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 Friday, October 02, 2009
Luscious Logos
Kitsune Noir posted about the logo designs of a mysterious Flickr user called Super Furry this morning. These things are seriously gorgeous and I had to know who was behind the work, so I googled around, found an email address and sent off a message.
Turns out, all the work was created by an Austin, TX-based designer named
Simon Walker. I asked Simon to tell me a little bit more about himself and here's what he said:
I work in the design group at GSD&M in Austin, Texas. I do freelance from time to time, but try (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep it to a minimum. I can be reached at 4thebetterdays@gmail.com for work.
Went to the University of North Texas for communication design:
graduated in the fall of 1999. Worked at 2 agencies in Dallas before moving to Austin to work at GSD&M in 2002. Been there ever since, except for one brief stint at a small agency in San Antonio for a year (which was actually responsible for most of the logos you may have seen).
Thanks again for the compliments - I have no true idea how I developed my style. I've always been obssessed with letters, starting with graffiti as a kid in England (I moved to the States in 88). Got into calligraphy for a bit, then discovered graphic design in 96. I like to keep my style clean and precise - even when it's roughened in any way, it's very deliberate. Every notch and scratch is accounted for. Maybe I'm OCD. A lot of designers are, I think.
I love logos for the challenge: there's sometimes nothing more
intimidating than a blank screen or a blank sheet of paper in the
first stages of logo development, but the minute you nail the concept is a sweet moment. Then you get to execute it, play around with style, and that's the fun part.
My main inspiration, otherwise, has been T-shirt art. I love T-shirt illustrations - they're almost like logos in a way, telling a story or
communicating a feeling in one brief encounter on the street or at the store. I've been inspired by more illustrators and designers involved in T-shirt design around the world than nearly anyone else.
Thanks for sharing more about yourself, Simon. Be sure to check out his collection of logos on Flickr.
 Posted by Megan
Designers
Friday, October 02, 2009 6:14:18 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
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Creative Break
The next time you need a slight distraction to get your brain back in the creativity game, check out The Hello Project and find a unique way to say "hi" to the world.
The Hello Project is an online social collaboration giving people
the chance to say hi, hello, or hola on one of today's most common yet
neglected canvases: the Post-it®.How it works is simple. Take a regular 3x3 Post-it® and write/sketch/doodle your version of hello. Scan it, email it to hi@thehelloproject.com, and then we'll post it for everyone to see.
via The Donut ProjectPosted by Megan
Just for Fun
Friday, October 02, 2009 1:16:50 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Job Of The Day
Art Director/Designer
Dead As We Know It, Brooklyn, NY
We are looking for an extremely talented individual that has amazing
design and time management skills. The position requires the individual
to balance multiple projects from concept to production. We do
everything in-house meaning there's opportunities to fully develop
everything from print, outdoor, books, TV spots, clothing, motion
graphics. Responsibilities include working with the client to fulfill
day to day requests and working closely with the creative director to
execute concepts.
Our main clients are high-end hip liquors.
We are looking for someone who has great design aesthetics. We try to
not just do commercial art, but try to make pieces that people would
want to keep as special objects, like souvenirs, whether it's an ad,
book, etc.Posted by Megan
Industry News
Friday, October 02, 2009 12:31:13 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Thursday, October 01, 2009
Pentagram Partner Hangs Out His Own Shingle
 
Big news today from one of the world's leading independent design agencies: Longtime Pentagram partner and 2004 AIGA Medalist Kit Hinrichs is establishing his own Studio Hinrichs in San Francisco.
Hinrichs departs Pentagram after 23 years, a tenure that produced award-winning work for clients like California Academy of Sciences, Muzak, Sappi Fine Paper, Gymboree and Design Within Reach.
Hinrichs is also teaming with his writing collaborator Delphine Hirasuna and creating a sideline
business called Hinrichs + Hirasuna Special Projects, which will focus on projects of personal and professional interest.
From a press release:
“While I will miss the creative collaboration within Pentagram,” says Hinrichs, “I’m excited by the possibilities presented in what I consider the third chapter of my career. I look forward to building on all that I’ve learned and ensuring that my best work is still to come.”
Industry News
Thursday, October 01, 2009 7:26:39 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Moveable Type
Minneapolis broadcast design & animation studio motion504 recently completed the reception sponsor reel for the Minneapolis screening of the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the American Commercial. The inventive title sequence introduces each reception sponsor through a cinematic narrative that imagines the craft of "moving type" via mechanical gadgets that look as if they were built a century ago.
Set in a world with a turn-of-the-last-century aesthetic, the visually striking sequence opens at the storefront of the fictional Verne Bros. Kinetic Type Company. Inside, the elderly protagonist earnestly works away during the wee small hours at his closed shop. His undertakings are a mystery until, suddenly, peculiar kinetic gadgets appear and unexplainably come to life. His compelling conjurations abound in the dusty workshop, as each unique gadget unravels with science-defying wonder, creatively introducing the AICP reception sponsors, one by one.
To view the AICP Minnesota Show reception sponsor reel, go to: http://www.motion504.com/AICP_show/
 Posted by Megan
Typography
Thursday, October 01, 2009 5:53:20 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Job Of The Day
Full or Associate Professor of Design
University of Wisconsin, Milwuakee
In the newly created Design Research Institute, the faculty member will
establish an extramurally funded research program to build on
outstanding design research. The Design Research Institute fosters
design thinking and collaborative design research projects with
university departments, corporations and industry in areas such as
industrial design, engineering, architecture, business, fresh water
sciences, education, human experience, interactivity and informatics.
In
the Department of Visual Art, the faculty member will teach design at
the professional, graduate or undergraduate level in areas of
expertise. Faculty members are expected to contribute to the
department, school and university through committee service and faculty
shared-governance responsibilities.Posted by Megan
Industry News
Thursday, October 01, 2009 1:26:03 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Phoenix Design Week Update
Phoenix Design Week will have its inaugural event from October 21st-25th. The week will feature galleries during the week, showing local work of graphic, interactive and motion designers. Among the exhibits will be a display of client rejected logos, a paper sculpture showcase and a collaborative poster show with work from students from 4 different local design programs.
Friday night will kick off the weekend with the Typophile Film Fest at MadCap Theatres. The typography themed short film fest is only being shown in a few select cities, with Phoenix being lucky enough to be included in this exclusive list.
The weekend conference is being held at the Phoenix Convention Center in the heart of downtown Phoenix. The list of speakers includes the national president of the AIGA, Debbie Millman, Chaz Maviyane-Davies the "guerilla of graphic design", Eric Hillerns, Bobby Solomon, Bennet Peji and many others. The panels, presentations, workshops and roundtable discussions held during the weekend conference are meant to bring together the design community in an unprecedented way.
 Posted by Megan
Events
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 5:27:41 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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Selling the Invsible
Fast Company offers an interesting case study about how design/branding firm Addis Creson is working with Better Place to brand their infrastructure plan that would make electric vehicles more accessible for consumers.
Better Place doesn't offer a new product or technology when it
comes to transportation, it merely unites many of the solutions that
already exist, bringing them together a smarter, more efficient way.
That was the challenge in and of itself, says John Creson, whose
Berkeley, California-based firm Addis Creson,
along with PR company Hill & Knowlton, was responsible for
branding the system and translating its benefits to consumers. In
essence, they were entrusted with helping to envision a post-petroleum
future for drivers who wanted to make better choices.
 Posted by Megan
Designers | Thought Provoking
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 2:38:05 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)
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