Alma Guyton

READING

TYPOGRAPHY 1

RESPONSE

READING RESPONSE

CONTENT 1

DOYALD YOUNG

2

HELVETICA

3

HILLMAN CURTIS

4

MARIAN BANTJES

5

MARGO CHASE

6

ART & COPY

7

KIT HINRICHS

logotype designer

“

DOYALD YOUNG There are no secrets to what I do. All that what I do is just hard work and observation... Really. And doing things over and over until you are satisfied with them, till you think it’s right

”

Doyald Young is an impressive man. He didn’t finish high school, ran away from home at the age of 15, and went from one dead end job to another. With the odds stacked against him he rose to the challenge and made a very successful career by relying on his instincts and keen eye. His passion is apparent and his love of type unmasked. It is rare to see people living out their dreams and truly love working.

He is a breath of fresh air. He has an attention to detail and patience that is inspiring.

It is easy to give up when life is not going your way, when you feel your work is not up to par, or cant find the ever eluding solution to your problem. It takes a lot of perseverance to go from a newstand clerk to winning a SOTA award. He is the ultimate come back kid. Young is a humble man who is worthy of respect and imitation.

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READING RESPONSE

t y p e f a c e / fi l m

HELVETICA

Typefaces generally travel under the radar for attention, but Helvetica has stolen the spotlight. Whether the response is positive or negative, Helvetica seems to stir up intense emotions.

Some people, like Massimo and Matthew Carter, adore it. They give it high praise calling it legible, neutral, and good for everything. And it’s true, it has been used for everything. It seems you can’t turn a corner without spotting Helvetica. It’s used on mailboxes, in the subway, for restaurants, on tax forms, and even on dump trucks.

It was even used for the text in the video ‘Helvetica’.

This popularity and the very qualities that make it loved also contribute to its disdain. Some people, like Erick Spiekerman and Stephen Sagmeister, call it a “nightmare”, overused, and conformity. Typefaces go through the same unending process that everything else in this world goes through.

Something new and groundbreaking comes out, people desire to have the new cool thing and suddenly everyone is using it. Now a new generation comes in and wants to be different so they shun the old and crave the new and unique.

READING RESPONSE

2

fi l m d i re c t o r

HILLMAN CURTIS

Design is such a broad term. When I think of Graphic designers I think of corporate design. Making products look appealing and getting the viewer to buy that product.

For me design is problem solving. You are given a problem and you find the solution.

It is very rewarding when you do find the solution. Finding the solution requires creativity and a good eye. Due to this fact to me design is an art. Through the use of visual queues the designer is communicating to the viewer a message just as an artist does. However design is not always art. Sometimes the designer just gives the client what they want without truly solving the problem that they were given.

The goal of a designer is to solve the problem of the client not necessarily do what the client says. It is good to see a group of designers like pentagram that use design as an art form. Pentagram seems like an awesome place to work, the employees are given artistic freedom. It seems that design can be so strict. There are so many rules that are supposed to be followed. However it seems that some of the best designs break the rules, they are expressive and the artist is free to experiment.

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READING RESPONSE

graphic artist

MARIAN BANTJES

To bring individual style into graphic design seems like it would be almost impossible but Marian Bantjes accomplished just that. It’s very impressive that she left a design firm to be able to design the way she felt she should. She was very brave, she had a whole year without having paid commissions although she was able to find her self and hone her craft. Her designs were making her happy. This happiness shines throughout her entire body of work. You can tell she loves what she does and that she spends an immense amount of time creating them.

She is a very inspiring woman. She left a comfortable job to be able to express herself. She dared to challenge the typical job of a graphic designer and her risk was worth it. She went from being told what to do and creating the same type of work to being asked to just be herself. Her work is intricate, forward thinking, and innovative. She is someone who many graphic designers wish to emulate.

READING RESPONSE

4

graphic designer

MARGO CHASE

Getting to your dream job is not a straight path. It takes time to understand who you are and who you who you want to become. Margo chase initially wanted to be a marine biologist and got a degree in that field. Later she found that design was her calling. In the design realm she started in the music business, designing album covers. Chase found the work limiting. She was just making things look pretty but felt design was more than that and should function for a particular purpose. So she started her own business, diversified her work, and landed several big clients. She made her dream job into a reality.

Margo chase is a very interesting woman.

She has a distinct gothic style. She was exposed to calligraphy at a young age by her mom and introduced to flying by her dad. Now she incorporates calligraphy into her designs and is a competitive acrobat flyer on the side.

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READING RESPONSE

Her flying helps to relieve stress and enables her to take more risks in her work. Chase believes that having other interests besides design is a good thing.

When hiring employees that is one thing she is looking for, people who are diverse.

Not only is Margo Chase a good designer but she is also a good businesswoman.

She gets to know her client and their business inside and out. She is able to get at the core of the business and portray it visually. Then she convinces the client that her design solution is the right one. She is also able to deliver on the actual product. She understands that when designing you have to take into consideration the end result, and how it will physically be made. You need to be aware of the various constraints and make work that can comply with those limitations. She shares this knowledge with her employees making her business more efficient.

fi l m

ART & COPY

Advertising is often viewed in a negative light, probably due to the fact that the majority of advertisements are bad. However there are still a few who believe advertising should make a point and are striving to do just that.

Advertising is the connection between companies and the public. Their goal is to find the core of the company and show this truth to the public in a moving or entertaining way. They are trying to say the right thing in the right way to move the viewer in the right direction.

To be a good advertiser you have to know how to play the human instrument. How to hit the right chords to make the right sound. You have to be strong, able to take risks and take rejection. Since the ideas of creative people are constantly shot down they need to be in an encouraging work environment. They need to feel secure enough to take those risks that make good work. Advertisement is not for the faint hearted but for the determined problem solver.

READING RESPONSE

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graphic designer 7

KIT HINRICHS

As a designer you can’t just exist or make work in your own little bubble. For design work to touch people you need to be around people. Learn and observe how people react to things. Every culture is different, and by exploring multiple cultures you start gaining a broader knowledge and making stronger work. Kit Hinrichs took a break from art school for one year and went to Germany. The trip changed his view of design and made him a better designer.

A four-year bachelor’s degree in Art today is a lot different than it was in the past.

Now there is a lot more to learn. On top of what is always taught you also have to learn how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Maya, and more. Due to the increase in curriculum it makes since there should be an increase in the time spent learning all of the material.

Maybe increase the four years to five or six, instead of cramming all of the information in such a short time.

When Hinrichs was in Art School the focus wan on the craft and the idea. He didn’t have to learn the technical side of learning how to use multiple software systems. Nowadays learning software is very important. Hinrichs hires interns who are strong technically but notices they lack conceptually. You can’t do good work on the computer if you don’t first have a strong idea.

Not only is Kit Hinrichs a successful designer but also a successful businessman.

He understands that designers and businessmen think differently. He has learned over the years to effectively communicate with them. He has learned that they want to work with designers that they can trust, who truly care about their business, and who will do what is best for them. I think the secret to Hinrichs’ success is that he is a great storyteller and loves what he does.

READING RESPONSE

READING RESPONSE TYPOGRAPHY 1

ALMA GUYTON

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