It’s been about 12 hours since well known designer Joshua Davis stepped off the podium at CRE824, and I still have a hangover—a design hangover. Despite the big name speakers and high powered resumes, this conference left me encouraged in some small ways but with a sense of despair overall. My expectations were probably too high. I had hoped to be inspired by the depth and passion of these design divas. What I saw was quite different.

Let’s start with the good stuff first. Did you know that the “hottest” designers don’t know everything about the software they are using? Or that they started just like you and I with little to no knowledge and taught themselves? Yep, that truth came through again and again as speakers recounted their personal history. Shaun Inman, the grand pooh bah of CSS is self taught. Joshua Davis is much the same on the software he uses. So, there’s hope for me yet! Start small they said, put something out there and build on it. Don’t try to learn everything the software does before you start the first project. Seems obvious, but I needed to hear it again.

Several start up business insights were shared by the folks at Emma...... Keep reading

Sometimes you read an article and realize that, like a tasty omelet, it’s cooked just right with the perfect ingredients. And although as an Alabama fan I sometimes have a difficult time saying LSU, I think that LSU faculty member Brad Dicharry’s article below on citizen designers provides a much needed dose of kryptonite for all of us superheros. Enjoy, and thanks for sharing Brad.
- Frank McClung, Editor

I would wager that the vast majority of the people reading this entry consider graphic design to be quite important. Just how important is the question. Most graphic designers acknowledge that with our profession comes an uncertain degree of social responsibility. I would agree: we, as visual communicators, do carry some burden. It seems as though some designers have been looking for ways to explore the social necessity of design—how design can truly contribute to the quality of life—with little luck. This very fact leads me to question the actual importance (or perception thereof) of graphic design.

It is common knowledge what we need to survive. The essentials of life boil down to food, water, shelter and sleep. So where, in that limited schema, does graphic design fit? In a recent conversation with a designer friend we discussed a possible similarity between design and music. Music is not technically essential to our existence but who can imagine the void that would be left without music. Perhaps we can con...... Keep reading

“The role of graphic design historians is to identify examples of good graphic design so that we can improve the quality of the pizza flyers we get through our doors.” My two favorite subjects, pizza and design, discussed in a thought provoking article by Jonathan Baldwin on SpeakUp.

“Our wrong assumptions lead to the best learning.” says Alex Lee, president of OXO, one of the finest product design companies in the world. Check out what he’s learned from failures in this fascinating FastCompany article “OXO’s Favorite Mistakes.“

“Design is powerful because it can connect ideas with the hearts and minds of people.” This excellent observation and others about design possibilities and responibilites can be read in Andy Arikawa thoughtful article, “Making a Difference: Part 1”.

And for those of you getting that ‘grass is greener’ itch, check out Fast Company’s 15 up-and-coming hubs for creative workers. I would add Chattanooga and Birmingham to their list.

Follow that art...... Keep reading

It seems to be an almost universally accepted fact in business and even design circles that design exists to solve problems…business problems, usability problems, advertising problems, manufacturing problems, etc. While I don’t deny that design aids in problem solving as engineering does, this prevalent view of design’s purpose is way too narrow for my liking. When design is seen as primarily a problem solving endeavor, design loses heart. It becomes utilitarian and soulless. Why is this?

I think it stems from a design (and ultimately designer) identity crisis. We all know that design is not art, right? Art can exist for itself to create beauty, while design exists to solve problems (or so we’ve been led to believe). Design isn’t engineering because it isn’t rigorous enough in its approach and involves too much—gulp—art. And heaven forbid that design would function as business itself and become a money making machine. So, if design isn’t about creating beauty, solving problems or making money, why does design exist, and how does it function?

Design exists to communicate, and hopefully to communicate something meaningful. And how does design powerfully communicate meaning? By telling a story. Yes, in the software on steroids, Illustrator-Photoshop-Flash driven world of today’s design, we’ve almost forgotten that at the heart of design is a story. Design has become so enamored with technology and processes that...... Keep reading