Ever received this email?
"The design is almost there but we'd like to move the [???] to the left and make the [???] bolder."
How would you respond? Here's what I say:
"Okay, with that in mind, I will redesign it.
"As you know, good work results from a near obsession with detail and nuance--so "move this here" or "change the color to that," simply doesn't work. My responsibility is to produce something that you love and if I haven't done that I need to take another run at it. (If not, it's kinda like being hired as a chauffeur and having the client grab the wheel because she doesn't like the way you're driving.)
"Please understand, it's not a dig at someone else's design skills or aesthetic, it's simply a realization that I can't make subtle changes to a design through someone else's eyes.
"So let's be certain I understand what doesn't work for you..." (And that is followed by a list of what the client objects to.)
Do you have a different way of handling client design instructions. I'm sure there are other constructive ways of dealing with this situaction.
Regards,
Chuck
Have you seen my InDesign Ideabook?
315 template files in 19 different categories -- Everything from brochures, newsletters, and direct mail to packaging, calendars, and books (one CD works with both Mac and PC). Use two or three files and you'll pay for the entire book and disc...
For Adobe InDesign
For QuarkXPress
In appreciation of handwriting
To me, good handwriting represents a level of personal investment and a subject interest that is above and beyond the normal. And because we see it less often than in years past, I think its use is that much more impactful.
Brian Willson is a type designer that specializes in creating, reviving, and refining handwriting typefaces. His work is studied and meticulous. He is also the author of "The Antique Penman," an occasional blog that offers a wide view of the subject.
A letter from 1837, written by Emily Margaret Austin Perry...
The post from The Antique Penman regarding the letter is titled Sharpening the Penknife: A Letter from 1837...
About OldFonts.com, Three Islands Press, and Brian Willson...
What does it take to make a handwriting typeface look like handwriting? In the case of Douglass Pen, more than 800 glyphs (17KB PDF)...
Here is the OldFonts.com Type Tester...
Print is not only still alive, it's feeling a damn sight better
I sound like a broken record about this but print is NOT dead. Here, in the form of a fresh white paper from HubCast (a global, commercial print services provider network), are some compelling reasons.
What percentage of your work is print?
10 Reasons Why Print Isn't Dead (1.6MB PDF)...
The HubCast website...
My new motto is, "Learn the difference between mottos, slogans, taglines, catchphrases, vision statements, and so on..."
The words you choose to define a brand and how you go about presenting those ideas is a subject of great contention. So contentious that I doubt many of us will even agree on the definitions of the elements involved no less the best recipes for concocting them.
I was reading about the subject last week and it got me curious about the many terms used to describe words that define. I've listed those I know followed by definitions from various sources in the hope that, in creating a list, that I would better understand the meaning of each.
Here's my list. (Have any others? Want to refine a definition? )
Advertising slogan
A short, memorable phrase that draws attention to the distinctive nature of the product, service, or idea to which it is attached.
Source: Derived from The Free Dictionary and Wikipedia
"Some slogans are created just for specific limited-time campaigns; others are intended as a corporate slogan, to be used for extended periods."
Catchphrase
A phrase that, because of its repeated use, becomes popular within a particular culture.
Defining Phrase
A phrase of five to fifteen words that defines nature of a product, service, or idea and the benefit of it's use to the consumer.
That's my definition.
Headline
Abbreviated text that introduces, categorizes, or otherwise defines and/or distinguishes an article or advertisement.
Source: Derived from The Free Dictionary, Wikipedia
Mission statement
"An official statement of the aims and objectives of a business or other organization" The Free Dictionary
A mission statement is a statement which is used as a way of communicating the purpose of the organization. Although most of the time it will remain the same for a long period of time, it is not uncommon for organizations to update their mission statement and generally happens when an organization evolves. Mission statements are normally short and simple statements which outline what the organization's purpose is and are related to the specific sector an organization operates in.
Properly crafted mission statements serve as filters to separate what is important from what is not, clearly state which markets will be served and how, and communicate a sense of intended direction to the entire organization. A mission is different from a vision in that the former is the cause and the latter is the effect; a mission is something to be accomplished whereas a vision is something to be pursued for that accomplishment. Also called company mission, corporate mission, or corporate purpose.
The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making. It provides "the framework or context within which the company's strategies are formulated." It is like a goal for what the company wants to do for the world."
Source: Wikipedia contributors. "Mission statement." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 Nov. 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
Motto
"A maxim adopted as an expression of one's guiding principle." The Free Dictionary
"A brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal." The Free Dictionary
"A principle of behaviour etc." The Free Dictionary
"A motto (derived from the Latin muttum, 'mutter', by way of Italian motto, 'word', 'sentence') is a maxim, a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group or organization. Mottos are usually not expressed verbally, unlike slogans, but are expressed in writing and usually stem from long traditions of social foundations, or also from significant events, such as a civil war or a revolution."
Source: Wikipedia contributors. "Motto." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 Oct. 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
Tagline
A phrase used to extend, define, or otherwise modify the organization, product, service, or idea name to which it is attached.
Vision statement
"A fairly detailed statement of what a company wishes to accomplish in the course of its operations. A vision statement may be placed in a business plan, on a website or nearly anywhere else. While brief, it explains the company's goals and how it intends to accomplish them to potential investors and other interested parties. It is more detailed than a mission statement." The Free Dictionary
"A vision statement is a declaration of an organization's objectives, ideally based on economic foresight, intended to guide its internal decision-making.[1]
A vision statement is a company's road map, indicating both what the company wants to become and guiding transformational initiatives by setting a defined direction for the company's growth."
Wikipedia contributors. "Vision statement." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Aug. 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
Do you have a term and definition to add to my list?
My own take: Create a Defining Phrase (81KB PDF)...
Some of my favorite graphic designs hang in movie theaters
With the holidays in mind, let me point you to MoviePoster.com, a wonderful source of movie poster originals and reproductions.
Example 1: 1927-Metropolis...
Example 2: 1961-West Side Story..
Example 3: 1977-Star Wars...
Example 4: 1987-Manhattan...
Example 5: 1958-Attack of the 50 Foot Woman...
The MoviePoster.com website...
Collector information...
An article about collecting posters...
Another excellent source of posters and other ephemera is Miscellaneous Man...
Remember the Dover royalty-free clip art books?
They were filled with interesting, eclectic illustrations (some better than others), made to be used in the processes of print and web design. Good news: they're still around.
A couple of years ago, Dover launched DoverPictura.com: An online store that lets you search the Dover archive of images, find what you need, and purchase them by the page or in collections.
Example 1: Advertising Cuts of the 20s and 30s (note that previews are shown in low resolution)...
Example 2: Full-Color Art Nouveau Floral Designs...
Example 3: 1100 Pictorial Symbols...
Dover Pictura categories...
How would you use them? Here's an example...
Dover books and discs are also available through the Dover Publications store...
What typeface should I use for my résumé?
That's as loaded a question as loaded questions get. When someone asked me that recently it got me thinking about résumés and the industry that has grown up around them.
The web is rife with so-called authoritative articles about every aspect of résumé writing and design. But, to me, it's like most other types of marketing and design-complex. Honesty, there are very few easy answers when it comes to marketing and graphic design.
How you would design a particular resume would be dependent on factors as divergent as the applicant, the time it is submitted, the places involved, the area of interest, the job level, and so on. And that doesn't even touch on the all-important aspect that, to be noticed, you sometimes need to swim against the tide.
Have you ever designed a résumé for a client?
By Dan Schawbel: You're Better Off Writing A Book And A Case Study Over A Resume...
By Andy Preisler, 15 Mistakes People Good At Resume Writing Never Make...
By Matthew Butterick: Butterick's Practical Typography...
If you're just looking for inspiration, Pinterest is a good place to start: ...
That said, laying out a page of type is tricky. Asked what he does all day, Milton Glaser, a design icon said, "I move things around until they look right". This post demonstrates my meaning.
The readable page...
