NOVEMBER 2014
Monologue Or Disclaimer Note. In this discussion we decided to include quotes or materials from other articles listed in the references as a comparison to the topic itself. Dear does not make any money in the work and the work is used solely for educational purposes. The reason we decided to do so is to make this discussion more alive with various examples internationally, so it can be said that this issue is like a collection or compilation of references from various articles, though still we added our own touches inside the publication.
As we come to the eleventh month of the publication, we are close in reaching a one year mark of our journey. Various plans are being made at the moment, but stay still for this publication and the next surely will not disappoint *Fingers crossed*. They say when you grow older you become wiser. Perhaps the quote is still applicable for us here at Dear Discussions. The discussions we had become mature, and the way we think is somewhat changes from last year, a good change.
So we hope you enjoy this month publication. Enjoy the ride cause things may get too much thrilling. Oh happy halloween BTW!
Contents
The Duty of a Chef Cooking Tips Some Ingredients Cook On 2
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When you google “how to design”, thinking you want to know about the things behind the design process, you’d be disappointed since the search will mostly be filled with tutorials, a step by step plan to make an artwork. Not that it’s a bad thing, but we think we should discuss more about the design process.
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W
e like to think that designers are like chefs. Chefs creates dishes based on the requirement or request
and the ingredients he/she owns. There are a lot of variables behind a chef’s work, one slight wrong movement can be made up with a slight modification with another. Each ingredients are not 100% the same, and each request or requirement may be different. The possibilities of result are endless, but one thing is true, the chef produces a dish he/ she could produce given the conditions. The Duty of a Chef
which are similar with cooks.
Before let us highlight that we had
Operators are able to use softwares,
mentioned chef, not cooks. As
and can produce graphics based
we like to differentiate that cooks
on the request, but then again
are people who cook food, the
the graphics sometimes does not
guys that know how to make a
respond well to the request, or even
food, while chefs, creates the dish.
worse does not relate anything at
Designers in one way around are
all. A designer work is beautiful in
similar with chef. It may be another
it’s own way. One project can be
logo project, or a similar logo
made with countless of working
project that has a similar business
method, producing countless of
type, business model and audience
results based on a single working
segment, but the result may differ,
method, therefore creating an
but one thing for sure, the designer
unlimited of possibility.
will produce a design given all the conditions.
Here’s an example, let us compare Adidas with Nike, not by their
4
Another term we like to mention
products, but by their identity, or
are operators, or graphic operators,
simply logo designs. Back then
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HOW TO DESIGN
we don’t know about the business
a unique design method based on
and economic condition for both
the conditions Carolyn receive at
side when producing their logo,
her time. With a different request,
but here’s what we can find; Adidas
comes a different method, hence
had the ‘treefoil’ logo at 1971, the
a different design. The duty of
three leafs represent the three main
the designer, besides the design
landmasses, America, Europe &
itself, is to assess the condition and
Africa, and Asia. The idea behind
decide the best process to work on.
the logo was made when they decided to expand their market.
Cooking Tips
So the need for the design was
Now we’re going to compile
because the company needs to
some recipes shared by other
identify itself when becoming a
designers. We’ll start of with Mr.
multinational brand. It needed a
Massimo Vignelli. For Vignelli, the
foundation of identity, it needs
principles of semantics, syntax and
a logo. Nike on the other side,
appropriateness should be used
designed by Carolyn Davidson in
in a every design project. Perhaps
1971, but the logo became public
this is one of the famous tips that
with the company several years
can be applied to people who start
later. The designer had the brief,
learning and doing design, but as
had insight on how the client wants
easy at it sounds, the discipline can
the logo represent etc, but another
be tricky to do and very limiting to
unique fact that was the client had a
others.
great fondness of the Adidas logo, and expects the design to be able to compete with Adidas. Carolyn stated that she made the designs on tissues, cut them and lay it over on a shoe, since the logo has to look good on a show. This shows
Masimo Vignelli
“Design is a discipline, a creative process with its own rules, controlling the consistency of its output toward its objective in the most direct and expressive way.” |
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HOW TO DESIGN
“ Create rules that for his poster and logo works is Saul work for you and the type of work Bass. Saul Bass made many iconic you’re doing. I designs in his career, some even never learned all still exist until today. Saul believed the things in school that a design project has a problem I wasn’t supposed solving relation. To work a design to do, so I just did, project, designers must understand and still do, what what the brand or company needs makes sense in the design. The initial phase to me.” of study and learning establishes The next designer, widely known
guidelines and insight to the designer to work objectively and Saul Bass
comprehensible to other people.
“It starts with a study and
analysis phase, during which we arrive at the critical strategic decisions that will guide our efforts.” His method is one of the most used
do well and make a name of himself in design. David said that in design, good design is produced with the very most basic choices, such as typeface selection, image cropping, etc. Designers that are lazy, letting computer handle most of the work will never produce a good design, a work that stands out.
and adapted method for designers to work as a ‘real’ functional and responsible designer.
The third designer is someone with a more wild approach, David Carson. Once a legendary surfer, and now a design practitioner, David never had a formal design education, but still he managed to
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David Carson
HOW TO DESIGN
Michael bierut, our fourth ‘chef’,
to make design not only beautiful in
once worked for Massimo and Lella
visual, but also appealing, making
Vignelli for 10 years. Bierut wanted
people interested and captivated to read or see. The idea to invite people with design is what shifts his mindset. Nowadays designers may be interested to create how design looks good. But looking good doesn’t necessarily makes people want to invest time to experience the design itself, for every design work, the key to appeal is different, but when we try to switch our
Michael Bierut
“when I was starting out, I used to think that I was the audience, and the goal was to please myself. then I got some experience and realized that the client was the audience, and the goal was to please them. of course, both of these things are sort of true, but basically wrong. I finally realized that the real audience were the people out there in the real world who were going to be stuck with whatever it was I was designing. a lot of time there is no one to speak for those people during the design process. the more you can be their advocate, the better the design will be. that’s not just the goal of identity design, but design period.”
focus from beautiful to appealing, beautiful things will follow later.
A Quote from Stefan Sagmeister will end the tips and recipes. Similar on what David Carson said, Stefan saw many design that were professionally made and well executed sometimes does not move him personally. Nothing that moves people and nothing to think about, his personal goal would be to touch people’s heart with design.
Stefan Sagmeister
“Every project is so different; it would be impossible to say what I think before I embark on it. I also would be bored to tears if I’d know in advance.” |
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Some Ingredients
the exact guidelines of the whole
Though we did say that skillsets
project itself.
is not a demanding quality, but there are some things we think
After knowing the details and
are necessary to do better. May
what is necessary for the project,
it be a design skill or mindset or
the next thing needed is project
a communication skill. One of
management, may it be timeline
the most basic things needed for
management, budget management,
a designer is the ability to read.
and of course the whole design
Read properly, read patiently and
management. Being able to
read thoroughly. When a designer accepts a work, he/she has to read a brief, a contract, and maybe some documents about the project. Without the patience to read, one can get lost and lose sight of detail aspects of the project, such as the agreement, the timeline, or even the items needed. Reading is sometimes a boring thing for a designer, especially when already having a general idea of the project, they like to imagine, visualize, or even sketch without knowing
Management, the basic stuff isn’t really that hard, learning management can help not only design works, but perhaps other things in life too.
manage and make sure everything is planned is important, especially for freelance designers. Surely you do not want to ruin the project only because of poor management. After everything is managed well, it’s time to work.
Reading, is essential as many information are presented in a written form. Read properly so you don’t miss any details of the project.
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For working there are many things that a designer can use in his/ her arsenal to make their works
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better, but perhaps some argue
is simply the ability
that the necessary things are
to keep working.
sometimes the basic things, such
Sometimes as
as typography. Most design works
designer we get
need typography, and being
wild ideas on how
good in typography really helps.
the end result is, but sometimes it is not what the brief or client demanded, and being
Try drawing a little everyday, just to work out those finger muscles! Draw everyday excercises are also a nice thing.
limited by that situation can make a designer unmotivated. Being unmotivated is natural, but don’t let it be a hurdle for us to work. There for some flash introduction for typography, we had some discussions before. Go ahead and check it out!
There are many things we can improve with typography such as typeface selection, measurement
is work to be done, if the work is never completed, we will never be able to produce a great work for ourselves.
and adjustments such as kerning, leading, and tracking, and also typeface treatments for decorative type.
The ability to draw and sketch is also a plus. Not a high class drawing
Work hard folks!
or illustration, but simple drawings
Cook On
to help define the initial stages of
Prometheus brought fire to humans;
the design. By doing so a designer
later humans make use of fire as
can have a more solid start for the
they can. Designers can only limit
design. This of course, helps a lot
their own, and if they decide not
in the design phase. The last thing
to do so, and they work hard, we
we thought necessary and needed
believe designers can design what
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they want to. There are countless
Being a worthy, famous or skillful
ways to cook a food, and there are
designer doesn’t mean the road
countless ways to design. Expand
ends, it just means that the road
your knowledge, train yourself,
is widely open, you are able to do
discipline yourself, work hard for
things that aren’t available before.
your own sake. Believe that one day you will be the next Vignelli, or
If possible, stop and share, teach
Carson, or Bierut, or Sagmeister, or
others to cook too. The world is a
Bass. They all start low, climbing,
huge place, it needs more than a
failing, and rising again. There is
chef, it needs many chefs. Share
no such thing as a born chef, every
your knowledge, it never hurts to do
chef trains, crawls to master and
so. Keep learning, keep sharing and
to be worthy to be called a chef, a
keep discussing. That’s what a great
three star chef.
chef do, that’s what a great designer do. Be proud of your work, even
When you reach a state where you
when it is not well received at first,
are proud of yourself, don’t stop
learn from experience, cook well,
working, because every chef cooks.
design well.
Article References: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004273/Woman-designed-Nike-swoosh-explainsstory-inception-40-years-ago.html http://www.creativebloq.com/logo-design/how-adidas-logo-earned-its-stripes-11135390 http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/massimo-vignelli-61411897 http://www.joshgreenhut.com/2012/10/07/saul-bass-process/ http://www.creativebloq.com/david-carson-important-technique-9084206 http://www.designboom.com/design/michael-bierut-interview/ http://designreviver.com/articles/10-essential-skills-every-graphic-designer-should-have/
Image References: http://www.pierrejunod.com/wp-content/uploads/Massimo-Vignelli.jpg http://biografieonline.it/img/bio/Saul_Bass_2.jpg http://ngoiania.com.br/sitefinal/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/david_carson.jpg http://strosechronicle.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Michael-Bierut-copy.jpg http://s3.amazonaws.com/dldwebsite-production/black_and_white_avatars/stefan-sagmeister/ original/ALT-stefan-sagmeister-portrait-carre-web.jpg
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Next Discussion: So this ends our cooking session, we hope you enjoy it as much as we did. So the next publication will be our last publication, we never imagined that it will go this far, but it has to stop after reaching a one year milestone. For our last discussion we want to try something a bit special, perhaps a little bit of one year flashback and review of all the things in 2014.
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