moving over to wordpress...

Just wanted to let you know I've moved over to WordPress. Nothing against Blogger... but WordPress has more features and easier uploading!

See you over at my new place: 

http://agirlnamedfred.wordpress.com/

case study one: Plimsoll Press

I'm interested in the creative process... how we get from design idea to design implementation. A current school assignment is to design a logo for a fictional company called Plimsoll Press. This company publishes limited edition naval history and navigation books and charts.

First I did some research and learned that the Plimsoll Mark, developed in the 1860s, is a circle with a line drawn through it, placed on a ship's hull, to show the maximum draft a ship may load to. It is named after Samuel Plimsoll, a British MP who was concerned about the loss of life caused by ship overloading. You can learn more here if you're interested.

This is what the Plimsoll Mark looks like.

So, now that I know what a Plimsoll Mark is, it's time to take out the sketch book. Hmmm... what makes me think marine publishing? Whales. Sea monsters. Compasses. Anchors. Sailing ships. Buoys and ocean markers. Is it too literal to portray a Plimsoll Mark? Here are some of my sketches.

Drawing is NOT one of my talents, but I do find that quick sketches are the quickest way to capture ideas. I did about 60 sketches for this project.

Now it's time to move to roughs.

What about seagulls?  Maybe a bit too safe. Kind of expected, right?

How about sails? And this plays off the fact that the navigation flag for "P" is a blue rectangle with a white rectangle inset.

I like it, but it's going to have to be expertly executed for it to work. Angles matching up, thickness of lines, etc.

OK, then, how about sailing ships? And maybe a bit of a play on the Plimsoll Mark?

This would be really hard to reproduce in a small size and still be legible!

Maybe back to the sea monster idea...

Nah, more suitable for a children's book publisher, I think.

OK, then, let's look at a literal interpretation of "Plimsoll" ... 

Now this one I like. It's got the Plimsoll Mark. It's got a logical place for the company descriptor. But it's lacking energy. What can I do to improve it?

I've used the Plimsoll Mark in a more dynamic fashion, moving it through and down the logo to add energy. I've used colour to bring focus to that energy. And I've chosen a typeface (Rockwell) that I think adds some substance. 

I've still got some tightening up to do, obviously, particularly with proportions, but I'm pleased overall with the progress. I'll let you know how it turns out. 

the politics of good typography

Yesterday, in his NY Times blog, Steven Heller asked a bunch of graphic design types (Michael Bierut, Debbie Millman, Ellen Lupton and the like) for their take on the use of Optima as the typeface for John McCain's campaign.

"The thicks and thins... might be said to correspond with the reputation of bipartisanship that Mr. McCain has demonstrated in his senatorship." Michael Bierut

"Optima is one of the worst pre-computer typefaces ever designed. It was created to satisfy everybody's needs. A straightforward, no-nonsense, no-embellishment face, it comes in regular and bold but little character can be found in either weight. Optima is not inappropriate for use by Senator McCain."

You can read more of the conversation here.

For Heller's take on the Obama campaign's use of Gotham as its typeface, click here.

on cows

Holy cow ... *wince* ... it appears creatures of the bovine persuasion are popping up everywhere these days. This lovely poster is, not surprising, a Pentagram product.

I'm also loving this tote bag.

And of course the "new look" Dairy Today features lots of gorgeous cows. You can read about the redesign of the magazine here.

what makes design exciting?

It seems like I'm on a permanent quest to figure out what makes design... work. You know. When you look at something and you say to yourself "oh yeah." I've been wondering if, really, design is so different from other "arts" in this way. Like, say, the art of cooking. What makes a recipe work?

I read somewhere that ayurvedic theory believes the diet should encompass a balance of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent tastes. That's what makes it work. I've got those words on my bulletin board as a reminder. 

My challenge this week... to incorporate this concept into my design work.

ok, this is taking things a wee bit far...

Someone's seriously obsessed with colour! Pantone stairs. What will those crazy kids think of next?

Via the style files.

today i'm loving...

Feast your eyes on this beautiful collage work from London-based illustrator Nicola Starr.

The colour. The texture. Oh, it's killing me, it so gorgeous! You can see more of her work here.

Via design*sponge.