Jeff Hamada is a self-described small Japanese artist working out of Vancouver, BC. He was recently selected as one of 100 artists to collaborate with Converse and Product(RED) to celebrate Converse’s 100th year anniversary.

He currently freelances as a graphic designer, and runs the hugely popular art / design site Booooooom.com. I asked Jeff a few questions about his design work, both personal and professional. How does one guy manage a hugely populate design site yet also complete very high-profile and beautiful design projects. Maybe this answers the question —

“Even if I don’t know how to do something I’ll tell people that I’m the person to get the job done because I’m just willing to spend all night learning how to do it.” — Jeff Hamada Read the rest of this entry »

They have been doing it since 2001, and Coroflot’s Design Salary Surveys continue to illustrate why design is actually a pretty practical career choice, regardless of what Mom and Dad said. Despite our recession — or the euphemistic “super recession” I’ve read it labeled as of late (That’s just a Depression, no?) — design salaries are growing, as are job opportunities. By the way, I want to know who the Interaction Designer is that is making a cool $Million. Check all of the design salary surveys here.

Allow me to be the last to tell you that these videos produced by Cool Hunting are addictive and short jolts of creative inspiration that will keep you coming back. I subscribe through iTunes so they are fed to my iPhone and when the need arises, the next thing you know I’m watching a new interview with Alberto Allessi or this feature on Philip Johnson’s Glass House. All the videos are listed here.

I have trouble keeping a secret.

But I delight in finding them. An author’s inside joke, a superfluous self portrait, well-designed error pages, virtual Easter eggs, are all fun secrets to uncover in design.

One of my design heroes, Ootje Oxenaar, added bonus elements in his designs for Dutch money. He says: “On the 1000 guilder note, it became a ’sport’ for me to put things in the notes that nobody wanted there!” His beloved rabbit, fingerprints, notes from his travels, are all hidden like secrets within the bank notes.

As a student, we shared an unpublished Read the rest of this entry »

Design-related legal, copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights confusion? NoD guest author and legal expert Jean S. Perwin is taking questions. If you have questions for Jean, email them to us using editor (at) notesondesign.net. Jean will reply to questions frequently here under the “Intellectual Property” category of NoD.

NoD reader Shannon says:

I have a friend that was contacted by another party who has trademarked the same production company name my friend uses. Unfortunately, my friend never trademarked the name but does hold the longer dba (since 2001; opposing party since 2006). The email indicated that my friend may have to discontinue using the name. My friend’s company is for Graphic Design; the other company has a trademark for video and film production only.
My questions are as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

Design-related legal, copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights confusion? NoD guest author and legal expert Jean S. Perwin is taking questions. If you have questions for Jean, email them to us using editor (at) notesondesign.net. Jean will reply to questions frequently here under the “Intellectual Property” category of NoD.

NoD reader Rochelle says:

Hi Jean,

I’ve been asked to write for a character in a series of comic books. Should the publisher and I do a licensing agreement or writer-for-hire? When I decide to spin-off from that character to the character of my own creation what type of agreement should I obtain under those conditions?
-Rochelle

Hi Rochelle:

I would be very surprised if the Publisher did not give you a work for hire agreement to sign. If you are considering spin offs they have to be specifically exempted from your work for hire agreement otherwise you will not have the rights to do anything related to the original character. All rights will belong to the Publisher. Do not sign anything until you have an attorney review it for you.

- Jean

Design-related legal, copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights confusion? NoD guest author and legal expert Jean S. Perwin is taking questions. If you have questions for Jean, email them to us using editor (at) notesondesign.net. Jean will reply to questions frequently here under the “Intellectual Property” category of NoD.

NoD reader Stephen says:

Hi Jean -
Thanks for keeping up to date such a great resource.

My question relates to work I did for a client in late ‘05-’07. During this time I performed a number of strategic and creative (i.e. product naming and initial logo mocks which were communicated to client via email). Since, the relationship has gone sour.

The former client filed federal trademark registration a week after our name suggestion and it is currently published for opposition for the past year (another brand is opposing). The product has just launched.

My question is, Read the rest of this entry »

We interviewed Mike Pandolfo at Elias Arts in SOHO, New York where he is Creative Director, Composer, General Manager. Mike is also an instructor at Sessions Online Schools of Art and Design where he teaches Music Production Using Logic. Watch Mike talk about how he broke into a career in music production.

Mike Pandolfo: Music Production Using Logic from Sessions Online.

Design-related legal, copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights confusion? NoD guest author and legal expert Jean S. Perwin is taking questions. If you have questions for Jean, email them to us using editor (at) notesondesign.net. Jean will reply to questions frequently here under the “Intellectual Property” category of NoD.

NoD reader Cath asked:

We purchased an original piece of art from our neighbor. Last Sunday she asked to borrow it back to make prints. My spouse and I orally said ok, and the neighbor took the piece from our home. Due to other issues with this neighbor my spouse and I have decided against letting this neighbor use our piece of art. I have called her home and her cell and informed her that we have revoked our permission, and request immediate return of our art. I understand she owns the copyright to this piece, I do not have intent to copy or redistribute it. Do I have to let her copy it for prints after we have purchased it from her? Thank you in advance for your response.
Be well. Cath

Hello Cath:

As you pointed out, even though you own the artwork itself, your neighbor owns the copyright to the work and has the right to make prints from it. You can’t revoke permission that you do not have the right to give. Your mistake was relinquishing possession. (It is 9/10th of the law, after all.) My advice would be to give her a deadline after which she has to return the painting or the money that you paid for it.

- Jean

Spark — an Organization Offering a Support System for Independent Designers

In the spring of 2003, a handful of independent graphic designers got together for drinks to discuss our businesses. All of us had one thing in common; we were either working completely alone or aided by a small number of support staff, creating design solutions for clients. Not only did we crave the professional insight from other designers, but we also faced the new challenges of running a business. The responsibilities of an entrepreneur were far greater than the tools and skills we had previously learned as designers.

Six years later, the specific, yet important, needs of small design firms we defined in those first meetings led to the establishment and growth of a niche organization, Spark. Read the rest of this entry »