What Your Graphic Design Style Reveals About You

The Nurturer

You radiate warmth, kindness and caring. Your graphic design style carries over that warmth, and is all about sampling the best that life has to offer, and then coordinating it into a beautiful mix of creativity and originality. Color, filters and photography help your designs immortalise themselves. You have outstanding perception and make astute observations of others. You’re very conscientious of the effects and impressions you leave on others, so you always strive to incorporate feelings of happiness and harmony in all your surroundings.

Read more at http://blog.canva.com/graphic-design-personality/#GVjSYLwE2jjPkJeL.99

The Minimalist

You value simplicity in all things, and your graphic design style reflects this by surprisingly using as few graphics as possible.  You use aIt’s not that you don’t care, or that you want to skimp on the basics, but rather that you feel a sense or idea can be conveyed in far simpler terms. To you, complexities are mundane and today’s ‘flat design’ trending encompasses this brave design aesthetic. It’s strong interface and unrivalled ease in navigation, mirrors your personality, and is what also makes you an amicable and reliable individual.

Read more at http://blog.canva.com/graphic-design-personality/#7MdoTciR8suROYxB.99

You radiate warmth, kindness and caring. Your graphic design style carries over that warmth, and is all about sampling the best that life has to offer, and then coordinating it into a beautiful mix of creativity and originality. Color, filters and photography help your designs immortalise themselves. You have outstanding perception and make astute observations of others. You’re very conscientious of the effects and impressions you leave on others, so you always strive to incorporate feelings of happiness and harmony in all your surroundings.
Read more at http://blog.canva.com/graphic-design-personality/#GVjSYLwE2jjPkJeL.99

Destroy Desk Culture by Steve Price

The word ‘desk’ comes from the 14th century Latin ‘desca’, meaning a table to write on. Medieval illustrations show the first pieces of furniture designed and constructed for reading and writing. Desks fill a practical purpose and have been given a physiological one, but they are not where creativity originates. In fact, they can be where it dies.

We need to reassess the workplace in general. In the creative industry you’ll see many variations of the ‘studio’. It was once a place where drawing boards, cutting boards, scalpels and maybe even typesets and pica rulers lay strewn in between old coffee cups and drawings, with more drawings, sketches and posters covering the walls. Most of this has been replaced by iMacs, white IKEA desks and walls adorned with a range of the latest screenprints. Or they might even be barren. You don’t want to ruin the look.

continue reading at http://www.computerarts.co.uk/features/destroy-desk-culture

----- When Was The Last Time You Did Something For The First Time? -----

I think that's the first time I posted a title that long.

Coolhunter posted an inspiring, short article with wise words.

When was the last time you did something for the first time?

When did you actually do what your first impulse, or that nagging, persistent feeling is asking you to do?

It is easier to stay where you are, do what you know about, be safe, not push. Take the same route, order the same meal, hang out with the same people, do the same job.

But if you do not constantly test your boundaries, you will never find out what you are capable of.

If you always go over where the bar is the lowest, you will never know how high you can jump.

We say: Jump now!

NOW is the absolutely most perfect time to try those new things, to explore new cities, to taste new foods, to start a business, to write a book, to enter a marathon, to go skinny dipping, to start playing squash, to start a blog, to give that dinner party, to propose.

Now is the time to find out what you are here to do. How much can you do? What can you achieve?. How much fun can you have? How much can you give?

Now is the ideal time to experience your life. To LIVE your life. We all know this is not a rehearsal, yet we live as if it were.

And we are not talking about pushing so that you’d be approved by others. Or achieve their goals or what they think you should be achieving. Or pushing beyond your healthy or safe limits.

But we are talking about using all of your talents, skills and abilities now. Because now is all any one of us has. And because that is why we are on this earth. To live our own lives fully.

And when we do, we will find millions of new reasons to be grateful. We will find hundreds of ways to give more. We will find out how wonderful life is.

Because now is all any one of us has.

Show—Read—And Tell.

Most girls take pride in collecting shoes, treating them like humans. I, on the other hand, have a lackluster collection of shoes, but I compromise them by my collection of design books. They're like my heirloom! Precious books that I would be horrified if they're stolen or burned. I mean they are not cheap; sometimes I wish those annual design magazines didn't cost $40, least they could do is make them a special hard cover edition. I digress. If I have a daughter, unfortunately or fortunately for her depending who she turns out to be, won't be receiving any vintage jewelery and clothes, she'll probably receive my design books and magazines. Photographed in the picture are a selected few from my growing collection. I chose them because I habitually go back to them as resource and inspiration—a good book never ends at the last page.

I will be writing mini reviews on each and giving a short synopsis. Stay tune.

When I was notified about a logo crime scene, I quickly jumped to it and found myself quickly on site to investigate, feeling with an unsettling anticipation. The whiff of the disturbing image hit me hard, my head immediately jerked backward in shock, I started to blink rapidly hoping maybe it was a hindrance in the way. It turned out to be nothing but reality. These sad cases happen often and the sympathies or the criticisms will start to pour in truck loads.

This is the story: Gap, a long running classic American label. Like its ubiquitous counterparts (Coke, Nike...), the brand is unequivocally recognizable, we can close our eyes and picture the logo: basic blue square, white serif font centered. All is good. Of course, overtime predicted by weak sales and new drive, companies choose to redesign, which is never the easiest job. To design something is hard, to redesign it's tricky. Black and white is easy to achieve but not grey, at least not the grey everyone would like. They will either love it or hate it. If you move a sofa from its long-sitting position, it will look strange no matter where you put it. If a friend legally changes his/her name, they will physically look and feel odd to you. Something isn't quite right. Familiarity is a an invisible force that we cling on to. Is it the unfamiliarity or the tastelessness that's catching us off guard? I say 20% of the former and 80% of the latter. As soon as Gap revealed their new look on the website, it feels as if someone replaced its soul. Logos aim to represent the company's soul and that day, Gap lost of bit of theirs. However, I cannot fathom the pressure that had been felt by the design team to redesign the classic logo. Simultaneously, I also could not fathom what began the process and how it lead them here.

(The berating begins)

Ever had a creative block? One that really makes you want to shred your brains into pieces so you can just unblock it? One that bothers you physically not just mentally. It's irritating; isn't it? You doodle nonsensically on a plethora of anything: notebooks, sketchbooks, napkins, tables, your hands, arms, etc; gestate until only a single idea forms. Pharmaceutical industries should invest in the next cure-all pill to unblock all creative blockages. Because I'm experiencing one, a friend sent me a link to Pentagram's own Michael Beirut's article titled, Why Designers Can't Think, entailing the problem behind every new potential, talented graduate who can only produce visually-driven work. By expanding our knowledge, having an insatiable curiosity, and willingness to learn outside the field, we are avoiding a creative block and the next trite and weary idea.

Why Designers Can't Think

"Work of Art completely mimics that other reality show, Project Runway. But I am sorry to say that making a dress is not the same as making a piece of art."

At last I was able to catch a full hour of Work of Art. Needless to say, just as I expected. Like any souless reality show, it's painfully unwatchable. The only thing that encouraged me to stay on the channel was that it helped me rewind time and reminiscent my art & design classes. Though, may I add, if the show were to turn its direction to design (graphic, furniture, interior, product) or architecture, due to their rather closer relationship to the business-side of art, the show could be plausible and believable.

The following link is a review by artist Ross Bleckner. He's far more articulate than I am.

Bravo's Work of Art is a Bust

"Now that “good” design is available to everyone, the definition of “design” is slipping away from the elite that has always controlled it and into the hands of the people buying it. In other words, it means a lot more than it used to."

What is Design?

I found an interesting article, written back in 2004, about the 21st century definition of design, and how it has evolved away from its origins. If you have a moment, read it. Now, is there a translated version for my dad to read, and for every other person who doesn't understand the virtue of design.

Currently reading, Graphic Design: A User's Manual, by Adrian Shaughnessy

No, it's not a step by step guide on how to make a brochure or how to photoshop away your belly. The book gives you a glimpse of the behind scenes of graphic design, written humorously and sincerely from the experiences of a designer. Chapters are categorized alphabetically, A-Z, of different subjects from branding to finding the first job; kerning to hyphens to cliches. It's like having a veteran designer friend that you wish you had to give you his/her advices and experiences in the industry. Informative book for all kinds: student, amateur designer, professionals, and even for the non-designers. Definitely recommended for many young designers and post grads like me who sometimes needs a bit mind stimulation, and guidance.