From the category archives:

design

A Before and After Case Study

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I was asked by a client to re-design a print ad laid out by someone else. The original layout (above, left) was cluttered and confused. The ad, for an author’s book signing events in upscale communities in Los Angeles County, was going to appear in a local cultural magazine. What was needed was a visual [...]

Elements of a Real Designer

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I teach a course at UCLA Extension called Elements of Design. It deals with the stuff design is made of. Things like balance, gestalt theory, proportion, value, color, structure and composition all go into the mix of what design is all about. Students who complete the course come away with the understanding that design is [...]

Design As Your Ambassador

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Graphic design represents ideas and values. A design is not in itself the idea, but the expression of it. Design points to something greater than itself. In most cases design serves as an ambassador, not as the self-expression of the designer, but as the expression of a business or organization to its audience. The value [...]

Design and Degree of Difficulty

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Setting up for a critique session in one of my classes at UCLA Extension. Being a designer is perceived by many as a fun job. Designers get to work with colors, shapes and amazing computer programs and be creative for a living. The design field is a natural choice for creative people. Students often enter [...]

Freelancing: In Getting New Work, Relationship Counts More Than Ever

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Businesses have a choice when seeking creative services: They can go the cheap route and buy a logo through a crowdsource/contest site where they’ll select the lowest bidder, or they can commission a designer for a custom, targeted design. This creates a dilemma for legitimate freelancers. Competition for freelance design work is not only increasing, [...]

The Importance Of The Big Picture

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I am currently working with a playwright to develop graphics to promote his inaugural work. We have had several discussions about the origins of the work – how he came to write it and its importance to him and and to the audiences that see it. We’ve discussed the message it communications and the manner [...]

Process and Outcome

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The strength of a designer lies as much in his process as in the outcome. The process – the totality of time, effort and attempt at solving the given design problem – demonstrates the care he is willing to take and the depth he is willing to go on behalf of the client. Behind the [...]

Leaves In My Gutter

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It’s an odd place to find beauty. Gutters are usually the conduits of unwanted odds and ends. They can become pretty nasty. But once in awhile a treasure is found there. In this case the treasure consists of colors and textures expressed through leaves, asphalt, concrete and mildew.

It’s the 57th Anniversary of the Barcode Patent

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Today is the 57th anniversary of the barcode. Google is commemorating this day with a barcode logo. I remember discussion about the bar code while I was at Art Center – its necessary prominence on the back of any package or the front of any magazine – being the downfall of all that is good [...]

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