boring.
trendy.
one dimensional.
restrictive.
insincere.
manipulated.
self-indulgent.
insecure.
overly simplistic.
CREATIVITY ON TRAINING WHEELS.

There. I’ve said it. And I feel only slightly better. You may sense my frustration with graphic design. You can’t live in it. You can’t wear it. With the computer’s advent, you can’t even touch it anymore. Just a bunch of 1′s and 0′s. Turn the power off and it doesn’t exist (yes, I know, some clients still have money for print). So how do you use it to communicate, to bring about change, to speak to the heart?

You see, I’m decompressing from a two week tour of Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York City. At every turn I was confronted with stunning architectural design, industrial design and interior design. These other design disciplines are far more complex and challenging than graphic design. Graphic designers pat themselves on the back when they come up with an award winning identity, a nifty website or novel ad campaign. But who are we fooling? It’s child’s play compared to architectural design. If you’ve ever stood on top of the Empire State Building (or remodeled an old home for that matter), then you’ll know what I mean. Several years ago I read an interview with Stefan Sagmeister, one of my favorite graphic d...... Keep reading

After a two week vacation with my family in Washington DC and New York City, I’ve decided that the hardest place in the world to develop innovative creative is the suburbs. Suburbs are a creative wasteland.The architecture is bland, the typography is homogeneous and most other visual elements have been neutered. Where can a designer draw inspiration? A strip mall? WalMart? Oh wait, I know. Barnes and Noble. Or a design annual. If most graphic design studios are in the suburbs (anyone have any statistics?), this may explain in part why most design today is so average (including my own).

In large cities like New York, DC, Chicago, London, etc., how can one not be inspired? The art, architecture, signs, clothing, fabric, food, sidewalks and even the smells are all amazingly unique. I was stunned by the diversity, ethnicity and creativity of everyone in the city. While I wouldn’t want to live in the big city, the environment alone is enough to start creative wildfires.

The same creativity can be sparked in the country. The beauty, colors, textures, changing seasons of nature offer limitless fuel for creative fires. What better place to draw inspiration than the great Designer’s work himself?

I wonder how suburbia has influenced the creative heart and soul of design. Is design more palatable to the masses? Is it less powerful? Is it less human? Has it sterilized? I fear the worst. And you?...... Keep reading

I’ve been wondering what truly distinguishes graphic design from other design fields. Is it the creative process? Or the medium? Or possibly the audience? No, I think it comes down to one single element—type. I’d like to think that graphic design is primarily visual communication, but it is not. That’s art. The heart of graphic design is the written word spoken by real people who have something passionate to say. Don’t believe me? Take any of your favorite print ads, catalogs, posters, whatever and remove the words. Now, tell me if you can still understand the original meaning of the communication piece. Probably not. And that’s the way it should be. Graphic design evolved around text, not the other way around.

Let’s go back to the original question and see if the hypothesis holds true. Fashion design: not much type on clothing. Architectural design: Other than some signage on commercial building, type is non existent. Industrial design: Some words, but only in a facilitating role. Interior design: none. So, there we have it. Words rule graphic design. Now the hard part begins…finding something worth saying....... Keep reading