GD Internship meeting
395 McNeal, Monday March 2
2-3pm
« January 2009 | Main | March 2009 »
February 25, 2009
A little bit o' history
A brief and interesting article that speculates as to the history of branding as well as outlines why it is important– both as a brand and for consumers as they sort through loads of visual information each day.
OBD: Obsessive branding disorder
Yesterday on Midmorning programing on MPR (91.1 FM), guest Lucas Conley discussed his observations and research regarding our culture's obsession with branding. He discusses extreme examples of applying brand identities to humans (i.e., via tattoos or baby naming rights) as well as the symbiotic and almost passive relationship between consumers and brands.
Listen to the broadcast here:
February 23, 2009
On this day in history . . .
J.P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel Corporation, the first billion-dollar corporation in the world. [Source]
For Wednesday, February 25, you should have:
1. Five digital roughs (logotypes, symbols, and a combination), one per page in a 5-page .pdf
2. One printed sheet of all five roughs
3. Read pp. 72-87 in your text
4. Reviewed the blogs of those in your small group (at least)
This will help you be prepared for our small group critiques and maximize discussion time.
February 21, 2009
Letter love.
Lettercult, a blog that showcases the work of people who are 'obsessed with letters,' is a great reference when considering proprietary type and custom logos. The custom logos section of the site has some inspirational examples to get you started thinking outside of the box of traditional type and the typefaces already created for you. Get to know the inherent shapes of your letterforms while working on your logo designs and have fun following the standards of your brand's personality!
February 16, 2009
Visual weightlifting
Powerful symbolism can speak volumes and carry your product, company, and service to success. Understanding how humans use symbols to sort through visual information is critical to creating a simple, memorable, and unique logo symbol. Maggie Macnab analyzes two logos you are likely to be overwhelmingly familiar with: Apple and IBM. These two symbols cater to completely different audiences and it is evident in the shape, form, and meaning they employ.
Read Ms. Macnab's article, The Apple Core vs. Linear Logic at aiga.org.
February 9, 2009
Like water for chocolate.
Mastering the metaphor may be the key to some great logo ideas. Understanding the idea of a metaphor is critical to using it. George Felton's HOW article, Master the Metaphor, helps to explain the different types of metaphors (pure or fused) and different ways you might come about some visual metaphors for your company. The 'metaphors in a grid' exercise we did in class should get you thinking, but this article has great tips as well, including:
Put your client's product (or the benefit we derive from it) into these formats to help you make connections and create images: "It's like a ____."
"It's like a ____ for your ____."
"Think of it as _______."
"If it were a ____, it would be a _____."
If you called the product something else, what would it be?
February 4, 2009
Search ideas
While Google is great, sometimes it's not quite the search source you need to find new and inspiring ideas. Some other ideas for unique search tools include del.icio.us and Twitter search. Delicious is a popular bookmarking system that uses user-defined tags to filter and sort through information. Try searching for "education initiatives" or "money management" and see what interesting links pop up. Twitter search allows you to see what people are micro-blogging about in real time. Often times their posts include links to other interesting articles or sources– see what you can find!
Novel ideas
The event Cause for Drinks is a unique initiative (or service) that pairs happy hour with a cause. Noting that many individuals imbibe at happy hour without reason, and recognizing the need for numerous non-profits to raise money, Cause for Drinks connects the dots and donates a portion of the drinking proceeds to a charity of choice (Past charities/events can been seen here)
Not only is this idea novel, but it provides insight into popular, but under-noticed, non-profits:
http://www.plantit2020.org/
http://www.kidcameraproject.org/
http://www.womenforwomen.org/index.php
http://www.thefoodproject.org/
http://prcno.org/programs/rebuildingtogether/
February 3, 2009
Boxers or briefs?
A design brief is a written explanation given by the client to the designer at the outset of a project. As the client, you are spelling out your objectives and expectations and defining a scope of work when you issue one. You’re also committing to a concrete expression that can be revisited as a project moves forward. It’s an honest way to keep everyone honest. If the brief raises questions, all the better. Questions early are better than questions late.
A Client’s Guide to Design: How to Get the Most Out of the Process (AIGA, 2007). View entire guide (.pdf)
Writing a design brief is typically done by the client in order to brief the designer on what it is they wish to accomplish. In the context of this course, you (the client) will be writing the brief for you (the designer). However, throughout the course of the semester, you can consider your classmates and myself as extensions of you as client: we will be basing our design critiques off what it is you have set out to be accomplished in your design brief and through the objectives listed on your blog. Commit yourself to what it is you want your logo and identity to communicate; don't allow yourself to change simply because you are your own client. You may find it helpful to return to this brief throughout the semester to make sure that you are making decisions based on clear objectives set forth in the conception of your company.
February 2, 2009
Hot topics
Now that you have been assigned your 'topic' or category to help you focus the creation of your company, start to familiarize yourself with the current conditions in that particular portion of American (or global) culture. Figure out what portion of your category interests you and focus your company around that idea.
Education
http://www.edutopia.org/
Human rights
http://www.hrw.org/
Finances
http://www.kiplinger.com/
http://www.forbes.com/
http://www.marketwatch.com/
Housing
http://www.hud.gov/
Any others? Post them as you find them!
Culture to go
As designers, it is important that you have your finger on the pulse of culture. Knowing current trends and how they are impacting daily life is helps you stay relevant in a quickly changing society. In order to keep yourself abreast of cultural phenomenon, be sure to expose yourself to multiple media outlets and channels of information.
A few good and varied sources:
GOOD magazine: State of the planet, GOOD design, a brainstorming session identifying current conditions and designing solutions to alleviate them
White House agenda http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/
WIRED magazine http://www.wired.com/wired
SEED magazine http://www.seedmagazine.com
Current_ http://current.com
Pop!Tech blog http://www.poptech.com/blog
Others? Please share your resources!