Friday, November 28, 2008
Farley Mowat has a better first name than you.
Farley Mowat is an amazing Canadian author and this is a particularly good interview with him... his 'coffee' is a little stiff. I was addicted to his books when I was a kid and somewhere along the way I managed to forget about him.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Logo Vending Machines from the Future!
Being in the Masters program at SVA I've certainly started to question how I feel about Graphic Design. It's not that I've learned right and wrong, more that I have a wealth of information presented to me and it is up to me to discern what is relevant and what is not. Beyond relevance even it presents you with the information necessary to make informed decisions about graphic design. We have some of the most influential people in the business speaking to us on a daily basis and although I feel like my education at the Alberta College of Art and Design was great there are distinct differences. Just being in New York allows for a better sense of where design is going. The fact that our professors are the whose who of the NY design community doesn't hurt either, not to mention having Steven Heller on hand everyday. Now this is not to say that I am now some all-knowing graphic designer (if anything its just made me realize how stupid I am), but that I find myself questioning things a lot more.
We are certainly entering an interesting time to be a designer. I think the over indulgence of the past era is about to hit home. Does your client really need the extra varnish and extra packaging? Does that menu need to be a custom laser cut piece of metal? Does that logo need to cost an arm and a leg? Probably not is my answer. Big budgets for design work are probably going out the window. Luxury goods are the first to feel the squeeze when people start tightening their belts. Now, design is not as simple as I imply; referring to it as a 'luxury good' but its certainly not as necessary as food... or coffee.
This week I got into a discussion concerning logo design: where it is and where its going. Logos are funny things and the probability of designing anything new and provocative is getting slimmer and slimmer. The public has been inundated with massive amounts of shiny, simple, big and small logos for everything. Over designed and over conceptualized, companies have thrown big bucks at designers in the hopes that we could somehow bring them a unique identity. Just not too unique... we don't want to scare anyone off. Do logos even communicate to anybody anymore or are we just so desensitized to them that we consume them like air? If you pump it down the public's throats with big budget ad campaigns even bad logos can take hold (a Verizon ad just came on behind me), but I think most logos are destined to fade into oblivion. Books like the Los Logo series illustrate this point better than ever. Rather than books of ideas for logos I see them more as testaments to the absurdity that has been created by designers. I'm sure you know a designer who has a logo book or you are a designer with a logo book. They have become a staple of any 'good' designer. This is mock-able to me, simply for the fact that you look in a book of standard logos to make a great logo. I think the logos in most of these books are great for the most part. Brilliant? Probably not. As good as most clients would ask for? Sure. Its like every designer is trying to design the best logo that fits into the accepted vocabulary. These books show how easy it is to create a logo. A logo that means nothing. That does nothing but stay on par with the rest of the pack. As designers we love to worked up over this kind of thing and explain our sweet revolutionary concepts that caused our logos to mean so much more than the rest of the pack. I think any designer with half a brain can pump out pages of logos for anything. I'm sure you, like me, have done exactly this for a client and somehow used your 'special gift' for creativity to select the best one. Take your ego out of it and you just applied some really simple rules of design to some type and a shape and found the one that you thought best fit in with the rest of the pack. The best thin
g to hit logo design since Illustrator for clients has got to be these sweet logo creating companies. Pay like 250 bucks and they'll come with like 4 different logos with unlimited revisions. What? Dope. Punch in your name and what your company is and they'll spit out a logo that does what a logo is supposed to do. Get some sweet shiny shit. Even better do it for free. Or get it done instantly!. These places will generate a logo in a minute for you. Done! As 'serious' graphic designers and the 'cream of the creative crop' we automatically criticize such mindless logo generation, but my question is: does this communicate to the public any differently than something you would design? It's up to you to decide, but I have to think it might not be as far off as I like to think it is.
Now that is not to say that there is no place in the world for hand-crafted heavily conceptualized design. I still want to design logos that at least try to mean something even after this rant. It's a great challenge in a lot of ways... also my ego is way too big to get out of the way here. Ha. It's up to you in the end to decide how you feel about this 'logo vending machine' process, but I think it is an interesting point of discussion. All I know is that when my super sweet logo company starts I'm going to call it: Name + Shape + Color. Boom that's all you need! Logo! Bring your name, I'll put a circle, square or triangle with it, then ad Red, Yellow or Blue and you're gold!... we don't use gold... we make RGB gold... or something.
Of course, this is said partially in jest, partially to bug designers and partially because I believe it. I can't finish this rant without talking about the London 2012
logo. I dig it. It's different, it's unique and at least it speaks in its' own language and I think if it hadn't come out with the price tag attached it would have been received a little more kindly. The outrage and controversy it has caused does show how much people care about logos when they have a connection to them though. People were pissed... about graphic design. That's kinda great. Over 50,000 people signed a petition to get rid of it! Ha! Wolf Olins is the designer behind and is no slouch in the world of Graphic Design. I think if you look at Lance Wyman's logo from the 68' Mexico Olympics you will see some parallels in terms of the extremities of the disassociation from these and logos before them (and I think it's universally agreed that Lance's logo kicks ass). I'll concede London's is kinda ugly, but fuck aesthetics, they change all the time. I think this logo is a fair representation of London and represents it as being unique and speaks to the enormity of the Olympics coming to London. My only beef with it would be the claim that it is a modern 'integrated' logo that can cross various platforms. Plpph. Most logos have the ability to cross platforms and I don't know if this one even does it that well. Sounds like a sales pitch to me.
We are certainly entering an interesting time to be a designer. I think the over indulgence of the past era is about to hit home. Does your client really need the extra varnish and extra packaging? Does that menu need to be a custom laser cut piece of metal? Does that logo need to cost an arm and a leg? Probably not is my answer. Big budgets for design work are probably going out the window. Luxury goods are the first to feel the squeeze when people start tightening their belts. Now, design is not as simple as I imply; referring to it as a 'luxury good' but its certainly not as necessary as food... or coffee.
This week I got into a discussion concerning logo design: where it is and where its going. Logos are funny things and the probability of designing anything new and provocative is getting slimmer and slimmer. The public has been inundated with massive amounts of shiny, simple, big and small logos for everything. Over designed and over conceptualized, companies have thrown big bucks at designers in the hopes that we could somehow bring them a unique identity. Just not too unique... we don't want to scare anyone off. Do logos even communicate to anybody anymore or are we just so desensitized to them that we consume them like air? If you pump it down the public's throats with big budget ad campaigns even bad logos can take hold (a Verizon ad just came on behind me), but I think most logos are destined to fade into oblivion. Books like the Los Logo series illustrate this point better than ever. Rather than books of ideas for logos I see them more as testaments to the absurdity that has been created by designers. I'm sure you know a designer who has a logo book or you are a designer with a logo book. They have become a staple of any 'good' designer. This is mock-able to me, simply for the fact that you look in a book of standard logos to make a great logo. I think the logos in most of these books are great for the most part. Brilliant? Probably not. As good as most clients would ask for? Sure. Its like every designer is trying to design the best logo that fits into the accepted vocabulary. These books show how easy it is to create a logo. A logo that means nothing. That does nothing but stay on par with the rest of the pack. As designers we love to worked up over this kind of thing and explain our sweet revolutionary concepts that caused our logos to mean so much more than the rest of the pack. I think any designer with half a brain can pump out pages of logos for anything. I'm sure you, like me, have done exactly this for a client and somehow used your 'special gift' for creativity to select the best one. Take your ego out of it and you just applied some really simple rules of design to some type and a shape and found the one that you thought best fit in with the rest of the pack. The best thin
g to hit logo design since Illustrator for clients has got to be these sweet logo creating companies. Pay like 250 bucks and they'll come with like 4 different logos with unlimited revisions. What? Dope. Punch in your name and what your company is and they'll spit out a logo that does what a logo is supposed to do. Get some sweet shiny shit. Even better do it for free. Or get it done instantly!. These places will generate a logo in a minute for you. Done! As 'serious' graphic designers and the 'cream of the creative crop' we automatically criticize such mindless logo generation, but my question is: does this communicate to the public any differently than something you would design? It's up to you to decide, but I have to think it might not be as far off as I like to think it is.Now that is not to say that there is no place in the world for hand-crafted heavily conceptualized design. I still want to design logos that at least try to mean something even after this rant. It's a great challenge in a lot of ways... also my ego is way too big to get out of the way here. Ha. It's up to you in the end to decide how you feel about this 'logo vending machine' process, but I think it is an interesting point of discussion. All I know is that when my super sweet logo company starts I'm going to call it: Name + Shape + Color. Boom that's all you need! Logo! Bring your name, I'll put a circle, square or triangle with it, then ad Red, Yellow or Blue and you're gold!... we don't use gold... we make RGB gold... or something.
Of course, this is said partially in jest, partially to bug designers and partially because I believe it. I can't finish this rant without talking about the London 2012
logo. I dig it. It's different, it's unique and at least it speaks in its' own language and I think if it hadn't come out with the price tag attached it would have been received a little more kindly. The outrage and controversy it has caused does show how much people care about logos when they have a connection to them though. People were pissed... about graphic design. That's kinda great. Over 50,000 people signed a petition to get rid of it! Ha! Wolf Olins is the designer behind and is no slouch in the world of Graphic Design. I think if you look at Lance Wyman's logo from the 68' Mexico Olympics you will see some parallels in terms of the extremities of the disassociation from these and logos before them (and I think it's universally agreed that Lance's logo kicks ass). I'll concede London's is kinda ugly, but fuck aesthetics, they change all the time. I think this logo is a fair representation of London and represents it as being unique and speaks to the enormity of the Olympics coming to London. My only beef with it would be the claim that it is a modern 'integrated' logo that can cross various platforms. Plpph. Most logos have the ability to cross platforms and I don't know if this one even does it that well. Sounds like a sales pitch to me.In the end I guess I just want my own logo making vending machine... I'll program it and let the magic happen.. maybe it'll even emboss business cards on the way out... Thesis idea? Ha. Awesome.
That's it! Go make sweet logos!
Matt Luckhurst Font!
Proposition 8. What the hell happened?
Yes We Can!!! Yes We Can! What the!?
Change. Hope. Big words. Great day... I'm lovin' on the Barack attack like everyone else, but that day was yet again a statement to this strange world we live in here in America. So on one hand Barack Obama overcomes a psychotic right and their terrorist rants and on the other hand California manages to get rid of marriage for same sex couples. No biggie... we're just talking about human rights. Right? I mean who the hell is questioning this? This is equality. Period. I don't think there is any rational, educated discussion to be had. The right to be able to marry whomever you like applies to ALL people: gay, straight, black, white, tall or short and everything in between. Are we really going to debate equal rights in 2008? Interracial marriage was only legalized here in 1967, that is a pretty scary statistic. I think everyone now would agree that is a pretty ignorant and short-sighted, not to mention cruel. I wonder what we'll think about this in 40 years? I have a feeling it'll be similiar. Or at least I hope.
Now, I'm not a religious man... at all... so this brings up another issue. What the hell are we doing allowing religious groups determine other people's rights? Church and State shouldn't get near each other... if it was up to me I'd put the church on an island... or a dingy. Whatever. Church groups put up huge sums of money to try and fight this... to 'protect' traditional marriage (this scares me). In fact some 38 million dollars were raised to take marriage away from same sex couples. To remove civil liberties and human rights from a group of people. This is just bigotry. There is no positive aspect to it. As people came together for change a group of them spoke against it at the same time. This country is in real crisis and the hope that things will get better will never be realized unless we can get past these issues. I don't know what's wrong... does everyone need a hug? How 'bout this: go get laid, with whatever sex you like, and lets all think rationally. The real outrage here is that it was monumental step backwards for a country that is pretty aware that it needs to start moving forward after 8 years of being in reverse. As a symbol of the times it was even more powerful. It shows ignorance and a continuation of antiquated belief systems that still hinder a population from change. Not allowing same sex marriage is bad to begin with, taking it away is even worse. Are we to believe that if gays got married things would implode? Being from Canada I can attest to the fact that everything will be ok. We allow gay marriage there (across the whole country!) and as far as I can tell God has been fine with that. Few!
Below are some pictures from the Prop 8 protest here in NY. It was a great and reassuring sign that there are a lot of people on this side of this issue and I hope we see marriage legalized across this country in the near future. All I can hope for is change and real compassion towards all people so we can move past this kind of discrimination. Go here to support.
Change. Hope. Big words. Great day... I'm lovin' on the Barack attack like everyone else, but that day was yet again a statement to this strange world we live in here in America. So on one hand Barack Obama overcomes a psychotic right and their terrorist rants and on the other hand California manages to get rid of marriage for same sex couples. No biggie... we're just talking about human rights. Right? I mean who the hell is questioning this? This is equality. Period. I don't think there is any rational, educated discussion to be had. The right to be able to marry whomever you like applies to ALL people: gay, straight, black, white, tall or short and everything in between. Are we really going to debate equal rights in 2008? Interracial marriage was only legalized here in 1967, that is a pretty scary statistic. I think everyone now would agree that is a pretty ignorant and short-sighted, not to mention cruel. I wonder what we'll think about this in 40 years? I have a feeling it'll be similiar. Or at least I hope.
Now, I'm not a religious man... at all... so this brings up another issue. What the hell are we doing allowing religious groups determine other people's rights? Church and State shouldn't get near each other... if it was up to me I'd put the church on an island... or a dingy. Whatever. Church groups put up huge sums of money to try and fight this... to 'protect' traditional marriage (this scares me). In fact some 38 million dollars were raised to take marriage away from same sex couples. To remove civil liberties and human rights from a group of people. This is just bigotry. There is no positive aspect to it. As people came together for change a group of them spoke against it at the same time. This country is in real crisis and the hope that things will get better will never be realized unless we can get past these issues. I don't know what's wrong... does everyone need a hug? How 'bout this: go get laid, with whatever sex you like, and lets all think rationally. The real outrage here is that it was monumental step backwards for a country that is pretty aware that it needs to start moving forward after 8 years of being in reverse. As a symbol of the times it was even more powerful. It shows ignorance and a continuation of antiquated belief systems that still hinder a population from change. Not allowing same sex marriage is bad to begin with, taking it away is even worse. Are we to believe that if gays got married things would implode? Being from Canada I can attest to the fact that everything will be ok. We allow gay marriage there (across the whole country!) and as far as I can tell God has been fine with that. Few!
Below are some pictures from the Prop 8 protest here in NY. It was a great and reassuring sign that there are a lot of people on this side of this issue and I hope we see marriage legalized across this country in the near future. All I can hope for is change and real compassion towards all people so we can move past this kind of discrimination. Go here to support.
First Awesome Post
In the spirit of making my blog at least 10x's awesomer I am going to let everyone in on a secret project! What is it? Well. A couple weeks ago I was sitting around being glum about my lack of drawing and it dawned on me. I know some other sweet drawers! So, I contacted my bud Brennan Kelly, who I sat beside for 2 years in my undergrad, and pitched an idea. The word is we will draw in one size on a regular basis, than post the results on a super sweet new website and hopefully wind up with a book that everyone will buy. Imagine if our collective brilliance could end up on your coffee table! Can you even handle that? Probably not. It's too awesome. Here is an example of our works:
And check out the naming process we have created... This is copied directly off of our facebook conversation:
Matt:
Lets come up with a name and get a website! oopaloopula. or fo-sho-lo. or log. or toilet log. or poo. or Amerianaduh... or Camercan.... or anything else stupid.
here are some more.
text me later. Lets go to the gym. Lifting Heavy Shit. I can't fit through doorframes. Greased Loins. Smelly Chins. Hairy Eyeballs. I have an Eyelid infection... they call it a Stye (thats true... eww). Benchpressing. Gaussian Blur... OR Faster Than a Gaussian Blur (i like that). I draw with my face. Faceart. Assfart. Pooed in your hat :P. Special Presents. 2 cool guys. Desert/Dessert- I just want a milkshake: whats with all the sand? (i think that is witty) Click here for a bigger penis. Small Cock. Not little chicken. Super Best Advertisers R US. Cheap Good Art. Discount Frames. New Super Art. 2 guys in expensive suits.
I got more sweet shit. Thats it for now.... hit me back if you have other sweet ideas or you like something up there. This is a good week so I will get back to you if you email me!. peace.
Brennan:
November 25 at 10:54pm
I likes:
txt me l8tr
we're loners dottie, rebels...
Special Presents
Drawing Gentiles
Desert/Dessert - I just want a milkshake: what's with all the sand? (this could be a winner simply on the merit of having a super long name, and is witty) ... we could even add that part in the brackets to fuck with people.
Gaussian Blur could also be Gaussian Fur
Small Cock could be Mall Cock
Camerican Drawings...?
I like 'em all, let's just make the whole conversation we've had thus far our url.
And check out the naming process we have created... This is copied directly off of our facebook conversation:
Matt:
November 25 at 6:26pm
Lets come up with a name and get a website! oopaloopula. or fo-sho-lo. or log. or toilet log. or poo. or Amerianaduh... or Camercan.... or anything else stupid.
here are some more.
text me later. Lets go to the gym. Lifting Heavy Shit. I can't fit through doorframes. Greased Loins. Smelly Chins. Hairy Eyeballs. I have an Eyelid infection... they call it a Stye (thats true... eww). Benchpressing. Gaussian Blur... OR Faster Than a Gaussian Blur (i like that). I draw with my face. Faceart. Assfart. Pooed in your hat :P. Special Presents. 2 cool guys. Desert/Dessert- I just want a milkshake: whats with all the sand? (i think that is witty) Click here for a bigger penis. Small Cock. Not little chicken. Super Best Advertisers R US. Cheap Good Art. Discount Frames. New Super Art. 2 guys in expensive suits.
I got more sweet shit. Thats it for now.... hit me back if you have other sweet ideas or you like something up there. This is a good week so I will get back to you if you email me!. peace.
Brennan:
November 25 at 10:54pm
I likes:
txt me l8tr
we're loners dottie, rebels...
Special Presents
Drawing Gentiles
Desert/Dessert - I just want a milkshake: what's with all the sand? (this could be a winner simply on the merit of having a super long name, and is witty) ... we could even add that part in the brackets to fuck with people.
Gaussian Blur could also be Gaussian Fur
Small Cock could be Mall Cock
Camerican Drawings...?
I like 'em all, let's just make the whole conversation we've had thus far our url.
Reasons my blog is stupid.
So. As nobody knows, I have a terrible blog. Nobody know, because why would anyone ever look at it? Through the last months I have discovered that this blog is more or less useless. I am not interesting enough, nor patient enough to sit down and write anything. If there is anything to learn from this at least I can say that I have discovered what makes a bad blog bad.
Here are the reasons:
1. Its never updated.
2. There is nothing interesting enough to be worth someone else's time.
3. I am not interested in it.
4. It is poorly organized.
5. How the hell do you find it?
So, with this knowledge firmly locked into my brain I am resolute in writing something of value to someone. I have retired my original image... which just filled the whole screen... and have replaced it with something simple.
R.I.P. "Travel Deals"
So I hope in the next few months I put some interesting things on here. I will do my best to write intelligent and interesting tid bits that will be of some worth to someone.
OK! If you read this; good for you? but don't you have anything better to do?
Here are the reasons:
1. Its never updated.
2. There is nothing interesting enough to be worth someone else's time.
3. I am not interested in it.
4. It is poorly organized.
5. How the hell do you find it?
So, with this knowledge firmly locked into my brain I am resolute in writing something of value to someone. I have retired my original image... which just filled the whole screen... and have replaced it with something simple.R.I.P. "Travel Deals"
So I hope in the next few months I put some interesting things on here. I will do my best to write intelligent and interesting tid bits that will be of some worth to someone.
OK! If you read this; good for you? but don't you have anything better to do?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sorry I am bad at blogging..
Ok! in the coming days I'm going to attack the blog and website... step it up if you will. A lot has happened over the summer so I'm going to take it back to May and work through the summer... just talk about some of the cool shit I got to do this year...
Currently my ass in NY and gearing up for some serious schooling. SVA is just a week or so away and I am trying to catch up on my design knowledge. Anyways its great. I move into my place in Brooklyn in a week and get my bike tomorrow so I can start ridin around this city and get to know... its fucking big if you did not know.
So here is my first tid-bit... SVA podcast series: its a great series produced by the Designer as Author MFA program and it gives you sense of what I've gotten myself into. Its long, but I hav found it to be immensely interesting and inspirational. Great for any designer.:
http://design.schoolofvisualarts.edu/weblog/
Currently my ass in NY and gearing up for some serious schooling. SVA is just a week or so away and I am trying to catch up on my design knowledge. Anyways its great. I move into my place in Brooklyn in a week and get my bike tomorrow so I can start ridin around this city and get to know... its fucking big if you did not know.
So here is my first tid-bit... SVA podcast series: its a great series produced by the Designer as Author MFA program and it gives you sense of what I've gotten myself into. Its long, but I hav found it to be immensely interesting and inspirational. Great for any designer.:
http://design.schoolofvisualarts.edu/weblog/
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