Design Essays

How to do Great Design Work:

I found these suggestions in to be helpful and motivating. I agree that doing lots of design work will only make you a stronger designer. Practice makes perfect, right? I also appreciated the suggestions of what to and not to practice on. I have made stationary as gifts before that have been well received; I have not done the wedding or birth announcements, and now will be sure to steer clear! My mom runs a preschool and I have done a couple things for them (freebies) but they have few things that are needed form a graphic standpoint. While in Pittsburgh, I did venture onto Craigslist and offered to do a logo for salon that was opening. Knowing the poster would be flooded with emails, I offered to do it on the cheap with the agreement she’d use me for future work. it was a great learning experience, especially working with a mother-daughter pair with opposite tastes and visions of the salon, but we worked through it. Unfortunately by the time they finally where ready for more items, business cards, services list, etc, I was moving.

Placebo Effect:

I had recently read about the crosswalk buttons not working at most locations. I found this both interesting and humorous: in Australia, if you don’t push the button you don’t get a walk symbol. I found this out the hard way waiting at busy intersections. However, I do get frustrated in elevators, especially when in a rush, when the close door button doesn’t in fact close the doors.

I hate ITC Garamond:

I have found designer’s obsessions  with typefaces entertaining. I definitely have some fonts I prefer over others, however I still have some time to go before I feel so passionately strong about them that I, say, would not read a book based on what typeface was used.