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St. Francis de Sales

A church of pure concrete. This was a thought that would have never crossed my mind had I not visited St. Francis de Sales. For our Design Seminar class, we are exposed to other areas of design outside of graphic design — a way of broadening our thinking so our minds aren't confined to just our specific area — and architecture was on yesterday's agenda.

The church was designed by Marcel Breuer, a Bauhaus architect. The angles of the church make the structure appear to sail, a "...ship on the sea of humanity." as the priest put it. Concrete gives the building its powerful, imposing form as a reminder of God's omnipresence. Twelve pillars, the disciples, rise up in the back of the nave and create the illusion of movement as they appear to adjust depending on the angle you view them at.

As someone who attends a very small church back home, St. Francis de Sales made my jaw drop. We were allowed to walk around at our leisure, and I think all of us were in awe. Even after seeing pictures online, the church went beyond our expectations.

#graphic design #grde #GRDE414 #bauhaus

10 Things They Never Taught Me in Design School

There are many times where I've wondered just what sort of senior and soon-to-be-graduate advice I would give to incoming design freshman. They're entering the program with their own ideas of what design is and what the work is going to be like when they're done, but they're going to be in for a lot of surprises in the process — some they won't even see coming. Heck, I'm still being surprised to this day about how things are carried out in the industry compared to what we have been learning and practicing over and over again in design school. While I disagree with some of the points he brought up, Michael McDonough's Top Ten Things They Never Taught Me in Design School brings up a few valid points.

1. Talent is one-third of the success equation.

I completely agree with this statement. As young designers, we see a lot of talented people in the industry. However, the ones who have made it far haven't relied entirely on just that one aspect. They educate themselves in other areas. A designer that can spin design gold from straw is nothing without knowledge of the business as well as knowledge of how to market themselves.

2. 95% of any creative profession is crap work

This one I have to disagree with. We are going in to this field with the knowledge that, yes, we will have to do some boring things. Paperwork, taxes, you name it. It's part of the job. However, saying that a whopping 95% is crap work is a bit too much.

3. If everything is equally important, then nothing is very important.

This statement rings true. It's understood that all of your work will be important, but it is necessary to prioritize. There's going to come a day when we're bogged down with multiple projects, and we will have to manage it appropriately.

4. Don't over-think a problem.

Over-thinking is a problem in and of itself. Get too bogged down and you can't think of good ideas. Don't think enough and you won't think of good ideas. It's important to find a balance, although this won't always happen.

5. Start with what you know; then remove the unknowns.

I agree with this. Get down what you know, then learn what you do not. However, don't focus entirely on what you know and save what you don't know for the very end. Design is a learning process as much as it is an industry.

6. Don't forget your goal

That "don't" should be changed to a "never". The goal of a project is key. Thinking up new ones along the way clouds the main goal.

7. When you throw your weight around, you usually fall off balance.

Karma is a cruel mistress. A designer that's overconfident is due to be knocked down a few pegs. This is an industry that thrives on confidence; confidence is absolutely necessary. However, having too much of it won't reflect well.

8. The road to hell is paved with good intentions

To essentially sum this point up, design is hard work and even the best ideas can suffer the sting of rejection.

9. It all comes down to output.

Get your work out there. It doesn't matter how good you are, if you can't market it then other people won't know.

10. The rest of the world counts.

Don't forget your connections. Connections are key. Designers need to know people in order to get business. If they chose to remain in their own little world, they're destined to stay there, and that's not what design is about.

#grde #graphic design #grde414

Type Radio | Paula Scher

This conversation with Paula Scher, first off was hard to understand, not because she could barely speak, English like some of the designers featured, but because the interview took place in a restaurant. All the clanging dishes, footsteps, and talking in the background seemed to overpower her voice. There were some things that I did take from this interview. She talked about how she enjoys being collaborative with others. I think that being collaborative in designing things is very important because it offers a different perspective on a project. Just a simple discussion can spark a direction that could not of been discovered by yourself, or what you think makes sense, doesn't make any sense at all. Paula goes onto discuss how politics, brand, and image all relate. Not just as a branding of President, but how the President can brand the United States of America. Everything that goes into a brand, color, symbols, and name can be related to the United States. I agree with her that it is important for the United States to have and uphold a highly regarded brand and image considering the power we poses as a country. President Obama is the first president that I can recognize to have a strong brand since JFK. Everything that happened in his campaign was well thought and designed. He was able to market himself as a leader better, and that is what an election really is, right? Paula seems to also have a very strong personality, which to me is very respectable. But to say that the American people are fed up and embarrassed; agreeing that it is an embarrassment to be a United States citizen outside of the country, is a very bold statement to make. Now, I realize that this interview had taken place at the end of the infamous Bush era, but I would really like to hear what she thinks of the so called debacle over seas now. All the "American people" she spoke for didn't seem too upset to me on the evening of May 1st, 2011. Maybe this whole "War on Terror" did more harm than good, but what are we supposed to do after getting attacked on September 11th, nothing? She also said after the events of 9/11 happened, and the buildings went down, we all want peace. Again, really? Thousands dead and we all want...peace. I know that I am just an average student that may not know everything there is to know about politics, but I do know one thing. If you are embarrassed to be an American then don't be one, move and become a citizen elsewhere. I know that was quite blunt, but having multiple friends and family members serving in the armed forces puts the whole situation in a different perspective for me. All in all, there was a ton of content in this episode of Typeradio and I did learn a lot about design and Paula Scher. She has done a lot with design and is famous for what she has done, but in her opinion her best is yet to come. She also want to be remembered by what is still to come.

#GRDE414 #graphic desgin

Touring Chicago's Gems

On the first day on the AIGA student group visit to Chicago, we visited various design firms throughout the city. The particular firm that me and my group visited was the McGuffin Creative Group. Upon entering this firm I was very pleasantly surprised! Where I was expecting a more professional, corporate atmosphere I, instead, found a very fun, laid back, personal and comfortable atmosphere. We met our contact and McGuffin employee, Brendan in the hall and he took us right into the conference room to being our day of exploration. We began to discuss the history of the McGuffin group and the story of how Brendan's interview landed him this job. What I learned from Brendan's story is that your character and personality is much more important and much more likely to be the reason I got hired long before my portfolio will. I could have the most amazing portfolio an employer has ever seen, but if I cannot get along with his employees then I'm simply not the right fit for that design firm.

This knowledge helps me to loosen up when preparing to and approaching a person to talk. If I were to act not like myself during an interview I am only wasting my possible employers time as well as my own time. It is good practice to interview with employers however it is a waste if I'm going to bottle and hide my nature.

#GRDE414

Type Radio | Klaus Voormann

Klaus Voormann discussed his work with the one and only Beatles for this episode of Type Radio. Klaus is a musician, producer, and designer. Klaus met the Beatles at a club in Germany, and it was the first rock and roll band that he had ever heard. He met them because he was the only one there that could translate German to English. The Beatles then invited him to listen to their new record, Revolver, and asked him to do the cover artwork. He stated that the tracks were so new and Avant Garde that he knew it would be a big challenge to represent the music. He went through many sketches and different directions, and the only feedback he got was they like it and keep going. It was Kaus's job on his own to build the bridge between the pop listeners and the new Beatles sound. They were not the typical client, they gave him all the freedom in the world. He mentioned that this was his most important and favorite work because the effort and the harmony it communicates. In example, the cover really helped communicate what the record sounded like, the sound matched the image. I am not sure if I would want a client that says just give us something. Yes it would be easy to find a solution, but the path to the solution would be more difficult to find and refine. If the client says exactly what they want, and you execute it, they should be happy. In my opinion that would be easy, but also not very exciting. I guess what I am trying to say is that no client will ever be the same. You may get the ones that know and the ones that don't care. It is all apart of the journey.

#graphic desgin #GRDE414

SEEKing Design

It was mentioned at the Seek conference the other weekend during the final Q and A session that time spent making a design perfect at the start is time wasted. I feel this correlates well with a previous phrase that read don't analyse while you design. These two bits of knowledge fit well together and they both illustrate issues that I have had during my design process.

I often find that while I design I'm often analyzing my creation. This is by far, too counter productive, the two hemispheres of my brain are competing for the leading seat of focus at the same time leaving my head busy and angry. It has become a necessity for me to calm by mind and allow the thoughts to flow out into a creation. It is then, only once the design is out of my mind, that I should begin to analyse the design. However, it is proving to be a hard task to teach my mind to not critique while I design. Being that I'm skilled with the ability to create as well as deal with mathematical and analytically problems easily, I often find it difficult to allow more president with one direction of thought over another.

Now that I am becoming more aware of this problem I'm having with my design process, I can begin to pick it apart bit by bit until I have solved the issue and improved my ability to concentrate and design. Awareness is the first step to solving a problem.

#GRDE414

Thoughts From the Windy City

After a long and exciting design weekend in Chicago, there are many thoughts to reflect upon. For my studio visit on Friday, I was assigned to One Design. They were a small team of young designers. They handle any and everything that you can think of that involves the web. From small boutiques, high-end payment systems, and large corporation websites. The guy that gave us the tour was the co-owner and head designer of the group. He seemed very young and described himself as three-time colleges drop out entrepreneur. He let us know some very valuable information, which was very surprising. He told us how much they charge, their processes or how they work, and how many clients they have. He was very laid back about his company and was proud of what he had accomplished. He also had created what he called a Coop. This was a collaborative workspace that can be rented out by all walks of life. This space is used to collaborate with other designers and artists. He mentioned that they often bounce ideas off of the renters of the space to really push the design to the max. On Saturday, we attended the AIGA Seek Conference. There were many keynote speakers presenting including; Debbie Millman, Danny Yount, and Sean Adams. All of these designers have accomplished careers that we all as students should strive for. There are many things that I took away from this day, but the biggest thing I took away came from Sean Adams. He stressed, “Don’t do any free work.” We as designers have rare talents that 99.9% of people don’t possess. People will always try to push you over and get stuff done for free, especially when you are young, but you have to learn to be strong and stand up for your work. Finally on Sunday we walked on a two-hour architecture tour of Chicago. Our guide seemed to know everything about Chicago, from designers, influences, city ordinance, and the different phases architecture went through. He pointed out minute details in buildings that were unnoticeable to the naked eye, but made a huge difference in the design of a building. After our tour we spent about an hour and a half at the Art Institute, which was nowhere near enough time. It was nice to see a sampling of what we learned about in Dr. Walker’s class though. All in all it was a jam packed weekend of fun.

#Gr #GRDE414

Skype with Marc English

I really don't know where to begin talking about our conversation with Marc English over Skype. I don't know if it is the fact that he was drinking Gin and Tonic, outside in a Texas ranch hammock, or a combination of every little thing he did. For example, there was a comment about how he cut off a pig's head on the side of the road because he likes the skull and tusks and wanted to keep them. To say the least I was pleasantly surprised by all of his actions. He didn't fit any of the stereotypes that I had accidentally put him into. I half expected him to be talking to us inside a big city design studio, considering how well known he is in the design profession. But that is all part of Marc's brand, which is one of the things I need to start developing, my own brand. Everything Marc did must have been planned and sculpted to fit his brand. From the beard, hat, drink, hammock, scenery, everything he did was his own brand. I think that I have my own brand as of now, but I just need to be able to represent in a business system. This may be the most difficult task that has yet to be done. Your business system has to speak for you in a time that you aren't there to explain what everything means. Subtle things can say a thousand words, and it is of the utmost importance to get it right and represent yourself in the way you intended.

#GRDE414