Design with Purpose - Dana Burrows

Leading off the articles Aaron, Melany and Laura have posted about propaganda about how graphic design is a powerful art-form; and how it can be very influential on an audience. As graphic designers, being able to connect with our audience is essential. To portray a message and the mood of a piece, we use colour, choose our layouts and images.  These are  used  to portray how the poster should feel to the audience.

This leaves us with such potential. Potential to do so much more than design pretty things for companies or events. There is nothing wrong with doing this, don't misunderstand me.  I'm merely stating that we have an opportunity to do make an impact; send a message; inspire thought and to encourage the audience to look at things from a a different perspective.

Whether it's a campaign we feel passionate about, or a brochure and flyer, it's about getting a point out there. Design is the way to connect to our audience. So why not use our expertise to make a difference or bring about change when given the chance?

In my research of design making a difference I found an interview with Jacqui Stuart who is the creative mind behind the 'Design with Purpose'. After only graduating in 2011 from Whanganui School of Design and despite being new to the industry, Stuart is already making a positive presence with this initiative.

'Design with Purpose' is a perfect example of no project being to small, no issue is not worth addressing. It is a local project with purpose. It comprises of 15 New Zealand designers, illustrators and artists collaborated to create a visual feast of custom illustrated playing cards to help support Forest and Bird NZ. One of the very unique things about this project is it was entirely organised through Facebook and started by Jaqcui Stuart.

You can find out more about this here.

When asked what led her to create 'Design with Purpose':

“I have always been passionate about design and art as long as I can remember...The main thing that led me to create 'Design with Purpose' was a want to use design to change the world. I know its only a small step but it is in the right direction. Hopefully over time we can make a real difference, not just with the work but also with the way people see design. I want people to realise that design is a powerful tool.”

You can read Jacqui's full interview here.

I also came across this website with helping Designers make change conscience decisions when out in the industry if you are interested :

http://psd.tutsplus.com/articles/10-ways-to-take-design-action-and-make-a-positive-difference-in-the-world/ 

Found on 8th April

http://www.designassembly.org.nz/articles/design-with-social-purpose

Amazing Disabled Artists - Toni Nefdt

My response to the Joseph Churchward podcast was to research known artists who have minor, or major disabilities but continue to produce internationally recognized work. The podcast lead me to these artists because Joseph Churchward mentions that when he was in Wellington Technical College, he was chasing someone and he ran through a glass door, injuring his hand severely and leaving his fingers in a locked position. When asked if he thought he would lose his hand to the injury, he replies, "Well I thought I might, but I just completed 604 [typefaces] from a sick hand." 

I immediately thought of Chuck Close and his disabilities such as Prosopagnosia (or "face blindness", for the people like myself who couldn't pronounce prosopagnosia), severe dyslexia, and the spinal artery rupture that left him half paralyzed and wheelchair bound, which lead me to discover more artists with these kind of restrictions, both mental and physical conditions.

Click here to view a video of Chuck Close talking about his prosopagnosia and his "life changing" paralysis, along with his coping strategies. 

During further investigation, I came across an artist called Stephen Wiltshire, a world famous architectural artist who has autism savant. His most recent work features an intricate, eighteen foot wide panoramic landscape of the skyline of New York City, after only viewing it once during a 20 min helicopter ride. 

Peter Longstaff is an artist who is missing both arms so he paints with his feet.

Peter Longstaff's Christmas Card painting (I couldn't paint
this as beautifully even if I had 10 arms!  *sad face*)

MichaelMonaco is a quadriplegic who paints beautiful, vibrant and natural pieces of art with his mouth. He is a member of The Mouth and Foot Painters Association.

Through bad fortune, or fate, it is interesting how these artists continue to produce artwork fuelled by their passion. It makes me think about what would happen if I lost a limb, became sick or had to deal with any kind of hardship that disabled me from doing what I've worked hard for. What would you do? Would you give up your profession to pursue a false dream? Would you make things easier for yourself and just do what is expected of you? Or would you continue doing what you do best, despite the radical changes you've encountered?

sources:

http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2010/03/the-amazing-art-of-disabled-artists/ 

http://www.biography.com/people/chuck-close-9251491?page=1

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/video/blog/2010/07/artist_chuck_close_on_overcomi.html

http://www.michaelmonaco.com/

http://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/

Classic Colour - Dana Burrows

After reading Jason's article about acknowledging those who came before us to influence our work, it reminded me of an article I came across recently about designer Anna Kövecses.

Anna Kövecses is a Hungarian born graphic designer, illustrator, amateur photographer and videographer who is currently living and working in Cyprus in the Mediterranean.

Kövecses finds most of her inspiration from the 60's, Eastern Europe books, magazines, furniture and ceramics that filled her house from back when she was a child. She has a very strong Bauhaus influence about the pieces she creates.

She uses different elements in her work such as typography.   She mainly uses Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Albanian and Polish letters and words because she loves the look and sound of them.  I believe this helps with the Bauhaus emphasis that she gives to her  work.

After entering a number of design competitions she was able to create a substantial portfolio which eventually were selected and published in three different LogoLounge books.  She has worked with such brands as DISH, Kempinski, TAG Heuer, NESpresso and Reebok.

“Looking at the colour choices people made in the past really helps to improve my graphic design work. When choosing colours, I try to surprise myself with ones I certainly wouldn't think of immediately... I try to break my own rules and bring in some fresh combinations.”

Bizarre, poster design, 2012.

Mej'viz @ Szimpla, 2012.

Aritzia Reviews Issue 5, 2013.

DISH Installation Van Design,  2012.

Take That Step!

Poster design selected for Let's Be Brief's 'The Art of Winning' exhibition, 2012.

This is an example of tapping back into past designers to help us with our work today. There is little out there today that is completely original. In the design world we basicly build off past designs and alter and regenerate what is already there.   Personally I do not think that this is  a bad thing. Even if our completed work has been influenced from what we started with, it has still ended up being something that we have spent time over and has resulted having our imprint on it.  

Why Can't I Be You: Jessica Hische-Stephie Chen

I was found an interview of Jessica Hische.Jessica Hische is a designer, illustrator, and typographer living in Brooklyn, NY.

Talking art school, Wes Anderson, and the importance of working hard in your 20s with an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer.

Jessica, thank you for being so generous with your time! Once I discovered how to activate the Teen Girl mode on your website,* I knew you were one of us, and we really had to talk. So tell us: what is it, exactly, that you love about what you do?

I love almost everything about what I do. I get paid to draw all day, I get to read and respond to wonderful emails from aspiring designers, illustrators, and letterers and help them in any way I can, and I get to travel around the world talking at conferences and meeting people whose work I admire. I’m definitely a lucky girl, and every now and then I have to step away and remind myself just how lucky I am.

You created the film titles for Moonrise Kingdom. What was it like to work with Wes Anderson?

It was a dream, because Wes had his hand in every aspect of the visual process. I would get emails at 2 AM asking to make the R slightly smaller, or to make something else a little bit rounder. I didn’t expect that attention to detail.

Jessica’s lettering for Moonrise Kingdom.

What is your stance on attending design school—is it necessary for the type of work that you do?

I think attending art school is an awesome and wonderful experience whether or not you know for sure if you want to be a fine artist. College in general is really just a wonderful way to transition into adulthood, as long as you don’t treat it like a massive excuse to party and drink your brain cells away. I worked incredibly hard in school, and because of that my professors gave me opportunities that other students didn’t have. School is what you make of it, and you could go to any college and get a great education as long as there are a couple of professors there who are willing to put the time in and that you, in turn, are willing to give 110%. There are people out there that say college isn’t necessary, but I definitely wasn’t mature enough to enter the workforce at 18, and I feel like I really found myself in art school. Plus, there are very few other opportunities to be surrounded by so many like-minded people having intense discussions about your work. I miss art school like crazy because those kind of critiques are hard to come by, and no matter how many artsy friends I have, nothing compares to being surrounded by 100 peers, all working 24 hours a day, exhausted but excited.

What advice do you have about getting internships, making connections, and getting your foot in the door? Also, please tell us how you got my dream job working with Louise Fili!

For anyone out there looking for an internship, the best advice I can give is: meet with everyone in person if possible. You’re far more likely to be hired if people get to know you a bit, and I’ve definitely come across a number of young designers that I would probably hire before even looking at their portfolio just because I think they’d be fun to have around the office, and they have the right attitude about learning and working for someone else. You might be the most talented person out there, but if you’re not pleasant to be around or have an ego bigger than Michigan, you will have a much harder time finding a really excellent job with someone willing to mentor you.

I ended up working for Louise almost by accident—I was a huge admirer of her work, and so I sent her a little gift in the mail. I didn’t expect anything in return, I just wanted to show her some of what I was making and tell her how much I loved her work. She called me up for a portfolio review and that day offered me a job. It completely floored me that reaching out to someone personally could make such a difference, and that you didn’t necessarily have to send over a résumé and cover letter to get someone to peek through your portfolio.

Jessica’s entirely new font, Buttermilk.

You grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. We get comments from Rookies all the time saying, “My town is so boring—what do I do?” How did you beat boredom and keep yourself creatively satisfied?

I think the biggest challenge anyone from a small town has to face is how to defeat small-mindedness and not get caught up in the drama that can happen in an insular community. Once I was able to gain perspective and feel more connected with the world through traveling and by attending a university fairly far from home, it was a lot easier to overcome any obstacles that might have existed before. But I’ve always loved to make art, and I think I would have pursued it whether I came from a small town or a big city. I’m happy that I’ve had the opportunities to avoid being a big fish in a very small pond.

You’ve certainly expanded your pond, from having spent most of your professional life up to now between Brooklyn and San Francisco. I’m curious if you’ve observed any major differences in the professional and social environments of the two coasts.

The main difference I’ve seen in San Francisco is, because the community is smaller and more tech-focused, people are incredibly hungry for more design events, workshops, and community-related activities. In New York, there is always so much going on that by starting up another event you don’t feel like you’re making a huge difference, but in San Francisco you do. I think it’s a great place for me to be for now. I miss Brooklyn terribly, but I love all the people I’ve met in San Francisco, and I definitely love my studio situation here so much.

Your studio is kind of amazing. You work independently, in your own office, which you share with another designer. What kind of person succeeds and enjoys this type of work situation?

I think people that have the most success in any career are those that can remain a bit humble—or at least empathetic—no matter what their career status. If you love people—love interacting with them, working with them—you’ll have success in your career. To have success as an independent designer or creative type, you have to be driven, you have to at least try to be organized, and you have to be pleasant to work with. Art directors will come back to you over and over again if you make the experience of working together a pleasant one. If you ask them, they will tell you that the number-one thing that turns them off from working with a person again is if that person was disrespectful, unkind, or seemed “above” the project. Freelancing is all about forming short partnerships with art directors and clients and making them feel that you’re as excited about it as they are.

A day planner designed by Jessica with full-page typographical illustrations.

So many creative people I meet—fellow students, design teachers, work colleagues—have a hard time saying no to projects, and get overwhelmed by committing too much. I love your “Should I Work for Free?” flow chart, because sometimes it’s OK to take a break from saying yes! Do you have any advice for the chronically nice?

It’s OK to do work for free if it’s for a cause you believe in, but know when you’re being taken advantage of and when you’re not. I think one of the best ways to work for free or cheap is to actually invoice the client for what they should be paying, and then outline the discount that you’re giving them for whatever reason, like “I love what your non-profit does!” And let them know that if they come back to you for more work, the same discount might not apply. In this way, they treat you as if they’ve hired you as an expensive designer, with respect and as a partner, even if they aren’t actually paying you like one. This also prevents you from doing cheap work for them or others forever.

Also, forgive yourself for occasionally doing free work just because you want to, as long as you don’t think that doing so will injure others in your industry. If a giant corporation asks you to do something for free, and you accept it, you’re actually helping to devalue ALL designers’ work, but if a friend asks you to design an album cover for free, you’re just doing a favor for a friend. There is definitely a distinction.

How much time and devotion did it take to be as accomplished as you are at such a young age? I’m planning on never sleeping during my 20s, and I wonder if I will make it out alive.

I think most people that have a lot of success early in their careers don’t see what they do as “work”—I would make art whether or not anyone was paying me to do it. If you can see your career as your calling more than your job, it’s easy to devote your life to it. There is a very blurry line between “life” and “work” for me, and because of that I’ve been able to put a lot of time into it, but I love every minute of it. It’s easier to put more hours in when you’re young, so why not be a little sleep-deprived if you’re excited about everything you’re making? It’s been a little harder to find work/life balance now that I’m in my late 20s, mostly because there is a definite difference in how much your body can handle as a 22-year-old versus as a 28-year-old. It’s only a few years, but I have to make sure that no matter how hard I’m working, I’m not letting my work get in the way of my health. I definitely had a few unhealthy years in my early 20s, but I wouldn’t take them back now. I loved working long hours, and throwing myself headfirst into projects. Just do what you feel capable of doing. You can work hard and get a lot done without getting yourself hospitalized. 

Jessica Hische is one of my favourite designer.she try to diversify my knowledge and skill set beyond lettering—she think it’s impossible to be a well rounded designer if you’re not at least reading up on related industries. “The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.” — Jessica Hische.I love the way she was doing in her typography.I love her work.Typography has always fascinated me.

The lettering industry operates very much like the illustration industry—generally she start with pencil sketches to present to clients (three options being the norm, sometimes less if they have a very clear idea of what they want and just need me to execute it), the client then approves one of the pencil sketches to go to final.  I love her aesthetic and use of typography.

sources:

http://www.jhische.com/type.html

http://rookiemag.com/2012/11/why-cant-i-be-you-jessica-hische/

Papergraphics (Tess)

From my previous post looking at illustration typefaces, I came across a technique called 'Paper Quilling', which has been used to create typefaces and is mostly used in graphic design posters today.

Before I researched further into this, I watched a youtube clip 'An Introduction To Quilling' explaining how to paper quill. I would have thought the process took a lot longer to create but the equipment used is definitely a time saver. 

I found this paragraph of information on how paper quilling first started and what is was used for:

"Quilling, the coiling and shaping of narrow paper strips to create a design, has been around for years — hundreds, in fact. During the Renaissance, nuns and monks would roll gold-gilded paper remnants trimmed during the bookmaking process, and use them to decorate religious objects as an alternative to costly gold filigree. Quilling later became a pastime of 18th and 19th century young ladies in England, who would decorate tea caddies and pieces of furniture with paper filigree. The practice crossed the Atlantic with colonists, who added quilling to candle sconces and trays as home decorations."

This is one of my favourite examples, where the paper quilling has only been used in the imagery. These are advertisements of Alpina Yoghurt brand's campaign for "Make a Wish for Women". They were designed by Jitesh Patel with help from Alex Hammond to turn them from soft light quilled designs into 3D designs.

Another one here is for the jewellery brand, Mia by Tanishq. The paper quilling has only been used in the typeface here. I really like how the technique has only been used on the first letter, keeping it simple and easy to read for the viewer. Also, i like the relation of the pattern inside the 'L' to the ring featured at the bottom of the ad. 

In my last example, the paper quilling technique has been used in both the type and the imagery. I think it works really well here, for the book 'Learning to Fly' by Steph Davis. There is enough contrast between the tone and colour of the title to background to read clearly. The paper pattern in the type works well alongside the paper image of the background. 

This entire process really fascinates me. The time spent making each design, the process of making each part work together as a whole, the effect it has on the design by bringing it to life and creating a 3D effect.


Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ9DOF7zdGg

http://makezine.com/craft/101/quilling/

http://www.ba-reps.com/blog/jitesh-patel-designs-3d-artwork-alpina/

http://www.allthingspaper.net/2013/01/quilled-typography-sabeena-karnik.html

http://www.artyulia.com/index.php/Illustration/PAPERgraphic



Posted by Tess Pyke

Ed Fella: A lesson in Being Truly Creative-Stephie Chen

 “I am interested in graphic design as art,” Ed Fella says. “This is a kind of art practice that uses forms that come out of graphic design, decorative illustration, and lettering, all mixed together-forms that come out of Twentieth Century art, out of Miró and Picasso — all of it has a genealogy and a certain look — in the same way that artists today use comic books and graphic novels. I was an illustrator, so you see endless styles popping in and out of the books. The drawings are an unconscious discharge of all the styles and forms that I used as a commercial artist for 30 years — that was my profession — I did it every single day. So, my unconscious has all this stuff in it, and now, because I don’t have to make meaning anymore, I can just use the techniques, like a machine that has long ago stopped making widgets, but the machine is still running. I’m still making stuff. I love the craft of it — of carefully making some little thing.”

Ed Fella: A Lesson In Being Truly Creative

Many articles and interviews have been done with Ed Fella. It wouldn’t do him justice to do another… at least not the same way others have done it. Mr. Fella is different, and not in a good way… or bad way. It depends on how you view design. A base of commercial art led him to create design that is the very destruction of design. It broke every rule and he knew it.

The bad boy in me loves him for that because he chose to do it and keeps on doing it. Best of all, people in design worship him for it. My only sadness lay with his breaking the rules BECOMING the rules. Someone like Fella sets the high bar and eventually, it becomes the standard. Society, and certainly design, is too weird at times and eventually weirdness becomes the mundane.

But the tribute to Fella is that he did it first and for many years while other designers failed to “get it.” The greatest thing that can be said is that he thumbed his nose at the rules and kept doing it until it was accepted and even touted as greatness by his detractors. Bastards!

CalArts, where Mr. Fella teaches, lists his bio as:

“Edward Fella is an artist and graphic designer whose work has had an important influence on contemporary typography here and in Europe. He practiced professionally as a commercial artist in Detroit for 30 years before receiving a master’s degree in Design from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1987. He has since devoted his time to teaching and his own unique self-published work has appeared in many design publications and anthologies. In 1997 he received the Chrysler Award and in 1999 an honorary doctorate from CCS in Detroit. In 2007 he was recognized with a medal from AIGA. His work is in the National Design Museum and MOMA in New York. A recent monograph of his work, Letters on America, documents some of his extensive practice.”

I hope he laughs and prints that out to wipe himself with after each bowel movement he takes. Moreover, I hope those who believe hiring “young and cheap” choke on their own words when they say older designers have nothing to add to design. Mr. Fella was old and talented and set the tone many years ago that young and cheap designers now mimic. Take THAT Madison Ave!

Idiosyncratic And Juxtaposing.

Just looking at his work, one would think that he’s a lunatic. He forces contradiction yet still plays to the grid. Not because it’s there but because it serves his purpose to help pull the eye all over the place and still make pleasing, readable design. There is chaos and balance, existing side-by-side like identical Siamese twins – one good and the other evil.

His hand drawn type and inkblot icons are now Emigré font sets. Personally, I think it an insult to the man who hand rendered his own type to contradict the mainstream fonts of the time. Still, no innovation goes un-copied. No movement of rebellion is long lived as it often becomes commonplace with familiarity. The design world is always changing and eventually, Ed’s rebellion became the commerciality of later years.

It is not the lines or placement or type usage of Ed’s that designers should admire and mimic – it’s the strength of conviction, the exploration, the dedication and the utter balls the size of church bells.

When Crazy Becomes The Norm.

Fella is quoted as saying, “anything can be made in anything” and “everything is possible.”

That leaves little to no limitations in the creative process and Fella certainly saw no limitations in his work. His work is a forced contradiction and he revels in it. If red is the color a designer would use for a Valentine, Fella would no doubt use black or yellow. Considering Fella’s decades of work under strict control of both an ad agency and clients, someone of his creative talent… and needs, had a driving urge for a freer outlet or risk spontaneous combustion.

One of Fella’s early sketchbooks contains some telling clippings. One is an advice column in which a young creative sadly wrote that he is depressed by numerous rejections and being told his work is, not “with it.”

The columnist answered with a quote from Orson Wells. “I passionately hate the idea of being ‘with it.’ A true artist is always out of step with his time. He has to be.”

Obviously that struck a cord with Fella. Either it inspired him or just legitimized his entrenched belief in his own design sensibilities. Another clipping within his sketchbook was a quote from Marcel Duchamp. “I force myself into contradiction to avoid following my own taste.”

It was the strict guidelines of corporate design that forced Fella into his greatness and, I suspect, happiest place in his design career. He claimed to flourish with the erratic quality of cheap typesetting (before the years of the PC) and “quickie” offset printing. The arts community quickly grew to know and admire his work and because of the volunteer and low pay jobs associated with that community, he was able to control his own design decisions. By making grand images that were jumbles and unidentifiable, Fella’s work invited closer inspection of individual elements within the entire work.

Fella referred to his work as stylistically “getting it wrong.” His work is raw and obsessive. It has power and spontaneity. Born from the knowledge of layout, typography, design and theory, he seems to have ended up getting it very, very right.

(all images © Ed Fella)

Long befroe the computer, artists and artisans used very complex tool for making letterforms:their hands.

I keep asking to my self why hand drawn typography is more beautiful than the computer do? just like fella say everything is possible in hand made typography.Hand drawn typography mark a return to the creator's immediacy.There are so many sleight way happened in hand made.It's inspiring to see his work and find out a bit more about a man that has had so much influence in our industry.

sources:

http://www.noupe.com/inspiration/getting-it-wrong-edward-fella.html