Cardon Copy

Now this is what I'm talkin' about! Practical, accessible, and creative applications for graphic design. Gone are the days of "new", "innovative", "oustide-the-box" solutions for commercial products...ok, maybe not gone, but at least there's something new to look at!

So here it is, "Cardon Copy", a thoughtful solution to what seems to be an ever increasing amount of visual garbage.



{from the website}..."Cardon Copy, takes the vernacular of self distributed fliers and tear-offs we have all seen in our neighborhoods. It involves hijacking these unconsidered fliers and redesigning them, over powering their message with a new visual language. I then replace the original with the redesign in its authentic environment."

Doesn't get any better than that. And I admit, I'll keep an eye open for his work next time I'm out!

url: http://www.cardoncopy.com/

so...

...it's been a while!

Long story short, there are two things that have made me take a break from my normal routine: one, preparation for a job search due to an eventual lay-off, and two, devotion to some personal projects that I'm very interested in.

As for the job search, I needed to work on my graphic design portfolio/website, which is not an easy task. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to present myself and my work, and I think I've come up with something that is fair to both. Through this process, I realized I didn't need a site for anything other than a new graphic design job. My personal projects received just enough attention to make me realize I don't have enough completed work to display; showing what I had, and talking about what I want to have in the future, wasn't going to work for me.

So, it's one site that frankly, after the last two weeks of organizing projects and slicing website images, is going to stay where it's at for the next year! I'll add projects, and may rearrange a few pages/projects, but for the most part this site is here to stay until I get a new job and get enough personal projects completed.

Now that things have calmed down a bit, I'll be posting more on my blog and sharing more information on some of my new work.

process, process, PROCESS!

A big problem these days is the computer. I know that sounds strange but I don't mean it in the manner that you think. The computer is an amazing design production tool, it saves us time and energy and puts more production power in our hands. However, some graphic design students and actual graphic designers have adopted a habit of running to the computer to start experimenting with various ideas. There is no sketching, no idea-generating systems, no research...just a lot of mouse work in their favorite software package. This is the result of no process and without a process, the designer is left to wander in and out of various passing ideas and thoughts. That leads to a weak end result...at best.

Graphic design is a process that ultimately allows the designer to be creative and create unique, appropriate, and successful work. That process begins with ideas and research, period. Occasionally, a designer will encounter unique circumstances that force him/her to work quickly and with an abbreviated process. That's fine, as long as you're experienced enough to have an established process that is used consistently. But, when a designer starts on the computer and begins to "play around with type" or "fiddle with shape tools in Photoshop", they are refusing to develop strong ideas and a strong concept. That's what the sketchbook is for, to make sense out of all the ideas going through their head and to sketch out rough ideas to work out the rough spots.

Why am I making such a big deal out of this, aside from the fact that process is such an important part of design and a design education? Because I see work displayed by so called "designers" that has no concept or is obviously lacking process. Because I've seen students in the first year of actual graphic design BFA classes run to the computer at the beginning of a project. Because I've seen both students and designers told that something is working when it's not. Because some designers think that the computer replaces the sketchbook. How is this mis-information/education corrected?

As a graphic designer critiquing a student or designer's work:

-don't provide feedback until background information and sketches are provided, explain why that's necessary
-relate weaknesses in the design to the design process and how the process can solve those problems
-emphasize the sketchbook over the computer
-be honest...polite, but honest

This is such an important aspect of graphic design education and practice. Regardless of whether these bad habits and mis-information are a result of a poor education program or a poor self-study routine, the bad habits and mis-information need to be corrected for the sake of the student, the graphic designer, and the industry.