Noisy Decent Graphics

Breaking Ben's rules.

Ben had 2 rules...argh!  That's the 5th headline and intro sentence I've tried.

Ben:  I'm gonna have to email you.

Part of All Request Thursday

An appeal for help...

Dear fellow designers,

I need your help in a battle that has raged for over 2 decades...

You see, I head up a studio of 2, attached to a charity. The whole organisation including us are PC based. July is our bi-annual hardware upgrade time, which always brings the old battle to the fore, us Mac loving designers Vs the PC loving director (who is much better in an argument than either of us).

My problem is that my desire for Macs is purely led by my heart, I need to justify it to my bosses brain and balance sheet. So, what I need your help with is some quality, compelling, and hopefully financially beneficial arguments as to why this small part the organisation NEEDS to switch to Macs.

Please, please, help, I know most of you can only begin to imagine my pain, but imagine the difference it will make to quality of life in the studio if I was sat in front of a beautiful Mac rather than this grey box with XP in it.

Just one little comment from you today could make the world of difference.

Part of All Request Thursday

Transparent Post It Notes

I wish you could get transparent post it notes. I'd find them useful

Part of All Request Thursday

Inspiration from others

Who and what inspires me changes constantly, but these are the people influencing me today...

1. Jonathan Ive, Apple. It's not just that he designs surpisingly beautiful products, it's that he stuck with Apple through a shitty time and came out on top

2. Stanley Kubrick. He had the unflinching support of a major production company. He lived comfortably and securely with his family around him, yet a short distance from his work. Completely free to make the best films he possibly could.

3. Frida Giannini, Gucci. She is slowly but surely bringing the Gucci brand forward and in to the future. Very intelligent, very stylish.

4. Ross Brawn, Honda F1. Formerly Tech director at Ferrari and widely known to be the brains behind their success. Now he has set about building Honda in to a leading team. I have no doubt he will do it.

5. Jamie Hewlett. Tank Girl, Gorillaz, Monkey, Phoo Action - all his work, looks like his own, but each project is totally different from the last. Comics, Videos, Live performance, Opera costumes the lot.

6. Coco Chanel. She is cool. Look at her. Still looks awesome.

7. Christopher Nolan. Main stream and still highly intelligent with his integrity in tact. A very difficult balance to achieve. He seems he is in total control of his projects.

8. My Wife. I know this is cheesy, but as much as i like to look at famous people for inspiration, no one has ever given me as strong a steer through the world as she has. It's handy living with a genius.

and yours are?

Martyn Reding
jugglingwithwater.blogspot.com

Part of All Request Thursday 

Can cook, don't cook?

I was having a look at Sainsbury's Super Naturals range last week. Have you seen it? Gourmet food - nicely packaged, beautifully assembled, apparently healthy - in easy-to-microwave containers. For people who love good food but don't have time to cook. I love to cook, really love to cook, don't buy any ready-meals, always cook from scratch. But when I look at the Super Naturals stuff, I'm tempted to just buy and microwave; it looks so damn good.

And I started to wonder about that "don't have time to cook" thing. Is that really true? Or are we being convinced that we don't have time to cook in order to sell new products?

Posted by Ace Jet 170 as part of All Request Thursday

A burning question

Given this opportunity to write on somebody else's blog - one that actually has a readership - my mind is bombarded with potential subjects to discuss: the joys of sniffing fresh print; how to get a Ffffound invite; the curse of the held-up poster; etc.

But the main thing on my mind is: does Ben Terrett's shadow remind anyone else of Stanley Tucci?

www.binkythedoormat.com

Part of All Request Thursday

Choice

If you were to be executed,
and you could choose the noose,
would that make it a discretionary ligature?

Adam Poole

Part of All Request Thursday

design imposters

I'm a designer, but I don't think I'm very good one. I never did art in school, never wanted to either, I don't think I was ever visually perceptive in any way, except for my impeccable sense of style :) But I did love English and received a degree in literature.

I went on to study design having no real understanding of what I was letting myself in for. I soon realised that I needed to be able to draw. I tried hard but I still really struggle with it and when I watch the creative director where I work drawing up quick sketches I just marvel at his ability and flair.

I found that I have always approached problem solving in design in a completely different manner than other designers that I have worked with, just because I have to. Sometimes it's successful and sometimes its spectacularly unsuccessful.

Often I feel like a mathematician who can't add and a complete fraud, yet I have (what I would consider to be) a good job in an advertising agency. I'm just wondering what you 'real' designers think of someone like me, am I the death knell of the designer industry? Or are there room for designers who haven't come from a traditional art and design background?

Marguerite,
Ireland.

Part of All Request Thursday

Corporate delusions

Firstly, thanks to Ben for this opportunity.

Can we make this 'no more solutions day'?

It seems everyone is selling a solution of some kind. There are integrated solutions, corporate solutions, IT solutions, even the bloody ready meals in M&S are called 'hunger solutions'

If you're offering me a solution are you suggesting I have a problem?

Surely we can be more creative than this or is it just what the suits insist on calling their ventures?

If I see another logo called 'solutions this' or solutions that I will explode. No more solutions - let's make this world better!

Cheers
P

Part of All Request Thursday

Well, it's an honor.

It really is, just to be typing here.

some beholders are blind.

But lately, my mind is thinking more towards design authority.
"Beauty... eye of beholder... yadda, yadda... "

But there are some things that always look good. And some that almost always, don't.

• When you randomly mix centered text with left justified headers and/or body text... I mean, unless you're doing it a lot, consistently, because thats what you're going for.
• Comic Sans
• "Let's just make all of this in bold... "
• "Can we also put this other paragraph on the business card?"

My mind isn't as full of examples at midnight... but there are some principles that good design consists of... and principles that CAN be broken... intentionally---and STRONGLY broken, that can create a provocative, strong design as well...

But those principles (contrast, eyeflow, whitespace, borders, justifications, wise color choice, line length)... they are there for a reason. They help designs be good- er-- well--whatever. They make design better and more effective, webpage, flyer, or buswrap.

And the trouble is, clients, or worse, bosses, can sometimes be more degree-d and trained in business or marketing or whatever, and their position affords them the luxury of coercing you to break those principles for their whim or fancy, or worse yet, for a client's proposal. And not in a strong, edgy, provocative way. In a way that makes you wish you could forget that it was technically your mouse and keyboard, and servitude that made it that way.

Here's to sticking to your guns. design backbone. designing with integrity of principles.

thanks for the wonderful RSS. this lowly designer/ web maintenance guy in Florida has been enjoying the lessons and interesting posts for over 2 years now. keep it up!

http://www.drewplaysdrums.com

Part of All Request Thursday

Are you Mindmapping yet?

Thinking is for everyone,
but some have to do it a lot.
Designers for example.

If you're like me, always lost
in a non-linear thinking scheme,
this is for you.

Mindmapping is simply a brain
dumping process that helps
stimulate new ideas and connections.
Start with an open, playful attitude...
you can always get serious later

Tiago

Part of All Request Thursday

All Request Thursday

This may well be the maddest idea I've ever had.

For tomorrow only Thursday 28th February you'll be able to post what you want, when you want on Noisy Decent Graphics. That's right I said YOU.

I've set up a generic username (ndgguest) and password (ndgguest). Use this to log in and post what you like. All posts will have to be approved by me before going live so hopefully that will keep you out of mischief. I'm not at work tomorrow so I should be able to approve most things pretty quickly. It will run from 0:00 GMT til 23:59GMT.

Maybe you've always wanted to blog but don't know where to start? Maybe you've got a post or two in you but not enough for a whole blog? Now's the time to get started.

Keep the posts about design, and NO PERSONAL WORK, but other than that there are no rules. If you want to promote your blog, job ad or just slag stuff off then go for it. It would be really great if you could add your name to posts.

I'll say part of that again  NO PERSONAL WORK. No one wants to see your 3D web 2.0 renders of the Fed Ex logo. I don't mind you talking about stuff you've done but I don't want it to turn into an online version of an Illustrator's Stock book.

Right, hold tight. You're next.

Talking the walk

I got sent this in the post the other day. Actually a few of us got sent this in the office.

I'm about to slag it off pretty heavily. Part of me feels bad about that because I imagine that every time any printer/paper company sends designers a mailer they get nothing but grief and gripes and turned up noses.

But, you know, fuck it.

You can talk the talk but can you walk the walk. This 'talk' is about green printing. Using environmentally friendly papers and stuff. The cover is printed on Greyboard which is basically all the dregs from the recycled mush. Designers always think it looks great. Good start.

Then it takes you through all the different terminology PEFC means, what FSC means. What carbon footprint means. Obviously it uses all their different environmentally friendly papers throughout.

But there's so much of it. It's 32 pages long.

Right at the end it says, "James McNaughton Group now offer a range of carbon neutral paper products". That winds me up. Don't just offer a range of carbon neutral paper products, make the whole bloody business carbon neutral and be done with it. You're either carbon neutral or you're not. It's not an upgrade option.

32 pages of big, over produced, over designed, printed thing to tell me about environment friendly options. That's just not good, is it? I'm picking on McNaughton's (they can take it) but we get sent loads of these all the time and it's really starting to get on my nerves. Another big convoluted bit of print sent to several people at the same address is not the way forward people.

And before someone asks; no, we're not perfect. We're not entirely carbon neutral and we don't use 100% waterless printing. But we don't send people 32 page mailers.

From Russia To Flickr

I went to the Royal Academy's From Russia exhibition the other day.

It was packed. Too packed really, but don't let that put you off. It's a great exhibition. Lots of blockbusters like this  Matisse.

That bloke in the glasses is a happy chap, isn't he?

The best bit for me was this model of Tatlin's Tower. It reminded me of this secret project. In fact maybe that secret project should be called Cardigan Bay's Tower?

Another thing I'd not seen were these paintings by Kazimir Malevich. He coined this excellent expression, "the zero of form". I'm not 100% sure what that means but I like it none the less. To me it means stripping an idea down to the bare essentials. The zero of form. The opposite of Peter Saville.

Here's the zero of form of some Russian icons. The kind you find in a Russian church. They appeal to the graphic designer in me.

Continuing the Russian theme there's another great exhibition on at the moment. It features the work of Alexander Rodchenko and it's on at The Hayward gallery on the Southbank.

We've designed the minisite for this show and there's a great little competition where you can upload your Rodchenko style photos to the Flickr group. The latest pictures get pulled through to the ministe and the 10 best pictures will be exhibited in the foyer of The Hayward from 14 – 27 April, in the final weeks of the exhibition, which is pretty cool.

The Flickr group is getting some decent traffic and if you ask me (and I'm a bit biased) it's a good, sensible idea and an appropriate combination of Rodchenko, Flickr and the web. If you're asking.

Both exhibitions are well worth a visit.

Button ideas

Take a look at these buttons.

The tick explicitly means 'yes', and the cross 'no' which is good because that's crystal clear. But then green and red mean exactly the same thing thus rendering the tick and cross entirely unnecessary. Right?

So here's the question; are the tick and cross a good idea or a bad idea?

Easy like Sunday morning

I've convinced myself that you lot will hate this and you will all think I've gone mad. But I don't write for you. So here goes.

If you've had any recent interaction with your local Staples store you will have seen that they're using this 'easy' button thing, a lot. I like that. Look it's on that sign up there.

And there it is on the website. Nice and big.

There it is again, smaller. Now I don't want you thinking that I like the design of the button or the typography or even the 3D rendering, but none of that really matters.

I like the idea a little bit, but what I really like is the thoroughness.

I'm always trying to persuade small brands to do something simple and do it a lot. That always seems like a sensible low cost solution to me. Find something that works and then stick to it. Now that's not how awards are won and it's maybe not even how empires are built, but it's a good way of keeping the wolves at bay whilst you think of other more important things.

Obviously Staples aren't a small brand and they've spent some money on this. You can download it to your desktop and it links you to straight to Staples.com. I think that's good. No Black Pencils, no Lions, but that's not always a bad thing, is it?

Best of all you can buy the 'easy' button. This might be fun or it might seem horribly naff, but you know what, I can imagine a million buttons in a million offices up and down the land.

So although I'm still sure you will all hate it, here's a piece of communication that's as close as it needs to be to that horrible term 'brand utility' as well as being 'media neutral' and '360'. It works online, it works in print and it works as product. It's relevant to the brand values and it makes sense to the consumer. That's the kind of stuff you (we) talk about all the time, isn't it?

The Best Writer's Job I Can Offer You

I get loads of emails asking if i know of any graphic design jobs. Normally I don't. Sorry. It must be really hard to get a graphic design job these days.

Sometimes I get emails asking if I know of any writer's jobs. Jeez, you lot don't like the easy life do you? I can count on one hand the number of writer's jobs I've seen in the whole of my long life that aren't ad agency writer's. If that makes sense.

This is a long winded way of telling you that innocent are looking for a writer. Which must be about the best non-ad-agency writing job going. You can read more from your future boss here and you can apply here.

Pitch stories

We did a pitch the other day and me and the work placement were an hour early.

So we popped into a nearby cafe and had a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea. Lovely. I opened up my laptop to check the presentation and noticed that the screen was a bit grubby. Very grubby. Kids at home and all that. So I asked the cafe owner if I could borrow a cloth and gave the Mac a good wipe.

"It's not like this at The Partners" said the placement.

Is Paul McCartney's banjo killing YouTube?

Being the cutting edge hipster that I am, I was looking at the official Paul McCartney website the other day. The website informed me that Paul recently performed with Kylie on Jools Holland's Hootewhatever. The official site then invited me to watch a video of the performance on the popular online video website YouTube.

So I followed the link and was greeted with this.

Now I know the copyright was possibly the BBC's and not McCartney's. But still. Digital eh, some people just don't seem to get it.

No, no, no.

Some students popped in yesterday. Asked a few questions. Had a look around.

As usual I asked, "Are you seeing anyone else?" as usual the reply  was, "No. Everyone else said no."