Positive/Negative: Letterform Abstractions

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"How to Think Like a Designer" with Michael Bierut

Pentagram partner, Michael Bierut, highlights the do's and don'ts of graphic design while recalling his personal client experiences at the DESIGN INDABA Conference in 2015.  This talk was a well-rounded discussion of design and clientele relations in the professional atmosphere. Goes in-depth on his team's process: how to attacking projects from multiple angles, listening to clients and not focusing on first ideas, using simple shapes and movement, and looking at environment for inspiration.  All really strong advice which resulted in some clean, unique, and smart designs. Michael puts a strong emphasis on the why a client would want to change their logo and/or branding. He focuses on historical references, modernizing and adapting old logos and designs to become relevant in today's market.

Michael Bierut had some really smart designs which were not only visually appealing, but also cost effective.  His re-branding of Nuts.com focused on characterizing three generations of family, and having a unique packaging strategy and design...which ultimately costs the owners no additional costs on packaging and became more recyclable.  His re-branding of Saks Fifth Avenue, he said, "No one want's a new logo, they want someone else's logo or their old logo." Using an older logo, refining it, and using grids to create a new modern art aesthetic that can be used throughout the Saks Fifth Ave. brand.  What I thought was extremely clever was his team's New York Times design, where they thought of the environmental impact which resulted a solid typeface that was visual from street view, but would not block the New York skyline view while standing inside the building.

There are simple solutions to complex problems. This talk really brought light to the options a designer can have for a multitude of different clients.  From a religious church to museums, a designer can have a huge impact in the real world.

Seeing Color

"The Language of Color" with Jim Krause

Jim Krause takes us into the daunting world of color, showcasing the vocabulary, intricacies and the why artists and designers choose the colors they do.

Krause explains the 3 components of color: hue, saturation & value.  Hue essentially is a color, saturation is how bright or muted a color is, and value is how dark or light it may be.  All three of these components make up all the visible colors we experience in the real world.  He also stresses the importance of monitor calibration to accurately portray your design to the printer and/or client.  An important tidbit I extracted from the video was the importance of communication between client and printer. 

As a designer, one should question the client thoroughly to clarify the wants and needs, specifying the target audience, and knowing the competition in the client’s market.  In the end, being practical with the color and the design is preferred, but sometimes a unique, unexpected color may be beneficial. 

There are three options for computer color designs, RGB, CMYK, and spot.  RGB focuses on designs that will be perceived on the web, since the monitor displays utilize Reds, Greens, and Blues to create its color spectrum.  CMYK are for printed material, since printers use Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black to create its color spectrum.  The best for print is actually the third option, spot.  Spot colors are pre-mixed or pure that are printed using a single run.   

UNITE with AIGA

UNITE was a unique experience where a novice student designer could meet, mingle, and learn from local professionals from multiple disciplines around San Diego County. 

I was privileged enough to meet with Paul Drohan of Mirum about portfolio website tips, Angelo Outlaw about life as an in-house designer, and Donald Gould for an illustration demo on how to utilize textures.  The quick, 30-minute Q&A style presentations were not only informative, but very personable.  Each presentation only had 5-10 in attendance, which left a lot of room for getting your specific questions answered quickly.   

Although I am nowhere near the portfolio stage of my career, Paul really emphasized the importance and possibilities of a web-presence for one-self, and the best way to reach your audience and/or future employer.  Donald highlighted the use of ordinary, cheap objects to add an extra layer of organic depth to photoshop images.  By using paint, household objects, paper, and a scanner, one can obtain a more light-humanist approach to the work.  Speaking with Angelo was especially educational since he also came from an engineering background and made a switch to design mid-college term.  Not knowing much about in-house design, he described the pros and cons of both in-house and agency design lifestyles. He answered many of my questions about life-style balance and how to land your first job!

Color Study: Interaction of Color

Color Study: Color Wheel

Marian Bantjes - Creative Inspirations

Marian Bantjes is a world renowned Canadian designer, illustrator, artist, typographer and writer.  With decades of experience working as a typesetter and co-founding a graphic art studio, Digitopolis, in 2003, she decided to put her career on hold and follow a new road of progression. This new road focused on explorative creativity, obsessing over handwork patterning and ornamental designs. Bantjes compared her previous work at Digitopolis to every other studio - no style and a heavy client-based mentality.  Although she expressed that that is exactly what you need to produce a successful studio, Marian wanted a way to affect people in a stronger way. During that transition from client-mentality to personal expression, she developed her own style...a style which she would become internationally known and be hired for.  

Bantjes' style and work can only be described as creative and obsessive.  Her intricate hand-drawn ornamental lines, deep introspective layouts, and innovative packaging, are all part of her process to create something new and unique.  

Speak Up was an online forum where artist could discuss, argue, and indulge in everything that is design.  Marian  was a frequent writer on the forums, making a mark with articles deconstructing the alphabet, and comparing santa clause with a garden gnome. She made another mark by winning their annual t-shirt design competition as well. She described her experience on Speak Up as a way to get advice, be proven wrong, and witness new evolving styles, something like this wasn't readily available at the time.  

Bantjes took a enormous chance in order to focus on work that means more to her than anyone else.  Her obsessive process in art has gone appreciated by the world leaders in design, and she continues to complete work that will affect others differently than she has ever done before.  

Textual Textures

Texture

Scale Depth Motion - Word Pairs

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