Looking into the Design World

The 50 Things Every Graphic Design Student Should Know

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:55:07 -0400

The 50 Things Every Graphic Design Student Should Know:

I came across this on my twitter feed and found it really interesting. Everybody should read it or look over it!

Kate Bluhm

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:15:09 -0400

Final Post... A wrap up

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:14:52 -0400

The term is finally over…

I have learned a lot this term and feel more confident through our interview papers. I know that I can reach out to others in the design world for their help or if I have questions. This will help me to be more successful in applying for jobs. Confidence is key.

From our Zine projects, I have a new found interest in brand identity and logo design. It has become something I’m very fascinated in and look forward to exploring more next term. What makes a logo good? Why do people react to certain designs? What attracts them to that brand? These are just some of the questions I am thinking of exploring more next term.

Where will I end up after graduation? Will it be brand design? Logo design? Print design? Web design? Only time will tell…

Is printing dead or doomed?

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:11:10 -0400

Some believe that printing won’t be around much longer because technology and blogs are taking over. I do agree that some printed materials are doomed such as newspapers but printing as a whole isn’t dying. Over the past few years I have seen newspapers getting smaller and smaller. Due to the increasing popularity of apps, blogs, and even the internet, it’s faster and for efficient for people to get their news online. I am curious to see if newspapers will ever go extinct or if they will continue to stick around and just keep getting smaller.

As for other printed materials, I see certain things sticking around for a long time. I recently read an article that business cards aren’t going out of style. Many people enjoy being able to have something tangible in their hands. Flyers, brochures, and posters are still popular methods of advertising. When walking around, you notice a flashy design and might stop to notice it. If printed materials disappeared and ads only existed online, so many things would get passed over. I have realized that I have created a filter when looking at things online. I skim things over and dont’ really pay much attention to ads that I see.

In my opinion, printing will be around for a long time. Working at a print shop, I see the trends in printing and that it is still popular and people use it on a regular basis. The next question might be, how will printing change in the future? What technologies might be the next big thing in printing?

How Tweets and Texts impact our lives

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 14:18:58 -0500

In class we have looked at many articles regarding technology and how they have influenced our lives. Most recently, we read an article, “How Tweets and Texts Nurture In-Depth Analysis” by Clive Thompson. This article discussed blogs, tweets, and texting and their changing nature over the years.

What is more beneficial, creating posts constantly or one thought provoking post one a week?
I think that blogging could go either way, posting all the time or just once in awhile. Does everybody really need to know everything we are doing? In some situations, posting constantly could be good especially if you are a business or group and you have a purpose for posting on a regular basis. But people who do it just because? I think ultimately, posting less frequently with a beneficial post is better. I personally haven’t gotten into Twitter because it seems pointless to post little thoughts or what I’m doing for everybody to see. I do like to have some privacy in my life.

Is marketing via internet, TV, & other new technologies more effective than old methods such as radio, newspaper, etc.?
Marketing has definitely become easier for companies with the new technologies today. You can reach a wider audience and even send out reminders of events to people. At the same time, I feel like we have learned to selectively see/hear things around us. There are times where I will zone out or switch channels during commercials. Years ago, people used to look through the newspaper searching for ads and to see what events are occurring. In order to be effective in marketing, I think it requires a combination of old methods and the use of social networking.

What are benefits of technology such as talking online, skype, and promos?
Technology has benefited many people with it advances over the years. It allows for people to be more connected with those who might be far away. Some people are closer to family members because of skype and being able to talk online. Technology has brought ease to many. Sometimes it even makes shopping easier and saves people money with different promotional offers that happen online. Ultimately, it has almost made us lazier but makes life simpler too.

McLuhan Response

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:20:25 -0500

“Literacy propelled man from the tribe, gave him an eye for an ear and replaced his integral in-depth communal interplay with visual linear values and fragmented consciousness…the phonetic alphabet diminished the roles of the senses of hearing and touch and taste and smell, permeating the discontinuous culture of tribal man and translating its organic harmony and complex synaesthesia in the uniform, connected and visual mode that we still consider the norm of “rational” existence. The whole man became fragmented man; the alphabet shattered the charmed circle and resonating magic of the tribal world, exploding man into an agglomeration of specialized and psychically impoverished ”individuals,” or units, functioning in a world of linear time and Euclidean space.”

I thought that this quote was very interesting. McLuhan discussed how he views the formation on the alphabet and it ruined the way tribal men not only communicate but view other things. Before the alphabet was created, tribal men used to be much more in touch with their senses. I see it as the tribal men allowed their imagination to be wider and more open. The alphabet caused us to become less in touch with our natural selves and communicate purely on a visual level. In today’s society, it seems like everything is about our visual sense and less about taste, smell, and hearing. We have learned to tune out noises around us, like when we are in a large city, sometimes you forget and are in your own little world. We care about how we dress and the message that sends others. Design has become a large part of this as well. Many ways we get messages across today is through visual means, whether it be an ad on tv, a flyer, poster, email, text message, etc. This final quote by McLuhan sums everything up, I think, “As knowledge is extended in alphabetic form, it is localized and fragmented into specialties, creating division of function, of social classes, of nations and of knowledge- and in the process, the rich interplay of all the senses that characterized the tribal society is sacrificed.”

Interview Questions

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:32:03 -0500

The focus of my questions that I want to ask will be about the work environment of the companies they work in and how it affect them. I also think that process is a part of the work environment so I will incorporate a few questions about their process in the work environment too.

Questions

01. What do you like about the work environment in your office? Why do you enjoy it?

02. Does your environment around you affect how you work?

03. Do you like to work alone or share ideas with others? Are there other designers in your office you can go to for help?

04. What are the steps you take in starting a project? Would it be possible to provide pictures of your process?

Interviewees

SYNC INTERACTIVE (Studio)
322 NW 5th Ave, Suite 306
Portland, OR 97209

CREATIVE CIRCLE (Freelance/Studio)
233 N Michigan Ave, Ste. 1960
Chicago, IL 60601
312.329.9990 TEL

JDK (Studio)
1124 NW Couch Street (5th Floor)
Portland, OR 97029
connect@jdk.com

A&F (In-House Designer)
Columbus, OH
Katie DeWitt
katie.dewitt@abercrombie.com

My 10 Inspirations

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:52:22 -0500

VACATIONS
Whenever I go on a vacation, being away from everything and the stresses at home helps me greatly. I can clear my head and ideas for concepts and designs come flowing in. These ideas i get are usually the most unique designs.

MAGAZINES
Ever since early high school when I started doing design work, I have found a large variety of magazines very inspiring. Every magazine has different designs incorporated into the layout of the magazine, elements for stories, and the ads inside are unique too. Where it’s a small piece, idea or a whole spread, magazines have inspired me lots.

PHOTOGRAPHS
When I look at photos, the scenery, scale of objects, and grids used can be very inspirations at times. I’ll sit and think of what makes this image eye catching. Once I’ve realized what this element might be, I try to use that aspect in my designs.

FAMILY
My family has been there for me through everything. Since they have helped to make me who I am today, they have a big influence in my life. There have been a few times where I can’t decide between two ideas for a design and will ask for their opinion. My parents have especially always encouraged me to never give up and push me to think deeper.

DIFFERENT CULTURES
I have traveled to many different places around the country and world. Being able to see how every culture is different and their values has opened my eyes to being cautious in what I design. This was confirmed in the articles we had to read for class on “Different Designs”. You really do have to pay attention to others and what is meaningful to them especially if they are your main audience.

FELLOW DESIGNERS
Whether or not we realize it, we all influence each other in our designs. I love to get others’ opinion and feedback on work. When I’m at work designing, I will ask my boss, the senior designers, and other student designers for their opinion of the piece. When in class, I’ll take people’s suggestions to heart and really consider using their suggestions.

SURFING THE WEB
Many times when I get stuck creating a design for a project whether it be for school, work or personal designs, I will surf the web looking for inspiration. There are many design sites and blogs that I will look at. Sometimes I will type in a subject in google images and look through the photos. You would be surprised and how much inspiration you can get from using this method.

MOVIE TITLE CREDITS
Surprisingly, I have found movie credits at the beginning of a film inspirational. When I have a project that uses mostly text, I will watch the beginning of a few movies and pay attention to how they display all of the different names and positions associated with the film.

CRAFTS
Ever since I was little, I have always been crafty with my mom. I loved being crafty and creating little gifts for friends and family. I even took a few wood painting classes where we made different cutouts for a garden. Having a crafty mind, inspires me to push a design and think of alternative ways to complete a project.

MY MOOD AND FEELINGS
Over the years, I have come to realize that the mood I am in when I start a project affects how good it turns out and how successful of a concept I have. Most projects can be associated with a different feeling I have about the concept. One example is our project from Fall Term, we have to create our own nonprofit organization. I have done a lot of work with nonprofit organizations and helping others that this project hit home for me.

Creating A Difference With Design

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:17:11 -0500

What is it that designers supposed to do? Are we supposed to try and change people, come up with innovative solutions, or just make things interesting? While in class, we were discussing what is we as designers are supposed to do. Someone said “our job is to communicate and make people aware.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement. I think that there is a limit to what is acceptable for design and trying to change somebody else’s culture is pushing the limits. Through my personal experience and articles, I have come to understand that not everybody wants the same technologies and innovative designs as we have in America. What makes certain countries unique is their lack of technology and their own ways to survive.

When designing something for a different culture, if you want to be successful there are some things that you need to keep in mind. The most important is to understand the culture and community where the design will be used. When you can fully know and understand who you are designing for, you will be more successful with your design. Finally, when you collaborate with people of different backgrounds, it brings more ideas and experiences to the table. A group allows for ideas that you might not have come up with on your own and their culture might have a method they use that fits the culture your designing for better.

Quite frequently it seems as though many people, groups, and nonprofit organizations are just trying to create or introduce innovative designs for their own self-gratitude. Through my own experience, I have noticed that many people try to help others to “boost their resume” or make them seem like an involved and better person. There are some organizations that do truly do good for others like Habitat for Humanity, Make-A-Wish, Meals on Wheels, and many more. When you can fully understand the culture you are designing for, your design will be more successful and have more of an impact.

RIP! A Remix Manifesto

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 01:29:57 -0500

When I first started watching this video, I didn’t really know much about Girl Talk. I had heard some of his music before and liked all of the different songs mixed into one. It is creative and takes a lot of thinking and creativity to create. A quote from the movie that states this well is “It’s all about the creative process more than the product.”

Before watching this documentary, I knew that it is illegal to download music that you aren’t purchasing but not that even using a good length of it in a video or anything was illegal as well. It blows my mind how much the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and the Picture Association of America has tried to restrict creativity. The world of Art has become so restricted in what is acceptable these days. The recording industries, in America especially, have almost controlled the world for years now. When will it be acceptable to express ourselves and be allowed to freely express our creativity?

When the guy who created the documentary was interviewing a lawyer about the issue, he almost said himself what the recording industries are doing is crazy. “You should still be allowed to have the same freedom as a writer in a paper using a quote.” Writers have the freedom of using another persons work, as long as they cite it properly. Why can’t it be the same for other mediums of creativity? Even though these laws are in place so that they can receive money, why can’t other people use the same stuff if they cite the source and get money for their creations also? “Wealth is in the products of the mind.”

From the documentary I also learned that creative commons was created to allow people who do create work and want others to be able to use it without having to go through the recording industries. The idea first came up in Brazil where the idea of mashing sounds together is huge. It allows for the creative world to expand as it has been. I hate that creativity in today’s mediums have been so restricted. No matter how hard we try to fight, the past will always try to limit and control things.

Nonprofit Organization Research

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:09:32 -0500

Make-A-Wish Foundation

Make-A-Wish focuses on creating an experience for children who have life-threatening diseases or illnesses. Each child submits a wish that they have such as going to college or being a pirate for a day. Make-A-Wish gives the family and child something to take their minds off of all they are going through. It even gives a feeling of fulfillment to those involved in granting the wish.

How can I help?

I think that getting their name out there more, creating more brochures that tell a personal story. I know that from my personal experience, hearing someone’s personal story, their wish, and how they felt once it came true made me want to get involved. Also helping them to update their look on their website would make it more welcoming to everyone plus it seems a little outdated. They do great work and have a great ideas. People who work there are also passionate about the work and it could be shown more.

SOS Outreach

SOS Outreach is a program that uses many outdoor activities with a mentor program that encourages them to make build a positive character and decisions. They have received awards for their work with youths and minorities. The main values of SOS are courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom, and compassion. Through the program, the youth that partake in the activities also create bonds with the leaders and leave with a mentor.

How I can help?

Because SOS Outreach has so many different ways that people can help. Creating a series of brochures and posters that state some of the ways would be a huge help to them. Since they are growing so rapidly, having a wider audience and more money would help them greatly. Also, creating ads that can be seen in areas with troubled youth mentioning that you can get a scholarship in order to do the program. Getting their name out there, updating their look, and sharing what they do could benefit SOS and help them to grow.

Article-Can Graphic Design Make You Cry?

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:06:31 -0500

<http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=9737>

I thought that this article showed both sides of the authors’ argument, that we are to create honest design and also create something that can be emotional. I felt like she also touched on how design has transitioned from a form of telling and showing to a form of feeling. One good point I got from the article is how designers have started to think about how can we connect with the viewers more. This seemed to change or started with the ENLIST poster. A connection is made to the design that is seen no matter what is being shown. When the author was a little girl, she remembers the public health poster because it scared her but also thought it was mesmerizing and beautiful. With design in today’s world, it is somewhat harder to create emotions with the viewer. People in today’s society are so desensitized to emotions compared to how they used to be even just ten years ago. What will be the next design shocker?

The author used a unique writing style with this article by it sounding as though she is talking to you directly and not writing the piece. Even though occasionally it was dry and difficult to read, her writing style was very visual. You could easily picture what she was saying. By doing this, it made it easy to understand through all of the lengthy sentences. I really enjoyed the overall message of the article and feels like it leaves the reader with things to ponder and question.

"Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up. — Tate..."

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:51:29 -0500

“

Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up.

— Tate Linden

”

In class, Heather and I had to create a story by writing one...

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:43:08 -0500

In class, Heather and I had to create a story by writing one line a piece back and forth to each other based on what we thought the picture might be about.

One sunny, warm summer day I was sitting in the park waiting for my friend to show up. I had everything set up perfectly- the blanket was laid out in the grass and the plates were ready to be filled with lunch. I stood up to admire the setting and make sure everything looked perfect; it did. A breeze brushed past my face and brought the scent of roses reminding me of springtime. I could hear someone coming up behind me and got excited thinking that my friend had finally shown up.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, obviously out of breath, “I have something really imporant to tell you!”

I couldn’t read the emotion on his face; was it a good thing or bad thing he had to tell me?

“Someone broke into my house!”

I could see that he was really distraught over this, “Did you do anything, like call the police?!”

“Yes, and they caught the guy- he broke in while I was there, and I knocked him out!”

“Well I’m glad nothing else happened and you’re okay…but did you bring the food ‘cause I’m STARVING!”

“That’s the thing,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish expression, “I knocked the burglar out with my frying pan…so the food was thrown across the kitchen.”

“Oh my, that had to be a sight to see…well shall we pick up and good somewhere else?”

He smiled, glad I hadn’t gotten angry at this unfortunate turn of events.

We approached the restaurant, still hungry and anxious for lunch, but the hostess regretfully informed us that a burglar had stolen all of their food and lunch was cancelled.