Category: Design Education

WHAT WE WERE BORN FOR- DESIGNERS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

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RISD’s initiative: from STEM to STEAM – in other words insert ART to add the magic

I was conducting research for my lecture tomorrow for my Design Team II class at the Art Institute and I continue to find a banquet of food for thought in Adrian Shaughnessy’s book “How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul”. I assigned an excerpt from the book which discusses the qualities a young designer today must acquire and I asked the class to research a list of designers Shaughnessy mentions in the book, one of them being John Maeda (see earlier post for more inspirational designers and links to their sites).

I have been familiar with design maverick John Maeda, now president of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), but I decided to take a look at what he is up to lately and it blew me away, take a look:

The fact that designers can bring creative innovation to the table predicts a loftly, miraculous place for young (and older) designers alike; because they can serve society and the challenges we face in the future. It makes me proud to be an designer and a design educator. Let the innovations and collaborations (the synergy of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math begin!).

CAINE’S ARCADE – READY TO QUIT – WATCH THIS

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I started to watch this video yesterday on House Industries’ blog while prepping for my typography class, I had to rush off so I wouldn’t be late — when I mentioned it in my class, my students told me it was all over Facebook.

Well, even if you aren’t trying to be the next SMM guru, using Facebook, Reddit and the like (my personal Fav is Pinterest, right now) there is a great lesson on success strategies in this video.

If you haven’t seen it yet- a little boy lives his passion, becomes an innovative genius, who builds a sophisticated business model at the age of 8, delights in every detail and effortlessly applies conviction in his brand offering, even when nobody shows up. I don’t want to spoil the ending for you so if you haven’t seen it, watch it now.

 

 

Great job, again House Industries and Andy Cruz- kudos on the video, the kind deed, the successful viral campaign and nice plug for Cooper Black.

Which type of social media do you find most effective in marketing your buisness and how does it help you connect with your audience?

ART STUDENTS BECOME ENTREPRENEUERS

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Last fall the folks at Etsy gave a talk at the Rhode Island School of Design about the realities of starting a creative business. Art school students are starving for this information, and RISD is one of the institutions starting to feed that hunger. The RISD Mindshare, the event I participated in, was part TED-esque inspiration, part no-nonsense practical advice. You can watch videos of the talks at the Mindshare website.

Vanessa Bertozzi from RISD Entrepreneur Mindshare on Vimeo.

BARACK OBAMA AND A FEW GOOD DESIGNERS

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Picture 6 I wanted to share this inspirational resource with you. This is not a political endorsement for Obama, but rather a vote of  admiration for the brilliant branding campaign that catapulted him from obscurity to the White House. The process was chronicled by Scott Thomas and features the work and writings of some of the most influential graphic designers and visual communicators of our time.

It takes you through the process steps of how the now famous Obama identity (the other big “O”) was developed, but delivers much more then a lesson in logo design.

I suggest that is like taking a master class in branding, but more entertaining. The visual design is stunning and timeless.  You’ll get insight into the strategy of success and the inner workings of a political campaign. Imagine having a presidential candidate as a client? To learn more click on this link.

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BUILDING YOUR BRAND BY TELLING YOUR STORY

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Picture 2 I shared this FREE book Believe Me Story Manifesto for Change-Makers and Innovators by Michael Margolis on how to build your brand's story with the students in my Corporate Communications class. I think it clearly explains through the voice of many very successful individuals including Barack Obama; how being a master storyteller can lead to immeasurable success for your brand and for you.

Here is a link to  Download BelieveMeStoryManifesto_ReadandShare

The author writes:" If you are trying to influence, persuade or convince others to believe your message, you need to read this book." Michael Margolis.

The best way I can describe what is meant by brand story is that is a "truth" that is created and later becomes true, because it is accepted and believed by the masses (or your target audience). In other words, when the public agrees with the brand story, it is considered true until someone or something disproves it.

Consider this quote by Seth Godin author: Tribes: We need You to Lead Us: " Great Stories agree with our world view. The best stories don't teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and makes the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded how right they were in the first place."

I highlighted some of the material I thought explains the author's points but I am sure you will want to read the whole thing. You can visit his website for more resources at Get Storied.com

Here is a link to Download BelieveMeStoryManifesto_ReadandShare

Born Magazine – Adobe InDesign Gives Birth to Interactivity

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I was really blown away by what can be done with the new interactivity tools in InDesign. I thought this magazine project is a great example because it uses all the Belles And Wissells (misspelled deliberately because it is the name of the Seattle based creative agency that produces Born Magazine) in a way that facilitates communication, as opposed to having objects flying around the page just for the fad of it. If you want to read about the project you can download the PDF here. Below are a couple of screenshots but that really doesn't do the project justice because you miss out on all the interactivity so I suggest you click here on the link to go to the project and see for yourself.

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John Maeda Speaks In Detail About Simplicity

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I recently posted an article about Tim Ferriss and his eye-opening book the Four Hour Work Week. I am in the middle of reading the book so I will reserve reviewing it until I finish but I do recommend that you click on this link and view his blog regarding the four hour work week.

In the same vein, I also came across this video by John Maeda on the subject of simplicity, he did a talk at the TED conference and he wrote a free book that he discusses in the video. The book ws fone a couple of years ago but it tiesin with his theories presented in the video. In my opinion, it actually proves that we humans are obsessed with complexity rather than simplicity, but it is both entertaining and informative and I recommend watching below.