Perhaps one of the most surefire ways to simultaneously elicit emotions of rage and despair in your designer is to remark “I’ll know it when I see it.” To a designer, that roughly translates into, “I have no idea what I want, but I’ll expect you to produce revision after revision until we run out of time and money settling on something neither of us are that happy with.” Simply put, “I’ll know it when I see it” kills dialogue and puts the designer / client relationship on a fast track to Revision Hell, complete with micro-management and an endless sea of comps. Read more »

Perhaps one of potent tools a designer can possess, in addition to good typography of course, is a thorough understanding of the Gestalt Principles. Around 1900 German & Austrian scientists began to formulate concepts based on humans tendencies to seek patterns, and specifically how we organize and process graphic data through these patterns. The theory and data they derived is particularly important to those in the visual arts field and most notably Graphic Designers. The Gestalt Theory states: 1) The parts of a visual image may be considered analyzed and evaluated as distinct components. 2) The whole of a visual image is different from and greater than the sum of it’s parts. Read more »

As most anyone in the office will tell you, I am a stickler for good typography. Typography is the backbone of any design and is what separates illustrators and fine artists from designers. However, it seems as though more often than not I see designers blatantly committing typographic sins without remorse.

Fortunately there’s a wealth of information both online and in print for beginner typographers to advance their understanding of how type works. One such article that I’ve came across is 8 Simple Ways to Improve Your Typography over on Aisle One. The article provides excellent advice combined with clear concise examples and CSS for on the web. Definitely worth checking out whether you’re still a little wet behind the ears, or a seasoned type master.

This Guy! In spite of the fact that Google has grown from it’s garage-based start-up roots into something slightly more Orwellian, I am still incredibly enamored with this company. I have always liked Google for the relevant search results, Google Maps, Gmail and News to mention a few. This week I have found a new reason to love Google. Google Docs. Read more »

In every piece we create, we must consider scale. Whether it’s a logo that needs to retain legibility and meaning when viewed at both very small and large sizes, or a billboard, which must make an immediate impact at a very large size, determining scale and designing appropriately is a critical step of the process. No matter what size the work is, it should define a sense of scale by contrasting and connecting the elements to real world experiences.

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