Posts Tagged Design
The Cute Designer Video That Started It All
Posted by Alan G in Fun Stuff, Graphic Design on July 13th, 2009
I make no secret of my admiration for Gridiron Flow, which in my not-so-humble opinion is the best thing to happen to designers since desktop publishing. Here is the very original YouTube video that enticed me into the private beta test program for the product, more than a year ago:
Corporate Image Boot Camp
Posted by Alan G in Creative Tips, Graphic Design, News on May 14th, 2009
The Creative Tips newsletters have proved amazingly popular, far more than I ever expected. There’s an interesting double-effect here: as I write more and get more feedback, I find the newsletters taking on a life of their own. Number 10 is the start of a series on company image that I suspect is going to shock some folks, because the definition of what constitutes “good” design isn’t nearly the constant that some would like to believe. And the more I got into the subject, the more I realized just how many ways there are – none of them rocket science, all quite simple – to sink your company’s image without trace.
So I found myself on a roll for hours, long past the point where one little newsletter could cover it, and the “Corporate Image Boot Camp” was born. If you’re not subscribed to the newsletter, but would like to be, shoot me an email and I’ll add you to the list.
Design Always Has a Message
Posted by Alan G in Graphic Design on May 8th, 2009
A couple of recent articles on John McWade’s Before&After blog really point up the importance of keeping the audience in mind, as opposed to the designer or the client, and designing for that audience.
A week or so ago, John posted two Craig’s List ads for the same classic Jeep. He asked for comments as to which one his readers felt more likely to sell the car. You can read that post here, along with the many, many comments. Look them over, read the responses, and make up your own mind.
Looking good in print isn’t just about “art”
Posted by Alan G in Creative Tips, Graphic Design on April 25th, 2009
Ann Wayman, whose excellent blog is a terrific resource for freelance writers in any field, left a comment the other day about an author whose book had been “designed” by someone with super-powerful design software, but who clearly had never bothered to learn the hows and whys of graphic design. It wouldn’t, Ann conjectured, sell very well. She was exactly right.
Why We Design
Posted by Alan G in Graphic Design on April 22nd, 2009
John McWade is a designer’s designer, someone who not only does superb work himself, but has been a teacher and inspiration to many, many others in the years since he became the very first user of the very first desktop publishing software: Pagemaker. I frequently recommend his books, “Before and After: Graphics for Business” and “Before and After: Page Design,” to clients and anyone starting out in the design field. He is also the publisher of Before and After Magazine, one of the finest, certainly the most practical periodical in the field.
This recent post on his blog not only sums up why designers do what we do, but puts our work in a different and thoughtful light; one that it is much too easily missed in our well-fed, computer-aided world.
The Creative Tips newsletter seems to be a hit!
Posted by Alan G in Graphic Design on March 10th, 2009
I’ve had a ton of positive response to the first newsletter. Thank you to all those who emailed their appreciation. The second issue is now online for those who aren’t on the mailing list.
Pepsi’s New Logo
Posted by Alan G in Graphic Design on March 10th, 2009
Pepsico recently revamped their brand identity for the range of Pepsi soft drinks, provoking a minor storm in the design community. The new look has few supporters, some who are indifferent, and a great many detractors. Read the rest of this entry »
Typefaces and Fonts — Your Opinion Counts!
Posted by Alan G in Graphic Design, Typography on March 4th, 2009
Thomas Phinney, the noted type designer who designed at Adobe for many years, is conducting an informal survey of people who use type (fonts, typefaces) on their computers. He’s interested in how people use the terminology of type, and although some of the questions are undeniably of interest mainly design geeks he also wants input from more casual type users, such as people who use only the standard office type programs such as Microsoft Word, Open Office, and the like.
The survey is here, hosted on the surveymonkey.com website.
Go ahead and take the survey! Your opinion counts, too!
Creative Tips Newsletter
Posted by Alan G in Graphic Design, News on March 3rd, 2009
The first Creative Tips newsletter has hit the cyberwaves.
The idea of this series is to help improve the world’s documents by giving basic tips on using Microsoft Word and similar programs that are as ubiquitous as the generally boring (or, let’s be brutally frank, downright awful) documents that are turned out by the millions every day.
If we can get rid of some of the uglies, I think the time will be well spent!
Web Portfolio Online
Posted by Alan G in Graphic Design, News on February 24th, 2009
In a burst of necessity, the G&G Creative website has finally gone live, albeit in a somewhat minimalist form. The torrent of client work has been pushing this project onto the back burner for quite a while, but there were so many requests that I cobbled together a Flash-based slide show that at least gives some idea of the variety of print and web design work we turn out on a regular basis.
Look for this to be updated regularly, and when the real site is ready I’ll let everyone know!