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DSGN
is a design magazine for the younger creative mind. Don’t think of this magazine as a formal textbook, think of it as inspiration to guide you on your quest for the perfect design career. There are three categories in order to make it easier for you to find what you want; Live, Learn and Follow. Live is all about how to help you live your life creatively. From what design items you just have to have to creative cities across the country, this category will give you suggestions to keep your life always inspired. Learn is here to teach you. Don’t worry, it’s not like school, it’s interesting. We teach you how to organize your studio, ace your presentation and how to become a business proffessional. Follow is our way to show you who to keep your eye out for in the design world in order to stay inspired. We feature different designers that are meant to inspire, teach, and show you where you can go with your career.
LIVE. LEARN. FOLLOW. ENJOY...
RETRO IS BACK.
WWW.NIKE.C0M
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CONTRIBUTORS Design is the search for a magical balance between business and art; art and craft; intuition and reason; concept and detail; playfulness and formality; client and designer; designer and printer; and printer and public. Live vicariously through this process.
Name Favorite field of design Question Answer
T AR RE
DI CT R O
Daniel Held
Stephanie Schulz
Eric Norton
Micaela Clarke
Samuel Willger
Posters & Advertising
Editorial & Publication
Motion & Animation
Book Design & Editorial
Branding & Logos
What photographer inspires you?
What magazine inspires you?
What artist inspires you?
What book inspires you?
What architect inspires you?
Ansel Adams. His passion for natural landscape comes through his photography.
I love DSGN but, the fashion and style of vogue really connects with me.
Dermot O’Conner. He does a lot of vector, flash and AE animations that are gorgeous.
How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy.
Frank Lloyd Wright. His innovations in planning as well as his expressive use of materials.
TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES 07 GIVING A GOOD PRESENTATION
WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON’T WANT TO MESS UP
LEARN
09
10 BEST CITIES FOR CREATIVE MINDS WHERE TO LIVE IF YOU WANT A GREAT LIFE WHILE DESIGNING
LIVE
13
BUSINESS READY AVOID LOOKING LIKE AN IDIOT. CARDS, DRESS, PORTFOLIO
LEARN
42
BLOCKS AND BARRIERS
73
MEET: TAD CARPENTER
SQUELCHED CREATIVITY, AND HOW TO FIGHT IT
LEARN
FOLLOW
KANSAS CITY’S OWN DESIGNER/ILLUSTRATOR
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DEPARTMENTS 12 $HIT TO GET
LIVE
DESIGN LUST. BUY SHIT, WHY NOT?
18 45 56 85
CREATIVE HEALTH
LIVE
TIDY WORKPLACE, AND HOW TO IMPROVE IT
UP AND COMING
FOLLOW
KEEP A LOOKOUT
THEN AND NOW
LEARN
THE EAMES GUITAR
ON TRENDING HOMOGENIOUS DESIGN
LEARN
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STARBUCKS NOW HAS MORE TO LOVE. BECAUSE WE ARE CERTIFIED! 100% OF OUR EXPRESSO COFFEE BEANS ARE NOW FAIRTRADE CERTIFIED! IT’S NOT JUST COFFEE. IT’S STARBUCKS.
LIVE $HIT TO GET
1 3
2 4
5 6
1. MODULAR FISH HOTEL Urban Outfitters $40.00 urbanoutfitters.com Give your small fish a modern, stylish home with a classy aquarium that lets you stack to maximize space. Amass several Fish Hotels to create a greatlooking fish condominium in your home or office. Features a square glass bowl surrounded by a paintable plastic facade with windows.
2. WORLD MAP These Are Things $99.00 shop.thesearethings.com The original modern world map. Each map is printed by hand in the USA. Silkscreened in four colors. Measures 20� x 30�.
3. COCKTAILS POSTER Pop Chart Lab $30.00 popchartlab.com This definitive guide to classic cocktails breaks down 68 drinks into their constituent parts. Follow the lines to see where spirits, mixers, and garnishes intersect to form delightful concoctions.
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$hit to Get Items to fulfill your lust for design. Impress your friends with some designer swag. Get ‘em while its hot. 8. SERPENT SHELVES Bashko Trybek $40.00 bashko-trybek.com Serpent is a modular shelving system which gives the user an oppor tun ity to choose the desired dimensions of the shelf. It also allows to combine and arrange the shelves to fit various spaces.
8 7 4. PHONE HANDSET Native Union Pop $35.00 urbanoutfitters.com Hello! Old school handset for your iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Macs...anything with a 3.5mm jack. Soft-touch rubber finish and a big, crisp sound. Perfect for chatting hands free. Includes an easy one-touch button for answering on the phone itself.
7. TEN 100C COLOR SET Gene Hurwitt $16.00 fab.com Prismatic and pure, AMAC’s transparent M Series Plastic Storage Containers offer a wide range of storage options. This suite of ten comes in a spectrum of colors and is perfect for gifts (and gift boxes!), or as slick storage for your office, medicine cabinet or jewelry. Featured in MoMA’s permanent design collection. 6. ZINC LETTERS Anthropologie $18.00 anthropologie.com Available in letters A-Z. Matte metal spells understated elegance. Measures 8” x 5”. 5. LITTLE PRINTER BERG Cloud $80.00 bergcloud.com Little Printer lives in your home, bringing you news, puzzles and gossip from friends. Use your smartphone to set up subscriptions and Little Printer will gather them together to create a timely, beautiful mini-newspaper.
NEVER HIDE
P o tte ry B arn SPRING SALE
LEARN CREATIVE HEALTH AND HABITS
As a designer, you naturally spend a lot of time in front of your desk. The first time you see your workspace each day you should have a good emotional response, because it represents you as a person. Not feeling that excited about your workspace? Well let’s give it a try at improving it. It doesn’t take as much effort as you think, and it surely pays off. There are several things you can do to start feeling happier with your workspace. This will also positively affect your productivity, so you’re killing two rabbits with one bullet. Here are some tips that I hope you will find very helpful.
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Tidy Workspace
7 tips on how to improve your workspace. Norman Rockman
1. UNCLUTTER
4. USE YOUR RECYCLE BIN
It’s impossible to get a good daily vibe from your workspace when it is overcrowded and messy, so the first step is uncluttering and cleaning the physical environment. Surely there is stuff you should/ need to get rid of. Just make sure you don’t throw sketches that you haven’t developed into practical ideas yet. They might come in handy some day, so find them a place in some drawer you don’t use that often or in a box under your bed.
It’s a good idea to have a recycle bin near your seat so you can just throw anything there, instead of letting it pile up everywhere. Just always make sure you do not throw away food leftovers in it and forget them there for days in a row, a stinky workspace is not inspirational! Using plastic bags for lining the recycle bin will make it easier to empty.
2. ORGANIZE YOUR BOOKS Its a great idea to develop a library of reference material for you to refer to when you are in need of some inspiration. However, if this collection of books is strewn accross your desk, with different books all over the place and unorganized, it doesn’t help all that much after all. Try putting all of your reference material in one location and establish a system so that you can easily find certain books.
3. PERSONALIZE YOUR SPACE After making sure your desk space is clean, feel free to personalize it. That doesn’t mean overcrowding the place all over again! Just add a bit of your personality and include elements that inspire you and make you smile (it could be artwork, photos that you enjoy). The idea is to make the workspace a place that is friendly, in which you feel comfortable and it should also represent you. It’s a good idea to make room, maybe on a wall near your workspace, for a project of yours that you are particularly proud of. It will be a nice reminder about what you can do if you put your mind into it and focus on the task in hand– motivation is always welcomed!
5. CLEAN YOUR HDD AND DESKTOP Clean up your hard drive too. For example, how many times have you realized your desktop is full of unnecessary icons? It’s hard to find files when your folders are getting overcrowded with useless things and you know it. Make some time and make sure you organize your folders and files logically and delete the useless files. An antivirus scan from time to time can do no harm either.
6. ORGANIZE YOUR THINGS Use shelves, boxes, cabinets or whatever you like best to store your things– it will be easier to keep it clean and also easier to find things in a timely, unstressful manner. You might consider labeling the containers you choose to keep the things in. This way, you will know exactly where to put something back after you use it, and exactly where it is the next time you’ll need it, which will ultimately save you time and effort.
7. BUY A QUALITY CHAIR I would also suggest investing in a good quality chair. I’m not saying that you must spend hundreds of dollars on it, but make sure that you can sit on it for hours without experiencing discomfort. Choose one with wheels on the bottom to get around your desk more easily.
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FOLLOW LOOKOUT
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Keep a Lookout Fresh new faces in the design world. Steve Dollar
For Jonathan Calugi, doodling has evolved into an abiding aesthetic. The affable Italian taps into his childhood experiences rather than any formal training to create everything from playful fonts to winsome T-shirts, all on display at his website, Happy Lovers Town. Calugi’s work often fixates on intricate, obsessive patterns and eccentric geometric forms that emulate trippy wallpaper motifs. They can be found on products from the fabric purveyor Bon Bon Kakku, and his schematic diagrams are tailor-made for clothing lines like Noodle Park Kid. “Jonathan’s illustrations create detailed worlds that lend themselves to multilayered storytelling,” says Adam Flanagan, a senior designer at 160 over 90 who selected Calugi to participate in the De’ Longhi Artista Series, in which 10 designers laseretched their own creations onto Perfecta espresso machines. “His illustration gives the user something
new to discover with each cup.” In the artwork, letters and words are playfully hidden behind faces, raindrops, and ears. “It’s like ‘Where’s Waldo?’” says Calugi. “Each time, you can find a surprise.” Calugi’s fonts, which are given vividnames like Umma Gomma and Disco Fat, sport a roly-poly, neohippie vibe that offers an unconditional, childlike hug. He has a pattern
“Calugi’s work often fixates on intricate, obsessive patterns and eccentric geometric forms that emulate trippy wallpaper motifs.”
called “Bears Are So Bad,” and his T-shirts carry their own brand of innocence too: one slogan, in soft, curved, hand-drawn letters, reiterates the designer’s philosophy, “Spread Love No War No Lawyers Be Freedom.” “When I create a letter, I think about that letter as a complete world,” he explains. “And when I write a word, I think of the word as an entire universe. When you write with love, you can write many things inside each and every letter. One letter can speak more than an entire book.”
A LITTLE MORE INFO NAME: Jonathan Calugi AGE: 26 HOMETOWN: Pistoia, Italy WEBSITES: happyloverstown.eu/loverstown behance.net/lovers
SOME CLIENTS: Nike Computer Arts Apple Heineken Google MOTTO: “Less is More.”
Pr i u s C Thanks to its high mileage, this city-friendly, stylish Prius is affordable, while being fun and eco-chummy at the same time.
available sprin g 2012
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T O Y O TA
moving for ward
STAY SWEAT FREE FOR YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION Tricks you should know in order to look good the next time you speak in front of a group.
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LEARN PRESENTATION
HOW TO PRESENT
A REFRESHER FOR THE PROFESSIONAL.
Nancy Goldberg
THERE IS NO PRESUMPTION HERE TO “TEACH YOU” HOW TO BE GREAT Many of you reading this article have been communicating effectively for years. Please consider this a refresher. We have tried to assemble many tips on presentations, in the hopes that some will trigger old knowledge, others may be new to you. When you finish reading this, we like to think that your next presentation will go perhaps a little smoother or a bit better, by virtue of our reminding you about some things that you already “knew.” We are pretty confident that next presentation won’t go any worse. We plagiarize only the very best. I have just assembled in one place many “gems” accumulated over the years. In particular, some of the regular sources I have found strong in this type of information include: Sales and Marketing Strategies, Presentations Magazine, Tom Hopkins; The Art of Selling, and others. Of course the wisdom from these sources originated in many other places. THE STRUCTURE The Rule of Tell ‘em Tell ‘em what you are going to tell ‘em, Tell it to them, and then Tell ‘em what you told them. The translation: Start with an introduction; including an “agenda” or set of goals for the presentation, provide the content; information and summarize the presentation.
Last is first– Conclusion slide One researched “fact” of presenting that has been around for a while is that most people attending a presentation will “remember” no more than five key points. What has not been confirmed is what are the key points? Ideally, the presenter should have a list of the five most important points/concepts/facts that should be remembered. The attendees should list the five they remember. Now, what is the correlation? Is your message getting across? Or are they remembering minor points and missing your key ideas? It’s bad enough that they will only remember five points, my own theory says you and they will not consider the same things important– what if they remember only one point that you think is important. How to get your audience to remember what you want them to?
5 key facts are the most that any presenter should use.
Use the truth to get your point across.
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Start with the last slide! That’s right, when you are ready to create your presentation, forget the details for a minute, forget the presentation’s organization, instead of that: Write out your conclusion or summary slide first! It should emphasize the most important points you plan to make. Once you have visualized those points, it’s relatively easy to build your presentation around them. Curious, it comes back to the Rule of Tell ‘em. Even the brilliant people in your audience may need your help in deciding what you believe is most important. Help them out! THE BASIC RULES KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid There are numerous ways to apply this ancient adage. The bottom line is that the more complicated you let things get, the more trouble you can expect:
New technology is wonderful, but don’t break in new equipment 15 minutes before the presentation is supposed to start.
Keep your presentation focused on the message. Don’t get carried away with special effects and bling.
TED talks are a great way to see excellent presentations. Rehearsing the presentation There’s something to be said for winging it: “Forget It!” To present the most professional image, you need to know your presentation. It’s OK to occasionally leave the main “script” but, wandering presentations that lack focus, or those too dependent on working from notes, or long pauses to compose your thoughts are never acceptable. Rehearsing the presentation includes more than just going over what you will be saying. Rehearsing includes the entire presentation. Use the same tools too. If you are using slides, or a projector, and have access to the room you will be presenting in, rehearse there. Using a remote mouse and laser pointer for the presentation, a microphone? Rehearse the presentation with these devices. Don’t memorize Rehearsing is one thing, committing the presentation to memory and performing it by heart, is not the way to go. You need to present, not recite, a good presentation should have some soul. But use your notes very sparingly Too much time spent reading notes may convince your audience that you are unprepared.
Whatever you do, don’t have rented equipment scheduled to arrive 10 minutes before you speak. Check out everything in advance. Then check it again.
Dress for success Some say you can never overdress for a presentation. Others will disagree. Our own belief is that other factors come in to play, particularly how you handle yourself in the situation. Humor and how formal your presentation is will impact whether you are “over” presented. But everyone agrees you should never underdress. How to determine what is appropriate? Worst case: Ask people. It’s all part of doing it right.
LEARN PRESENTATION
CONTENT DELIVERY
AESTHETIC
THE PERFECT PRESENTATION Pace yourself– don’t go too fast, or too slow. A general rule, every “slide” deserves at least 10 seconds, and none rate more than 100. If you find yourself spending several minutes on one slide, consider breaking it up! (We’re not suggesting this as a firm rule, but a good guideline. Obviously, some charts or graphics may take several minutes to properly present.) Then again, perhaps they could be better as multiple “slides.” If you are done with a “slide”– lose it. Don’t leave an image up for your audience once you move on to other points.
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The Presentation Tools Slides, LCD and DLP Projectors, Laptops, LCD panels, Video, Multimedia, Sound, Laser Pointers, Lapel Microphones, Overheads, Photo-quality printers, Posterprinters... There are a great many presentation tools available to you as a presenter. Determine your communication needs, the presentation environment, and select the right group of tools to get your message across. Creating Support Materials Great, you have put together the killer presentation of all time. You looked good, your audience reacted positively. It couldn’t have gone better, so what’s wrong? They go to brief their superior, after two questions, it becomes apparent that they have the concept. Unfortunately, it also becomes apparent that they don’t have any specifics. Why? No or poor documentation/handouts. When all the other pieces of the puzzle are in place, don’t limit the staying power of your message, by providing it without the right support. The Naked Audience It’s been said that most people, including a great many executives, fear presenting to large groups even more than they fear death. If you are that nervous going into a presentation, one old technique we’ve heard before: Get out there, look around, close your eyes for a moment, and picture the people in the front row, either naked or in their underwear (depending on your moral fibre). Either way, it is said to have a relaxing, almost humorous effect. The person who said “there is nothing to fear, but fear itself” has never had his computer crash right in the middle of a presentation, his overheads all fall on the floor, her slide tray still be in the overhead compartment....
Concentrate on your audience, not on your computer. Pick one (or two) people easily visible to you, and “speak” to them. Oh, be sure to also observe others, but concentrate on just a few. This may or may not solve your “audiencophobia” but it will keep you in touch with your audience, and provide you with some feedback. Make eye contact– don’t wander around the room, don’t look down. Wandering can be a sign of nervousness, while looking down, may be taken as “trying to figure out what’s next”. (Remember– you’re the speaker– you’re supposed to know. Lose the computer– that is– don’t hide behind it. Get a remote mouse and get back up in front of the group, where you belong, as presenter, leader, moderator, and communicator. Deferring questions, following up: Depending on the nature of the meeting you are presenting at, it may be appropriate to field questions during the presentation. In some cases it will be proper to answer the question on the spot, in other cases, you may be addressing that point later, or want to cover it later on or after the meeting. You are the best judge of how to handle it. Retain control of the flow of the presentation. Where appropriate defer questions to later in the presentation or afterwards. It is perfectly acceptable to reply with: “I would like to address your question later on when I cover...” or “You and I can discuss that after the conclusion of the presentation...” or “Regretfully, I do not have that information readily available. Please meet me after the meeting, I will get your name... and get back to you next week.” If you do defer any questions: Follow through as promised. Nothing will damage your credibility in the long run, more than not keeping your word. Measuring Your Audience Hint: Snoring is a really bad sign! We have suggested you focus on only a few people in your audience. Are they attentive? What about body language– are they fidgeting or checking their watches? Taking notes? Taking naps? Seriously, it is for you to take note as to which parts of your presentation are having an impact, and which are lost on your listeners.
LEARN PRESENTATION
Don’t wait till the very last minute to work on your presentation. We all know that few presentations are really finished and “in the can” even a couple of days before the presentation must go on. That’s even with best intentions. Get an early start on your presentation. You will still be changing it at the last minute regardless. It’s the knowledge stupid, not the graphics This is probably a corollary of KISS: The purpose of your presentation is in order to communicate ideas and information, not to dazzle people with fancy graphics. When the session is over, you want your audience marching out discussing the ideas you set forth, not talking about the neat graphics, the special effects, funny sounds, etc. Your Presentation Achieves Consciousness: or How to Make an Impression. Your audience achieves unconsciousness. If you had to do it again, and again. You have the content worked out, you followed all the rules, everything you must have in the presentation– direction, focus, information, you should make sure the reinforcement is there. Now what will make it even better?
Enthusiasm Absolutely nothing will help your presentation more than communicating your passion and confidence. It doesn’t have to be an evangelical “Do you BELIEVE– I BELIEVE,” but the audience will recognize your belief, and confidence, and it will add credibility to your message.
The Power of Language The words you select will dramatically impact your audiences reaction to both your ideas and your effectiveness as a presenter. Your word processor has a thesaurus– learn to use it effectively. Use “power” and “command” words to get your audiences attention and to give the impression of confidence and competence. A few examples: Instead of “I think you will agree” try “I am certain you will agree,” “I hope you will consider” vs. “I recommend you to consider.” Address your audience in second person. “You” is a very powerful word, generally audiences react much better to being addressed as “you” than in the third person as they. “As a participant, you will benefit” vs. “Participants will benefit.” Not only should you put a thesaurus to work to find “better” words with more impact, but also to prevent excessive use of the same word over and over again. (Throughout this web site we have suffered from excessive use of the words need, requirement, and solution, even with the thesaurus, we enjoyed little relief, but still we probably reduced the use of “need” be 50%. Other than that, “requirement” and “requisite” make a more powerful impact.
Humor The right amount of humor used judiciously, can go a long way to build rapport with your audience, and keep your audience interested and attentive. As a rule, don’t tell jokes for their own sake, drop in your humor where it fits, relating to a point, or a break between sections. Small amounts of humor or an irreverent comment from time to time can go a long way to liven a presentation. Remember, a sleeping audience remembers little. Don’t push your luck! Rehearsing your presentation in front of real people is a great way to test the “acceptability” of your humor.
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Quotations Appropriate quotations can make a noticeable impact on your audience. It’s not always possible to find quotes that are directly relevant to your presentation, but it is often easy to find a series of quotes that complement or promote concepts that are part of your presentation. One presenter I know, in the multi-level marketing business, likes to put a series of quotes from computer “visionaries” including Thomas Watson (IBM), Ken Olson (DEC), Bill Gates (Microsoft)... in his presentations.
Art’s rule of five (Five presentation reminders in five categories.)
These quotes go back many years:
Rehearse using as much or all of the tools you plan use during the real thing.
Thomas Watson (former Chairman of IBM, didn’t think computers would ever be popular.
Ken Olson (founder and former president o DEC) couldn’t figure out why anyone would want a computer at home. Bill Gates thought that 640K of memory would be enough for everyone. With the less than stellar credibility much of multi-level marketing is perceived to have, these quotes which are all “way off the mark” provide a cautionary tale that tells you that perceptions are not always right. Better still, after the first couple of quotes, the audience is “looking” for more – they are having an impact on the audience. Bottom line: Make your quotations relevant and interesting! What is the difference between your audience and an elephant? The elephant never forgets– the audience occasionally remembers!
Five things to do: rehearse When rehearsing before a person, eliminate your overview and summary slide. Find out what they found interesting, memorable, confusing. Have them list what they thought was most important! Did they get your message? Test all your equipment in advance of having any sort of presentation.
Have a backup plan: What if your projector dies, computer crashes, slide tray still on the plane. What is plan B? (And did you practice it?) Introduction, Objective, Overview, Presentation Five things for your audience to do 1. Stay awake. 2. Receive the information they seek. 3. Get your message. 4. Take away supporting materials that help them disseminate the information you presented. 5. Act on your information. Five things to do when you are done 1. Thank them! 2. Make materials available. 3. Make yourself available. 4. Provide them with a method of reaching you. 5. Get feedback– Find out what they thought.
LIVE 10 CITIES
10 BEST CITIES FOR DESIGNERS TO LIVE IN Michael Sherbet
Population of each city
$
Average Designer Salary Ranking from 1 to 10 on best cup of coffee
In January of this year, Artbistro published a list of the ten best cities in America for artists and designers to live in. The results might surprise you as it’s not just a roundup of the usual suspects and the list is notably heavy on smaller cities. In creating the list, Artbistro first narrowed the field down to those cities with vibrant art and design scenes and then focused primarily on cost of living and other economic factors.
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LIVE 10 CITIES
10.
SEATTLE, WA
9. WASHINGTON DC
The home to many prominent corporate headquarters; including those of Starbucks, Nordstrom, Microsoft and Amazon.com; Seattle is Washington state’s largest city and the region’s major economic, cultural and educational center. While the cost of living is a little on the high side, our #10 city has a particularly supportive community for the arts.
Maryland and the greater DC area pays its artists and graphic designers well. It is not the cheapest place to live on our list, but many find this city full of art and treasures stimulating to their creativity. It certainly is a city that appreciates its artists. Washington DC spends more percapita on art than any other state or district.
Pike Place is located in Seattle where locals gather to shop
Mt. Pleasant Temporium is a small storefront in Washing-
for all different kinds of bargins.
ton D.C. which sells handmade crafts and wares by 30 different artists.
608,660
$ 65,000 1st
617,996
$ 68,000 9th
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8. RALEIGH, NC
7. OKLAHOMA, CITY
One of the nation’s top areas for overall growth, Raleigh– Cary shines with expected job growth in in the coming years. Our #8 pick is becoming a preferred location for artists and designers in the South. Its relatively low income to cost of living ratio and potential for growth definitely place it in the top tier. Brooks + Scarpa Architects and Clearscapes Architecture
Ranked by Forbes magazine as 2008’s most recession-proof American city, Oklahoma City is still bustling with the prospect of significant job growth. Oklahoma’s capital city has managed to hold steady with an impressively low change in unemployment rate since the recession’s outbreak. There is plenty of growth potential in the art and design fields here.
have designed the Contemporary Art Museum which is
The Womb Gallery’s painted exterior started with Brook-
located in Raleigh.
lyn-based Maya Hayuk, who painted a rainbow of eyes and mouths in a mural that wraps around the gallery. It
403,892
makes it impossible to miss in Oklahoma City’s industrialtoned brick, stone and concrete downtown.
$ 58,000 3rd
579,999
$ 45,000 8th
LIVE 10 CITIES
6. LOS ANGELES, CA
5. SALT LAKE CITY, UT
2009 was a tough year for California. The recession hit the state hard but despite that it remains one of the best-paid cities for artists and designers. Artists, animators and fashion designers make more here than 98% of the cities in the nation. Living expenses have gone down in the past year making it more livable. If you can brave the traffic, this sunny location has still got what creative people need.
Offering better employment conditions than most other large cities, Utah’s biggest city boasts the lowest unemployment rate boosting it right near the top. Many designers are employed here per capita for its growing tech industry. The cost of living in Utah is reasonable and the access to the outdoors is unparalleled. It is not an artist’s mecca but it is growing in support for the arts.
Winner of the 2010 Architecture Grand Prize Award, this
Lake City. Their limited edition art prints and posters are
is the Police Department’s 50,000 square-foot headquar-
signed and numbered by the artist, making each print a
ters that features an open design and significant public
valuable collectible.
amenities, which include a nearly one-acre public park, a 400-seat auditorium and a rooftop garden.
617,996
$ 74,000 6th
Signed & Numbered is a gallery and frame shop in Salt
403,892
$ 56,000 4st
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3. SAN ANTONIO, TX The second largest city in Texas, San Antonio has one of the most solid salary to cost of living ratios in the country and has seen the lowest change in unemployment rate since the onset of the recession. Its projected job growth is extremely promising and consistently high performing, with plenty of opportunity in art and design sectors. Famous for its River Walk, the Alamo and Tejano culture, San Antonio’s tourism also continues to thrive despite a down economy. The San Antonio River Walk is a public park, open 365 days a year. It is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath approximately 5 miles of downtown San Antonio. Lined by bars, shops and restaurants, the River Walk is an important part of the city’s urban fabric and a tourist attraction in its own right.
1,351,305
$ 47,000 10th
4. BRIDGEPORT, CT Bridgeport is a thriving multicultural city located right on the water of Long Island sound in the southern part of Connecticut. Its great location and proximity to other cities such as New York and Boston make Bridgeport a wonderful city to live and work. Bridgeport ranks in the top five cities for median salaries for graphic designers, architects, and fashion designers. Derecktor Shipyards has contracted with Statue Cruises, a subsidiary of Hornblower Cruises & Events, to create the first hydrogen fuel cell passenger ferry in the U.S.
136,405
$ 64,000 2st
LIVE 10 CITIES
2. NEWARK, NJ Newark, New Jersey is a skip away from New York City, the creative hub of the country. But it is a bargain to live in compared to Manhattan’s cost of living. Newark boasts top pay in the professions of fashion design and graphic design. It has a rich cultural heritage of its own. So if you want to be close to the center of things but can’t quite afford to do it in style, Newark is a great choice for you. The Garden in the Machine is a building created by five architecture students in Newark, New Jersey. It is a housing district for immigrants.
278,980
$ 64,000 7th
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1. AUSTIN, TX Austin tops our list with robust projected job growth and one of the lowest changes in unemployment rate since the onset of the recession. The city has enjoyed a recent explosion of high-tech entrepreneurism. Animators in Austin are some of the highest paid in the nation. A “best cities” list veteran, Austin’s our top pick again this year! Hamilton pool, as it is called, is located in Austin. It was created naturally when a dome of underground caves collapsed making this wonderful pool. Today visitors come here on a daily basis.
790,390
$ 52,000 5th
LEARN BUSINESS READY
BUSINESS READY
Michael Silverberg
Business Cards Try, if you can, to measure your online footprint. You likely have a few email addresses, a Facebook account, maybe a website, a Tumblr or two, a Twitter feed, and a LinkedIn profile, even though you don’t remember creating it and you’ve only logged on to respond to requests from people you’ve never heard of. You also probably have a business card. No matter how much of ourselves we incarnate in ones and zeros, few of us seem willing to dispense with this relic of the offline world. “Almost every piece of printing I knew and loved can be replaced by something digital today,” says Michael Bierut, a partner at Pentagram. “Corporate brochures and annual reports: online. Letterheads and envelope sets: email. Magazines and books: iPads. However, sooner or later, you still need to meet someone face-toface, and at that moment, it’s nice to have a business card.”
Business cards do one thing, and they do it marvelously well. That isn’t to say they’re monolithic. “They are as personal as underwear,” Bierut says. “Some like to sport something stylish or unusual. Others are uneasy with anything other than something straightforward in plain white. Either way, as the rest of the world goes virtual, the business card will endure.”
DSGN Rating System
Graphic Designer
Business
Simple and clean design with variation in typography and use of
Great concept yet, not very functional to get in and out of wallet or
individuals icon.
pocket. Also, if you are on a slim budget die cuts will cost more.
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HELLO
my name is,
Web Designer
Business
Clean layout with a centered name, graphic icon, and clean and
Could use more typographic color and hierarchy is lost with every
concise contact information.
thing being in all caps.
LEARN BUSINESS READY
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6
1. GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Non–traditional, horizontal, double sided, black card. Good use of color and typographic hierarchy. Thoughtful logo expressing individuals type of job.
7
2. MARKETER
Square, one color promotional card with nice positive and negative space.
3. ILLUSTRATOR
Challanging to read yet, exciting and suits individuals job field.
4. PHOTOGRAPHER
Centered, stacked type on one side and simple icons on
8
5. STUDIO
Interesting die cut with QR code linking to the individuals website.
6. GRAPHIC DESIGNER Embossed, glossy type indicating individuals skills. Might be distracking from the stacked type.
7. GRAPHIC DESIGNER
9
Playful type with clear hierarchy. Nice use of non– traditional material which may cost more.
8. LETTERPRESS
Decorative letterpress card. Creates a classic and traditional look.
9. TEXTILES
Creative way of showing job profession on the card. Might be too time consuming for some.
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WE LOVE TO PRINT
About MOO / The MOO Promise When we say “we love to print”, we really mean it. In this section you’ll find out more about MOO and the work that goes on behind the scenes. From the paper to the packaging, the people and the press. Pull up a chair and make yourself at home. The MOO Promise We’ve never thought ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ was the most inspiring phrase. We’d like you to be satisfied of course, but we’d prefer it if you were absolutely thrilled with your order. We take great pride in the work we do here at MOO; our tagline is ‘We love to print’ and we really mean it. Which means... Sometimes we’ll reprint your order, other times we’ll give you a coupon to place a new order yourself, for free. Ultimately, you’ll take delivery of a brand new, correct order. If the problem can’t be fixed: We’ll be very surprised if we can’t fix the problem– it doesn’t happen often. Like you, we’d much rather you received, and were happy with, the things you ordered. If we really can’t fix the problem, we’ll give you your money back.
Should you ever receive a MOO delivery which isn’t upto scratch, please get in touch as soon as you can. Here’s what will happen next:
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Confirmation We’ll send you a quick auto response email, just to let you know we’ve received your message.
Response One of the Customer Service Agents will respond personally by the end of the next working day often much sooner.
Solution
3
We’re usually able to find a fix straight away. Occasionally one of our team will ask you a few more detailed questions, just to make sure we’re fixing the right problem.
We believe in the power of great design Design is key to everything MOO does. Design helps us stand out: from the clothes we wear, to the homes we live in, to the business cards we use. Design tells a story about us and what we stand for. But professional-quality design has traditionally been expensive or out of reach for most people; we want to change this. We're passionate about helping people of all abilities design the best looking and highest quality print products: products that will help them or their business look great. Our company vision is simple but ambitious: “great design for everyone.”
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Portfolios / What You Need to Know A portfolio is a job seeking tool that helps to give employers a complete picture of who the candidate is. Employers can be skeptical of the claims job seekers make on their resumes, especially since competition is fierce. A portfolio provides much more content than a cover letter or resume can thus give the candidate credibility. While portfolios are a tool commonly used by those in creative professions, even those in non-creative fields can use a portfolio to make a memorable impression over their peers (remember, in this job market, the key is standing out!). Developing a great portfolio takes time, so do not rush the process and make sure your portfolio is impressive!
Online vs. Print Portfolios Online portfolios are an emerging trend however the importance of a print portfolio should not be diminished. A candidate can have a portfolio in both formats, as they serve different purposes. A print portfolio is typically used during a face-toface interview, while an online portfolio would usually be viewed by an employer before or after the interview. Career experts suggest that job seekers develop an online portfolio after they have made a hard copy portfolio. Print portfolios should be kept in a 3-ring binder with an organizational system such as tabs or dividers and include a table of contents. Online portfolios can be in a variety of formats, such as a website, a blog, or a presentation on LinkedIn.
See Blue Sky Portfolios for great examples of online portfolios. Also visit the EagleHire Network and scroll down the homepage to find the Build a Portfolio tool on the left side. Regardless of the medium, the most important thing to remember is that content is more important than design. Over-designing a portfolio can make it seem confusing or difficult. However, the design still plays a role in how organized and easy to follow the content is. Likewise, online portfolios must be easy to navigate.
1 Bamboo
$78.00
2 Acrylic
$62.00
3 Aluminum
$95.00
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3
LEARN BUSINESS READY
What to Wear / Summer Interview Arriving for a job interview hot and bothered, red-faced and sweating, is the last thing you want a potential employer to see. How you dress for a summertime job interview in a way that will keep you cool but appropriately formal?
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT 10 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 1.
What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
2.
What major challenges and problems did you face?
3.
How did you handle them?
4.
What is your greatest weakness and strength?
5.
Do you prefer to work independently or on a team?
6.
What interests you about this job?
7.
Why do you want this job?
8.
What are your goals for the next five years/ten years?
9.
How do you plan to achieve those goals?
10.
What are you looking for in your next job?
For Him: Look for a two or three button wool suit in gray or navy. Do not wear black. A black suit looks like you’re attending a funeral or driving a hearse. Wear a solid-white, light-gray or light-blue shirt, but keep in mind that white looks good against all complexions and makes your skin pop the most. Make sure half an inch of your cuff is visible. If it’s not, your suit sleeves are too long. Your trousers should break slightly at the hem.
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For Her: Keep it light in both fabric and color, but don’t wear a white dress or suit. White is the least serious color and looks too casual. The lightest you should go is cream. If the position is less corporate, you may want to try mixing separates, like a solid sleeveless dress with a tailored jacket in a brighter color or pattern. Look for a slim-notch lapel to keep it modern. Don’t be afraid to toss the suit and wear a sharp dress with a jacket. The benefit to wearing a sleeveless dress is that you can remove your jacket until right before your interview, so you’ll stay cooler. A more classic skirt or pants suit paired with a pretty printed silk blouse is also a lovely combination.
REMINDERS: Get Ready Stay Calm Be On Time Show What You Know Follow Up
Tie $12.99 – $16.99
Sport Coat $49.99 – $79.99
Shirt $14.99 – $28.99
Pants $39.99 – $49.99
Shoes $42.99 – $55.99
Blazer $28.99 – $48.99
Dress $23.99 – $35.99
Shoes $27.99 – $39.99
Necklace $14.99 – $20.99
Handbag $24.99 – $32.99
BLOCKS & BARRIERS If it weren’t for certain blocks to creative thinking, I think most of us would be far more creative. Some of these blocks are found within ourselves, others are external. Entrenched habits, insecurities and a repressive environment can prevent us from making full use of our inborn creative abilities. The best countermeasure to “blocks and barriers” is recognizing these creativity-squelching forces, and mustering the independence and confidence to be ourselves and express our creative ideas and solutions in spite of these obstacles that are in all of our paths. Let’s look at a couple sources of creativity blocks, and their countermeasures.
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Are they squelching your creativity? Gary A. Davis, Ph.D.
Habit The first and most obvious barrier is habit, our acquired patterns. Once learned, these habits are tough to break, but that is just what we must do to see clearly and create new possibilities. Recognize these habit-related squelchers?
“We’ve never done it before.” “We did all right without it.” “It’s been done that way for 20 years, so it must be good.” The ability to form habits and expectations is necessary for survival, but when it comes to creativity, habit can be a curse. When tackling a problem, take a few seconds to ask yourself, “Am I responding out of habit? Can I find a better, much more innovative solution?”
Perceptual Blocks Perceptual blocks also originate in learning and habit. Our accustomed way of perceiving things interferes with the ability to see new meaning, relationships, methods or applications. Psychologists use the terms “functional fixity” or “mental set” to describe this predisposition to perceive things in certain ways. For example, based on symptoms that seem familiar, a physician, scientist or executive may persistently misclassify a problem and treat it incorrectly. Once you get over a perceptual barrier and come up with a creative solution, you may kick yourself for not having seen it earlier.
Puzzle 1
The police entered a gym containing five wrestlers just as the dying man looked at the ceiling and mumbled, “He did it.” They immediately arrested one of the wrestlers. How did they know who was guilty?
Puzzle 2
Remove six letters from ASIPXPLETLTERES. What word is left? (Answers on page 49).
Perceptual blocks are difficult to overcome, but it helps to stay flexible, keep an open mind and continually try to see a problem from different angles.
Rules and Traditions From the family to the laboratory to the international corporation, all social groups must have rules, regulations, policies and traditions to guide personal and group behavior. Unfortunately, too often “guide” actually means “restrict” or “inhibit.” One tradition-based barrier stems from the status hierarchy. Lowerstatus people are reluctant to suggest ideas to people in higher positions, due to insecurity and fear of evaluation. Likewise, higher-level people frequently resist ideas that threaten the hierarchy.
LEARN CREATIVE HEALTH AND HABITS
Cultural Blocks A second tradition-based obstacle is the formalization barrier, the degree to which rules and procedures are enforced. If group members must comply strictly with procedures, creativity will suffer. Procedural barriers are policies and regulations, written or unwritten, that inhibit innovation. For example, are research administrators promoted for their analytical skills, or their ability to foster a creative atmosphere? Does planning tend to be short-term or farsighted? Do decision-makers avoid expenditures that don’t produce an immediate payback? Do they micro-manage the development of an innovation?
Cultural blocks can be summarized in two words: conformity pressures. It simply is uncomfortable to be different, to challenge accepted ways of thinking and behaving. We learn that it’s good to be correct, logical and practical; to follow rules and avoid mistakes; and that “play is for kids.” Creativity requires violating all of these norms. Ever been told any of these before?
“Don’t play around.” “Don’t rock the boat.” “Don’t step on any toes.” “It will offend.”
Consider these squelchers:
“We can’t do it under the regulations.” “That’s not our job.” “It’s not in the plan.” “Let’s form a committee!” If a rule, policy or procedure restricts innovation, I’d suggest becoming a revolutionary. Challenge the rule. Roger von Oech, author of A Whack on the Side of the Head, recommends holding “rule-inspecting” and “rule-discarding” sessions in your organization.
Creative thinkers, by definition, are not strong conformers in their problem solving.
Emotional Blocks Familiar emotions that can “freeze” our thinking include anger, fear, anxiety, hate and even love. Some are temporary states, possibly caused by problems with co-workers, bosses, financial strains or difficulties with spouses or children. Other emotional blocks are chronic states of insecurity, anxiety and fear of failure and criticism. If you are upset, come back to the problem when you can concentrate. Remember that innovative thinking requires risk-taking and making waves; you must be sufficiently confident to risk criticism and even failure.
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Resource Barriers Resource barriers, including a shortage of people, money, time, supplies or information, seem an unnecessary block to creativity. Innovation requires such resources to a greater extent than routine organizational procedures. If you are hearing, “It’s not in the budget” or “We need more lead time,” perhaps minor revisions to budgets, scheduling or priorities would permit more effective work on innovative projects. Many of these blocks are subtle but effective squelchers of imagination and innovation. Again, the best defense is to be aware of these forces and not let them flatten your innovative thinking. To help yourself see past the barriers, cultivate an attitude of “creative discontent”- a belief that anything can be dramatically improved.
One final thought about selfsquelching: If you believe you are not creative, then you will be right. But how can you counteract these different blocks? What can you make sure that you do in order to maximize your creativity?
Staying Creative 101 “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” —Albert Einstein Remember when you were little and the best gift of all was a large cardboard box? That box could be anything from a small family home to the vanguard of an intergalactic attack fleet. With a few hastily drawn lines in permanent marker and a wild imagination, we could go anywhere and be anything. If you were given an empty box to play with today, would you find as many fascinating uses as you could back then? As adults we tend to keep our imaginations locked in tightly controlled boxes- in case of emergency break glass. We even set aside scheduled “brainstorms,” like it’s only appropriate to free our minds at a given time and in a specific environment. Are we afraid what might happen if our imaginations come unglued? It is only by being creative that we can create anything even remotely remarkable at all. Like our writing muscles, our imaginations need regular attention and exercise if it is to serve us well. It’s so easy to get stuck on rails, always doing what we do, thinking the way we think, producing what we always produce. Occasionally we need to break out of the norm and expand our repertoire, think differently, and keep our imaginations resembling that of a well-oiled machine.
LEARN CREATIVE HEALTH AND HABITS
3 EASY TIPS On Exercising Your Creative Muscles
1
Connect the Dots
2
Change Your Perspective
Find the connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, such as a cardboard box and copywriting. This helps develop further ideas and more in-depth concepts.
Put yourself on the other side of an argument, or imagine yourself as a spectator. Even more wild, what would the world be like from the perspective of a small child, or even a paper clip? You may find the different viewpoint just as interesting as your own.
Switch Modality
3
If you tend towards the visual, attempt to think in terms of words and feelings. Writers habitually emphasize words so grab some crayons and draw instead. Logical left-brain people might spend time daydreaming to gain a fresh perspective, while intuitive right-brain people might try to solve a complex puzzle.
However, in order to properly understand how to be more creative, you must know what specific actions not to do in order to stray from the vast array various Creativity squelching Blocks and Barriers that you will face.
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Whether you’re trying to solve a tough problem, start a business, get attention for that business or write an interesting article, creative thinking is crucial. The process boils down to changing your perspective and seeing things differently than you currently do. People like to call this “thinking outside of the box,” which is the wrong way to look at it. Just like Neo needed to understand that “there is no spoon” in the film The Matrix, you need to realize “there is no box” to step outside of. You create your own imaginary boxes simply by living life and accepting certain things as “real” when they are just as illusory as the beliefs of a paranoid delusional. The difference is, enough people agree that certain man-made concepts are “real,” so you’re viewed as “normal.” This is good for society overall, but it’s that sort of unquestioning consensus that inhibits your natural creative abilities. So, rather than looking for ways to inspire creativity, you should just realize the truth. You’re already capable of creative thinking at all times, but you have to strip away the imaginary mental blocks (or boxes) that you’ve picked up along the way to wherever you are today.
Answers to puzzles:
A focus group of 35 designers and creative individuals were given a survey and were asked which creative block they struggled with the most. All of the categories are legitamite creative blocks, this survey was designed to display which of the blocks were theorized as being the most prevalent.
56 % 37 % 62 % 29 % 89 %
Creating and Evaluating at the SameTime.
Fear of Ambiguity.
Fear of Failure.
1. The other four wrestlers were women. 2. Try removing S-I-X-L-E-T-T-E-R-S.
Lack of Confidence in One’s Work.
Too Much Information to Deal With.
LEARN CREATIVE HEALTH AND HABITS
How do they do it? THOMAAS, Photographer “Fortunately, I live in New York City which represents a limitless source of inspiration for me. With its high level of diverse people, occupations, foods, art, economics and social status, and on and on, there is much for my creativity to thrive on. Simultaneously, when you are surrounded by such a high concentration of talented and eager artists looking to perfect their craft, it motivates you to become better and to always keep working. Everyone is constantly trying to be the best at what they love. You really can’t ask for much more of a creative atmosphere than that.”
CHRISTIAN JACKSON, Minimalist Illustrator “I don’t know if “staying creative” is necessarily something that I try to do. When I have a creative idea it will nag at me until I give it some attention. So I express it, then I move on to something else. Sometimes it works out in my favor (like this poster series) and sometimes it’s just nonsense. Perhaps the answer to your question is that I am taking every idea that I have seriously. Nothing is too small because, in my mind, there is no such thing as a small idea, only ones that have yet to be fully realized. I also give big props to the thriving design community. There is a lot to be inspired by out there.”
HERB WILLIAMS, Sculptor “Above all, I think, an active openness and curiosity, and a keen sense of observation can play an important role in terms of creativity. These are certainly qualities to develop in order to eventually break free and to better express ourselves. There is so much information around us, to discover and absorb. Remain open to your environment(s), this can provide a multitude of creative options and provide answers that can serve as links between different spheres of life and help create more interesting links.
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...trying to be so perfect.
FOLLOW MEET TAD
MEET
TAD DAN MOUNTFORD
Our latest interview takes us to Kansas City, Missouri home of Hallmark Cards and the hip illustrator/designer Tad Carpenter.
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FOLLOW MEET TAD
Tad has the clarity of a designer with the artfulness of an illustrator. His work is whimsical, fun, and smart as he uses a lovable style to create a myriad of characters and illustrations. In this interview, Tad discusses some of his favorite aspects of his hometown, his influences and creative process, and provides a glimpse into his studio as well as something not many folks know about him.
Where are you from originally? I am actually originally from Kansas City, Missouri. I grew up in a suburb of Kansas City on the Kansas side of the state line. Kansas City is a city very near and dear to my heart. As for being a creative person, it is really a special place to live. Per capita, it has a very large creative community all doing wonderful things. What are some of your favorite things about Kansas City? The creative community is really amazing, and I am sure this can be attributed to several things. The largest reason is Hallmark Cards’ world headquarters is located here in Kansas City. Hallmark employs hundreds of designers, illustrators, art directors, stylists, copywriters, photographers and many other creative minds. Over the years, all those Hallmarkers plant creative roots here in KC. A lot of them not from KC seem to really fall in love with this city. It is great for the KC creative community. Kansas City has several small design firms doing great things too, many of which have ties to Hallmark in one way or another. I am a good example of that, I have never worked at Hallmark but my father, an illustrator and creative director, has been there over 35 years. Another favorite is some of the food. Everyone knows Kansas City has
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great Bar-B-Q and that ain’t no joke. One of my favorite things about the fall in KC is football and BBQ. The best BBQ in Kansas City is Oklahoma Joes; no doubt, check it out when passing through. Kansas City also has an amazing art museum, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. It was recently renovated and added on to. Renowned architect Steven Holl, who did an amazing job maintaining the integrity of the 75-year-old building and bringing it into the 21st century, designed it. On a cold, winter Kansas City day, there’s nothing better than heading to the museum and walking around to find inspiration. When did you first become interested in art? I was lucky I guess. My father is an illustrator, so I was always around it in one way or another growing up. I can remember drawing my entire life. As I mentioned, he works for Hallmark Cards, so I literally grew up in the halls of Hallmark, which was an
amazing way to grow up. I met and was babysat by some of the most amazing illustrators and artists as a kid. I have an Alfred E. Newman drawing Paul Coker (Mad Magazine, Frosty the Snowman) did for me. I always knew I wanted to be an artist of some kind but it was not until I was a little older I realized that illustration and design was what I wanted to do. What was your first drawing and how old were you? My first drawings were when I was really young, but the first real drawing I did that really made a connection was when I was around 8 or so. I entered a contest with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs to draw their season tickets. I drew this football player running for a touchdown with fun hand drawn type on the jumbotron. I had so much fun working on the drawing I can remember. When I won, the Chiefs sent a Chiefs player to my school in his Ferrari and spoke to the whole school and awarded me season tickets for the year. Plus, at one game that year they honored me at the 50-yard line at half time. It was an 8 year olds dream! After that I thought to myself will people really give me stuff to draw for them? If so, I was on board!
FOLLOW MEET TAD
Did you attend a traditional art school? If so, what was your experience like? I graduated from the University of Kansas. I originally thought I was going to attend an art school. I visited several and even committed to one at one point. However, for me I really loved the diversity of a University. The design and illustration program at KU is really strong with talented people all over the world thriving at their craft. Just like most art schools, it was really intense. I really did not go out much as I was double majoring in both Graphic Design and Illustration. Really glad I did both. Also, within my last semester, I met my wife who was also a design student. She is one of the most talented designers I have ever met. So all in all, my art school/college experience was pretty great. I am lucky enough now to be an instructor at the University of Kansas as well.
growing up watching him do that really impacted me. I knew that was what I wanted to be involved in. I tend to do work all across the board ranging from gig posters, children’s books, greeting cards, brand identity and so on. So, my influences are very much varied. As for illustration I am a big fan of early Golden Books so artists like Mary Blair, JP Miller, Richard Scarry and Aurelius Battaglia among others. A lot of my work becomes character driven so I love the illustration work of artists like Charles Addams, Paul Coker and Jim Henson. I tend to always turn to classic masters in regards to design and illustration. People like Paul Rand, Saul Bass and Alvin Lustig. As far as contemporary artists, I love the work of Noah Woods, Calef Brown, William Joyce, J Otto Siebold, Chip Kidd and Chris Ware.
“As an illustrator, my largest influence is actually my father. He is an unbelievably talented artist and literally taught and still teaches me things everyday.”
Who or what are some of your influences? What contemporary artists do you admire? As an illustrator, my largest influence is actually my father. He is an unbelievably talented artist and literally taught and still teaches me things everyday. He is the largest reason I became an illustrator and specifically started doing work in the publishing industry with clients like Simon & Schuster, Chronicle Books and Sterling Publishing. He illustrates books, and
v
What was your first illustration gig? The first few gigs I did, like a lot of designers, was work for friends bands — Tad Carpenter and album art for bands. I think music and design have a natural connection that draws us all together. One of the first gigs I got was being hired by Hallmark Cards while I was still in college to do some line art illustrations for an Australian greeting card line they had in circulation. That was one of the very first “real” gigs I got. Crazy to think almost 10 years later I still work with them. Time sure flies.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF TAD “Play at home, play at 6:00 AM work, play as much as you GETTIN’ JUICED! > Wakes up and heads to the gym can. When we are doing “ If I don’t, I don’t feel like myself, kind of a curse and a blessing all wrapped something we love we up in one. I come home, take a shower and head to the office.” tend to do our best work.”
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8:30 AM OFF TO WORK > Begins to work on one of many projects > Switches over to another project in the afternoon
6:00 PM
9:00 PM
DINNER BREAK
BACK AT IT
> Dinner with the wifey and hangs out for a little while > Watches Dexter, Sunny in Philadelphia or 30 Rock > Goes on a walk in the Rivermarket, which has lots of restaurants and shops “We try to get out and do something in the evening as often as we can since we both sit and design all day.”
> Usually ends up working into the night “Most weeks I put in quite a few hours but feel so lucky to being doing what I love. It never feels like work.”
FOLLOW MEET TAD
How would you describe your creative process? I sketch a lot. I carry with me most of the time a Canson 5.5x8.5 sketchbook. I very rarely do final art in these sketchbooks but consider it more of my idea book. I write a lot in it, I do tons of thumbnails trying to figure out composition and layout. I have a whole row of these sketchbooks from over the years. I never throw one out because if I ever hit a wall creatively I like to go to the old books and flip around and find old ideas that never materialized. Typically after I feel comfortable with an idea or thumbnail in my sketchbook I move to a lose sheet of paper to draw a slightly tighter drawing of what I am working on. I use the tighter drawing as a road map once I hop into the computer. My hand creates a lot of the textures, lines and type, so I will draw and scan those in to use in my final piece. I like to do variations also. I love color and color theory so I play with several color versions prior to making the final piece to send to a client for approval. Your work features various characters, from people and robots to animals and monsters. What do you enjoy drawing the most? I love character design. I try to as often as possible when appropriate for the project to include characters of some sort. I love to draw all forms of creatures from animals and birds to people and robots. But, I have to say I really love drawing and creating monsters or abstract creatures. I love to create objects and creatures that don’t really appear in everyday life. When using a monster or beast of some sort in
an illustration all preconceived notions that a more traditional person, animal or object may have just disappear. They can stand for anything or anyone. Any sex, race, creed, and nationality it is wide open. As fun as they can be visually they can be an even more powerful vehicle for getting your point across. How do you know when a project is complete? I design pretty innately so I use that to try and judge when a project is complete. I also when working do lots of variations of a particular piece. Color studies, type studies, composition variations etc. I can then look back at the options and make a pretty solid decision on which is the strongest and when and if I am completed. What is one thing people don’t know about you? As a child I loved Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties. Even dressed like him. Wore a tie, sweater vest and carried a leather brief case to kindergarten and 1st grade. I went to a public grade school.
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BEATS BY TAD You illustrate posters for a lot of bands. What 3 albums would you recommend to a fellow illustrator? That is so hard to narrow it down to just 3 albums. I can say that when I work I really like to listen to upbeat, positive almost fast music. I feel like they help me stay on pace for what I am trying to get done for the day. So, the albums I would say are really great work albums are:
PAUL SIMON Graceland
TALKING HEADS Once in a Lifetime
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS Up from Below
Carpenter created a 4 poster series for Conan O’Brien’s 2011 Summer concert series. This series which aired on his TBS show, featured Ke$ha, Edward Sharpe, KT Tunstall and Pitbull.
You can check out Tad’s work at www.tadcarpenter.com
You can check out Tad’s work at www.tadcarpenter.com
FOLLOW MEET TAD
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R EF R ES H YO U R H O M E WITH THE 2012 COLLECTION OUT NOW
Wire Chair
$
IMAGINE
2999
LEARN THEN AND NOW
Charles briefly studied architecture at Washington University in St. Louis on a scholarship. After two years of study, he left the university. Many sources claim that he was dismissed for his advocacy of Frank Lloyd Wright and his interest in modern architects. He was reportedly dismissed from the university because his views were "too modern."
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Eames Guitar New vision inspired from the past. Mario Aguilar
Musical styles come and go but electric guitar designs—not so much. Any design that doesn't fit within a few long-accepted cookie-cutters is met with contempt. Cars and toasters have been updated to reflect more sophisticated thinking, so why haven't guitars? Sinuous Guitars are different from the mainstream, and no surprise, it's because they're inspired by actual design principles rather than mantra. In an interview spotted by Core77 on the Herman Miller site, designer Greg Opatik says that unlike guitars, his are shaped to fit the body of the player.
Herman Miller Eames Lounge and Ottoman Rich Walnut Laminate Wood finish frame contrasts beautifully against the top grain black leather upholstery to appeal to everyone.
$3,579.00
I was not interested in designing and building another knock-off guitar; the world doesn’t need any more of them. I approached this with a process that Charles Eames help develop and, in the end, I have a guitar that has a very sculptural form with a comforting feel and performs like something defined as an “instrument” should perform. The true difference is in how the guitar body conforms to your body. It gets rid of that feeling of playing a plank of wood and feels very natural. Some guitar manufacturers try solving this by cutting out the backs of guitars for comfort, but can only cut so deep because it is a flat board. The process I use allows me to bend the solid-wood body into a shape to hug your body and also roll away where you do not want it to hit you, all while keeping the guitar thin and without unwanted weight. And the process is repeatable-at an affordable price. Electric guitars are beautiful, but its always bothered me that the core technology and the aesthetic design hasn’t evolved much since the 1960s. Electric guitars, for the most part, are flat, solid, resonant pieces of wood stuffed with electronics. (After all, Les Paul famously named his electric guitar prototype “The Log.”) In fairness, some designs are carved to take modest account of the people who actually need to play the instrument. Certain technologies have been introduced—Floyd Rose Tremolo, Gibson Firebird X, and the Moog Guitar come to mind. But in the mainstream, everything is basically the same. That’s not to say that my Les Paul sounds bad or that my Stratocaster looks ugly. I’m only saying that if a designer were to start from the ground up right now, he’d probably come up with something different from the status quo.
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On Trending What happens when graphic design turns homogenous? Homogenized. Between twitter, designspiration, dribbble, and ffffound, it’s easier than ever to stay connected and see what other designnners (catch that?) are making. An endless supply of inspiration is pushed on to us so that we can learn from these efforts and glean lessons that better our own work. Man, wouldn’t it be great if it worked out like that? Instead, judging from the amount of “me-too” design work, most people’s search for inspiration never extends beyond a computer monitor. This has led to a design movement that values rehashing aesthetics from a bygone era rather than pushing design forward in a meaningful way. Figuring out why everything looks like this isn’t very difficult. First of all, it looks good. Secondly, it features elements that are pretty easy to emulate; texture, MCM Hellenic (or Trade Gothic!), an earthy color palette and other arbitrary elements. Lastly, everyone wants their work and effort to be validated. If someone makes something similar (but not too similar!) to what you’ve made, it legitimizes your creation, so bam, you like it. You don’t just like it, you retweet it, you share it, you heart it, you reblog it. Chances are it clicks with other people, so they make something that resembles it. Those people, in turn, partake in the same liking/sharing/retweeting flurry that you initiated. Behold, the birth of a trend. Unfortunately, this movement has been solely defined by aesthetics and a yearning for the tangibility largely lost in today’s computergenerated graphic design. What’s the need for everything to look like it was made in 1964? Is there any conceptual basis? Is it because, before the advent of computers, there was more of a craft to design? The computer is here to stay. Embrace it. It’s a tool that lets you do amazing things in a fraction of the time. You may also utilize it to put a fake texture on everything you make, but that’s not genuine. That has no purpose. If the current trend of making everything look aged is a response to the cold, pixel-based reality of designing on a computer, is reverting to a past really the best way we can handle this? Is a regression to safe territory really the way to push design forward?
Alex Griendling, a designer out of sunny California weighs in on why its odd that design is all starting to look the same.
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I’m no Walter Gropius, I don’t have a solution; I’m merely trying to address the need for one. I’m worried that in our pursuit of instant gratification and praise from our peers we are sacrificing one of graphic design’s most appealing aspects: 10 designers can solve a single problem 10 different ways. It’s easy to forget that when 10 designers are solving 10 problems a single way.
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If we can’t abandon our fruitless chase after the next flavor of the week and focus our efforts on something larger, we’ll continue spinning our wheels in the tired and tread upon ground of mid-20th century aesthetics. We are young, capable and connected. If we can’t light a fire under our own collective asses, I don’t know who will. You can check out Alex’s work at www.alexlikesdesign.com
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