Studiotwin

I came across this card while sifting through a big box of business cards I’ve been collecting over the years. I’ve had a number of my own cards over the years, but this particular card brings back some memories. I was a student in the Graphic Design program at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I was immersed in graphic design but still finding my way and figuring out what the profession was actually all about. In many ways I’m still in the same place but seeing it with slightly better vision.

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John Lloyd

A colleague of mine, Tyrick Christian, pointed me in the direction of John Lloyd—a designer in the UK with a long history of creating memorable work. I have to admit that I had not heard of Lloyd before, but now that I have I am enjoying his body of work. If you browse the ‘Lloyd Northover‘ and ‘Early Work‘ sections you are sure to see the influence of masters such as: Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Alvin Lustig, and even Max Bill.

On Wireframes

I’ve been involved with interaction design for a number of years now. I have to say that I have never loved it as much as I do now. Things are changing at a pace that is far from losing momentum. It is exciting. To keep up with today’s technology—online and off—is almost an Herculean effort. With the advent of mobile devices, e-readers, social media and the like, the importance of process in the design stage is paramount.

Through all the projects I’ve been involved in I’ve been resolute in my belief that wireframes should be a part of the design process and should be presented to the client at some point along the way—the earlier on in the process the better. In many cases, however, the wireframe never makes it into the clients hands. Instead, it is used as part of the internal processes of crafting the content hierarchy; it is a mode of casual, but considered, exploration. In the occasion where the wireframe is not shown to the client, at least make sure it has been executed internally.

I believe that many teams opt out of showing wireframes to the client for fear of having the client mistake the wireframe as a final visual direction for the proposed site. These misguided assumptions should be managed up front and are the responsibility of the design team to educate the client as to what they are looking at.

Many design studios that have traditionally provided mostly print-oriented solutions are starting to offer interactive services as well. The market is shifting and these studios are realizing they need to expand their offerings in order to remain profitable. More businesses are putting more time and capital in multimedia. However, in the effort to increase their offerings, these same studios often neglect to understand the process of designing for interaction and user experiences. Steps are skipped and valuable lessons aren’t learned. As a result, the end product is inferior to the competition and the client’s ROI falls short of expectations.

This is not an ideal place to be for all parties involved. If you’re a studio that is just starting to expand your services into the interactive realm, educate yourselves about what is involved in designing for interaction. There are more than enough resources out there to help you make this transition. If you can afford to hire interaction design and usability experts to aid in your growing pains, do it. You’ll be thankful you did.

Thinking per Week

Since graduation I have been running through lists and lists of ideas, thoughts, plans, etc. on a weekly—sometimes daily—basis. Most of the time I try to nab these conceptions as soon as they enter my head—for fear of them vanishing later. I do so by writing them down in my favorite format: lists. I thought I’d start posting a few of each week’s thoughts here in a more public venue. I believe that it’s time I start sharing more openly and more frequently what goes through my head on any given day. Some weeks I can see evidence of a common thread throughout my brain’s ramblings, while other weeks it’s purely random. To kick things off, here are a few nuggs I’ve been thinking about.

1. Design, by its very nature, is interactive.
2. At some point you must stop listening to what you are told to do and just do what you want to do—what makes you feel alive and fulfilled.
3. In your personal and professional lives you’re going to piss someone—or a group of people—off through no fault of your own. It’s just part of life. Keep your head up and continue on your own path.
4. Searching for something, for some sort of purpose or higher meaning, usually costs more effort than it is worth. These types of answers tend to reveal themselves naturally. Ease off and just forge ahead.
5. If you are going to work for someone, with someone, or with a group—make sure that there is something there worth investing your time and effort in. If not, don’t do it. You’ll be thankful you didn’t.
6. I suppose the former statement could be stated as this: don’t work for assholes if you can help it.

More of this coming soon. Like next week. Promise.

Graphic Designer: Year One

Craig Oldham’s booklet, 12 IN 12, is being republished as a limited edition by D&AD. Originally published as a supplemental piece to a lecture he was giving, the book contains an account of lessons learned by the author during his first year as a professional design practitioner.

I remember my first year well and it was nothing short of a nightmare. Craig’s lessons and advice would have been a welcome comfort. Here are his 12 things (abbreviated):

1. Understand what Graphic Design means to you.
2. Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses.
3. A portfolio is for life, not just for an interview.
4. Placements matter. Do them.
5. The Design industry is small, everyone knows everybugger else.
6. Participate with other people and share your ideas.
7. Graphic Design is just a job, but being a designer is different.
8. Fall off your bike. If you don’t fail then you are not trying.
9. Life and work exist outside of London.
10. Designing is only, about, 20% of your job.
11. Have a life outside of Design.
12. Work hard and be nice to people.

Changing Gears and Reading

Over the past few weeks I’ve been transitioning from life as a full-time graduate student to life as a once-again full-time design practitioner. Changes like this, at least for me, are never as easy as I would like. However, they are necessary changes that shouldn’t be avoided. I’ve noticed that when I’ve encountered life-changes like this before I’ve turned to reading about the experiences of others for comforting insights. This experience is no different.

I’d like to share a few of the sites I’ve been frequenting that have helped keep me inspired and forward-thinking.

1. Ross Hudgens
2. Seth Godin
3. Jeffrey Tang
4. Merlin Mann
5. Frank Chimero

Each site presents a voyage into intimate self-reflection and sharing without doubt. Read and enjoy.

Where’s the Finish Line? Examining Success in Design

This article was originally published in AIGA Voice on June 16, 2009.

Paris Hilton is a superstar. This celebrity icon is best known for her role on The Simple Life television series and the scandalous sex tape that made its way around the internet. Her rise to stardom has taken the route followed by many famous socialites—her fame and success are accidental and inherited.

Just a year younger than Hilton, Natalie Portman, 28, is an actor who has achieved both celebrity status and professional success. Portman has been a prominent actor since her childhood. She took a brief break from performing to complete her degree in psychology from Harvard in 2003, and then pursued graduate coursework. She is both an artist and a scholar and has worked to produce quality work in both roles.

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Tenets for Growth

Question everything and everyone; even yourself.

Doubt is a useful reaction. Do not take everything as is. We owe it to ourselves and to our craft to ask questions when we don’t understand or believe something. In an age of intellectual apathy, we must embrace our natural curiosity. It is that curiosity that will move us into the future.

Design should be practiced within the constructs of truth.

Style-houses, carelessness, and relentless appropriation plague graphic design today. We have conveniently forgotten its roots and given history the middle finger. The new generation of designers are far too comfortable reigning the helm of style. Intellectual curiosity is now just an afterthought. As a result, any remaining truth in design has been distilled into a byproduct.

Embrace our aesthetic tendencies.

At some point in our careers we will begin to notice certain tendencies in our process and inevitably in the work we produce. It might be a recurring typeface, a certain shape that makes its way into our projects, or a certain color. Whatever it is – we cannot afford to ignore it. There is a reason that it rears its head. If it keeps showing up then we owe it to ourselves to embrace it. To own it.

* I must take this opportunity to address the fact that an “aesthetic tendecncy” in this instance is not style, but rather voice.

Acknowledge external forces of inspiration.

In an era where isolationist technology is the norm, we must find new ways to reconnect with our environment and step outside our own little bubbles. Inspiration can come from many places—not just from other design(s). Whether it is the age rings from a tree stump or the scales of a snake, these artifacts are worthy of our acknowledgement and study. Active observation is critical.

Remember the tenants of the past.

Graphic design is a practice born out of our recent history. Its fathers were giants who are just as deserving of attention and respect now as they were then. Movements such as Futurism, Constructivism, Structuralism, and Modernism have given us a remarkable foundation on which to build, yet we seem to be hesitant to do so without a safety net. As a result, we are now witnessing the homogenization of design. It is being pushed aside for the sake of style. Expropriation is in vogue. We must resurrect the ideologies critical to the birth of graphic design in order to save it from eating itself.

Don’t be afraid to piss people off.

Take risks. Preserve your integrity and others will respect you.