Leslie Martin

My personal design statement of what “Design Is” for Design Theory class.
This video was made using iMovie, and this was my first time using both iMovie and stop motion animation.

This week our blog assignment is to write our own personal design manifesto. Here is mine…

Leslie Martin’s Design Manifesto

1. “Good is the enemy of great.”
I heard this quote in a designer’s presentation once, and I think it rings very true. Many designers settle for designing things that are “good” or “mediocre”, but need to be striving for “great.”

2. When in doubt, use a sans serif font.
For the most part, you can’t go wrong with a clean, sans serif font (unless of course you’re doing a design that requires an old-style look). In my own designs, I opt more towards sans serif fonts than trendy fonts. But it all depends on the job.

3. Know when to stop.
As a self-admitted perfectionist, I sometimes get a little carried away with designs and end up tweaking this, and “just fixing” that. It’s great when you can re-work a design and develop and improve it over time, but sometimes you end up over-working the design, until it no longer works. Stop while you’re ahead.

4. Make to-do lists, and write everything down in an agenda (and keep it with you at all times).
This goes without saying. Agendas are an invaluable tool for keeping track of everything and remembering important deadlines. It’s also a good place to write random reminders to yourself on the fly.

5. White space is key.
One of the most important and sometimes underrated elements of design is white/negative space. Never underestimate it’s power. It’s important to have a resting place for the eye in a design, and using ample white space gives way to simplicity (which is never a bad thing!). Remember this design  catch phrase: “Keep it simple, stupid!”

6. Ogle good typography (and learn from the horrible typography)

7. Make friends with coffee.

8. Don’t rely on defaults.
Default settings aren’t always right, and are mostly for people who don’t know any better when it comes to formatting.

9. “The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life”
This quote by designer, illustrator and typographer Jessica Hische is pretty self-explanatory; and it really resonated with me when it comes to finding work that you truly love.

10. If you’re tired, take a damn nap.
You’re not going to produce any worthwhile work when you’re nodding off at the computer, and fatigue will only slow you down.

Throughout the semester, we have studied four contemporary designers including Marion Bantjes, Bruce Mau, Stefan Bucher, and Stefan Sagmeister. Although each designer produces very different design work, they all share certain design philosophies in common. 

The most prominent design philosophy that these designers have in common is that design is problem-solving and that process and experimentation are important. Marion Bantjes is quoted saying that design is “figuring things out.” She says, “I really enjoy figuring things out. Some people call this “problem solving” but it’s not a term I care for. In fact, I really like complexity so I often start with creating problems that I then have to figure out how to “solve”. That’s not really solving anything, but the mental exercise is stimulating. Ideally I end up with something that has an “Aha!” moment for both myself and the viewer.” (http://www.bantjes.com/about-me/student-questions) 

In Bruce Mau’s Incomplete Manifesto for Growth he says that “3. Process is more important than outcome.”, and encourages designers to “Love their experiments”, and “Capture accidents” as part of the design/problem-solving process. He states, “When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we’ve already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.”  In terms of experimentation he says, “Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.” (http://www.brucemaudesign.com/#112942/)

Stefan Bucher discusses the relationship between thinking and execution in the design process in his “Make/Think” rainbow that he showed at the Make/Think AIGA Design Conference back in October of 2009. He talks about how he weighs heavily on the “think” side of the spectrum, and reveals how he trains his conscious brain to get the most out of the thinking process; “When I first set out on a problem or start thinking, it tends to be really kind of fun and supportive, but then it very quickly becomes more complicated and the thoughts start growing and they start churning a little bit and it gets a little less supportive and less fun. And then from there, it’s about existential angst at about three moves. The way I deal with that is that I just work around it and I know to treat my brain like kind of a cranky hyperactive pit bull. I just I take it to the park and I let it run around until it tires itself out. And I let it think about what are people wearing at the Oscars and, you know, I let it chase squirrels sort of like look the healthcare debate — ”Go boy!” So that by the time I get home and I need to actually, you know, kind of write an email or something like that, my brain is nice and tired out and actually does what I tell it to do.” (http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/video-makethink-2009-bucher)

Stefan Sagmeister even has a step-by-step process for coming up with design ideas that he sources from James Webb Young: “1. Think about a project from any possible point of view. From yours, from your moms, from the clients, from a color, from a form etc.etc. point of view. 2. Write every thought down on its own index card. Fill as many cards as possible. 3. Gather them all on a big table. Try to find relationships between the different thoughts. 4. Forget about it. 5. Idea will strike you when you don’t expect it.” (http://www.sagmeister.com/node/73)

When reflecting on my ‘design is’ theory that “Design is driven by response and defined by circumstance.”, Stefan Sagmeister’s design philosophies most closely support my theory. In the Questions segment of his website, Stefan is asked, “Do you believe that Graphic Designers should express their personalities in their own work?” and he answered, “I used to think that it’s about problem solving and that the designer should stay out of it as much as possible. Having seen how much bland, forgettable work this kind of thinking produced, I now think that it is very important for the designer to bring his/her own point of view into the proceedings. Much like a conversation with a friend: You dont just want a story retold as he/she heard it, but also his/her personal opinion about it. Designers are like actors: The script (content) remains the same but a character takes on a very different angle if played by Dustin Hoffman or Bruce Willis.” (http://www.sagmeister.com/node/86) This directly relates to my theory, as I discuss the importance of design evoking a response, and how a designer should be personally responsible for their work and invest a part of themselves into it if they want to create designs that are authentic and memorable.

Dear Stefan Bucher,

I found your presentation at the AIGA Design Conference back in October 2009 to be inspiring and informative; with your fresh, humourous perspective on design. Like you, I highly enjoy the ‘making’ part of design, but I too, spend a lot of time thinking, and sometimes my thoughts get carried away and overcomplicated very quickly. That is why I found your tip to give your brain a ‘break’ before working to be enlightening. I never thought of that before, and I agree that giving your brain a break to let it ‘run around’ until it tires itself out before beginning or returning to work, you can actually concentrate and acomplish your work. 

I also had an “ah-hah!” moment when you spoke about how being conscious of your footprint can free you up financially, and in turn liberate your design work. As you said, by maintaining a small footprint you can be debt-free and have the freedom to say no to certain clients or work offers, and yes to things that you might not be able to afford otherwise because they don’t pay or they don’t pay enough. You raise another excellent point when you say that working independently (and not in an organization) also liberates your design work by giving you the freedom to make this choices, because someone else’s salary doesn’t depend on you, or someone else is responsible for your performance. I will consider these points when I come to a crossroads in my design career where I’m faced with the opportunity to work independently.

In terms of the design work you presented, I have to say I was highly impressed. I think that your Echo Park Time Travel Mart and Superhero Supply Company promotional pieces are really neat. They show how much fun a designer can have when they think outside the box and let their creativity run free. And I also love your monster designs, as they are highly unique and memorable. Between those examples and the other pieces showcased in your presentation (i.e. the experimentally ‘nerdy’ Super Bowl logo, the Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time book cover, and the neologist.org website), you prove that design doesn’t  always have to be serious to be successful. When Kurt Anderson asked you “Do you do work without humour?” and you replied by quoting Christoph Niemann in saying, “I just don’t have the balls to do anything that’s not funny because when it’s a little bit funny, you have a metric of success”, I had a self-reflective moment; I am a designer that tends to stay in the ‘safe’ or somewhat ‘serious’ zone, and after hearing your statement that, “when somebody laughs, you know you’ve done your job well”, I had a realization that I need to take more design risks, and I should not be afraid of injecting humor into design. I will definitely take inspiration from both you and Christoph Niemann as I try to branch out and take more design risks in the future.

Lastly, aside from design inspiration and enlightenment, your presentation also influenced me to take another look at your book, The Graphic Eye. A couple weeks before seeing your AIGA presentation video, I happened to come across it at Indigo bookstore and glanced through it. But now after watching the video and learning the story behind the book — and discovering that the images are in a sequence that forms a sort of narrative — I definitely want to take a second look. And I will keep an eye out for how the photos are arranged to make interesting or provocative statements.

All in all, thank you for enlightening me about the impact of humour in the design world, and inspiring me to strive to incorporate humour into my design work in the future.

Sincerely,

Leslie Martin

This past week we were asked to analyze a current, successful (according to design awards, edited design blogs, etc.) advertising campaign.

I chose the “Moustaches Make a Difference” campaign. It was developed at TBWA\Singapore in Singapore, by creative directors Hagan de Villiers, Gary Steele, and art director/illustrator Reginald Ocampo, and art director Danny Teo. The print ads were in support of the “Movember” cause last November (a charity for prostate cancer research). 

Aside from print, it was featured on their website (mosmakeadifference.com) and Facebook, to raise fund for the Singapore Prostate Cancer Research Fund. The ads feature famous figures, characters, and personalities from throughout history that had moustaches.

Tarket Market:

Men between the ages of 18 and 35 who are capable of growing moustaches to raise awareness and receive donations for Movember (in support of prostate cancer research). 

Cultural Themes:

The series of ads feature cultural icons that are relevant to a wide variety of viewers. Amongst these icons are timeless, famous faces such as Albert Einstein, Mohandas Gandi, and Che Guevara; celebrities like Hulk Hogan and Freddie Mercury, and pop culture phenomenon like Super Mario. The more timeless icons are relevant to both younger and older viewers, while pop culture phenomenon like Super Mario and celebrities like Hulk Hogan are particularly relevant to younger viewers who grew up in the 90’s (which includes the target market).

Overall Observations:

The simple design combined with the interesting comparative concept made these ads highly effective. The ads demonstrate the power of using famous faces/culturally relevant figures to advertise a message. By using a minimalist design (i.e. simple black and white, illustrative graphics) and witty two-word headlines, the concept is presented quickly, clearly, and effectively. Varying throughout the ads, they use a mixture of humour and bold statements to catch viewers’ attention and in turn, increase awareness for Movember and donations for prostate cancer.

A graphic representation of my week-long media log assignment. Will post commentary later.

Also this week, we were asked to discuss our personal design process. My design process starts with doing background research on the subject, product, or client that the design is for. If an idea doesn’t come to me instinctively, I will browse Google for inspiration. The next step I take is creating quick thumbnail sketches to get my ideas out on paper. In addition to drawing out the design, I like to make written notes. Sometimes, if I am having trouble communicating my ideas through sketches I will incorporate some quick digital mock-ups of certain graphic elements. I will also include printed font trials if needed.

After I am satisfied with my ideas, and feel like I’ve explored enough ideas/options, I will show my teachers, and occasionally my classmates for their input. Then I will create some polished “roughs” of the full design on computer, and create a few (or sometimes several) different versions. 

Again, once I complete these I will show my teachers and sometimes my classmates for their last opinions, before I move on to the final piece. When I have reached a point where I am satisfied with the design, I will force myself to walk away from it to avoid over-working and ruining the design. Sometimes this is difficult for me, as I’m a perfectionist, and I sometimes catch myself falling into the classic designer’s trap of “just fixing one more little thing…”

If at any point during my design process I get stuck I might get frustrated and procrastinate; or I will allow myself some time to let my existing ideas incubate, and to let new ideas reveal themselves. Alternatively, I might go right back to Google to do additional research, and perhaps look for a new/more interesting angle on the subject/product. I could also return to perusing Google for more inspiration that might trigger some ideas. If all else fails, I will go back and ask for opinions/help from my teachers or classmates.

For Design Theory class this week we are posed the question: What is design?

My answer is: Design is a solution (ideally creative) executed within the restraints of a particular purpose, or to evoke a particular effect or response.

What’s up Internet world?

I’m Leslie, and this is my design blog for Design Theory class. In this blog, I will be posting designs I think are noteworthy, inspiring, provocative, or simply awesome. Alternatively, I will be posting designs that are simply awful (for the sake of both humour and learning). I will also be posting weekly journal-style entries or responses to questions provided by my teacher.

First things first, I’m a twenty-year-old graphic designer in my second year of the three year Graphic Design program at Humber college in Toronto. My passions in life are design (go figure), art, photography, music, reading, and iced coffee. The design aspects I enjoy the most are logo design, packaging design (especially album art and editorial design), typography, and advertising.

Aside from the realm of graphic design, I like to dabble in photography and mixed media art. I find creative inspiration in the everyday world around me, even in the seemingly ordinary. Music is also a big inspiration to me, as it drives my day-to-day life, and provides a soundtrack to all my creative endeavors. Sometimes I like my music heavy, sometimes mellow. I’m also partial to old British indie, and a little electronica here and there. 

When I complete the Graphic Design program, I hope to land an internship and eventually work at a design firm in Toronto until I gain the skills and confidence (and of course, financial stability) to start my own small design studio.

Well, that’s enough about me. Now on to celebrating design…