Debbie Millman Week - How to Think Like a Graphic Designer

This week to celebrate Debbie Millman speaking in Orange County, I am devoting this blog to her many contributions to this profession that we all love, design. I will start with her first book, How to Think Like a Graphic Designer.

A better title might be How to Thing Like a GREAT Graphic Designer because this book is full to the brim with interviews from the greatest in the profession. Designers that are covered in this book include Paula Scher, Michael Bierut, Milton Glaser, Chip Kidd, Stefan Sagmeister, Neville Brody, Jessica Helfand, Seymour Chwst, Stephen Doyle, Abbott Miller, Massimo Vignelli and many more. As you can see by that list, it is some of our greatest working today.

The book seems to be a natural extension to the radio show that Debbie does, Design Matters. Design Matters is a series of hour long interviews with designers that gives you a better understanding of their accomplishments, how they got started, and their approachs and methods of design. Design Matters archives are available at the Design Observer site and on iTunes.

I have a theory that for us to truly become great at what we do, we have to study not just design and its theories but also those that have come before us. We have to gain a better understanding of how to be a designer daily and what works and does not work from others.

How to Think Like a Graphic Designer's interviews are smart and lively. Debbie's interviews give us the understanding that we need to step up to greatness as a designer. The book inspires you to design, to breath design in with a deep inhale, and is unjustifiably, a great read. To get your own copy check out Amazon or your local book story.

Pranav Mistry - TED Talk on Next Technology

This is a fascinating talk, from the good folks at TED, given by Pranav Mistry about how we can interact with technology. Mistry studies at MIT and is interested in integrating the digital informational experience with our real-world interactions.

What Type Are You? - Pentagram

Pentagram has produced a nifty little web site to determine "what type are you?". The site leads you through a series of short questions by a noted psychologist who keeps his identity secret. Once you have completed the questions he determines which font best describes who you are. So if you are designer who loves type and has thought that this passion is getting out of hand and even contemplated mental help for it, this may just be the solution for you. Try it out at this link on the Pentagram site.

Project Team: John Rushworth, partner-in-charge and designer; Kirsty Whittaker, designer. Written by Naresh Ramchandani. Produced by The Brown Studio. Web development by Nerv Interactive.

Debbie Millman Speaking at AICA-OC

Next Friday evening, January 29th, Debbie Millman will be speaking at the Art Institute of California - Orange County from 6 pm til 9 pm. I am excited that Debbie will be giving a presentation titled: "Why We Brand, Why We Buy". Debbie's visit is hosted by the AIGA student chapter at AICA-OC and AIGA Orange County. She is currently the president of the national AIGA. Details are available at the student chapter's website and myspace page. Sign up now, this event will be one you will not want to miss.

Edgar Allan Poe - 200th Anniversary of Birth

Yesterday marked the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849). Having grown up in Baltimore, where Poe spend a portion of his 40 year life, I heard details of his life and works. Poe is known for his poetry such as "The Raven" (the name sake for Baltimore's NFL team) and his short stories, "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Pit and the Pendulum" that tell tales of horror. Poe is also created with writing the first detective novel, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." On each anniversary of his birth for the last 60 years of so, three red roses and a bottle of brandy have been left at his grave site in Baltimore. This year it stopped. Another mystery has started as to why and another mystery has not been solved as to who has done this over the years. Read more about this story and view images at this link.

Most Relevant Logos of Decade

Brand New has posted a nice story on what they consider the most relevant identity work of the last decade. Review the whole story and all the logos at this link. Brand New covers the world of branding and logo work in a consistently excellent manner with current changes and options.

Remembering Martin Luther King

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

Martin Luther King Jr.

Published In Basic Logos Book

Yesterday, I received a copy of the book Basic Logos published by Index Books in Spain. Two logos that we created where published in this volume, Blue Moth and our very own aNEW designs logo. The book will be available in the US in April. Look for it on bookshelves or at amazon.

Daniel Libeskind - The Contemporary Jewish Museum

On a recent visit to San Francisco, I had the opportunity to visit the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) designed by noted architect, Daniel Libeskind. Libeskind become famous for his designs of the Jewish Museum in Berlin and his work on the site of the former World Trade Center.

The CJM is a great museum located by the nearby SFMOMA and the city convention center. The design of the museum jumps into view as you walk into the area as the clad blue metal exterior shapes seem to grow out of a historic power station that has stood on the location for decades.

"The site, a complex urban locus, provides the necessary pressure for the emergence of a unique form and energy. The CJM will make visible the relationship between the new and the old, of tradition and innovation. It will transform the physical energy associated with the legacy of the power station to the power of human communication and imagination. The building, though small in comparison to the context, will become a steel-clad jewel like a beacon glowing of the future."

The design of the CJM is a wonderful example of converting and renovating an existing structure to bring forward new life. Libeskind talks about this sense of "life" in the following statement:

"The CJM building is based on the Hebrew word "L’Chai’m," which means "To Life." The two Hebrew letters of Chai, with all their symbolic, mathematical and emblematic structure, are literally the life source and the form of the Museum. In the Jewish tradition, letters are not mere signs but are substantial participants in the story they create. Thus the spatiality of Chai - a fundamental emblem of Jewish life - will be experienced as a full dynamic movement responding to the many levels of interpretation this word possesses."

Upon entering the museum through the old doors of the power plant, one is greeted with again merger of the old and new with a white wall that angles and intersects the existing structure. Angled stairs lead you up to room that forms the interior of the large square shape on the outside. You enter this gallery space to find white walls that are punched by windows of rectalinear shapes. The space is large and airy and becomes a work in itself.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum has rotating exhibits in its spaces that show case modern jewish life. Currently showing is a great exhibit on Maurice Sendak until the end of this week; As It Is Written: Project 304,805, an exhibit on the writing of a torah scroll; and Jews on Vinyl, the history of Jewish recorded music from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Typography in San Francisco

Above are several examples of typography that I photographed on my recent visit to San Francisco. Visual examples are always great to keep around for future use and walking a city will give you lots of inspiration. Take out your camera and shoot away. Your next great project may come from a great walk.

Sneak Peek - San Francisco

During this holiday break I got to spend sometime up in San Francisco. San Francisco is one of my favorite cities and I will have several post coming over this week about the visit. I took this photo above that I have titled "Sneak Peak" of the Golden Gate Bridge. More to come soon.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

We at aNEW designs wish you a happy, safe and health year. May your 2010 be a very good year full of creativity, great design, and pleasure in all you do. We look forward to bring you great things on the blog in the coming year and continuing to hear from you with your comments. Happy 2010!

Happy Holiday

All of us at aNEW designs wish you a safe and happy holiday. We hope you enjoy your time with friends and family over the next few days. Peace to you and yours during this holiday season.

I.D. Magazine Fading Away

I have been a reader and subscriber to I.D. Magazine for many years now and have enjoyed reading more about design and product design from its pages. It was announced last week the I.D. Magazine will cease publication with it's Jan/Feb issue. I.D. Magazine has been published since 1954, when mid century design was know as design of the day. It is sad to see a fine publication such as this go away. It was one of only a few magazines with a variety so wide. So long I.D. - I will miss your pages in the future.

Here's the official press release:

December 15, 2009
To Readers, Advertisers and Friends of I.D. Magazine:

Since 1954, I.D. Magazine has served as one of America's leading critical magazines covering the art, business, and culture of design. Today it is with regret that we announce its closure. The January/February issue of I.D. will be its last; subscribers to I.D. will receive Print magazine for the balance of their subscription.

Ceasing publication of an iconic brand like I.D. is never an easy decision, but there are several forces that have worked against its sustainability. Certainly the downturn in print advertising has contributed to this decision, but other factors include the fragmentation and specialized information needs of I.D.'s core readers (product designers) and the plethora of information resources available to them--some for free (online and B2B) and others that are highly specialized and targeted to specific industries served.

F+W Media will to continue producing the I.D. Annual Design Review, its flagship international product design competition, in an expanded fashion online. This new web initiative will feature not only 2010's winners but will catalog thousands of notable entries from past competitions. Going forward, in addition to the I.D. Annual Design Review, F+W Media's Design Group is comprised of the award-winning HOW and Print brands--magazines, books, events, and competitions serving the information needs of graphic designers in all media.

We thank the entire I.D. community, past and present--staffers, contributors, readers, and advertisers--for their support of the magazine throughout its 55-year history.

Sincerely,

Gary Lynch
Publisher & Editorial Director
F+W Media Design Community

A Mention on How Design Site

How Design Magazine asked for suggestions for a list of Gifts for Designers. I submitted a link for Eva Zeisel's work that was highlighted on the site. To view the link click here.

Fall 09 Portfolio Show

Yesterday evening marked the end of the Fall quarter for graduating Graphic Design majors at the Art Institute of California - Orange County. The students have worked hard over the last quarter finessing their portfolios to be viewed by the public and prospective employers. I wish the grads all the best in their careers as designers. You now have the skills to create and I look forward to hearing great things about you in the future.

Pantone 2010 Color of Year Plus iPhone App.

Pantone has announced this week that it projects that Turquoise Pantone 15-5519 will be the color of the year.

"Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing."

Pantone has also released a nifty iPhone App for working with Pantone colors. You can view how it works in the video below. The current cost is $9.99 but you will never leave home again without your swatchbook.

Typographic Ads

Who does not love a great use of type? Check out this posting over at the GraphicDesign blog of 30 examples of typographic print ads. Some interesting work and concepts are presented. The Australia Post ad is my favorite.

For more great type, don't forget to check out the We Love Typography site daily for inspiration.

People of Walmart

First we had the Sexy People blog, now we can take a look at society not from past old photos but by some of the people visiting Walmart. In the days past, people would try to look good when they went out in public. They would do things like put on shoes, pants, a dress, overall, they wanted to look good, not go out in a robe or their pjs. Now, based upon these photos from the People of Walmart site, we have gone to hell in a handbag.

Oh how I miss Paris where fashion is a staple of life and if you can not afford the high end you at least try the best you can to look good. Enjoy your holiday shopping and your next trip to Walmart, take some photos for this People of Walmart site and don't look for me, I am a snob and would not be caught dead in Walmart.

Holiday Shopping for Designers - Core77

One of the best holiday shopping guides for designers can again be found over at Core77. This year's shopping guide is filled is 77 gifts for under $77 (mostly). The selection ranges from t-shirts and books to items for the home and everyday use. Check it out and find that special and unique gift for the designer on you list. I am digging the t-shirt above myself.

Identify Your Clients

As a designer we face numerous different types of clients on a daily basis. One key to getting the project complete is being able to identify your clients so you know how to work with them. Smashingmagazine.com has a great article that can help with the identification of different styles of clients and how to deal with them. The article cover typical clients from the Nit-Picker to the "I Could Do This Myselfer" to the Control Freak. Read the complete article to help you identify and deal with your clients over at smashingmagazine.com.

Clients From Hell

Stories from hell dealing with the craziness of our profession - this sums up this website dedicated to spreading the word of the madness we all have to encounter from time to time. Check out Clients from Hell, enjoy a good laugh, submit your own story and learn a bit about some of the demands that clients request.