Entries by Category

Two potentially better ways to accomplish a long-term goal (i.e., new years resolution) and integrate a new habit into your daily rituals. I plan on trying the following two challenges.

Design Something Every Day!
"what if we spent less time surfing the Web looking for inspiration and more time creating and designing things?"

example - http://dailydropcap.com/

52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion
"52 Weeks will give you the tools you need to journal your creative journey..."

example - http://52weeksofux.com

Mood boards are a great way to address visual direction (look and feel) at an early stage in the design process. View Mood Boards for Designers - a presentation by Amy Lamp from Inside Forty.

A comparison of the standard corporate org chart to the Disney org chart which was based on the creative process of turning an raw idea into a film.
View the Disney org chart.

@issue has reprinted "10 Things I Have Learned" by Milton Glaser, and presented in 2001, to celebrate "his 80th birthday and a 60+ year career." To see his vast body of work visit miltonglaser.com.

"Founded in 1995, @Issue: Journal of Business and Design is dedicated to communicating how quality design contributes to business success." Glad to see this design classic online.

An argument against speculative work. Both sides of the debate are presented and the term is explained. Design by crowdsourcing (speculative work) seems to be all about getting a solution on the cheap whether or not it solves the specific problem.

Whether it's good or bad depends on the context. A well designed logo will be viewed as bad if the company it represents has a negative image. Steven Heller provides some history, examples and context in this article.

Can traditional design principles (The golden ration and rule of thirds), that are based on a fixed area, be applied to the variable dimensions of web design? Jason Santamaria has decided to "embrace the fluid nature of the web and let go of that kind of control." Read the full article.

First paradox - "01: There’s no such thing as bad clients: only bad designers"

The only part of this list I disagree with is the title as this applies to most types of design not just Graphic Design. See all 10 plus.

I visit the AIGA site (local and national) on a regular basis and only recently came across this resource.

"The AIGA Center for Practice Management provides resources to help designers with the daily management of their studios. We address a broad range of internal business and operational issues, giving creative professionals important tools for success."

The following examples, which involve three different types of design, all allow for the process to deliver the solution in a variety of ways.

Felix Sockwell's NYT iPhone App Icons

Insight into how these icons evolved from rough ideas, through numerous iterations, to a final set. The end is result is a clean, clear and custom solution.

Pixar's Animated Film Process

A look at the framework around how an animated film is created from "creating the storyline" through "polishing" the finishing details. Pixar's process consistently produces successful results while allowing room for things to evolve and turn out better than expected. Also see Concept art and Story boards by selecting any "Feature Film," such as Cars, then "The Full Story" and then "Learn about the inspiration."

Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain's Kinoma Website Redesign

The thinking and reasoning behind the design decisions. An explanation of how the design progressed through multiple iterations and incremental improvements to the end result which is a very dynamic layout along with some beautiful Photoshop work.

An argument for the design process being as important, if nor more important, than the final design.

Boagworld

Relevant advice on "all things relating to building and running websites" by Paul Boag, Creative Director at Headscape.

Subtraction

The intelligently written design, technology and life observations by Khoi Vinh, Design Director at NYTimes.com.

Design Matters

Smart commentary on design and culture by Lenovo designers such as David Hill, VP of Corporate Identity and Design.

Metropolis Magazine suggests ten criteria for evaluating "what is good design in the 21st century?" and how the answer has changed over time. Peter Hall suggests good design is a good argument. (via Putting People First)