http://weddinggawker.com/

typography journal 4.

Bruce Mau is the Chief Creative Officer of Bruce Mau Design. Clients of his Chicago and Toronto studios include Coca-Cola, McDonald's, MTV, Arizona State University, Miami's American Airlines Arena, New Meadowlands Stadium, Frank Gehry, and Herman Miller to name a few. Since founding his studio in 1985, Mau has used design and optimism to originate, innovate, and renovate businesses, brands, products, and experiences.

Mau is also recognized as an author and publisher of award-winning books. His latest book, The Third Teacher,  features a collection of 79 ways that design can transform teaching and learning for children to thrive in tomorrow's world.

I chose mantra #4 - Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child)
Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.

This mantra is important to me because sometimes I try to make my initial sketches and concepts perfect and fully thought out. On my current project for graphic design I came up with my final concept through a series of thoughtless sketches I had done.
Great ideas can happen when we are simply doing not over thinking..

typography journal 3.

Stefan Sagmeister whole talk was about real moments of happiness and proceeded to talk about happiness when experiencing design or about being happy when designing.

So should a designer value happiness just as much as simplicity and functionality when designing an object?

Theo Jansen had an amusing presentation on these creatures he is designing to self sustaining, wind energy eating beach creatures. They are made of piping tubes; they have feathers which fuel them by catching wind and have feelers which show them where to go when they touch sand or the water. 

Jansen creates these creatures with his "new wheel." It can carry heavy loads and will soon be able to fully function themselves. One of his beach creatures can detect a storm and hammer a post into the ground so it will not blow away due to the storm. 

J. J. Abrams was the most amusing of these designers. His presentation was on the "mystery box." When he was young he got this box at a magic store and hasn't ever opened it. This is where he began to think about the mystery of the box and how there are mystery boxes everywhere. They give a "sense of possibility."

In design our blank page is a mystery box. The blank space is a challenge; it gives us a sense of possibility to what we could design. 

J.J. Abrams created shows such as Lost and the new Star Trek series. He talked about how stories are nothing but mystery boxes. They give you little cues and hints and they create hope and possibility in the viewers mind. 

Another part of this magic mystery box is how it withholds information. In some movies we love a part because of what we may not have been told or cannot hear. 

Abrams tells us that there is a mystery box in all of us. The mystery is what comes next. There is so much opportunity, no longer is the technology open to just the elite. Everyone can create something impressive; there is so much possibility.

character personas.

Christian Jacobsen is a 22 year old male. He likes to listen to a large variety of music and is really dialed into his creative abilities. He is very outgoing and friendly but still likes the grit and gore of life in movies and books. He likes to hand out at hidden urban chic venues. Christian embraces his retro vintage style and creates it from secondhand clothing stores; he really celebrates his own individuality.

Ashley Barrack is a 27 year old female. She has a degree in psychology and enjoys the human psyche and studying how people work and change over time. She doesn't have one style but tries out several different looks; she feels like a rounded individual and connects with a lot of different people. She likes to try new things, in an effort to experience the unknown. Ashley has a fiance and is very introspective about the future and making big changes.

Kerry Cumberland is a 50 year old female. She has two children, one is a high school senor and the other a college sophomore. She has a full time job, along with an extra money side job as a consultant for a popular beauty supply company. She tries to relax and read whenever she has a moment of downtime for herself. Kerry is very involved with her high school son's basketball team and senior year in general.

typography journal 2.

Dieter Rams : 10 principles for good design


#1 good design is fresh and presents a new way to solve a problem
#2 good design is purposeful and intentional
#3 good design is visually pleasing 
#4 good design helps show function
#5 good design is not excessive or distracting from personal expression
#6 good design gives no false facade -  "it is what it is"
#7 good design is timeless
#8 good design is carefully thought out
#9 good design is green
#10 good design is includes its essential structures, no extra flourishes 


Don Norman : 3 ways good design makes you happy
good design but ugly
...trying to understand this concept of beauty


beauty + function 


when your happy your more susceptible to interruption and do more out of the box thinking
when your happy you can more easily solve problems
-designs control consumer happiness
-we can create happiness through visceral experience: typeface, color, etc. 
-behavioral design = feeling in control while using a design


emotion - communicates
-reflective design

"20 rules of good design" article.

3 rules which are most important: 

- be decisive; design with a purpose (don't just fill space aimlessly)

- have a concept

- speak with one visual voice (cohesive design)

3 rules to practice more often:

- communicate don't decorate (use economy-less is more)

- measure with your eyes (step back and look at work)

- treat type as image (it is just as important)

3 rules to ignore:

- pick colors purposefully (clearly! this should be obvious decision)

- ignore fashion

- distribute light & dark

typography journal 1.

people you should know.

Saul Bass
I really enjoy the texture Bass creates.

Paul Rand
Rand's logos are timeless and memorable.

Alexander Girard
This is a shot of one of Girard's fonts shown on his website. They are all very expressive and fun. Check them out!
http://girard.houseind.com

Alan Fletcher
Fletcher does several pieces similar to this. The majority of the picture plane is white with pops of bright vibrant color.

Alvin Lustig
I love these classic vintage designs. They are so unique and fun.

Alex Steinweiss
Steinweiss creates amusing and intricate album illustrations.

The Eames
Charles and Ray Eames created this success out of molded plywood. It is extremely comfortable and at the top of the chair chain!

Maira Kalman
Kalman has a really unique style. I thought this was a fun look at how she thinks and tweaks design.

Steven Heller
These designs feel Saul Bass-esk. They break up text in fun and visually appealing ways.