Back story. Results. Use wisely. (via)

To further your journey into the wonderful world of creating identities, I present to you Brand New, a blog that in its own words discusses “opinions, and focusing solely, on corporate and brand identity work.” Groovy. I can’t say I always agree with their breakdown, but they almost always have good background information on the process and reasonings behind the (re)designs. You should by now be able to read their opinions but form your own opinion of the work.

On a related note, I’d also like you to add LogoPond to your design quiver. Basically a design gallery for logos, the site also offers up resources for you to check out. So check it out.

Way back when we discussed Cameron’s article about inspiration vs. influence. Well, the natural extension of that article is After the Brief: A Field Guide to Design Inspiration. This was a SXSW presentation given by Jason Santa Maria and Robert Weychert (Cameron was supposed to be there but came down sick). Fortunately for us, the audio and slides (pdf) from the lecture are available for free download. Grab them both and dedicate an hour to listen and follow along. This is an enlightening discussion about how and where to find sources of inspiration for your designs (and a great look at how today’s designers do it day in and day out).

Still stuck for ideas? Suffering from creative block? What’s a (new) designer to do? Cameron puts forth one idea (which should sound kind of familiar by now) for breaking through the haze: unplugging from the grid for a while. But not to be outdone, Cameron post yet one more on the topic: Pressure = Inspiration?

So, a recap:
Download and listen to After the Brief: A Field Guide to Design Inspiration (slides)
Read Uninspired? Unplug yourself
Read Pressure = Inspiration?

Anything stand out to you? What new ideas will you take to your other classes moving forward? Which of these were you already doing?

The odd thing is that no one sets out to design something that’s mediocre. So why does design go wrong so often? Let’s set aside the rational reasons why projects can fail - like budgetary constraints, deadline pressure and lack of talent - to concentrate on the scenarios that should be easily avoidable, but crop up again and again, with predictably dire results.

Brilliant article. Give it a read. (thanks John)

Josh Penrod over at Amishrobot has a quick post about advertising. Be sure to catch the humor/sarcasm and check it out. Very funny.

Advertising Is Easy

Khoi Vinh takes a minute on his site Subtraction to discuss his policies on taking influence vs. inspiration (remember that conversation?):

The problem is that there’s such a blurry line between plagiarism and emulation that it becomes difficult to make unequivocal judgments on any given design that might bear some resemblance to mine. […] That’s what’s most important to me: that the design not simply be an instance of paraphrasing my design ideas, but that it’s a product of your own ideas. That’s how we all learn.

Give the whole article a read for some great perspective on where to draw the line during your creative process.

Check out the redesign of TIME Magazine, as well as Will Ferrell’s hair. Crazy. Anyway, the article does a great job of explaining the “whys” of the redesign. That crazy conscious thought - we just hoped it was a fad!

Thanks to all for coming and participating in a fairly grueling two-hour session on the creative process tonight. Jason over at our friendly site North Temple has a relevant post about presenting your work and communicating with clients that fits nicely with tonight’s conversation:

And the ability to stand in front of two or several dozen stakeholders and defend your design is one that is required anywhere design is critical (really anywhere you’re being paid for your design).

Read the whole of his thoughts (Is that giving his post too much credit? I doubt it’s really the whole of his thoughts. But I digress.) here. How do you think that the points Jason raises will affect - if at all -the design process as you move through it?

Taking Critique

Sharing your work will, by design, open you up to critique. The web’s illustrator Kevin Cornell has a perfect write-up that deals with getting and taking critique. A sample:

When you’re first learning to take criticism, it can be very painful to hear. While it’s important to be able to emotionally invest yourself in art to make it meaningful, it’s also important to learn how to disengage yourself from it. When someone is offering criticism about your art, try to remain calm and objective. Imagine you’re looking at someone else’s work.

Substitute the word “art” for “design” and the message still holds true. Read the whole article here.

The point? I believe there is a metric tonne of truth in these two articles. Read them. Again. And again. Internalize them and allow the precepts to influence you as you learn and apply the design process.

We spoke this week about natural design limitations (can you name all four?) that are part of any project we will work on. Ted over at North Temple sums up some great design truths after dealing with the Tooth Fairy and a four year old. Specifically, he talks about the subtleties of working within the client specifications.

She had been wiggling her first loose tooth for a few days, and it finally came out last night. When telling my wife what she expected under her pillow in return for her tooth, she said in fine alliterative fashion, “I want dollars and diamonds. Cause I’m a girl.” The interaction design lesson? Know your audience and what they want and expect.

Please read the whole article and be familiar with Ted’s conclusions about client specs. Be prepared to discuss his point and your opinion thereon at the beginning of class on Wednesday.