Sunday, February 12, 2006

You're A Designer... Not A Decorator! (CMYK)

Ever since the advent of the Apple Macintosh Computer in 1984, people from all walks of life have learned to desktop publish. Software programs have gotten easier to use and prices have become much more reasonable for the average consumer. Whether it’s a PC or a MAC, few households live without a computer. More and more people have gained access to the Internet and email recipient lists now far exceed the number of people written into address books. Yes, we are a computer generation. The result is that we’ve seen a tremendous growth in the number of people who are aware of the graphic design industry and students are now applying, in record numbers, to design programs all across the world.

The task at the fingertips of every graphic design student and professional still remains very much the same as it did before the computer became a common tool. We are in the business of graphic design because we are problem solvers that use creative means to achieve visual messaging. We are not in the business to make things look pretty. The goal of the designer is to achieve as much as possible by using as little as possible. Can you be effective in telling a story in 2-color versus 4-color? Can you achieve it in 4 pages or must it take 8? The answers to these and other key questions depend on the goal of each individual project.

Have you ever looked at a page of advertisements only to move right along because nothing caught your eye? Was there too much going on to be able to focus on any one thing? Think for a moment about a layout where you’ve noticed that less really is more…where a precise placement of elements can make the difference between you being interested enough to stop and read and versus you turning the page.

I often hear the terms desktop publishing and graphic design incorrectly interchanged. People can easily produce printed materials with little know how but that doesn’t mean it is good design. Anyone can decorate a page but the real art of being a successful designer is the ability to use the page, manipulate the page and transform the page into a creative design solution.

With each new project and client, you will likely want to explore creative options, experiment with materials and push the limits of your design comfort zone. What you don’t want to do is create clutter. The more you add to a page, the more you run the risk of distracting the viewer from “getting it”. One common mistake I see in young designers is that they often feel the need to put something wherever there is white space. One word of advise is, DON’T! Don’t make elements big just for the sake of them being big. It is much more effective to use the energy of the page to direct the eye and add a visual hierarchy to the information being presented. If you can’t speak about why a particular design element is being used then don’t use it.

Everything on the page should have relevance and should ultimately help to tell a story or send a message more clearly. Provide smart solutions with clear messaging by being a designer…not a decorator!

Mich Gunderman
Books Institute of Photography

Thursday, September 15, 2005

a finger and some dirt


How about a finger and some dirt as new instruments of art? Innovative indeed.
The skill is great. I bet it was done in timely manner too.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Star Dust

look. so disco. great website.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

JONAH


Another great cartoon, done by the design group ODS is Jonah. Great Biblical theme and amazing soundtrack makes this cartoon very exciting. I can bet that if kids were tough Bible stories from the cartons like that it would never be dreading to go to Sunday schools. Beh-beh-beh... watch the cartoon...)))

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Russian Souvenirs.

One of my first posts was about Russian Matryoshka, one of the most popular souvenirs from Russia. Here's a sweet flashed website about all kinds of Russian souvenirs. Their products are great, located in the most "artistic" city of the world St. Petersburg, and even the website is sweet…

Can it get any simpler????

I found the simplest website. I think I could even say the simplest may be in the whole world. You won't understand the contest… it's in Russian. But there are not links there or anything… the only link there is it's "e-mail us". The picture that is displayed here is the 2/3 of the main page of the website. That's it. There is no more to it. It made me laugh… it's an advertising agency that does anything from any type of design to promotion campaigns. It almost seems ridiculous. But it did get my attention... very creative.

Saturday, April 30, 2005

Personal websites


I really enjoy nicely done flashed personal official websites of singers, bands, artists etc. I would say that's my favorite kind of websites, where I go for entertainment. Here's one that really impressed me. The style and simplicity, yet completeness of the website spoke to me, even though I'm not that big fan of the actual singer. Her name is Kristina Orbakaite; she is a quite big pop singer in Russia. I should give her credit for the stage performance and dance. She has a dance background so her choreography is always excellent.

Thursday, April 28, 2005

ODS group


I can't not mention anything about ODS group -- a great design group located in Ukraine that does Animation , Logos and Corporate Identities Design , Graphic Design, Print Graphics , Illustration Services , Web Design , Flash Games/Presentations, Web Programming , Software Development . One of the funny sections is collages. The website has an English/Russian html/flash versions.