Here is the 2009 installment of Bill Gardner's excellent logo design trends report for LogoLounge.com. As always, it is a must read.
Bill Gardner's logo design trends 2009...
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Density Design began as a part of a Master Degree Course in Communication Design at Politecnico di Milano in Italy. As they explain it, "Using complexity as a keyword to understand reality, combining it with a continuous research for information aesthetics and representation, DensityDesign explores the emergent relationships among communication design, information visualization and complex systems."
To me it is yet another example of the fast-forward progression of design discovery.
A quick way to review much of the work--DensityDesign's photostream on Flickr...
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I have often thought about how badly the license plate needs making over. If clear identification is the goal, most plates (with their scrunched up type and incomprehensible layouts), fail miserably. If style is what you're after, the only real challenge would be to do it worse than it is being done now.
A while back GQ invited nine designers to re-envision the license plate--here are their ideas. Though these are a bit frivolous, the exercise does get you thinking about the possibilities for clearer communication, tighter security, increased safety, and better communication. But that would require state and local governments to take it seriously.
License plate makeover (1.1MB PDF)...
Looks like an international problem...
If you're really interested, here's a big list of license plate links...
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Well--would you settle for Fonts, a couple of entertaining film shorts? You can thank (or blame) my son Jeff for bringing these to our attention.
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The older I get, the less I seem to know about the story I am a part of. By that I mean I have come to believe that we are a part of a system we know very little about--one that continues to reveal itself to us in unexpected ways.
Take the example of DNA. Imagine how profoundly the understanding of this code (now in its infancy) will ultimately effect life on our planet.
So here's the, "is Chuck a crackpot" question: Do you think there could be such a thing as a design equivalent of DNA? Some type of underlying blueprint that map non-visual information in visual form? Is it possible there is some hidden structure to all things that design is, in a clumsy way, trying to reveal?
At first blush it sounds nutty, but consider the fact that many folks have attempted to identify just that--a formula or approach that breaks design down to some "true" or "correct" combination of dynamics--white space, grids, form and color selections, and so on.
But, I digress. All that leads me to Stefanie Pasavec's Writing Without Words. Don't get me wrong, I do not equate it to some type of literary DNA, I simply find it fascinating to contemplate yet-to-be-defined alternatives for envisioning the world around us.
Love to hear your thoughts on this--I think. Use "Comments" below--I answer every entry.
An excellent article on Pasavec's work...
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You can enjoy this site on two levels. First by exploring the fabulously rich visual environment and the vast network it opens doors to. Second, to read some interesting theories about where planet earth and our universe is headed. Genuine "wow" stuff.
And now: a little visual stimulation...
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Let me make a simple point using a site in a language I do not speak--French. That way, it will be a tiny bit more difficult to find words that help to explain the significance of the imagery. As roughly translated via Google Translate, the first link shows a list of organizations and their logos associated with a creative media contest. I chose it because, you would expect that this type of organization would be particularly interested in branding.
My question is, what do these logos tell you about the organizations they represent?
Do they reveal anything about the organization's product, service, philosophy, derivation, purpose, or industry?
Or, from another angle, are these logos distinctive, versatile, memorable, durable, timeless, or symbolic?
My intention is not to ridicule--you have only to look at any random grouping of logos to see the prevalence of this type of white noise. I just wonder, if a client doesn't have hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars to imprint its brand on its audience, shouldn't the logo at least tell some part of its story?
I have had my fair share of communication failures--my point is simply, when we don't fight for meaning, we haven't done our job.
Do you have a good definition of the purpose of a logo? Share it with us using "Comments" below--I answer every entry.
See the stack of logos down the left side of the screen...
Paul Rand's thoughts on logo design...
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Here is an excellent example of doing the work AND taking the time to present it in a way that shows it at its best. These studio LOOVVOOL is Tallinn, Estonia.
Have another example of great logo presentation? Share it with us using "Comments" below--I answer every entry.
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The skill is curiosity. I call it a skill because it is a discipline that can be learned but that, to be mastered, requires dedication.
To produce work that really helps clients achieve goals, you've got to look at their products, services, and ideas from all angles and understand the salient issues as well as, if not better, than they do. That is one of the great challenges of our occupation and (if you're curious) one of its great joys.
If you are working a project with a copywriter, it will likely fall to the writer to do most of the research and to compile some type of outline of the important ideas and themes associated with it. The point is, whether there is a writer or not, you need that information--to create a logo, an advertisement, collateral material, a web site, even a trade show display or a banner ad. It is all but impossible to create sound communications design without it.
Following are examples of two useful ways of organizing that core information--a creative brief and a copy platform. Yes, there are as many definitions of these documents as there are models and these are by no means definitive. In many cases, you may not even compile the information for anyone but yourself. I simply offer these examples as a reminder of their importance.
Do you know of another model or have your own? I'd love to see it. (Use "Comments" below--I answer every entry.)
A model for a copy platform...
From an advertising perspective: How to create a brief that sets creativity free (1.38MB PDF)...
An example of a creative brief (64KB PDF)...
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When I was a kid, my father had a subscription to the New Yorker. I would always study the covers and remember thinking how amateurish the illustrations were. My young eyes did not appreciate the insight and restraint it takes to create great illustrations (I even wrote to them offering my services but never heard back).
Christoph Niemann understands whatever it is that equips you to see the world as a series of little stories. He is the quintessential idea animator.
Abstract City, Niemann's blog for the New York Times web...
Niemann's The Pet Dragon: A Story about Adventure, Friendship, and Chinese Characters ...
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Stirring up controversy, making a bold statement, and challenging conventional views are all valid ways of making a point. But using controversy as a tool of marketing is dangerous territory. If you use it, you should use it for a clearly defined reason that offers some substantial advantage.
Which leads me to an example of how not to use it. I came across it as I was looking through the newspaper a couple of days ago--it was a full-page version of this ad to announce the makeover of a city web site. (Go ahead and take a look before you read on.)
I couldn't help but ask myself, "What the heck do nude people have to do with the makeover of a city web site?" and, "What advantage does this controversial approach offer that outweighs the potential for narrowing or eliminating prospects for the clients product?"
I see at least three fundamental marketing mistakes:
Mistake 1: Assume that your audience knows what you know.
The first problem is that the ad speaks primarily to the existing audience. There isn't enough here to explain what Richmond.com is so who cares about the "new" version? An ad that speaks to the insider excludes the outsider.
Mistake 2: Don't say what you mean.
This ad is a misdirection. Everything it shows and much of what it says gives you no information about what the product is. "We've Gotcha Covered" how? Why a nude person? Why this location? Do you care enough about this anonymous product to make the effort to find the answers? Even more puzzling is that, as of this writing, if you go to site the ad points you won't see any nude people (thank goodness) and, if you search the phrase "We Gotcha Covered," there is not even mention of it.
Mistake 3: Be controversial for the sake of being controversial.
At a minimum, the sexual innuendo here sends a clear signal that the site is inappropriate for children--HUGE mistake. And in sending that message, it likely alienates the parents who already are burdened with monitoring every aspect of online life. It obviously slams the door (with relish) on any audience that doesn't share the same sensibilities as the ad's designer. Controversy has an insidious way of representing one narrow view, one sense of humor, and one way of understanding.
To me, good marketing takes a thoughtful, innovative approach to identifying and speaking to the greatest possible audience. Narrowing that audience is perfectly acceptable if you do it for a good reason. But if you narrow the audience simply because of your approach, your approach is wrong. Period.
All that said, I don't mean to pick on the folks who created this ad, I've made my share of marketing mistakes. It is simply the most recent case I've seen that perpetuates the "marketing is magic" theory--that, if you know the secret formula, you can get people to take meaningful action contrary to their own interests by being clever, controversial, or funny--it is a myth.
Your thoughts?
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Vendor Power! is a pamphlet designed to explain basic New York City street vendor rules and procedures in five different languages and to provide and overview of vendor issues. It is a collaboration between the Street Vendor Project, designer Candy Chang, and The Center for Urban Pedagogy. Pretty interesting.
A story in the NYT about the Vendor piece...
The actual Vendor Power brochure, side-two (2MB PDF)...
Several publications (including Vendor Power) from The Center for Urban Pedagogy...
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I can't even remember how I got started looking for information about menu design. I do not currently have a client in the hospitality industry, although I have designed a few menus in my years as a graphic designer. What got me hooked on the subject was the fact that, as with many design specializations, menu design has become quite complex and multifaceted. To the extent, for example, that the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University offers a Ph.D. program in Consumer Behavior/Menu Psychology.
Design and layout of menus now falls under the umbrella of "menu engineering" along with the disciplines of (as defined on Wikipedia): psychology (perception, attention, emotion/affect), managerial accounting (contribution margin and unit cost analysis), marketing and strategy (pricing, promotion).
As an introduction to the subject, I'll share some of my preliminary finds. I cannot testify to the veracity of each source, I have not even read them all word for word, but I thought you might be interested or at least curious.
Just for fun, let's start off with now NOT to design a menu...
The Psychology of Menu Design from Restaurant Resource Group...
The Ten-Minute Manager's Guide to Menu Design from R&I...
A short article about menu engineer Gregg Rapp from Time Magazine...
A full concept design for South St. Burger Co. by Jump Branding & Design Inc....
A case study from Restaurant Startup & Growth...
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