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Is Design Becoming Invisible?

Posted 02 Sep 2010 - 3 Gratefully received comments

A while ago I re watched one of my favourite films, ‘The Usual Suspects,’ it’s a very quotable film and memorable in many ways. However one line has stuck in my head.
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
I’ve been mulling it over and I wonder if Kaiser Soze was, in fact, a graphic designer?

I apologise now if you haven’t seen the film I’m referring to, if that’s the case give it a watch!
Basically, the character of Kaiser Soze is a master criminal who is utterly ruthless and without conscience, but he is also very cunning. He completes his work through tricks and shadow games, so much so that the world does not believe he actually exists.
If Kaiser Soze does his job properly nobody notices him. I think that good design can sometimes suffer the same fate.

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The Great Design Myth – Exposure

Posted 26 Aug 2010 - 12 Gratefully received comments

Just you wait kid. I’m gonna make you a star!
I wonder how many bright eyed young starlets were lured into the clutches of an unscrupulous agent with those very words?
I also wonder how many young designers have undertaken unpaid work with the promise of that great design myth ‘exposure?’

The idea of exposure is the design equivalent of a unicorn.
To assume that you will do some work for a company free of charge, and it will be so well received that you are bound to get more work from it is fanciful, and not based in reality.

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Why I set up a Facebook page for my Business

Posted 19 Aug 2010 - 7 Gratefully received comments

When it comes to social networking I’m not what you’d call a trendsetter. I’m not the first to try something new and plough the furrow for others to follow. I hang back to see if something works well for others before jumping in myself.

This might seem cowardly, but it makes perfect sense to me. I like to know what I’m getting myself into before deciding whether I can commit to it or not. After much deliberation I’ve finally decided to set up a facebook page for my little freelance business.

You may ask why I had to think about it?
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Finding First Gear – Returning to Work after a Holiday

Posted 16 Aug 2010 - 2 Gratefully received comments

Do you remember that feeling of waking up on the first morning of a new school term? The anxious lethargy that accompanied the fact that the holidays were over and it was time to get back to work. I don’t get that anymore, but that doesn’t mean going back to work isn’t a struggle.

I generally accept the fact that I’m a bit of an odd person. I had a great holiday, but I struggled to let go. Admittedly I stuck to the terms I set out for myself when I planned the break, but I couldn’t quite let go mentally.
I may not have physically completed any work, but I got quite a bit done in my head.

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7 Tips for Freelancers Arranging a Holiday

Posted 05 Aug 2010 - 5 Gratefully received comments

I had a very strange experience last weekend. I didn’t do any work! In fact I hardly touched my computer or answered my phone at all. You could say I was practicing for my upcoming holiday.

Not doing any work sounds great, but as a freelancer it’s a doubled edged sword. It’s always nice to take a bit of time out for yourself, but if the phone isn’t ringing and you don’t have a project to work on it can only mean that your income is going to be affected.

I freelance in my spare time, so I’m not too worried by fallow periods, but I always have plenty of personal projects to busy myself with, as well as a lot of informal work that I take on.

In short, even when I decide to take some time off I end up beating myself up by thinking that I should be working. Unfortunately, this state of mind continues into the time I set aside for holidays.

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What is your Go-To Font? – Random Question #5

Posted 26 Jul 2010 - 7 Gratefully received comments

Here’s another opportunity for you to have your say, with another one of my random questions.

I’ve been thinking about fonts a little more than usual recently. This is down to an article that appeared on the BBC News Website titled ‘Do Typefaces Really Matter?’
This was an interesting read that might make some people a bit more aware of the importance of typography in design. However I thought it tailed off badly at the end giving Bruno Maag another opportunity for a bit of Helvetica bashing. You can read more on his views in this article from the Creative Review Blog called ‘The Helvetica Killer’. Mr Maag has an excellent reasons to grind this particular axe, but I don’t think he’ll ever sharpen it enough to chop down the massive oak that is ‘Helvetica’.

Typography is severely underestimated in ‘general’ design. It’s something that needs to be understood and utilised properly for full impact. Having said this, I’m of the opinion that there are too many fonts available that perform the same job.

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Research – Application to the Design Process

Posted 16 Jul 2010 - No Comments - leave yours now!

The end of the research process on any project is always an exciting time. A lot of work has been done, but a lot more lies in wait. I’d be lying if I said the hardest part was over. However, if enough time and effort has been put into through research the rest of the design process should be easier than it might have been.

At this point you will have armed yourself with more knowledge than you had at the beginning of the process. You are ready to pluck the ideas out of the ether and recognise if they are good enough for the needs of your client.

You are ready to make good design decisions.

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