Hey Bloggees, Sorry for the delay in the blog post. I took some time off to spend with family. I hope you all had a fantastic Memorial Day Weekend.
Well, I'm back and ready to conclude the four part series of the R.E.A.D Method. Just to recap, R stands for Research, E for extract, and A for Application. The final stage is...(Drum roll please)…DESIGN!
The design stage is where final experimentation and design development takes place. I take the best sketches that I have and scan / photograph them to my computer. From the sketches, I experiment with various layouts, shapes, and fonts. To
help choose an appropriate font, I develop a list of potential
canidates. The list allows me to evaluate and chose strong font candidates (and even, on some occasions, discover a totally different idea. Timing always varies in this stage. Sometimes, I do the design in one sitting. Other times I set the work aside and come back to it later and reevaluate it. All the while, I try to keep the overall concept and usage in mind. The goal, in the end, is a final design that effective, attractively, and accurately coveys it's message.
TWA Application
I snapped photos of the sketches to be used and dropped them into Illustrator.
From there, I experimented and explored various design options ranging from various shapes to color palettes. I tried to stay with TWA's red to pay homage to it's history and bringing continuity to the design. When it came to the font I wanted a contemporary sans serif font that would reflect the forward, innovative nature of the airline. To that end, after perusing various font options, I selected Aller, a rounded, modern sans-serif. The font's design implies strength without being too chunky, or rigid. Aller's font family of various weights and styles (a great thing to keep in mind when choosing a font) helped solidify the decision. The chevron shape developed through various rounds of experimentation (as well as some inspiration from the British Airways design. The directional shape of the design implies the company's innovative thinking. The chevron, made of two different reds, represents how the company started as a merger of two airlines. The final design works well both in color and black and white, and in various sizes from pins and business card, to billboards and aircraft.
Next time I'll show you the application of the design. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions on this or on another topic, feel free to leave a comment here on the blog. Hope to hear from you all! 'Till next time!
Welcome back to Week 3 of our little mini-series of the R.E.A.D. design method. We have covered the "R" for Research and "E" for Extract. We now come to "A" for Application (or Brainstorming, but it would have come out as R.E.B.D….not exactly memorable). So let's dive in.
WORD LISTS
In the Extraction phase, we distilled our Research down to a slogan / or three words. From there we form lists for each word. Any word will suffice. The point here is to flush out any bad / cliche ideas and spark new ones. Once the lists are made (10-20 entries) look for exact or similar words in each. Note those words and make a new list from them.
SKETCHES
Now that you have descriptions to go by, start sketching away ideas. Aim for at least 25 different ideas. The exception to this if you hit on a solid concept early on. If you do, try to come up with a couple of more options to consider. Don't be discouraged if you don't come up with something in the first sitting or the first few days.
HOW "A" APPLIES TO THE TWA PROJECT
As you can see, I made lists from the three words I extracted, as well as the name and the similar / exact descriptions (see below).
From there I started sketching out ideas. I experimented with different concepts for travel, direction, and globe. I also tried to keep in mind what the design would be use on from pins and business cards, to terminal signage and aircraft. I definitely did plenty of sketches. From these sketches, we'll develop the final logo in next weeks entry...DESIGN.
Next week, we'll wrap up with "D" for Design. If you have any comments, questions or thoughts, I'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment on the blog or at my twitter @jepegdesign. 'Till next time.
Hey Bloggees Welcome back for the second installment of the R.E.A.D. method of design. Last time we covered Research (probably one of the most underpracticed steps in the creative process). This week we're tackling "E", Extract. The point of extraction is to distill all the information through company history, (if applicable), company goals objectives (new or existing company), and market designs down to the essentials.
A couple of methods could be used to extract the information. One method is reducing down the information to a slogan, a phrase that encompasses what the company is about or what it is trying to achieve. A good way to do this is to summarize a common characteristic in the company's history. The other method is using keyword. This method condenses this concept down to just three words (or four if you're struggling). Keep an eye out for repetitive words (i.e. innovation, first, quality, class, etc...).
These methods could help you distill the information not only from the heritage, but also with the goals and objectives of the client, company goals, and even the design. The key is to find common elements that could / should be used. It also helps to study the competition for common elements, as well as find out what will work and what won't.
Project Application: Based off the research I discovered that TWA lead in airline innovation and had strong aviation history with Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes. Using the slogan method, I distilled it to "A Heritage of Innovation". Narrowing it down even further with the three word method results with "Innovation, Heritage, Legacy". When studying the logo's history, the common elements that emerged were the color (red), and a sans serif font.
Here is a list of rival logo designs as well as the general characteristics...
This distilling of the facts will help guide the Application portion of the process, which we'll cover next week. If you have any ideas for future blogs, I'd love to hear from you. Please leave a comment, thought, or suggestion on the blog site. 'Till next time Bloggees!
Hey Blogees, still waiting to here from you. In the meantime I want to take you through one of the methods I use for the design process, the R.E.A.D. method (Research, Extract, Apply, Design). We'll go over each stage of the process over the next four weeks. To demonstrate this process we'll create a redesigned logo for a defunct airline, TWA.
RESEARCH
Research, the first stage of R.E.A.D, provides direction and resources. This direction can be determined through questions and study. Questions can gauge the goals of the company and/or reason for the redesign (new business, new direction, changes in ownership, refresh, etc.) These questions could help determine what direction to take. While questions determine direction, study can provide a vast resource to pool ideas from. If possible, research the history of the company, and evaluate previous logos. This study can spark ideas, determine what works, and what doesn't.
Project Application:
To begin we need to find out more about TWA. For this fictional assignment, I checked out several websites to study the airline's history. I also researched the logos of rival airlines to get a general sense of design. We'll distill the information in the extraction portion of the process.
Websites Used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_World_Airlines
http://www.twaflightattendants.com/liftoffhtml/historytimeline.html
http://www.pbs.org/kcet/chasingthesun/companies/twa.html
The Challenge:
American Airlines wants to revive TWA as the "Airline of the Future". TWA would serve as the economical, environmental alternative in international travel. It would utilize the latest in technology to reduce waste and pricing, without sacrificing comfort, space, and style. TWA will not compete with American but would serve as their international travel partner.
Hey Blogees!
Still waiting to hear from you on the next topic to discuss (Book Review, Personal Thoughts, Design Techniques, etc....). In the meantime, I wanted to share with you top three e-mails that I subscribe to (as well as the perks :-). Give these sites a whirl.
Commarts Daily
This Daily E-mail feed features news articles, advertising designs (ranging from commercials to print work), and a featured website.
Why You Should Subscribe: It's a great way to catch up on design news from one of the leading design magazines in the country (without the $45 .
Creative Market
This online design store offers fresh, amazing design solutions for your next project
Why You Should Subscribe: Receive a $5 credit for signing up. Receive notifications on free items or new items on the market.
Graphic Design Blender
An online blog featuring business and life articles for designers.
Why You Should Subscribe: Free E-Book when you sign up. Fantastic articles on different facets of design life.
So there you have it, three great e-mails to sign up for (as well as the perks). If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Don't forget to suggest a topic for the next blog. Until then, have a great week! Cheers!
There is the saying "You should not judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes." This principle applies to many areas in life, especially the realm of design. It's easy to get upset at the guy at the print shop for being so hard to work with. What you may not realize is that he's probably swamped with other people trying to get their work done ASAP! As somebody who is now working on the print side of the fence, I want to share some pointers that could be useful before, during, and after your next encounter with the printer.
Before
Research
Before you start your next print project, Find out what printers are in your area. Research on the quality of the work, and if possible, who else they have worked for (i.e. businesses, not-for-profits, etc.). Also find out how much they charge for certain items (like business cards, flyers, posters, etc.). Ask them about quantity as well. This could help determine budget costs on your next project.
Plan
After you have decided on which printer to go with, plan your time accordingly. Find out how much time your printer will need in order to print your project. Add a couple of days to that to make room for revisions, as well as provide time for the printer to produce your work without rushing it.
Design
Once you have determined your time, find out what paper sizes (8.5 x 11, 11 x 17, 12 x 18, 13 x 19...) and types (text, cover, C1S…) are available for use. Design your project so it makes the most use of the paper. For example, maybe instead of doing 8.5 x 11 flyers why not do 5.5 x 8.5 flyers and get double the quantity. Also, design a template that you could regularly use. If you are working with a printshop that offers design work, ask if you could use one of their template to layout your project. If your project has a bleed, make sure to provide crop marks and design with an 1/8" bleed. This will allow some leeway in case the paper shifts (which it does) during production. Lastly, make sure to use the correct format for your printer. Do they take PDF's? Do they prefer Adobe files. Find out before hand before you get your project printed.
During
Schedule
You've done the research, planning, and designing for your document. You're now ready for production. Here are a few tips to make sure your project makes it safely through the next stage (as opposed to having a really shoddy product and angry client). If you scheduled a date to bring in your project, make sure to get there on time, or earlier. Being late with your project could result in additional charges for rushing the project, and a higher likelihood that something bad will happen to it. If you are dropping a project off and picking it up later, make sure to be readily accessible for corrections / modifications. Provide your printer with your phone number and e-mail and phone number. If they do contact you, make sure to respond quickly to make sure that your project moves forward.
Prepare
Even though you have prepped the document the best you can, there is bound to be an issue of some sort. It could range from a simple typo, to being the wrong format / layout. Be prepared to provide corrected / modified files as quickly as possible. Make sure to save in the compatible format and provide all the necessary files. For example, if your printer uses Indesign CS4 for printing, package the file (so it will have the necessary fonts and links), and make sure to save your file as an .idml file (for older formats). Hopefully, with these helpful tidbits, your project will come out on time, on budget, and on target.
After
So you've made it through the prep, design, and printing of your project. You're done right? Wrong. There's still a couple of things to take care of, payment and follow-up. When you started the project, you received a quote on how much it costs. Keep tabs on any changes or additional charges that could come up. When the invoice arrives evaluate the actual invoice and the estimate. RESPECTFULLY ask about any additional costs or charges that do come up. If there are no issues, don't cause one by paying late or griping about the price. If the printer did a good job, show your appreciation. Send a Thank You. Recommend the printer to fellow designers or businesses. Perhaps even build a working relationship with them. This appreciation, commendation, and connection could prove beneficial for future clients, discounts on future work, or both. Even if the service is lousy, handle the situation discretely and respectfully…Then find a quiet place to vent. There are other printers out there and you will find the right one just for you.
I hope that this article is beneficial for your next printing endeavor. Do you have any questions, comments, or suggestions? Post them here. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks!
Next Post: Up to You! That's right reader! You determine the next blog post. Anything! A Book Review? Process? Design Advice? Q&A? Submit in your ideas. Hope to hear from you soon!
Hey Gang, sorry for the delay of this post. Life in the graphic design and print business can prove challenging at times! However, I'm glad to be back am really excited to share with you about the book, Thou Shall Not Use Comic.
Brief Summary
The book is a compilation of wisdom and knowledge from noteworthy designers (including Sean Adams of Adams-Morika). The compilation consists of 365 different rules or "commandments". These commandments are broken down into six, color-coded categories ranging from Type and layout, to imagery and design. Each author takes one rule and explains it further in a brief "Commentary" section.
The Pluses
+ The book is nicely broken down for easy access and quick reading.
+ The book offers, when appropriate, helpful exceptions to a commandment, usually in the form of another rule.
The Minuses
– Some language
My Personal Take
Thou Shall Not Use Comic Sans should be a standard part of anyone's library. Whether you're curious about design or a design veteran, this book provides insightful instruction and helpful advice to help you on your design journey.
Where Can I Get My Copy:
Hard Copy
Alibris , Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Books-A-Million , and E-Bay
Digital
Kindle , Nook , eBook , and iPad
I hope this book review was helpful and informative. I would love to hear what you would have to say. Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion!
Next Time: Helpful Tips for Print Production
