Here's an article I heard about today on Twitter that I found interesting:
The proper care and feeding of the in-house graphic designer (from the Jeff Fisher LogoMotives blog)

There are lots of great points in the article, it's a good read for in-house designers and those who work with them. It's also good as a general read for graphic designers and those who work with designers.

I think sometimes, from stories I've heard, that tensions tend to rise when clients and designers have trouble understanding each other. It may be necessary for the designer to give some idea to the client of what's needed to do a great job and what their working process is; but the client also needs to be able to step back and let some things happen behind the scenes before giving input. I think one of the greatest ways to build trust is for the designer to offer to give a little education about technicalities of design to the client. This is a way for the designer to show their expertise and helps the client understand the designer a little better.

Things like colour modes, resolution, and copyrights are good things to discuss in brief. The client doesn't need a ton of details, but they do appreciate knowing when things are being done correctly and knowing that the end result will be better for it.

I used to be an in-house graphic designer. It was something that I really enjoyed and learned a great deal from. I also made myself available to answer questions about design related things. I still work with that company, and they're one of my major freelance clients. I love working with them, corporate design is one of my specialties and I really get to be involved in so many areas of that with them :)

Prior to that, I worked at an engraving shop. In some ways, I think that had similarities to print on demand shops. It's high volume, high speed, and you deal with a lot of customers with different tastes. I always smiled when a customer said "you're the expert, please give me advice." What a great thing to say!

This carries over into design too. I always try to give advice on what I think will help the customer shine and I make a point of asking specific questions about things such as their needs, likes, and dislikes. Approval is always in the hands of the client, but the designer is there to offer creative solutions and help the client to meet their needs in the best way possible. And that's what we all want isn't it? The best possible solution to the task at hand :)

Labels: design, recommendations

These two-sided cards were printed, assembled, and trimmed by hand (so they're not all perfectly straight, unfortunately). The front is a pale yellow, but it scanned as white. The backs are a pale grey.

I made these to hand out when promoting my comic series, Green Corner. I will probably bring some of these cards with me to the TCAF next month. Please ask for one if you see me! I'm not a guest, but I plan to be there. If you're a Toronto area comic artist and plan to go to TCAF, please contact me. I would love to meet other comic artists in person!

Which of the back designs is your favourite? Feel free to leave a comment to let me know.

Labels: business cards, design, green corner

Every graphic designer and, arguably, every visual artist should know how to use the principles of design to their advantage. I've seen mistakes before in the list of principles as presented by others, and I wanted to provide an accurate list here for reference.

I've listed the principles of design below as I learned them when studying graphic design in college. The information is based on my college notes and includes some direct quotes, but is largely presented in my own words. Unfortunately, I'm not sure of the exact source of some of the information, but I'll list recommended books from the course outlines in another post for those who may be interested.

Balance

• Used to portray stability or instability.
• Categories: symmetry, asymmetry, asymmetrical symmetry, and radial.
• Symmetry tends to create stillness and results in a more static, controlled composition. Asymmetry can give a sense of unrestrained energy.
• Asymmetry can feel balanced by giving the same weight to different areas without being symmetrical. Differing weights in asymmetry can create tension and/or emphasis.
  

Contrast

• Can be used to create emphasis or a sense of similarity.
• Often used in conjunction with other principles.
• Contrast can be between: shape/form, volume, size, value/colour, position, or direction of items.
  

Emphasis

• Used to focus the attention of the viewer and add interest.
  
• Unity must be carefully considered. A composition which is not cohesive feels uncomfortable to the viewer.
  

Positive/Negative

• The interplay of positive space (the figure/image/component) and negative space (white space/ground/picture plane).
• Balancing positive and negative space is more comfortable for the viewer. It allows for focus on important positive space while giving the viewer some visual rest.
  
• Excessive positive space prevents the viewer from focusing and important elements can be overlooked. Excessive negative space can result in a product which appears unfinished or unusually plain.
  

Repetition

• Encompasses rhythm and patterns.
• Can be used to create unity (e.g. a predictable pattern), a dynamic effect (e.g. a swirling vortex), or even emphasis (e.g. an anomaly within a pattern).

Movement/Direction

• Used to portray liveliness, stillness, time, change, or motion.
  
• "Tension plus direction equals motion."
  
• Diagonals tend to create visual movement, as they encourage eye movement in a particular direction.
• Comics, or sequential art, are a classic example of art used to portray the passing of time. The layout of sequential art also encourages a particular reading pattern or eye movement from the viewer/reader.
  

Gestalt/Unity

• Grids create a sense of unity and structure. Mathematical sequences can be used to create grids, including the golden mean and the Fibonacci series.
  
• Grouping creates a sense of unity and harmony. The relationship of groups can create a sense of closure, which is more comfortable for the viewer. Grouping can also be used to create implied shapes.
• Gestalt theory:
  
  1. "The parts of an image can be considered as distinct components."
  2. "The whole of the image is different from and greater than the sum of its parts."
     

Labels: design, recommendations, theory