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PUBLISHER’S NOTE:
IF YOUR SPEECH LASTS MORE THAN FOUR HOURS, CALL A DOCTOR
Most people rate public speaking and presenting as among their biggest fears, right up
there with moving, going to the dentist or hunting with Dick Cheney. I used to feel that way
in spades, but over the years have found a comfort zone that involves keeping talks short,
light, short, conversational, short, informal and short. Also short. (I also try to improve by
integrating the best phrasings of others; right now I’m working on “God bless
graphic design. No. No. No. God damn graphic design.”) The point is that I actually
have learned — through hard work, experimentation, and an occasional well-timed
Scotch — to enjoy the moment on stage if I keep things casual, stay within my limited
memory and capabilities, and use only a few scribbled notes on a yellow pad so as not to
squelch spontaneity. On the other hand, all progress goes right out the window if the
situation demands a PowerPoint presentation. For me, the PowerPoint requires way too
much multitasking during the actual talk, so I lose track of where I am, and too much parsing
of thoughts in order to gin up a respectable number of bullet points. I suffer, communication
suffers, the audience suffers most of all. I was relieved to learn from a recent article in the
inSight blog from Larsen, the Minneapolis design firm, that many other people struggle with
PowerPoint presentations and that there are a litany of common mistakes. Among the
frequent ones, aptly named in the article, are: The Kitchen Sink (loading up each slide with
every bit of information you have ever learned since childhood); The Sleeping Pill (standing
there and reading the points that everyone can already see and has already read); The Blank
Canvas (suddenly forgetting all you know about using typography, color, and imagery to
communicate); and The Ego Trip (a very popular error among the reigning designerati of
forgetting that this is about imparting information to the audience and not about your
business, latest book or how much you hate George Bush). There are many more mistakes
on the list, and much to learn from it, but since I am striving for short, here is the link to the
Larsen blog edited by Gwyneth Dwyer.
http://www.larsen.com/news_publications/insights_enewsletter/2008/april.php
— Gordon Kaye
GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Time In
For its annual issue celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world, now on newsstands,
TIME hired several of the world’s influential designers to compose a cover. Participants
included Neville Brody, Chip Kidd, James Victore and the lone advertising agency, Euro RSCG.
Five final covers were selected and, in a twist, each issue of the annual actually carries all five
covers, the primary one by Chip Kidd and the four other “finalists” immediately
following. Shown here, a typically strong typographic performance by Neville Brody and Euro
RSCG’s compilation of horizontal stripes of the faces of each of the people profiled. All
the visual can be seen at
www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1736412_1582530,00.html
A More Inclusive Workforce
The American Association of Advertising Agencies is partnering with Howard University’s
John H. Johnson School of Communications to establish a national center to promote a more
diverse and inclusive advertising industry workforce. Nancy Hill, President and CEO of the AAAA,
made the announcement and has committed $250,000 to begin the planning. The four-fold mission:
to provide professional development, leadership training and resources to increase and strengthen
the impact of individuals of color in middle- and senior-level management; to provide the industry
with research, analysis, strategic and tactical consulting, and policy input to attain diversity and
inclusion goals and objectives; to benchmark best practices and solutions; and to increase
retention and management-promotion opportunities for people of color.
Contact: http://www.aaaa.org.
Saving The World
Viewpoint Creative has revitalized the Discovery Channel logo and on-air identity. The
solution fuses the signature globe icon more closely with the “D” in Discovery.
Explains Michael Middeleer, Viewpoint’s Executive Creative Director: “The
challenge was to preserve the globe that is so integral to the brand, yet find a way to make it
even more connected to the name Discovery.” Adds Creative Director of Design,
Joseph Kiely: “The stylized earth, contemporary color palette and fresh typography all
combine to bring the mark more in line with where Discovery is today. We have also given the
mark the ability to have the ‘D-globe’ separate out as a single entity.”
Michael Frederick is Director of Design for the Boston & LA-based creative agency and
Dan Bragg is VP Creative Director at Discovery Channel. The new graphics coincide with
the new network tagline: “The world is just awesome.”
Graphic Darwinism
The Bailey Group has changed its name to Bailey Brand Consulting to signify its evolution from
graphic design firm to provider of a full range of branding services. “Our business model
continues to evolve in response to existing and potential client opportunities,” says
founder and president Chris Bailey. “We are establishing more integrated relationships
with clients who are seeking a broad range of branding solutions. Our new identity symbolizes
our expanded scope.” The firm, which was featured in Philadelphia Magazine’s
2007 “best places to work,” has served clients in a wide range of business
categories, as well as local and national companies such as Aetna, American Standard, Bosch,
Maxell, Wyeth, Tasty Baking Company, Johnson & Johnson, and Marriot Corporation.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
GDUSA WEB DESIGN REPORT
How do your colleagues feel about web design as a business and a process? Lots of viewpoints
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http://www.gdusa.com/eblasts/080422_photos/msg5.html
MORE GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWS
Posters And More
World Graphics Day, which took place last week, serves as an annual opportunity to recognize
the important role of communication design in the world and to celebrate Icograda’s
(International Council of Graphic Design Assocations) anniversary. For the 2008 event, designers
worldwide created posters, including Irvington NY-based Ellen Shapiro, whose striking work this
is. Shapiro notes that the real story behind World Graphics Day is “everything
communication designers are doing to improve the world.” This, she reports, includes
helping Rwandians create a village memorial for their war dead, planting trees in Canada, hosting
roundtables and events in Mexico, mounting exhibitions of cross-cultural work in Cuba, holding
conferences in Germany, and assisting indigenous artists in India. As for her own poster, she
explains that “the world map was cut apart to make a person, with each country significant
to the history or present state of design.”
http://www.icograda.org/events/archive/category18.htm
Pressed For Meaning
Print Buyers International has launched an online Print Buyer Glossary. “We’re
delighted to be able to provide this resource to the print buying community,” said Margie
Dana, Founder of Print Buyers International and its member-based group, Boston Print Buyers.
“One of the most exciting aspects is the fact that it will function much like a wiki. We
encourage members of the industry — especially buyers — to submit terms for
inclusion in our glossary.” The framework has already been established with several
hundred words and phrases listed alphabetically. The glossary contains terms the general
public uses, such as “PC: A Personal Computer” and “Gigabyte (GB): One
billion bytes,” to detailed printing industry jargon such as Preflighting, Register Marks,
Transparent ink, and Waterless printing. A subglossary for green printing is also under
development.
http://www.bostonprintbuyers.com/resources/glossary/a.html
He Brew
Designer Matt Polacheck, Art Director for craft brewery Shmaltz Brewing Company, will
participate on June 1 in the “Design, Drink and Be Merry: The Art of The Craft Beer
Movement” conference at Goggleworks Museum in Redding PA. Over the past five
years, Polacheck has directed and designed HE'BREW Beer’s full product line and
online content with his work noted the likes of CNN and NPR, The Onion and The New York
Times, SELF and Men’s Health, and BUST and Playboy.com. With the oversight of
proprietor Jeremy Cowan, Polacheck is also chief designer for Shmaltz’s new line of
Coney Island Lagers. His museum presentation will include an original piece melding select
labels of Origin Pomegranate Strong Ale, Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. (a tribute beer
to Lenny Bruce), Rejewvenator (need we say more), and the aforementioned Coney Island
Lager.
http://www.shmaltz.com
Shear Professionalism
LMS Design, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary, is henceforth known as The Shear
Partnership. The change is intended to recognize the contributions of the firm’s
principals, Pam and Richard Shear, as well reflect the expanded capabilities now offered
— including visual brand identity, product and structural design, brand identity development,
package graphics, print production, visual guidelines development, point-of-purchase and
collateral. “Adding the word ‘Partnership’ to our name really captures
the essence of the company”, says founding Principal Richard Shear. The current
client roster includes Hasbro Games, The Chinet Brand, Pernod Ricard, and Duracell, among
others. They are also recently responsible for a redesign of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo
and development of the Aveeno Positively Ageless line.
Contact: www.shearpartnership.com
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Rays of Hope
The California Community Foundation reached out to Santa Monica CA-based Geyrhalter
Design to develop the identity component of a rebranding effort spearheaded by Totem Brand
Strategy and the foundations’ own Director of Communications Namju Cho. Incorporating
a new tag line “Building the Future of Los Angeles”, the identity and corporate
design system repositions the philanthropy as a pioneer in advancing social change. Fabian
Geyrhalter describes the design as “conveying both boldness and stature. The five light
rays breaking out of the conventional structure are a metaphor for the foundation’s multiple
priority areas and the innovative ways in which the foundation addresses root causes of
LA’s biggest challenges. With the use of green, the analogy of a wave, and a solely
positive upwards movement, the mark makes an energetic symbol for positive action.”
Building As Brand
Strategic brand agency Walker Brands has designed and built a new 8,400-square-foot corporate
headquarters near Downtown Tampa. This is the first privately-funded building seeking
LEED-certification in the area. Even more to the point, since many of the firm’s clients are
destination, real estate development and attraction clients, the building serves as a visual
demonstration of its understanding of how a place can create a custom stage for on-brand
experiences. Says President Nancy Walker: “Our new headquarters was purposefully
designed to infuse our brand personality into our place, allowing us to showcase how companies
can articulate and leverage their own brands to create engaging and memorable customer
experiences.” The firm’s signature orange color is incorporated in a wall that
dramatically bisects the building, a large kinetic mobile hangs from the ceiling, bathroom
graphics transport visitors to far off destinations, and more.
www.walkerbrands.com/ourplace.htm
Google Art
A collection of themes has been created by nearly 70 artists for iGoogle, Google’s
personalized homepage. The artworks, it is hoped, will help iGoogle users further personalize
their web experience by selecting the style of their choice to display. Among those represented: Yann
Arthus-Bertrand, Tory Burch, Coldplay, Oscar de la Renta, Dolce & Gabbana, Mark Ecko, Anne
Geddes, Michael Graves, Rolf Harris, Akira Isogawa, Kwon Ki-Soo, Jeff Koons, John Maeda, Robert
Mankoff, Mark Morris, Philippe Starck, and Diane von Furstenberg. Shown here: contributions by
Anne Geddes and Dale Chihuly.
www.google.com/artistthemes.
Sushi Rolls
A fun campaign from microstock image provider, SnapVillage, invites designers to create a fake ad
for a bogus company or service using a SnapVillage image. Select ads are placed on the blog or,
possibly, used in a real SnapVillage advertisement. The advantages, says the team: “Get some
free publicity, a free cool t-shirt, and forget about that annoying ‘client approval’
thing.” Shown here, a sushimobile created by Grace Kao from a photo by Quayside.
www.snapvillage.com or
contactus@snapvillage.com
TAKE FIVE!
CAREER TIPS FROM THE CREATIVE GROUP:
AVOIDING CORPORATE ‘CULTURE SHOCK’
Fitting in to the corporate culture is the greatest challenge when starting a new job, according
to forty percent of advertising and marketing executives polled by our firm. Following are five tips
that can help you avoid culture clashes when you move to a new company:
1. Get in the know. During interviews, ask the hiring manager what he or she
likes most about the firm’s culture. Pay attention to the tone of the response, as well as
what’s said: Does the interviewer sound genuinely enthusiastic?
2. Use your powers of observation. When you start a new job, zero in on
how people communicate, and try to emulate the predominate style. Do they IM constantly, or is
in-person communication preferred?
3. Lay low. Give yourself some time to understand the culture before making
any waves. You want to get a sense of the chain of command, how much autonomy employees
have and how open the culture is to change before suggesting new approaches.
4. Keep tabs on the work ethic. How is “hard work” defined in
the firm? Do most people work late hours, or go home at a set time? Do coworkers take work home
with them or leave thoughts of the office behind?
5. Get the skinny. Reach out to colleagues or mentors who can fill you in on
the company’s “unwritten rules,” including office politics and traditions.
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing creative, advertising,
marketing and web professionals on a project basis. Find more information at
www.creativegroup.com.
TRENDSPOTTING
My RV
Travelers growing weary of cancelled flights and overpriced hotel rooms are increasingly turning
to recreational vehicles for their travel needs. That according to a new Corbis Creative IQ Trend
report which focuses on cultural and image trends. Long the domain of retirees, says the report,
RVs are now popular with younger generations, partly because they can come equipped with
modern technology such as GPS, satellite radio, internet access, and flat screen entertainment
systems. Niche groups of “women-only” and other shared interest groups are also
joining the craze, contributing to the $14.5 billion industry. Other social and market forces
contributing to the rise in RV travel include: tough economic conditions which tend to bring groups
out of restaurants and into homes; the connection that RV travelers have with nature; and the
general growth in the number of retirees as baby boomers age. The Recreational Vehicle Industry
Association estimates that nearly 8.5 million households will own RVs by 2010.
http://www.corbis.com/boutique
Eyeing the Future
Magazine publishers are experimenting with “eye-tracking,” a technology that
collects and analyzes data such as a person’s path of vision across a page or screen.
The information theoretically can be used to help publishers design covers, judge ad effectiveness
and help plan website redesigns. Condé Nast, for example, recently partnered with eye
tracking service provider, MediaAnalyzer, to judge the effectiveness of ads. Scott McDonald,
Condé Nast’s senior vice president of marketing research, told Folio Magazine
that the partnership enables the company to offer “a unique value add to advertisers in
our publications.” Using MediaAnalyzer’s methodology, he says, “helps
our advertisers maximize their ROI and determine whether readers are engaged with their
ads.”
SPECIAL EVENT: PANTONE SEMINAR FOR COLOR FREAKS
Pantone and X-Rite’s popular color seminar “Color Control Freak
’08” continues to draw graphic designers from around the country. Controlling color
from inspiration to production is a dark path for many designers. But Color Control Freak ’08
sheds a practical light on the subject. It provides useful, easy-to-understand recommendations for
the color crazed and the color dazed. This year’s seminar tour includes a special bonus
discussion on emerging color trends, the psychology of color, and Blue Iris, the 2008 Color of the
Year from Pantone. Learn what new colors and color palettes are driving the design world today.
Pantone’s new Goe System highlights the discussion on controlling spot colors in a design.
Discover how the Goe System works and how it can be used to accurately reproduce designs
across multiple media.
Everyone who attends Color Control Freak ’08 will receive a comprehensive workbook
that’s an excellent reference tool back on the job. It also includes valuable gifts, discounts,
and information on the products and services used during the seminar. Sponsored by Pantone, HP,
Eizo Displays, and X-Rite, the one-day interactive seminar gives graphic designers the color
knowledge they need to capture, create, communicate, and control color from inspiration to
production. Color Control Freak ’08 stops in May include Seattle 5/13, Toronto 5/13,
Detroit 5, Houston 5/27, Philadelphia 5/27 and Indianapolis 6/3.
http://www.xrite.com/colorcontrol08/
HOUSEKEEPING
Entry forms for the surpassingly popular American Graphic Design Awards presented by
Graphic Design USA and sponsored by NewPage, can now be downloaded at...
www.gdusa.com/contests/agda.php
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