Question everything generally thought to be obvious —Dieter Rams For me, right now, this means – rethink all of my design tendencies. For example: Is Helvetica right for this project too? Does this website need to be centered (margin: 0 auto; for the web nerds)? Do buttons need rounded corners and a gradient? In your […]
Good design is….
Recently, I came across Dieter Rams’ ten principles of good design. I didn’t even know who Dieter Rams was – but assumed that he was surely a graphic designer, based on his definition of good design (and maybe the glasses). I was wrong! (which proves good design is transcendent) Dieter Rams is an industrial designer […]
Design is not about innovation
Design is not about innovation. Design is about communication. Innovation in design is usually a wonderful byproduct or direct result of a particular need. Design that seeks to foremost be innovative will commonly fall apart under its own stylistic girth. — Jason Santa Maria
It’s not a pink slip, it’s a blank page.
I ran across this documentary on Hulu about a month ago. Lemonade tells the story of laid-off folks (mostly in advertising and creative fields) who are taking full advantage of all their extra free time. They are pursuing their true passions and finding so much joy in it. You might say that they are making […]
Questions: Design Style
I recently had a conversation with a good friend about design styles. The question was posed to me… That begs the question….is it better to develop your own “style” that you become recognized by, or have an arsenal of styles to draw from to please your clients? Both have valid arguments… That’s a tough question. I think […]
What Makes a Logo Great?
I don’t know too much about logo design, since I focus most of my time with magazine design and web design, although I will try to list some things I’ve learned. Effective Logos… …are distinctive …are visible …are usable …are memorable …are universal …are durable …are timeless …do not sell, only identifies. …derives its meaning from […]
Misconceptions of Designing for the Web
Websites should look pretty and that’s all that matters. They should be well designed, but from a usability standpoint. It’s not a magazine ad, where the audience just looks at and reads it. Think about how the user will navigate through the site, their Internet speed, browser support, search engine optimization. I don’t know HTML […]
Great Newspaper Ads pt. 1
I’m new to designing ads for newspapers, but not new to designing and laying out newspaper pages. I worked a semester at the Truman Index. I stared at very full newspaper pages with columns and columns of text all the time while trying to fit even more stuff in there. It’s all about how much […]
What I’ve learned in regards to graphic design.
What I’ve learned in regards to graphic design. 1. You should stab yourself in the hand if you feel the urge to use a drop shadow, stroke or gradiant. A direct quote from my Professor. I believe that drop shadow can be used, but very faintly and only to achieve better readability 2. Large blocks […]