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Thanks for subscribing. (If you already read Design Briefing 221, read no further, this is a repeat sent on a different day in the hope of reaching those who missed it.)
One marketing truth: Until you create a compelling way of presenting your product, service, or idea, no one cares.
I know that sounds obvious, but lots of folks new to the process seem to think that merely announcing the availability of their offer will create sales. They make the mistake of assuming that, somehow, prospects will sense their offer is as good as they perceive it to be and sales will follow.
But that rarely happens--especially when the product/offer distinctions are nuanced. I tell them we need to look at their product/offer from the position of someone who, even if they understand the context (and they very often don't), cares nothing about our particular take on it and (perhaps most challenging) views the problem it solves as something they need not worry about. (See Sean D'Souza's Brain Audit.)
Marketing. Graphic design. Advertising. Public relations. The premise of all of these is to make that person care.
Hope you are well,
Chuck
Have you seen my InDesign Ideabook?
315 template files in 19 different categories -- Everything from brochures, newsletters, and direct mail to packaging, calendars, and books (one CD works with both Mac and PC). Use two or three files and you'll pay for the entire book and disc...
For Adobe InDesign
For QuarkXPress
A straight-line typeface...
"Daniel Sabino's concept for Haltrix was to head in the exact opposite direction of most script fonts, purposefully making a 'masculine' script face; the starting point being the designer's own handwriting. Every decision was made during development to make the letters as aggressive and angular as possible by avoiding curves and emphasizing straight line segments."
Graphic design and modern subway map hacks
When draftsman Henry Beck created the London Underground Tube map in 1931, I doubt he had any idea of how he would so impact the world of design. 85 years later, his techniques of simplifying structures and color-coding are still considered a modern solution.
When his name surfaced a few days ago, I got curious about just how many different ways designers use his formulas. These are just a smattering of examples.
The United States and its Interstate Highways...
Worldwide urban rail systems...
From the BBC: Railway maps of the world: bringing people together...
From Vox: 15 subway-style maps that explain everything but subways...
From edwardtufte.com: A freewheeling discussion about worldwide subway maps...
Design Classics: London Underground Map...
From O'Reilly: Redesigning the New York City subway map, The long and complicated path that led to Eddie Jabbour's KickMap....
Today's London Tube Map (610KB PDF)...
The last month's bestselling fonts at myfonts.com...
For those interested in writing short stories, novels, screenplays, songs, and so on
One of the qualities I most admire about Daniel Will-Harris is that he doesn't sit around waiting for the world to take notice. For the twenty-plus years I've known him he's always pursuing the next creative venture. Not, as is so often is the case, in a flurry to escape failures, but as a calculated move to explore new ground.
He was among the first design voices on the web, has written best-selling books, is an accomplished actor, and sells his watches through, among others, the Museum of Modern Art. That's an indisputable track record.
So when I get wind of a new venture, I take notice. Next up? Teaching. He recently shared with me his vision for a process he is branding "RiteNow." And I see that it is now up and running.
Rite Now is a workshop for teaching a practice he has developed for writing short stories, novels, screenplays, songs, and so on.
In April, he takes the workshop to Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton then back to Los Angeles.
The RiteNow practice...
Daniel's bio and website...
The nitty-gritty of package design
If you're interested in the nitty-gritty of package design-the creative and technical aspects-check out Package Design Magazine. They cover all aspect of the process and are a good conduit to many of the companies that support the trade.
Package Design Magazine, January/February 2016 issue...
Here > http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/STMG/packagedesign_20160102/index.php#/0
Back issues...
The Package Design website...
A video series that delves into the branding, design, and marketing of consumer packaged goods...
Here's my big list of graphic design links at Jumpola.com...
It's always interesting to hear designers talk about the business from their unique perspectives
This discussion, organized by Cooper Hewitt, addresses the business of design through the lenses of a cadre of people who offer very different perspectives. "Themes included the relevance of design to the museum experience, the impact of digital life on design, and recruiting and managing talent."
Don't miss the piece about recruiting talent.
The discussion...
These are links to the participants...
Caroline Baumann, Director, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum...
Andrew Crow, at the time, Head of Design, Uber, now at Medium...
Philip Duncan, Global Design Officer, Corporate Design, The Procter & Gamble Company...
Dane Howard, Director, Global Brand Experience, eBay Inc, now Advisor at Trov I......
Randy Hunt, Creative Director, Etsy...
Doris Reyes, Senior Director of Visual Merchandising, MaxMara USA...
Jason Schulte, Founder & Creative Director, Office Inc...
Siddhartha Shukla, Chief Marketing Officer, Theory + Helmut Lang, Fast Retailing...
Margaret Gould Stewart, Director of Product Design, Facebook...
Jan Vingerhoets, CEO, Flos USA Inc...
Teresa Yoo, Vice President, Brand Strategy and Experience Design, IBM Corporation...
The Cooper Hewitt website...
"John's good at math," and the #DesignInTech Report 2016
Designer, technologist, and former President of the Rhode Island School of Design John Maeda tells a story about a parent-teacher conference his father attended with his, then, third grade teacher. The teacher told the father, "You know, John is good at math and art." The next day Maeda says, he overheard his father telling a customer at their store, "You know, John's good at math."
Most of us, no matter what type of designer you are, can relate to that. Design is seems, on one level at least, to have mostly been relegated to the "creative" kids who aren't going to be doctors, lawyers, scientists, and such.
But that is changing. According to John Maeda (an a good many others), design is earning a reputation in the modern world as the track that differentiates technologies"-a significant field of endeavor that in some ways, is more important than technology.
Last year, from his position as Design Partner at KPCB (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers) an highly esteemed venture capital firm, Maeda published #DesignInTech report, "To reveal the impact Design has made in Silicon Valley."
March 14th the second, much anticipated #DesignInTech Report 2016, was released and last week Maeda Tweeted that Margaret Rhodes of WIRED captured the essence of it saying, "The creative minds who break the mold of what we've long considered to be a designer-the architect, the suit-maker, the graphic designer-are poised to shake big businesses the most."
Thanks to Lee Garvey for pointing us to it.
John Maeda's #DesignInTech Report 2016 ...
John Maeda's #DesignInTech Report 2016 (68.2MB PDF)...
Maeda's TED Talk: How art, technology and design inform creative leaders...
Maeda's Twitter feed...
This month MyFonts.com talks with Marconi Lima, designer and owner of the independent Brazilian type foundry TypeFolio...
Who Really Invented the Smiley Face?
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