Journal 5 : David Carson

David Carson on design + discovery | Video on TED.com

Great design is a never-ending journey of discover - for which it helps to pack a healthy sense of humor. Carson believes the emotion is picked up in a design before they ever begin reading.

"The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it Intuition or what you will, the solution comes to you and you don't know how or why." Albert Einstein

"When people are engaged in creating a totally different world, they always form vivid images of the preceding world."

David Carson's methods of typography in the 90's brought in a new vision of type and page design - quiet simply, breaking the traditional mold of type on a page and demanding fresh eyes from the reader. Squishing, smashing, slanting and enchanting the words on a layout, Carson made the point, over and over, that letters on a page are art. You can see the repercussions of his work to this day, on a million Flash intro pages and probably just as many skateboards and T-shirts.

Journal 5 : Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister shares happy design | Video on TED.com

I really enjoyed Sagmeisters lists especially the one about things that made him happy while designing:

1. Thinking about ideas and content freely- with deadlines far away

2. Working without interruption on a single project.

3. Using a wide variety of tools and techniques

4. Traveling to new places

5. Working on project that matter to me.

6. Having things come back from the printer done well.

Overall Sagmeister was just very concerned with happiness as a designer. Often in the design world its easy to get caught up in deadlines without remember that designing is something you truly enjoy, not just a job. I really liked the subway stickers that said things like "Do not accept defeat" and "Do not hold grudges". It was a very funny design.

In the article How Good is Good? Sagmeister made another interesting points:

1. Design can unify

2. Design can help us remember

3. Design can simplify our lives

4. Design can make someone feel better

5. Design can make the world a safer place

6. Design can help people rally behind a cause

7. Design can inform and teach

8. Design can raise money

9. Design can make us more tolerant

"Commercial Art makes you BUY things, graphic design GIVES you ideas" - Sagmeister

Journal 5 : J.J. Abrams

J.J. Abrams' mystery box | Video on TED.com

I had to watch the TED talk with J.J. Abram's because Lost is driving me crazy during its last season.

"Technology is mind blowingly inspiring" - Abrams

It was funny to me when he said he was so inspired by his mac computer. He said it inspired him to write scripts that were worthy of being on his computer screen. He also made an interesting point that although technology is great you don't have to have the newest and greatest technology to still make cool stuff.

I thought it was also interesting when he talked about withholding information intentionally. Mysteries intrigue people so you shouldn't give them all the information right away.

Project 1 : Final Posters

Concept statement:

Hyprid: Lifeless-future

Lifeless: without animation, liveliness, or spirit; dull; colorless; torpid

Future: something that will exist or happen in time to come

To suggest:

the future

emotions

captivity

power

technology

beauty

Journal 4: Bruce Mau

Copied straight from Bruce Mau's website.

Bruce Mau is a visionary and world-leading innovator. As Chief Creative Officer of Bruce Mau Design, he proves that the power of design is boundless, and has the capacity to bring positive change on a global scale.

Throughout the years, Mau has gained an international reputation for his commitment to interdisciplinary and purpose-driven innovation. As the creative force driving studios in Chicago and Toronto, he recognizes that the complex challenges of the future demand innovation across disciplines and industries. In the fall of 2009, Mau was given the distinguished Louise Blouin Foundation Award at the Global Creative Leadership Summit for his exceptional creative achievement. In 2007 Mau was presented with the AIGA Gold Medal for communication design. He was named the Bill and Stephanie Sick Distinguished Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

15. Ask stupid questions.
Growth is fueled by desire and innocence. Assess the answer, not the question. Imagine learning throughout your life at the rate of an infant.

32. Listen carefully.
Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own. Neither party will ever be the same.

I like these two rules together because why ask a stupid question if you're too stupid to listen. Often times I get too nervous to ask what I really want to ask. Then when someone is telling me the answer I miss half of the details. This week my mantra is a collaboration of these two rules: To ask stupid questions and then listen carefully.

Just some good ol' book covers

Journal 3: 20 Rules

In the article Twenty Rules for Making Good Design, David Jury acknowledges the fact that rules can be broken but not ignored "In the end, you will decide how and when to apply the rules, or not, as well as understand the results of either course of action."

The 20 rules stated in the article:

1. Have a concept

2. Communicate don't decorate

3. Speak with one visual voice

4. Use two typeface families maximum. OK, maybe three

5. Use the one-two punch!

6. Pick colors on purpose

7. If you can do it with less, then do it

8. Negative space is magical- create it, don't just fill it up!

9. Treat the type as image, as though it's just as important

10. Type is only type when it's friendly

11. Be universal; remember that it's not all about you

12. Squish and separate

13. Distribute light and dark like firecrackers and the rising sun

14. Be decisive. Do it on purpose- or don't do it at all

15. Measure with your eyes: design is visual

16. Create images- don't scavenge

17. Ignore fashion. Seriously.

18. Move it! Static equals dull

19. Look to history, but don't repeat it

20. Symmetry is the ultimate evil.

The 3 most important rules to me are:

1. Have a concept.

This seems like it deserves a duh! after it but often times I jump into a project and forget to really ever come up with a solid concept.

2. Negative space is magical- create it, don't just fill it up!

Often times negative space is overlooked, but it is a major part of design.

3. Symmetry is the ultimate evil.

"Symmetry shouts very loudly that the designer is lazy and likes to let the format do the designing."

The 3 I need to practice more are:

1. Communicate- don't decorate.

"It's all well and good to experiment with shapes and details and cool effects, but if you simply spackle them all over without considering what they mean and how they support or take away from the message you end up with a jumbled mass of junk that no longer qualifies as design.

2. Use two typeface families maximum. Ok, maybe three.

Sometimes I just get caught up in type and I throw in way too many typefaces and way too many different type sizes.

3. Treat the type as image, as though its just as important.

This is a huge problem for me. I am constantly guilty of spending all my time with the image and then the type becomes a last minute decision. It is very stupid to ignore type in a design, when type has so much to offer.

At this point in my education I do not feel comfortable breaking the rules yet. When the time comes that I can fully justify breaking a rule, I will do it gladly.