Concept: Design: Execute: Repeat

Design Practice: Design Job

After the third time reading Michael McDonough’s Top Ten Things They Never Taught Me in Design School I always remember why it is a regular reading assignment. A few of tips that stick out to me are:

4. Don’t over-think a problem.
I feel that we do that so much. Sometimes, just like taking a test, you have to go with your instinct. We are designers for a reason; we are strong conceptual thinkers, and it may be an early idea that inevitably solves the problem. I am not saying that we do not need to go through the process, but not working on your first idea just because it is your first idea is wrong. On many occasions it has been an early idea that becomes the solution through iteration and massaging.

6. Don’t forget your goal.
As students, we sometimes forget the main goal of the assignment, or we assign other goals that do not exist. It is so smart to stay focused on projects. In Application, we wrote down the goals of what each direction is supposed to say, matching those to the goals the project in whole it supposed to accomplish, and we referred to this list every meeting to see whether our progress has stayed focused, or become blurred. It was incredibly helpful to have a set standard that the group and creative director all acknowledged together.

9. It all comes down to output.
This is scary. When working through solutions, and developing them on the computer, a lot of crap can be placed into files. Things on the canvas that have no fill, a wrong typefaces in certain areas, or possibly a wrong pantone color in one miniscule spot. So much can go wrong when doing output, and I am glad that Ferris has pushed the value of production along with concept and design.

Design Thinking: Tangoes

Shapes. Simple Shapes. Triangles, squares and parallelograms: individually they stay true to their shape (they can be rotated and twisted, but are still recognizable), but combined, they can create unlimited amounts of unique solutions. I see tangoes as designers. Individually, they can produce a few options, but still recognizable. When combining shapes, or designers into a group, multiple options can be produced.

Working on MindShare this year has really brought me into perspective of how powerful groups can be in designing. And working with the Tangoes within a group format, we were able to apply our group knowledge base. We questioned each other on where pieces go, why does that piece have to be there, when we can combine these two pieces to create the same shape? It became a collaborative effort and there came possibilities beyond what I could have produced on my own.

Tangoes also brings up design principles like unity, proximity, the grid and interaction between elements. How the shapes interact and work together brings up how all elements of a design (typography, imagery and white space) need to become one piece, all complementing each other, and creating an understandable useable communication piece.

Design and Business: Grand Rapids

Going to school in Big Rapids does not offer a diverse cultural experience, heck, there isn’t even a graphic designer in town; because of this, we must take many field trips to witness designers at work, and other types of professionals, such as writers, printers and business owners. Thus, we went to GRAND Rapids and spoke with professionals in and around our field.

Ryan Van Dyke
Of the newest batch of graphic designers to come out of Ferris State University, Ryan was able to land his dream job at Carnevale ID in downtown Grand Rapids. Carnevale ID is a digital experience firm specializing in web and other interactive media. It was founded by Mike Carnevale who worked independently, subcontracting some aspects of a project, until Ryan Van Dyke became his first employee.

It was refreshing to see Ryan had landed such an amazing job. Ryan’s interest were always in interactive design; working with XHTML, CSS and actionscript, Ryan was able to take his web knowledge further than any of his classmates. We learned later that he never particularly liked the print side of design, which the program at Ferris is dominant in, but he was able to work on his own a lot to incorporate digital experiences into his projects where ever possible.

Ryan showed us some client work that he had been working on since joining Carnevale ID. His projects included a site revamp for Blue Quill Angler, a store in Colorado, a kiosk for National City Mortgage, and Grand Theft Auto 4 by Rockstar games which he was not allowed to talk about.

Dalin Clark
Besides talking to designers about design, it is also extremely valuable to talk to people like Dalin Clark, who is a writer-strategist and who works with designers all of the time. Writers are a vital tool in any communication project, and to be able to talk with them as a student, ask them questions about common practices between designers and writers and to get their input on how design affects their job is a resource that is truly valuable.

Dalin began by not having a formal presentation. She simply asked us to write down one question on a card she provided. While we were writing the questions she introduced herself, and talked a little about her profession. She then picked up all of the cards, sat in the front of the room, read the first question and immediately we were on our way. Her answers we so quick and smart and cunning it was hard to believe she was making up “examples” on the spot without having to think too hardly about it.

She expressed, and probably the most important part of our discussion with her, was to “find your niche”. This doesn’t mean to only specialize in one area, and it certainly doesn’t mean to be so broad and try to do everything, but to understand your strengths and weaknesses and to plan your working abilities around those.

Bill HR
Bill Holsinger Robinson is the COO of spout.com, an online community for film lovers.

Like talking to writers because they are another profession a designer will work it, its great talking to the people we will work for…companies and organizations. Bill expressed the importance of design throughout spout.com and how it has everything to do with their site. Without great design, their would be total chaos as over 100,000 members search a database of 350,000 movies. We are talking about millions of page opportunities which all must function as a whole.

Bill was a great guy to talk to. He was incredibly friendly and passionate. It was refreshing to see clients so enthusiastic about design, and that some of them truly value it. The presentation ended with a goodie bag with t-shirts and other brand ephemera.

People Design
So we talked to a junior designer, a writer-strategist and a COO of a company. Lets finish the day by talking to the Principles of People Design in Grand Rapids. People Design, formerly known as BBK Studios was the design firm which our professor was working before she left to teach at Ferris. We often heard stories about her professional like at BBK and it was nice to finally visualize what she was talking about.

We started by going through their brand new web site and talking about a few projects that they had done. We also talked about why they changed their name and how they are dealing with the transition. From then on it was merely ask and tell as we all stood around a table. Questions concerning techniques on portfolio making and interviewing to, to moving up the ranks in a design firm and the responsibility changes that go with it.

The company was very clean and professional, much like their work for clients like Jaguar, Izzy and spout.com (same one).

Design Practice: The Big Apple & Me

“The Big Apple” is an understatement. “The Huge Apple”, “The Biggest
Apple You Will Ever See”, or “OMG IDK How This Apple Got So Big” would be more suitable.

Even though it is so big, it was amazing to see how well everything worked. Or even if it wasn’t working, the New Yorkers made it seem like it was. The traffic was a mess, there were people everywhere and everyone was more determined to reach their destination than the next. But it was smooth. Police, Fire and Ambulances took forever to get through traffic, but nobody batted an eye. It was as if they didn’t notice.

Navigating the city made me realize the importance of structure and naming strategy. If New York was not designed with a grid, and roads twisted and turned and ran diagonally everywhere, it would have been impossible to tell where you were (especially getting off of the subway). Or if the city used names like Chestnut and Hemlock for streets, rather than 35th and 5th, nobody could possibly remember where to go, and especially people who have never been there, would be completely lost. And really, these are the same challenges and decisions we face when designing for the web. Structure, placement and naming strategy to allow for ease of navigation and recognition.

But the part of the city that most amazed me, and probably not surprising, was the vertical architecture. The Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Flat Iron Building… All of the landmarks that make New York so recognizable were right in front of me. There is just something about the size of the buildings and the detail considered in the tiniest parts that just blow my mind. How form and function work side by side to create asthetically pleasing super structures is amazing to say the least.

New York is amazing. To say the least.

Design Thinking: Visiting New York

Visiting design agency is an essential part of learning for a student designer because it exposes them to the “real world” of design studios, and compare the atmosphere of each studio. While in New York, I had the fortune to visit both Sterling Brands and Chermayeff and Geismar

Sterling Brands
Young, trendy and “you guys did all that?” The sheer magnitude of branding work Sterling Brands represents was above and beyond what I imagined. Walking with classmates after the presentation I jokingly said “So we are Sterling Brands, and we have branded almost everything in your house…” and I don’t think I was very far off. Pepsi, Celestial Seasonings, Hershey, Tropicana, etc. Those were just the ones they had time to talk about, and was only a sample from their huge client list.

Coming from a college of business, understanding marketing and management are important aspects of our curriculum, and Sterling Brands discussed those areas in their presentation quite indepth. They did not show us piles and piles of work they have done and had us gawk at how pretty they were. Instead they highlighted a few projects and took us deep into the company mentality, business and design thinking behind each one.

The workspace was also neat. A bunch of young designers, not that much older than me, working side by side, grooving to some music (some were even dancing) and just enjoying what they were doing, was cool, because it is not too much different from our class, and personally, I love to dance.

Chermayeff and Geismar
The complete opposite from Sterling. Quite, clean and white were my first impressions. The presence was incredibly inspiring. I knew just by being there, that I was in the same viscinity of some of the greatest designers, who have done some of the greatest designs in history.

Although they did not open up as much, and explain a lot of their strategy, they did talk about some elements of their logos, usability and concept. The meeting was not as structured as I would have liked, some pointless questions were asked and I don’t feel like I grew as much as a designer, but I was definately inspired and realize how much further my designs can go.

Design Thinking: Value

Deborah Adler, the principle designer and inspiration behind Target’s Clear Rx packaging system, took on the challenge as a two year Master’s Study at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

The pill vial had not been changed since the end of World War II with the exception of childproof caps in 1970. Adler’s assignment was to develop a product from “scratch”. Her grandparents were her inspiration after her grandmother had taken her grandfather’s pills by accident.

After research, Adler found many flaws in the previous product; not only with the vial itself, but also with the label. The vial was a cylinder, which allowed for no flat surfaces and forced labels to be wrapped around it, causing users to turn or rotate the bottle on its side to read the label. But reading the label was even harder. The biggest type was the pharmacy name, which in reality, is the least important when it comes to the use of medication. The information itself was said to be too complex, too wordy and too overwhelming.

After completing the project, going through patents for protection and graduation, Adler found a job at Milton Glaser, Inc. From here, Glaser mentored Adler and together they sold the idea to Target.

Adler was named the principle designer of the project along with a team at Target. Although some tweaks were made to the original shape, changing colored labels to colored rubber rings, and changing the clear bottle to Target’s “red” the overall concept behind the usability and aesthetics remain.

For more information regarding the Target Clear Rx packaging system, please visit the AIGA Design Archives.

Design Practice: Photography

Portraits: Mark Katzman
Mark’s clients include General Motors, Land’s End, Nike, Time and Miller Beer.

Environment: Stephen Wilkes
Stephen’s clients include Honda, International Paper, Sony and Pepsi.

Objects:Gerd Ludwig
Gerd’s clients include Acura Motorsports and National Geographic.

Working with photographers and illustrators is an essential part of being a designer. Photographers and illustrators can produce amazing imagery to be used in a designer’s work. But, it also has its nuances. The legal aspect of using somebody else’s work can be daunting, and without tight legal documents and understandings, many aspects of the working relationship can fall through. Having the rights to use the photo, and how many times the photo can be used are examples of issues that should be addressed in legal documentation. Using stock photography, from sites such as Getty Images or Shutter Stock can lead to unethical behaviors. From sites like these, anybody anywhere can buy the rights to a photo and use it. This can result in the same image being used in multiple campaigns which creates confusion between deciphering the representation. Also, if everyone is using the same picture, how creative is that? If six different hair salons use the same image of a stylist doing a woman’s hair in front of mirror, where is the uniqueness? Although it can be much cheaper to use stock photography; it must be used with care and consideration.

Design Practice: Specialties

Packaging: Deborah Adler, Milton Glaser, Inc.
Deborah Adler is best known for her revolutionary design of the ClearRx pill bottle design for Target. She has been with Milton Glaser, Inc. for 2 years.

Brand and Identity System Design: Pentagram
Started in London in 1974, Pentagram has grown to 5 offices worldwide and boasts designers like Michael Beirut and Paula Sher. Their clients include Saks Fifth Avenue, Citibank, Land’s End, Anne Klein, United Airlines and The New York Jets.

Music and CD’s: Tom Hingston Studios
Now a leader in UK music design, Tom Hingston has produced materials for Gnarles Barkley, Rolling Stones, Craig Armstrong and Dave Clarke.

Interactive and/or Experience Design: Firstborn
Firstborn was founded in 1997 and strives to produce award winning interactive pieces for high end clients. Their list includes Kohn Pederson Fox, Adobe, Apple and Victoria’s Secret.

Environmental: Erik Spiekermann
A type designer by trade, Spiekermann broke new ground when designing the signage for Dusseldorf International. His other clients include the Economist, UK City of Design and Architecture and Nokia.

Corporate Communication Design: Chermayeff & Geismar Inc.
Although now closed Chermayeff and Geismar boasted a client list including Mobile, IBM and Chase Manhattan. Their legacy lives on through C&G Partners LLC.

Advertising and Promotional Design: Michael Ginn
Steelcase, Kohinoor, Kenneth Cole and Gallery A4 are the clients of Michael McGinn’s new office which he opened in 2005 with Sharon Gresh.

Editorial Design: Richard Coyne
Back in 1959 Communication Arts was founded by Richard Coyne and Bob Blanchard. The magazine still runs today under the guidance of Richard’s wife and son.

Information Design: Joel Katz
Joel Katz Design Associates is based in Philadelphia and lists clients from Genji, National Park Service and Temple University.

Design Practice: Illustration

Seymour Chwast was a cofounder of Pushpin along with Milton Glaser and Edward Sorel in 1954. Chwast has a cunning, playful illustration style that dominates his work. He allows the imagery to tell the message, while his typography enhances it, rather than vice versa.

Juliette Borda
With clients such as The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Working Mother and Jump Magazine, Juliette Borda has established her modern technique, using unproportional characters and backgrounds, but uses literal imagery that relates to the subject of the article which her piece is commissioned for. Her site can be found here.

Melinda Beck
Line with Flat color best describes Melinda Beck’s illustration style. She possibly even uses cut paper, but it is hard to tell exactly from the work I have found. Her clients include Chronicle Books, Random House and Target.

Janet Woolley
Although she does not have her own personal site, she does have an online gallery of her work. To best describe her work, who be to say contemporary cubism. The use of patterns and composition creates a contrast that makes the view feel uneasy. Nevertheless her clients include, The Observer, Amazing Stories Magazine and Time Magazine.