Graphic Design

The Importance of the Design Process

The Web Design ProcessLast Saturday I hosted an online panel discussion called “Designing Women” with a group of women who work in web design, web development, user experience and software design. They talked about their careers and the role gender plays in their work.  While the purpose of the discussion was to highlight gender parity in STEM industries, most of the conversation really became more about the importance of design thinking.

I took some notes during the discussion and created a list below of ideas that all the panelists agreed with regarding this issue and how it intertwines with diversity and STEM.

  1. Having Empathy – Understanding user experience is a big part of what design professionals do in their work.  We have to be good at observing the habits of others.  This is why it is important to have design professionals from diverse backgrounds working on projects who can bring different and empathetic perspectives to the table.
  2. Collaborative Use of Many Disciplines – It is a common misconception that all STEM professionals are just geeky techies with no creativity.  Designers that work in graphics, interactive and UX bring a mix of creativity and tech savvy to prototype discussions.
  3. Innovation – Because technology is always changing, design professionals are usually the ones on the cutting edge of new ways of doing things.
  4. Aesthetics – While content is important, visual appeal is what draws users in.  For example, Apple products are known more for their aesthetic appeal than their technicalities, compared to other electronics.  Design professionals know how important it is to make sure that their work is presented in a way that is appealing.     

I thought this was a great discussion and thanks to all the panelists who participated.  I am thinking of doing another webinar just on the design process, possibly next summer.  I think this is a really important topic that needs more dedicated time to focus on the entire design thinking process.  We started replaying “Designing Women” on GWA’s Classroom. If you are interested in collaborating in this summer discussion, please contact me.

Design That Matters: Tibor Kalman

Tibor KalmanThe purpose of graphic design is to communicate ideas.  Effective design can also change the world.  This is why I am a big fan of the work of Hungarian designer and editor Tibor Kalman.  He is best known for using the artform for communicating social justice issues.  Most of his work from the 1980s and 1990s have influenced many younger designers like myself in communications design.

Kalman once said that “graphic design is a language, but graphic designers are so busy worrying about the nuances – accents, punctuation and so on – that they spend little time thinking about what the words add up to.  I’m interested in using our communication skills to change the way things are.”

Kalman actually went to school to learn journalism, but dropped out to work in a bookstore that would eventually become Barnes & Noble, where he became the company’s first creative director.  He went on to start his own design firm and created corporate brands, but quickly grew tired of it and refocused on innovative design.

His newly-found focus could be first found in the fourth studio album by the punk rock band Talking Heads, which featured four digitally manipulated photographs of the group members – a technique that was done long before Photoshop was ever even invented.

Kalman moved on to working for magazines like Interview and Artform, but he is best known for being the editor-in-chief of Colors, the in-house magazine for Benetton.   He used the platform to explore controversial issues, such as religion, war, sex, crime, abortion, racism, greed and AIDS.  My favorite piece by him is the recreation of Ronald Reagan as a AIDS patient.  It is a disturbing, but effective image of a sickly Reagan to represent his “ill” manner towards HIV/AIDS policy during his presidency.

Kalman devoted one issue to the topic of racism and re-imagined famous people with different skin tones and features, like a black Queen Elizabeth and Arnold Schwarzenegger, an Asian Pope John Paul II and a white Spike Lee.  He also recreated Michael Jackson as a white person, which is not too different from how he actually looked later in his life… but I digress.

Kalman also encouraged other designers to lead by example in other areas of their work, like being more responsible to the environment with their design work.

Unfortunately, Kalman died in 1999 from cancer, but his legacy still lives on through his work and the work of other designers.  If you want to read more about him, check out Tibor Kalman: Perverse Optimist and Tibor Kalman: Design and Undesign

Here are some of his designs:

tibor kalman collage

Design for Obama Revisited

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Barack_Obama_Hope_posterWe are less than a year away from electing a new American president, and campaigning is officially underway.  There are so many candidates that I can’t keep up with who is who and how their positions will affect this country in the future.  Most people are introduced to political campaigns by brand communications, namely through posters and logos.

Because there are so many candidates, especially on the Republican side, it is hard to really distinguish their differences on major policy issues and what image they are trying to project.  From a design perspective, none of the visual communications of any of the candidates really stand out, with the exception for one by a Bush.

Jeb Bush has rebranded himself as Jeb! – as if no one will figure out that he is a member of the war criminal Bush family.  I am supporting Hillary, but even her logo leaves much to be desired. Donald Trump, well, of course his brand is his mouth and his hair…

It was around this time eight years ago, when a more inspired collection of political branding came to light with the burgeoning campaign of Barack Obama.  After the disastrous Bush administration, starting from 9/11 to the so-called “War on Terror” to Hurricane Katrina, Americans were in serious need of change, and they saw that change in the junior senator from Illinois.

Graphic designers felt inspired by Obama’s brand of Hope, Change, and Yes We Can.  Taking advantage of this new idea of campaigning on the Internet, suddenly there was a variety of print and web designs being distributed everywhere.  The most famous Obama poster is the above image designed by Shepard Fairey, but there were many other designers from the period who didn’t get the same recognition.  

A collaborative was formed – Design for Obama – in late 2007 by Rhode Island School of Design students Aaron Perry-Zucker and Adam Meyer.  Design for Obama was built to be an online forum where other designers could post their work and download other designers’ work.  Taschen published a beautiful coffee table book about Design for Obama with the help of Spike Lee a few years ago.  

Obama was largely elected thanks to online supporters.  Below is a discussion with Sol Sender and Scott Thomas, creators of the official Obama for America logo and website on how political branding has evolved.

Revolutionary Graphic Design 101: Emory Douglas

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emory douglasI am a huge fan of Emory Douglas, a world-renowned graphic designer and former minister of culture for the Black Panther Party.  He was the art director of the group’s newspaper, The Black Panther.  Under his 12-year leadership, he perfectly visualized this revolutionary movement in the black community.  His designs not only uplifted the conscience of African-Americans, but also inspired other revolutionaries of color around the world.

What makes his art so great is that it is still very relevant today, as police brutality continues to be a big concern for many African-Americans.  So it kind of came as a shock to me when I recently met up with a couple of young, black artists who were involved in the Black Lives Matter movement who said they had never heard of Douglas!

This is a man everyone – artists, graphic designers, activists and human beings in general – should know about.  Here are a couple of videos about him.

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