Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

43. Always ask if a choice is driven by emotion or what’s in your real best interest

Recently we made a decision to downsize our space. Initially I felt badly about leaving behind such a beautiful office.

I knew that keeping cash at hand was more important for the company’s health, but it took a while for my gut to catch up with my brain.

Reminder to self: Consider letting the brain drive a little more than gut.

In a delightful new study, which will be published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, psychologist Jackie Andrade of the University of Plymouth in southern England showed that doodlers actually remember more than nondoodlers when asked to retain tediously delivered information, like, say, during a boring meeting or a lecture.

Posted by Megan

If you have a social issue at heart, a poster that says it all and you just want as many eyes as possible on it, check out Power to the Poster.

"There is a restless, hopeful movement with eyes set on new possibilities for change leading to the prosperity of the collective. And, of course, there is the clutter-ridden madness of a constant control room information flow.

"Power to the Poster is the former taken to dismantling the latter."

Posted by Jessie

Design guidelines are typically communicated in a number of ways - reports, presentations, working sessions, collaborative discussions, etc. - but the checklist format might be an even more effective communication tool.

Posted by Megan

The Morton Umbrella Girl got her start in 1914. The logo was produced as part of a series of ads in Good Housekeeping. The concept was that Morton Salt - unlike regular salt of the day - poured without clumps, even in damp weather. The company added magnesium carbonate as an absorbing agent to ensure that its table salt poured freely (it had since been changed to calcium silicate).

At first, the advertising agency suggested "Even in rainy weather, it flows freely" as the company's motto. Morton felt that it was too long, and the motto was changed to the catchier "When it Rains it Pours."

Posted by Megan

A particular article in your August issue struck a chord with me and I feel compelled to share the results with you. "For Goodness' Sake" highlighted various designers using their skills to do good. One of the important characteristics presented in the article was the need for designers to be "problem seekers" as much as "problem solvers." Designers should react to the problems and inequities that they see instead of waiting for someone to approach them.

I decided to volunteer for a company that had one sentence devoted to it within the three-spread article. Rosa Loves is a t-shirt label that focuses its products on helping individuals in need. The enclosed t-shirt is the result of my work with them and the Preemptive Love Coalition (the nonprofit involved in this specific shirt). Proceeds from its sale go to an Iraqi boy in need of surgery on his heart.

Posted by Megan

2. Collaborative making is a sign of maturity in your portfolio. I respect nothing more than seeing a designer's portfolio stuffed with killer creative work, chased by a presentation where the designer talks about how they brought the unique strengths of each team member to bear on the work. The designer carries the vision, while the team supports it. Such a designer can become a leader.

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

I argue that when people are switching contexts every 10 and half minutes they can't possibly be thinking deeply. There's no way people can achieve flow. When I write a research article, it takes me a couple of hours before I can even begin to think creatively. If I was switching every 10 and half minutes, there's just no way I'd be able to think deeply about what I'm doing. This is really bad for innovation. When you're on the treadmill like this, it's just not possible to achieve flow

Posted by Megan

We’re all surrounded by the same influences, exposed to the same shapes, forms and patterns. With the importance of branding in the marketplace, and thousands of designers working on similar projects, it’s obvious ideas will, from time-to-time, look almost identical.

Posted by Megan

I read once about the artist Sophie Calle regularly and anonymously posting items of clothing to an acquaintance as she felt he had the potential to dress more elegantly. There is something about little acts of constructive goodness that appeals to me. I wanted to provide a vehicle to let people do this for free – I like the fact that it can only have positive outcomes. People may be slightly offended at the advice they receive, but this will hopefully be overridden by the fact that somebody has taken the time send it in the first place. To know that somebody cares is important.

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Making more stuff — no matter how green that stuff is — will not really help combat global warming or reduce our collective carbon footprint. Companies need to produce things and need to make money by selling them — understood — but to me, the idea of simply creating more (albeit greener) product is pretty much on par with lowering gas prices as a solution to skyrocketing oil costs. When will we consider behavior? When we will commit to innovation?

After all, the First Amendment promises that anyone can express him- or herself in writing, yet writers don’t live in fear that people are issuing unlicensed prose. Everyone (at least in theory) learns to read and write in school, which is to the benefit of daily communication, and not the detriment of professional writers. Neither my self-image nor my pro-fessional standing is threatened if you write a letter or a memo or a poem celebrating someone’s birthday, or, for that matter, publish an article or create a blog. Literacy doesn’t quench the demand for skillful writing—it enhances it.

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

• Design is a tool for achieving specific results. Being responsive, we begin each project by learning exactly what results our client expects. This then becomes our communications goal.
• Establishing an appropriate, positive emphasis is the key. This, in conjunction with good graphic design, is our special skill.
• Our work exhibits a great diversity of styles and imagery. In an era of design specialists, we invariably believe that as varied as the messages are, so should the means of conveying them.

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

New York City has a population of approximately 9 million people in all five boroughs, plus the visitor influx. The average per capita annual use of agricultural produce is approximately 711 pounds (12). The combined per capita consumption of the entire population of New York City is nearly 3 million tons, which translates into 266,000 acres of cropland needed solely for growing produce for New York City. The total ecological footprint of food consumption alone for New York City, as a whole, is over 28.8 million acres. This is 1.2% of the total U.S. land area.

If the marketplace today has become alienating and disconnected, then buying something handmade, from another individual, rolls back the clock to an era before factory labor and mass production.

4. Avoid multiple concepts

Many clients like the idea of having the option to choose between multiple design concepts. However, although on the surface this might appear to be a good idea it can ultimately be counterproductive for design sign off. In a world of limited budgets it is unwise to waste money on producing designs that are ultimately going to be thrown away. The resources would be better spent refining a single design through multiple iterations. What is more, multiple concepts often cause confusion rather than clarity. It is common for a client to request one element from one design and another from the second. As any designer knows this seldom works.

via Swissmiss

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Gather a team

When you work alone, without other people to tell you how you're doing, it can be difficult to see how you can improve. A friend of mine from the consulting firm Deloitte & Touche calls this syndrome "inhaling your own exhaust fumes."

Build a board of advisors who feel free to kick your ass when your solitude weakens your judgment. You'll need five people, with different backgrounds and perspectives. Your dream team might include:

• a longtime friend
• a mentor
• a marketing expert
• a colleague in your industry
• a former boss

My board of advisors includes Tad Smith, a one-time business partner of mine. When I was out of work and wanted to become the CEO of a major corporation, Tad told me to forget the big, prestigious Fortune 500 companies that I was targeting. Find a smaller firm that can grow, he said. Tad was right, and I soon became CEO at the game company YaYa.

Report to the board on your successes, failures and goals on a regular basis. Listen to their advice and criticism. If most of them give you the same advice, follow it.

Jonathan Paisner, brand experience director at CoreBrand, just posted an interesting piece about a lawsuit by Johnson & Johnson against The American Red Cross over the use of said cross on first-aid products.

It is one of the world’s most recognized symbols. It has become the de facto mark of disaster relief. It is almost universally associated with first aid. Yet this symbol is no mere generic icon signifying that help is on the way. The red cross symbol is owned by and registered to Johnson & Johnson, as it has been for over 100 years. And, for the American National Red Cross, this has suddenly become a problem – pitting one of the country’s most venerable corporations against one of its largest and most iconic non-profits.

Despite J&J’s ownership and use of the mark since the 1880’s, the American National Red Cross has the right to use the red cross by a 1900 Congressional decree in connection with the agency’s founding charter. The red cross has peacefully co-existed on Band-Aid boxes and rescue vans pretty much ever since.  However, in a lawsuit brought this week by Johnson & Johnson against The American National Red Cross, J&J claims that the Red Cross is overstepping its bounds and infringing upon the J&J trademark by marketing a range of first aid related products that carry the red cross.

In my mind, J&J is 100% right.

Posted by Megan

DESIGN 21 has announced the results of the organization's first-ever global design competitions, which asked designers around the world to submit ideas and directly address major social issues including global warming, natural disaster response and children's education.

"Child’s Play" asked participants to design an object that cultivates imagination and creativity by prompting a child to invent his or her own way of playing and interacting.  The winning design, Yo’Play by Barro de Gast (ITALY) is a simple yogurt packaging that doubles as a modular construction toy.  
 

"ShelterMe" was inspired by recent natural disasters and challenged participants to design a temporary, lightweight, strong and easily deployed emergency shelter.  The winning design by Patrick Wharram (US) is a foldable framework of polyester and aluminum, condensed into one unit making it easy to store. 

Stumbling around the internet this morning, I came across an interesting list of creative women. The list was compiled to help conference organizers find female speakers for their events, but it's also just an interesting list to peruse. There are designers, artists, writers, photographers and more.

via Neatorama

The famous cave paintings of Lascaux now have their own website where you can take a virtual tour of the world's first designs.

We've all been in meetings where it seems like some of the people just talk and talk and talk, while others hang back, saving their comments for later. Fast Company has a great story about these two different styles of thinking: some people talk out loud in order to think, whereas other people like to think long and hard before they open their mouths. Find out which style of thinking you favor and learn how to deal with the other.

There's an interesting discussion on the HOW Forum about how to conduct useful student critiques. Design educators, students and former students are welcome to add their insights.

We've been gearing up for the HOW Conference and working on a program for this year's Networking Lunch, so I was excited to see a great post on BoDo about how to explain what you do to people you meet. Apparently, it's all about the benefits. So I guess instead of saying "I'm an editor," I should say "I collect and share information that helps designers do their jobs better." Not bad!

Before you hit the beach for your summer vacation, make sure to check out the new book from photographer Richard Misrach called On the Beach. In this new series of 35 images, Misrach captures the vast scale of the ocean in juxtaposition to the smallness of humans. The images are both gorgeous and humbling. You can see more by visiting the Fraenkel Gallery site and clicking on Artists, then Richarch Misrach.

As we've been wrapping up our August issue, which is all about the future of design, I've naturally had the FUTURE on my mind. So I was drawn to a story in today's Fast Company newsletter called "The Future is a Mixed Bag," all about the upsides and downsides of what's to come. It's certainly worth a read, plus the author looks like a young Bill Murray!

via Oh Joy!

Handmade Nation is a documentary about "the rise if DIY art, craft and design."

While the film is right up my alley, it's also cool because HOW Books just published a book by Josh Chen called Fingerprint that's all about handmade elements in graphic design. You can read an excerpt from it in the February 2007 issue.

Here's an interesting story about the future of magazines from The Taipei Times.

It won't be long before buying a copy of the Economist at your local newsagent could become as niche an activity as buying a vinyl LP. Instead of leisurely flicking through a magazine on the sofa with a cup of tea, you will read it on the Web, download it on to a piece of e-paper or simply publish it yourself.

According to David Renard, author of The Last Magazine, in the next 25 years, only 10 percent of the European and US paper-based magazine industry will remain, kept alive by "connoisseurs, aficionados and ageing Luddites."

The rest of us will embrace the publishing revolution. Instead of nipping to the newsagent, you will download the day's news, sport or business pages from a vending machine and read it on a piece of e-paper. And when you finish, you'll put the e-paper in your briefcase and update the content the next day.

More.

Another entry in the MFA is the MBA of the future category, Ad Age columnist Simon Dumenco ruminates on the power of a good logo:

How much is a good logo worth? Oh, say, $800M
That's what I estimate YouTube's logo is worth -- that's how much value it added to YouTube's $1.65 billion price tag. Without that logo, without that simple, eye-catching brand mark, would YouTube have commanded even, say, $800 million? YouTube cofounder -- and YouTube logo designer -- Chad Hurley is still, when you get right down to it, a designer at heart. He designed (literally) a brand, and the audience followed. He's a (Steve) Jobsian. More and more designers like Hurley -- guys who can literally design brands and launch them virtually in real time -- are going to get obscenely rich over the next few years. Forget technologists. It's designers (those with just enough web literacy) that are really building the new new economy.

Design blog Unbeige recently posted two interesting, yet contradictory, articles about architectural design. One, from the U.K.’s Guardian, is all about how modern architecture makes us fat with elevators, escalators, automatic doors and the easy accessibility of things in general. The other, from the New York Times, is about the importance of Universal Design, which makes things accessible to the handicapped and the elderly, or just a guy trying to carry a bunch of boxes into a building.

Community leaders and policy-makers may fear the “obesity epidemic,” but if they start removing the elevators and making us climb lots of stairs, they’ll unintentionally discriminate against the handicapped and the elderly, a huge and growing segment of the population.

It makes me wonder what kind of havoc our society’s fear of fat is going wreak on anyone who’s not “normal.” It’s already been documented that heavy people make less money than their thinner counterparts. But there’s also been a backlash against skinny models.

Maybe it’s time that we embrace the fact that people naturally comes in lots of different shapes and sizes and use design to make the world a friendlier place for everyone. (Now, I’m going to step off my soapbox and adjust my ergonomic desk chair.)

From Scientific American

Despite those who romanticize depression as the wellspring of artistic genius, studies find that people are most creative when they are in a good mood, and now researchers may have explained why: For better or worse, happy people have a harder time focusing. More.

Over on Design Observer, Michael Bierut recently made some interesting observations about the lack of female design stars, and the comments that followed reveal the complex nature of the issue. The editors and designers of HOW are all women and we make a conscious effort to include women in the magazine, as judges of our competitions and as speakers at our conferences. We also keep age and ethnicity in mind. For us, it's about providing a true representation of the industry and offering our readers a range of role models they can relate to.

So why are there so few female design "stars"? I can't help but think that the mainstream media (rather than the design press) is a big part of the problem. Every time I come across a design story in a business magazine or daily paper, it features the usual suspects. If there's a woman included, it's Paula Scher. I love Paula's work, I think she's a great example of an articulate, talented designer. But there are plenty of women in this industry who are similarly gifted.

So, in the end, it may well be an issue of self-promotion. Maybe the bulk of female designers aren't concerned with status and would rather focus on doing good work. I don't know. What I do know, is that we'll continue to search for talented designers, both male and female.

via Neatorama

Every year, we see more and more amazing design coming out of Croatia. But we had no idea just  how gorgeous the country itself is. Photographer Jack Brauer took this amazing photo of waterfalls at the Plitvicka Jezera National Park in Croatia.

Do you find it difficult to stay away from the internet for more than a few days (or a few hours)? Have you stayed online longer than you intended often or very often? Have you ever attempted to conceal your internet usage from family, friends or employers? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you may be suffering from internet addication according to a recent Stanford University study.

via Signal vs. Noise