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Book Sleeve for Assignment 5
THE BUSINESS/RESEARCH SIDE
The first few links were relevant to our research assignments. First, we developed a design blog and the link following helped us understand why we were to do this rather than just mindlessly following an assignment. Many designers blog because it allows them to broaden their experience and helps market their design services. In short, blogging is the design equivalent of marketing that other arts hold. You need to interact, find a niche, show your value, be organized, and have good content.
Next, we researched further in relation to our design blogs and the content that would be on it. The link given with this research assignment elaborated the importance of research and how to utilize that research. It’s good to research other services to have an imitative start-up, but one should not stray away from an imitative business approach. The market for services is constantly evolving and in order to maintain relevancy, one must be willing to step out of the norm and do the unknown/radical.
THE ARTISTIC SIDE
In our first creation assignment we were to create a final product that was connotative. I think Jerry Ulesmann’s work was the link provided because his works are the perfect example of connotative images. His images are suggestive enough to provoke a feeling in the viewer, but are abstract enough to allow the viewer to participate and dissect the image themselves. His examples helped me in trying to shape my final product to do the same thing.
In our next creation assignment, we made logos and links about Paul Rand and Michael Bierut were provided. Paul Rand was one of the most prominent graphic designers who has created countless amounts of corporate logos. His advice in attaining successes with these logos emphasized the importance of simplicity, but being identifiable. However, the logo should be a symbol of identity and not a tool used in an attempt to sell something to someone.
With my own research, I found a paper written by Paul Rand himself on his views with design. It was like he had a checklist of knowing whether a logo was quality or not. He really emphasized the simplicity of a logo to make sure it identifies and doesn’t sell. His checklist of the effectiveness of a good logo states that it depends on “distinctiveness, visibility, usability, memorability, universality, durability, timelessness.”
A collection of his works really puts his advice into images and served as a great example for what we should attempt to create as our logo.
Going further on Paul Rand’s advice of logo’s being a symbol of identity, Michael Bierut also says some similar things. Designing is more than just creating an image or a drawing, but it is carving an identity. Paul Rand’s way of defining an effective logo really seems like it shaped the standard of good design.
Lastly, we were to create a book jacket. Chip Kidd’s TED Talk humorously discusses his successes with designs with a variety of books, including Jurassic Park and 1Q84. Great design is essential in creating a great seller since the book’s sleeve will be the first impression. You can really tie back his advice to the previous design artists that these links detailed. When designing something, even a book sleeve, you aren’t trying to give away the entire contents of the story. Keep it connotative enough that it will grabber a reader or viewer’s attention to want to search through it further.
It seems that, based on the links I was provided and my own research, it is universally accepted that simplicity and identity are the most important factors in design. That simplicity and identity can be developed through expressing information and research through connotative imagery.
Patricia Castillo highlights mental illness through an artistic setting. Personally, the first connotative image (slide 67) stood out most to me as I found so much similarity to Vincent van Gogh’s Sorrowing Old Man (At Eternity’s Gate), one of the world’s most famous pieces depicting depression. Having a bolder foreground image of color allows the viewer to focus on the subject, while pairing it to blurry background that lacks vibrance enhances the saddening aura of the subject further. Keeping these similar elements really brings out how mental illness is a timeless issue.
However, I feel it could have been beneficial had she made it with an even simpler background. You can see how many modern digital designs depicting mental illness keep a solid background with a more creative foreground. Had she followed this more modern style, I think it would emphasize that she was making a statement about today’s mental illness.
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The Power of Argumentative Blogging
Following my review of effective blogging, I found that one of my classmates’ reviews were quite similar. They too pointed out how ease in readability and discussing something that creates a personal flare can make a blogger stand out amongst the many.
However, my classmate took to note how writing an argumentative post can be an effective way to bring attention to a blog. I completely agree as it shows a personal side of a blogger and it engages a reader to participate in dialogue.
While my opinion/agreement may not be fact, the evidence speaks clearly for itself. Take this post by the argumentation blog for example. They have 118 comments on an opinionated post, while this post about toilets on another blog has no engagement.
Evidence not enough for you? Take the excerpt in this paper from the University of Dundee:
Arguing. It’s an effective tool.
…or is it?
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Research Presentation for Assignment 2
** Refer to very first post for blog reviews **
Design Observer’s “Bad Design, Great Signs” speaks of Steven Heller’s experience at a women’s march while elaborating on the designs used in signs that people protested with. While they were not of professional level images, in worked in the protestors favors because it creates a sense of authenticity through its D.I.Y. style. He essentially elaborates that “professional looking” material sometimes may not convey the personal voice that a particular design may need.
On Seths’ blog, he discusses How to get traffic for your blog. It is a list of 56 different tips. While I don’t quite understand this particular post’s advice (ex: Tip #11 saying do not write about your kids, but then tip #13 saying do write about your kids) with some of it’s unrelated hyperlinks (Tip #26 hyperlinking to bath product shop), I do recognize the readability behind it through its format of lists.
On fastcompany.com’s Ideo Says The Future Of Design Is Circular, Adele Peters elaborates how design will transition into something where the end product looks to expand into multiple usages, rather than designing something with a single product lifestyle like in the past.
As I summarized different blogs and their posts, I came to notice that no blog is exactly like the other. All had varying content, but despite their differences, all brought in an audience. I tried to note the different approaches that these blogs utilized in order to achieve this.
The Eye-Catching Title:
One of the blogs that made the most prominent use was Design Observer. Steven Heller’s title of “Bad Design, Great Signs” catches a reader’s curiosity with its oxymoronic title in order to lure them into reading more about his experience of signs at a women’s march.
Another use of an eye-catching title is from a blog post I personally enjoy: disabilityrightsbastard. Their title and blog name uses crude language to gather a bigger audience to educate on an important topic.
Short-and-Sweet Readability:
Two blogs organize their material in a way that would allow one to read the material with ease. However, they utilized this skill differently.
On Seths’ blog, he discusses How to get traffic for your blog. It contains obscure advice that truthfully did not make much sense to me, but I still read it all. This proves that readers can be gained from something as simple as being easy on the eyes, regardless of content.
In contrast, Adele Peters’ writing in Ideo Says The Future Of Design Is Circular doesn’t use list format to elaborate material. It creates ease on the eyes through organizing its paragraphs to be short, which allows readers to understand the material well despite being a topic that may be difficult to understand.
The Personal Touch:
While this title from boingboing would make it seem that it would discuss the book more, it really doesn’t. However, it does create a connection between readers and the blog as it reveals a personal aspect of the blogger, making their blog seem more like human interaction than just words on a screen.
To have a great blog:
Have a great Title, Readability, and Personal Voice
Design and Discussion 