing with infants and toddlers and the trials and tribulations of early daddyhood.
2. Maryland Cuisine...just what it says...all Maryland food...from local Restaurant specialties to down home cooking. The problem here is that I don't want to step on Meg's toes, although her mag idea has a different spin. Funny, but my very first thought when I started brainstorming about mags was to have an exotic cuisine, kind of like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, but I wasn't sure if the audience would be robust enough or whether the info would be practical.

Any thoughts on the above are welcome. I may design a logo for both and see what Amy says too.

Learning from the Past

I am a big believer in learning history--especially art history. Some of my fondest college moments were spent sitting in a darkened auditorium watching slide shows. When my old college professors received complaints about our cumbersome art history requirements, they used to respond "how can you paint, if you do not know what has already been painted."

The same concept applies to design. It is hard to create good, meaningful design without knowing what is out there, what design has been successful in the past, and what has been a complete flop. As we discussed in last night's class, technology is creating even more design possibilities for the web and other new media. Having an understanding of tenets of good design is now more important than ever.

Whenever I am stumped on a project, I reach for my graphic design books to see what kind of inspiration I can gather from the masters. Here are a few classic designs that still look fresh and relevant today.

Logos by Saul Bass:

As a side note Saul Bass is a great inspiration for movie poster design.

Logos by Paul Rand:

Design by Milton Glaser:

More Resources & Inspiration
Here are a few more cool resources to consider when looking for design inspiration.
AIGA Design Archives
Grain Edit
Hatch Design
JDK

bilingual designer needed

Mariana,

Get in touch with me if you are interested. My recruiter (Heather at Engine Performance) is looking for a bilingual designer for an in-house freelance gig in Baltimore.

gillespie2021@yahoo.com

-bob

Sorry to misuse the blog.

Sometimes I wonder if I am the only designer who cares. I have a few fellow designers who don't mind handing out work they aren't proud of. Their excuses for their selves, and their peer pressure on me, is shameful. They claim that if a redesign is better than the original, even by a small percent, then its a job well done--even if the new design is obviously sub-par. I also hear that if you're not getting paid, to not put effort, heart, time, and thought into it. I wonder if these individuals can sleep at night. Sure that thought seems severe, but the must not love what they do... that'd keep me up all night. Fortunately, art, design, creativity, solving problems, opening communication where it was a jumbled mess before--that is one of my great passions. I love what I do. I will put in extra time, not just to help the client, but also because I am invested in their success. I hope I'm not alone in this. I hope than most designers get to enjoy and become immersed in their professions as well.

On another note, I began to understand the drama around the ikea logo. Yesterday, I bought the first grape juice I spotted in the school store. It wasn't until I settled down into my office and was halfway through my tasty drink did I realize this was my usual brand of juice: dole. They changed their packaging! It looks more like the off brand orange juices with a white background and a super thin stroke for their logo. Was this the brand of orange juice everyone talked about last class? I'm still uncertain if the redesign was for financial reasons, or for a more organic clean feeling. In either case, I wouldn't have guessed it to be a brand I trusted and loved for so long... in a way I felt betrayed. Such quality orange juiced should be backed by a quality label. I wanted to show it on here, but i through the bottle away with out thinking about it... the fact that I didn't give it a second though says something about the product. So take a look and see if you see it in the stores. If you don't then hopefully its a sign that they rethought the bland look and amended the error in their ways.

Type

I find it interesting that there seems to be this strict code of ethics on type and copyright when browsing the web, however, that sounds great on paper, but whose actually following these rules? Who even knows them?

There are tons of free font sites that feature free typefaces that are basically rip-offs of copyrighted material. We, as designers & students, are totally guilty of using dafont.com and its cousins in mimicry, but we live our lives guilt free. Are we morally bankrupt when it come to fonts?

How many of us have sent files to press via Quark or InDesign? Did you uncheck "include fonts" when you sent made the disk? For those fonts included in the package, do you own the rights to reproduce that typeface? Have you read the warning that pops up? But yea, who cares, right?

What about sending files to press as PDF? Do we own the licensing for those typefaces to embed them in a PDF and have it reproduced by a company who may or may not have the licensing too? How about publishing a PDF on the web? What rules apply there? Do we ever give a crap?

How many of us use bootlegged typefaces? Better question, how many don't?

In my experience I think the rules of licensing on type are archaic and sort of a waste. No one is paying attention to them, but that doesn't mean it doesn't matter. The fact that there is debate about using specific fonts on the web, print, etc. means that what is currently law isn't working. I'm not offering solutions, just frustration that foundries, the lawyers and the designers haven't settled this issue yet. Why is it that you can only view certain typefaces on the web? You can pick from a short-list of serif, sans serif type only? How dumb does that sound?

Hopefully the future solves this nonsense real quick, so in a couple of years we can look back and laugh about the times when you could only use Arial or Times or Verdana when designing for screen.

In the meanwhile, check out this link for some free web fonts for designers. Apparently they are totally awesome.

Color Palettes

Inspired by Nichelle's post on Pantone I wanted to share this link to Colorlovers. They have tons of color palettes for almost anything. I have a freelance job I'm working on designing stationary, invites, etc. and the only direction I have on the audience is "masculine." So I searched through some palettes on CL and found a couple that would work. It sure saved some time. So when you are thinking about your audience while doing these project, save some time and find some great color combinations already ready for you.

Pantone Colors

So, I was reading my blogs as usual and stumbled across Pantone colors having it's "own" fashion week in NY. It's called "Pantone Fashion Color Report, Spring 2010." They have invented new Spring 2010 colors for designers to chose from. It may seem funny, but when I think of Pantone colors, I only think of print and web. It has never crossed my mind to think about clothing and the colors that are associated with it. Now I can see the correlation. Here is a link to the PDF of designers and the colors/sketches they are using for Spring 2010. http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20694

Click on preview colors for Spring 2010.

Copyright for Freelance Designers

Here is a good primer on copyright for freelance design projects: http://freelanceswitch.com/the-business-of-freelancing/to-share-or-not-to-share-that-is-the-question/