OK, let’s settle this right now. I get a lot of incredulous looks from my friends. You’re on Twitter?? Who cares what I’m eating for breakfast? Sounds like a waste of time.
Well, I could argue the benefits of sharing the details of your life with friends and family, but that’s another topic - and I use Facebook for that. For now let’s just say that I agree with you. I don’t use Twitter that way, and I wouldn’t follow anyone who did - friend, family or favorite deity. For me, Twitter is a business and learning tool. I use it to stay abreast of what’s new in my profession, and likewise to share with other interested parties. And I get a LOT out of it. Twitter is a realtime live feed of all the best tips, tricks and discoveries made by people with similar interests as myself, pre-filtered and delivered straight to my hungry brain in a tidy, little package. Awesome.
I said that the feed is “pre-filtered” - What does that mean and how does it work? With Twitter you can “follow” anyone you want. It’s up to you. Simply put: I don’t follow people who tweet about breakfast, movies, moods, concerts, or any number of other uninteresting, “teenagery” topics. I am strictly interested in finding the little gems that make my work better, faster, more relevant, etc. It’s a learning tool. I follow people who post useful, interesting or educational things. If you start talking about Will Smith - you’re dumped in a heartbeat. Don’t waste my time.
About that - Isn’t weeding through all the “bad” feeds to find the good ones time-consuming? This is the beauty of Twitter. First of all, this isn’t really a problem, if you only follow people who say interesting things, as stated above. Second, every post is limited in length to 140 characters, so I can tell in 5 seconds or less if a post interests me. In 1 minute, I can scan all the morning’s updates and move on. Most useful posts include a link to an outside article, blog, etc. If there is something worth following, you can chase it down. If not, you don’t follow the link, and you’ve lost very little of your precious time.
What kind of “gems” do you really get out of this? As a graphic designer and aspiring web developer, I get all kinds of useful content. A link to an artist’s blog can be inspiring for days or weeks. Maybe it’s a link to a website full of free fonts, plugins, or texture files. Maybe it’s a how-to page about using a feature of my favorite Adobe software product. I get a lot of useful information for educating my clients and language for communicating expertly about my profession. Sometimes it’s a link to an industry event that I might like to attend. Web developers find and share snippets of code, online resources, the latest technology trends, updates and how-tos. I’m telling you. It’s a goldmine - if you follow the right people.
So how do you find the right people? Start with people you know, in the business. Look for Twitter links at the bottom of your favorite blogs. Filter the Twitter feed for relevant topics with a tool like Tweet Grid (highly recommended). Publish your Twitter username on your website/blog/Facebook profile, and start tweeting valuable content yourself. When you start gaining followers who are interested in what you are saying, they are likely worth following back. As they say, if you want a friend, you have to be a friend. Network, share, inspire, learn. Go forth and tweet!
Last night I went to Seattle’s Art Institute for the second time, to share some insights from the “real world” with the graphic design class. Mostly, the students are interested in some tips for getting hired, what to put in their portfolios, how to interview - and there are always some unexpected/interesting questions such as “What’s the most annoying habit of a coworker of yours?” (I’m not telling). It always amazes me that I can monologue for two hours about anything, and still have plenty of content left over, that I wasn’t able to fit in. Hopefully I was able to share some useful tips with the next generation, maybe dispel a few myths. However I must admit - my motives are not entirely selfless.
I advise the students to get involved, butt into other people’s business, and ask a lot of questions. That’s exactly of what I am doing by speaking at their class. Every time I make a connection, make a nuisance of myself or get involved in something, a door opens, an opportunity shows up, something wonderful happens. I would extend this advice to anyone: rock the boat, DO stuff, ask questions, meet people. At very least, I now have 4 hours of public speaking experience that I didn’t have before. And I’ve met some delightful people - students and faculty alike. Sometimes those connections lead to a link, a new favorite vendor, blog, book, technique, etc. I was reminded during our discussion of some of my favorite industry-related reading material. I will be sharing those titles with the class, and probably doing a little more reading myself. I was reminded (as I made the suggestion to them) of the value of continuing education and night classes. I’ll probably take a look at the latest offerings at my other favorite local school for creative professionals: School of Visual Concepts.
They say you learn by teaching. I couldn’t agree more. By thinking things through enough to explain them, you understand them at a deeper level. By fielding some challenging questions, you take the time to solve a problem that you might have otherwise put off for another day. At very least, I feel awake and connected once again, with a fresh batch of new creative/inspiration leads to chase down. Who knows what doors will open down the road, because of a little involvement now. The ripples travel in many directions. I just hope the class benefits as much as I do. Bottom line? Get out there, share, connect. You’ll probably get back more than you give.
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I started writing this to share about this life-changing ice cube tray that I discovered, but the topic has quickly grown into something bigger. We’ll get to the ice cube tray shortly.
Charles and Ray Eames, one way or another, introduced to me a phrase/concept that has been stuck in my head for years: “Designer as host.” Try as I may, not even Google can help me find out more about this particular phrase. I’m probably remembering it incorrectly, but the concept is valid regardless: A designer is a host, of sorts, to any user/viewer who finds themselves at the mercy of whatever it is that the designer has designed (products, printed material, websites, etc.). Hopefully they are a good host. If you are a designer or are hiring one, imagine that your users/viewers/readers are guests in your house. How would you treat them?
Example. Bad Host.
I was graciously gifted a stainless steel water bottle. It is attractive, well-made and well-concieved, except for one important detail: the opening at the top is exactly the wrong size for the human face. A little bigger and you could drink from it like a glass. A little smaller and you could chug from it like a soda bottle. The way it is…. nearly impossible to use without choking, spilling or splashing yourself in the eye. I thought maybe it was just my big nose or funny chin so I asked around - the problem is nearly universal. Too bad. It could have been a really nice bottle. If only the designer had imagined (or tested) what it might be like to use their product. Not a very good host, I’m afraid. Makes me think they must have been more interested in making or selling bottles than what it might be like to use one. Puts me off a bit. I feel jilted. I often find myself angry at a product or company, muttering that they must not be a very good host. If they ever invite me over for roast beef, I might think twice (maybe).
Good host: Oxo Ice Cube Tray.
Besides a few special or novelty shapes designed for particular purposes, most ice cubes seem to work just as well as the others for the purpose of chilling your average drink. Some are smaller, some are bigger. They are round-ish or square-ish. You may have a preference, but in the end, the differences are not great - functionally speaking. But what about the user’s experience - in particular: getting the little bastards out of the tray? I’d venture a guess that 10-20% of ice cubes fall to the floor/sink/counter top during the noisy and frustrating effort of extraction. At least as many break in the process, and some of them never come out at all. You twist the tray, bang them on the counter, try to pop the perfect amount of cubes out with a deft flipping motion - without losing any over the edge. I’m picturing the frustrated, bedraggled house wife at the beginning of an infomercial. There must be a better way! Indeed there is. An ice cube with a rounded bottom is easily extracted by pushing down on one side… the other side pops up like a Whack-a-Mole, and you can grab it easily. That’s it. Good host. The designer had the user in mind. Makes me feel welcome, like they care about me as a person, and the quality of my life. I honestly appreciate that.
Why is this so interesting to me? It’s a great example of how a silly little detail can greatly change your user’s attitude about your product or company. It can color their whole experience. The same principle applies to print and website design. Is it easy to find the information I am looking for in your brochure or website? Do I have to dig for five minutes to find your phone number? Where are the office hours listed? Are you really going to make me count the months on my fingers when I’m giving you the expiration date on my credit card, or do you include the numbers in the pull down menu?
As designers we are in a position to play host, and in so doing we not only make people’s everyday experiences a little happier, we reflect well upon the clients that hire us to represent them. Everyone wins when our designs are considerate - like a good host.
I can’t remember the last time I bought an ice cube tray. I guess they come with the refrigerator most of the time. This is worth upgrading. Chalk it up as one of life’s little triumphs and drink to that!
I’m often accused of seeing patterns in things that other people think are insignificant. I’m a collector and an organizer, I guess my brain just groups things. So naturally, I’m a little timid in presenting another pattern, but I think this time you might agree that there is something going on here. Maybe this is a national trend, or maybe just local to Seattle… I’m seeing an awful lot of retro-ish crests out there - specifically hexagons even. I’m not criticizing - just observing - for whatever it’s worth.
All of these businesses are in the greater Seattle Area, the farthest away being Custom Garage Interiors, which is just outside Issaquah. Two of them are within a block of each other in Ballard. Two are within a block of each other on Capitol Hill, two of them have “Garage” in the name, and two of them are just about gosh-dang nearly identical to each other. That’s OK. I doubt any of these people are claiming to have invented the hexagon. And I actually like the aesthetic quite a bit. Please don’t misunderstand. That old-fashioned made-in-America, brass-plate-bolted-to-a-cast-iron-stamping-machine-or-whatever look is pretty cool. Strong. Classic. Timeless. Great. But maybe could we just spread ‘em out a little bit?
Ever notice how useless and negative the news often is? Well, as long as we are keeping abreast of all kinds of silly things that are going on out there, we might as well brighten our day at the same time. Here are two sites that report only positive news. Seriously… it’s pretty refreshing.
Happy News
Good Daily News
Headlines like these:
- Prison-trained puppies help wounded troops
- Thai Navy Helps Green Sea Turtles
- Craigslist for Volunteers to Debut Soon
Whether he knows it or not, Bryan Zug and his fellow geeks at IgniteSeattle, have introduced me to the concept of “life-hacking”. Sometimes all it takes is a new term to open you mind to an idea that was lurking there the whole time. Like a mischievous computer programmer who can “hack” into the bank and steal your money, each of us has our own unorthodox ways of getting things done. Once we recognize these self-made tools, we can better use them to our advantage, and avoid our weaknesses. Sometimes that’s just what you have to do: Hack it.
Like myself, my wife, Nikki, is a graphic designer. She is talented, creative, and truly smart - but she gets a case of the nerves when speaking to new clients, especially on the phone, at initial interviews, etc. She forgets what she wants to say, can’t process new information thoughtfully, and basically just wants to exit the situation as quickly as possible. After years of trying to overcome this through all the recommended techniques, we have gained little ground. But if you ever get an email from her, you’d think - correctly so - that she is one of the smartest, most articulate designers you have ever met. Her ability to see the problem for what it really is, break it down into manageable chunks, and clearly express complex ideas is nothing short of impressive. Her vocabulary and manner of writing, are at the highest level of professionalism and mastery of the language. How she speaks (publicly) and how she writes… it’s like two different people. Email is her hack.
There are times where a phone call is more appropriate than an email - but there are times where a good result is more important then impeccable etiquette. Judge the situation. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, and if you need to, hack it. Once you are enlightened to your own little hacks, you can use them consciously when you need them. Just identifying them helps, and recognizing the whole concept is the first step. Thanks, Bryan for a consciousness-raising word/concept.
Before dashing off to the beach Wednesday night, I stopped by this Ignite event that our own Bryan Zug has been promoting. Pretty cool. Anybody who has anything worth sharing takes 5 minutes of their life, and gives a sort of mini presentation - could be about anything. There were about 20 short talks on topics ranging from networking tips to an insider’s view on a personal addiction to Legos (yeah, the kid’s toy).
The networking was as its best, and with Bryan’s kind introductions, I handed out an entire stack of business cards and made quite a few new connections.
Who wants to hear a bunch of random people talk about random things? Well, that’s exactly the beauty of the event to me. Our brains work like filter feeders, they need to be exposed to new ideas to grow. Ignite offers a perfectly random stream of fresh content, that is guaranteed to give you something to think about, probably something to write down, look up, look into or try out - whether personal or professional (note pad highly recommended). At only 5 minutes per talk, if you’re really not interested in a particular topic, it’s over quickly.
Here’s a great example of one of the presentations that I found valuable, which just happens to reinforce why you might want to attend an event like Ignite.
Phinney Bischoff was a proud sponsor. I’m not sure the nature of the sponsorship, but I’m sure it was worth it on both ends of the deal.
Thanks, Bryan for sharing. Thanks, Matt for the beer. I hope to attend again and probably give my own 5-minute talk one of these days.
It seems like everyone has a case of the Green Fever these days. But is “going green” just a marketing scheme or a trend? I don’t think so. At its core, the so called “green movement” is the latest in the steady scientific and social progress that has brought us vaccinations, democracy and pasteurization. These things are no more trends than flushable toilets.
Phinney Bischoff Design House has heard the call, and we’re on board. But what can a brand/design firm do? As an an earth-conscious designer, I’ve wrestled with that question for years. At times I’ve felt like I was in exactly the wrong industry, promoting consumption and creating printed materials that inevitably will end up in a landfill. Trying to reconcile my personal values with my career has at times seemed like an exercise in futility. However, I have since learned that I am in a unique and fortunate position to affect change from within the industry, and continue to do what I love to do at the same time. Thankfully, my peers at PBDH feel the same way.
So we formed the “Green Team.” A group of employees dedicated to helping the company and our clients reduce, re-use and recycle. We came up with some ground rules to guide us:
1. We’re going for measurable results - energy saved, money saved, trees saved, waste reduced - in dollars, gallons, kilowatts, etc.
2. Whatever we do must be economically viable. Anyone can “go green” if they have enough of money to play with, but can we do it within existing budgets?
3. Quality and quality-of-life will not be sacrificed. Our client’s printed materials will look and feel as luxurious as ever, and we’re not turning the heat off.
The Green Team identified two major spheres in which we have influence as a company: Our client’s print production and our own office facility. So what’s cookin’ over here? Here’s a sampler, measurable results included:
FSC Paper:
As print production manager for many of our clients, we are able to make smart choices about printing and paper. Whenever possible, we now select paper for printing which has been approved by the Forest Stewardship Council, an organization dedicated to managing and protecting our forest resources and reducing virgin timber consumption. We’ve now used 80-100% post-consumer recycled, FSC-certified paper for three large print-run printed brochure projects, which together have had the following impact (data provided by FSC):
- Fully-grown trees preserved: 50.7
- Gallons wastewater flow saved: 21,562
- Pounds solid waste not created: 2,385
- Pounds net greenhouse gases prevented: 1,990
- BTUs energy not consumed: 65.84 Million
Saving Energy:
Using less energy costs less and pollutes less. Approximately 60% of America’s electric energy comes from polluting, coal-fired power plants. Here in the Northwest we are lucky to have abundant hydro-electric power, but that still comes at a cost - especially to sensitive local environments (salmon). PBDH has taken steps to reduce our office energy consumption. By replacing our 65-Watt incandescent light bulbs with efficient, 15-Watt Compact Florescent Lights (CFLs), we will eventually reduce our electricity usage by 13,716 kWh per year ($835 in savings). And, by the way, CFL light color/quality is now virtually indistinguishable from traditional light bulbs.
Conserving Resources:
We now have two full-time bike commuters and one successful carpool team keeping the planet cool. Between just the four of us we estimate that we have not driven 5,472 miles in the last year. That’s 347 gallons of gas not burned, 4,420 pounds of greenhouse gases that did not go into the atmosphere and anywhere from $500 to about $900 in our pockets, depending on gas prices. We have also reduced our internal office paper consumption by simply switching to Xerox High Yield Business Paper (17.7 Lb) in our copier and printers. Compared to traditional 20 Lb copier paper, the high-yield paper:
- Uses 50% fewer trees.
- Turns wood into pulp via mechanical grinding vs. chemical means.
- Requires fewer chemicals and less bleaching.
- Reduces fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by 75%.
Besides these bigger projects, we’ve begun a number of smaller initiatives around the office to encourage the use of re-usable grocery bags, coffee cups and water bottles. Seattle Waste Management has provided us a Yard Waste bin which is now diverting our food scraps, lunch boxes, paper towels and other compostables from the landfill to a garden mulch facility.
This is just the beginning of a long growth process for us as a company and as individuals. We are re-thinking some everyday tasks and changing habits one at a time. In many cases just stopping to ask “what if…” will yield all the answers you need - and Google is there for the rest of them. Now imagine if all 300 Million of us Americans got on board. What would those numbers look like?
How much vision goes into a design project? Most of us would agree that you have to start with a good creative brief, with plenty of strategy, brand vision, and objectives to draw from. You have to consider your target audience, the personality and tone that you are trying to convey, and the primary message, at very least. Done. We’re past that. Once all the important strategy and branding objectives have been decided, there is still plenty of room for differing and unique executions. How do you start the process of building a layout? Flipping through reference books? Sketches? Start right in with a layout program? Where do new compositions come from? Is it a random process, an exercise in experimentation and discovery? When I see a completed layout I sometimes wonder: Did the designer know it was going to look like this when they started? I’d like to explore a few options that I have tried over the years.
Draw from existing materials.
I had to mention this, just to be thorough. Of course, when creating a piece that is part of a greater collateral package or identity system, we use the elements and compositions that have already been established. But I’m talking about developing new ideas here, so lets put this one aside and explore a few others…
Probe your subconscious.
Albert Einstein (smart guy) said that he has his best ideas while occupying one of the three B’s: Bed, Bus, or Bath. I too have experienced a few of these joyous “Eureka” moments while showering, driving, or lying in bed. I don’t know if this is probing your subconscious so much as just letting it air out. Either way, you can be sure there are a lot of good ideas already in there, and the ceaseless chatter of our conscious minds is just mucking them up. Find a way to let your brain go blank, and see what rises to the surface. Biking is a great way to clear the slate.
Steal it.
Legendary animator Richard Williams, attended acting classes, taught by actor Michael Caine (Austin Powers’ dad). In Williams’ book The Animator’s Survival Kit he quotes Caine: “If you see some actor doing a piece of business that you admire - steal it (pause for effect), STEAL IT! (audience shock and horror)- because they did.” Naturally, I’d recommend drawing inspiration from someone else’s design, more than lifting it directly. Make it your own. Odds are that whomever you were inspired by, was inspired by someone else, and so the evolutionary process goes.
Use a formula.
I don’t think I’d suggest this kind of thinking, but sometimes it can get you past a creative block, or at least past a deadline. You know what works, odds are you’re trying to be too creative or too ambitious. The clock is ticking and you’re staring at a blank page. Sometimes we spend so much time waiting for the perfect idea, that we skip plenty of great ones.
Take inspiration from something completely unrelated.
I once read in a forum on poster design (http://www.gigposters.com) that one could look at the clothes they are wearing at a given time, and use those colors in their project. That’s a start, how about composition? Look at a city skyline or a bunch of random advertisements stuck to city light post. Take an existing design, turn it sideways and crop it real tight. There are infinite possibilities if you look around. I once based a package layout on the unique shape of the backpack worn by a motorcyclist who was in front of me on the way to work that morning - It was a winner, everyone loved it, and it looked nothing like a backpack when I was done.
Imagine what your design hero would do.
This one has worked for me a few times. Instead of going down your usual paths, imagine what the end result would look like if executed by your favorite inspiration or competitor. You have to squint your eyes and try not to hover over one thought for too long. When you see that award-winning logo or show stopping identity set, all hazy in your mind’s eye, chances are that it is your own unique creation. The trick is capturing it before another thought replaces it.
Imagine what it would look like in context.
Picture your brochure sitting on a coffee table. What does it look like? Imagine your logo in frosted glass on an office door. Perhaps these are just ways of tricking your subconscious into giving up its best creative secrets. You never know what’s already in there, and you only have a moment to capture it before it evaporates like a morning fog.
Work around the content.
This is less of an inspiration and more of a situation in which we often find ourselves. You know how long the content is, you know which photos you have to use, now make it all fit and make it look good. Trying to organize a lot of content into a sensible and attractive presentation sometimes leaves you with only a few solutions from which to choose. This is what brought it up - this is the rut. I think that even in this situation, we can reach a little farther.
We get so caught up in the day-to-day and the deadlines that we can forget the great many places that creative inspiration and new compositions can come from. You could look at this as a list of ways to fight creative block, or maybe just a reminder to take the time to get back to where your own best ideas come from. Instead of attempting to give you a list of answers here, this is more of a question - What works for you? Where do new ideas for layout or details come from? I’d like very much to hear from you, with your own little tricks or thoughts on the subject.
