Articles in Design

Logo designer beware

image

Coming from a design background I'm going to say something heretical.

Logos are useless and everyone who design logos for a living had better find something else to do with their time.

The company I use to work had a complicated business to say the least and was not terribly brandable. I believe that most companies are going to be this way going forward. It might even be hard to create a logo for even a sandwich shop, it might seem easy but what would differentiate it from the sandwhich shop down the street?

“What do we do?” is the million dollar question for any company, and one rarely asked. I doubt just a logo can answer that question and more often than not that is what is being asked of a designer in the logo creation process. A good designer will do the research, and create media friendly iconography, and then hope that the company is willing to attempt to make a brand connection to it.

There in lies the challange to companies. Once you engage in the creation of a logo, the willingness to put the full force of the company and it’s people behind the logo to breath life into it.

Photo credit

Posted on Tuesday, July 06, 2010 in BrandingBusinessDesignStrategy

Solider on Partner: Halls ads

image

I actually like these ads. While not terribly original, everyone can relate to these ads especially in the light of cold season. However, here's the one thing I don't like. Shouldn't these people if they are that sick be at home in bed? More images after the jump.

...Read More

Posted on Monday, January 18, 2010 in CritiqueDesign

One problem really


Love this graphic. I think it's clever and relevant but really there is one problem, not everyone knows 99 Problems by Jay-Z.

As a professional communicator it’s my job to make sure info-graphics can connect to it’s audience. Does this do it? It’s arguable, but it is still a very smart graphic. Graphic created by this guy

Posted on Saturday, December 12, 2009 in Design

Wall-e closing credits

Finally saw Wall-e this week. The best part in my opinion is the closing credits. It basically showed the (re) evolution of man through art. Great piece.

Posted on Friday, December 11, 2009 in CreativityDesign

Some links I find interesting

I've set myself the task of cleaning out my delicious bookmarks. Since I've had the account for a bout 4 years, there are a lot of dead links, sites I really don't need bookmark and some rediscovering some wonderful sources of inspiration. Here are a few:

Embrace your bottom - This article is about spending time designing the footer of your webpage

Greatest internet moments - This site is a lot of fun. It’s amazing what held our attention when the web is young

The Art of Kadir Nelson - I love some of this guy genre paintings. It reminds me when I was a painter once upon a time

Illuminated bible by St John University - I always been fascinated with illumination. This is a modern take using the traditional tools of illuminating

Posted on Sunday, November 15, 2009 in BusinessDesign

Your business card sucks


I don't want to buy business cards.

Not one primarily for contact information anyway. I think it's a waste of paper and a waste of time. The business card concept might be a dead one, but like email, what else is there? It's the currency of business contact information when meeting someone face to face. Electronic exchanges is the future, once there is a way to make the exchange easily or everyone gets hip enough for an iPhone so they can do that bump thing.

There seems to me that this transaction is superficial at best. My name is unique enough that a quick google search would yield not only contact information but so much more so much faster. Much more than having to dig out a business card. The business cards I receive go right into my contact database, along with any information that I remember about them that actually makes person on the business card not just a name, a number and a title. To me that is much more robust than a business card in a roledex.

...Read More

Posted on Friday, September 04, 2009 in BusinessCreativityDesign

...On creativity

Great video on creativity

Posted on Monday, June 22, 2009 in CreativityDesign

Page 1 of 1 pages