check out this interesting link. thanks alex!

http://www.citid.net/

Great work in class the other night — it’s good to see the energy and creativity you put into these exercises. I hope these snapshots and the exercise prove to be helpful as you work on designing your posters digitally.

Take a look at the full set of pics on my flickr site and in our group pool. Thank you to those of you who took more photos and posted to the pool.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sara_schmidt_psu/sets/72157623847464369/

Hey everyone,
Frank Chimero has been dropping some serious knowledge in ART 470 this term and I wanted to share the love with everyone else. He’s put together a couple PDF primers to supplement class materials or just fill in the gaps where you were checking facebook and not paying attention. This stuff is DENSE and chalk full of great baseline (SNAP) design knowledge that we all need to have. Take some time to check them out, you won’t be sorry! 

(Thank you, Friends of Graphic Design and Katie, for sharing the knowledge!)

http://gdpsu.typepad.com/aiga/2010/04/be-honest-portfolio-talk-slides.html

John Maeda came up in class on Tuesday. Here’s a bit of information on him.
check out some of his interesting projects at his site: http://www.maedastudio.com/index.php

a speech he gave at the TED conference: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/john_maeda_on_the_simple_life.html

John Maeda (born 1966 in Seattle, Washington) is a Japanese-American graphic designer, computer scientist, university professor, and author. His work in design and technology explores the area where the two fields merge. He is the current President of the Rhode Island School of Design.^[1] At RISD, Maeda seeks to champion the necessary role that artists and designers play in the 21st century creative economy.

Maeda was originally a software engineering student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) when he became fascinated with the work of Paul Rand and Muriel Cooper. Cooper was a director of MIT’s Visual Language Workshop. After completing his bachelors and masters degrees at MIT, Maeda studied in Japan at Tsukuba University’s Institute of Art and Design to complete his Ph.D. in design.

In 1999, he was named one of the 21 most important people in the 21st century by Esquire.^[2] In 2001, he received the National Design Award for Communication Design in the United States and Japan’s Mainichi Design Prize.^[3]

In 2006, Maeda published Laws of Simplicity, his best-selling book to date, based on a research project to find ways for people to simplify their life in the face of growing complexity.

1. Do we need it? Can we live without it?

More than ever, tie product (or project) to purpose. A mindful reason behind creating or buying will lead to more successful solutions and less waste.

2. Is the project designed to minimize waste?

Careful planning on a press sheet, purging mailing lists, more targeted messages combined with smaller print runs and smarter packaging design reduces waste.

3. Can it be smaller, lighter or made from fewer materials?

Sharpen your focus, paying attention to the essentials, without sacrificing beauty or functionality.

4. Is it designed to be durable or multi-functional?

Can an object be designed to last or at least fixed easily if broken?

5. Does it use renewable resources?

Renewable resources are those that are replaced at the same rate or faster than they are being used, like sun, wind and tides.

6. Is reuse practical and encouraged?

Not all designs or products are practical from a reuse standpoint. So ask yourself, does your design approach encourage reuse of your product? Is it of a sufficient quality that it will last long enough to be reused?

7. Are the product and packaging refillable, recyclable, or repairable?

Consider the ridiculous. Perhaps the best solutions seem unattainable at first, only because they’re unfamiliar. Break some rules. Include repair instructions for the user.

8. Is it made with post-consumer recycled materials and how much?

Your vendors are often your best allies in making these decisions. Tap them for solutions you may not have considered. Reclaimed materials are especially good to use for small-scale projects where large quantities aren’t necessary.

9. Are the materials available in a less toxic form? Can it be made with less toxic materials?

Talk to vendors about toxic pigments and ask for alternatives. Display vendors are offering more low-toxin alternatives to vinyl banner material. Lower-toxin resins for plastics do exist.

10. Is it available from a socially and environmentally responsible company?

reward companies with shared values by working with them…and the rest will follow.

11. Is it made locally?

Emissions from shipping materials plan a large role in a product’s footprint. In one case, local might be to you and your client. In another, your project might best be reproduced or fabricated where your client lives. Think of both ends of reproduction, from raw materials to final product.

(Adapted from content created by Johnson and Johnson and the Portland Oregon chapter of AIGA)

AIGA Portland

Please keep or share this handy sustainable design reference as you work. By no means exhaustive, these references are a good starting point on the path to green design thinking.

Mission of AIGA Portland’s Sustainability Initiative: To provide on and offline environments for designers and thought leaders to discuss sustainability, green practices, the future role of visual communications, and beyond.

Thanks Jonathan for this awesome link!

Poster design is unique to communication design. Posters must serve to communicate a message both at a distance, and up close. How can you re-design this poster in a way that is more engaging? How will you design the poster to work at a distance and also as a mailer? How can your poster be educational AND inspiring? What is the construction of the poster? How does the poster fold?

How does your design speak to your audience (the Portland design community) ?

Final Poster size – 22” x 30” levels of black and white only

Your final poster can be printed at Kinkos for approximately $5.00 – call to confirm details and time needed to produce final poster.(503) 224-6550

Use ONLY ONE from the following typefaces (you may use the whole family.)

1. Garamond
2. Sabon
3. Baskerville
4. Bodoni
5. Clarendon
6. Gill sans
7. Helvetica
8. Future

You will be graded on the following:

Clarity of communication, creativity, craft, typographic treatment, process, effort, rigor

 What’s Due Tuesday 4/26?at least 5 thumbnails in your sketchbook for layouts

1. develop TWO different rough comps (two different drafts of the design). pay special attention to the poster’s grid and heirarchy.

Here’s the link to our group pool!
Please upload your process photos and final photos from project 1 to our pool by friday 4/23. 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1365659@N24/

you will turn in and present:

1. Mounted, 10” x 10” final TYPE variation
2. Mounted, 10” x 10” final FORM variation
3. mounted, 10” x 10” final COLOR variation
4. Written definition and explantion of your pieces and process.

(Keep all your process – sketches, previous print outs, etc – and add to your sketchbook).

—-
Your grade for this project will be based on how you answer these questions/concerns as well as your overall level of effort.

How well are your pieces communicating your concept?
How are the chosen fonts and images you selected aiding in the communication and design?
How do the style and treatment of type contribute to the communication?
How do the image(s) you’ve designed speak to your concept?

Overall, focus on how the pieces are commuicating.
Craft counts. Please trim our your pieces cleanly.
If you designed your peice by hand, that’s fine, but figure out a way to reproduce your final artwork either with a copy machine or by using the computer.

Last, but not least, HAVE FUN!

Thanks Alex for informing the class about this interesting Portland-centric site! Check it out.

http://www.prtlnd.com