Archive for the Design Category

What makes a great logo design? I think it is a combination of technical, strategic and aesthetic factors that combine in just the right way. Often, if the typography was just slightly larger, or the color was just a shade brighter, it wouldn’t work. Let’s face it—it’s difficult to design a smart, successful logo that [...]

One thing that I encourage clients and agencies to do is to take advantage of all the print techniques that are available. Too many times, whether it be because they are in a rush or it just slips their minds, designers and creative directors opt for more typical printing methods: four-color process on the standard [...]

American Apparel. Mac. Crate & Barrel. Target. The list of brands represented with the typeface Helvetica goes on and on. And on.
I recently saw the documentary “Helvetica”, written and directed by the filmmaker Gary Hustwit. The feature-length film uses the famous, yet controversial typeface to tell a comprehensive story about typography and visual culture over [...]

Seth points out that great logos are about the meaning derived, not from the logo itself, but from the company behind it. While that’s certainly true, it underestimates the role of design in a good logo.

John Gruber offers a new take on an old debate: are design templates a good idea? He’s talking about blog templates, but the idea is general. And so is his conclusion:
Default templates are terrific for people who can’t or don’t want to design their own—but they’re terrible starting points for anyone attempting to establish their [...]

Seth Godin brings up an example of an attitude that I see often. When you work at a company for a while, it’s easy to start thinking that your company is the universe. In this way, you start optimizing the work to suit you, not your customers.
In the agency world, it’s the same thing. [...]

Back in November of last year, I considered whether To Print or Not to Print. At that time, I allowed that print has a role in a well-integrated communications strategy. Today, I’m wondering how viable the medium is.

It’s very popular these days to tout the rise of the design culture. For some, it’s the stage past the information age. Even organizations need designing. What’s at the root of this feeling?

Printing is dead, right? Oh, it’s definitely down, but it’s certainly not out. It just needs to be thought about in a certain way.

An agency, in the oldest commercial form of the word, is a company that takes action on behalf of another company. In the marketing world, it’s a company that provides marketing, branding, and/or design products. It’s to be distinguished from consulting companies that provide services.
An agency, then, is supposed to be an extension of a [...]