A designers display of SU fandom

New Music Tuesday: Odd Soul

I stopped going to big arena shows a while ago. If I want to have a distant experience from my favorite bands I'd rather buy the DVD and be at home for the show. The view in my living room will always be great, drinks are cheaper and accessible, and it will always sound better. You just can't get a feel for a good band far away from the stage.

So it was incredible to see a band like Mutemath in a small club a few months back… I got to see them at Mohawk Place in Buffalo before their latest release of Odd Soul. It was sold out at 300 max capacity and the Mohawk has that grungy, CBGBs feel… Intimate, historic and filled with energy. That's what I go for. Even if my ears pay the ultimate price.

Mutemath is one of those bands that gives you musical smarts, creative techniques and a great live show. Being a bass player I definitely tune into drummers and Darren King is the absolute coolest in my book. He's really incredible to listen to and watch.

My good friend Joel and I managed to get right up front and I was snapping off pics with my iPhone…

He's clearly the heartbeat of the band as you can almost see the music orbiting around him as he lays it down…. He has a thing where duct tapes headphones to his head so they stay put when he's playing. A true showman.


Roy Mitchell-Cardenas is a really great bass player too. He's totally under-rated and also has an ear for rich, classic tone. I recently found his personal blog which I thought I was cool.

Since picking up Odd Soul I've been listening non-stop. It was no surprise to learn that the guitar player left the band before they began writing for this next album… it has that heavily-influenced rhythm section feel which I love…

And yes, THE ARTWORK. Gotta stay on point here. The artwork has a very cool color arrangement. I've always liked the way cyan looked by itself, and with the warmer tones it has a nice feel. Seems like a typical label release… stuffed in a plain 'ol jewel case. Would have been nicer on paper… something recycled, or with a cover wrap. None the less, good graphic design work.

  

Nerve racking

Watching this status bar and the deletion of over 125k items off two external drives. When it moves this slow it gives you time to hope and pray you didn't just delete something really important. Ugh...

Check 1, 2

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone 4

Recent Work: DSEi in London

New Music Tuesday: PJ20

What I love about as much as the music itself, is the thoughtful marketing and design of the album packaging of Pearl Jam releases. They really have mastered the process of developing products for their fans and the latest PJ20 movie is no exception. Truth is I really didn't need another assorted release of live tracks and lost demos. But I've collected so much music from PJ over the last 20 years, why stop now.

PJ haven't released a CD in a jewel case since I don't remember when. PJ20 is a movie directed by Cameron Crowe and the CD booklet shown here is the Soundtrack. What I really appreciate is the story of their band and its told through descriptions, excellent photography, tour memorabilia, hand scribbled lyrics and set lists.... It really gives you a nice perspective and it's all packaged in booklet form which feels great and has excellent layout.

PJ Redux is a complete remix and remaster from Brendan O'Brian the man himself who recorded the original Ten debut release. Awesome by the way.... I can go on and on about the improvements they have made from the original release. Similar approach with the design, it makes for a great collectible.

Nice job, Jeff. Can't wait to see the movie.

Posted with Blogger on my iPhone 4.

AIGA Pivot Conference

AIGA
Pivot Conference
Phoenix Arizona 2011

Had a great time in Phoenix for the Pivot conference. Being from Upstate NY, it's nice to experience dry heat in October for a change. There was so much to see and learn... I especially enjoyed the diverse subjects on design, Command X, and being among like-minded professionals. Here are a few of my favorites.

Michael Bierut was one of the MCs at the event. I had heard his name before but had no idea the impact he has made in the field of graphic design. He's an incredible designer and an advocate of design practice who's list of achievements goes on and on. He's worth checking out his sites and becoming familiar with his work. 

http://designobserver.com/

Brian Nemhauser (Director of Product Management, Design Products, Adobe, Muse) seemed like a guy cut from the same cloth as a designer like me with a strong print background. Usually speakers don't have a product to sell, but Brian was a presenter from Abobe, so I went in expecting a sell, which it wasn't. This was an opportunity to hear from a developer from a very important company who has a direct impact on my everyday work. Probably the strongest and most relevant presentation of my trip.

I won't bore you with every session description in my review but here's what was written about this one.

Standing out in the New World of Modern Design: Tectonic shifts are taking place. Entire industries are being disrupted---publishing, broadcasting, advertising, music and more. This transformation is turbo-charged by the revolution in mobile communications. As consumers, we're living through (and benefiting from) this change. For you as a designer, this represents the biggest impact on your career since the desktop publishing revolution. Such all encompassing change is scary. But change can also be exhilarating. In the end, it's not about devices and animation or technology; it's about how well equipped you are to take advantage of the resources available to you. This presentation will look at the emerging trends that will impact how you work in the very near future, including the changing definitions of traditional print content like magazines, books, and newspapers and the way that they are being remained to accommodate this new world of digitally connected consumers; making the transition from designing fixed page layouts to fluid layouts that adapt to a variety of screen sizes; meeting the consumers rising expectations for powerful interactivity and mesmerizing experiences everywhere; and realizing that content creation is enough anymore---it's about context and discoverability.

He encourages designers to pay attention to these rapid changes. Actually he's advising to get involved…. sign up for Twitter, for Facebook… He reminds us that it's our job to follow these trends. He sights that this same crossroad is the same designers faced when the Web was first introduced and that it's really important to stay relevant in today's digital space. 

One fact that has turned the tables in our favor is that there will be more designers who make this transition than developers who learn typography and we should take our skills to the web. Discoverability and creating "the experience" is the key.

A few major trends with regard to delivery of experience are:

1. The Proliferation of Devices.

Not the number, but the capacity. "Touch", "Location", "Accelerometer", "Experience" all of which are a part of various canvases. This type of technology has only been in existence for a few years and so far it's been a dead sprint in design practice. It's really not about the device as much as it the capability and access.

2. The Cloud.

A top buzzword, but relevant by it's capability. "Tethering", "Access to Content", and the concept of brand loyalty with "Subscription". Give customers a useful and positive digital experience, and they'll continue their relationship with you as you generate updates.

3. Attention Economy.

Everyone now is tweeting, blogging, talking, and the advantage of good design is about leveraging better interactivity to stand out. Flat layout won't cut it and we as designers need to graduate past creation for final delivery, but  create for discoverability. 3D, Video, Animation, Interaction, Immediacy, Co-creation, Sharing, Search, Social presence, QR codes, Apps, delivery of experience --- it's all expected.

Great stuff. I talked with him after the session about some of the issues a company like Harris is experiencing with regard to content security. I'll be corresponding with him again soon. 

http://www.aiga.org/designer-of-2015-trends/

One thing Karl Heiselman (CEO, Wolff Olins) highlighted (and I couldn't take notes in the dark, but I wrote a note in my phone) was the change in perception and making a conscience shift in design practice.

From….

things to experiences

style to purpose

finished to beta

silo to ecosystem

craft to business

IMPACT.

Basically, the message of expanding from traditional practice to creating experiences and thoughtful, effective storytelling. A common theme throughout the conference. Karl also used Kodak as his prime example of a failing brand. That hurt.

Jonathan Hoefler (President, Hoefler & Frere-Jones) put on a great presentation from a type geek. Hell, we're all type geeks. You wouldn't think about the science and research that goes into type design, but it's a science. This guy is a true design pioneer and visionary.

I bought this book "The Corporate Creative" written by Andy Epstein (Cofounder InSource) a few months ago so it was great to speak with him in person. Everyone at the conference was completely approachable which was awesome. 

According to the book and what I had read (I only got half way through) it's great to learn that Harris certainly falls into the category of company's who truly embody the professional growth and financial support needed to thrive as an in-house designer. Not to mention the commonality of widespread issues as the "service-oriented" vs the "strategic" Marcom model. It was nice to hear we're not the only in-house department who struggles with this corporate dilemma. Nearly every attendee at this session was an in-house creative. 

Rebecca Gimenez (Head of Graphic Design Whitney Museum of American Art) spoke about an experience she had undergone during a rebranding exercise for Whitney. "And it really wasn't a success story." she says. Basically, the same struggle of service vs strategy applies and even in an art museum, early buy in would have saved a lot of time and energy, but completely necessary. The museum conducted a move and they wanted to start fresh. After a lengthy exercise and creating standards on just about all materials that exist, it was the corporate stationary that eventually caught up with the big wigs. All progress was lost. Essentially the in-house design department, headed by Rebecca, ended up bidding out the rebranding effort to various NY agencies to take that step back and get a fresh perspective. They were offered to pitch their findings and ideas along with the agencies, but chose not to. She knew here stuff. 

I would have thought that art museum directors and board members would have a vague idea of the importance of consistent design and branding. The process of thought (color palettes, typography and fonts, templates, design strategy, etc) is proof that the impact of effective design can call attention to wider consistency issues when altered in a cohesive and collaborative way. 

Great story and presentation.

Alina Wheeler is the author of Designing Brand Identity, the leading global reference for branding teams. Published in seven languages, her book demonstrates the relationship between strategy and design, and illuminates best practices. Brand Atlas, her new book co-authored with Joel Katz, reinvents the paradigm of a business book. Wheeler has served on the AIGA national board and is an AIGA Fellow. She works in an urban business and arts complex, and plays in the Adirondacks with her husband, photographer Ed Wheeler.

This session was really for me. It's about how you define yourself, what you do and how other see you. It's all about shining and sharing!! Basically we were in a 45 minute workshop and we had to put ourselves out there with total strangers. We were asked to write about these five areas and share with each other our revelations based on this outline.

1. Who are you?

2. Who needs to know?

3. How will the find out?

4. Why should they care?

5. What have you done?

There's a lot of soul searching going on within these questions. Here's what was being asked, broken down. Sounds easy? It's really not. But completely necessary. Here's how it goes.

1. Who are you? This is your elevator speech. I was surprised at what I wrote when given a small window of time. Hence, by the time the elevator doors open, what did you say and what does your audience know about you and what you're about. In a world of short attention spans, what will be memorable? You have 5 minutes.

2. Who needs to know? It's something we all think about. Who are the "stakeholders". Who do you want to impress and who do you want to know that you exist? You were all on my list! Choose 7 groups.

3. How will they find out? We do a lot, you know. We're easy to find. You have a signature look/style. You've written a book, or written a blog. We tweet. We collaborate and communicate. etc. One thing that really stood out as good branding is the simple gesture of saying "thank you". So when you do, say it and mean it. And say it with style! Even a stylish "I'm sorry" can go a long way. Make your impression and make it strong. Choose 10 ways they will find out.

4. Why should they care? They won't care until you show them. That means giving them something. In this group we all help people find their way and we continue to have the energy to do so. Documenting a short list of your core purpose helps define this.

5. What have you done? One exercise was to write a letter from the from the year 2020. Where do you want to be in 10 years? Another exercise was to fill in the blanks "I am the only ________ that _________." I had a really hard time with this. But it's an exercise to define you as an individual. 

The basics to personal brand:

VISION and courage to relentlessly pursue.

MEANING and making yourself stand for something.

AUTHENTICITY know who you are.

DIFFERENTIATION and rising above the crowd.

SUSTAINABILITY and staying in the race.

COHERENCE and taking your values with you.

FLEXIBILITY and create things for yourself.

COMMITMENT and being irreplaceable.

VALUE and believing in yourself and your clients

MAKE IT EASY and go with the flow.

Another insightful session. I really enjoyed the exercises.

Allan Chochinov (Partner and Editor-in-Chief at Core77) was a very entertaining speaker with a flair for comedic timing as well as expert advice and observations in design. One thing that really sticks in my mind was his first example of good, thoughtful design. It was a photo of a urinal with a fly screen printed on the inside. If you're a man and you've spent any time observing the sheer filthiness of a urinal, you'll understand the logic of screen printing a fly on the inside of a urinal. Good stuff.

Nick Durrant and Gill Wildman (Plot, Nierenberg Distinguished Professor of Design, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University

Originally I wanted to see a session named Storytelling for design, Design for Storytelling but it was full. My second choice was Nick and Gills' session named: Transdisiplinarity: Methods for Working Across Disciplines.  This title was totally intriguing. Here was the write up:

Transdisiplinarity: Methods for Working Across Disciplines: Transdisciplinary design is a growing movement of academics and practitioners who are creating new ways of bringing people together in open environments to supersede and amplify individual knowledge and expertise into a transformational experience both for participants and project outcomes. It connects many of the most recent forums of design activity including social innovation practices, draws from systems thinking, and wicked problem solving and is informing the way design educators are reframing their purpose. Nick and Gill explore the context for this way of working and identify specific principles and practices with which designers can engage with other disciplines. Through the case studies and scenarios, they create a vision of how trandisciplinary design is changing how we work and teach and how if could be become a powerful tool for radical, sustainable change.

His title slide was an old book called: The Isolator, A Bizarre Helmet For Encouraging Concentration (1925)

It's easy to isolate yourself from with your intense specialization. Fill the tubes with oxygen, narrow your focus, and isolate until you see what you want to see. Therein lies the problem with some designers. We've become "specialists" in our field.  Nick points out that in the 19th century there was a fundamental shift. We were once Craftsmen in the field, which then turned in the 20th century…. defined as Draftsmen. We developed the skill of drawing and the ability to plan, so we were bestowed the concept (and burden) of control. "The Creative Director is over and it's time to overthrow them. We are beyond these defining roles" he says. And he had my attention. Speaking my language!

It's clear that in order to find new purpose, it can only be found through new actions and the abandonment of everything we know to find what he calls "the 3 Qualities of Ethos"

1. Empathy

2. Imagination

3. Pragmatism

And in this context we must see past the Industrial design practices and find through collaboration the difference that we can make...

-Transformation of everyday life

-Resourceful thinking

-Reframing possibilities

-Transition prototypes

-Aesthetics and nature of use

-Impact and what difference can we make

-Design-led research (platform creation)

-Complexity modeling (people and systems)

-Reflective collaboration (opportunity, not solutions)

-Critical reflection 

And that's what I got! If you made it this far, thanks for reading. :) Anthony