My Manifesto
This studio is as much an experiment as it is an
effort to make a living.
I’m a graphic artist by trade. Here I will
get to step back, tinker and explore my views on design
and how I function within that context. And with this
new perspective, I will hopefully advance my talents
by spurring new ideas and challenging old ones.
To start my exploration, I divide graphic design
into two segments: communication
and aesthetics. I will explore
the validity and relevance of these segments of design
within the context of today’s consumer culture.
Communication
Function comes before form in design and advertising.
I make sure I communicate the desired message, then
I can make it look good.
It is important, therefore, for me to understand the
mechanics that drive the delivery of these messages.
I’ve developed a theory of design communication
to help me do this.
A person can be visually interpreted as a unique,
individual geometric shape. The shape and size are
defined through the person’s unique experiences,
feelings and knowledge.
Because of the seemingly infinite variations and
combinations of these characteristics, so, too, are
the infinite variations in shape and size.
But, when you put two people with similar characteristics
side by side, their shapes are similar. More importantly,
when they come into contact with each other, their
shapes overlap. The overlapping areas are the keys
to efficient communication. The more the two people
have in common, the more they overlap. The more they
overlap, the less work there is to cover the space
between them. This relation to each other makes communication
easier. The combination and relation of these overlapping
and non-overlapping areas play major roles in determining
one person’s perception of the other, and vice
versa.
For example, when you meet someone with whom you
have a lot in common, odds are good that you’ll
have a positive perception of the that person. But
when you get stuck on opposing opinions, quite often,
the perception is not as positive as it once was.
My challenge as a designer is to fashion the communication
between the client and consumer to take advantage
of this relation/perception dimension: I have to adjust
the client’s message and fit it within the consumer’s
“geometric shape” with enough non-overlapping
area to introduce a fresh & favorable perception
of the client.
Designers shape these marketing message through artistic
means: images, movement and words. It’s the
need for a desired response that transforms it from
art into design.
The design challenges loom larger as technology improves.
The tools of the information age (computer desktop,
Internet, portable devices, etc.) have blown the visual
metaphor of a person as a geometric shape into an
amorphous, three-dimensional, virtually virtual form.
A person’s experiences, feelings and knowledge
can expand/contract, twist/turn and be multiplied
in a single download. I, like other modern designers,
have to be able to communicate within these shifting,
virtual shapes and across more media in a shorter
amount of time.
And it has to look good, too.
Aesthetics
Working across media with a unified message both
limits and challenges today’s graphic artist.
Clients want single solutions for multiple challenges—more
bang for the buck. Today, we refer to that single
solution as “The Visual Brand Standards”.
Oh, the horror. This is the steel ball at the end
of a designer’s shackles. But you know what?
Brands and their guidelines do the job well.
These increasing demands call for more creative ideas.
The greater the challenge, the greater the idea needs
to be. And, as most graphic artists will tell you,
it’s these great ideas that rush the adrenaline
through their veins, wallets and egos.
This studio is ground zero for bearing these big
ideas that make me live, work and breathe.
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