Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Don't Copy a Design - Steal It! Final Blog Post.
Goodness... can I say this in school? From this website -
http://www.usabilitypost.com/2008/08/21/dont-copy-a-design-steal-it/
No — don’t copy that design. Steal it.
Wait… let me elaborate.
When you look at an inspirational design you should be inspired. Take your time to examine its aesthetic and construction in detail — look over all the nuances and intricacies of its structure. See how the creator did this and that — extract the essence of what makes this work great.
To steal a design you must collect all the pieces of the puzzle and figure out how it all works as a whole — why did the artist use this color, why these lines, why this typeface?
Stealing design is an intellectual activity — you must be able to digest and absorb the essence of an inspirational design. Stealing gives you the real gold — it gives you the knowledge to create the work in question. Expand your arsenal of design techniques through learning instead of copying.
Knowing the technique, knowing how to implement it, knowing why it works and where it works are all the things that will let you build on it. Take your inspirations and create something better — create something which works for your site or application. Adapt your inspirations to the function of your work.
There is a great method used by Cameron Moll to design websites, which he calls nodes of inspiration. It involves browsing the web, finding exceptional sites and picking an element from each that you really like and you think would work in your project. Of course you shouldn’t just copy these elements — you must implement them in a way that will work in your context, and add a flair of your own.
Much like the rest of everyone at this school I am shot. No really - completely shot. I knew I wanted to take this final HOD post and compile all of my images into a nice cohesive, easy to understand image. While I was searching the web for the images I needed I came across this little ditty and upon inspecting it - it was perfect. Here I had this brilliant interesting idea and someone has already gone and done it!
http://www.usabilitypost.com/2008/08/21/dont-copy-a-design-steal-it/
"Don't Copy a Design — Steal It
Good artists copy. Great artists steal.Copying someone else’s work will only give yours a chance to become as good as the one you’re copying — and that’s the best case scenario. A copy will usually never be as good as the original because it always remains one step behind. Even worse, at the hands of a novice designer a copy could end up looking like a cheap imitation, lacking the finesse and flair of the original.
Pablo Picasso
No — don’t copy that design. Steal it.
Wait… let me elaborate.
When you look at an inspirational design you should be inspired. Take your time to examine its aesthetic and construction in detail — look over all the nuances and intricacies of its structure. See how the creator did this and that — extract the essence of what makes this work great.
To steal a design you must collect all the pieces of the puzzle and figure out how it all works as a whole — why did the artist use this color, why these lines, why this typeface?
Stealing design is an intellectual activity — you must be able to digest and absorb the essence of an inspirational design. Stealing gives you the real gold — it gives you the knowledge to create the work in question. Expand your arsenal of design techniques through learning instead of copying.
Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.Once you’ve assimilated the principles and ideas employed by a designer in their great piece, you can use those ideas in your own work. You’re not going to copy them — you will instead use these tools only where they make sense, and only where they will work well — that’s because you understand exactly why they were employed in the first place.
T. S. Eliot
Knowing the technique, knowing how to implement it, knowing why it works and where it works are all the things that will let you build on it. Take your inspirations and create something better — create something which works for your site or application. Adapt your inspirations to the function of your work.
There is a great method used by Cameron Moll to design websites, which he calls nodes of inspiration. It involves browsing the web, finding exceptional sites and picking an element from each that you really like and you think would work in your project. Of course you shouldn’t just copy these elements — you must implement them in a way that will work in your context, and add a flair of your own.
In the end, each of the inspired elements were reproduced with Authentic Boredom flavor and are unique in their own right.So in essence, what I’m advocating isn’t imitation or plagiarism, my version of stealing is one that expands your knowledge and understanding of design. Being inspired is a good thing, and being able to take on those ideas and build on them further with your own twist and perspective will produce great results that are unique to you."
Cameron Moll
Much like the rest of everyone at this school I am shot. No really - completely shot. I knew I wanted to take this final HOD post and compile all of my images into a nice cohesive, easy to understand image. While I was searching the web for the images I needed I came across this little ditty and upon inspecting it - it was perfect. Here I had this brilliant interesting idea and someone has already gone and done it!
 | ||
| A Graphic Design timeline - http://kalimnaonline.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/timeline.jpg |
I am now free to go back to our 18 page final design project...
Every designers’ dirty
little secret is that they copy other designers’ work. They see work
they like, and they imitate it. Rather cheekily, they call this
inspiration.
— Aaron Russell
Visual design is often the
polar opposite of engineering: trading hard edges for subjective
decisions based on gut feelings and personal experiences. It’s messy,
unpredictable, and notoriously hard to measure. The apparently erratic
behavior of artists drives engineers bananas. Their decisions seem
arbitrary and risk everything with no guaranteed benefit.
— Scott Stevenson
Design is the conscious effort to impose a meaningful order.
— Victor Papanek
You can’t do better design with a computer, but you can speed up your work enormously.
— Wim Crouwel
Good design is all about making other designers feel like idiots because that idea wasn’t theirs.
— Frank Chimero
The difference between a
Designer and Developer, when it comes to design skills, is the
difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.
— Scott Hanselman
Design is easy. All you do is stare at the screen until drops of blood form on your forehead.
— Marty Neumeier
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Herbert Matter
I was equally impacted by the film on Herbert Matter, although in a more subtle way. The definition of Swiss Modernism and the inventor of crossing mediums when it comes to design. He ability to use the camera and incorporate photographic images into his posters with the various uses of scale and perspective define the modern poster of today. Really really cool stuff.
Notes:
Photographer - Infulential artist designer and photograher. Midcentury modern design and art. Unexplored missing link to art history of the 20th century.
Born in 1907 in Switzerland. His small remote swiss village transformed to a tourist destination for high society.
With new people coming to the village it triggered a longing to know what was beyond the mountains of their village.
Studied art in Geneva in the 1920's.
First posters were for his home town.
1927 go to Paris to further his artistic experience.
Goes away from pictorial and moves towards a constructivist and purist style - 1928
Gets a chance to work for Cassandra and influence is apparent in his work.
Devours books about visual communication and the Bauhaus.
Liked what the Russians were doing with photography within the poster.
Durign a raid in local cinema he is caught without the proper papers and sent back to switzerland. Decides to set up shop in zurich.
Photomontage in Zurich in the 30's. Ends the reign of pure illustration. They create a new graphic language. Radical and precise work created...
Gives the family tearoom a new look derived from the Bauhaus and constructivisim.
Trudy Hess - is the perfect model of the time. Young modern and free spirit. Why he returns to his home village all the time.
1931-1934 before color photography creates color brochures in the style photographic.
Most iconic works of the 20th century
He came up with a new medium, new scale and using graphic and photographic elements at the same time.
Posters - own body of style but can communicate to the masses even after decades.
Age of 28 career in full swing Matter leaves switerland and travels to NY. A dance CO. has hired him as a photographer for a dance tour. Correctly guessed that NY would become the new creative hub.
1936 - discovering NY through the viewfinder of his camera. So new and strange I completely forgot about Europe.
Nabs an interview with Harper's Bazaar.
Matters designs are clean calm and bring elements of the Swiss mountain in them.
Editor and Typographer of Plus
1939 workds fair "The world of tomorrow". Many designers brought into the fold and were told to do your best. Held in NY in the midst of War and political chaos. Matter creates the Switzerland pavilion.
Revolutionizes modern art in America
he created the photographers version of abstract expressionist painting - to paint or draw with light. Photography achieves an independent existance.
Jackson Polluck introduced. Inseparable.
1943 Eames invited matter to come to California to work on furniture designs. Again, Eames looking to steal someone elses (someone more brilliant) designs.
Also worked for arts and architecture magazine. Covers and layout.
1946 - mass exodus of the Eames office.
Alex contracts polio on the way back to NY.
Post war america is very successful and booming. Matter was very much in deman.
Alexander Liberman wants Matter to join Conde Nast
Shooting from above - he loved shooting from above.
Expressionistic potential of the photograph images and using them as a graphic element. The main thread that runs through all of his work.
The influence that the Polluck's and the Matters had on one another.
The idea of the image going beyond the frame - Matter preserved Polluck's work.
Mid-Century modern design - Knoll. Brought an energy. Relied on herbert to come up with copy, advertising, photography design and layout.
Herbert Matter Teaches photography at Yale
Photography of Giacometti's works.
Workaholic
He was only happy working.
4/19/1984 died in S. Hampton NY. Self e vowed graphic designer was also a photographer.
A good design stays there forever - modesty is needed to achieve depth. An artists work is their voice. If you want to know who I am look at my work...
Notes:
Photographer - Infulential artist designer and photograher. Midcentury modern design and art. Unexplored missing link to art history of the 20th century.
Born in 1907 in Switzerland. His small remote swiss village transformed to a tourist destination for high society.
With new people coming to the village it triggered a longing to know what was beyond the mountains of their village.
Studied art in Geneva in the 1920's.
First posters were for his home town.
1927 go to Paris to further his artistic experience.
Goes away from pictorial and moves towards a constructivist and purist style - 1928
Gets a chance to work for Cassandra and influence is apparent in his work.
Devours books about visual communication and the Bauhaus.
Liked what the Russians were doing with photography within the poster.
Durign a raid in local cinema he is caught without the proper papers and sent back to switzerland. Decides to set up shop in zurich.
Photomontage in Zurich in the 30's. Ends the reign of pure illustration. They create a new graphic language. Radical and precise work created...
Gives the family tearoom a new look derived from the Bauhaus and constructivisim.
Trudy Hess - is the perfect model of the time. Young modern and free spirit. Why he returns to his home village all the time.
1931-1934 before color photography creates color brochures in the style photographic.
Most iconic works of the 20th century
He came up with a new medium, new scale and using graphic and photographic elements at the same time.
Posters - own body of style but can communicate to the masses even after decades.
Age of 28 career in full swing Matter leaves switerland and travels to NY. A dance CO. has hired him as a photographer for a dance tour. Correctly guessed that NY would become the new creative hub.
1936 - discovering NY through the viewfinder of his camera. So new and strange I completely forgot about Europe.
Nabs an interview with Harper's Bazaar.
Matters designs are clean calm and bring elements of the Swiss mountain in them.
Editor and Typographer of Plus
1939 workds fair "The world of tomorrow". Many designers brought into the fold and were told to do your best. Held in NY in the midst of War and political chaos. Matter creates the Switzerland pavilion.
Revolutionizes modern art in America
he created the photographers version of abstract expressionist painting - to paint or draw with light. Photography achieves an independent existance.
Jackson Polluck introduced. Inseparable.
1943 Eames invited matter to come to California to work on furniture designs. Again, Eames looking to steal someone elses (someone more brilliant) designs.
Also worked for arts and architecture magazine. Covers and layout.
1946 - mass exodus of the Eames office.
Alex contracts polio on the way back to NY.
Post war america is very successful and booming. Matter was very much in deman.
Alexander Liberman wants Matter to join Conde Nast
Shooting from above - he loved shooting from above.
Expressionistic potential of the photograph images and using them as a graphic element. The main thread that runs through all of his work.
The influence that the Polluck's and the Matters had on one another.
The idea of the image going beyond the frame - Matter preserved Polluck's work.
Mid-Century modern design - Knoll. Brought an energy. Relied on herbert to come up with copy, advertising, photography design and layout.
Herbert Matter Teaches photography at Yale
Photography of Giacometti's works.
Workaholic
He was only happy working.
4/19/1984 died in S. Hampton NY. Self e vowed graphic designer was also a photographer.
A good design stays there forever - modesty is needed to achieve depth. An artists work is their voice. If you want to know who I am look at my work...
 | |
| Photograph of Giacometti's work for a book produced in the last two decades of Matters life |
 | |
| Cover of Giacometti's book with photograph taken by Herbert Matter |
 | |
| 1935 - exquisite demonstration of Matter's use of perspective, photographs and tinting of film for this poster |
 | |
| 1950's - Matter photograph for Conde Nast |
 | |
| 1940's photograph of Mercedes Matter |
 | |||
| I love the use of light and perspective in this photograph - also | Mercedes Matter |
I'd Like to be an Intern...Please? Pretty Please.
Talent, playfulness and intelligence.
I'm completely blown away by Milton Glaser and if there is ever any way that I can get myself to NY to intern or take on of his workshops I will be there. He is a brilliant brilliant man who was very humble about the impact that he had on graphic design. I really enjoyed his philosophy on graphic design - he described himself (on a couple of occasions in the film) as 'having a talent to communicate through design.' Sure, just a little bit of talent.
I'll be studying Milton Glaser more...
Notes:
Loved doing posters - loved the enormity of the landscape. Loves music and loves to dance. Create the same kind of emotional response that music has in graphics. Closeness to culture allowed him to change the design field. Response to culture. Very articulate. "Milton speaks the esperanto well."
He created I heart NY. Understanding communication - The creation of a puzzle is one of the tools to understand things. When they activate the mind to try to figure something out they will respond to what they see rather than what they are told. Activating the problem solving impulse of the brain caused the I heart NY to sick.
Humble. Very humble and realizes that the well being of all is worth more than money. Lived in the same place/worked since 1965. Sits with everyone else in the office. We should always operate by interruption. "The New Yorker". Service journalism - be on the readers side.
NY Magazine is a current affairs magazine from the readers perspective - developed by Glaser. Likes the scale of smaller work. Is happier in a more intimate setting. People have to work to understand what you are showing them.
Can create illusions on the computer but you can't stumble upon it physically. Typography - decorative and novelty. Spoke for hours with a man and they didn't speak the same language.
Has the most internatioal reputation of anyone living today. Center of culturally diverse explosion. Non swiss version of design happening in the US. Works that are too preconceived tend to go dead. Everything is related to its opposite - both require exploration. Most of his work comes from drawing.
Drawing as a way of understanding of the world. Looking for a definition of what Art is - looked up several references - horres "The purpose of art is to inform and delight". Louis Hyde "The Gift".
"Do good work"Laguardia arts - the only logo that can be sung.
PushPin was fun in design. Loves to teach. Designing supermarkets fundamental in totally understanding communication. Perception of the world.
I'm completely blown away by Milton Glaser and if there is ever any way that I can get myself to NY to intern or take on of his workshops I will be there. He is a brilliant brilliant man who was very humble about the impact that he had on graphic design. I really enjoyed his philosophy on graphic design - he described himself (on a couple of occasions in the film) as 'having a talent to communicate through design.' Sure, just a little bit of talent.
I'll be studying Milton Glaser more...
Notes:
Loved doing posters - loved the enormity of the landscape. Loves music and loves to dance. Create the same kind of emotional response that music has in graphics. Closeness to culture allowed him to change the design field. Response to culture. Very articulate. "Milton speaks the esperanto well."
He created I heart NY. Understanding communication - The creation of a puzzle is one of the tools to understand things. When they activate the mind to try to figure something out they will respond to what they see rather than what they are told. Activating the problem solving impulse of the brain caused the I heart NY to sick.
Humble. Very humble and realizes that the well being of all is worth more than money. Lived in the same place/worked since 1965. Sits with everyone else in the office. We should always operate by interruption. "The New Yorker". Service journalism - be on the readers side.
NY Magazine is a current affairs magazine from the readers perspective - developed by Glaser. Likes the scale of smaller work. Is happier in a more intimate setting. People have to work to understand what you are showing them.
Can create illusions on the computer but you can't stumble upon it physically. Typography - decorative and novelty. Spoke for hours with a man and they didn't speak the same language.
Has the most internatioal reputation of anyone living today. Center of culturally diverse explosion. Non swiss version of design happening in the US. Works that are too preconceived tend to go dead. Everything is related to its opposite - both require exploration. Most of his work comes from drawing.
Drawing as a way of understanding of the world. Looking for a definition of what Art is - looked up several references - horres "The purpose of art is to inform and delight". Louis Hyde "The Gift".
"Do good work"Laguardia arts - the only logo that can be sung.
PushPin was fun in design. Loves to teach. Designing supermarkets fundamental in totally understanding communication. Perception of the world.
 |
| Massive gilded copper wall panel inspired by his drawings of Tibetan clouds |
 |
| The man himself - in his studo. Milton Glaser |
 |
| Milton Glaser logo for Lapchi at the Santa Monica Museum of Art |
 |
| TIbetian Buddhism carpet |
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Ray & Eames
"Artist is a title that is earned..."
Curious and driven by his curiosity. He did many things and many people wanted to be like him.Life was fun was work was fun was life. Multi facets of the career that makes them extraordinary.
Eames design process - the process of learning by doing. Never delegate understanding. The secret is to work/work/work. "We wanted to make the best, for the most, for the least." Furniture that was affordable for the common man.
Icon of modernism. Lingering question of credit. People felt they weren't recognised for what they contributed to the projects. "The Modern Eames Chair" - he was singularly given credit for it and there were so many people involved in the project.
Ran the office like a renaissance studio. No one got credit for what they contributed unless they went on to produce and incredible amount of work and say they got their start at the Eames studio. Feminism. Ray was a talented artist who participated in the business. The body of work would not have been the same without the participation of Ray. She contributed to the birth of abstract art in America.
One individual with two different special areas.
greatest design of all was the image of Charles and Ray. Happy modern coupe absorbed in their work. Cultural icons and a deep desire of privacy. The container for you life can be simple but that doesn't mean that your life is simple.
Was impressed at how everyone knew their place in the circus. "Never let the blood show". They didn't turn the circus into a chair but they did turn the Eames office into a circus. Herman Miller royalties allowed him to play how he wanted to. At heart a mixture of vanity of self expression.
"I'll do the film but you can't review it before it is shown..." WTF?! "this is a little something we've been working on yet there is blood all over the floor from the people who are working on it." Charles only truly happen when he was manipulating an idea...
Creation of a film about reducing the fear of computers for IBM. Logical evolutionary progression in the film. 1964 Worlds Fair. Never dissension and never questioning. Everything done on a handshake.
Wow! OK. Charles Eames was creative and a great mind, there is no arguing that. He wasn't brilliant though. I was really intrigued by this film because there were so many people in it who had been exploited by Charles and they were OK with it?! Where did the filmmakers get the truly overly eccentric woman who, very clearly, felt she hadn't gotten her fair share of the Charles Eames pie? There is no doubt that - whoa.
Ray - you can see Ray Eames hand in everything that the Eames Offices ever did, it really is remarkable. The funny thing is that the Ray and Charles relationship started with that failed chair of his. Charles Eames was a man who fed off of the ideas of other people and in many cases took all of the credit for collaborated projects. I feel, after watching this movie, that he was an idea man. He came up with ideas and had other people implement them and beyond that he did not allow anyone to review these projects before they were presented and that is wrong. If you are designing for yourself that is one thing but if you are designing for someone else they have a right to see how their dollars are being spend.
I have had my fair share of clients who think, honestly really think, they know better than I do but they still get to see what I'm working on for them. And if it turns out it is something that they don't like I don't go and sulk.
I understand eccentricities but I do not understand how so many people could be so enamored with a man who took advantage of them.
The work produced by the Ray Eames offices is amazing and it is truly remarkable that it is still very in our lives to this day. It is unfortunate that the people who also had their hands in all of the works that came out of those offices weren't properly recognized for their contributions to them.
Curious and driven by his curiosity. He did many things and many people wanted to be like him.Life was fun was work was fun was life. Multi facets of the career that makes them extraordinary.
Eames design process - the process of learning by doing. Never delegate understanding. The secret is to work/work/work. "We wanted to make the best, for the most, for the least." Furniture that was affordable for the common man.
Icon of modernism. Lingering question of credit. People felt they weren't recognised for what they contributed to the projects. "The Modern Eames Chair" - he was singularly given credit for it and there were so many people involved in the project.
Ran the office like a renaissance studio. No one got credit for what they contributed unless they went on to produce and incredible amount of work and say they got their start at the Eames studio. Feminism. Ray was a talented artist who participated in the business. The body of work would not have been the same without the participation of Ray. She contributed to the birth of abstract art in America.
One individual with two different special areas.
greatest design of all was the image of Charles and Ray. Happy modern coupe absorbed in their work. Cultural icons and a deep desire of privacy. The container for you life can be simple but that doesn't mean that your life is simple.
Was impressed at how everyone knew their place in the circus. "Never let the blood show". They didn't turn the circus into a chair but they did turn the Eames office into a circus. Herman Miller royalties allowed him to play how he wanted to. At heart a mixture of vanity of self expression.
"I'll do the film but you can't review it before it is shown..." WTF?! "this is a little something we've been working on yet there is blood all over the floor from the people who are working on it." Charles only truly happen when he was manipulating an idea...
Creation of a film about reducing the fear of computers for IBM. Logical evolutionary progression in the film. 1964 Worlds Fair. Never dissension and never questioning. Everything done on a handshake.
Wow! OK. Charles Eames was creative and a great mind, there is no arguing that. He wasn't brilliant though. I was really intrigued by this film because there were so many people in it who had been exploited by Charles and they were OK with it?! Where did the filmmakers get the truly overly eccentric woman who, very clearly, felt she hadn't gotten her fair share of the Charles Eames pie? There is no doubt that - whoa.
Ray - you can see Ray Eames hand in everything that the Eames Offices ever did, it really is remarkable. The funny thing is that the Ray and Charles relationship started with that failed chair of his. Charles Eames was a man who fed off of the ideas of other people and in many cases took all of the credit for collaborated projects. I feel, after watching this movie, that he was an idea man. He came up with ideas and had other people implement them and beyond that he did not allow anyone to review these projects before they were presented and that is wrong. If you are designing for yourself that is one thing but if you are designing for someone else they have a right to see how their dollars are being spend.
I have had my fair share of clients who think, honestly really think, they know better than I do but they still get to see what I'm working on for them. And if it turns out it is something that they don't like I don't go and sulk.
I understand eccentricities but I do not understand how so many people could be so enamored with a man who took advantage of them.
The work produced by the Ray Eames offices is amazing and it is truly remarkable that it is still very in our lives to this day. It is unfortunate that the people who also had their hands in all of the works that came out of those offices weren't properly recognized for their contributions to them.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Helvetica
I love how he compares type face to musical notes - it isn't the actual type face or the note but it is the space in between that helps to create the impact.
Helvetica developed because they were looking for a legible modern type face. It is clear and good for everything. Love the example of "I love you" and he is exactly right about the variations of a font.
For anything that had to spell out lound and clear "modern". 1950's post war real feeling of idealism for designers. Design is part of the need to rebuild and reconstruct - to be more open, run smoothly and be more democratic.
Early experiments of high modernest period. International typographic style. Swiss designers drove. 1957 is when Helvetica was developed.
Clarity - clear readable and straightforward. The Grid - but always along the line of the Grid. I agree with this completely. There is a specific way that the eye sees things and reads things. The rule of 3rds in design, but to design type face on a line and symmetrical.
The use of a neutral type face to allow the design you are working on the remain in the center stage, opposed to taking away from a design with a font with "too much".
Matthew Carter: Worked with MS on Verandia and Georgia. Made type in all the means that there are to make type. Really cool to see how a type face designer starts when designing a type face. Start with the "H", then to the "O" then to a "P".
Said of Helvetica Edward Hoffman wanted / Max Meetinger who did the drawings and designed the type face. Haas type foundry. Haasnoya Grotesque - the figure ground relationship. Swiss pay more attention to the background. The space between the characters is what grounds it. Meetinger wasn't working as designer but a salesman. Was selling foundry type.
Linotype owned Stemple and Haas and they currently own Helvetica. "The Swiss Typeface". Figure ground relationship executed properly.
Aprilia, Target, BMW, Nestle, AA, Muji, Energizer, The North Face, JCPenny, Staples.
Neutral and efficient - using helvetica more accessible transparent and accountable. EPA and IRS use Helvetica. Open interpretation to where it is used and what it is associated with it. Describe the qualitative parts of type face that are totally outside of what type face is.
Gotham type face. Casting director.
Everyone is saying the same thing - it is air and it is there and you need it. Interesting to hear who likes it and who really dislike it and why.
I do this with my clients and I didn't really realize what I was doing. I'll design a piece and then I will put the actual text message in a couple different fonts and allow the client to choose which they like better.
Helvetica - typeface of capitalism or socialism?
Corporate culture of design and ...
OK. I'm 58 minutes into this video and I think I am done. As a designer I use fonts that I think are appropriate based on what I am trying to communicate and what the piece I am working on is. I like fonts like Hawaii Lover and Hawaii Killer, Whitney, Century Gothic. I also use Futura and the variations of it and there is another "F" font that I like. I also like bleeding cowboys for certain things and paintball for other things. It just depends on what I'm designing and what I'm working on. So there it is - it was kind of an interesting video and I liked hearing what people like and dislike about Helvetica. I'm kind of over listening to it though... :(
Helvetica developed because they were looking for a legible modern type face. It is clear and good for everything. Love the example of "I love you" and he is exactly right about the variations of a font.
For anything that had to spell out lound and clear "modern". 1950's post war real feeling of idealism for designers. Design is part of the need to rebuild and reconstruct - to be more open, run smoothly and be more democratic.
Early experiments of high modernest period. International typographic style. Swiss designers drove. 1957 is when Helvetica was developed.
Clarity - clear readable and straightforward. The Grid - but always along the line of the Grid. I agree with this completely. There is a specific way that the eye sees things and reads things. The rule of 3rds in design, but to design type face on a line and symmetrical.
The use of a neutral type face to allow the design you are working on the remain in the center stage, opposed to taking away from a design with a font with "too much".
Matthew Carter: Worked with MS on Verandia and Georgia. Made type in all the means that there are to make type. Really cool to see how a type face designer starts when designing a type face. Start with the "H", then to the "O" then to a "P".
Said of Helvetica Edward Hoffman wanted / Max Meetinger who did the drawings and designed the type face. Haas type foundry. Haasnoya Grotesque - the figure ground relationship. Swiss pay more attention to the background. The space between the characters is what grounds it. Meetinger wasn't working as designer but a salesman. Was selling foundry type.
Linotype owned Stemple and Haas and they currently own Helvetica. "The Swiss Typeface". Figure ground relationship executed properly.
Aprilia, Target, BMW, Nestle, AA, Muji, Energizer, The North Face, JCPenny, Staples.
Neutral and efficient - using helvetica more accessible transparent and accountable. EPA and IRS use Helvetica. Open interpretation to where it is used and what it is associated with it. Describe the qualitative parts of type face that are totally outside of what type face is.
Gotham type face. Casting director.
Everyone is saying the same thing - it is air and it is there and you need it. Interesting to hear who likes it and who really dislike it and why.
I do this with my clients and I didn't really realize what I was doing. I'll design a piece and then I will put the actual text message in a couple different fonts and allow the client to choose which they like better.
Helvetica - typeface of capitalism or socialism?
Corporate culture of design and ...
OK. I'm 58 minutes into this video and I think I am done. As a designer I use fonts that I think are appropriate based on what I am trying to communicate and what the piece I am working on is. I like fonts like Hawaii Lover and Hawaii Killer, Whitney, Century Gothic. I also use Futura and the variations of it and there is another "F" font that I like. I also like bleeding cowboys for certain things and paintball for other things. It just depends on what I'm designing and what I'm working on. So there it is - it was kind of an interesting video and I liked hearing what people like and dislike about Helvetica. I'm kind of over listening to it though... :(
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
"Say Hello Tu Muy Little Frien"
I can't figure out how to load a SWF file and a stand alone HTML file into this blogger account. Personally I think it can't be done.
We went big for our midterm and this is what we were thinking...
When was the last time you cracked an encyclopedia? When was the last time that you professor DID NOT use interactive media in the classroom? Why be limited by a static informational graphic when you can do so much more with flash.
We choose a hard topic - harder than I thought it would have been - but I think we did OK. Once i stopped being a bitch we all really worked well together. Can I say that here? I think I just did. I actually learned a lot along the way ***SHOCK***.
Check it out - enjoy it - have fun. If you have feedback post it!
Drop Bombs HERE!
We went big for our midterm and this is what we were thinking...
When was the last time you cracked an encyclopedia? When was the last time that you professor DID NOT use interactive media in the classroom? Why be limited by a static informational graphic when you can do so much more with flash.
We choose a hard topic - harder than I thought it would have been - but I think we did OK. Once i stopped being a bitch we all really worked well together. Can I say that here? I think I just did. I actually learned a lot along the way ***SHOCK***.
Check it out - enjoy it - have fun. If you have feedback post it!
Drop Bombs HERE!
Monday, October 29, 2012
So SUE ME!
No really. Sue me. I use Helvetica all the time. Helvetica Neue, Helvetica TT, Helvetica T1, Helvetica Light, Bold, Condensed Bold, Extended Black and so on.
Some people hate it - some people love it. All I know is that I try to be super clever and brilliant with other fonts but Helvetica works. It just does and this is why you see it everywhere. What is really crazy is when you're driving down the road, you can look at the Lamar Billboards and say, "Oh, that is 'Hawaii Lover' and a font not to be used for commercial purposes but there it is on that huge billboard. Hum. I wonder how they got away with that and did they pay the guy for it?" Or, "Wow! That is great use of 'Bleeding Cowboys', I'll have to remember that."
Yup - for now you will see Helvetica in places you never thought you would. You will see it everywhere. But it is only the beginning.
I haven't watched the Helvetica movie yet - no headphones and I'm in the library - but I like Helvetica. Nay. I love Helvetica. Some of the most effective ads I have ever created have been with the font Helvetica. For a current example go to www.floridacyclingmagazine.com - you will notice the use of Helvetica in the headers and the body text in all articles (except for the letter from the editor, which is Century Gothic (also a brilliant font. For another good one check out Whitney)) it is Helvetica regular 13pt.
If anyone wants extra practice or if there is a Senior looking for internship work - I'm looking for an intern. Call me... maybe.
I'll post about the movie after I watch it...
Some people hate it - some people love it. All I know is that I try to be super clever and brilliant with other fonts but Helvetica works. It just does and this is why you see it everywhere. What is really crazy is when you're driving down the road, you can look at the Lamar Billboards and say, "Oh, that is 'Hawaii Lover' and a font not to be used for commercial purposes but there it is on that huge billboard. Hum. I wonder how they got away with that and did they pay the guy for it?" Or, "Wow! That is great use of 'Bleeding Cowboys', I'll have to remember that."
Yup - for now you will see Helvetica in places you never thought you would. You will see it everywhere. But it is only the beginning.
I haven't watched the Helvetica movie yet - no headphones and I'm in the library - but I like Helvetica. Nay. I love Helvetica. Some of the most effective ads I have ever created have been with the font Helvetica. For a current example go to www.floridacyclingmagazine.com - you will notice the use of Helvetica in the headers and the body text in all articles (except for the letter from the editor, which is Century Gothic (also a brilliant font. For another good one check out Whitney)) it is Helvetica regular 13pt.
If anyone wants extra practice or if there is a Senior looking for internship work - I'm looking for an intern. Call me... maybe.
I'll post about the movie after I watch it...
How to Invent "Modern".
Take one full glass of Walter Gropius, mix with a few years of war and shake until discharged. Whala! The Bauhaus is founded with a lot of brilliance, tons of talent and copious amounts of public funding. Maybe copious is not the correct word here.
The Bauhaus was straight from the brain of Mr. Gropius and founded on the ideals of avante-garde design, simple, elegant and aesthetically pleasing. The thing that I think is really the coolest about the Bauhaus is that the modern day art studios, and the way we are taught art now came straight from the Bauhaus. Before 1913 art was predominantly a self-taught, solitary thing to do. I also equated the things that happened at the Bauhaus as Germany's version of an "Art's & Crafts Movement". Theirs was way cooler, way hippier and we use way more from it. Thus defining them as "cooler".
In the early days of the Bauhaus we see the use of studios and lessons taught by a Master Craftsman in common use work shops. The focus on a Foundation Course where students studied emotions and feelings that went into their art. An emphasis on understanding the machine so as to be able to manipulate it to do and to make the things that you wanted to make. Nothing was impossible at the Bauhaus and there were no limitations (Until the Nazi guy took over. Then he had some limitations, but they eventually kicked him out.) - nothing was taboo. Well, except maybe the students behavior.
It was exactly that that got them run out of the town of Weimar - they plumb wore out their welcome with their long hair and girls wearing trousers **Oh the HORROR!**. They then moved to Dessau and because of the war eventually the school closed again for a short period of time. The Crystalline palace was built in Berlin and was a remarkable building. Built just like it sounds was based on all of the simple aesthetically pleasing ideals that came out of the Bauhaus.
The idea of art wasn't clearly defined at the Bauhaus. The worked to erase the lines definitively defining art as painting, sculptural, textile and so on. Theater was also a huge part of life at the Bauhaus. Very strange, I mean modern theater productions. Hey! You thought it, I just said it. I appreciate it but it was very different.
1933 the Bauhaus was closed for good with some of its students being hauled away for their ideals. Closed for good because in Germany it was not a good thing to be a free thinker. It is really interesting that the history of the Bauhaus really does parallel the political turmoil the country was in at the time. It is actually really sad. The Buhaus lead art into the 20th century and I can only imagine where we'd be now if it was still in existence.
The Bauhaus was straight from the brain of Mr. Gropius and founded on the ideals of avante-garde design, simple, elegant and aesthetically pleasing. The thing that I think is really the coolest about the Bauhaus is that the modern day art studios, and the way we are taught art now came straight from the Bauhaus. Before 1913 art was predominantly a self-taught, solitary thing to do. I also equated the things that happened at the Bauhaus as Germany's version of an "Art's & Crafts Movement". Theirs was way cooler, way hippier and we use way more from it. Thus defining them as "cooler".
In the early days of the Bauhaus we see the use of studios and lessons taught by a Master Craftsman in common use work shops. The focus on a Foundation Course where students studied emotions and feelings that went into their art. An emphasis on understanding the machine so as to be able to manipulate it to do and to make the things that you wanted to make. Nothing was impossible at the Bauhaus and there were no limitations (Until the Nazi guy took over. Then he had some limitations, but they eventually kicked him out.) - nothing was taboo. Well, except maybe the students behavior.
It was exactly that that got them run out of the town of Weimar - they plumb wore out their welcome with their long hair and girls wearing trousers **Oh the HORROR!**. They then moved to Dessau and because of the war eventually the school closed again for a short period of time. The Crystalline palace was built in Berlin and was a remarkable building. Built just like it sounds was based on all of the simple aesthetically pleasing ideals that came out of the Bauhaus.
The idea of art wasn't clearly defined at the Bauhaus. The worked to erase the lines definitively defining art as painting, sculptural, textile and so on. Theater was also a huge part of life at the Bauhaus. Very strange, I mean modern theater productions. Hey! You thought it, I just said it. I appreciate it but it was very different.
1933 the Bauhaus was closed for good with some of its students being hauled away for their ideals. Closed for good because in Germany it was not a good thing to be a free thinker. It is really interesting that the history of the Bauhaus really does parallel the political turmoil the country was in at the time. It is actually really sad. The Buhaus lead art into the 20th century and I can only imagine where we'd be now if it was still in existence.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Our Mid-Term / Cuban Revolutionary Poster Art
We kick ass! We've finally had two meetings and we've all been on our Geritol at each meeting. We did a lot of talking (naturally) as we found that we all got really wrapped up in the history (which is pretty cool) and we are all very strongly opinionated.
However, we are all seeing eye-to-eye at this point and are all really excited about getting this project together. The designer, who has a pretty good understanding of flash, is going to take a crash course in advanced flash to hopefully make this project really sparkle... as much as you can make blood and revolution sparkle. There is the chance that I could be in over my head which is typically what happens. We will see if I can pull off the design aspect of it.
VIVA baby!
However, we are all seeing eye-to-eye at this point and are all really excited about getting this project together. The designer, who has a pretty good understanding of flash, is going to take a crash course in advanced flash to hopefully make this project really sparkle... as much as you can make blood and revolution sparkle. There is the chance that I could be in over my head which is typically what happens. We will see if I can pull off the design aspect of it.
VIVA baby!
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| "The Chucks", UWF Library 2012 |
Thursday, October 11, 2012
On the subject of information graphics...
I found this little ditty today and thought it was really (really) very cool! I hope everyone is doing well on their projects.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
"...Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir..."
I think this video perfectly demonstrates the chaos I sometimes (OK, most of the time) see/feel in my head. You have to watch the whole thing to truly get the chaos.
If you've seen the movie then you know that the final scenes are about living the Bohemian lifestyle. On another interesting note Nichole Kidman took vocal lessons for this film and it is her voice throughout the entire movie. I digress...
As cruel as this may sound - thank goodness that Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the product of inbreeding and broke a leg as a child. If none of this ever happened he may have grown up a normal boy riding horses and doing manly traditional things. Thank goodness he was able to see his real talent for art. He was an aristocrat drawn to the Bohemian lifestyle found in the Montmartre district of Paris. A rebel with a cause and my kinda guy. I had no idea exactly what Le Chat Noir was until this movie. I thought it was another brilliant French Art Nouveau poster found in my Aunts house (she has lots of them). For this district of Paris it was a nightclub where patrons sat at tables and drank while being entertained by a variety show on stage. It was a place where artists could 'be among their own'. Artists like Van Gogh, Picasso to name well, two, used to visit. Lautrec's posters were also displayed. While studying under Cormon and roaming the streets looking for subjects to sketch/paint Lautrec had his first encounter with a prostitute (purportedly courtesy of his friends) and sketched her. He was also commissioned to produce a series of posters for the Moulin Rouge. To compare Mr. Bing and Monsieur Lautrec... Mr. Bing is commercialism and Lautrec fine art. Big business and bohemia bohemia. Oh to have lived in that era, partied at the Moulin Rouge. The works capture the vibrance of the era immaculately.
As cruel as this may sound - thank goodness that Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the product of inbreeding and broke a leg as a child. If none of this ever happened he may have grown up a normal boy riding horses and doing manly traditional things. Thank goodness he was able to see his real talent for art. He was an aristocrat drawn to the Bohemian lifestyle found in the Montmartre district of Paris. A rebel with a cause and my kinda guy. I had no idea exactly what Le Chat Noir was until this movie. I thought it was another brilliant French Art Nouveau poster found in my Aunts house (she has lots of them). For this district of Paris it was a nightclub where patrons sat at tables and drank while being entertained by a variety show on stage. It was a place where artists could 'be among their own'. Artists like Van Gogh, Picasso to name well, two, used to visit. Lautrec's posters were also displayed. While studying under Cormon and roaming the streets looking for subjects to sketch/paint Lautrec had his first encounter with a prostitute (purportedly courtesy of his friends) and sketched her. He was also commissioned to produce a series of posters for the Moulin Rouge. To compare Mr. Bing and Monsieur Lautrec... Mr. Bing is commercialism and Lautrec fine art. Big business and bohemia bohemia. Oh to have lived in that era, partied at the Moulin Rouge. The works capture the vibrance of the era immaculately.
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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
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| Lautrec's Prostitute, a woman rumored to be called Marie-Charlotte. |
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| A sketch of you know who at Chat Noir |
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| Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Marcelle Lender Dancing the Bolero in “Chilpéric,” 1895 - 1896 |
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Nude Woman Seated on a Divan (1882)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec   |
Monday, October 1, 2012
The "Grand Poobah" of the Art Nouveau movement
Yes ladies and gentlemen, this is really how I view the elusive 'we don't know much about S. Bing' and what he did for the Art Nouveau movement. I thought it very interesting in the movie that they made the point to mention not much was known about him. Even more interesting is that tthere weren't very many photos of him. Funny, for a man who spent much time in the spotlight innovating and developing an art movement.
Mr. S. Bing developed a fascination for Japanese (Asian) art in the 1870's when Asia opened its borders to the West. Not only was he fascinated by the artwork, but he embraced the entire Japanese way of life and in turn, Japanese art had a very large impact on the Art Nouveau movement.
Artists like Gustav Klimt were inspired by the monthly journal published by Mr. Bing called Le Japon Artistique. In addition, a man by the name Van Gogh (you may have heard of him before, maybe?) would borrow some of the Japanese art in Bing's collection and that art lives on today in Van Gogh's works. I was really fascinated to see Van Gogh's interpretation of Bing's original works.
What I also find very interesting is that Mr. Bing himself wasn't really an artist, per say. Mr. Bing was in the business of imports and exports, mostly imports. He was a business man with an incredible vision and the ability to influence, foster and shape artists to also see his vision. A prime example of this is the collaboration of his gallery with Louis Comfort Tiffany (yes, this is where your 'Tiffany & Co. jewelry comes from ladies) and an architect named William Morris. Mr. Bing was able to mold the following artists at the beginning of their careers - Louis Bonnier, Frank Brangwyn, and Edouard Vuillard, the designers Eugène Gaillard, Edward Colonna, William Benson, and Georges de Feure, and the sculptor Constantin Meunier.
I found this website very intersting... http://www.19thc-artworldwide.org/index.php/summer05/212-lost-and-found-s-bings-merchandising-of-japonisme-and-art-nouveau-
Mr. S. Bing developed a fascination for Japanese (Asian) art in the 1870's when Asia opened its borders to the West. Not only was he fascinated by the artwork, but he embraced the entire Japanese way of life and in turn, Japanese art had a very large impact on the Art Nouveau movement.
Artists like Gustav Klimt were inspired by the monthly journal published by Mr. Bing called Le Japon Artistique. In addition, a man by the name Van Gogh (you may have heard of him before, maybe?) would borrow some of the Japanese art in Bing's collection and that art lives on today in Van Gogh's works. I was really fascinated to see Van Gogh's interpretation of Bing's original works.
What I also find very interesting is that Mr. Bing himself wasn't really an artist, per say. Mr. Bing was in the business of imports and exports, mostly imports. He was a business man with an incredible vision and the ability to influence, foster and shape artists to also see his vision. A prime example of this is the collaboration of his gallery with Louis Comfort Tiffany (yes, this is where your 'Tiffany & Co. jewelry comes from ladies) and an architect named William Morris. Mr. Bing was able to mold the following artists at the beginning of their careers - Louis Bonnier, Frank Brangwyn, and Edouard Vuillard, the designers Eugène Gaillard, Edward Colonna, William Benson, and Georges de Feure, and the sculptor Constantin Meunier.
I found this website very intersting... http://www.19thc-artworldwide.org/index.php/summer05/212-lost-and-found-s-bings-merchandising-of-japonisme-and-art-nouveau-
And Now...
Examples of art created by other artists he brought together to create the Art Nouveau movement
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| Cover of S. Bing's Paris Illustre Japon from the late 1880's |
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| Comparison of Japonisme and how it influenced Degas |
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| The entry way to S. Bing's gallery L'Art Nouveau opened in Dec. 1895 |
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| The image on the left was owned by Mr. Bing and Mr. Van Gogh borrowed it to create the painting on the right |
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| View of L'Art Nouveau circa late 1800's |
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| A bedroom in L'Art Nouveau showcasing the works of Tiffany, Morris fabrics, Tiffany glassware, Rookwood Pottery |
Friday, September 21, 2012
For any and all of you...
Who may be thinking about taking a career in graphic design...
You should visit the 3rd floor of the library and start in the Z 250 area. Actually, you could go back to the Z 117 section. I plan on reading all of it, except for the books on Quark and CS5.5, while I'm here.
OK, I may skim some of it, but I will crack every one of those books.
I <3 type & design.
You should visit the 3rd floor of the library and start in the Z 250 area. Actually, you could go back to the Z 117 section. I plan on reading all of it, except for the books on Quark and CS5.5, while I'm here.
OK, I may skim some of it, but I will crack every one of those books.
I <3 type & design.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
A little off topic... but not really.
American Horror Story has got to be one of the best series my husband and I have ever seen. We really got into the first season and are excited for the newest season to come out. Call us weird or dark? I think it is really more about the intrigue of the superstitious, supernatural in culmination with history. What has been and what could come to be.
While I realize we're not on Art Deco yet I have learned something about Art Deco and the Arts & Crafts movement. There is quite a bit of overlap with the two periods.
I have always identified the font used in the title as being very art deco, but after this last section I now realize that it could have also some straight from the Arts & Crafts movement. It is reminiscent, for me, of a giant Frank Lloyd Wright window.
Anyway, I'm sitting here working with the TV on and I guess I had a bit of an epiphany. You have to admit - the font rocks and if you want to check out the entire font Click Here. There are some very interesting glyphs worthy of a look. The really cool thing - the font is only $35 bucks. Really! Compare it to ITC Franklin Gothic Complete Family Pack at around $500. It's a big deal.
Also, the home that the show is centered around is right from the turn of the century, the 19th century that is, making it right out of the A&C movement. Actually, if you go back to the very first or second episode it talks about the doctor who commissioned the building of the house for his wife and how much pain staking work went into the stained glass windows etc.
For me, this has been a very cool instance of the classroom crossing with "real life" and it actually pulled me away from my work to write about it.
While I realize we're not on Art Deco yet I have learned something about Art Deco and the Arts & Crafts movement. There is quite a bit of overlap with the two periods.
I have always identified the font used in the title as being very art deco, but after this last section I now realize that it could have also some straight from the Arts & Crafts movement. It is reminiscent, for me, of a giant Frank Lloyd Wright window.
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| 1993, Rennie Mackintosh. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh |
Also, the home that the show is centered around is right from the turn of the century, the 19th century that is, making it right out of the A&C movement. Actually, if you go back to the very first or second episode it talks about the doctor who commissioned the building of the house for his wife and how much pain staking work went into the stained glass windows etc.
For me, this has been a very cool instance of the classroom crossing with "real life" and it actually pulled me away from my work to write about it.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Victorian era, Arts & Crafts Movement and the Small Press Movement
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One of my favorite
quotes about the Victorian Era is listed under figure 9-47 on page 161. It
reads, “…This design demonstrates the eclectic confusion of the Victorian era.
Medieval letterforms, baroque plant designs, and Celtic interlaces are combined
into a dense symmetrical design.” (Megs, 2012). This is almost a perfect
description as to how I feel when asked to compare and contrast the Victorian
era and the Arts & Crafts movement. I get it but I’m still somewhat
confused.
During the Industrial
Revolution (IR) the invention of the “automated” printing press came about
which made printing books and newspapers much easier. In turn the volume of
material the newspaper could cover increased and the ability of the every-day
person to own books was now a reality. I see the early part of this revolution
as looking somewhat sterile, very plain and not ornate at all. As the movement
progressed and advancements were made with the printing press and within the IR
we see the development of circus posters with very ornate serifs, very
cluttered with text aligned on the vertical plane opposed to the more
traditional horizontal plane. In addition, type foundries developed fonts like
“Arboret” (see on page 175 in our book) and “Glyptic Shaded”, which are so
ornate that they can be difficult to read. Couple this with all the imagery
typically associated with type in the era you’ve got yourself one very
confused, very busy piece containing information you have to find on it.
The problem that many
people had with the IR was how impersonal it was. What a wonderful thing it was
to have all of these machines to build, to do, and to produce. Most of the
people operating these machines, in whatever industry it was they were working
in, were seriously underpaid and living in squalor. It was their version of a
McDonalds society and many people didn’t like the loss of human touch. Enter
the Arts & Crafts movement and resurgence in quality and craftsmanship. The
Arts & Crafts (A&C) movement was about providing quality hand made
products to the ‘every-day man’. Ironically the time it took to make most
things during the A&C movement made it impossible to sell the items at an
affordable price and make a profit.
The IR saw the
development of the printing press and advancements in the way that the press
worked and the capabilities of the press. Fonts became very ornate and
difficult to read and books were produced en mass; where the A&C movement
revisits more simple and elegant serif fonts, opposed to the very ornate, and
very organic and organized designs to compliment the text within books.
And the best I can figure from the recesses of
my brain is that the small press movement is a rebirth of the letterpress style
of printing in conjunction with modern day graphic design standards. It is the
modern day techno weenie’s detachment from their Mac and the desire to get back
into a pressroom and get their hands on various fonts, literally. The work that is being produced also happens to be really cool!
***I’ve racked my brain,
Google images, Artstor, our book and the World Wide Web. I get designers eye
when doing all of these things. That is to say I go cross eyed when looking at
the progression of design and the incredible pieces of work to come out of both
of these eras. I did my best to intellectually gather my thoughts…
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| 1925, Three Mountains Press |
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| 1916-1920, Hendry S. Saunders |
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| I love this but can't find the info on it so I'm keeping it and I'll take the hit for no info |
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| 1978 (?), Angelstone Press |
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| 1862, William Morris Design |
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| 1829, Edward Calvert, Ideal Pastoral Life |
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| 1912, Gresham |
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| 1903, Eragany Press, The Descent of Ishtar |
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| 1896, Kelmscott Press |
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| 1847, Vizetelly Brothers & Co. Printers & Engravers |
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| 1884, Punch |
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| Cinderella Panels |
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| 1890, Kelmscott Press |
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| 1882, The London Charivari |
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| 1870's, Edward Burne-Jones |
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