GRAPHIC DESIGN ENEWSLETTER / AUGUST 11, 2009
IN THIS ISSUE:
Publishers Note
Critt Graham Remembered
Graphic Design News
More Design News
Take Five! Career Tips
Show Spotlight
Now on GDUSA
In the June GDUSA Enewsletter, I labeled Twitter a fad, noting that 60 percent of users in a given month do not return to the site the following month, blamed the poor retention rate on lack of meaningful content, and nailed my point by repeating a truly idiotic tweet from Ashton Kutsher, the celebrity face of the Twitter movement. It felt good to rant. Then I heard from many of you who see Twitter in a more positive light; this exchange with designer Shelly Noble was illuminating.
Dear Gordon:
I'm sure you are a perfectly nice fellow, but I have to
say you are missing a huge shift in communication with
your obviously shallow grasp of social media like Twitter
in today's newsletter note. It really has zero to do
with celebrities, or any old media marketing techniques
being crammed into what is a genuinely new world dawning.
What is happening is a total revolution in connection,
peer-to-peer, self-selecting specialized interest driven,
and a thorough threat to what most perceive of as
advertising, marketing, media, and yes, design. Unless
you get this, how can you offer me anything going
forward? Sincerely, Shelley
Dear Shelly:
I am a nice person, so I do take it personally and wish
you would stay. Isn't it at least fun to have a debate
or disagreement. I'm sure I am missing some of the import
of the social media revolution — my age is partly
at issue — but there really is a growing drumbeat
within the media industry that Twitter is a flash in the
pan and tweeting a waste of precious time and resources.
Either way, thanks for the feedback, it really is
appreciated. Best wishes, Gordon
Dear Gordon:
I fully respect your reply, thank you. The Twitter that
is overreaching and bloated with silly uses may, indeed,
be a flash in the pan. What is a lasting trend, though,
is the wholesale dismantling of intermediaries that is
at its core. One only needs to see the effects of what
technologies like Twitter usher in for fields like
education, entertainment distribution, manufacturing,
journalism, etc., to understand how major these cultural
changes are. Online tools, like Twitter and blogs, are
doing away with former “hub” models of every
kind. They are falling away like dominoes. New creative
ways of getting things done are, I'm afraid, now
compulsory. Best to you as well, Shelley
Dear Shelly:
I just received this message from another reader and
could not resist forwarding it to you. It is from Richard
Danne of Danne Design, and he writes: “Gordon!
Just read your Twitter comments, and couldn't agree
more. It actually makes one a little nauseous - the
speed at which these new gimmick/fads appear, and their
basic shallowness. And it is killing so much of the
traditional media, which actually works!” What
do you think? Best... Gordon
Dear Gordon:
Oh yes, I'm positive many will agree with you. But to
me, in your position as a leader in the design industry,
you would need to have a more agile mind that can see
beyond the value of the status quo. Especially since
things are clearly changing. Cheers, Shelly
— Gordon Kaye
PS. Soon afterwards, I heard from Eric Karjaluoto of smashLAB who directed my less-than-agile mind to his blog post, “More Mess, Less BS: Nine Simple Suggestions For Using Social Media.” The provocative piece, at ideasonideas.com, suggests a middle ground. Eric writes: “I often lament the hubbub around social media. It's not that I question its necessity or importance; rather, I dislike how it's upheld as the answer to all our problems.” Thus, Twitter may be simultaneously valuable and overhyped. More next month. GK
Critt
Graham, Sr. Dies at 69: Leading Atlanta Design Voice
by Matthew Porter (matt@porterwrite.com)
Critt Graham,
founder of one of Atlanta's longest running, most successful
and respected design firms, passed away on August 1, 2009
from heart failure. Family, friends and colleagues across
the nation are staggered by the loss.
Critt Graham was one of Atlanta design's most beloved figures, celebrated for his talent as a designer, photographer and painter. He was a founding board member of AIGA-Atlanta and one of the most prolific designers of American annual reports. He was frank, but kind; he could be tough but fair and gentle in all dealings with friends and colleagues.
Mr. Graham never considered design to be a hobby or an extension of fine art. It was a medium that when used effectively delivered a message in a creative way. He knew to be effective you had to pay attention to your client at all costs, deliver the goods every time and never, ever take either clients or talent for granted.
But Mr. Graham treated photography and painting differently - the black-clad businessman with silver hair and a voice that often growled, “Damn right,” was a lighthearted kid when holding a camera or a brush. Every year the annual company Christmas card was an original Graham painting, often surprising those who knew him with its sensitivity, tenderness, and, sometimes, even gosh darn-it sentimentality. For the past few years of his life, Mr. Graham had stepped away from the direction at Critt Graham and Associates, devoting himself to painting and exercise. He was determined to enjoy his retirement in Atlanta near his family and at his beloved retreat in Montana.
Bob Wages had lunch with Critt every two weeks or so for the past few years. Their last luncheon was just 16 days ago. “Critt looked great,” recalls Wages. “He told me he was exercising every day, painting more and more and loving life. He was completely recovered from his last bad bout with illness some years back. He asked me about my family and we both moaned about the lousy state of the economy. It was just good old Critt and I having a nice time. After we finished our meal, he excused himself a bit early because he had an errand to run: he was shipping his latest painting to his brother in California. It was a painting of his brother. Critt was a wonderful friend. A wonderful creative spirit and a heck of a lot of fun. I am going to miss him.”
Donations may be made to the High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309, Attn: Annual Fund, in memory of Mr. Critt G. Graham.
ENEWSLETTER: THE BRIDGEMAN BUZZ
This month's Bridgeman Buzz is an ode to our literary past.
Fairy tale lands and mythical beasts, Shakespearean dramedy, top-selling books and seriously gorgeous new color lithos of Dante's Divine Comedy.
Click HERE to read more
or
visit www.bridgemanart.com
Foundational Graphics
Chermayeff & Geismar gives a fresh look to
the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a
30-year-old philanthropy that is now one of the top ten
in the U.S. The New York design firm began by changing
the main identifier from the lengthy legal name to the
snappier MacArthur Foundation, and then choosing an
earth and sky color scheme that, in conjunction with
the word placement, creates a mark resembling a
landscape symbolizing the whole world. “The
overall effect conveys the meaning and stature of
the Foundation while adding a richness and cohesiveness
to every aspect of its brand identification,”
says Sagi Haviv, principal partner at Chermayeff
& Geismar.
Girl Power
Hirshorn Zuckerman Design Group has earned certification
as a Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) from the Women
Presidents' Educational Organization. Certification
entitles the Capital-area firm to help its clients with
their corporate diversity objectives. “We applied
for WBE certification to support our clients' diversity
programs as well as to differentiate our firm,” said
Karen Zuckerman, President and Executive Creative
Director. “Our status will allow current and
future clients to include us in their commitment to
operate as a model corporate citizen.”
Lawyer Love Fest
In a sepia-toned campaign for the Illinois State Bar
Association, one lawyer from Illinois, Barack Obama, dots
the nose of another, Abraham Lincoln. The campaign is by
& WOJDYLA, Chicago IL, and is intended to enhance the
perception and self-perception of lawyers. Two-and-a-half-inch
headshots of the 44th President, first lady Michelle Obama,
Secretaty of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and hundreds of
other Illinois lawyers, form tiles in a giant photo
composite image of the 16th President. The headline
reads “Ilinois has a history of some pretty good
lawyers. We're out ot keep it that way.” Credits
include Creative Director David Wojdyla, Art Director
Alexa Giacomini and Copywriter Larry Cadman.
BRIDGEMAN ON TWITTER
Go back in time to
feel a part of history's breaking headlines, plus follow all
the latest Bridgeman news, artists, collections and more at...
twitter.com/BridgemanArtNY
Paula Scher At FIT
Pentagram partner and living legend Paula Scher wil speak at
the Fashion Institute of Technology's Visiting Artist Program
in New York City on October 5. It is free and open to the
public. To announce the event, Rocco Piscatello - principal
of Piscatello Design Centre, FIT faculty, and founder of the
Visiting Artist Program - has designed a poster diptych, his
seventeenth entry in the celebrated lecture series posters. A
limited number of posters will be sold at the lecture. Rocco
and his team have also designed a new website for the program at...
http://www.fitvap.com
Glazer-Kalyjian Renamed
Effective immediately, the name of New York branding company
Glazer-Kalayjian has changed to gkBRAND, Inc. The respected
and thoughtful firm is relaunch its image as a leader in
global strategy, branding, naming, design and digital media. As
part of the overhaul, there's a new website at
www.gkBRAND.com;
and to complement its corporate branding reputation, gkBRAND
offers tailored services for entrepreneurs/small businesses
and gkGREEN for the environment conscious.
Branding Yourself
IAM Cards is a new app featured in the ITunes App Store that
takes branding to another level for iPhone and iPod Touch
users. The brainchild of Michael DeMartin of Designsite,
Fairfield CT, the app lets you brand yourself by creating a
social card from one of 75 original designs, add a name and
phone number, and then email it to friends or aquaintances.
“Our program enables you to communicate your personality -
along with your contact information, instantly - whether
you're in class, a bar or halfway around the world,”
says DeMartin.
PACKAGE DESIGN RESOURCE: EYE 4 PACKAGING
At eye 4 packaging, our eye is always on creating high quality
custom engineered solutions for you. From CAD design to prototype
creation to final production, eye 4 packaging provides a fast and
dependable resource for everything packaging. And we can help get
your product to market in the blink-of-an-eye while maintaining
the impeccable attention to detail you've come to depend on. For
more information on choosing the right packaging construction or
to receive our free new services catalog contact:
sales@eye4packaging.com
or call Don Prill at 815-464-3081 or check out the website at
eye4packaging.com
SHOW SPOTLIGHT:
PRINT 09 AND THE PRINT BUYER
In keeping with its “myPRINT” theme that promises attendees a fully customized trade show experience, PRINT 09 has announced two mini-conferences tailored for print buyers. The Print Buyers' Boot Camp and Print Buyers' Forum are among the educational programming available to graphic designers and print buyers during PRINT 09, to be held September 11-16, 2009, in Chicago's McCormick Place. Explains Ralph Nappi, president of the Graphic Arts Show Company, which produces the event: “Print buying is not only a crucial part of the graphic communications production process, but as new technologies have entered the industry it has evolved into a much more complex and multifaceted role... The fact that the Print Buyers' Boot Camp and Print Buyers' Forum, plus our many other educational seminars for print buyers, take place at the year's largest global graphic communications exhibition means that attendees have the opportunity to combine content with practical application. They will see firsthand, the equipment, applications and services that can help them create the products important to them.”
Boot Camp
Ideal for entry-level print buyers, the boot camp is a full-day
introduction to print buying, providing a basic foundation for
working with the printing industry, including an overview of the
printing process, the pros and cons of digital versus offset
lithography, how to provide appropriate job specs, and more.
September 14 is the date.
Forum
The Print Buyers' Forum is geared to the high-end,
experienced print-buying professional interested in
the latest technology and new media, and how these
technologies will affect them. Consisting of two half-day
sessions, on September 15-16, the Forum examines job-
and career-building issues: an overview of the current
trends and challenges, advice on how to create more value
for their company, tips for planning and purchasing
multimedia campaigns, and more. At lunch, industry expert
Frank Romano discusses “Critical Trends in Print
Buying.”
http://www.print09.com/
TAKE
FIVE! CAREER
TIPS FROM THE CREATIVE GROUP
THE LAYOFF SURVIVORS
Those who lose their jobs aren't the only ones who suffer when layoffs occur. Remaining design staff members often feel “survivor's guilt” or worry that their jobs could be eliminated next. Following are five tips to help you rebound after your firm has had layoffs:
1. Get into the limelight. In uncertain times, it's important to be noticed for the right reasons. Volunteer for projects that no one wants to tackle or that fall outside your job description. For example, you might offer to redesign a PowerPoint presentation for the sales team.
2. Go with the flow. Managers appreciate designers who can roll with the punches and maintain productivity when faced with adversity. Demonstrate your ability to stay positive, motivated and focused on producing innovative work.
3. Pinch those pennies. Evaluate current production or design processes and offer suggestions for cutting costs or saving your company resources. Becoming known as the person who can find cost-effective solutions to design challenges can increase your job security.
4. Give them a reason to smile. After downsizing, employees may begin to doubt their abilities and question their own future with the company. If you are a manager, you may not be in a position to make promises of job security, but you can give direct reports positive feedback on their performance in challenging times.
5. Reach out. Offer assistance to those who have experienced a job loss by introducing them to your professional network and helping them with their job search.
The Creative Group is a specialized staffing service placing creative, advertising, marketing and web professionals on a project basis. Find more information at... http://www.creativegroup.com
The GDUSA Inhouse Awards Showcase at...
http://gdusa.com/issue_2009/07_jul/winners.php