speaking their language

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

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

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!

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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

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

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

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

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!