May 4, 2012

great news from Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya!

"I recently found out that I was accepted into the grad Communications Design program at Pratt. Also, stay posted for more on Alphabots."

congrats amanda!!

great news from Alexandra Diracles

"I am headed to NYU ITP (Interactive Telecommunications Program) in the fall http://itp.nyu.edu/sigs/news/category/featured/.  Fingers crossed it is the right one for me."

congrats, alexandra.

May 3, 2012

great news from albert kim

Albert is entering the Design & Technology MFA at Parsons this fall. yeah!!

Apr 29, 2012

great news from laura martin

great news from laura martin:

"I got the job! 

I start Monday as the art director for the estee lauder account :) 

Thanks for all your help this last semester.

xo

Laura"

Apr 18, 2012

Creating an Identity Style Guide

hi guys,

here's a fairly robust set of guidelines / advice for making a style guide after you have created an identity for a company. a style guide contains basic rules for the company, including how to treat the logo, which pantone colors are used, the typefaces used, and what not to do when using the logo (i.e., changing the colors, changing the typeface, changing the orientation, etc). take a look and think about attaching one of these once you've completed branding for a company.

http://andreaaustoni.com/2010/11/13/anatomy-of-a-logo-style-guide/

Apr 7, 2012

work!!

amanda

jonathan







laura


amanda

jil

bobby

amanda

kathleen

peter

Apr 6, 2012

great leave behind

100 IDS (A Business Card Poster that Turns into a Flip Book)
100 IDS is a stop-motion animation made by slicing and dicing a poster made of business cards. Designed and produced by Portuguese graphic designer Silvio Teixeira, the entire project looks like it was a ton of fun to develop and makes for an incredibly strong design interview leave behind.

http://www.showusyourclips.com/100-ids-a-business-card-poster-that-turns-into-a-flip-book/
thanks to bedirhan, http://www.showusyourclips.com, for spotting it.

Apr 4, 2012

introduction // class follow up

hi guys. good to meet all y'all today, even though most of the semester has already passed. here were a couple of the sites i mentioned earlier and one or two others tacked on for good measure:

http://www.losttype.com — a couple dozen quality typefaces, pay what you want.
http://www.fontsinuse.com — dissects design in the wild and reveals what typefaces were used.
http://www.typographyserved.com/ — pulls type-specific projects found on behance to highlight.
http://www.tendollarfonts.com/ — ten bucks. lots of type here that allow for experimentation.

good luck with the assignments this week. if y'all get stuck / frustrated / about to throw a fit, get at ali.r.malik (at) gmail (dot) com and i'll see if i can help out.

Mar 31, 2012

work!! 3.31.12


amanda


angel

bobby



ivy


jen g


jen m

jon

peter

projects required spring semester, 2012

projects required for final grading:

1) infographic w/research 2.5.12

2) 4" x 4" type experiments: 3.20.12

3) editorial spreads versions a, b, and c: 3.27.12

4) book covers, set of three; bucket list; or poster series, set of three: 4.3.12

5) packaging (three items purchased from a thrift store, branded and packaged together); corporate branding; or story book: 4.10.12

6) 10 second motion piece; iphone app; ipad app concept, theme, wire frames for navigation: 4.17.12

7) personal identity including bcards, emailable pdf (2mgs), url, leave behind (can be bucket list or any of the above with modifications) (4.17.12)

formal list, yes. but, as most of you are doing various projects as per your interests and needs, six final projects (or the equivalent) are due from each of you. personal identity is not optional.

**optional (good) substitutes:

8) design a font

9) set of ten graphic responses to ted podcasts

10) do a mapping project, using a very broad definition of maps (more like guide or journey).  make a typographic map, an objective map, and a subjective map, and then a synthesis of all three.

11) make a two to three minute wordless narrative in still frames. the objective is to be  clear in your visual communication. use premiere, final cut, after effects, imovie, etc
 

Mar 19, 2012

It’s Not How Good You Are…

via Nubbytwiglet.com by Nubby on 3/16/12

las vegas 2012

One of my all-time favorite books that I’ve been referring back to lately is It’s Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be by Paul Arden. The book opens with, “Nearly all rich and powerful people are not notably talented, educated, charming or good-looking. They become rich and powerful by wanting to be rich and powerful.” That statement sets tone for the rest of the book which uses the principles of good advertising as a metaphor for running a successful business.
The beauty of It’s Not How Good You Are… is that it’s smart and clever in its execution but not brimming with business jargon. This book makes you think of that one boss who guided you through the jungle of corporate America by day and then took you out for a stiff drink and an inspirational pep talk at night. It leaves you feeling empowered, motivated and ready to take on the world.

las vegas 2012

Early in the book, Arden sets forth his first challenge: “So how good do you want to be?” Most of us usually set a goal of wanting to be good, or, if we’re really confident, perhaps the best in our field. But why not aim higher? A few years back, I was talking to another designer, saying that I wanted to be a really good at what I did. I was naming off the people I really admired. The designer thought for a second and said, “You’re comparing your work to the top 10% of designers in the world. That’s why you feel like you’re never good enough.” They had a point but if you want to improve in an area of your life, aim high. Push yourself harder to get to that level. Otherwise, it’s too easy to settle for just being ‘good.’
On this subject, Arden says that, “Talent helps but it won’t take you as far as ambition. Everybody wants to be good but not many are willing to make the sacrifices it takes to be great. You will become whoever you want to be.” It’s a simple statement yet consider the power of what he’s saying. What you put forth in effort is what you will get back.
One point that really hit home for me personally is, “Don’t look for the next opportunity. The one you have in hand is the opportunity.” We are always waiting for that perfect project. That perfect collaboration. I’ve been on design teams where we loathe the client to the point that we just give in to mediocracy to get the project out the door. It’s easy to lose sight of the potential when you’re full of disdain (and sometimes, rightly so!) But, back up. Arden says, “Whatever is on your desk right now, that’s the one. Make it the best you possibly can. It may not be great, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you did the best you possibly could, and you may learn something from it.” I love this.

las vegas 2012

I’ve kept this page in mind ever since I first saw it when designing business cards for both myself and clients. Often, less really is more. “The person in the left column is the same as the one in the right column. But we regard them very differently,” Arden says. The person in the left column is saying what he is. The person in the right column is more ambitious. It’s how he wants others to perceive him. How you perceive yourself is how others will perceive you.”
Another powerful sentiment that seems to evaporate as we get older is, “When it can’t be done, do it. If you don’t do it, it doesn’t exist.” Follow through on that crazy idea. Arden says, “A new idea can be either unfamiliar, or silly, or both. It can’t be judged by description. It needs to be done (made) to exist.” The next time you have that brilliant idea that pops into your head at 2 am, write it down, run with it and make it happen.

las vegas 2012

Finally, the book ends with a list of famous quotes. My personal favorite?
“It’s better to fail in originality, than succeed in imitation.” -Herman Melville
I distinctly remember picking this book up on a lunch break in 2004 when I was working at a shoe store in the mall. I was looking for guidance for my next big move and I remember this book being a breath of fresh air. Arden proclaims that, “Your vision of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have. Without having a goal it’s difficult to score.” It’s Not How Good You Are… is there to help you make the most of yourself. Are you ready for the challenge?

for people wanting to do motion

for people wanting to do motion--

Video Copilot has some good aftereffects tutorials for effects with type.

Mar 18, 2012

Mar 11, 2012

Poster for tomorrow 2012: Gender Equality Now!

Poster for tomorrow 2012: Gender Equality Now!


On March 8th 2012, that is Woman’s Day, poster for tomorrow launches its call for entries for its 2012 edition: Gender Equality Now!
 
The brief is available to download here

Every year poster for tomorrow chooses a basic human right to draw attention to. The global design community is then invited to make posters on this theme that are exhibited around the world on International Human Rights Day, December 10th.

Why have we chosen Gender Equality as the topic of the 2012 edition?

The condition of women has undergone undeniable improvements during the last century. But these improvements haven’t happened everywhere and even where they have been the strongest, well, they are far from being strong enough.
Gender inequality still lingers unchallenged: it’s one of those things that are hard to see precisely because they are right in front of our eyes.

That’s why we ask all of you to see beyond the status quo and imagine a different future. We need gender equality now, because more opportunities for women are more opportunities for us all.
Poster for tomorrow is also proud to announce that the topic has attracted the interest of leading female figures such as Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile and Executive Director of UN Women, and Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, who are now in poster for tomorrow’s sponsorship committee.

Gender Equality Now!
“As long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled and subjected to violence in and out of their homes - the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realised.”
Hilary Clinton, at the UN 4th World Conference on Women, Beijing, China, 1995.

Asking for gender equality isn’t asking for much - simply that women are given the same opportunities as men and enjoy the right to live without fear of exploitation and discrimination. We need gender equality now for a better world for all of us.

The Competition
The poster competition is open from March 8th until July 10th 2012, and, as ever, it’s free to enter. All you have to do is create a poster then upload it on the poster for tomorrow website. The best posters as selected by jury of graphic designers will be published in a book and exhibited around the world on a day for tomorrow, December 10th.
The jury members of this current edition are:
Majid Abbasi (Iran), Cristina Chiappini (Italy), Gitte Just (Denmark), Maria Kurpik (Poland), Alain Le Quernec (France), Malte Martin (France), Leila Musfy Awad (Lebanon), Carolina Rojas (Colombia), Serge Serov (Russia), Paula Troxler (Switzerland), Rene Wanner (Switzerland) and Guy Schockaert (Belgium) as moderator.
The brief is available to download here

About poster for tomorrow
poster for tomorrow is an independent, non-profit international project whose goal is to encourage people, both in and outside the design community, to make posters to stimulate debate on issues that affect us all. In our previous three editions we have received over 6,000 posters from 88 countries and hosted more than 100 exhibitions in 5 continents.

Contact:
For press, or any other questions, please contact Hervé Matine at hm@posterfortomorrow.org

Mar 9, 2012

Starring The Pencil


A few stop-motion, and stop-motion hybrid videos posted by UPPERCASE magazine