100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers

Inside secrets on working smart and staying creative (2005)

Written by Plazm and Sarah Dougher

A great read with some fantastic articles. Some points of particular interest, include:

30.    If you are a designer, design; if you are a manager, manage
37.    Look far and wide for your sources in the creative process
44.    Read it all, forget it all, and do your own thing
64.    Acknowledge the value of the analog process
67.    Recognize the limits of digital technology for creative work
69.    Whatever you think, technology is in control
70.    Remember that technology serves you; you do not serve technology
80.    Practice and preach, don’t theorise and teach

Technology
Technological innovation has made it possible for designers to work in ways that were oncce practically or financially out of reach. Computer technology has expanded the capacities of many designers, helping htem to develop new skills and gain experience in fields such as motion graphics, digital fonts development, and video editing. It has also streamlined the way designers and clients communicate, and has provided designers in different fields with a new mode of communication.
Although computer technology has clearly altered the aesthetics and basic function of graphic design since the 1980s it is difficult to state where the computer fits on a list of tools used by a desgner because it seems to dominate so ruthlessly.
page 124

Hideki Nakajima
“…feels that technology is a direct result of creativity.”
“I think the final state of the development of technology is the human being. For example robots are improved to become more and more like a human being. Digital processes are inferior to analog. They only enhance design; they cannot replace it. Creativity starts with the human mind and hand.”
page 127

Miles Murray Sorrell FUEL
“The idea of anyone or anything being ‘in control’ is in itself menacing and yet what exactly technology is in control of in this instance is not clear”
page 136

Chase Design Group
“Are we too connected? No. Email is the best invention ever. Technology is a tool, like a pencil. I use both, every day. Technology only helps unless you are lazy. If you are lazy you deserve what you get.”
page 138

Worksight
“The bells and whistles of new technology are not all that they’re cracked up to be.”
page 144

Titles / themes

Solution
Execution
Persecution
Pollution
Resolution
Retribution
Electrocution
Redistribution
Institution
Constitution

The titles:

The Evolution – the process of how credo has come to be. The native and production files in a digital format.

The Revolution – the sudden-like brilliance. This will contain a flash version of my folio, resume and a brief intro.

The Resolution – the answer to the issue at hand. The print document that discusses the issue of new technologies within design.

Week 6

Week six of the semester was marked by an appraisal of what had so far been produced for credo. (images of this will be uploaded soon)

There are a few changes that still need to be made to the project:

- Change of CD Mounts. I have decided on a new way to mount the discs within the document that will look much more sophisticated

- Changing the box… One of the concrens was that the overall image of the project was too ‘crafty’. I have decided that I will alter the box to be made from a different material (a plain black box). The the contents will still be able to be seen but they will be labeled of the spine.

- Colour? currently the document is all generated in black and white… I do currently like this low-tech feel but will experiment with the use of sparse colour perhaps eve just a single colour.

- Conclude the digital file and burn the CD’s. Currently ther is nothing on the CD and I was specticle as to whether or not to pursue the plan of creating an animated text based file. I was afraid that my limited knowledge of flash was detracting from the product. However I have been convinced to continue with this, I will be looking further at flash tutorials and ways that I can adapt my ideas. Rather than producing a long lengthed piece I plan to create a single file that introduces me and shows a snapshot of my folio and my resume. I think this will be a much better idea and could potentially be used as an emailable file.

- There are also a few things that I want t change in the printed document after finding new and exciting text that looks at relevant issues.

Type Animations

Type Treatments

Aficionada – London
Invitation to t alk by Rebecca Brown and Mike Heath (with Matthew Savidge) / Central saint Martins College of Art and Design / United Kingdom / 2000

Kerr/Noble

Folcut Souvenir for riverboat trip on the Thames / Channel Four Television / United Kingdom / 1999 / The foldout features the poem “A Description of London”, by John Bracks (1738)

Michael Worthington

1 & 2 – Posters from Lrics project for exhibition at the Japanese National Museum, Los Angles (made possible by a grant from the City of Los Angles) / USA / 2001

3 – Interior of record sleeve for landscape Number 2, part of the multidisciplinary art project Song Poems (type design Jon Notaro) / USA / 2001

Reza Abedini

Poster for 7th Biennial of Iranian Graphic Designers / Iranian Graphic Designers Society (IGDS) and Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art / Iran / 2002

Week Two – Concept

Evolutionary or Revolutionary?

My relationship with New Technologies = Evolutionary or Revolutionary?

Evolution: a process of formation, growth or development.

Revolution: a radical and pervasive change in the social structure.

It’s hard to believe that decades ago all type was set by hand with large presses, and today that all it takes if a few key strokes on your computer. Are new technologies over simplifying traditional processes? Is it at the sake of their greatness?

The theme for my box set will explore this theme of evolution and revolution and my belief that the two processes need to work hand in hand.

“You see things; and you say, “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and say, “Why not?”” George Bernard Shaw

“The visible world is no longer a reality and the unseen world is no longer a dream”
W.B. Yeats

“ … one of the biggest blocks: the fear of making a mistake”. Alex Osborn

“ Curiosity is the mother of intelligence.”

‘… mind oscillates sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.’ Carl Jung

“If you don’t know where you’re going all roads lead there.” Roman Proverb

“There are so many  ear people and not many eye people…” Damien Hurst

“One hundred tellings are not as good as one seeing.” Chinese Proverb

“I’d give my right arm to be ambidextrous.” Graffiti

“ I like a view but I like to sit with my back turned to it.” Gertrude Stien

“Typography is a beautiful group of letters not a group of beautiful letters” Steve Byers

“All art is propaganda; on the other hand, not all propaganda is art.” George Orwell

“ … if you want the rainbow you gotta put up with the rain.” Dolly Parton

“Words are pegs to hang ideas on” Henry Ward Beecher

“When less can be more than enough”

“ How to turn knots into bows”

“Half a work is enough for a quick ear”

“Some people think computers can’t”

“Beauty is is the eye of Quark”

“Creativity is the defeat of habit by originality.” Arthur Koestler
“When reason is away smiles will pay” Surrealist Proverb

“Advertising is the price companies pay for being un-original”

Week 9 – Shit Design

Is good design made to simply look pretty or to serve a purpose?