TYPE JOURNAL

A design students collection of images and insights

Katherine GreenSpring 2012

Table of ContentsType Journal Reading Responses

Video Games 1

Cereals 2

Soap 3

Pizza 4

Paint 5

Bikes 6

Animations 7

Snacks 8

Rent Signs 9

Books 10

Bathroom Cleansers 11

Gas 12

Apartments 13

Kit Hinrich 14

Doyald Young 15

Helvetica 16

ArtistSerieswith

HillmanCurtis 17

Marian Bantjes 18

Margo Chase 19

Troika Group 20

IntroductionThis“TypeJournal”offersastudyofTypographyasitisdiscoveredin

theeverydayworldofacollegedesignstudent.Itdocumentstheevolving

perceptionofanindividualdeepeningherrelationshipwiththevisual

appearanceofwordsthroughresearch,typographicexplorationswithin

herownprojectsandtheenvironment.

ItremainsmysinceresthopethatImighthavelearnedsomething,and

thatthereaderofthistextmayalsobecomeawareofsomethingnewwithin

theeverchangingworldofTypography.

~Katherine Green

VIDEO

GAMES

Inmystudiesofgamelogosforrecentlyreleasedconsolegames,Irealizedhowformulatedthesedesignsare.Theyserveonlytoservethelargerpurposeofthegame,reflectingthesetting,characters,andcontentoftheirproductinthedecorationofthelettersaswellasthechosentypefaces.Lookatthered,green,yellow,andblueinthe“Mario”title:weseetheredofMario’sclothing,thegreengrassandblueskyofthestandardstages,andtheyellowofthepowerstars.“Uncharted3,”acinematicaction/adventuregame,isasruggedassomeofthetreasureyoufindwithinthegame.“Portal2”isassleekandsmoothasthegamesmanytestchambers.

Itisalsointerestingthenotethatallofthesegamesaresequelsinpopularseries;ifanumberispresent,it’sHUGE,biggerthantherestofthetitletoindicatethatyes,thisisindeedaNEWMario/Portal/Uncharted.

Thesedesignsarereallyextensionsoftheillustrationonthegame’scover.It’salsoimportanttonoticethateachtitleiswritteninALLCAPSineveryinstance.Ifthisisformulathatfeelsfamiliar,it’sbecausemovietitlessharemanyofthesamecharacteristics.Itseemsthatdesignersmighthaveturnedtomoviesforajumpingoffpointfordesigningthegamelogos,asvideogamesarearelativelynewcreationanddonotyethavealargebodyofdesignwork.

Found /13/12 in my personal collection

CEREALS Found 01/21/12 in personal kitchen

Althoughboldandornamentedineverycase,Ifoundthatthetypographyforcerealbrandsisdirectlydependentonthatparticularbrand’sdemographic.Cerealsforchildrenlike“CocaCrispies”use highly saturated complementary colors and excitable,bubblyfont. Butbreakfastforadultscomesinmoresophisticatedcolorsandtypefaces,suchasthefancy-yet-practicallookof“NaturalGranola”orthesimplisticbuteffective“SpecialK.”“Cheerios”and“WhetChex”arecerealsthataimforbothofthesedemographics,andthushavealooksomewherein-betweenthetwotypesofdesignswithbrightyellowandaplayfulbutnotoverthetoptypeface.

Another interesting trait in these logos is the“health”messagesforcedintothedesigns,suchasthe“simplynutritious”labelin“WheatChex.”Ourcountriesrecentobsessionwithhealthfoodshasclearlyfounditswayintothedesignsofalltypesoffood.

Inanycase,Iwishthesedesignswheremorecreativeabouthowtheyimplementtheideaof“breakfastfood”andtheshapesoftheirrespectivecerealsintothetypography.Manyofthemcouldbeusedforanytypeofgenericfoodproduct.

SOAPDesignsforSoaptitlesrangefrompracticaltoflowery,but,asyoumightexpect,alwaysaimtobeclean.“SoftSoap”isasimplehandsoap,andsoitsusesasimplesans-seriftypeface,butwithslightcurvestoaddatouchofelegance.“Skintimates”isasweetsmellingbodysoapforgirls,soitgoesoutofitswaytobeasextravagantaspossiblewiththosecurves!

Butwhatabout“LOREAL”,whichissquareandrigiddespiteadorningabodysoap?Heretheaimseemstobesophistication,asifthesoapwheresomethingveryexpensiveandexclusive.

“HerbalEssences”isveryplayful,while“CleanandClear”alsowalkstherouteofpracticality;itisofnotethatnoneofthesedesignsattemptany“3D”modelingwithshadowsorpainteddetails.

Theyarealsonotclutteredwithdescriptivephrasesorendorsements,asmanyproductsliketheseare.Theytrytostandoutmorewiththelookofthelettersratherthanwords;somethingmanyotherproductsIstudiedarenotbraveenoughtotry(suchasthecereals,orcleaningproducts).Perhapsitissoapsconnectionswithluxurythataffordthesetypesofdesigns.

Found 1/29/12 in my bathroom

PIZZAForafoodascasualasPizza,thedesignsoftheirrestaurantsignsneedtoworkwiththeconceptsofflavor,value,andfamily.Theseideasaremostclearlyexpressedintheroundedtypefaceof“Cicis”andthick,classic,fairlytackylookof“HungryHowies.”“Dominos”takesamoremodernroute,usingextradesignelementsaroundthetypelikethedominoandfakeroundedawningtocreateitsbrand.

“Leonardo’s”usesfauxsophisticationtomatchit’stitle,and“Gumbys”usesthelookofthegreen,flexiblemascotcharacterinsteadoftheproductforinspiration.

Forme,allofthemworkonsomelevelexceptfor“Gumbys.”Theuseofthecolorredseemstobeamustforpizzajoints,asitreflectsthemaincoloroftheproduct,andforGumbystolackanyredorevenyellow,itjustgetswashedoutamongtheotherstoresinitsstripmall.

Oh,andIspyatypecrime!BothDominosandHungryHowie’susedumbquotes.Andbothofthosecompaniesarefairlylarge...embrassing.

Found 12/04/12 around Gainesville

PIANTTalkaboutclutteredpackaging…withthesepaintbottlesyou’dthinkitwasacontesttoseehowmuchinformationonecancomfortablyfituntoanawkwardcurvingsurface.Allofthesedesignsseemtotryandbalancecircularandstraightelements,fittingthelogointoacircleorhalfcircleseemstobeatrend(allbut“Golden”dothis).Theoverthetopkitschylookof“Americana”andschool-teacherfriendlyappearanceof“AppleBarrel”allusedemographictargetingtoguidetheirdesigns,while“Golden,”amoreexpensivebrand,setsitselfapartwithminimaluseofcolorandnotahintofillustration.

Sans-serif,standardtypefacesareusedineveryinstanceforthedetailinformationtoaidreadability,andthebottlecreatehierarchywithtypefaceandsize.

Found 02/13/12 in my personal collection

BIKESThisservedasinterestingstudyonhowtomaketypographyworkonaveryrestrictivecanvas.Theslim,awkwardlyshapedbikebodiesdonotlendthemselveswelltowords,butthedesignersmakeitworksomehow.Thetitlesaresimplygivenastronghorizontalstretchandplayoffofthisorientationbyusinglinestogenerateasenseofspeedandpower.Formostofthedesigns,very“sporty”typefacesareused,suchasthesquare“Roadmaster,”“Trek”and“Raliegh.”“Schwinn”ismoremodernandfeminine,whilethedesignthatsetsitselfapartwithflowingscriptistheother“Trek”bike.

Iknowthatthisparticularbikeismuchmoreexpensivethantheothers,sothiseasilyexplainsthedifference.Sooftenaproductsprize,nothingmoreorless,seems to determinethequalitiesofit’sdesign.

Found 02/19/12 at my apartment

ANIMATIONS

Animationsalwayshavestrongpersonality,andsothesetitlesalltrytoreflecttheindividualspiritofthefilmtheyrepresent.

“Wall-E”usesasolid,squaretypefacethatreferencesthenameofit’sleadcharacterandthefactthefilmsleadsarerobots;theredcirclearoundthe“E”recallsthatstereotypicalredbuttonfoundonfuturisticmachines.“Megamind”usesatwistedfontandcolorschemetomatchthebigblueheadandevenbiggeregoofthetitlecharacter,aswellasusingatypefacethatreferencesthecomicbooksthefilmparodies.“HowtoTrainyourDragon”alsoplayswiththefontshape,makingtheword“DRAGON”(theimportantword,afterall)popout.

FindingNemousesalogographicelementwiththelittlefishandwave,creatingaratherdesign.“PrincessMononoke” is really the odd design outhere,asitclearlyhadlesstimeputintoit(theJapenseanimationwasreleasedbeforeanimehadreallybecomemainstream)andsimplyusestypicalseriftypefaceandslighttexturingtogetaruggedfantasyfeel.

Ithinkallofthesedesignsworkfairlywell,butPixaranimationstudioshasthemostpowerfuldesignsinmyopinion,favoringclevertypographicelementsoverthein-your-facerenderingoftheDreamworksdesigns.

Found 02/27/12 in my personal collection

SNACKSSaturatedcolorsanddetailedillustrationsdefinethesekidfriendlysnackpacks.Thetypefacesusedherearealladornedwithdetailanddepth,muchliketheCerealtitlesstudiedearlier.“TeddyGrahams”offersthemostcompleteexampleofthis,but“LornaDoones”isnosloucheither,withdropshadowsandthatmotherlyRthatcradlestheNandA.The“Ritz”packagingiscleverinhowitplaysoffoftheroundshapeofthecrackerswithintherectangularframeworkofthepackaging.

Itsqueezesthetransparentareathatrevealsthecrackerbetweenthesignatureanddescriptionoftheproducttocreateadeliciouspackagingsandwich!Speakingofsqueezing,theoddovalshapeofthePringlespackageissimplyworkedaround,andnotutilizedinthedesignofthelabel,whichisclearlymadeforasquarepackage.

The“Animalcracker”designusedthepackageshape,fittinglavishanimalillustrationsintoboxes(“cages”)withthatchildrenwillbecaptivated(Iknowthiswaseffectiveonmeinthepast).

Found 02/20/12 in my pantry

RENT SIGNSHere,weseesometypographythatisnotsimplyunimaginative,it’sbad.Althoughmostofthesesignsdoestablishsomesortofhierarchywithsize,differenttypefaces,andcolor,theresultissojumbledanduglysooftenthatyouhavetowonderifthisisalostadvertisingopportunityforthecompanies.ArcherWoodsApartmentsusesawfulneoncolorsandthe“Jokerman”typeface,soapparentlytheywereaimingformaximumkitsch.

Therestofthesigns,howeverreadablewithasingle-color-on-whitescheme,arejustboring.ThemixofdifferenttypefacesforTaylorSquareApartmentsandTrendrealitydon’tcreateanysortofinterestorcontrast,butatleastTrendhassomeoflogothatpeoplepassingbymightremember.Trimarkpropertiesprobablyhasthebestsign,butthetypefacesitusesforthesmallerwordsisabithardtoread(particularlyatadistance)evenifitlendsthesignasmidgenofpersonality.

Honestly,Idothinkthese“ForRent”signscouldbesomuchmore.Theyofferthefirstimpressionoftheapartmenttorentersinmanyinstances.Whynotdressthemupinsomeclassygraphicdesigntoensureagoodreputationforyourcompanyandproduct?

Found 03/24/12 in my Neighborhood

BOOKSShine,sparkleandtheclassiclookofseriftypefacesarepopularforadolescentfantasynovels,asevidencedbythiscross-sectionofbooksfoundatalocalBooks-A-Million.Thetypographyaimstobeharmoniouswiththeillustrations(muchlikethevideogametitles)inshapeandcolor.“Scumble”istheonlyexamplethatusesacolorinthetitle(blue)thatcontrastswiththeillustration(whichisorange),favoringanattentiongrabbingcombinationoverbalance.

“HarryPotter”istheonlytitletousealogographicelement,withthefamouslightningboltsewnintotheP.“Inkspell”and“Narnia”usesomewhatsimilarstyles(thin,allcapitalserifletters)while“AClockworkThree”standsout,withthetitleisinthecenterofthecompositionasopposedtothetop.Idon’tthinkthereismuchcreativetypographygoingonhere,asthefocusisinthelavishillustrationsintendedtocapturetheimaginationsofyoungreaders.

Theonlyexceptionis“HarryPotter,”thatcustomtypeface,withitsjaggededgesandcharacteristicP,hasbecomequiterecognizableandisapartofthe“HP”brand.

Found 03/13/12 in Books-A-Million

Almostallofthesebathroomcleanerpracticallyglow,usingsomuchfuzzybacklightingandlensflaresthatyoumightthinkyourtoiletwillliterallysparkleafterusingoneofthesefineproducts.Theyalsooverwhelmyouwithhyperboleabouthowpowerfulthesolutionsinsidethebottlesare(“EXTRASTRENGTH,”“Powersthroughtoughstains”).Blueandgreenseempopularchoicesforcolors,whichmakessensefortheirassociationswithspringandcleanliness.

Whatmakeslesssensetomeisthechoiceofillustrationfor“SnoBowl”and“Comet.”Toiletsandbathtubsdonotmakeforveryromanticimagery,andcompletelylackanycreativity.ButIsupposetheywork.“Methodantibac”tome,isclearlythemostsophisticateddesignoutoftheproductscollected.It’sclean,tothepoint,andmakesgooduseofnegativespace.

BATHROOM

CLEANSERS Found 03/04/12 in my bathroom

GASGasstationswantsimplelogosandsignaturesthatconveyspeed,strengthandaccessibility.ItiseasytoseethisinalloftheexamplesIcollected,fromtheboldredandyellowthemeof“Shell”tothepatrioticred,white,andbluelookof“Chevron”and“Marathon.”Thecompanieshavecreatedallsymbolsthatareeasytorecognizefromthestreet,withtheexceptionofthelowerquality“Kangaroo”station,whichinmyopinionhasbyfartheweakestdesignscheme.Thename,howeverunusualforagasstation,doesnotmatchupwithaverystronglogo.Thekangaroodoesnotblendwellwiththetypography;it’sjustsortofbeenplacedintheKandlooksawkwardmorethananythingelse.

Theothercompanieshavekepttheirlogosandsignaturesseparate,althoughMarathondoesuseatypographiclogothatcombinesthenameofthecompanyandthetitleletterinthename.BPisinterestinginhow“green”(literallyandfiguratively)theirlogois.Theyareusingdesignaspartoftheirpushtobeseenamoreenvironmentallyconsciouscompanyafterrecentpollutiondisasterstarnishedtheirreputation.Thesetypesofdesignsshowhowasingleideasimplifiedintoanabstractimagecanbestrong.

Found 03/08/12 around Gainesville

APARTMENTSTheseapartmentsigns,mostotherexamplesstudiedhere,includethreedimensionalelementsaspartoftheirlayouttocreateanidentity.Manytimesdesignextendsbeyondit’stypicaltwodimensionalrealm.Scriptseemstobeapopularchoiceoffont,ascursivewritinghasstrongassociationswithclassandluxury.UniversityHeightsistheonlyexamplethatdoesnotusesomesortofscript,andthisisbecauseitisoneofthecheaperoptionsintheareaandhasanemphasisonvalue.“SabalPalms,”withit’sthintypeface,openarchitecturaldesign,andlight,summerycolors,feelsthelightestofthesedesigns.

Theotherallhaveheavybricklayoutsanddeepbrownsthatsuggestsecurity,butIlikethemorecarefreefeelof“SabalPalms.”Ialsothinkthattheminimalistillustrationofaleafinthe“Estates”offersthebestuseofanillustration.Thegoldentreein“UniversityHeights”isjusttacky,while“CamdenCourt”doesn’treallyneedanextraelementswiththeheavilydecorativetypefaceitalreadyhas.Thesesignsofferanimmediateimpressionoftheapartmentstheyrestinfrontof,andclearlytrytoglorifytheinteriors.

Found 03/09/12 in my neighborhood

KIT HINRICHSOLVE

EXPLORE

TRUST

SPEAK

UseCollectionsasStimuli

WidenyourExperienceFindoutwhopeopleare,howtheyreact

Learnfromothers

Usesimpler,stronger,messages

Make it clear

Have a Team

Drawonyourchildhood

Findsymbols

Makeitfunctionbetter

DoyleYoungsaysthisattheopeningofthisdocumnetary,andhiswordscouldn’tbetruer.Ifinditdifficulttorelatetohisadorationofletters-Ijustcan’tgrasphowhegaugesthetinydifferencesinthicknessofcurves,ortheslightchangeintheseperationofletters.Icanseehowthesedetailsmakeabetterdesign,buttheveryideafeelssotediousitmakesmyhandsitchjustthinkingaboutit. Idofindtheassertionthattypeographyisanancientartveryintriguing,becauseIneverreallythoughtaboutitthatway.It’struethatthelettersofthealphabetarethesameastheywherehundredsofyearsago.Wemayhavenewtoolstocreatethem(akacomputers)butallfontsarebuiltfromthesameexactmold.Inthatsense,typeographyisabasicpartofthenormalhumanexperience,asbasicasclothingorcooking.Wedon’tthinkaboutit,buttypecandefinemuchofourthought,colorourexperience,illustrateourmemories.WhenIthinkabouttypeographyinthisway,itbecomesamuchmoreromanticandworthwhileendeavor.

Young’sfirstrulefortypewasthatitmustbelegiable,whichissomethingI’lltrytoneverforget.Itseemslikesuchasobviousrule,butit’ssoeasytoviolateitwhenyoudon’tthinkenoughaboutwhatyourcreating.Butmoreimportantishisfinalrule:Howdoesitlook?Thisisadesignerwhoclearlyvaluesintuitionovertechnicalrules.Doesitlookright,doesitfeelright?Withthisinmind,beingadesigneroftypetakessomeinbornsenseoftaste.Youjustknowwhenitisfinished,whenthoselettersformawordthatatlastlooksasperfectasitpossiblycan.

That’swhattypographyseemstobeallabout:theendlesstweakingofideasintoasingleimagethatlookssogooditfeelseffortless.

Doyald Young“Drawing letters is hard.”

Helveticais,accordingtothe2007filmbythesamename,afontfortheages.Smooth,clean,andfamouslyubiquitous,Helveticaremainsever-popularinaworldwherecompaniesandsignswanttosendmessagesusingavehiclethatisasneutralaspossible.Designedwaybackin1957bytheSwissdesignerMaxMiedingerwithEdwardHoffman,thetypefacewascreatedintheidealistic,hopefulspiritofaworldrecoveringfromthehorrorsofWorldWarTwo.Today,Helveticaiseverywherealloverearth,fromstreetsignstotaxformstocompanylogotypes. Butpopularityreallydoesbreedcontempt,andthelawofdiminishingreturnsdoesapplytoHelvetica.Sure,itdoeshavenicecurvesandexudesensationsofconfidenceandsafety,butit’skindofboring.It’sjust…there,andeverywhere,whichisexactlywhatitsetsouttodo,butintheendwhatisthatworth?Youwanttocommunicateamessageinadesign,sowhynothavethelettershelpspelloutthatmessageinsteadofjustexisting?Typefaceshouldbemeaningfultothedesign,evenifit’sinsubtleways.Helvetica’sattempttonullifythemeaningsoflettersanditsenduringpopularitysimplymakesitfeeldullandcooperateinmanyinstances;Iagreewithsomeofthedisgruntleddesignersinthefilmwhovoicedthisopinion.Insomedesigns,theshape,color,anddetailsontheletterscanbethefocusoftheimage!

Helveticahasaplaceindesign,butI’msurprisedthatafteralltheseyearsdesignershavenotfoundasuitablereplacement,orthattheyhaven’tbeenimaginativeenoughtocomeupwithanewtrend.Designers,tome,havearesponsibilitynotonlytosatisfytheirclientandsellservicesandproducts,buttomakethevisualpollutionofourworldthatmuchmoreattractive.Theworkofdesignersfillstheeyesofmodernhumanityalmostalldayandnight,andthoseimagesshouldnotonlybeeffective,butsomehowentertainingorintriguing.Maybethatviewisalittlenaïve,butthat’showIfeel.Ithinkdesignersshouldaimtomaketheworldalittlebitnicertolookat.AndHelvetica,whileitis“nice,”isalsoplain.

IenjoyedhowthisfilmofferedvariousopinionsonHelvectica,offeringbothaneutralhistoryandcrosssectionofideas,uses,andinfluencesofthetypeface.Inaway,itwasjustlikethesubjectitwasexploring-clean,neutral,easytounderstand,butalittlebitboring.Watchingitgavemeabetterideaonhowtypefacesaffectdesign,andhowtrendsindesignarenodifferentfromtrendsintherestofhistory:theyarecircular.ItmakesmehopethatnewdesignerscanchallengethereignofHelveticaandcreatemoreandmoredesignsthatusebold,meaningfultypefaces.Thefilmalsoofferedanicesurfaceglanceattheworldofdesigners.Theyseemtobepracticalpeoplewithpracticaljobs,buttheirpassionfortypefacesanddesignsisintense.Theyareartistsinthetruestsense,andwillonedaybestudiedbyarthistoriansasadrivingforcebehindtheexpansionofcommerceandindustry.AndHelvetica,regardlessofhowpeoplefeelaboutit,hassecuredaplaceinthelegacyofdesign.

Helvectica“A font for the ages.”

Artist Series with Hillman Curtis Adesignerwhostartedhisdesigncareermakinglayoutsformagazines,DavidCarsonusesapowerful,emotionalstylewhenarranginghistype,oftendestroyinglegibilityintheprocess.Hesaysthathis“lackoftraining”washelpful,asitallowedhimtounwittinglybreakthelawsoftypetocreatefreshdesigns.Hewiselyassertsthattheuseofcomputersindesignisgoingtocallforanevenmorepersonalapproachtothedesignsthemselves,becausecomputerserasethe“touch”oftheartist.IthinkthatCarson’sdesignsareinvigoratinginaworldofhelveticaandsterilesimplicity.

“Noneofuscanunderstandourpathuntilit’sover”saysGlaser,amanwhodescribesdesignassomethingcaughtbetweenthebusinessmanandtheartist.Glaserdesiresto“continuetobeastonished”bytheworldandhiswork.Heassertsthatdesignshouldnotonlysellcommoditiesbutprovide“commonality”forthepeopleoftheworld.”Designshouldactasapositiveforcethatunites.Suchsentimentsarereflectedinhiswork,includingthefamous“I(heart)NY”slogan.Glaser’sidealisticnotionsaboutthegreaterpurposeofdesignreallyresonatewithme.Ialsowanttoremainawedbytheworld,andhopeatdesigncanservemankindbeyondaidingbusiness.

Subject 1: David Carson

Subject 3: Pentagram

Subject 2: Milton Glaser

Pentagramisaninternationalgroupofdesignershailingfromvariousdisciplines.Itbeganasa“familyofmen,”withtheintentofblendinghavingdesignersandarchitectsworktogether.Itwasn’talwaysasimpleaffair(thegrouphadahighturnoverrate)butthegroupstillexiststodayundera“socialistcapitalist”modelinwhichnosinglepersonorgroupofpeopleleadthegroup.Pentagramhopestoimpactculturewithfreshideasfrommanymindsfrommanydifferentareasofdesign.Theidealistic,collaborativestyleofthegroupalmostremindsmeoftheBauhuas.Tobepartofacreativethinktanklikethisonemustbeagreatexperienceforthepeopleinvolved.Branchingouttoothercultures,disciplinesandpeopleisanexcellentwaytoimproveyourworkandthepeoplethatarepartofPentagramseemluckytobethere.

Sagmeisterseemsmorelikeatruefineartistthanadesignertome.Hishighlyconceptualdesignprocess,emphasisonprocess(hehasabookandhadashowtitled“thingsIhavelearned”)andsolidconfidenceallsuggestamanwhohasfoundsuccessintheficklefineartworld.Ashestates“EverythingIdoalwayscomesbacktome,”hisworkispersonalandoftenverypowerful.Evenifhedoesseemabitegotistical.Someofthe“thingshelearned”intheshowofferedgoodadvicethough,allofthemwhereelegantbutIliked“worryingsolvesnothing”thebest.

Subject 4: Paula ScherTherefreshingthingaboutScheristhatshereliesonherfirstinstinctindesigns.Ifshecan’tgetitonthefirstorsecond“crack,”sheusuallywon’tever“getit.”Ihavefoundinmyyearsworkingasanartistthatmyfirstfew“cracks”arealmostalwaysmybestideas.Workinganideaoveruntilitstinkslikeadeadhorsethat’sbeenbeatenintoapulpdoesn’tworktoowellforme.Youeitherfigureitoutquickly,oryoudon’t.Schermayjustbepuffingupabitwhenshetellsherstoryofhowshedesignedthecitibanklogoonanapkin,buttherenodoubtthatthosefirstintuitionsaboutsomethingarealwaysverystrong.

Subject 5: Sagmeister

Subject 6: James VictoreNowthisisoneangrydesigner.Hispoliticallycharged,inflammatoryworks(oneposterfeaturesanincompletegameofhangmanwiththeword“nigger”notquitespelledoutyet)attackracisms,poverty,andtheevilsofDisney.Heenjoysthe“immediacyofpaperandpen,”andIcanagreewiththis.Holdingapencilinyourhandandrunningacrossasliceofpaperissomuchmorevisceralthantypingonacomputer.CouldVictore’sartbejustasintenseifitwherecreatedonascreen?Perhapsnot.Ithinkhandmadeworksretainapowerfullangagueoftheirown,andIhopethatcomputersdonotcompletelyreplacedesignbyhand.Butatthesametime,computershaveaplaceinacceleratingandfacilitatingthedesignprocess.

Hillman Curtis

MarianBantjeshasastrongsenseofwonder.Bothinthesenseofbeinginaweofsomething,andintermsofcuriosity.Somedesignersaregoodatdoingthesamethingoverandover,butMarianisoneofthosewhomakessomethingneweverytime.Shecreates“beautythehardway,”andusesittocreatecompellingdesignsthatdemandattentionandthenholdit.

Hermethodshavebecomemoreakintoillustrationthandesign,givingcommissionerswhattheywantandnotjustwhattheyaskfor.Icanrelatetosuchanillustrativestyle,asIliketoworkinthismoreintuitivemannerinsteadoftreatingmyworkasapuzzletobesolvedinsomespecificway.ButsinceIdon’thavenearlyasmuchtalentorexperienceasMrs.Bantjes,IunderstandthatIneedtoworkwiththestrategiesthatdesingersmostcommonlyrelyupon.Youhavetowalkbeforecanrun,andsoon.

Marian BantjesShock, Awe, Wonder: Design

Marian’soverwhelmingconfidenceinherownworkisalsoamazing.Sheohhsandahhsatherowndesignsasifshehadneverseenthembefore!Idon’tknowifthisisaresultofsimpleprideorthatstrongsenseofwondershesodesires.Iusuallygroanatmywork,andthatseemstoberesponsethatIamtaughttoexpectofmyself...

Imean,whoactuallythinkstothemselves“EverythingIdoIdoforlove?”Whodoesthat?Who“deconstructsthealphabet?”Thiswomenispresentedassomethingofawonderfulenigma.Herworkiscertainlyworthyofadmiration,butIfeelthatshesputtingonshowtofitapersonashe’scrafted.She’seithernotbeinghonestorbeingtoohonest.Onthatsametoken,Ifeellikeherworkgivessomeasimilaraura.It’seasytolookat,yetitalmostseemstobehidingsomething.Somethingdeeperandmorecynical.That,orit’smewho’sbeingcynical.

Margo ChaseMargoChasedoesnotmakedesignsthatarejust“prettyandcool.”Shemakesdesignsthatare“prettyandcoolforareason.”Chase,whohasworkedforbrandsaswellknownasStarbucksandPollyPocket,gotherstartinthedesignindustrycreatingalbumcovers.Inspiredbydesignsinrealbooksandmagazines,Chasecultivateshercreativespaceinamannerthatwill“reflectthework”andusesreal,moldyoldbooksandmagazinesasreferencesandinspirationforherdesigns.Icanseethevalueinthesetomes;I’moneofthosepeoplewholovesthesmellandtouchofarealpublication.ThemoreIlearnaboutdigitalart,themoreimportant“real”artbecomes!Withoutreality,thedigitalrealmofdesignislostinafloating,uncertainspacebecauseit’swell,notreal.It’salmostimaginary,butinthemostlinear,flatway.

Surpisingly,Chaseoriginallywenttoschooltopursueadegreeinveterinarymedicine,butthisobviouslydidnotworkout.Findingyourownpathisdifficultforeveryone.Chaseearnedareputationforbeingamasterofthe“Gothic”designstyleaftercreatingthefamousbloodyposterfora“Dracula”film,provingthatjustlikeactors,designerscanbetypecast!Ontheupsidethisgivesyouajob,butonthedownsideitlimitsapersonscreativefreedomandopportunities.Ithinkhavingacertain“brand”foryourselfisgood,butthebrandcan’toverpowerthedesignerasaperson.Otherwise,theywillhavenoroomtogrowindifferentdirections,andventuringintounknownterritoryisessentialforanyartistsiftheyaretoreaminacreativefieldofwork.

Chase The Sky

ThemethodthatChaselaidoutforcreatingdesignswasvaluableformetosee.Theimportanceofresearch;ofunderstandingyoursubjectinsideandoutsideout,onbaddaysandgooddays,whoandwhatacompanyorlogooraudiencereallyIS...that’ssoimportant.IseenowhowguiltyIamofjustwantingtomakebeautifulthings.Ididn’ttrytounderstandmywork,justmakeitlooknice.Andwhatisthatworth?Notmuch.Youhavetoinvesttimenotonlyinyourcraft,butyouridea.Theideaisparamount!Chaseshowedmethatmorethananyoftheotherdesignerswehavestudiedsofar.

Chase’saccountsoftheearlierversionsofPhotoshopandthetransitionfordesignintothedigitalrealmwasalsointeresting.Computershaverevolutionizedthetoolspeopleusetomakedesigns,butnotmuchhasactuallychanged.Peoplearestillthesame,regardlessofwhethertheymakealogowithmarkersandpaintbrushoronIllustrator.Andpeoplearealsothesamewhethertheyseeasigninontheroadsideoronawebpage.Understandhowpeoplework,andyoucanmakeexcellentdesigns.Buttobehonest,ifIreallydidknowhowhumanbeingsthinkandwhytheydowhattheydo,I’dbedoingmorewithmytimethandesigninglogossocompaniescanmakemoney.Asitisthough,Isupposestudyingdesignisonewaytotryandunderstandthehumanconditionbetter.

Troika Group

TroikaisaHollywoodbaseddesigngroupthatdoesbrandingfortelevision.Throughcollaborationbetweenconceptualdesignersandskilledartists,thefirmhascreatedidentitiesforwell-knownchannelslikeOxygen,Starz,andFox.Theultimategoalofthis“branding”istocreateaconnectionbetweenthechannelandaudience,andaccomplishthisloftygoalinthebriefsplitoftimeallowedbythecommercial/contenttransitionsthatTrokiacreates.

Troikatriestomaintainafunandefficientworkplacethatfosterscreatithinkingandcollaboration.Theaimistokeepthedesignteams“feed”andenergized,whilealsonurturingtheindividual.Thefirmispaidforitsprocess,nottheproduct-uncertaintycanbeasignthatinnovationishappeningandthatthefinalworkwillbestrong.

Theteamsconquertheirassignmentsstepbystep,workingonsmallerproblemsinordertosolvethelargeone.Troikaalsoapproachestechnologystrictlyasatooltobringlifeintotheideasofthedesigners,andlikestostayabitbehindthecurvetoensurethateverytoolwillworkcorrectly.Fromdesignertoartisttothescreen-Troikatriestoworkasawell-oiledmachine.

Thedistinctionmadeinthevideofrom“artists”asworkersand“designers”asthinkersisafrustratingdivideIhavefoundinmyartisticlife.Whycan’tyoubeboth?Theanswerofcourseisthatnoonehastimeforboth.MyfearisthatIwillattempttostraddlebothworldsandasaresultfallshortofthem.ThenIwillhavenothingleft.Ofcourse,someoneinthevideowaskeenonthispoint:“artistsareinsecure.”

Howverytrue!IsupposeIjusthavetoacceptthis,takingmyprojectsstepbystep,hopingthatifmyprocessisinspired,sowillthefinalproduct.Don’trush,don’tfreakout.Justtakethisonestepatatime,andyou’llbefine.Findothercreativepeopleandsurroundyourselfwiththem.Liveyourwork.Ifonlythiswasaseasytoaccomplishasitistodescribe!

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