The Greatest American Designer Who Ever Lived —What We Can Learn From A Master

Frank Lloyd Wright is widely acknowledged as America’s greatest architect. I would like to totally disagree with this statement. I would put forward that Wright was actually America’s greatest designer.

Design was everything to Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Lloyd Wright designed everything. Architecture, graphic arts, photography, sculpture, industrial design, clothing, cars—in his over 70 year career, he developed an idea or design for almost anything one could think of. Most of the emphasis is placed on his architecture, which of course was groundbreaking—yet his designs for everything else also helped to contribute to his overall importance and influence as a designer. It’s the combination of his architectural achievements, his development of a philosophy of “organic” design, his long and prolific career and his direct influence on the origins of the Modernism movement that make him the candidate for the title of “America’s Greatest Designer.” (more…)

Any design student that has ever taken a class on Print Production has most likely tackled projects that requires a creative solution for a very tight budget. What’s amazing is how quickly we forget those lessons once we start working for a company with vast resources or for clients who have very deep pockets. I’ve been guilty on many occasions for being so forgetful. We all need to be reminded every once and awhile that there are creative ways to produce fantastic designs with just one type of paper and only one ink color. The true test of any designer’s ability is when they have very little to work with and can still create something visually stunning.

Here are some thoughts to ponder that may help you think of ways to produce good design on a budget:

1. Know your materials and outputting options. For example, if you’re going to use a color copier to output a brochure on the cheap–make sure you test the design on the printer and check to see that the colors look good on the stock you’ve chosen. Do not just go by what you see on your gorgeous computer display.

2. Photography doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. (more…)

Have you ever had one of those projects? One that starts out simple and easy, but quickly turns into a nightmare of numerous client changes? Could this have been avoided? The typical excuse in situations like this is to blame difficult clients, but could we the designers actually be the ones at fault?

In woodworking, the mantra is ³Think Twice, Cut Once,² so that an unnecessary waste of materials can be avoided. Designers should adopt a similar motto and think about the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of any project. By answering these important questions first, we ensure that time and energy will not be wasted on needless rounds of changes.

It’s too easy for us to get caught up in the act of design without first putting together a strategy. Before the design stage occurs, we can sharpen our focus by answering key questions. Here are some examples that will help us create a solid plan: (more…)

Designers love to show off. We’re creative, we seek heaps of attention and we absolutely crave the limelight. So, it seems only natural that when trying to win a job, a designer would want to show off their creativity by presenting as many design solutions as possible. 10 concepts, 20 concepts, heck–I’ve been at creative pitches where we’ve shown over 60 concepts! With all of those creative options, you’d think the client would be so impressed that the job would be in the bag, right? Truth is we fell victim to the same trap that many designers fall into. We lost that job because we ignored “The Rule of 3.”

What’s “The Rule of 3” you ask? It’s the rule that says you should never present more than 3 creative concepts to a client. Ever. Now I know what you’re thinking: “What if they are expecting more? What if my three concepts aren’t good enough? What if I have other really good ideas?” These are all valid questions, but they are ultimately traps. Clients hire designers to get their best creative solutions for the job at hand. They expect you to show your best, not a parade of so-so designs followed by a few really good ones. Odds are if you’re showing 10 concepts in a pitch, 7-9 of them are mediocre at best—and you know it. So why waste your time and the clients as well—or worse, (more…)

The great American architect and designer Frank Lloyd Wright, founded a school of architecture in the 1930’s that featured a holistic approach toward design education. The mantra was and still is “Learn by Doing”. Wright believed that an architect couldn’t truly design a structure unless they understood the steps needed to actually build it. That seems to be a reasonably logical assertion. He also felt that a broad understanding of the various allied arts helped create a well-rounded designer—also a logical philosophy. These ideas are appropriate to all design disciplines, whether it be architecture, print, web, product, interior or fashion. Let’s examine one particular area as an example, print design.

As a design student, I was thrilled with every opportunity to tackle a project. I’d let the creativity flow and attempt to create designs that pushed the boundaries. However, something that always kept me grounded were the experiences I had in my dad’s print shop typesetting on an old Macintosh IIsi. The function of what each customer needed always informed what was being designed. It wasn’t glamorous, but I learned that there is a practical side to design that needs to be considered. What can actually be printed, trimmed and bound? What inks can be used and what stocks are available? What is the customer’s budget? (more…)