Thursday, October 30, 2008
Amount of space required to transport the same number of passengers by car, bus or bicycle. (Poster in city of Muenster Planning Office, August 2001)
My brother-in-law sent this to me. It’s a pretty powerful set of images. I can’t think of a more effective way to show the importance of considering public or pedal transportation. The Cycling Tips site posted the image on Australia’s National Ride To Work Day (a couple weeks ago). See the image a little bigger over there.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
In his book Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design Michael Bierut wrote about David Carson’s book The End of Print which he summed up, along with Carson’s work, thus:
The end of print, the end of thinking: I’m not sure about the first, but the graphic design of David Carson has got me pretty convinced about the second.
Neither do I want to fall into designing per whim and without care.
Earlier this year I emailed someone to ask their opinion on whether it’d be worth it to join the Louisville Graphic Design Assocation. They wrote me back with this:
From what I have experienced with LGDA in the past it is pretty safe to say that it is a bullshit organization. My work paid for my membership for a year and I attended a handful of meetings but did not get much out of them. Networked a little, met some decent people, but overall it was really cliquey. Maybe they will put on a decent speaker this year again? Don’t join em’.
Then, just a couple months ago at Consuming Louisville, …
Thursday, October 23, 2008
In the midst of scientific studies and standards in user-interface design, it’s nice to come across a website that seems to throw statistics to the wind, more concerned with (if we can use such basic terminology) ‘graphic design’ than ‘user experience design’ * — even if it’s not using the latest content management system, or the markup isn’t written as well as it ought to be.
(* There are definitely better terms for these. I realize, despite common usage, each of these terms can be applied to the design of a website or a printed work. For one who beholds a poster or a book is also a ‘user’ and ‘experiencing’ the final work, and ‘graphic design’ is certainly not determined by its destined medium. What design do we not ‘interface’ with?)
Here are two such examples that have inspired me and have me thinking a little differently about what’s so often the focus in the web industry.
The first from Chris Glass. I love his website. Love it. It’s designed from top to bottom. Each page is individually art directed. No boring template with content dumped in it. Sad how unusual this is, although there is …
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
I quit MySpace, Twitter, Google Analytics, LinkedIn. I haven’t quit Facebook (yet), but I just read an essay on Adbusters about doing just that, something a friend of ours did recently to our puzzlement and disappointment. Deep down, though, I really do understand and desire the same. For all the wonder and bringing-together that the social Internet has to offer — and I have definitely made positive use of it — I have found it too often being an inhibitor to real life. I want to read more books, but there is the Internet. I want to spend more time with real people, but there is the Internet. I want to ride my bike and build things with my hands, but there is the Internet.
I’m not giving up on the Internet, obviously. A majority of my work is here. It keeps me in touch with friends and family, and the design industry in which I take part. I can read about anything, quickly. But, I think we have some valid questions on the table about how much virtual time we spend ‘engaging’ one another.
Addendum: Truly, I love the Internet. And truly, it seems an oxymoron to write what I …
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tagging is useful for some things. I tag bookmarks in Delicious. I tag stuff in Yojimbo. When I write, I do not tag; I do not use categories. I used to use those for email. No longer am I doing that, either. Letting go the tagging and categories is good. I am free to write about whatever I want. My journal is not about any one matter. It is a chronology of my life, work, and interests. Far too many things are very important to think and talk about to limit myself. Regarding email, it was rather liberating to stop using folders and labels for organizing. I keep everything in the inbox and can find most anything by doing a simple search. I like it this way. Very much.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Matt Rubin used to publish a popular photo website called The Paper Brigade. In 2002 he invited me to design pages on his site featuring work by other photographers (the ‘features’ section). Back then I wasn’t hip to web interface standards, nor were there as many solid conventions as we have today. So, each feature that Matt asked me to design was another opportunity to reinvent the web page, and he encouraged the creativity.
I had done some prior design for my brother’s record company, but I consider the work I did for Matt my first real steps in graphic design. I have no doubt he was taking advantage of a kid willing to do free work, but I enjoyed every moment of it. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be doing what I am today. (Thanks Matt!)
The designs aren’t all great, but it’s fun and sometimes important to remember the past. I can remember nearly every step of the way and every person who gave me their vote of confidence, all of which lead to where I am now. What’s also …
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I keep coming back to this photo I took of a friend and mentor in 2005. It was taken during a time when so much of what he had built in his life was crumbling around him. It was taken one of the nights he was clearing out his office after being ‘let go’ from his teaching career. His life was in teaching, and he was losing it all to lies and greed. I remember him being a bit rushed that night. There was stuff everywhere. It was less an office and more an artist’s studio. Standing room only. He picked up a horn and played a tune. Not a sad tune. I took this photo just before we left, and it might be the only photo I needed to take that night. Stripped to a sort of nakedness, putting aside all earthly care for but a moment, contemplating what is good, true, and beautiful.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Beginning last year at Blue Bus Cafe, I started working on printed ads for The 930 that were primarily published in the LEO. The very first design was actually put together by an intern who’s name I do not recall (and who’s book I borrowed and never had a chance to return!). More than a year later, I was still putting these ads together and continually refining.
I worked with Kevin Janes from The 930 on each ad. He sent me a message recently saying, “my account manager at LEO said that the 930 ads are always the BEST looking ads in LEO! Just wanted to relay the high five to you.”
Unfortunately, I was told that the ad contract won’t be renewed, which means that these ads have seen their end. To commemorate the work we started two summers ago, here shown are a few of the ads. It’s interesting to see how the design evolved over time. (Click some to see them bigger.)
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Monday, October 13, 2008
Tyler Deeb’s new website.
Tyler and I hooked up earlier this year about building a website for his new design biz. He’s mainly a print designer, so we met and talked through some general web UI stuff to keep in mind. He’d send design drafts and I’d tell him what good and bad I saw in it (in terms of design conventions and whether or not I could build it). The design was at last concluded. He went on a trip to Guatemala and I was left to build it. Despite the schedule falling a little behind, things came together pretty well.
The design is rather unconventional compared to everything else on the web these days, but I came to appreciate that, and it really pushed and further-developed my skillset. It’s built on Textpattern, and uses jQuery, jCarousel, Jeremy Keith’s showPic image gallery, and Dagon Design’s form mailer script. Aside from Eric Meyer’s …
