Recently in Graphic Design Category
What's with the apparent inability of the French to express the unique appeal of their country in a graphical manner? It's not like they weren't once the world leaders at this. Think of those captivating posters for Parisian cabarets from the early years of the 20th century, travel posters from the Jazz Age for transatlantic liners, advertisements for exotic drinks or just about anything. To a great extent the world's continuing desire to flock to France for a vacation is still driven by these mythic images, the expression of a vibrant, confident culture. But myths they are, and long-dead ones at that, judging from the current inability of the French to rise above the level of graphical banality when trying to convince us that France remains a land of sophistication and savoir faire.
Last week I shared some of the resources I found useful during my crash course on getting up to speed on using WordPress to create a hobby site devoted to French food. I have since stumbled across the StudioPress Genesis Framework which, coupled with the GenesisConnect plugin for BuddyPress, will serve as the foundation on which to construct the site. While that's good news, it also represents another mammoth learning curve, the outcome of which will inevitably serve as fodder for a future post.
One way to broaden your design portfolio is to make a point of constantly trying out new imaging techniques. And while 3D imagery is nothing new (in fact, anaglyphs go back to 1853), its use is rare enough in print advertising and promotional work that when the right image is employed it can catch the reader's attention, which is half the battle. Providing the right image is where royalty-free and rights-managed stock agency StockFood comes in.
It just makes sense that when something is created, whether it be a work of art or a corkscrew, its success will depend to a great extent on the degree to which the creator kept the end user in mind. But how can you anticipate with any certainty just how people will react to your latest poster design, website or application, to bring things closer to home? An updated version of the bravely-named Universal Principles of Design proposes to help you do just that.
Sure, everyone's keen to design for the iPad and the upcoming onslaught of tablet-based systems, not to mention smart phones and even good old websites. But for most designers, print remains their meat and potatos (admittedly a metaphor that no longer reflects our newly-healthy dietary habits). Yes, I'm talking about paper and you can bet that manufacturers of this still-ubiquitous substance are working harder than ever to keep designers attached to it. Accordingly, what follows is the first in a series of regular roundups of what's new in the world of paper, as well as more exotic substrates.
Image via wordle.net
An accomplished designer, author and teacher of symbolism and logo design at the University of New Mexico, Maggie Macnab believes that at some point designers lost their way. They became disconnected with nature and increasingly were less able to understand its patterns, which for so long formed the basis of how humanity grasped the fundamental mechanisms of existence.
Until recently, to be a graphic designer was to engage in an endless love affair with paper. How many hours were spent flipping through swatch books in a kind of tracelike state, waiting for the click that signalled "this is it!" Then there was that anxious moment when the finished job came back from the printer and you held it in your hands—was the alchemy of paper, ink and inspiration such that something worthy and true had been born? Sometimes, yes, sometimes no. Many thoughts and emotions would arise in that moment, such as "Oh my god, the trapping! The TRAPPING!"
When complete strangers ask you to lend your voice to their cause, history has shown that it's wise to reflect before taking up the banner. Because sometimes outwardly worthy causes can mask an unsuspected agenda. I guess I've been around long enough that a big red light starts flashing when I bump up against these. So it was when I recently received an email entitled Artists Ask Obama Administration to Protect Copyright.
I'm sure you meticulously scroll through the entire End User Licence Agreement (EULA) before installing new software. Ditto when downloading stock images purchased online. No? Frankly, I'm shocked. Well, in that case there's little chance that you're familiar with the license terms of the last font you purchased. You didn't know fonts also had EULAs? Fonts are just software, after all, and commercial software simply grants the purchaser a limited ability to use it. Same with fonts. So for designers, knowing what they legally can and can't do with their fonts is not insignificant.
That's right, ATT is back with its take on what's new in the world of fonts, font applications, notable font usage and general fontiness. This time out I'll focus on recent font releases from Fountain, Gestalten, Kapitza, Linotype and Mårten Nettelblad.
