Who Are We (Part:18)...

When giants are mentioned, most people tend to think of huge illiterate men hobbling around with massive clubs. That or the baseball team out of New York. This week however, my weekly entry into my Who Are We posts is a giant of another kind. His work is known through out the world and he is sought out for work, advice, and inspiration by some of the greatest people on earth. When I mention his name you will undoubtedly say "Of course.. it was only a matter of time till he was mentioned" or "Who?" If it is the latter of the two, you may want to do a little research of your own. This guy is "designer royalty."

Who is this giant in the design/marketing community? None other than Pat Fallon of Fallon Worldwide. He founded Fallon in 1981 and has seen success in every dimension of the word. Known internationally for their ability to deliver results without breaking the bank could be the key to their success. It could also be that Fallon employs some of the best talent out there and has clients that place complete faith in the work they produce. With clients like Sony, Purina, Time, and NYSE it's hard not to gain international recognition. Fallon has experienced such success that they have reached a level where they can be selective with their cliental. They aren't exclusive because they feel like it. Pat Fallon creates a very personal relationship with each of his clients and that just isn't possible with hundreds of clients.

Pat Fallon released a book a couple years ago named "Juicing the Orange." It was recommended to me by Greg Ness of Sundog (a former professor of mine whose agency has a great blog worth checking out as well). I'm currently reading this book and so far I can't seem to put it down. It's a book that delivers invaluable advice and opinions on the creative marketplace. The insight that Fallon's book provides makes it a must read for any designer of all ages and experience levels.

Check out Pat Fallon and his book "Juicing the Orange." Let me know what you think. As always, if you have anyone you think belongs in my weekly posts of Who Are We, let me know and I'll check them out. You could see them up here soon.

Disconnected and out of touch...

I've been MIA for the past few days. This was planned and much needed because I have a feeling the flood gates are going to open and I will be drowning in work for the next two months. So I have taken time to take a few deep breaths and am now ready to dive deep into endless hours and constant work. The best part about this weekend vacation to rural Pennsylvania was that I was completely disconnected from everything. I had no internet access, no phone reception, and only a couple channels of television which were constantly showing golf (I love golf but after two hours I can do without watching it). So what did I do? I read. I read a couple books about our little design community. These books offered advice, tips and tricks to make it in our field, and even some humor about the stereotypes we designers are given. They were great reads and I'll be making a post soon about books to look into as a designer. I figured in a month or so it would be great to have a list for summer reading.

Now you may ask yourself, why do we care what Chris did on vacation. Good question and really I'm using my relative abandonment of technology as an excuse for me not having a post for my Who Are We series. I use the internet to do the majority of my research so it was nearly impossible for me this weekend. I promise I'll have one tomorrow. You should check back to see who I've decided to highlight this week.

This isn't the only reason why I've decided to mention my weekend plans. It dawned on me a couple days ago that even though I was on vacation, I really wasn't. I was still reading about graphic design, I was still out networking and picking up clients, I was even still designing (albeit on a napkin in a bar one night but it may have won me some work... so it counts). I think that as a young person still trying to secure my place in the graphic design community, I have learned that you are never really done working. You may be at the office for ten to fourteen hours a day but that doesn't mean when you walk out that door your are done. At the bar talking with people, you may be networking which is helping your freelance career. Even while you are sleeping, you mind should be subconsciously thinking of graphic treatment, typography, and color choice.

Don't misunderstand me. I don't mean that if you are not dreaming of design you are a bad designer. I am just saying that there are people out there that are. They eat, sleep, and breathe design. There is not a single activity or second that is dedicated to anything else but their design career/work. Maybe as you gain more experience and amass a larger reputation, you can afford the luxury of complete relaxation but I tend to think that isn't the case. Our field is a highly competitive one and to play game with all of the competition out there, you have to make some sacrifices. Thankfully we have a field that allows for work to be fun, exciting, social, and evolving so this level of dedication isn't awful and dull. So think about your level of commitment and ask yourself, "Am I disconnected and out of touch with the design field, or am I living design?"

Who Are We (Part:17)...

I started this week off by looking through some of my past Who Are We posts. I checked out their sites and looked through a lot of their blogs. I found myself browsing through Carole Guevin's blog NetDiver (I have recently become a huge NetDiver Junkie) and stumbled upon a designer by the name of Jesse Kaczmarek. His worked looked interesting and jumped out at me from a quick glance. I dove deeper and soon realized that this was not just some lesser known designer. He has done work for clients that would make an average sized design agency drool yet he remains a one-man shop out in New York. Clients like BMW, GE, HBO, Motorola, Pepsi, Porsche, Red Stripe, Sony, Target, and Virgin Mobile don't just come knocking if you're a mediocre designer. They want the best and only hire the best.

Jesse Kaczmarek's designs seem to be geared towards a very simplistic approach while still maintaining a high level of viewer interest. He is able to convey an elegance with a simple treatment of color and direction. Even within a small color palette, Jesse creates vivid, eye catching work that is classy and sophisticated. It is no wonder why these big name clients have gone with him for some of their design work. I am not the first to realize that Jesse is a great designer hidden within the millions living in New York. Google search him and you'll get pages after pages of people praising the incredible work he has created.

Check him out and let me know what you think. I'm always looking for people to add to my Who Are We posts so if you have someone you think belongs up here, let me know. I'll look into them and you could seen them up here soon.

When To Wage War...

We designers are artist. Because this is so, it is hard for us to separate ourselves from our work. It's not a bad thing to be proud of you work. It's OK to think that your work is the greatest thing to grace the pages of some publication. Inevitably though, someone will disagree with your choice to place a chunk of text somewhere within YOUR design. They are not Satan because they would have done things differently. They are entitled to their own opinion and it is just that, an opinion. Now where this can cause a little turbulence is when that person with the opinion is your boss or art director. This forces you to make a decision. Do you take their advice and run with it or do you dig your heels in and say this is the way MY design is going to look.

I'm not sure either direction is the best option. If this person is your boss, more than likely they have worked their way to the top and probably have a pretty good idea of what they are talking about. So their advice should not fall upon deaf ears. Still, always take all advice with a grain of salt. Another thing you might want to do if you feel that you have made the right decision is explain why you did things the way you did. Your boss may not see things the same way you have and with a little explanation your decision may turn out to be the right one. You can then revel in your brilliance and indulge in a little self satisfaction.

So when do you wage war over your designs? Never? No. Sometimes you need to stand up for your designs. I think some times clients feel like they know more than you do. Are they designers? No. Have they studied art, design, and communication? Probably not. So grab hold and take it to them.

Now I'm not saying you should walk in, get in their face, and say listen here... I know what I'm talking about and you should shut up and just go with it. Take information to support your claim. Offer up to them your thinking and process behind your designs. Give them a few options that may offer some of what they want and some of what you think needs to be present. The most important thing to remember is that they are the ones that are giving you the money that puts food on your table. When it comes down to it, they are the ones paying for it and have the power to veto your entire design.

Designing for yourself is easy. Designing for others is hard. If your going to be a good designer you must learn that it is about compromise. You are entering a service industry. It's not quite like McDonald's where the customer is always right but it's not far off. Clients and Directors almost always enter a project with a preconceived notion of what the end result is going to look like. Each person has their own ideas and the difficult part about being a designer is finding a way to solve the design problem while still incorporating everyones thoughts. Understanding each individual involved in the process and what their expectations are can be extremely helpful. Know your client, know their product, know their market and you'll know when to wage war and when to surrender.

Who Are We (Part:16)...

There are some designers that are well known. There are even some designers with a Wikipedia page. In most cases that I have found, those that have a Wikipedia page have at most a couple paragraphs about their life and their contributions to the design community. This weeks addition to my Who Are We posts trumps that because not only is his work amazing and known all over the world but his Wikipedia page is the longest of any designer I have stumbled across. It's crazy to think but you can almost judge the importance of an individual by the length of their Wikipedia page, but that is for another post.

Neville Brody is a graphic designer, typographer, and art director. He has been in the industry longer than I have been alive. This is a great accomplishment because of all the changes our field has undergone in the past 20 years. Yet he still remains current and an exceptional designer. If you are into the music scene and are thinking about gearing your graphic design career in that direction, this is a man you must know and worship. He has done record covers for multiple artist including, James Brown, The Covenant, Level 42, and many others. His accomplishments don't stop there. He has been an influential component in experimental typography through many different mediums. The kicker, that sets this man apart from most other designers, is that he wrote a book. Big deal you might say because there is a flood of graphic design books out there. His book is different. It is the world's best selling graphic design book with over 120,000 books sold. Not too shabby Neville. In case you are curious about this book it's "The Graphic Language of Neville Brody" by Jon Wozencroft. I haven't read it yet but I just bought it off of Amazon and should be waist deep in it by the end of next week.

Take a look into this man, I promise you will not be disappointed. His work is outstanding and inspirational. Let me know what you think of this man. As always I would love to hear from everyone out there. If you have any suggestions for next weeks Who Are We post let me know. I will look into them and you could see them up here sometime soon.

Who Are We (Part:15)...

I know I missed my usual deadline for my weekly post Who Are We and again I'm sorry (I don't mean for this to be a reoccurring theme!). This time however I had a reason for not posting on Monday. I wanted to start April off with a great addition to my blog. I wanted to add something different and take my blog someplace it had never been. I've explored the western European states, ventured into Russia, and of course, tackled the United States. It seems odd that I have yet to find someone from my neighbor to the north. But no longer because this week I am taking you to the great country of Canada to highlight a designer who is more than deserving of a place in my Who Are We posts.

This remarkable woman's name is Carole Guevin and she currently resides in Montreal, Quebec. Her job title is listed as Chief Imagineer at PixelTable. I'm assuming that this is along the lines of CEO or Lead Art Director because of her success story that I read while researching her. She is taking a company that had been purchased from a conglomerate and reworking it, head to toe, while still remaining connected with the existing clients. She understands that a smooth transition is the key to achieving this daunting task.

But how does all this tie into the graphic design community? Well, besides the fact that she is indeed an excellent designer (which you can see for yourself at her companies website: PixelTable), she is also into blogging. Yes, you're right, last week I also mentioned designer who is a "blogger". Just like Debbie Millman, Carole Guevin is known for both her graphic design accomplishments and her creative blog. Her blog, NetDiver, has been named by leading leading professionals as one of the 42 Design/Tech Magazines To Read and was part of the 100 Websites You Should Know and Use lecture given by Julius Wiedemann. NetDiver offers interesting reads, current design community news, and great designs in general. It's a great place to go when you are in need of some inspiration or you just have a few minutes to spare in-between projects. Check it out when you have some spare time, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Let me know what you think of this weeks addition to my weekly Who Are We posts. As always, I am constantly in search of great designers to research and add to my blog. If you have someone in mind, send me an email or just simply comment. I will look into them and who knows, you could see them up here some time soon.

The Swiss Army Knife Approach...

I've started to notice a trend that is rising up within the graphic design community. No longer is it enough to be just a designer. You have to have something else going for you as well. I'm not sure if it is because the pay isn't there (I don't think that's the case... we get paid pretty good for just drawing) but more and more I am noticing designers entering the field with multiple disciplines. Sometimes the fields or interests compliment each other and sometimes they are completely opposite. Personally, I'm of the mindset that the more you know the better off you are. So who's to say you can't have a biology degree and still be a designer; Margo Chase (Who Are We - Part: 2) did it and she is one of the most respected designers in America today. Other designers like Randy J Hunt (Who Are We - Part: 10) are pushing the envelope by being a business man, designer, and basically a social worker (I'm not sure how to categorize his efforts in helping the less fortunate) . People like this are perfect examples of why you should not just take a 9-5 and be happy doing just that. Stretch yourself.

We are designers. We live in a world that revolves around marketing, advertising, and sales. We understand the angles and know what the consumer is thinking. So lets apply what we know to ourselves. Ask yourself, would you want to buy a pocketknife with only one blade or ten? I know, it depends on what you're using this knife for but work with me here. Most people would see the ten bladed pocketknife, snatch it up, and probably pay more for it. Same applies for designers or any professional for that matter. If you are able to accomplish what three people can, you're an extremely marketable individual and pretty valuable as well.

So when it comes to competing in today’s emerging design community, you cannot be caught sitting on the sidelines. There are too many people out there wanting to know more and do more. You cannot afford to be left behind. As young designers, this is a golden opportunity. We are not stuck in a rut, having mastered only one aspect of an expanding field. Branching out is not a goal we must set for ourselves to stay current. We are already there. We are free to experience every option, learning as we go, and applying those experiences to better our career and ourselves. Dare to push yourself and expand you capabilities. Ultimately, you will be the one who benefits from it.

Who Are We (Part:14)...

It's that time of the week again. I've had a little time this weekend to look around for great designers and I think I've stumbled upon an amazing woman who has contributed a great deal to our profession. Debbie Millman is that woman and this week's addition to my weekly post Who Are We. She is a Managing Partner and President of the Design Division at Sterling Brands, one of the leading brand identity firms in the country. This probably means that she is no longer getting her hands dirty in Illustrator or Photoshop like so many of us designer pawns but she has put in the time and her involvement in the graphic design community speaks for it's self.

She has invested over 25 years in the design community and now heads up a brand identity firm with clients like AOL, Burger King, Citigroup, Miller, NBA, Sony, and Valvoline. This is all very impressive but I think the reason why I'm glad to be highlighting Debbie Millman is because of her blog. Yes Debbie blogs just like yours truly. To be honest with you, Debbie's blog is much better than mine. She is so well respected by designers around the globe that she is fortunate enough to be able to sit down with other designers and conduct an actual interview. These sessions are called Design Matters and she does this live every Friday from 3-4 pm (eastern). She has interviewed nearly everyone that I have highlighted. I only offer an overview of who these people are, and then you have to go out and research more yourself. Debbie gives you the opportunity to hear what these designer greats are thinking. She can ask the questions that everyone wants to know, dig deeper and further into the graphic design elite, and expose some of their tricks and secrets.

Some of her comments out side of the interviews are a great read as well. They are reflections on the design/marketing/advertising world and everything else. I haven't had a lot of time to really dive deep into her blog but from what I have seen, I'm extremely interested and impressed. Let me know what you think. I'm always looking for feedback on my choices for Who Are We. If you have any suggestions on who I should highlight next, I'd love to hear them. You never know, you could see them up here sometime soon.

Spotlight Search: Design Inspiration...

Wouldn't it be great if when you hit that inevitable mind block during a project you could hit a couple keys and search for inspiration. Most designers after being in the real world for a while build up a bunch of prior concepts that they can return to for help in tearing down the walls of a mind block. Maybe those more experienced know of places on the web that can either offer advice or inspire you so that you can beat that lingering brain fart. One thing your not really taught in school, that you most likely pick up on the job, is where to look for new and fresh ideas. So I thought I would share a few sites that might help when your feeling creatively challenged (these are most likely familiar to a lot of you out there but maybe not).

1. HOW Magazine - A design/Creative/Business magazine/website with a lot of great articles online to help offer ways of breaking through some of the most common design barriers. It also has great information on the global design community. Most of the articles are pretty interesting and worth checking out.

2. DeviantART - It's kinda like a social network for amateur and professional artist alike. It's a great way to see what some of the young undiscovered talent is doing out there. It can help when trying to get a read on what the younger generation is into and doing.

3. DesignFLOOD - More for the web designers among us but who says print designers can't take inspiration from websites. It's a site that has multiple pages of links to some of the most creative websites I've seen. You can vote on which ones you like and don't like. It's another great way to keep your finger on the pulse of design.

4. CMYK Mag - Another heavy weight in the design magazine/website arena. Basically HOW Mag and CMYK Mag are along the same lines although they may not appreciate me saying this. They have different writers and therefore different articles but both appeal to the same demographic.

5. Best Brand of the World - This site isn't really about inspiration but it can be a big help when doing logo designs or using corporate logos in a project. If you ever need a logo (ex: VW, Smirnoff,etc...) look here. It's my bet that they have it along with all the restrictions that go along with how you can use the logo. Best part is that they tend to be in vector format so they can be resized easily.

There are countless others out there that are great for inspiration and help it's just a matter of finding or hearing about them. If you have any sites that you think have been invaluable to your creativity or design and you want to share them, post them in the comments or shoot me an email and i'll include them in a later post. I'll keep looking and my ears open for any more sites and when I find them, I'll post them.

Without Email...

I'd like to propose a question to everyone. What would you do if you didn't have email for a day? Would your business grind to a near halt? Could you function as a designer or entrepreneur? Think about how much of your daily life revolves around the internet and email. If your like me, maybe you receive thirty to fourty emails a day and spend five to six hours on the internet. Or maybe that doesn't compare. Still, very little of my communication happens through "snail mail" or even the telephone any more. It seems like we take for granted the luxury of having email. So how would you cope without this modern form of communication?

The generation before mine may find themselves saying, back in the day we didn't have the internet, there was no email. We still got things done and we had to walk up hill in both directions in the snow to do it. But I say, do you think you could do that again and still maintain the same level of efficiency. I'm not sure you could. The immediacy of email and the internet compliment this fast paced world in a way that has allowed businesses to accomplish tasks that would normally take a couple weeks in only a couple days. I don't think we could digress back without some painful sacrifices and a whole lot of complaining.

The crazy thing about this is that the internet is only getting faster and more reliable (kinda). Back when email first came about, you had to wait a couple hours to receive it and you were never really sure if it got there. Most found themselves calling the recipient to make sure that they received the email. Talk about a pointless waste of time. Not any more. Email has become so ingrained in our daily lives it's hard to imagine what it would be like without it ... until you don't have it any more. Still some of you might remember when there was no web, no email, no PDA's with email and web access but for the emerging generation of working professionals it has always been there. We rely on this relatively new technology for everything we do. We are almost helpless without it.

I am in the midst of experiencing this crisis and I will tell you that I can not imagine what it must have been like. For now though, I am relying on my personal email (which is about as fast as a comatose sloth), my cell phone (texting), and someone two floors down who still has their corporate email for all my communications. It has been a pain but I think I can weather the storm till we get our system back online and I can keep up with the world once more.