The Beautiful Art of Typography
Typography is a great discipline to learn and understand in the field of graphic design and one of the clearest indications to us if a designer understands the rules of design or whether they are just using a computer to lay it out_
When clients can not afford imagery great typography can infuse the emotions required to bring a piece of work to life_
Now this might sound obvious, but having worked with many teams consisting of a designer and copywriter, how often the copy is not read by the designer and the language understood_ This is a huge mistake_ As a designer it is critical we understand the language of the copy so we can bring it to life visually when typesetting_
Now typesetting is the actual process of laying out the text, starting with a grid, a foundation that fits within the requirements of the media to be used, for example website or brochure_ One area of printed typography we can never understand is why designers use columns within the grid that are too narrow and produce endless hyphenations_ This is a classic mistake of inexperienced designers who are lazy and allow the computer to lay out their text_ This makes the text difficult to read and can ultimately make the reader not be bothered to continue_ I appreciate this is the small detail but this is the difference between standard design and good design and something we always look for in CV’s and portfolios when people apply for positions with us_
Now within the typesetting you need to look at the font choice, sometimes brand fonts will already be stated so the actual layout will be important to attract your attention_ Other times you have a free reign on choice and this is probably the main factor to embed a personality into the piece_
Then we look at hierarchy, the levels of importance of certain parts of the text and how the rhythm will draw our eye in and lead us through the story_
Colour is actually one of the last things you need to apply as this can distract_ We usually design in mono first, especially when it comes to logo’s as the above require craftsmanship whilst colour is styling and that should always be last_
Design, Typography | 2 comments
The importance of “Brand”
In today’s marketplace a great product/service with an average brand will be outsold by an average product/service with a great brand_
Brand Development, Business, Design | No comment
Brainstorming
We’ve just finished reading an interesting book by Professor Richard Wiseman called :59 seconds Think a little, Change a lot_ It’s about scientifically proven advice over misleading myths, on which a chapter is on brainstorming_
Now from our experience from working in some large advertising agencies we’ve found group brainstorming to be nothing more than the so-called non creatives to have a go at it and what we found was one person would become very loud and shout out “ideas” and the other account directors would follow like sheep without questioning the offer or actually looking to solve the problem, and for the majority of the time we found it a waste of time_
Then 1 hour later, and for some reason its always an hour, we would come out of the meeting with this idea dropped on our laps and we would then mention the problems of executing the “idea” and the original problem we sort of haven’t solved_
But the majority thought this was good so we had to be wrong, right?
Well from the research for this book they tested individual and group brainstorming and were amazed to discover that in the vast majority of the experiments, the participants working on their own produced a higher quantity and quality of ideas than those working in groups_ Other research suggests that group brainstorming may fail, in part, because of a phenomenon known as ‘social loafing’ – a diffusion of responsibility_
In short, a large body of research now suggests that people using group brainstorming may have inadvertently been stifling, not stimulating, their creative juices_ When working together they aren’t as motivated to put in the time and energy needed to generate great ideas, and end up spending more time thinking inside the box_
At blankzero we’ve always worked initially on our own to brainstorm and only come together afterwards to discuss the ideas and see if there are any obvious flaws or problems we will need to overcome before we present to our clients or to use it as a spark to create a new line of thinking_
What Design Means to Us
We decided to look at this question after watching a recent episode of “Design For Life” on BBC2_
“In an effort to find a new generation of British design talent, Philippe Starck, one of the world’s best-known product designers, invites 12 hopefuls to a school of design he has set up in Paris. Over coming weeks, he will whittle them down until one fortunate student wins the opportunity of a lifetime – to work alongside the master for six months at his agency in the French capital.”
One of the things we noticed was the lack of real problem solving_ Admittedly some of this is down to time and the speed at which answers are required without the lack of knowledge, curiosity or understanding the brief_
We also noticed a lot of information on design blogs and websites are not actually about “design” but rather how to use the tools to create design (graphics)_ Now this is, to a degree useful, but its not what makes the design successful_
To us, design has nothing to do with the software we use, but questioning the brief, then working in partnership with our clients to understand the problem and taking responsibility to solve it_
Usually in our line of work that problem for our client is they want more sales, or more people to respond, or more footfall etc_ So visual communication plays a huge part but even then the software plays the last small part, to us the first questions are about sustainability_ This is not to be confused with green issues but whether our solutions are timeless, we feel there is no point coming up with a solution that needs to be redone 6 months later_
Usability is extremely important and this is achieved by firstly considering how the things around us are or are not related to one another_
On the visual design we believe it should be aesthetically beautiful_ Its then about disciplines like proportions, space, typography, environmental or spatial exploration and also looking at a multi-sensory approach_
