Steven Heller’s latest tome, Iron Fists: Branding the 20th-century Totalitarian State, is an intense read. As an object, the book is an impressive chunk wrapped in black striped plastic, with the vibrant colors of propaganda peeking through the stripes from the inside cover. Yet the book structure and narrative are highly accessible.

Part coffee table artifact / part required design history reading, the book is a must for anyone interested in branding. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve probably already heard the news that Adobe announced Creative Suite 4 tv.adobe.com on September 23rd, the latest versions of its ubiquitous design apps. As usual, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding this announcement, as every Adobe release brings cool new features, better cross-product integration, and (hopefully) speed improvements that make for an easy transition to your usual work flow.

There wasn’t much chance that Adobe could beat the buzz surrounding last year’s CS3 announcement, since that was the first version of the suite to include applications purchased from Macromedia, like Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Flash. And, realistically, CS4 isn’t the type of update every designer and her mom will run out and buy right away, but for you antsy early adopters, let’s have a look at some of the features that will get you ready to hit the preorder button…
Read the rest of this entry »

Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring Boring, the new novel come graphic design experiment by Zach Plague (aka: Zach Dodson) is equal parts both. It is what you get when a writer, who becomes a graphic designer, is also his own publisher. As with any auteur, his total control means one thing, he can break all the rules. Because no one is there to stop him. So this is what he does. Read the rest of this entry »

Inspired by fellow contributor Chris Costello’s post Paying Your Dues

My career also started humbly and I still think about those experiences every time I interview a young designer. I went to Phoenix for interviews near the end of my senior year. I had researched the top firms I hoped to meet and had sent them all hand-made promo pieces, well-written letters and a great resumé. To my surprise, I got interviews at all but two of my top 15 choices. Not too bad for a guy who didn’t go to a school exactly known for design – nope, not bad at all…or so I thought. 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.

Hi Jean,

For the past six years I’ve developed the print design department of a small company. There was just me and the computer doing the creative and production work, and the boss facilitating with infrastructure and a wage. I got tired of the office politics, left that company and started my own. Many customers have come with me. My question is, who owns the customer files? If the old company wants to sell them, is that legal, and what are they worth? This is a small community and a lot of goodwill is at stake here. But I don’t want to sacrifice more than I have to.
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Sue

Read the rest of this entry »

Note: This is part 2 in an 8 part series by design instructor and NoD author Dave Holston. To view Dave’s previous entries please click here.

Good news for right brainers

Whereas the craft of design; creating logos, layouts and Web designs, is becoming as much a property of amateurs as it is professionals, designers need to find new areas of unique value that they can provide their clients. By addressing the areas of complexity, co-creation, context and accountability, designers position themselves to better meet the needs of their clients and the demands of a changing economy.

In 2000 Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan stated that technical know-how would be superseded by “the ability to create, analyze, and transform information and to interact effectively with others.” This idea was echoed in Daniel Pink’s book A Whole New Mind, in which Pink projects that the future economy will be driven by six key “senses” – design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning. For designers with a collaborative spirit and the ability to conduct and synthesize research, this is good news. Read the rest of this entry »

Note: This is part 1 in an 8 part series by design instructor and NoD author Dave Holston. To view Dave’s previous entries please click here.

Design is a commodity

A few years back I attended a design management seminar in San Francisco. The seminar was held on a refurbished ferry-boat docked at Pier 3 and featured a notable design speaker. The view of the bay was fantastic, and the information presented at the session was compelling. But as I look back, the most remarkable thing about that seminar was lunch.

I had the good fortune to be seated at the same table as the speaker. Others at the table included business owners and designers from a wide variety of areas, all looking to harness the power of design. Our conversation ran the gamut from design leadership, research, ethnography and our own personal design war stories. I tried to think of an insightful question to ask the speaker, but the best I could come up with was, “So, do you have any designers on your staff?” Jeez, could I have asked a more banal question? But his answer left me speechless. “No.” he responded off-handedly, “Design is a commodity.” Read the rest of this entry »

Creative achievements seldom happen in isolation. A big part of making ideas happen is controlling how you come across to others. Of course, the Creative’s tendency is to say, “who gives a crap what other people think.” While there is merit in never compromising oneself for the sake of another’s opinion, creative professionals need to make an effort to be understood. You need to present yourself effectively to engage others and get the support (and the business) you need to push ideas forward.

Do you feel that your strengths come across in your everyday interactions? Every meeting, phone call, email, and resume or portfolio sends a message of who you are and what you are about. Everything communicates something about you. Remember that the strongest brand is your own. Read the rest of this entry »

You are a strong graphic designer? Then find several strong web designers, make them aware of you, and suggest a reciprocal relationship that would help both of you meet clients’ broader needs. Also, consider approaching hosting providers in an effort to be on their short list of referrals for work.

Contact all friends and associates with design skills complementary to your own and set up an informal reciprocal agreement.

–

From the NoD Sponsor:

Sessions Online Schools of Art and Design is an accredited online graphic and web design school offering design career preparation including Web Design Certificates, Graphic Design Certificates, Multimedia Arts Certificates.

Have you created a fabulous trade show exhibition design lately? If so, you should let the world see it! Exhibition Magazine’s 23rd Annual Exhibit Design Awards is accepting entries.

Designs that were launched between Dec. 1, 2006, and Dec. 1, 2008, can be entered in several categories, which include categories: Green Exhibits (designs that reduce the negative impact on the environment, as realized through sustainability, eco-friendly or recycled materials, and/or a reduction of energy consumption.) Elements and Details (Innovative elements or materials that are part of a larger exhibit. Look here for examples) and Small Budgets and Small Spaces (Custom exhibits measuring 10-by-10 or 10-by-20 feet with a budget of $15,000 or less.)

The 2009 competition will offer one EDGE Award (for Exhibit Design and Graphic Excellence) and multiple Gold, Silver, and Special Merit Awards. Winners will be featured in the May issue of EXHIBITOR magazine, read by 30,000 marketing professionals in the trade show, corporate event, and meetings industries. To apply and find out more go the magazine’s web site.