Chuck Green's Design Likes
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Being young or old doesn't make you a good designer. Neither does a degree or a lack of a degree. What makes a good designer (in part) is a dedication to lifelong learning and experimentation. To that end, here are some recent insights, examples, and tutorials that showed me, (once again) that it is a endless, fascinating journey.

Be well, Chuck
 
P.S. I've spend hundreds of hours creating templates--not the canned-looking stuff, but carefully constructed document frameworks. If you can use just two or three of the 300-plus files, you'll pay for the entire book and disc...

For Adobe InDesign > For Adobe PageMaker > For QuarkXPress
 


I'm discussing these topics on Facebook these days--join us.

Here >
http://www.facebook.com/ideabookfb


 
600 brand makeovers -- before and after

 
For five years REBRAND has offered its 100 Global Awards a fascinating look at how leading companies reposition and revitalize themselves - including logos, collateral, advertising, web pages, and so on.

Get out lunch and dinner, this is going to take a while.

Here > the 2010 REBRAND showcase...

Here > the 2009 REBRAND showcase...

Here > the 2008 REBRAND showcase...

Here > the 2007 REBRAND showcase...

Here > the 2006 REBRAND showcase...

Here > the 2005 REBRAND showcase...

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Signs offer good lessons in logo design

Signs require the physical organization and fabrication of elements and the investment of serious money. With investment comes a certain increased level of corporate agreement and accountability. Not a bad model for applying to logo design. I'm not saying designs that require a 3D component are somehow superior to 2D digital or print design, I'm saying they're different - to me, they end up with a different aesthetic "weight" to to them.

Here are three collections of signage - see if you don't agree.

Here > Arzan Sam Wadia's Neon Sign Boneyard collection...

Here > PopKulture's Roadside Signage collection...

Here > Vintage roadside's Neon Signs collection...

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Good news for the entrepreneurial photographer, illustrator, and designer

Here's something for entrepreneurial photographers, illustrators, and designers to think about. Photodeck offers a full blown e-commerce platform (for a modest monthly subscription) that allows you to display, license (in a variety of ways), and sell images.

I like the fact that it moves control of the work back into the realm of its producer. I can't see why the same idea wouldn't apply to illustration and design work as well.

I like the convenience and variety the big conglomerates offer, but I also like the personalization and access afforded by sites that are handled by the people who do the work. I hope, as technology packages such as this become more widely available, that we'll see a better mix of both.

Here > PhotoDeck is a fully customizable, brandable e-commerce platform for photographers...

Here > I found PhotoDeck through a photographer who uses it Toasto.com...

Here > Another implementation of PhotoDeck - KennedyStock.com...

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Recent Tweets from http://twitter.com/ideabook

I like these t-shirt designs http://ht.ly/2QRVU

Congratulations to type designer Matthew Carter for being chosen as a 2010 MacArthur Fellow http://ht.ly/2NtpZ

You write their business plan, they write yours--very smart advice... http://ht.ly/2Nszk

A VERY different web design... http://ht.ly/2N9HV

InDesign Magazine for the iPad http://ht.ly/2UBek



Interested in ePublishing?

I heard about this ePublishing Workflow Webinar from Pariah Burke--a colleague from the InDesign world and a fellow graphic design fanatic. It looked interesting to me so I thought I'd mention it (I have no association with the program and I am not being compensated for the plug). If you sign up, use the discount code "4ChucksFriends" and they'll give you a $30 discount. If you decide to participate, I'd love to hear your impressions...

http://epubworkflow.eventbrite.com/kreatable.com



Putting a face on a product (literally)

Branding is about associating a story and a style with a product, service, or organization. It is no wonder, more than a few designers have used the human form to communicate the personality of the products they promote.

Here > Example 1...

Here > The designers: united dsn...

Here > Example 2...

Here > The designers: Subplot Design...

Here > Example 3 (not always human)...

Here > The designers: Tokyo Agency Inc...

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Meet illustrator Christian Northeast

He is another one of those illustrators who works hard to be talented. On his blog, he shows pictures of ephemera such as Japanese match labels and crows about finds such as a 60s-looking tooled leather wallet from a second hand store. I particularly like how uses those inspirations and ideas to add a sense of craft to his illustrations.

Here > Example 1...

Here > Example 2...

Here > Example 3...

Here > ChristianNortheast.com...

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Meet illustrator Christoph Hitz

This is what happens to you when you spent your summer vacation on the floor of your grandmother's newsstand reading comics and eating candy (or so he says).

Let that be a lesson to you.

Here > Example 1...

Here > Example 2...

Here > Example 3...

Here > His site...

Here > Pretty good day for dog. Pretty good day for illustrator...

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About the briefing

I try to remain as objective as possible about the information I share here. Unless otherwise stated, I receive no compensation from the organizations and people mentioned except for occasional product samples. Comments? Suggestions? Write me at [email protected]

Chuck Green