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 in which it communicates. Through all of our conversations his vision has emerged – what he wants to see happen and how I, as a designer, can help him accomplish it. It’s all about his vision. That’s the significant thing… he has a vision that’s bigger than writing, directing and promoting the play. The play is not the vision. The play is a means to the vision.

Every designer needs a vision – something greater than his current project queue. There should be a bigger reason for doing what you do than simply making a client happy or being creative. It has got to be greater than making a living or else designing becomes just a job and design no more important than decorating.

Vision is that thing that keeps you going, the big thing “out there” that you’re reaching for that you’re desperate to achieve. It’s the “why” behind what you do every day – the solution to a problem that you are compelled to solve or fix. It is not something you simply stumble upon, but without it, you will stumble. Vision stems from the things that you’re really passionate about and unifies everything you do.

Vision is the the ability to plan the future with imagination and wisdom. It’s a mental image of what the future will or could be like. It begins with a “burden”- that thing that is the most important among all the other things that are important. It is picturing a reality that does not yet exist but that can and should.

I believe that designers need vision for themselves because it anchors them. It will keep them going through tough projects, demanding clients and fast-paced schedules. If the only reason a person practices design is for the money or the fame, burn out is right around the corner. What keeps him going is the bigger pictures he is striving to paint.

Vision needs to be simple and memorable. It needs to be easily stated and repeatable. The more people you want to communicate your vision to, the simpler it needs to be. Try reducing it to one word. If you cannot do that, it’s not simple enough.

Vision needs to be foundational. Communicate it first to yourself so that it becomes your focal point and your raison d’etre. The more you repeat it to yourself the more it becomes part of you. It’s your stand-out point of difference from all the other designers who do what you do.

Vision needs to be transferrable. Cast your vision so that others will catch it. Why? Because you need help. Your vision is what makes you unique and valuable among your fellow design practitioners, but it’s not something you can achieve by yourself. Others need to support you in it and can’t unless they know what you’re trying to achieve. These others will include family, friends, colleagues, sub-contractors and suppliers. If they’re not supporting you in your efforts you won’t get anywhere.

An effective way to cast your vision is story-telling. Stories are the most powerful way to communicate values and vision. They bring an emotional element which empowers people. Where people won’t remember facts and figures they will remember a good story.

Vision needs to be re-cast. Once you achieve your vision, you need a new one. If you don’t keep vision out in front of you you’ll be living on past laurels with no reason to continue forward. Anticipation and hope die and you end up with nothing to look forward to.

Being without vision is problematic. Why? Without vision you will:

• Take on any project.
• Stay very busy but accomplish nothing.
• Live on your last design award or your most recent success story.
• Be outrun by the culture. The marketplace is always shifting and your clients are always changing.
• Fail to adapt your processes to a changing market. You’ll become inflexible.
• Drown in your process rather than structure your life for creative success.
• Fail to identify and pursue what’s essential.

But with a vision you will:

• Choose your projects and select your clients.
• Be less likely to settle for less.
• Order your schedule rather than it ordering you.
• Adapt to cultural and technological changes without feeling threatened by them.
• Pursue the essential things and let go of what’s not important even if those things seem urgent.
• Remain forward- focused, moving toward the goal rather than on the other runners in the race.

How do you determine your vision? Begin by answering these questions:

• What are you passionate about?
• If you weren’t here, what would not get accomplished?
• What is your ideal project or client and why?
• What would you like your future to look like in 5 or ten years? How about 25 years from now?
• What legacy do you want to pass on?

This painting was created for Pregnancy Resourse Services in Silverdale, WA for a benefit auction. This was a directly commissioned piece; something I was asked to do. I was given a verbal description of what they were looking for, and the rest was up to me.

I didn’t do many preliminary concepts; I developed one and went from there. Since the painting was proffered to the organization it was my choice as to layout.

Here is the basic concept quickly sketched out in my sketchbook:

After a few stages of thinking and reworking I have a refined drawing enlarged onto tracing paper. From there it was transferred onto 4-ply Strathmore:

After the frisket paper is applied, I cut away to reveal part of the drawing, then begin to paint the background areas. At this point I’m using transparent watercolor. Gouache is added on top for depth and opacity.

I decide to complete the angel first, before tackling the couple. I cut away frisket leaving only the couple covered. I don’t always work with frisket, but in this case I needed to do some work on the background and angel without affecting the couple.

The couple is now laid in. At this point I’m using both watercolor and gouache.

The finished work prior to releasing it from the board. I’ve worked colored pencil in to add detail, color subtlety and texture. I’ve accented and darkened certain areas with gouache and colored pencil to add greater value contrast. Overall, I wanted to achieve the effect of the image glowing with light from within.

All images in this post are © Alvalyn Lundgren. All rights reserved.

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 solution to any design problem are the hours and ideas that were birthed in search of a solution. The one who does not push through several concepts is not really engaging in solving the problem but is more concerned with getting the job over with. The client might as well have picked a ready-made icon or template from one of the myriad web sites that sell them, as if design is an off-the-rack product.

People tend to default to their least level of effort in most situations. It’s tempting to land on the first idea, declaring it the best solution. The development of more than one idea demonstrates that:

• There is more than one possible solution or direction to a problem;
• The designer has taken a thoughtful approach to the client’s problem;
• That the designer has explored a variety of approaches and understands the clients needs;
• The client has a choice in the matter, along with a sense of participation and empowerment.

Additionally, developing more ideas creates confidence in the designer, knowing he has done the work and now has a rationale for his thinking that he can articulate.

I’ve heard many decry the development of multiple solutions to a single problem by saying that their first idea is always the best one so why bother with more? How do they know that? It’s my experience that I don’t know which idea is my best unless I generate at least more than one. Often the first idea is indeed the best solution, but I will never know that until I have developed many options, scrutinized all the possibilities and then determined the best of the bunch.

Why is process important? Design, if it’s going to hit the target, cannot be off-the-rack but instead needs to be custom made and one-of-a kind. Ready-mades and quick solutions have little value to the client and certainly don’t increase the value of the designer in the client’s eyes. Process shows what the designer is willing to expend in search of the solution. The designer who labors builds strength in a wealth of ideas and the skill to select the one that serves the purpose best.

Given the multitude of talented people in the design pool, the problem-solving process is a huge deal. The ability to think, evaluate and determine the best idea will set a designer apart from the pool and add value to both the working relationship with the client and the end result.

The ICON Illustration Conference will be in Pasadena, CA, July 14-17, 2010.
For information and registration – Early Bird rate ends on Feb. 28 – click here.

Since I practice two separate but related disciplines, I am very aware of the commonalities and differences in the process of each. For me, graphic design tends to be more evolutionary in that I start with concept sketches and develop from there. My illustration process is a bit different, because I almost always have the image complete in my imagination before I begin to sketch it on paper. Things may change a bit as I go, but generally speaking I iterate an image onto paper rather than explore and develop options. This is true whether it’s created for a client’s project or for myself.

My illustration of the Lion of Judah, an icon of both Judaism and Christianity, was no exception. I saw this painting fully-formed in my mind and then brought it into being on paper. I made a couple of sketches first, then enlarged and transferred the drawing to watercolor paper.

The concept sketch:

The finished work created in watercolor, gouache and colored pencil on paper:

Some background on the work: Judah means praise. Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob and it was out of his line that Jesus Christ came. Judah was referred to as a lion in Genesis, and it is the Lion of Judah, referring to Jesus Christ, who is worthy to open the scroll in Revelation.

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.

One row forward and three seats over.
I did this quick sketch in about 10 minutes in my sketchbook during a seminar.

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 design. Everything designed for inventory, sale and tracking had to have a barcode and therefore designers had to accommodate its presence, and for many creatives this was regarded as an intrusion.

On its own, the barcode is aesthetically sound. It employs implied line, a full range of value contrast, decently proportioned linear and numeric elements, and a varied alternating rhythm. Its function requires it to be achromatic.

The original, patented concept was a series of circles. The striped version we’re used to made its debut in 1974 on a pack of gum.

I chose to celebrate today by sorting back through some older work and pulling out an illustration I created back in 1986 (have I been doing this for that long? Wow.) – my own Ode to the Barcode. Of course, my ode to this striped hero of tracking and scanning was in the form of a visual pun, incorporating the striped graphic into the striped surface pattern of an everyday zebra.

©1986 & 2009. Alvalyn Lundgren. All rights reserved.

This is an excellent discussion of the power and influence of visual imagery – design and illustration – to change ways of thinking, morals and systems for good or for bad. No matter what your persuasion, you need to understand what’s going on. As you view this, consider how you’ve been influenced.

Video from PJTV, a division of PajamasMedia.

Coldplay’s web site created this year, bears a remarkable resemblance to a book cover design by Paul Rand a few decades ago. The comparison cannot be missed.

Compare the Coldplay web page screen capture:

Home page at www.coldplay.com

Cover Design by Paul Rand

Comparing is to focus on what is similar. Contrasting is to focus on what is not. There are obvious similarities but enough differences to understand in these two designs to see that the web design is perhaps more than inspired but not a derivative or copy of the book cover. It is “in the style of”. Maybe it’s even a tip of the hat.

The web page lacks the contrast of precise, explicit edges against accidental edges, and is more “dirty” in sensibility. The book cover is an example of modernism looking forward, the web page is an example of postmodernism looking backward.