andrei logos NEW

andrei logos

Kate's website

http://missouri.edu/~kelwdb

Books Illustration May 3, 2007

okay so I have to admit... i used clip art. it's my first time EVER. but to be honest, i kind of think it's funny and quirky and will hopefully read well online....

blog following april 24 - may 1

so speaking of process... found a designer who appears to post a bunch of logos that he designed for one client, rather than just the one that was chosen. pretty rad, cause it is always nice to see a bunch of options... to me it also says that the designer might not have liked the choices that the company made.... so he's posting them all!

class musings april 24 - may 1

Ah yes, the dreaded website. So I have done all the parts I am just having a helll of a time getting it all on the actual web. Hopefully by the time i land in class on tuesday this will have worked itself out. We'll see. In decided what the design should be, I looked to some of the designers who have started their own firms and after examining what i liked about those pages I come to the conclusion that simple is ALWAYS better. Let's be honest: unless you are an actual web designer, what you want people to see is your work. And to be honest, even if you CAN make a wicked, flash-tastic website, I would be afraid (as someone who wants to design for print) that they would want to hire me for web development instead of print design. What do you think?

Vox Cover Critique

A Labour of Love
I know that not everybody loved this as a cover and that there is a lot of ambitguity but I am pretty happy in the end with how it all turned out.

blog following april 16 - 23

I have become obsessed with logos right now. so i was excited to find some rad ones on netdiver.net this week.

http://www.topo.bz/

class musings april 16 - 23

This week we had the opportunity to go in and watch the design contest judging. It was pretty informal which was cool but I felt that the judges agreed too much. Honestly, it seemed as though they all were schooled in the same principles of design which is not what you need for judging. You need diversity. You need argument. Because the truly great designs are the ones that every designer - no matter what their style or training - sees as amazing. It seemed as though the three judges even agreed on the "honorable mentionees," which just seems, well, unusual.

However I think we can all agree that they did a good job choosing some of the winners: congrats elisa, kristin, melissa!!!

class musing april 8 - april 15

You are looking at the work of Brian and Dora Flynn, a couple who own their own design firm. They do everything from product and magazine design, to in-store installations. They have some big-name clients (as I'm sure you can tell), but Brian — who responded to my questions — seems extremely down-to-earth. I have included my favourite parts of the interview: his background (he loved skateboarding 'zines!), how to start your own design firm, and questions about design in general... some of the best parts are closer to the bottom, so keep reading!

Describe how you got into design. Please include other types of art/design related schooling or work you did before the work you do now.

Like most people, I did not understand what design was growing up, but inherently was the person involved in it without knowing it. I worked at a photocopy shop in high school and got an odd amount of pleasure from pasting up things for customers. I had a “graphic arts” class in high school, and I made an alphabet out of q-tips. Not exactly high art. I was into my art classes, but always more attracted to the advertising and branding, obsessing over skateboard and punk rock graphics and logos rather than anything else. That really shaped me, I knew I wanted to be the guy creating the images, but I had not clue how anything connected. I made punk ‘zines, record covers, etc. for all my friend’s bands, but it never connected together in my mind. We just sort of did it. The interesting thing is, I approach a lot of projects the same way now –just get in the mix and go for it. The worst thing that can happen is that it will fail, everything else from there is better than what you had before.

Describe the process of starting your own design firm. Please include specifics like the cost, how you made clients, what materials you needed to start up etc.

Starting your own design studio is a difficult proposition. For me, straight out of school I worked for Fossil watches in Dallas, Texas and then Nike in Potland, Oregon. After leaving Nike and moving to San Francisco, I freelance designed for a little while, but realized that I could not land the kind of projects that I wanted to do without a studio. Clients did not feel comfortable giving a single designer a massive project, even though they would insist that I handle all aspects of it. They needed the security of knowing there were others around. At the same time, there were few other designers that I knew that had the same work ethic that I did, so the only other logical partner was Dora. We always swore we would never work together, but ten years later, we were on the same wavelength more than any other two people we knew, so it was inevitable. We worked out of the house for two years, saved money, and just poured ourselves not only into client work, but work that was strictly for ourselves. It was the same mentality as the punk rock days from high school. The only thing stopping me from making “X” is me, so if you remove that roadblock, all of your options are open. This is how Super7 and Hybrid-Home came about.

Describe to me how you acquire new clients. Please elaborate on how you determine what they want.

We are very fortunate, and clients seem to come to us based on recommendations or based on our work. We have not had to solicit for work, for which we are very fortunate.

In determining what a client wants, it takes a lot of listening. They may not speak the same way that we do. What the mean by “brand positioning”, or any other marketing term may mean something completely different than what they are saying. For example, they may be asking for a 24-page book to promote their business, but what they are really looking for is an anchor to let clients know what separates them from their competitors. We try to figure out what the end result they are looking for really is –they may only say a book because they saw one someplace before, and it felt right to them. A book might even be a horrible thing for them, but they don’t know how to articulate their needs or desire for a more nebulous concept or feeling about their brand/product. Once we can hone in on the result and expectations they have, we can then work with them to define what needs to be done to get there. This collaboration with our clients in finding out their needs leads to a larger sense of trust as we go forward in a project.


Do you ever totally disagree with what a client is saying/asking for? If so, how do you handle the situation?

There have been situations like this of course, and, in the end, they are the clients paying you. At a certain point you need to give them what they want. They know their brand, and though you may think their decision is wrong, it isn’t yours, it is theirs. Hopefully this is a minor point that you can work around, but being inflexible is bad for everyone. If it is so bad that the relationship hinges only on this point of difference, then we weren’t the right people for the job in the first place, and it is better for everyone to part ways.


Do you ever reject a client’s business? If so, why?

Yes, but only a few. Most of the time, after an initial meeting, we know if it will be productive for both of us to work together. Only a few times have things gone downhill, and it is usually a client who does not understand the work involved in producing what they want. Firing a client is never fun, but it sure feels great afterwards. If you dread picking up the phone when they call, it is time for them to go. No one needs to be miserable, otherwise I would work somewhere else and be that way.

What are the most important qualities that a designer must possess?

Designers need to have their own voice, and then find a balance between that voice and the needs of the project and client. If you want to be 100% in control, find something else to do. Design is always a collaboration. Client, designer, printer, etc. Everyone is involved. Additionally, the designer needs to be humble. Anyone that thinks they are great probably isn’t. Those that are, usually aren’t worried about it, they just do what they do, and make it the best they can. It is not a race, there are no winners, only happy and unhappy.


Describe for me your creative process. Please include details like whether you start with sketches, where you go to think, where you often go for inspiration etc.

I always start with sketches. I need to organize my thoughts and work through ideas. Your first idea may be the best, but you won’t know that it is until you work through all the other ideas to make sure. Inspiration comes from wherever and everywhere. Look at everything, no matter how unrelated it may seem, as there is always something that can spark an idea you may not have had before.


What do you do when you hit a creative/design block?

Change up the routine, look at something unrelated, work on a different project and let it marinate a while. Work on it, but if you try and force it never seems to work. Relax and keep on going, find the solution and get back to work.


Do you ever look at the design work you have done in the past and hate it?

I don’t know if I hate it, but I always see what could have been. I always see the next evolution. I see the flaws, things I would change, better solutions for a problem. If you ever get to a point where everything is perfect, and you love everything you do, you have quit growing as a designer. It is okay to be proud of something, but don’t frame it and put it on your wall as a testimony to your creative brilliance. Keep trying to get better. Keep pushing your work. I have lots of work I am embarrassed by, but I rarely hate it. I just want to fix it.


What advice do you have for someone like me who is just starting out?

Find people who inspire you, and learn from them. You can never know too much. Most importantly though, don’t be afraid to dream big. The only thing in your way is your own insecurities. If you aren’t afraid to fail, you can be indestructible.

blog following april 8 - 15

So there has been a breakthrough on netdiver.net. When I went there to browse the portfolios for the uptinth time this year, became very confused. Many of the new links are for bands, not designers. Is this is an effort to include others in the business of art? Or is this a new genre of desiging that has yet to appear in our dictionnaries? Either way it really made me think about how so many of us who are in the business of creativity are similar. Magazine designers are also artists. Artists are product developers. Product developers are innovators. And apparently, musicians are designers.

Vox Cover In Progress

Hey all. So this is the newer version of the cover I have been working on. I know it's still not there yet but I need some help making the focal point look more like an ID without sacrificing the style of the illustration. Also, I am having trouble with the backgroudnd colour.... Let me know!

Website Interface

Books Illustrations for April 12

The piece is about the book that you should read depending on the type of person you are. I don't mind these, but i know they are cookie cutter. we'll see.

blog following march 27 - april 3

speaking of having no idea what i want for my website interface (see bitching in class musings below), i found a really cool graphic that is the splash page of a website i found on netdiver. the rest of the site sucks because it is hard to navigate through the designer's stuffm, but i think this might be some sort of inspiration for my site. i am still going to stick with the magnets thing, just try to do it in a more abstract way. we'll see. anyways, the point is that i continue to find inspiration on netdiver.net even though it depresses me to look at sometimes (the stuff is SO good)...

coo. peace out.

class musings march 27 - april 3

so I am feeling like I suppose everyone else in the class is feeling at this point in the semester - totally overwhelmed. i don't even really know what to talk about because I hate to write all negative things but it seems like nothing is really "working" for me right now. i can't decide a website interface. i can't decide on what my portfolio should look like. I can't decide what I want to write my grad paper on (or when i will find time for this). should i go on? obviously i am feeling the stress and to be honest, internship rejections have got me hurting.
okay so enough about my feelings... the presentations in class today were really interesting. I was actually expecting them to be boring but it turns out that everyone chose really interesting people. As it turned out, they all seemed to have taken different job routes and to have different responsibilities which was cool. It's very representative of how the real world of design is. Needless to say I am looking forward to continuing the conversation next thursday.