I know I announced at the beginning of the semester that I would do a better job of posting on this blog, and I'm ashamed and embarrassed that the last time I posted was in August. Late August, to be sure, but still, almost two months ago. However, I don't like to post unless there's something that I come across that I think is worthy of your attention. There are times when I run across something that I want to bring to your attention and that makes me both inspired and humbled, so that you might be inspired too (if not humbled), and this is one of those things: http://tinyurl.com/42pw9rc
Because nothing ever goes away on the internet, this blog post, with video, on idsgn.org is a reflection on the impact on design that two bigger-than-life individuals had. Each by himself had a huge impact. But, when they came together... to say these two geniuses transformed the world is too meager. Too puny. The praise too scant. This video contains a segment of a longer interview with Steve Jobs about his relationship with Paul Rand. The interview took place in 1993--almost a decade after the Macintosh and about two decades before Jobs' death. Paul Rand died in 1996.
Steve Jobs, of course, founded Apple Computer and when forced out, started Next Computer, which was when he hired Paul Rand to design an identity for his company. Paul Rand, designed a number of iconic (both literally and figuratively) logos--many of which are still in use today, forty and fifty years later. The longevity of his logos in this frenetic world, is a testament to the power and strength of his design.
Read. Learn. Be inspired.
Dr. P
Friday, October 21, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
If you don't like to write, why are you here?
Even before I finished that title, I knew it would sound harsh. But, it always surprises me when I hear students in advertising say they don't like to write. So, I ask the question: Why are you here, then?
I came to advertising through the side door--through art and graphic design. As an art student, I did very little writing after the obligatory English Comp classes. In our graphic design classes, we didn't have to write copy, we simply "greeked" in or drew horizontal lines to indicate where we thought the copy ought to go, without regard for how much copy would be needed, or any other considerations beyond design. Our headlines were usually given to us and the only creative challenge was what typeface to use and what size.
I started writing copy with my first advertising job after the degree. I was hired by a small (six stores) chain of "boutiques" as advertising manager. Because I chose to graduate at the time of a recession (pretty much like now), no one was hiring, and although this wasn't the advertising agency job I really wanted, it was a job. I landed the job as advertising manager because I had been doing some freelance work for the chain and the owner thought it would be cool to have his own advertising department. I was it. The advertising department, that is. All of it.
I wrote my first piece of copy on a yellow legal pad while sitting on the floor of the radio station recording booth while our "voice" patiently awaited the words he was to read. I don't remember much about that first radio spot, but I do know that it was awful. It was worse than awful. It was terrible. It was everything that people hate about radio advertising: clichéd, full of "addisms," hyped up to sound more important than it was. In short, it was nothing that I wanted associated with my name at all.
When I heard that terrible thing coming out of my car radio on the most popular station in town, I knew that I wasn't alone in hearing it. I suddenly became aware of an audience and how they must be reacting to that awful ad. I was embarrassed that I put that out there for them to hear. I was ashamed of it. That wretched writing. That pitiful prose. That noise. That dreck.
It was at that point that I vowed never to write such crap again. So, how did I learn to become a pretty good ad writer (not to boast, but I did win four Addy Awards for my work)? I studied. I studied ads--especially radio ads, because that was our primary medium, that and newspaper. I listened to the ones I liked and paid attention to what about them that I liked and resonated with me. I also listened to the ones that I hated paying attention to what about them made me want to cover my ears.
What I found in my studies was that I liked the ones that sounded conversational (without resorting to phony dialogue), and spoke directly to me. And, I started imitating them. Not copying them, mind you, but imitating the style, the tone, the manner. You know what? Before long, I was writing some pretty good radio copy. That was self-satisfying, for sure, but what was really self-satisfying was to hear customers say that they had heard it. And, even more satisfying than that, was to watch customers come in, ask for, and buy the things I told them about. Even hearing from self-appointed critics showed me that there were listeners reacting to my words.
Did I start out even liking to write? Not really. I did, however, come to love copywriting when I realized the power of good copy. That's not to deny the power of the visual, though. It may go without saying, but strong copy wedded to great graphics wedded to just the right creative concept is a force of nature. And, the little known secret about writing is: it can be fun. Whereas graphics are pretty much limited to the capabilities and talents of the designer, words have few limitations for creating images, conveying ideas, persuading. Communicating.
Try it. You just might like it.
Dr. P
In subsequent posts, I can tell you how working without typesetting, using dry-transfer letters, taught me to write succinctly. I can also tell you how being the entire advertising department taught me how to buy media, too.
I came to advertising through the side door--through art and graphic design. As an art student, I did very little writing after the obligatory English Comp classes. In our graphic design classes, we didn't have to write copy, we simply "greeked" in or drew horizontal lines to indicate where we thought the copy ought to go, without regard for how much copy would be needed, or any other considerations beyond design. Our headlines were usually given to us and the only creative challenge was what typeface to use and what size.
I started writing copy with my first advertising job after the degree. I was hired by a small (six stores) chain of "boutiques" as advertising manager. Because I chose to graduate at the time of a recession (pretty much like now), no one was hiring, and although this wasn't the advertising agency job I really wanted, it was a job. I landed the job as advertising manager because I had been doing some freelance work for the chain and the owner thought it would be cool to have his own advertising department. I was it. The advertising department, that is. All of it.
I wrote my first piece of copy on a yellow legal pad while sitting on the floor of the radio station recording booth while our "voice" patiently awaited the words he was to read. I don't remember much about that first radio spot, but I do know that it was awful. It was worse than awful. It was terrible. It was everything that people hate about radio advertising: clichéd, full of "addisms," hyped up to sound more important than it was. In short, it was nothing that I wanted associated with my name at all.
When I heard that terrible thing coming out of my car radio on the most popular station in town, I knew that I wasn't alone in hearing it. I suddenly became aware of an audience and how they must be reacting to that awful ad. I was embarrassed that I put that out there for them to hear. I was ashamed of it. That wretched writing. That pitiful prose. That noise. That dreck.
It was at that point that I vowed never to write such crap again. So, how did I learn to become a pretty good ad writer (not to boast, but I did win four Addy Awards for my work)? I studied. I studied ads--especially radio ads, because that was our primary medium, that and newspaper. I listened to the ones I liked and paid attention to what about them that I liked and resonated with me. I also listened to the ones that I hated paying attention to what about them made me want to cover my ears.
What I found in my studies was that I liked the ones that sounded conversational (without resorting to phony dialogue), and spoke directly to me. And, I started imitating them. Not copying them, mind you, but imitating the style, the tone, the manner. You know what? Before long, I was writing some pretty good radio copy. That was self-satisfying, for sure, but what was really self-satisfying was to hear customers say that they had heard it. And, even more satisfying than that, was to watch customers come in, ask for, and buy the things I told them about. Even hearing from self-appointed critics showed me that there were listeners reacting to my words.
Did I start out even liking to write? Not really. I did, however, come to love copywriting when I realized the power of good copy. That's not to deny the power of the visual, though. It may go without saying, but strong copy wedded to great graphics wedded to just the right creative concept is a force of nature. And, the little known secret about writing is: it can be fun. Whereas graphics are pretty much limited to the capabilities and talents of the designer, words have few limitations for creating images, conveying ideas, persuading. Communicating.
Try it. You just might like it.
Dr. P
In subsequent posts, I can tell you how working without typesetting, using dry-transfer letters, taught me to write succinctly. I can also tell you how being the entire advertising department taught me how to buy media, too.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
New Semester, First Post
I promise I'll try to keep these short.
Here's a link to a site about logo design and what makes for better ones.
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/08/5-ways-to-spruce-up-a-logo-with-examples/
If you go to the sites I recommend, you'll often find links to other sites, previous articles, and so on. It's very much like going to a library shelf for a specific book and finding all kinds of interesting ones on the same subject around the one you wanted.
Read! Enjoy! Learn!
Here's a link to a site about logo design and what makes for better ones.
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2011/08/5-ways-to-spruce-up-a-logo-with-examples/
If you go to the sites I recommend, you'll often find links to other sites, previous articles, and so on. It's very much like going to a library shelf for a specific book and finding all kinds of interesting ones on the same subject around the one you wanted.
Read! Enjoy! Learn!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Advice on Your Current Project
I've been at this teaching design thing for around 30 years. I've been studying design for almost 40 years, and during that time, I've seen some really great logos and some really awful ones. Not to boast, but I've designed some logos, that if not great, are pretty good. And, I've designed logos that could easily fall into the awful category. Out in the wild, it's easy to spot both kinds, you just have to look.
However, what's awful to some, may be great to others and vice versa. When we talk about design, we often get back to taste, and taste is very subjective. But, even given that the aesthetics of logo design can be individualistic, there are logos that come to mind that almost everyone agrees are great design. You might not say they're pretty, but they're pretty great. What makes them great?
One great logo that comes to mind is the FedEx logo. The "hidden" arrow between the E and the x in Helvetica, was a stroke (pun intended) of genius. Lindon Leader designed this logo, which Rolling Stone Magazine has ranked as the eighth best logo of the past 35 years.
Another logo designer of note was Paul Rand, who designed logos for ABC Television, IBM, Next Computers, and others that you will undoubtedly recognize.
Then there's the logo that is arguably one of the most famous and one of the most parodied and copied logos ever. This the logo created by Milton Glaser for the I love New York campaign.
One of my favorite designers is Herb Lubalin, who is noted more for his type designs than for logos. But, he was no slouch at logo design, as these show:
Saul Bass not only designed logos that became famous and are still in use, but designed the posters for several Alfred Hitchcock movies, including Psycho. According to legend, Bass was art director on the film Psycho and directed the famous shower scene. Here's some of his legendary work:
Note how many of the logos above, although designed, in some cases, decades ago, are still in use. So, one characteristic of a great logo is that they stand the test of time.
Another characteristic comes to mind when looking at what many of these logos share and that's simplicity. Look at the AT&T, United Airlines, and United Way logos above: they're all simple in concept, but still befit the organization that they represent.
A web site I discovered while researching logos and their designers for this post is LogoDesignLove, which I strongly encourage visiting and bookmarking. I invite you, especially, to check out this article on negative space in logos. Good stuff, great examples.
This is a pretty good (and short) article on the anatomy of logos--more helpful information.
Dr. P
However, what's awful to some, may be great to others and vice versa. When we talk about design, we often get back to taste, and taste is very subjective. But, even given that the aesthetics of logo design can be individualistic, there are logos that come to mind that almost everyone agrees are great design. You might not say they're pretty, but they're pretty great. What makes them great?
One great logo that comes to mind is the FedEx logo. The "hidden" arrow between the E and the x in Helvetica, was a stroke (pun intended) of genius. Lindon Leader designed this logo, which Rolling Stone Magazine has ranked as the eighth best logo of the past 35 years.
Another logo designer of note was Paul Rand, who designed logos for ABC Television, IBM, Next Computers, and others that you will undoubtedly recognize.
Then there's the logo that is arguably one of the most famous and one of the most parodied and copied logos ever. This the logo created by Milton Glaser for the I love New York campaign.
Saul Bass not only designed logos that became famous and are still in use, but designed the posters for several Alfred Hitchcock movies, including Psycho. According to legend, Bass was art director on the film Psycho and directed the famous shower scene. Here's some of his legendary work:
Note how many of the logos above, although designed, in some cases, decades ago, are still in use. So, one characteristic of a great logo is that they stand the test of time.
Another characteristic comes to mind when looking at what many of these logos share and that's simplicity. Look at the AT&T, United Airlines, and United Way logos above: they're all simple in concept, but still befit the organization that they represent.
A web site I discovered while researching logos and their designers for this post is LogoDesignLove, which I strongly encourage visiting and bookmarking. I invite you, especially, to check out this article on negative space in logos. Good stuff, great examples.
This is a pretty good (and short) article on the anatomy of logos--more helpful information.
Dr. P
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
You'll appreciate this later.
Maybe not so much now, because chances are, you're not looking ahead to an assignment a couple of months away when you have to design a web site prototype. But, so you know about them, there are five landing page mistakes that you should know how to avoid. It also explains what a landing page is, in case you didn't know.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Now Hear This!
A pretty good story on NPR about how advertising is changing. Read and/or listen to it.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Connections
Because I follow the Graphic Design & Publishing Center blog over there ---->, I discovered Scott Berkun, who writes about innovation, although he makes a point of not using that word much at all because it has lost a lot of its original impact. And, because I discovered Scott Berkun, bought his book The Myths of Innovations (for the Kindle app on my iPad), and Googled for his web site, I now also follow his blog. Because I follow his blog, I'm highly recommending that you also follow it, also.
What Berkun has to say about creativity (innovation) has been said before, but his approach is different in that he talks about the myth of the Eureka! moment when some outside force hits and the idea is born. His point is, that even if the idea comes in a flash of blinding insight, it comes after a, sometimes, long process. Sometimes, very long. Which is creative way of saying that creativity is hard work. Or, as I heard a long time ago: "Creativity is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration."
Now, it isn't fair to Berkun to leave it at that. I'm sure he has a lot more to say, but I just quick-read the first chapter where he lays out his thesis. But, the first chapter was so interesting and insightful, that I had to stop and recommend the book even before finishing it. Not to mention that I felt I needed to promote the links to the left that I just added on behalf of the book.
Happy reading!
Dr. P
What Berkun has to say about creativity (innovation) has been said before, but his approach is different in that he talks about the myth of the Eureka! moment when some outside force hits and the idea is born. His point is, that even if the idea comes in a flash of blinding insight, it comes after a, sometimes, long process. Sometimes, very long. Which is creative way of saying that creativity is hard work. Or, as I heard a long time ago: "Creativity is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration."
Now, it isn't fair to Berkun to leave it at that. I'm sure he has a lot more to say, but I just quick-read the first chapter where he lays out his thesis. But, the first chapter was so interesting and insightful, that I had to stop and recommend the book even before finishing it. Not to mention that I felt I needed to promote the links to the left that I just added on behalf of the book.
Happy reading!
Dr. P
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
It Has Been Awhile
I just looked at the date of my last post and noted that it was October 7.
Blogging, I've discovered, is a discipline that must be practiced more often than that, if it's going to be worthwhile. And, worthwhile is one of the goals of this blog.
For my Spring 2011 Ad Techniques students: Welcome! Ipromise hope to do better with this blog this next semester because the audience for this blog is you. With this blog, I hope to provide you with timely and instructional news and information that might help you accomplish your assignments. If I run across an article for instance that I think will be informative or thought-provoking, like this one, or this one, I'll link to it. As I come across web sites that I think might be worth a visit from you on a regular basis (such as this one that I just linked to twice), I'll put a permanent link to it on the left there <--------.
Likewise, if you come across something that you think I or the class will benefit from, use the comments section, below, to give us the link.
Dr. P
Blogging, I've discovered, is a discipline that must be practiced more often than that, if it's going to be worthwhile. And, worthwhile is one of the goals of this blog.
For my Spring 2011 Ad Techniques students: Welcome! I
Likewise, if you come across something that you think I or the class will benefit from, use the comments section, below, to give us the link.
Dr. P
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