NICE CANS! (aka you CAN be that specialized and make a living)

Do one thing, and do it well (or so the saying goes). Do it really, really, really well and you may just have a niche that you can eek a living out of.

There have always been illustrators, designers, and photographers that were the "go-to-guys" for a very specific requirement, but that was often balanced against a very developed career (rarely the front end) or the pragmatism of practicing a career based on breadth versus strictly speciality.

Then came the internet. The store-front equalizer that puts a small-time basement operation on par with a multinational... as long as they create a similar quality product.

Check out this business... they shoot CANS...and that's their business. They do it  very well and that's about it.


they shoot cans...

"DESIGN INFERIORITY"

I'm a fan of all things design, and I've posted here before about my love for the I.D. site CORE 77. Recently they posted an article related to a "compromise design" ...in order to sustain a project at the cost of peak efficiency.

So the question for YOU is:

Is an inferior design still inferior if more people can afford/use it? 
If cost constraints would prevent the perfect object from being commercially successful, is it better to design something with inferior performance but feasible manufacturability (or for that matter price-point or commercial viability)?

Tawlk amongst you'selves...

STARBUCK's NEW LOGO...

Let the debate begin.

Pundits are either hailing or criticizing the latest incarnation of the Starbucks Logo. Logo redesign is not unique to Starbucks, but they have the corporate audacity to elevate their mark (the correct term for what students commonly call logo) from a mixed mark (meaning type integrated) into an icon (no typography). Old timers will remember the Greg Berryman "Notes on Graphic Design..." book that elucidates these levels of marks.

The fact is laid out that Starbucks may drastically change its business model in some way, and potentially its core business and target market/s. So the time is ripe for a change in mark. But do they have the iconic status of companies like Nike, Pepsi and Apple? Do they have the brand loyalty and high equity? I'd say yes... and they are following the logical (Berryman-ian) progression of their mark as such.

Anyone with small children knows the power of the golden arches. When you drive by a McDonald's (and long before your children can read) they point gleefully at the arches and cry for McDonald's.

Starbuck's mark, as wonky as it may have been--mired in greek mythology and Seattle folklore-- is instantly recognizable. To overhaul that mark (versus tuneup) would be too many steps back in the equity it has built.

fastco article on Starbuck's mark overhaul

Super photo howtos

To round out 2010, I 've included a bunch of great photography links provided via one of my favoritest blogs ever (Lifehacker). This is one of the "go-to" sites for graphic-design know how. Previous articles have included rigging lighting setups, basic retouching, and many other great tips too numerous to mention. Whether you are a student or a hobbyist, you'll benefit from at least a once-through on this site and a bookmark for repeat searches.

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS, TRICKS, and HACKS

• take a people-free photo of a busy spot
• vignette shot
• fixes for common photo woes
• image editing tricks
• 3-D (stereoscopic) images
• getting good color
• graycarding for whitepoint 
• using a smartphone for great photos
• using a point-and-shoot for great results
• modding your camera
• 'analog-look' photos
• DSLR lens selection
• photos on your iOS device
• videos from capable DSLR cameras
• making blurry photos usable
• photosynths (like QTVR)

"BRILLIANT" logos... (REDUX)

I originally posted this several months ago in its original form. I since have update the link to two source blog sites. This was a response to a cavalcade of student logos that I find either lacking, or overworked (think of a solarized band logo for 'that dude he knows' band). It even garners a comment by one of my old instructors / a Milwaukee Metro market design business owner.

What is a logo anyway? A textbook answer might be something like: "A mark that articulates the brand to the world..."

There are a lot of very good logos in the world that are examples of great design, and just as many that aren't. Funny thing is, successful logos populate both camps. Some have figured out a way to create a memorable visual hit upon the viewer without being design world darlings.

I think the commonality is the effective research and processing of communication and marketing information, organizing and prioritizing that data to desired short and long term outcomes, and the skill at visually expressing everything in support of the developing brand.

If it is done with a high-minded design school flair, or a practical everyman visual style, the logo then requires repeated exposure to the public, and popular support and commitment. It also doesn't hurt to be clever. Sometimes clever can backfire a bit (think Red Dog beer a few years back)--so peruse some examples of clever, but not too clever... [link below]

brilliant logos 1
brilliant logos 2

GREAT DESIGN IS TIMELESS

I am a HUGE fan of CORE77 (an online design magazine/blog/resource). I think any serious students of design are well-suited to study the "big picture" of design, and not just their specialty or focus. Design is an overarching discipline, and its a shame that in todays educational marketplace we cannot keep the fraternal and guild-like atmosphere established by historic schools like the Bauhaus...but I digress...

CORE77 recently ran a 3-parter on cases to hold stuff. Much of the innovation was born of necessity by the (now extinct) door-to-door salesman, and later the POP display for the corner shop. Take a look at this wonderfully functional design for a peek at how the solution to sewing-machine needle replacement evolved.

sewing-machine needle sales POP

So You Need a Typeface

In the past, I've posted cool freeware app links for students to go to. There are a plethora of like free type resources that you can turn to as well. TYPENOW, DAFONT and 1001 FREE FONTS are all great resources. Those who have had me as an instructor (and thusly been exposed to the great movie HELVETICA, may additionally ask the question, "Do I really need that many fonts?")

Whatever your inclination on the thesis of HELVETICA (the movie), there is a neat flowchart style  poster project cobbled together by a fellow named Julian Hansen, with aquite a bit of research on font usage trends via Font foundries and retailers.

I neither espouse nor reject the premise, but present it to you as a very well prepared flowchart that would still be preferable to randomly flipping through your favorite font browser or playing "eenie-meenie-minee-moe..."

So You Need a Typeface?

Tasty Treats on the Go for the Holiday Season

'Tis the season, and student friends who have to rush about at semester end (as well as non-students who double as busy shoppers this time of year) can both appreciate some eats on the go. While I'll readily admit--and my figure will attest to this--that the items we mention have no business in a healthy and regular diet, they are darn goooood!  They are also only Available for a limited time.

Lest you think me a corporate shill, I own no stock in either of these companies. They just both make a damn fine holiday product that I readily admit a mild addiction towards. McDonald's gets two endorsements from me (as useless as that is). One for their warm and delicious Caramel Mocha (nder 3 bucks for a medium), and another for their pumpkin and holiday pies. The pumpkin is in the late fall, then after Turkey day most franchisees switch over to offer the Holiday pie (sweet cream or custard in some circles). Both are easily eaten with one hand for driving/eating pleasure.

Hardee's offers the ridiculously good Caramel Crumb biscuits in the A.M. They area sweet and tasty offering as an alternative to their savory loaded omelette biscuits and breakfast sammies. heck, maybe get a frisco breakfast sandwich and the Caramel Crumb buscuits.

FOR THE GUY WHO HAS EVERYTHING

And those who have plenty o' money to blow on something for them. With the Holidays around the corner, I threw in the crazy new SWISS ARMY KNIFE. Only $1,400, it boasts a tool lineup of dang near everything. Probably doesn't fit so hot in the pocket. At first, I thought this was a hoax. It is (really) real! It has also been getting scads of coverage in magazines and online. SWISS ARMY THINGY

MORE FROM THE CLOUD...

CLOUDWARE...in the cloud... you've likely heard this before. It's the new trend in things that are actually old. Cloud computing is actually a phoenix-like rebirth of NETWORK computing. Lo all those years ago when the computer market traveled the route of the PC (personal computer) over the NC (network computer)-- primarily due to the limitations of networking technology.

Flash forward to the post-internet world, and network computing starts (just the genesis mind you) to make sense. As Larry Ellison (Oracle) once famously stated, 'why go and buy software and manuals printed on paper, packaged in a cardboard box, stocked on shelves? With all the time delays from the release date and additional cost and manufacturing overhead that brings? Why not use network software, and instantly have updates?

Admittedly, it is still in its infancy. But check out this plethora of cloudware that can replace software for about 80% of the average users. Imagine substitutes for Photoshop, Illustrtator, Powerpoint, Soundbooth, Acrobat, Word, and many others! Very very nice. Mostly free.

CLOUDWARE LINK