Eric at ideasonideas

A reminder to pre-order Eric’s book

It’s been awhile since I’ve heard from Eric Karjaluoto, and now I know why: he’s been mighty busy.

I know I mentioned it the last post, but I’m getting close to releasing my first book. As such, I want to make sure that you’re in the loop. The upcoming book looks at how small companies can out-market bigger ones, which is a topic I’m quite excited about.

So if you want to stay in the loop, contact Eric asap. I know I will.

Drones at the karaoke lounge of design

Eric Karjaluoto is a dream of a design writer, and Drones at the karaoke lounge of design just might be one of his best articles ever.

The invasion of design has begun, fueled by an army of talented newcomers and low-cost offshore services. This new breed trades methodology for mimicry and by doing so radically undercuts pricing, sometimes even working for free. Like it or not, supply and demand in the design industry is undergoing upheaval. Worse yet, for design buyers it’s getting harder to differentiate between good and bad design.

The problem that we’re facing on both sides of the equation is that of confusion regarding the value in design. Unsophisticated design buyers approach design like they’re slapping a coat of paint on a crumbling shack. Uninterested in more substantive change, they dream that a quick-fix like a splashy new logo or website will magically remedy more “root” problems. (i.e.: product flaws, deficiencies in operations, or misaligned communications)

Be sure to read the rest at Eric’s Drones at the karaoke lounge of design.

Enjoy…

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Thai Graphic Designer

While I am not a Thai Graphic Designer, the site, I am a Thai Graphic Designer is great fun. Organized by Practical Studio in associate with ThaiGa®, they are on Facebook – I am a Thai Graphic Designer™ – so if you are a Thai Graphic Designer too, be sure to join up.

Note: ThaiGa® is the Thai Graphic Designers Association, founded in 2003.

Discovered via: Nokhookdesign

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Dave

grain edit

There’s a ton of great stuff at grain edit…

Grain edit is focused on classic design work from the 1950s-1970s and contemporary designers that draw inspiration from that time period.

Site content includes interviews, articles, designers� libraries as well as examples of rare design annuals, type specimens, Ephemera, posters and vintage kids books from our bookshelves.

And if you scroll back through Dave’s archives, you’ll be inundated with a top class array of posts from September 2007 to the present.

Nice work Dave! (I be put to shame ;-)

Enjoy, all!

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Pawel Grabowski

Margins And Columns

Here’s a real design treat for you this December, Margins And Columns.

Margins and columns is run by Pawel Grabowski from Think Two, a web development studio from Ireland.

It’s not often I see a one column design blog these days, and Pawel’s is simply gorgeous. No ads. No banners. No nothing. Nice. I was going to go on and on about just how nice. But, why, when I can cut to the chase with simply fine.

Just this week I did my being nice bit in Bangkok (anyone been watching the news lately?) and helped out my Thai hairdresser. As slim and sleek was all that was needed, I used the one column WordPress theme, PocketT, as a cms (yes, it’s that “Schwing!”)

Looking at the two side by side, I’m now coveting Pawel’s crisp black, greys, and lime greens… how very fine they are.

Enjoy…

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Designer as Author

I’ve taken serious thought on how to break my hiatus from DWB.

Who. Or what. Or what for.

Do I go off topic with my personal opinions about the new President of the United States? The outgoing President of the United States? Or even the loser?

Or (tempting) break back in with the Life and Death Masks posted from the Graphic Arts Division of Princeton University?

But while the subject of the new President is hot hot hot, and the death masks fascinating, a google alert arriving five minutes ago settled it for me.

A special thanks goes to Dracula Vs. Eisenstein for the MFA Designer as Author SVA Podcast Series.

The SVA Podcast series has an impressive guest list, from Ellen Lupton to Milton Glaser to Rick Poynor and more (be sure to check out the individual catalogs).

About the MFA Designer as Author program:

In recent years, new media have changed the role of graphic design in various ways. Graphic designers are more in demand to develop a client’s branding, identity, and packaging programs.

But with the means of production on their desktops, designers are also becoming glorified production “artists.” The danger, of course, is that graphic designers will be edged out of the creation process, relegated to only the mechanical follow-through.

The �MFA Designer As Author� is predicated on the growing need for content providers throughout the visual media. Drawing on ones’ fluency with the graphic design language of type and image, this program is the first designed exclusively to encourage authorship and entrepreneurship in a broad range of media.

The purpose is to create products of value that are both responsible to the needs and wants of the society; the goal is to contribute objects of worth that integrate the best design in the smartest product.

Again, if you are interested, grab the MFA Designer as Author SVA Podcast Series.

And does the the School of Visual Arts Graphic Design have a blog?

It sure does. It’s the :: ( CRIT ) :: DESIGN BLOG ::

Enjoy…

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Chris Hopkins

Design Forte

Chris has some knockout photography at his blog, Design Forte. One of my favourite photographs is the one of the dragonfly that he used in his banner (above). Since seeing his blog, I’ve taken more time to snap the wee bugs in my life (coming later…)

About: Chris Hopkins graphic designer Harrogate, Yorkshire. My design blog is a collection of my ramblings about photography and design.

You can see more of Chris’s work at the British Shakespeare Company, Countryman magazine, and Finer Catering.

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Sunny and Ashleigh

A couple of days ago I received an email from Sunny, saying, “Hey! Are you like, still alive???!”

Hah! Kidding, honest. But Sunny did drop me a line to make sure I was ok and to wish me well. And here I am. Back. So I guess I just needed time to recover from being recovered? And a nudge by Sunny?

And being recovered, I’m TOTALLY chuffed to bring you Think Motto, by Sunny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger.

Think Motto

Think Motto is a blog about living from your core. Core is all about power – it’s knowing who you are and telling people about it without deception or apology. For brands, living from the core is essential. It’s about having something to say, rather than just something to sell. We write about the things move us both personally and professionally like branding, design, core values, culture, politics, entrepreneurship and the big world around us.

I wasn’t exactly sure which category to put them in… decisions… decisions… Graphic designer… Writers… Branders… as they fit in all three (but only one will do). So… Graphic Designers, it is.

But no matter what tag Think Motto is under, it’s a fabulous blog. Well written (all original at that), informative and fun. Please check it out (and when you do, send my thanks to Sunny :-)

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Limited edition posters brought to you by Harmonie Intérieure.

• Imagination is more important than knowledge.
• Designers are meant to be loved. Not to be understood.
• The best designers are the ones who find the good clients.
• Design must seduce, shape, and most importantly, evoke an emotional response.

I want.

And yes, do they have a design blog: Graphic-ExchanGE – a selection of graphic projects

Discovered via: 2Modern Design Talk

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Anthony Zinni

Let’s say you are not me. Let’s say you are dropping in on Anthony at Positive Space for the first time. And let’s say it’s today. May 21st, 2008.

So, what do you see?

Ok, the first thing you might be drawn to is the first post. As it should be. But, let’s ignore that for now. Instead, let’s get a sense of Positive Space by checking out the top nav.

Articles >> About >> Forums >> Contribute >> Contact.

I like this setup. Articles (design, culture & technology) takes you to a clean list of the last 50 articles. Title only. Clicking on the logo takes you back home. Easy.

About (who, what, when, where, why) has a short blub about Anthony Zinni the designer, about Positive Space the design resource, and when it all began (Dec 2007). Oh, and in excess of 50,000 readers per month had me running to alexa.com to sneak a peek and compare. Anthony has some pretty good peaks represented there. Yes?

The Forums are not activated yet, so we’ll move on to Contribute (have your voice heard here). It’s another idea I like. Instead of having long conversations where you have that bright idea ten emails in, “hey, wanna write for us?”, it’s right there. Simple.

Contact (got something to say?) is a bog standard and decent contact page, so let’s click back on that logo to home to follow our eyes over to the right. To the middle column. To Popular articles >> Recent articles >> Positive Influences. Again, clean and tidy.

Going down Positive Influences to find something new for DWB’s blogroll (one I haven’t featured), … there’s Good Is Dead (the Learners in finer bookstores everywhere). I think I’m in love. In love but confused. It’s the nav and my brain. It’s not connecting just. And it might everything to do with my PepsiMAX breakfast not hitting bottom yet. Yeah, that’s it, as I’ve just sorted what Good Is Dead is all about. I just need to disconnect my blogging brain and plug in my web site brain. There, that’s better. Nice!

Oh! And here’s another find under Positive Influences … TypeNeu�. Yum. A grey, grey site I could lose myself in for hours. If I had hours. And as I’m sure you don’t either, lets get back to Anthony’s Positive Space.

Once again assuming you are coming in today, the first article you’ll run into is CushyCMS � Simplicity at it’s Best. It’s a brief explanation of what CushyCMS does. Nothing deep, just an interesting shout (for me a needed shout). So, let’s go looking for some meat in Popular Articles.

Here we go. 99designs Stoops to a New Low and Attempts Propaganda. It’s not just a thought-provoking post, the comments continue to nudge and expand. An interesting read for sure.

Since this subject interests me, I double back to Articles to see if I can find more. And I do with 99Designs the Evil that Changed Names which pointed me to Sitepoint Contests – Lets Shut it down (or just boycott verbally, spread the word).

I realise these are a mere 3 articles amongst 50+ covering CSS, web design, good and bad design, etc, but they tell me a lot about Anthony. They tell me he is passionate about the design industry. That he is not all fluffly like, only blogging about what will please all and everyone.

And that, I like. Very much. In part because I have a no-spec.com passion too. Do you?

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From Dawn:
I’m an artist; graphic designer; copywriter; author; journalist; own 1.5 stationery companies; teach graphic design and production; and am a wife and mother. Phew! I somehow manage to get in at least 6 hours of sleep each night and do a craft project or two on the weekends. Hate me? Don’t. I look like hell and need a makeover.

Dawn, I know the feeling.

Dawn writes about running her companies and what it takes to stay sane. Her posts are filled with juggling family, work, clients and sometimes employers. Mostly flowing with fun.

Found at I *heart* paper:
Vormator: the elements of design

Discovered via: Submit a blog

EDITED: This blog is no more …

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