Six Tips to ALWAYS Do - Digital Portfolio

Last week Core 77 had several tips on what not to do in a digital portfolio. (See earlier post) This week is what to ALWAYS do. Check it out here.

It's EARTH DAY - 2 Ways to Help

I believe we need to act wisely for the future of those to come. This Earth Day check out these two great ways to help make a difference. It is the small act that can make a big difference.

WE CAN SOLVE IT
There mission is to Help bring the Global Warming Issues to the public for-front. Founded by former VP Al Gore, We Can Solve It is getting backing from many fronts including some of our leading politicians, finally. Check out the site, see what you can do, and sign up.

THE DESIGNERS ACCORD
The Designers Accord is a coalition of designers, educators, researchers, engineers, business consultants, and corporations, who are working together to create positive environmental and social impact. Join them and help to provide and educate on "green" solutions for the design industry.

Book of the Week #3 > Print and Production Finishes for Promotional Items by Scott Witham

This week's book, Print and Production Finishes for Promotional Items by Scott Whitham is full of exciting ideas. This book showcases over a 100 examples of "bells and whistles" that we can use in the productions of our designs. Print and Production Finishes for Promotional Items is broken down into sections such as Formats, Folding and Binding, Specialist Printing and Finishing and Sealing. Each example is photographed, explains the finish, gives the design studio and website and the printer for reference. The layout is well done and inspiring. Pick this book up if you are looking to add that "extra" in your next design.

Happy Passover

Yehuda Matzos is my favorite this time of year. Try it with butter and honey. Happy Passover!

Six Tips to Never Do - Digital Portfolio

Core77 has a few tips on what not to do when designing your digital website portfolio. It is informative and keeps it real. Happy reading and click here to view the article.

The Rather Difficult Font Game

The Rather Difficult Font Game test your knowledge of fonts. Give it a try, I scored a 31/34. Must have missed the comic sans. Click here to have a go.

Book of the Week #2 > The Layout Look Book, Max Weber

The Layout Look Book written by Max Weber is a great new book published in 2007. The book is broken down into several sections that include: Magazine, Book, Poster, Music and Miscellaneous. The work and projects presented in this book are fresh and current. It covers works from around the world. The designs shown range in style and the book inspires. If you are looking for a book that covers layout and is fresh, add this one to your design library.

Stefan Sagmeister Video

The film crew at Hillman Curtis have released a video about Stefan's gallery show last month in SOHO based on "Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far." You can see several of the works that are included in his book. The video also included brief words by other great designer that where at the opening for the show including Milton Glaser, Debbie Millman, and Massimo Vignelli. The video is well produced as has been done in the past by Hillman Curtis. (be sure to check out their other short videos too) Watch and enjoy the video by clicking this link.

Book of the Week #1 > Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, Stefan Sagmeister

This latest book by Stefan Sagmeister is wonderful. It is based on thoughts he noted in his diary during a yearlong studio sabbatical in 2000. Some of the thoughts included “Everything I do always comes back to me”, “Trying to look good limits my life”, “Helping other people helps me” and “Everybody always thinks they are right”. When he returned to the studio he had clients ask him to “just design”. He went back to his diary and started to visually show his thoughts. All the designs where commissioned by his clients. The book is a series of these thoughts shown through photos of the final piece and an explanation of the project. The book design is made up of folios that you can read then placed behind the cover to create a new cover. The design of the book is wonderful. It is not a “how to” design book but a book that lets you understand one of our great designers working today. I had the chance to meet Stefan last August while taking a class from Milton Glaser. He presented this series. Stefan is a wonderful person, full of passion, and I hope he continues to push the boundaries between art and design.

Polaroid Coming To An End

The end of an era is soon approaching. Polaroid is going to stop making its instant film this year. I venture to say that most us grew up with the Polaroid photo.

I remember as a kid going to my grandparents home for holidays and birthday and out would come the camera. My grandfather had the large fold out kind you can see above. I wish now it had not gotten thrown out years ago. We would all stand close for the photo, the flash would blind us, he would pull out the film, his model had a fancy timer that buzzed after the 60 or 90 seconds you had to wait, then the peeling back to reveal the photo. I would rush over to see it being careful not to touch the image since it still was drying. Those photos would get placed on frames in front of last years “professional” school photos. Some how the Polaroid was always better. My dad continued this tradition after my grandfather passed away. He would bring his Polaroid to all the family events, vacations and activities. He would take the photos and give them to all in attendance. At the time I was a bit older and it seemed embarrassing but looking at those old Polaroids now I am glad they where taken. My dad loved to pass them around and watch the reactions they gave. You had the only copy, the one and only. In today’s age of digital pixels, with copies sent on email and on CD, having the one and only copy seems well, special.

Polaroid announced it is making film that should get everyone through 2008 but after that the era ends. Some are trying to keep instant photos alive at savepolaroid.com. For now, stock up on your film and after that, I guess we will have to add the Polaroid border to our digital photos to kinda keep the tradition alive.

Winter 2008 Portfolio Show

Today marked the end of the quarter for my Graphic Design Portfolio students at the Art Institute of California - Orange County. They presented their portfolios and displays to the public, family, friends and potential employers. I would like to wish them all the best in the future and thank them for all the great projects they have produced. I know they put in many long hours over the past few years. Keep up the hard work and keep pushing yourselves. I hope your passion for design continues to grow in the years to come. Congratulations on completing this first stage in your design careers. Good luck!!

The NEW Color of Money

The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing is issuing a “NEW” design for the $5 Bill today. The “NEW” $5 Bill will have many of the features we have seen in the past such watermarks and security threads. You will notice a second watermark is added in this new bill to go with the enhanced portrait of Abraham Lincoln but the most notable change is a LARGE 5 on the back of the bill in purple. The USBEP calls this the Low-Vision Feature. “The large, easy-to-read number "5" in the lower right corner on the back of the bill, which helps those with visual impairments distinguish the denomination, is now enlarged in the new $5 bill design and printed in high-contrast purple ink.”

I am not sure who is making the design decisions in Washington DC these days. This new Low-Vision feature is just ugly. Take a look at the purple color, the scale and sans serif font choice of the 5. I think a black would have worked for the 5. I know green would have worked (a dark green for contrast of course). Some how I am also sure the scale issue could have been resolved so the visually impaired could still see a 5. How about a font that compliments the currency’s design and does not look like it was cut and pasted from a Euro bill? I remember when U.S. currency was known as “green backs”. Maybe I am dating myself with that term and will be thankful for the new design when my vision fails for the LARGE PURPLE backed 5. Until then, I hope this design will not bring the dollar down further on the world market. I was hoping for a trip to Europe soon.

Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA Opens

This week marks the opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum at LACMA. The new building on the LACMA campus in Los Angeles was designed by visionary architect Renzo Piano. I had a chance to visit the new BCAM today and it is a light filled space that shows off the Broad Collection in a wonderful fashion. The collection includes works by John Baldessari,
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jasper Johns,
Ellsworth Kelly,
Jeff Koons,
Barbara Kruger,
Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg,
Charles Ray,
Richard Serra,
Cindy Sherman,
and
Andy Warhol to name a few. The building is composed of three floors and designed so you enter at the top via an escalator that is colored bright red. The exterior escalator and stair reminds one of Piano’s earlier works, the Centre George Pompidou. The top two floors show off the collection and keep the work in order by artist. When one reaches the ground floor, it is filled with two works by Richard Serra. Serra’s work is impressive, huge, and just a plain treat for the senses. LACMA has also rearranged work in the other buildings on the campus. Many works of modern art have been moved to the Ahmanson building and are shown with a fresh vision. Don’t miss this part of LACMA. Congratulations are in order to LACMA and the staff. The BCAM is a success and the continued growth of LACMA is truly welcome.

If you want to visit the BCAM and LACMA this week, it is FREE Feb. 16-18. You will need to order dated and timed tickets at the LACMA site.

VOTE Your Voice

Today marks Super Tuesday in the US. Today is our chance to change the future if you live in one of 24 voting states today. I reside in California so today marks our day to voice our vote. I hope you will vote whenever your primary is held and in November to elect our new president. The New York Times along with the AIGA have a website to submit photos for your elections. It is a great way to share and show democracy in action. I submitted to the Polling Place Photo Project. I hope you will too.

World Clock

I found this nifty little clock that covers everything from the current world population to how many bicycles have been produced. The figures are fascinating and mind blowing at the same time. It does tell the time too. How time flies!

Fonts Today

There is a great video and two articles in The Atlantic, January 2008 issue on fonts and typography. The first article, Playing to Type by Virginia Postrel, discusses the use of fonts today and type design. It offers a great background on typography in the digital age.

The second article, What’s in a Font? is an interview with Gary Hustwit, the director of Helvetica, about his making of the documentary on the font. The interview gives some background into how and why this film was produced.

The video, Fine Print presents comments on typography by Michael Bierut of Pentagram. The video is well produced, talks about the use of fonts and gives insights into the choice of fonts for Michael’s recent book, Seventy-Nine Short Essays.

The Color of One, Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968). Rev. King was fundamental in the civil rights development of our country. Today I challenge all designer to create a “Color of One”. Together we can use our craft and passion to continue the forward progress that Martin Luther King Jr. started those many years ago. Great progress has been made but we still have room to grow and improve. May Martin Luther King’s dream of peace, equality, hope, and love become a part of our everyday life.

Ben Franklin; Printer, Designer, Inventor, Statesman.....

Prior to graphic design as we know it today, back in the 18th century it was the printer’s job to “design” the layout, choose the proper fonts, illustrations and bind it all up. January 17th marks the birthday of one of America’s greatest printers, innovators, and statesman. This great printer and thinker was Benjamin Franklin.

Ben Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston. The fifteenth of seventeen children, Ben learned the art of printing from his older brother James who published a weekly newspaper. At 17 he moved to Philadelphia and started his own print shop in 1728. Franklin become known and trusted for his quality of work, excellent layouts and craftsmanship. As Franklin’s reputation grew the requests came for his skills. Early currency was designed and printed by Franklin for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Even back in the 1729 Franklin devised the use of mica in the paper and leaf imprints as ways to foil counterfeiters. In this same year, he started Philadelphia’s second and most prominent newspaper, Pennsylvania Gazette. Franklin also designed and published one of America’s first magazines, General Magazine in 1741. His magazine lasted for 6 issues.

Franklin continued to own and run his printing business but turned his time to other interests. Some of Benjamin Franklin’s interest included America’s first volunteer fire department, subscription library, public hospital, and property insurance company. Pennsylvania’s first college, the University of Pennsylvania was also helped in its founding by Franklin.

Franklin was one of America’s greatest statesman and ambassador. He assisted with writing the Declaration of Independence and was a signer. Franklin also signed the Constitution in 1787. Benjamin Franklin is known for being an inventor. Thank Ben for bifocal glasses and his experiments with the kite in storms that lead to lightning rods. Benjamin Franklin died on April 17, 1790 in Philadelphia.

To learn more about Franklin visit an excellent on-line exhibit at the Library of Congress website called Benjamin Franklin …In His Own Words.

Stamp Designs - Eames and Bond

In the upcoming months there are two great series of stamps on design being issues in the US and in the United Kingdom.

The first one is focused on the design greats, Ray and Charles Eames. The USPS will release a series of 16 stamps that showcases their contributions to design. Some of the images includes the Eames lounge and ottoman, the LCW chair, the LTR table, the Stackable Molded Chair and the Eames House in California. Ray and Charles Eames have created some of the most famous mid-century designs and it is wonderful to see them honored with this series of postage stamps. The stamps where designed by Derry Noyes for the USPS and will be for sale over the summer. For further information on the stamps visit the USPS. To learn more about Ray and Charles Eames, visit the Eames Foundation. The Eames Foundation has information on visiting the Eames House, Case Study House #8, which is located just north of Santa Monica, CA and was recently listed as a National Historic Landmark. The visit is worth the short trip if you are in the area.

The second series of stamps is from the Royal Mail, UK to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the James Bond creator, Ian Fleming. The stamps are designed to be extra long to show cover designs for the novels from the first issues in the 1960’s to current editions. The designs are for Casino Royale, Dr. No, Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, For Your Eyes Only and From Russia With Love. The stamps are available from the Royal Mail now and are designed by A2/SW/HK. If you are on that side of the pond let me know, I would love to get a post using the Bond stamps.

Great Reads and a View for 2008

We all want to get the year started off on a good foot so I have a few suggestions to get the passion moving in your blood. My top three picks are:
Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design by Michael Bierut;
How to Think Like a Graphic Designer by Debbie Millman;
Helvetica - the film by Gary Hustwit

Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design by Michael Bierut is an assortment of his writings over the past few years. Michael is one of the founders of the wonderful design blog, The Design Observer and a partner at Pentagram. His book is composed of many of the essays he has written for the blog. The great part about this publication is the insight Michael gives us on our profession. The 79 essays cover Michael’s observations on history, design and other, politics, design criticism and social commentary. Once you pick up the book, you will find yourself carrying it around, trying to find a few minutes in the day where you can read the next essay.

How to Think Like a Graphic Designer by Debbie Millman is a collection of interviews of some the great designers of our profession including Milton Glaser, Paula Scher, Stefan Sagmeister, Chip Kidd and Massimo Vignelli. Each interview gives you a glimpse about each designer, from how he or she got started years ago, to what’s important to them, and how he or she works. The questions are insightful and thoughtful. Debbie is the hosts of the Internet radio show Design Matters with Debbie Millman on the Voice America Business Network and a partner at Sterling Brands in NYC.

Gary Hustwit actually pulled off a documentary film based on a font. Helvetica is a history of how the font was created and its huge impact and use since its design in the 50s. The film interviews many innovative designers from around the world about Helvetica and shows how we use it everyday. The film is well paced, has a great sound track and is a great history lesson of our design world.

Get your passion going, may your new year be full of great designs and be happy and safe.

Fall Portfolio Show

Last Wednesday evening, the Art Institute of California – Orange County held its fall portfolio show. I teach the final graphic design portfolio class and am very happy for my students that are graduating. They put on a nice show and their portfolio where well designed. I would like to wish the graduates the best of luck in their next step. Remember that the secret to your professional and personnel careers is passion. Keep the passion and you will be successful.

Gift Card Design

If you are looking for a designer that can assist you with the design of your gift card project, please let me know how I may assist you by contacting me.

It is that time of the year when major gift decisions must be adjudicated. Many people, $80 billions worth it is estimated last year, chose to give gift cards. That may be a shocker but did you know that is also estimated that $8 billion went unclaimed on those gift cards or expired. With that kind of profit it is no wonder you can find 100s of different gift cards. I was in my local Vons (that Safeway for the right coaster) and they have 250 choices. You name it and they now have gift cards. The California Lottery now offers gift cards and so does Goodwill. I am sure my wife would love getting a Goodwill gift card. Who said a diamond says I love you?

The design of gift cards has dramatically improved over the years. When they first started to come on the market they where nothing more then a company logo and a dollar sign. They worked but over time some how cash went out of fashion. Gift cards became the choice du jour. Designs have evolved in style to meet this huge demand. Now you can find gift cards that light up, sing to you, let you record a message for playback and have images that transform when you turn them like a 70s holographic baseball card. Target has made collectors of this “art form” over the past few years. I am sure we are all holding our breath in anticipation of how Wal-Mart will introduce a smiley face gift card that winks and tells you how much you are saving to try and top Target.

I have observed Starbucks has gotten into the action in a new way this holiday season. I was at my local Starbucks the other night using the last $1.53 left on the card that I found under the seat in my car. I glanced down and noticed that they have an offer where you can design you own personal Starbucks gift card (sort of). But we all know design comes with a cost. For paying $25 you get to customize a gift card. Here’s how it works; go online and pick from a few card options, mark it up with your coffee drink of habit, add you name and they will send you a $20 gift card in a pretty box which includes shipping. So for only $5, you can design your own gift card. What a bargain?

So fellow designers, keep up the new and innovational designs. The future is bright for gift cards. Corporate America thanks you $8 billion times over for losing or forgetting your gift cards. Remember to look under your sofa cushions for those lost cards and if you are buying for me, cash works best but I will gladly accept checks.

Happy 101st Birthday Eva Zeisel

Eva Zeisel, an industrial designer that has shaped and inspired our industry turns 101 on November 13. Eva Zeisel has been designing with passion and great skill over the last 80+ years. Born in 1906 in Hungry, she studied art and pottery in her early years. Eva was one of the first to design dinnerware for mass production in 1928 with the Schramberger Majolica Fabrik in Germany.

She moved to Russia in 1932 to design dinnerware, bath fixtures and numerous household products. In 1936 while working in Moscow, she was arrested by the Stalin regime and placed in a prison camp for 15 months.She was charged with “plotting against the life of Stalin”. She was finally released due to the influences of important European intellectuals that contacted Stalin. Upon Eva’s release in 1937, she traveled to Vienna then to England. She married Hans Zeisel at this time.

In late 1938, Eva and Hans move to New York. She starts working on numerous designs and began teaching at the Pratt Institute in 1939, forming the industrial ceramics curriculum. Eva’s designs have been sought after over these many years. She has designed dinnerware and products for all the major china companies the world over in her career.

Her work is in the permanent collections of museums around the world including the MOMA and the Metropolitan in NYC and the Victoria and Albert in London. In 2005, Zeisel was awarded the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Eva’s work is available today at Design within Reach and Crate and Barrel along with many art museum stores and galleries. Currently there is a wonderful exhibit of her work at the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles until December 30, 2007. Eva is still actively designing today and recently authored a book, Eva Zeisel on Design.

I believe all of us in the design community would like to wish Eva a happy 101st birthday and many more to come.

FireStorm 2007

Today I would like to take a detour from the main focus of this blog. In additon to working as a designer, I have been an active volunteer / paid-call fire fighter for the past 16 years. Currently I am working as a Fire Captain with the La Habra Heights Fire Department located in Los Angeles County. I was called out to help on the recent brush fires that devastated Southern California. At this point the fires are under control but the rebuilding is just starting. My thoughts are with those that lost so much and I hope their lives can return to normal soon. To view additional images that I took during my assignments in Malibu and San Diego County please click on this link.

The Art of Rock and Roll

I had the privilege to see the legendary band Genesis this past weekend at the Hollywood Bowl. It was the last night in their tour that started last spring in Europe. I have enjoyed Genesis since I was a teenage student. I expected a good show but they blew away all expectations. I was struck while listening to the many long instrumental sets, arranged and performed with the greatest of skill, passion and talent, of going to a symphony concert. The music’s arrangements where inspiring and captivating. What would Mozart have done with an electric keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums? I have to believe he would have composed music such as this full of the today’s energy. If you ever have doubted if rock and roll could be art, give Genesis a try when they tour again. This rock and roll symphony was modern art at its best.

NYC Transit Museum

One of my passions is visiting cities and taking their subways. I love to observe the public design of the spaces and cars along with the advertising you find. New York is one of the best when it comes to subways. When I was in New York a week ago, I had the chance to visit the New York City MTA Transit Museum in Brooklyn. What a hidden treasure if you are into history, the development of New York and design. The museum is in an old subway station and covers the growth of the largest subway system in the country. As you enter you descend the stairs into the museum located below street level. This level is full of how the system grew and historical artifacts but the real treat is deeper down below. Descend further down as if you where to get an A train and you find a collection of subway cars that spans the last hundred years. On this platform level you can see the details in the designs of the cars. As you enter each car, you can see it as if it was brand new with every detail down to the vintage ads and maps. It seems that prime ad space in subways has been around since the turn of the century. One observation of these vintage subway cars shows the wonderful design of their periods. The next time you are in the area visit the MTA Transit Museum in Brooklyn. Your passion for design will thank you.

ArtWalk Fall 2007 Los Angeles

Today was a visit to ArtWalk Fall 2007 to visit a great artist friend of mine, Mike Tracy. ArtWalk is a big open house at the Brewery in East LA. The Brewery is in an old Pabst Brewery that has been turned into work and live spaces. Mike Tracy has been showing in this space over the years and the work keeps getting better and better. One look at Mike's work and you can see his passion for creating and exploring in art. If you missed this open house, Mike will be showing at Hunsaker/Schlesinger Fine Art Gallery in Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA in the coming months. You can also contact Mike for an appointment and to see more of this fine work visit http://www.miketracy.net

In the beginning...

In the beginning an image was drawn. Soon after a word was drawn next to the image. Graphic communications was born. This is a start of the blog space for aNEW designs. Our goal for things to come is to spread the word of how great it is to be a designer and artist in this time of change and progress.

I have grown in my passion of all things design and art over the years. Passion is the key to creating designs that communicate the information at hand in an artistic and aesthetically pleasing manner. I will be sharing my passion with you over the time to come. I hope you we can unlock our passions together.