Really. Ask Michael Bierut whatever you want. Whatever. Boxers or briefs, how he takes his coffee, what his favorite typefaces is ...

The terrific Debbie Millman, who's interviewing Michael live on stage during one of Tuesday morning's general sessions at the HOW Design Conference, says she and Michael are looking for audience questions in advance, and "the more inventive, the better."

So if you're dying to pose a burning question to one of design's favorite minds, e-mail it to designmatters at sterlingbrands dot com.

Typography by Tina Roth Eisenberg of swissmiss

Over on the HOW Forum, longtime member Fantômas has created a unique badge that'll help the forum gang identify each other in Boston. Cool.

If I wasn't going to be on my to the HOW Conference on May 17th, I'd love to check out AGIA New York's SMART/MODELS event. Five design firms with very different business models will explain what works for them. Speaker include Jason Fried from 37signals, Matt Owens from Athletics, Joe Duffy and Eric Block from Duffy & Partners, Sylvia Harris from Sylvia Harris, LLC, and Douglas Riccardi from Memo Productions.

Posted by Megan

OK, so you know about the big HOW Design Conference, which is coming up in less than 3 weeks (gulp!) in Boston. As if that weren't enough, here are some other design events coming up that you should have on your calendar. Registration for all three events will open in May and June; visit the websites to get more info and to sign up for the free email newsletter so you'll be among the first to know when registration opens.

• Mind Your Own Business Conference, September 25–28, Hyatt Lost Pines Resort, Austin, TX. Principals of design firms, small ad agencies, marcomm firms and PR shops are invited to join our top-notch group of business consultants for a retreat that will bolster your marketing and management skills and rejuvenate your business. This year's MYOB features a return engagement by popular speaker Blair Enns. Plus, you can plan to stay over Sunday (the conference ends Saturday night) for bonus sessions, software demos and a working day.

• Back by popular demand, the In-HOWse Designer Conference lands this year in San Francisco, October 3–5. In two years, the event has seen explosive growth and is now the business and management conference for in-house design managers. Sign up early; the past two events have sold out quickly.

and ... <drumroll please>

• HOW is proud to announce a brand-new event: The Creative Freelancer Conference, August 27–29 in Chicago. Co-sponsored by Marketing Mentor, this event is specifically geared toward designers, illustrators, writers, photographers and other creative solopreneurs.

Eric Karjaluoto just posted his own Y recap. As both a speaker and attendee, he offers some interesting insight into the event.

As designers, it’s our responsibility to use materials well. Creating ineffective design that is poorly suited for the medium is simply wasteful. Let’s utilize our resources in the most effective fashion possible. We can do this both personally and professionally, and it’s easier than we are often led to believe.

Posted by Megan

Now that I’m back at home in Cincinnati (but still recovering from jetlag), here are my last highlights from this year’s Y Conference, which focused on how, as designers, we can be more aware with our work when it comes to the environment and world in general:

• Brian Dougherty of Celery Design made the compelling point that our job as designers isn't to prevent costs—it's to provide value. That's what we're good at and often, to provide premium value, will often mean the exact opposite: spending more. We shouldn't be afraid of spending more, because the extra value is worth it—to the client, too.
• Eric Karajaluto was a speaker, and he created the website Design Can Change, which is full of resources to help you think about and make your design do good.
• Marc Alt from the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design brought up a good point: electrons aren't free—the answer to our wastefulness is not simply to take everything online. (That was in response to the fact that when we’re thinking about green design, we often pose paper as the villain when that isn’t the case; there are many elements to take into account and balance.)
• Susan Szenasy said that the idea of sustainability shouldn't be something that's tacked on to design, but should be an inherent aspect—it should be integrated into our design process from the very beginning, not an afterthought.

All in all, it was a great trip and really gave teeth to the green design movement—from something that we often think about and want to do, to something that we actually can do.

See all my notes from the conference here.

I arrived in San Diego this afternoon for the annual Y Conference, which I was also able to attend last year. This year, they were able to add another day to the conference, so it kicked off tonight with an opening keynote speaker. Unfortunately that speaker, Paul Hawken, wasn't able to make it because he became very sick. Instead, Metropolis editor-in-chief Susan Szenasy took up the torch and presented a session about green design. (The entire conference is dedicated to the subject of green and sustainable design.)

Susan's presentation focused on some very inspiring, cutting-edge (albeit architecturally-focused) projects that are embracing and pushing the movement forward; projects like planting crops on rooftops in China or examples of schools and colleges where every architectural detail means something. Project after project, each was an innovative take on how to better our environmental--and living--situation through architecture.

Which got me thinking: How can we, as designers, do things like this? How can we apply our talents in such ways? How can we raise that sort of awareness?

That kind of kick-start thinking is the stuff keynotes are made of. And something tells me that this vein will run deep throughout the conference's next two days.


The giant Y sculpture greets attendees as they make their way into the Conference.


Susan Szenasy presents the keynote session at the Y Conference.

Posted by Carmen

... that the Early Bird registration deadline for this year's HOW Design Conference is Friday. C'mon, peeps! Sign up this week and save 80 bucks -- that ain't chicken scratch.

</bad bird references>

Prepare yourself: The next couple of weeks are jam-packed with design-related events and deadlines. Here's a list of what to mark on your calendar soon:

March 27: School of Visual Arts is presenting a design criticism reading night, where speakers will “look at design through the murky lens of evil”

March 27–29: AIGA San Diego Y Conference will be taking place and explore sustainable design

March 27–29: UCDA Design Summit (in Denver) looks at issues facing creatives, both in and out of educational institutions

March 28: Early Bird deadline to save $80 and register for the HOW Design Conference this year in Boston. (The Conference runs from May 18 to 21.) 

March 28: Graphex Awards Gala takes place in Vancouver to recognize outstanding Canadian design, hosted by Ze Frank

Through March 31: MoMA’s “50 Years of Helvetica” exhibition presents posters, signage and other graphic materials that showcase the use of Helvetica

March 31: Deadline to enter the Strathmore Letterhead Contest

April 1: Deadline for STEP magazine’s call for entries for Best of Web designs

April 1: X-Rite’s “Color Control Freak” seminar will travel to Chicago and Atlanta 

April 3: The Art Directors Club has invited past Young Guns winners to participate in “The Undiscovered Letter,” where they will create the 27th letter of the Latin alphabet. Come see the finalists at the “Disclosure” show’s kick off.

April 3–5: AIGA Jacksonville re:CHARGE 08 is dedicated to getting attendees inspired and recharged about design. Speakers include Debbie Millman, Ann Willoughby, Christopher Simmons and Stefan Bucher.

April 3–5: DSVC Student Show & Conference takes place in Dallas, specifically for students and includes a job fair, so students can show their stuff to hiring studios.

April 5-6: The 4th Annual Modern Phoenix Expo and Home Tour, through the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, features lectures on mid-century modern home design as well as self-guided walking tours through the area’s modernist tract homes and churches

I was busy filling my brain at SXSW this weekend, so I missed the launch party for 100 Days of Monsters. Of course, Stefan blogged the whole thing and it looks like it was a blast. What could be better than getting your picture taken with a giant monster?

4 days of SXSW 2008 + 1 ICHC panel + 3 days in the Texas hill country + 1 visit to an Alpaca farm + a new digital camera + the first day back in the office =

Posted by Megan

ARG? Huh? Until yesterday, I didn't know that ARG means Alternate Reality Game, but now I do and I'm ready to play. ARGs are games that mix the real and virtual worlds together to create a rich experience. ARG expert Jane McGonigal explained how happiness is the new capital and that game designers are in a great position to deliver happiness-generating experiences to their audiences. I'd argue that lots of designers are in the position to deliver such experiences. Jane cited some findings from the new field of happiness studies to explain what really makes people happy:

1. Satisfying work to do
2. A sense of being good at something
3. Time spent with people we like
4. A change to be part of something bigger

While it's obvious how these things can be delivered by games, they could also be delivered by a well-designed retail experience, for example. Do your design projects make their intended audiences happy? Maybe they should.

Posted by Megan

While I enjoyed many of the sessions, the most valuable one was presented by Adaptive Path, a San Francisco-based user experience firm, about managing creatives. It was so good, I'm going to look into bringing them to a future HOW Conference. Bryan Mason and Sarah Nelson interviewed creative managers from other industries to discover how they manage their teams. They talked to chefs, stage-managers, conductors and more and distilled the lessons into 10 tips.

What was really interesting was how many of the tips are employed by the HOW staff itself. I'll share a couple:

Tip #2 Rotate Creative Leadership

There's a lot to be said for empowering every member of a team by allowing them to take charge of a project. At HOW, we take turns planning the issues and writing the editor's letter. The planning process is still a collaboration, but one of us leads the way. It's proven very effective in giving us all a sense of ownership of the magazine.

Tip #3 Know Your Roles

Even though we have a rather flat hierarchy, we also each have specific areas of responsibility. That allows us to trust and rely on one another. We never have to worry that something will slip through the cracks.

Tip #8 Leadership is a Service

Whether she knows it not, this is exactly how Bryn manages the HOW staff. She engages the team as a facilitator rather than as a dictator. She gives us the space to do our best work, but is always there to support us when we need help. (Thanks, Bryn.)

Posted by Megan

The Monday afternoon keynote blew me away. Frank Warren of PostSecret fame shared the story of how a small art project turned into a big website and a whole series of books.



Frank quoted Picasso saying, "There's an artist born in all of us." That's a theme that's run through the conference. Everyone has something to say and now, because of the internet, they have the means to say it. So if there's something you need to say, consider writing it on a postcard and sending out into the world. "Sometimes when we think we're keeping a secret, it's keeping us."

Posted by Megan

For a look at some of what the best of the web has to offer, check out the winners of the 11th Annual SXSW Web Awards:

Activism

Green and Non-profit websites that are striving to make the world a better place.
World Without Oil

Amusement
Humor, memes, plus all the stuff that is too weird for words.
Elf Yourself

Art
From traditional photography to untraditional performances, this category focuses on web-based collections of life, society and culture.
Viscosity

Blog
Sites that revolutionize the power of publishing by providing regularly updated content of a personal or professional nature.
Passive-Aggressive Notes

Business
Sites devoted to the promotional needs, functions and services of for-profit businesses.
Wikinvest

CSS
This category showcases sites that push the boundaries of CSS coding technology.
Ficlets

Classic
While the SXSW Web Awards focus on the best new internet destinations, this category is devoted to sites that launched before January 1, 2007.
Wired

Community
Sites and wikis that have quickly developed an extraordinarily active multi-user community and an exceptional following of users who assist with content development.
Flock

Educational Resource
From elementary school learning to advanced technology-related tips, these are sites that help you learn.
The Story of Stuff

Experimental
These are cutting-edge and trend-setting destinations that are pushing the envelope and challenging our perceptions of the web.
MetaNotes

Film/TV
Sites related to actors, television, films and the film industry, as well as destinations that offer streaming video content.
Animoto Productions

Games
The online destinations that help make your life a lot more fun.
Launchball

Mobile
Sites optimized for handheld and portable devices.
Mosio

Motion Graphics
Animations, cartoons, and other intriguing content built using applications such as Adobe/Macromedia Flash.
HL2

Music
Sites related to musicians, bands, and the music industry, as well online radio and other destinations that offer streaming audio content.
Minuit

Personal Portfolio
The portfolios, pet projects and personal collections of individuals who are displaying their work and passions online.
JLern Design

Student
This category is devoted exclusively to the student web designers who are refreshing this industry with new talent and new ideas.
Paper Critters

Technical Achievement
These are the sites that are re-inventing and re-defining the technical parameters of our online experience.
Twiddla!

People's Choice Award
The online public's favorite finalist from the competition.
Kongregate

Best of Show
The judges' favorite finalist from the competition.
Launchball

Posted by Megan

One of the best panels I've seen so far was called "Make It So: Learning from SciFi Interfaces" presented by Chris Noessel and Nathan Shedroff. They've been watching a ton of science fiction movies and mapping the ways in which they've influenced the design of real things and the ways in which design has influenced science fiction.

One of the big lessons I took away from the panel is the power and danger of anthropomorphism. Using human characteristics can aid learning and make people feel more comfortable, especially when it comes to new technology. The power is that even simple things like sound can anthropomorphize something. For example, in Star Wars, R2D2 is endearing because of the little sighs and bleeps he makes. Human-like behavior can allow be effective. The Amazon One-Click system is like a waiter who remembers what you like order.

The danger of anthropomorphism is that it raises the expectations of the user as to the sophistication of the system and the user will be more disappointed if the functionality isn't not there.

But what really blew my mind was the last session of the day called "LOLWUT? Why Do I Keep Coming Back to This Website?" presented by Ben Huh and Eric Nakagawa of icanhascheezburger.com. What in the world is I Can Has Cheezburger, you ask? It's a growing collection of funny pictures (mostly of cats) with silly captions.



What's so mind-blowing about that? This just-for-fun blog has become a real business with 9 employees and a growing fan base. The internets are a weird and wonderful place!

Posted by Megan

It was tough to get out of Cincinnati this weekend, but I made it to South by Southwest Interactive in one piece. From a blizzard to a balmy day in a matter of hours, Austin is a world away, especially during SXSW. Here, everyone is focused on the future and how creatives are going to shape it.



Designer Jim Coudal tried to define the essence of creativity in a semi-mathematical formula. His idea is that all acts of creativity start by making associations in the brain between a constant and a variable, the known and the unknown. As a simple example, he pointed to a game from his website called Booking Bands. Try to combine a book title with a band name into something funny. You have to start with a constant like “Of Mice and Men”, then run through all the bands you can think of until you come up with Men at Work and you get Of Mice and Men at Work.

After you've made that association between the constant and the variable, if it's good, it will be amplified by passion, the energy to refine the idea and see it through to creation. The final step in the process is "Like" to the third power. Like as in metaphor, summary and aesthetic judgement.

So this is Jim's creative process, but his larger point was that we each need to define our own process to help us put a real value on our work and know what to charge. If we don't have a process to work through, some ideas will be easy and some will be like pulling teeth (but try explaining to a client that your fee will be more because the brainstorming was hard!)

By the time Saturday ended, I was exhausted from a day of travel and heavy thinking. But by Sunday morning, I was ready to go again. I gleaned one particularly valuable lesson from a session about presenting work to clients. When you’re showing them a final design or choice of designs, don’t try to solve problems on the spot. Instead, carefully record everyone’s worries, thoughts and suggestions. Take that back to the office with you and address all the issues, taking your time to find appropriate solutions. When you re-present the work, be sure to go over your list of issues and explain how you found a solution for each one. This kind of careful attention to detail will help prevent you from making promises to clients that end up compromising the design.

Posted by Megan

Just received an e-mail update from the Y Design Conference about space filling up for the event taking place later this month. HOW will be attending--hopefully we'll see you there!

A fascinating exhibit exploring color opens at MoMA this week. But don't worry if you can't make it to the show, the accompanying website captures the flavor of the show with a lovely, polychromatic interface designed by the MoMA team in cooperation with interactive firm Render Monkey.

Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today takes as its point of departure the commercial color chart, an item that openly attests to the status of paint as mass-produced and standardized. Midway through the twentieth century, long-held convictions regarding the spiritual aspects and scientific properties of color gave way to an acceptance and embrace of color as a commercial product. At the same time, many artists rejected traditional artistic pedagogy about the relationships between colors and instead adopted aesthetic approaches that relied on chance, readymade sources, or arbitrary systems. The first major exhibition devoted to this pivotal transformation, Color Chart will feature some 90 works of art—including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, digital art, videos, and films—by 44 artists, primarily ranging in date from the 1950s to the present.

Posted by Megan

Some of the can't-miss events that are taking place all over the country in the next couple weeks that you should know about:

March 11: Deadline for entering Communication Art’s annual photography and illustration competitions

March 11th, 13th, 18th: X-Rite’s “Color Control Freak” seminar will travel to Indianapolis, Houston, Nashville, Kansas City, Minneapolis and Miami 

March 13: AIGA Minnesota’s Design Show of Excellence highlights the region’s top works

March 14: Deadline to enter any projects integrating experimental typography for a new book coming out from publisher PageOne this fall, “TYPOMOFO”

March 21: Deadline to enter HOW’s Promotion Design Awards, where you can submit your best promotional efforts for a chance to win a trip to the 2009 HOW Design Conference.

Every once in a while, I wish I lived in NYC, like when I read that Paul Sahre, James Victore and Jan Wilker are hosting a week-long design workshop this summer from July 21–26. It's $900 but I bet it will be worth every penny. Even if you can't make it to the workshop, check out the site for its unusual navigation.


via Swissmiss

Posted by Megan

PaperSpecs is presenting a free webinar all about letterpress printing Tuesday, February 26 at 2 p.m. EST. Sponsored by Neenah Paper, the webinar features guest speaker Judith Berliner, owner and founder of Full Circle Press, who will also be conducting a session about letterpress at the HOW Design Conference in May.

Posted by Megan

We're absolutely lovin' the poster that Clifford Stoltze and his team in Boston have created for this year's HOW Conference. Keep an eye out in the March/April issue for a full-size pull out.

Pantone and the color experts at X-Rite Color Services today announced the 2008 release of the company’s popular seminar “Color Control Freak”.  With a completely revised curriculum, Color Control Freak 08 offers an in-depth understanding of color, its value in the design process, and techniques for proper reproduction. The seminar travels to 24 cities from March until May including stops in Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Seattle.

Posted by Megan

This sounds like an amazing trip: AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design (AIGA XCD) together with Package and Design Magazine of China are leading a design expedition deep into the heart of China's flourishing design economy. The two-week event will include visits to great design firms and schools and a tour the Great Wall of China, pluse trips to cities such as Beijing, Tianjing, Xi'an, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. For more information visit xcd.aiga.org.

Posted by Megan

Our conference and new media colleagues worked overtime this holiday season to launch the website for this year's HOW Design Conference, May 18–21 in Boston.

It's got all the info you need to plot your course for the conference, including a complete lineup of sessions, workshops, speakers, extra events and more. About half the speakers are new to the conference (including John Bielenberg, Kevin Farnham, Von Glitschka, David Schimmel and Maggie Macnab), and you'll also find a few old faves like Sam Harrison, Perula Vrontikis, the Modern Dog kids and Jeff Fisher.

Whatever you're jonesin' for, we've got you covered: creative inspiration (don't miss Bill Strickland), business guidance (David Baker's the man), pricing strategies (hit the workshop with Peleg Top and Ilise Benun), advice for in-house designers (Michael Lejeune of L.A. Metro, which scored big in HOW's first annual In-HOWse Design Awards will be there).

Go. Choose. Register. Count the days.

See you in Boston!

Learn to seperate the myths from the realities of digital printing in a free webinar on Monday, December 17 at  2 p.m. (Reservation is required.)

Posted by Megan

AIGA San Francisco and the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design will present the third biennial Compostmodern conference on January 19th in San Francisco. Compostmodern is an interdisciplinary design conference dedicated to promoting sustainable solutions within the design community at large.

Posted by Megan

Artists/designers Saelee Oh and Jill Bliss will be showing their collaborative illustrations at