guylaine rondeau design

how to use social icons

2012-01-22T19:40:00.000-08:00

it is a generally well known fact that social websites are now an intrinsic part of our cyberspace experience. hence it is no surprise that social icons have become an inherent component to any personal or professional website associated with them.

as these icons are increasingly showing up on websites, i notice many basic errors in the way they are being used — probably more so on personal websites than on larger corporations’ where they have access to professional designers. so if you are of the former, without talented help on your side, here are a few things you should know.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

note: many web designers are actually not educated in the art of design communication, but rather come from more technical backgrounds such as coding or programming. without discredit to their expertise, this lack of branding and marketing education is often what is at cause behind many of these types of errors. my goal today is simply to let you know what is in your best interest to do, or not to do.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

placing your social icons in an appropriate place

there is quite a bit of flexibility on where to place your social icons, however they should be in an easily visible area of your website, depending of course on how important this social aspect is to your company. the best place for visibility is in the top part of your webpage, the part that is visible upon landing on your site.

you can put the icons in the sidebar if your layout has more than one column, below the header just beside the navigation menu (providing there is room for them), or above the header (even if it falls in the surrounding background). if social websites are less important to your company, the icons can also be placed in your footer area at the very bottom of the page.

one important rule: the only place where social icons should never ever go, is inside your header (also called masthead). the reason is simple: the header is a sacred area reserved for your logo and branding message. social icons are a distraction, hell a nuisance even, to the integrity of that space. even if you think "but there is extra room" — the answer remains NO. most likely the header was not well designed and/or your logo is too small (something i don’t say lightly).

the little squares indicates possible locations for your social icons: beside the navigation menu, in the sidebar, or as a last option in the footer area.

here you can see how the icons can be placed just above your header outside the actual page. it is not my first recommendation, but know that it is a possibility should you feel stuck.

in this example there is no header per se, but simply a small corner space for the logo. it may be appropriate to place your social icons in the space available on the right, depending on width. remember though that keeping a layout airy makes it easier to read and to navigate.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

alterations to social icons

i have noticed on few occasions social icons that have been modified in their colours. that is an absolute no no. the primary reason is that you should never, under any circumstance, alter another company’s logo — and that includes its colours. even if these little icons are only a portion of their logo, it falls in the same category as one.

secondly, popular brand logos have built a lot of equity in their form and colours. hence a facebook icon in any other colour than blue loses its effectiveness. imagine driving through an unfamiliar city looking for a starbucks. a signage by any other colour than green would likely go past you unnoticed.

totally unacceptable. you lose the brand recognition and you break the basic no.1 rule: don’t screw around with other people’s logos. more diplomatically said, don’t do unto others what you don’t want done onto you.

one exception to that rule is changing the icons to black and white. although digital media has no cost associated to colour like printing does, you can if you feel it necessary within your design parameters, make the logos black + white or in greyscale. know that their effectiveness will be thwarted but there is no disrespect to those brands.

the last distinction refers to the background shape itself. because the icons are designed as buttons, you see them generally in a square or round shape. this button is not part of the logo, and this is why it can be altered, leaving some room for creativity.

lastly, you may have seen hand drawn versions of the social icons. because those are actually pretty integral and colour-accurate, they retain their brand equity and are totally okay.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

never take your audience for dumb

spelling out the name of the social website beside the icon is like saying to your customer “btw, if you haven’t figured it out, this is a facebook icon” — duh. there really is no need for that. if a small percentage of your visitors are unfamiliar with facebook, what is the worst possible outcome if they click on the icon? nobody gets hurt. however the silly explanation can have a subtle condescending effect to many other visitors.

my philosophy in the art of treating your audience is simple: always assume them as an intelligent and educated crowd — as they most probably are. that’s treating them with respect.

social icons for dummies : not required

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

call to action

for a similar reason as above, it is not necessary to tell your audience what to do besides the social icons, like "follow me here" — people do know to click on the icons to get to your social websites where the actual subscription takes place.

now having said that, if you want to encourage them to join your social page, put the call-to-action message on the page in question. it is also a good idea to tell them what benefits may come their way by doing so, as people are getting more picky with what they want to join.

here are some examples which are both pointless in my opinion. of course the example on the left is more sexy, but it takes more real estate and there’s really no added benefits. the example on the right, on top being at the bottom of the page, is really losing impact by using its real estate for words instead of making the recognizable icons bigger.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

using high resolution icons

last word of advise: there are thousands of files on the internet for social icons, and all are available for free. hence there is absolutely no reason you should ever use icons that are in low resolution and look bitmapped. ~ just sayin’... -;)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

for effective graphic communication on your website or any of other corporate or marketing pieces, contact us.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

designers help japan

2011-04-16T09:49:00.000-07:00

great posters communicate powerfully. here are some examples of great designs created to support various fundraising venues for the aftermath of japan’s earthquake on march 11.

to view all submissions, submit your own design, or find a venue to donate, visit design for japan.

loving typography : there’s an app for that

2011-04-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

if you are an iphone owner and have suffered chronic insomnia like i have, you may have spent many hours in the app store in those wee hours of the morning. no kidding, i used to know pretty much all published apps for the first six months after the app store opened in 2008. but then the content increased exponentially, my insomnia subsided, and i just couldn’t keep up.

x: published by andritchie, new york

so i was very happy yesterday when a client sent me a link for a new typography application i didn’t know about. it made me plunge directly into the app store looking for other cool design applications. i did find a few, downloaded them, and here are some i found blogworthy.

typeplace

typeplace is a new application where you can share cool, interesting typography you see in your daily life. you simply take a picture, upload it to typeplace and publish it. if you wish, it can simultaneously connect to your twitter account and publish it there as well.

exibit: by jrdelboux, são paulo (brasil) : at the moma: by julienlevy, new york

probably more interesting for designers, but definitely for everyone with an eye for beautiful and/or quirky type explorations, this app is simple, fun, and also geotags the picture’s location.

shower curtain: published by andritchie, nashua (new hampshire)

dirty energy source: by topfife, birmingham (uk) : kraliçe’s a: by chriak, salt (spain)

z: by mrmartineau, greenwich (uk) : pay me in advance: by itsmematt, los angeles

please note: all photo credits are given as per the usernames registered on typeplace.

the font game

this app is actually a game, but one that is definitely for graphic designers, and more specifically for those who not only love typography but also know typography. that includes recognizing the font families, their various styles, and if you can remember from your school days, the terminology for the anatomy of type. so you think you can handle the challenge?

stay tune as i further explore my other applications! and for now, as we all have a visual memory, here are the icons for those two great apps:

typeplace sells for $0.99

developed by killbot collective

the font game sells for $1.99

developed by i love typography

have fun people!

something’s brewing at starbucks : a new logo

2011-01-29T23:57:00.000-08:00

yes, it is indeed a new logo, scheduled to be launched this march. and the critics are already at work on this one. no doubt there will be as many good reviews as bad ones, but the bottom line will speak for itself, and that is the reception of the new emblem by its true audience, possibly including you: the coffee drinkers.

unlike the critics, my intent is not to attack the new mark, nor highlight what i think are the good or bad points ~ we all have opinions, i will leave you with yours. i will simply say that overall i think it is a fine attempt at moving the company into the future, and i will also remind you of why they are doing this change in the first place, notwithstanding the fact that it is their 40th anniversary, an occasion worth celebrating (especially if you remember how hard it was to find a decent cup of java in the US before they came along).

the starbucks logo evolution from 1971, 1987, 1992 and 2011. some trivia: the rumour goes that the exposed belly and opened legs became controversial hence their removal. even the 1992 logo had its belly button removed (i own coasters which include it, a proof that this is in fact true).

the whole purpose of any logo revamp is always about moving a company forward into the future. there is simply no way around it: as society evolves, companies must also transform themselves in response to the market changes and/or in anticipation of those changes; the latter being the more pro-active approach. that means they have to continually look at where they are and where they want to be as a corporation, and take the necessary steps to move forward. in that process, yes, it is possible they may make mistakes. and if they do (as gap recently did), they can rectify them, most often with minimal damage. but there are no gains without venturing into new territories, which means that yes, there are risks ~ even with a simple logo redesign.

for starbucks, one of the primary reasoning behind the simplification of their icon, as stated on their blog, is that now that they are more than just a coffee company, they wanted to drop the word "coffee" from the logo. since they now sell food (beyond cookies and muffins), coffee machines and accessories, and even gift items as varied as journals and board games, this seems like a logical direction. not to say that they are moving away from being a coffee company, but rather an expansion of it. amazon comes to mind as a large example of such expansion: they will always remain at the source an online bookstore but their inventory now goes beyond imaginable.

now the key in redesigning or revamping a logo is always to create a new look without breaking the brand. hence most logo revamps are quite subtle. some people might not even notice the changes at first glance. in some ways that is a good thing. recognition is very important. if you are driving down the street looking to grab a quick coffee, no doubt you will be looking for that green starbucks emblem. you don’t want to change that. the impact would be immediate if you didn’t recognize it. companies that make a faux-pas always see it in the numbers, and they see it very fast. they also rectify their mistakes just as fast (yes, money always speaks the loudest).

let us look at some logo evolutions of well known brands and the subtle ways into which they moved through the years. btw, there are many great evolutions to look at, and a simple google search of logo evolution will give you a bucket-load of examples. but here are a few good ones:

both coca-cola and pepsi did a great job in their logo evolutions. there may have been some less attractive marks at times, but we ought to remember where society was at back in their times. this pepsi evolution does not include their very latest, which i personally think is a disaster.

both bmw and mastercard are excellent examples of subtle changes over years. in the bmw evolution, there was definitely a glitch in the 4th rendition, however it may have been somewhat appropriate in its time. in the early mastercard example, there was a huge design and name change which is a perfect example of when it is appropriate to do so.

the volkswagen evolution is a little more obvious and each step more drastic. however when everything is said and done, the V and the W are very much integral to their original design, something that can also be said of the starbucks siren.

since i always try to include some personal work in this blog, here is an engineering firm whose logo i revamped. this is also a good example of when to redesign versus when to revamp. sandwell being a 20+ year corporation when they came to us, i recommended we do not change their mark but rather bring the one they had into the present day. we accomplished that with a font redesign, spacing, and the incorporation of their tagline. subtle, but fresh and clean.

however well any of these logo changes were received or how many debates they may have caused, it goes without saying that looking at those marks in the present time, they were necessary evolutions. and as easy as it may be for you to dismiss the new starbucks logo, criticize it as you may, try jumping into the future and looking at the bigger picture. when coming back to the present, smell the coffee as it is, and enjoy what’s on the cup not only what’s in it.

being honest

2010-05-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

in a world becoming quickly and obsessively a do-it-yourself-everything, someone will inevitably one day come and ask you the painful question.

the most difficult time for being honest is when someone designed something on their own and asks a professional designer for their opinion on the final result. i say, be diplomatic and start with the positive. be gentle when you get to the negative.

as for the doers of such doings, if you can help it, please don’t ask. we love you and we just don’t want to hurt your feelings.

flipping a portrait : an absolute no-no

2010-05-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

i was recently on a client’s server looking for employee images to use in a corporate piece, and while i browsed through the long lists of portraits from various offices, i noticed several had an annotation "flipped" in the title. i opened them up just to make sure i was indeed looking at the worst mistake a designer can possibly make — okay, one of the worst — flipping a portrait.

i always assumed this is the sort of thing everyone learns in life, if not for sure in our design education, however it is obvious that we do not all travel the same road in that respect.

so for those who might have missed that boat, here it is: you should never, ever, ever — not under any circumstances — flip someone’s portrait. no one, not even the most beautiful people in the world, has a perfectly symmetrical face. traits that make up a person’s unique look are often those little imperfections on one side of our face, the way we part our hair, have a beauty mark, a broken nose maybe or a crooked smile (such as i have). those things cannot ever be flipped. and believe me, people will notice when you do, not the least of which being the actual person in the photo. to put it simply: it is terribly disrespectful to do so.

here are some examples of the obvious. can you tell which is the right one?

focus on one picture and then on the other; it will be easier to see the distinctions.

i picked celebrities because we all know them. try flipping one of your own pictures and then show it to the people you know — most likely, at the very least, they’ll say you look different. btw, the correct images are on the left side.

and if you are wondering, yes, this rule also applies to all pictures of any kind. here however i will add with great caution, there might be some exceptions that can be made in very rare and special circumstances, and only when the subject itself will allow, such as a flower for example. the bottom line, and the rule of thumb: never flip a picture.

client tips : how to choose a designer

2010-04-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

one of the most difficult tasks in life is to hire an expert in something you know little or nothing about. how do you know if your accountant is really efficient? if your financial advisor is the best he can be? how about your doctor? many professional fields require client anonymity, hence how do you really know how well they perform? there are ways of course, like referrals and word-of-mouths. but here is the really good news about designers, and artists in general: they wear their work with pride for all to see ~ their portfolio.

a portfolio is the culmination of a designer’s accomplishments. it is specifically tailored to showcase one’s capacity for doing great work, their style of design, and the various projects and accounts they have worked on. nothing hidden. it is the best possible way for potential clients to appraise the talent of a designer and assess whether they are a perfect fit for their needs.

hiring the right designer

• first, you must look at their portfolio; every designer has one. (if they don’t, move on)

• assess if you like the quality of the work that you see; not just one particular piece or project, but their work overall. that is crucially important. you are looking for consistency.

• is the style of design one that you appreciate? although most designers have a specific style, many can create versatility in their work, and that can be seen in their portfolio. however if their style is hyundai and you’re looking for bmw, keep looking. if it’s the other way around, then you needn’t be worried, you’ll be well served.

• for the rest, it is a question of personal interaction assessment.

a word about budgets

although you might be a small or start-up business, or in this economy a struggling one, you do not need to put your budget in the driver’s seat when choosing a designer — not ever. a talented designer will always be able to create an excellent product with the budget you present them. it is most crucial to hire someone that is experienced and that can produce quality work when your dollars are most precious. a good designer will always give you much better options on how to spend your budget than a cheap one. and yes, it might not quite be the brand new bmw you were aiming at, but rather a brand new vw instead. is that really a bad compromise?

i for one am a strong believer that good quality and effective design can be created with any budget. that is why i also believe that it is always best to choose a designer based on their talent and commitment, not on their hourly rate. then give them the budget you had planned for your project and work together in figuring out how your needs can best be served. i can guarantee that you will be much further ahead without ever compromising or jeopardizing your brand.

a hypothetical scenario : you need a logo

a. you don’t see any logos that you like in the portfolio in front of you. then it is most likely that the designer will not produce a logo for you that you will like. that’s a no-brainer.

b. there are no logos in the portfolio. then you must assess if you really like the other stuff in there. if you are dealing with a designer who’s work is excellent in your eyes, but the exact type of work you need is not featured, it is extremely likely that he/she will do some excellent work for you as well. besides, you can always ask the designer if they have samples of something close to what you need: remember, the portfolio only holds the best and most relevant pieces, so not everything the designer has ever done is included in there!

a word to the wise

lastly, please do not ever ask a designer to create some layouts for you, for free, to see if they are a right fit. it is extremely unethical and disrespectful (formally trained designers have the same level of education as lawyers), and besides, that is exactly what their portfolio is there for. after all, the portfolio showcases the designer’s absolute best; if you like what you see, you are definitely in good hands.

designer tips : to pitch or not to pitch

2010-03-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

pitching is also referred to as spec work

it all boils down to one thing: what is the value of your artistic talent?

recently i was in conversation with someone who needed a logo design and some branding for their company. after having reviewed my portfolio the potential client contacted me with complements, and then explained that they wanted to approach this project by asking designers to present one or two concepts for free so they could evaluate which designer best got the gist of what they were looking for. following that, a conversation about money would take place with a promise for more projects to come.

so what is wrong with this approach?

• well for one, nobody likes to work for free. if ten designers decide to pitch a concept on a project, then the odds are that you are not going to get paid for your work. the higher the number of designers, the lower the odds of you getting hired. simple math.

• secondly, the most important creative aspect of a project being its conceptual process, you are essentially giving your most potent and valuable asset for free. not to mention, if you are really interested in getting the gig, you have to give it your best efforts. otherwise why bother?

• then there’s the legal aspect of intellectual property. should the client pick another designer, there is no way for you to know for sure that they won’t make use of any part of your concept. even if you think you know the client, most likely you don’t know their level of integrity. people having been burned in the past by those they trusted can attest to that.

what should you do if you are faced with such a request?

• first of all, don’t react with offense if you are offended. if you need, take 24-hours before responding so the heat may cool off.

• give the client the benefit of the doubt and explain that the purpose of your portfolio is to help them appraise your talent, your style and your capacity for doing good work.

• then politely decline the request. that is what i did in the situation above, and i was thanked for my well presented response. at the end of the day many people don’t understand the ethics of our industry and there’s no point in burning bridges with them. your reputation lives in many places, and your interaction with clients, potential or not, is one such avenue.

personally, i come from the old school of design. there are many things i have had to adjust to with the changes in time, but pitching design concepts for free is not one of them. i remain adamant to the unethical nature of such requests. there are negative impacts on both you the designer, and the client (but that’s for another post).

here is the most important reason of all why you should decline such requests:

you are undervaluing your work, and undervaluing our industry as a whole. it is hard enough to educate certain people in understanding the importance of our work and its impact in the communication and marketing industry. please don’t make that job any harder by selling yourself short. the impact is far-reaching. any successful designer can attest to that.

as a designer, your talent and its value is something i greatly stand for. i believe we make a huge difference in the success of our clients’ businesses and i stand for us being acknowledged for that and well remunerated for our contribution. i can only hope that you, designer peers, share this commitment.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

if you want to read more about the ethics of pitching, definitions and exceptions:

• how to handle spec work .(blogger’s article)

• AIGA .(professional organization for design)

• no-spec.com

little trick : big results

2010-01-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

how to deal with ink transfers

in probably 80 percent of the business cards i design, i put something on the back. it is a good use of the space for either leaving the branding unobstructed on its own side, or for including extra information the client has requested. and for dramatic effect, in all of those cases, i use a contrasting colour from the other side of the card. now i am clearly not the only designer doing so, hence the reason i am broaching the subject today.

although by all account this design approach creates fantastic results, there is one inherent nasty little problem to it: ink transfer.

when you put your cards in your business card holder, there is always a natural friction that occurs between the cards. over time this will result in a slight transfer of ink, and you will then notice some discoloration on the front of your cards, sometimes more obvious around the edges. this problem is much more visible with dark and strong colours, but is common to all. simply put, the front of your card will just seem dirty, specially if it is white. it doesn’t take long either for that to happen, and the fresher the ink, the faster the transfer.

here is an example of ink transfer. notice how clean the bottom card looks in comparison to the top one. those cards are about two-weeks off the press. you can clearly see in the white area of the card that the brown from the back has transfered onto the front.

here is my recommendation

when putting your cards in your holder, simply put them back to back. it will take you seconds, but never again will you hand out a card that looks dirty. a card is like a suit: people will judge you on it. so keeps them impeccable!

all business card designs by GR:D

logo design : what kind of files to expect

2009-09-23T00:51:00.000-07:00

for the benefit of both young designers and clients purchasing a logo. this post is outlining the tangible files that one should receive when purchasing something as intangible as a logo.

as such i am writing in layman terms that all can understand as i specifically want to educate those commissioning a logo. my apologies to all the well-educated designers! ;)

when we start working with a new client and request that they send us their logo, many times all they have is a low- to medium-resolution jpeg. it always leaves me wondering how they got to where they are without proper logo files. then i wonder about the designers behind those logos.

of course not all blame falls on the designers. part of the problem is often the turnaround inside corporations during which logo files are being misplaced. no doubt it is the responsibility of the client to keep their files in order, however i believe it is important for us designers to set them up as best we can.

so first things first: what should the nature of those files be? recently when i requested a client send us the new logo art for a recently acquired company, all they had to provide us with was a pdf with three logos on it: obviously a developmental-stage document of the logo design. i was absolutely shocked. now instead of exposing the things that were wrong with this file — and there were many — i will tell you what this client should have received from the designer.

1. the native illustrator file

all native files should be in illustrator. there is one simple reason for that: it is the only format that is vector-based. what that means is that your logo is made of vectors and has the capacity of being blown up as big as a billboard if you so wish. to expand on distinctions, a photoshop file is made of little square pixels and the more you blow up such a file, the more you increase the size of the pixels, and the more they become visible. (see below in the right vignette)

the final native file must be totally impeccable, with only the final logo art and its final colours. files can get quite messy during the creative process, so that mess must be cleaned out.

2. the logo art must be outlined

that is something that is only visible in illustrator under preview mode, but is very important to ensure the integrity of the logo itself in its reproduction. and that most definitely includes the type. if the type has not been converted to outlines (or paths) it is likely to show up differently at some point on somebody else’s system because of missing fonts. with the advancement of technology nowadays it might not happen as often, but i certainly don’t leave it to chance.

3. the file formats to expect

your native illustrator logo files will most likely be in eps format (with a .eps extension). an illustrator file with a .ai extension is perfectly okay, but you the client won’t be able to do anything with it — much less view it; this format is strictly for your design team as it can only be opened if you have the software. then you should also get some jpg files, and those are for your internal usage (they can easily be placed in office documents) as well as that of your web team. in certain cases other formats have been provided for specific usage, so you could get other types of files as well depending on your needs. just keep in mind the important ones!

4. the various colour files

there are many files you will receive and each has its purpose. your immediate needs might not cover all of them, but as part of your logo design commission you should still receive them all.

pantone colour files | illustrator eps

those colours are from the pantone matching system (also referred to as PMS), a swatch book specific for inks used by offset printers (there are other colour systems but this one is universal in north america). the most common usage for your pantone logo will be your corporate stationery. the only time you might not need such a file is if your logo has more than three colours, as it might not be economically-sound to print it with custom inks. the google logo is a great example of such case. visit pantone.com

process cmyk colour files | illustrator eps

your logo should have its colours appropriately converted to four-colour process or cmyk, which stands for cyan, magenta, yellow and black (also for offset printing). a good designer will do this task manually as the softwares’ default conversions do not always use acceptable recipes. additionally, some colours do not convert well at all, so it is our job as designers to make sure that they do. (pantone conversion swatch books and cmyk grids are most useful, but tests are also necessary). a common usage for your cmyk logo will be advertising in colour publications.

an example of a four-colour print (such as a magazine) viewed under a magnifying glass.

rgd colour files for all web and screen related usage | photoshop jpg

your rgb colour logo will be in a jpg format. it will be used for everything digital such as email signature, electronic letterhead, as well as for your web team. again, it is our job as designers to make sure the colour conversion is as visually accurate as possible, not relying solely on software conversion recipes. it is important to make note of those colour recipes so i personally prepare an illustrator file which can be accessed by any future designers that need them. for this reason you might receive a rgb file with a .eps or .ai extension.

black and white logo version

most logos can easily be converted to black and white in photoshop. however a good designer will create a perfect b&w version with no greyscale in it (or very little). the most common usage for your b&w logo will be newspaper advertising, or low budget one-colour printing. the reason for simplifying a b&w logo is to increase its clarity when printed on newsprint or on promotional material (in which case you might have to completely eliminate the grey).

reversed logo files

this is not always necessary depending on the colour of the logo, but it can be useful. for example if your logo is in a dark blue, you might need a reversed version should you need to print it on a dark background. this by the way is not always up to you. should you sponsor an event for example, the event material will be designed by a third party, and you should be able to provide them with a logo that will work for them. alternatively a white release can do the trick.

logo with a white or black release

what that is, is a logo with a white or black outline around it, very commonly used with sports team logos. this is of a rare necessity for most, but can be extremely useful for stitching and in cases where the logo includes a complex illustration. again, sports teams are a great example.

logo guidelines

this is intrinsic to the creation of a logo and the development of the brand. the guidelines will be quite simple at first but as the design of the corporate material gets created, you want to make sure guidelines are established for all future designers who will work with this logo.

i know this seems like a lot, and indeed it is. a bit tedious maybe, and slightly time consuming, but it is not very complex at all to create. for the client commissioning a logo, it is the tangible product they should be getting to be prepared for all eventualities. no designer appreciates receiving ongoing requests for logo versions to accommodate a client’s needs. so it is our job to make sure they are well equipped from the beginning and that all their unique needs are covered, which might include versions i did not touch on, such as a logo with a tagline.

some logistic information: i usually burn several cds for my clients with all their logos on it. if the client has a server, i have them place the files in a secure location easily accessible by all employees. most clients will have some experience with regards to managing their logo, but if they are a new company, i do not assume that they do, so i offer some support in educating them. the integrity and consistency of logo usage and branding is a huge task inside corporations, so those small logistical details are a huge contribution to them. and as my design mentor used to say... god lives in the details.

note: illustrator and photoshop are both adobe software

BCHL, simply flooring and GXL logos are designed by GR:D

helvetica : the movie

2009-07-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

this is absolutely a classic! understanding typography, its characteristics, its usage, its qualities, its impact, and its artistic beauty, is something that all scholar designers learn in-depth during their graduate studies. this documentary encompasses all of that, and really takes a deep look at how typography is used in our culture and how it affects us in our daily lives. those on unfamiliar territory may even get an understanding of what good typography is. some natural talents might have an inherent intuition of good and bad typography, but those are far and few. for the rest of us, a good schooling is a needed exercise in achieving this knowledge. this movie is a small bridge to that destination.

i myself come from a very classic schooling. i actually studied during five years at both concordia university in montreal and ocad in toronto before graduating in graphic design, formerly referred to as commercial arts. in that time i completed three courses in typography alone. so you might ask "what the heck can there be to learn about typography to fill up three years worth of content?" obviously, i cannot say in a short blog post. besides, if you’re not a designer you might actually not care that much either. but if you do, the movie helvetica is a very good documentary on the functions and complexities of typography in our modern world, starting with the font helvetica itself at the core of its history. in other words, i would say that helvetica is to typography what shakespeare is to literature.

so if you haven’t yet seen it, i highly recommend this documentary to all those who appreciate typography. if you’re not a designer you might fail to see some of the humour of this classic film, but if you are of the old school of design and advertising, i promise you, you will love this movie!

here is the official movie preview, and more can be found on their official site here, plus some documentary information at imdb. now if all you watch are the previews, you will still get a little taste of helvetica! and if you like what you see, like a delicious hors d’oeuvre... you will probably want to go back for more!

speaking their language

2009-06-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

understanding design subtleties when you’re not a designer is quite a challenge. as a designer, explaining those subtleties can be just as challenging! recently i designed my very dear friend maria killam’s blog masthead (commonly referred to as a header), and in my interaction with her i really got present to what it is we take for granted in our professional knowledge, and how best to communicate the impact of what we’re creating in such a way that it is easily understood.

as a visual person i try my best to illustrate my explanations in ways that are either familiar to my client or generally easy to relate to. for example, typography can be categorized in two major families such as serif and sans serif. but then there are thousands of fonts within those two families, and to most the differences that exist between them are really difficult to see — never mind understanding why we choose one over an other. just like wine can be mainly categorized as red or white, if you’re a wine drinker you know that what really matters is the kind of grapes used, the aromas and the finish. then there’s an entire science to just pairing wine with food.

can you spot the subtle differences?

when maria asked me about the font i picked for her blog, i related the subtle differences in the fonts to the undertone in paint colours. being an interior designer maria knows the importance of picking a wall colour with the "right" undertone given the other components in the room. when choosing a font i explained, the details are just as important within the context it is used, and in her case i wanted the lines in the font to compliment the beautiful lines in her illustration.

clients ask a lot of whys when you design something because they need to relate to a solid explanation for your choices. and granted, when they pay you big dollars for your expertise, it is fair for them to get their answers. so speak their language! just like i used maria’s language of design for her to relate to my graphic choices. in my view that is the easiest way to get each other’s expertise — not to mention sell your creative concept! because when people understand, more often than not they are also enrolled in your idea.

btw : maria killam is the one who inspired me into blogging. although i haven’t yet done as good a job as her with her blog, i’m working on it. — thanks maria!

when a picture ≠ a thousand words

2009-05-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

such it is that once in a while a client demands that you fit a lot of text in a very small space. that, my friends, is when your typographic skills need to shine. it is never impossible to make copy fit, although i have often told clients “don’t worry, i can make your copy fit even if it needs to be 4pts small,” jokingly of course. the task of making type legible and communication effective without compromising the design is always a challenge.

one of those challenges occur when a small independent consultant has neither a logo nor a company name to perfectly describe the nature of their business. then they will often request to list all the things they do on their business card, which of course is not quite the best venue to do that. however it is important for those who will glance at the card to know what exact type of services the consultant is providing, as so many words used on cards are often too generic!

one simple solution i have used on occasion, is texture: creating somewhat of a wallpaper with typography, and using the pattern to integrate the services provided. alternatively, creating a graphic element with typography can also be quite elegant. that, in combination with the title of the consultant and their company name, usually gives a pretty full picture of what it is that they do! below are some examples from GR:D

here we used the back of the card to list all the types of events that shelley produces. otherwise, her company name as well as her title were too vague to narrow down her specialty.

in kerri’s case, she was in the process of re-orienting her career, but she felt it was important to let people know she was still providing some of her old services in the transition.

for janice, who is resuming her career as a writer and who is also well known in the advertising industry, we simply wanted to inform people of the different types of writing she provides.

walrus : really cool new store with wonderful spirit

2009-03-04T12:38:00.000-08:00

the thing about being a designer is that we have a complete appreciation for all things that are beautifully designed – no matter what type of design they are! as a communication & web designer myself, my love for beautiful things expands in ways i cannot express in words. today i stumbled across something truly out of the ordinary that caught my eye, and upon entering this interesting new store i discovered something i really want to share with you.

i was on cambie street – in what is now called the 'cambie village' – and i saw this new store front with a very 'new york soho' look to it: walrus, a design gift store, or more appropriately described, a very interesting and cool items boutique. beautiful designs and very cool ideas make for something worth writing about!

i of course had to have a chat with co-owner caroline boquist, and i discovered a fresh and wonderful spirit behind this awesome store! their primary concept is to look for crafty items from around the world that are unique in their design and which carry a brilliant concept of material and efficiency in their usage. things like handmade bags from the netherlands which are made out of recycled inner-tubes and look absolutely cool and fabulous (perfect for our rainy season in vancouver), beautiful german-made garlic graters that look more like they belong in your display bookcase (i have one from the south of france and they work amazingly well), or paper bags for candles that are specially fire-proof treated (i saw some in an alley in croatia, and until today wondered how they didn’t burn)... anyways, i could go on and on... but i sure wouldn’t want to spoil all the surprise!

so next time you have a chance to take a stroll down cambie street, go check it out! i promise, you will find something worth taking home – if not for yourself, for the special someone(s) you love! / store info below pictures

walrus co-owner: caroline boquist (partner daniel kozlowski not present)

walrus store: filled with very pleasant surprises

for more beautiful photographs (and more professional) check out their blog!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

walrus : a pleasant surprise

3408 cambie street @ 18th avenue, vancouver | 604 874 9770

info@walrushome.com | walrushome.com

tues-fri 10-7 | sat 10-5 | sun 12-5

a designer’s weakness

2009-02-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

i must admit to have a great fondness for the juice of the gods, preferably the very deep red, with lots of long legs, fully flavoured and full-bodied kind. you guessed it, i do love my wine! i have a great application on my iphone where i keep notes of recommendations as well as some of my favourites, and i also have a journal in which i keep notes on the best moments spent with the best bottles. now that i have started blogging, i thought i could share some of my tasting adventures, from the good value mid-week wines to the very special occasion extravaganza ones (yes, that’s a mouthful). so please go visit my other blog if you too enjoy this heavenly beverage, and please do share some of your favourites! ~ bottiglia di vino

typographic jumble

2009-02-19T09:32:00.000-08:00

this is cool... someone posted this wordle link on facebook and it caught my attention. over the years many beautiful typographic compositions have been created in this style, and now apparently someone has developed an application that can automate how it’s being done. okay, maybe it’s not as well done creatively-speaking as if each word were placed thoughtfully in this random way – yes, a true artist would think carefully twice before placing each word beside another, because subconsciously the relationship between each word creates an impact (rohdesign demonstrates a beautiful example in his tote bag design) – but still, this application will give you a pretty interesting composition! so have fun today. take your favourite poem or quote and create one of your own. / it’s just silly fun!

my word jumble, top: success middle: the secret of wisdom bottom: love

you can always just have a look at mine.

white space

2009-02-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

recently a friend of mine mentioned that one of the most valuable thing she learned from me was the importance of the use of "white space" ~ so i thought i would share some of my work and the richness that "space" can bring to a design when it’s well done.

one important factor when using all that white is to make sure it communicates its own richness & quality ~ meaning "don’t be cheap on the stock" ~ buy a beautiful, rich, thick, high quality paper stock! it truly will make all the difference. people don’t usually know why, but they will say "wow, that card is awesome." simply said, it’s the impact of the intangible, the subtle, and knowing how to use its elements effectively.

lastly, if a client should insist that you include everything that they do on their business card, there really is no need to panic. although most people understand that the function of a card is to communicate contact information, there is sometimes a reasonable need to communicate the extent of services. this last picture is a fair example of using all that information in a clean and impactful way that is yet appealing to the eye. and still, look at all that white space!

for other wonderful examples of elegant white spaces: 7-étoiles

above designs from GR:D

my first post : a sample

2009-02-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

well well, what to say on this momentous occasion? i really just want to test things out and say nothing in the process... now let’s see what this will look like when posted!