Bobby Haiqalsyah's organic type compositions, a change of direction for the stock photography industry, a wildly original catalog of design objects, and more...
 
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As marketers, we need to come to the realization that online advertising and social media are not the only answers to all marketing questions.
 
How about the realtor who's prospecting for houses to list? The landscaper looking for clients in a specific neighborhood? Or the dentist in search of new patients? 
 
Yes, if they're internet savvy or have the resources to hire help, they might capture a percentage of their audience online, but think of all the folks they'll miss who aren't even looking there.
 
It seems to me, increasingly, as if a disproportionate number of roads lead to AdWords, websites, or SEO firms these days. Sure, brochures, postcards, flyers, and other collateral have fallen somewhat out of favor, but that doesn't mean there aren't perfectly viable marketing tools or a smart use of marketing resources. 
 
Could it be true that, because fewer organizations are using print, that it is more likely that a well designed print piece will be noticed? 
 
Be well, Chuck


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Bobby Haiqalsyah's type illustrations look as if they grew from magic ground

To me, what identifies a truly talented type designer is their ability to create organic-looking shapes and curves. Australian designer Bobby Haiqalsyah has a particular gift for creating compositions of letters and filigree that look as if they grew from magic ground.

Example 1...
Example 2...
Example 3...
Example 4...
Bobby Haiqalsyah's Website...
Haiqalsyah also maintains a wonderful Pinterest page called "Vintage Type"...
 
Hiring a designer to execute your design ideas is like hiring a doctor to mow your lawn. 

 
One of the world's largest, most prestigious photographic and illustrations libraries is now free to use--in certain situations

This is the most interesting graphic design, illustration, photography, and intellectual property news I've read in the last five years: Today, Getty Images announced a new policy that allows users to embed millions of its images for non-commercial use.

I believe this has the potential of changing the whole face of image use.

Thanks to Lee Garvey for pointing us to it.

Roll over an image (many, but not all) and you'll see the "Embed this image" button at the far right...

Here are the terms..
From The Atlantic: Why Getty going free is such a big deal, explained in Getty Images--The company just made tens of millions of its photos free for noncommercial use....
From The Verge: The world's largest photo service just made its pictures free to use--Getty Images is betting its business on embeddable photos...
From The British Journal of Photography: Getty Images makes 35 million images free in fight against copyright infringement...
Jonathan Klein, a co-founder of Getty Images talked about photography through this TED University address...
I suppose the fact that Getty has a dedicated page for addressing the unauthorized it's images speaks to the scope of the problem...
 
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"The search for that thread, the experience that we all feel rooted in, is what we do---that's the best thing we can do," Milton Glaser, Graphic Designer

Matthew Weiner, the creator of the advertising epic "Mad Men," chose graphic designer Milton Glaser to imagine the show's signature image for its final season.

Fitting.

The poster...
Milton Glaser...
From the New York Times: The Trippy '60s, Courtesy of a Master...
Glaser's website...
Glaser's office entrance proclaims, "Art is Work"...
An earlier post: Creativity is not a stage of life, it is a mindset...
 
A friend was pointing to the website of a woman who has posted one of his logos and called it her own.

Honesty, I don't get it. She has a social networking presence that makes her appear normal, even nice (and I'm guessing that's how she sees herself).

But I'd like to ask her if she would also rob a convenience store? Or steal a car? I'm thinking she would bristle at the comparison--but I see absolutely no difference.

She is a criminal who has stolen value that equates to a felony in most countries. The fact that she is stealing intellectual property makes it no less someone else's property, no less thievery, and no less vile.

 
Is your work a creative epiphany or a remix?

I must have been in the principal's office the day Kirby Ferguson introduced his Everything is a Remix series-somehow I missed it.

Since 2010 he has published a four-part video series making the case that we have lost sight of the original copyright laws from which the concept of intellectual property grew.

Ferguson says, "The belief in intellectual property has grown so dominant it's pushed the original intent of copyrights and patents out of the public consciousness. But that original purpose is still right there in plain sight. The copyright act of 1790 is entitled 'an Act for the encouragement of learning.' The Patent Act is 'to promote the progress of useful Arts.'"

"Nobody starts out original." He explains, "We need copying to build a foundation of knowledge and understanding. And after that... things can get interesting."

You can watch the series here...
Embracing the Remix: Kirby Ferguson's TED Talk...
We discussed a very similar topic here last month: Is your design worth stealing?...
 
Nice: How pencils are made...

Silicon Valley's Youth Problem

Occasionally... when you're working on several projects at the same time, and answering lots of questions, you say something that makes you sound like you're absolutely clueless. 

"NO," I want to say, "That was actually the right answer, I just applied it to the wrong question!"

That, however, would make me appear to be even MORE of an idiot.

 
Check out this wildly original catalog of design objects...

How often do you see truly unusual objects? If you spend WAY too much time exploring online, not terribly often. I found the collection of items featured on the website of this unconventional Italian company to be wildly original.

Example 1: The Trip Pixel...
Example 2: Hybrid China...
Example 3: Fixin the World...
The full Seletti catalog...
The Seletti website...
 
While understanding the nuances of design, marketing, and the intersection of the two is critical. We should never fail to remember that every situation is different.

With variables of timing, market conditions, finances, brand position, venues, personalities, and so on, every day is a new day, every project requires rethinking, every client deserves a unique solution.

 
The Olive Garden and logo hate-speak

I'm the odd man out on this one. I like the new Olive Garden logo. To me, it is somewhat "Jessica Hische-ish," though she would probably want me to make clear that she was not the designer.

That said, the overall response to it seems to rank right up there with the response to the new Coke.

The image from The Dieline...
From The Dieline: Before & After: Olive Garden's New Logo...
From BrandNew: An Olive Branch No One Wants...
From AdWeek: Is Olive Garden's New Logo as Wretched as Everyone Says?...
From Fast Company Design: Olive Garden's New Logo Is The Pits...
The action plan published by Darden the parent of Olive Garden (2.8MB PDF)...
About this newsletter

I try to remain as objective as possible about the information I share here. Unless I tell you otherwise, I receive no compensation from the organizations and people mentioned except for occasional product samples. I am an affiliate of Lynda.com and MyFonts.com -- that means, if you purchase something from them, I get a small commission. Comments? Suggestions? Write me at [email protected] -- Chuck Green