Design is...

At UWM there exists a thing called The Design Team.

It is part of the graphic design program in which a couple of upper level students participate in independent study to explore various facets of design. It takes place during the spring semester. Last year there were five of us, this year they have eight people.

Our big project last year was to reconfigure the Design Suite, which is a place for design students to meet and collaborate. It was in really rough shape, so we rearranged, got new furniture and painted to make it a more inviting space. And it was good.

Anyway, this year they are working on a series of promotional booklets for incoming students and thus interviewed current and former students about the program and the process. As a former student, I was excited to participate.

I put a lot of thought into my responses so I figured I would share them here as well:

*bonus for you - I've included actual links for more information. sweet.*


What is design to you?

Design is important.
Design is problem solving.
Design facilitates the way we interact with the world around us.

As I look around our constructed environment, I am hard pressed to find any single object or communication that is not designed in some way, for better or worse. So for me, design is the interface through which we are able to convey and collect information.

Which sounds a little scary, I guess. And it is, kind of. As designers, we have a great deal of responsibility to those around us. The last thing we ought to do is pollute the environment with bad or inconsiderate design.

Good design addresses many issues and takes into account many perspectives; it anticipates the problems inherent in transmitting information. Good design will appeal to the viewer on an intellectual level and, ideally, an aesthetic one. Good design will address the issue and handily solve the problem. Good design makes the world a better place.


Please offer advice/words of wisdom (three) for students majoring in graphic design.

a.
It’s not all about computers and software, it’s really not. Those are simply some of the tools you will use to get your ideas across. Don’t be intimidated by them but don't rely solely on them either. It won't work. Like any tool, be it a pencil or keyboard, it is completely dependent upon you to bring a concept to life.

b.
When beginning a project, do as much research as you can find the time for. Research will be the foundation of your completed project and the more solid it is, the better. You will never, ever feel like you have done too much research. As an added benefit, research will yield new ideas and lead you down new paths that will benefit your future work.

c.
Sketch, draw, paint, doodle. Sew, sculpt, sing and dance.
Everything, everything(!) can and will inform the way you design. Be open to new experiences, modes of thought and disciplines as a way to enhance your ability to effectively communicate your ideas. Obviously, this doesn’t apply only to design but it’s a good excuse to try something different.

PS.
(Once I get started with this kind of thing, I’m really bad at stopping. But I’ll keep it close to three as I can, which really means four.)

This is critical.
You are not alone.
Design is really important and there are a lot people out there who have done it and continue to do so today. Learn from them.

Do this:
Sit down at a computer.
Do a Google image search for Paula Scher, Stefan Sagmeister, Bruce Mau, Paul Rand, April Greiman, David Carson.

(Or, I suppose you could just watch Helvetica. That would be just fine too.)



As a design professional, what has been your greatest contribution to the profession, to a client, and or to the world we live in?

I’m still a total newbie in this big world and have little claim to fame, as of yet. However, I plan to continue to explore big ideas while bringing informed design to life. That and redesign the things that everybody hates, like tax forms and parking tickets. Seriously.

I guess I just want to make the world a better place.

Now that I'm all graduated and shiz, I am thinking I might try to kick start this old blog again. Hey, hey? Professional work is all fun and stuff but there's more too.

I've got some big ideas bouncing around in my brain as well as time on my hands, so why not?

Stay tuned.

It might be fun.

November 4, 2008

I spent yesterday evening in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Last week, Jason and I cleared our schedules for November 4th and 5th. We went to our early polling place and cast our ballot ahead of time. We made hotel reservations for downtown Chicago and got our seats on the Hiawatha line from Milwaukee.

Yesterday afternoon, Jason met me in the Third Ward, outside of the office where I have my internship. We walked the quarter mile to the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and hopped the AmTrak to Chicago.

Everything went smoothly. We met several people while waiting for the train who were going to Chicago for the same reason as ourselves. That was fun. We met a man who had known Barack Obama for several years, working in Chicago. He assured us that judging by his own experience in Chicago politics, if Obama were to be elected, we would all be in very good shape.

We escaped to the ‘quiet car’ after a family with three rambunctious kids sat in front of us. Jason had a beer from the beverage cart, I stuck with Pepsi.

We found our hotel quickly. Then we hopped the El to a fabulous vegan restaurant on N. Wells Street. I had flautas and the beet sangria, Jason had the ‘steak’ sandwich and an Italian beer.

We made our way back to the hotel, picking up a bottle of wine along the way. Once there, we had another drink to calm our nerves.

We turned on CNN, saw the preliminary returns and McCain was ahead. Certainly, it was expected that he would take Virginia. Still, the numbers were a little bit anxiety-inducing. Just seeing McCain ahead was terrifying.

We drank some more wine, donned our Obama buttons and headed out to Grant Park. It was only a couple of blocks from our hotel, and it certainly wasn’t hard to find. All we had to do was follow the flow of foot traffic and T-shirt vendors. Seriously, it was bigger than Woodstock (’99, of course, I was not of age to attend any of the previous iterations).

At Grant Park, there were two entrances, one for ticket-holders (which we were not) and one for everybody else (which turned out to be a lot).

We got there relatively early – 8:30ish, so we were able to wander around and find the JumbroTron that most suited our needs. We ended up standing on a curb, which gave me little extra height, on the corner of Columbus and Jackson.

CNN was broadcasting the returns live. Everybody was getting more and more excited as it was becoming clear (though not official) that we had done it. More and more and more people poured in.

Just before 11pm, CNN started a countdown to the closing of the polls on the west coast. The crowd started to chant along until it hit zero, then mild cheering. I expected nothing much really, everybody knew that the west coast would go democrat, but certainly it would take at least a few minutes to make certain the numbers were accurate.

But I was surprised. They counted down to zero, and immediately thereafter posted an image of Barack Obama, pronouncing him the next president of the United States.

The crowd immediately erupted.
I don’t think I was the only one who was expecting a bit of a delay. It was a great moment.




McCain delivered his concession speech.
It was gracious, we mostly cheered.

Then the talking heads began to talk. And talk. As we waited. And waited. My friend Cassandra called me, miraculously getting through the clogged cell phone lines. We were almost giddy as we attempted to internalized what had just gone down. I tried to call my mom five times to share the excitement, no luck. Which is still totally bumming me out.

And then it got quiet. Really quiet, especially for 150,000+ people, quiet. Sure, we were all talking to their friends and neighbors, but we were whispering. Honest. And it stayed that way for a while. It was very surreal...

The JumboTrons cut out from CNN to the flag-clad stage just south of where we stood in the park. They played several songs, from R&B to pop country, while we waited. Quietly. And calmly. I assume they were waiting to be certain that the numbers were there. No embarrassments this time around.

But the thing that resonated with me was the absolute calm.

From where I stood, the majority of the crowd was under 35.
And there were people from every walk of life. This is not unusual, I have been there, seen that. However, I have rarely, if ever been there, seen that without drum circles and giant puppets.
Never quiet. Never calm.

Then Barack Obama appeared.
He delivered his victory speech, eloquently, as always. It echoed from every direction. I am sure everyone has all seen it by now.
We cheered, we clapped, we were no longer quiet.

And then it was over.
Some people stayed, glued to the images on the screen – the Obamas, the Bidens, the adults, the children. But most people started to move, toward Chicago, away from the lake.

And there were a lot of people.

We moved slowly, shuffling even, one foot in front of the other.
But there was no frustration, no anxiety, no pushing, no shoving. Not even any bumping or nudging, really. There were no swear words, there was no animosity that I witnessed. As we crossed the bridge over the train line next to the Art Institute, several people hopped the fence to climb up on a balcony to overlook the crowd - and take pictures. Then more, and more, until it was almost overflowing. Nobody broke anything, or even bent anything. Nobody yelled or tried to get additional attention. They were just taking pictures, documenting. Everybody was smiling.

As we slowly made our way out of Grant Park, rather than being angry at the slow pace, the crowd would break into spontaneous, euphoric cheers, which spread quickly. The cheering started blocks away and moved rapidly. Sometimes the cheering would start right next to me, swelling out, gathering speed, until it had moved far away, still audible through the night. Wow.

It took us about an hour to get back to our hotel, three blocks away.
Throughout, everyone was calm, respectful, excited.
It was so good.

I am so proud.

Here is me

Well, well, well.

Here I am, back again. I do think about this old blog often. It just seems that I never have the time. Which isn't really true, being summertime and all. I do have the time. Just not the drive.

But if there are any of you out there still checking in, here's a link to follow for sure: Cassandra Leopold's blog.

She's been doing scanner work for a while now. And I've also been participating for a while now. Anyway, she's gonna be showing her work at the Milwaukee Art Museum real soon and it looks like your dear, sweet Bean will be featured there.

Aw, the Bean will featured on the walls of a fabulous museum! How lovely.

How very lovely.

Snow Day

Two snow days in one school year! And I've had classes on both of those snow days. Pretty sweet considering I've only got classes three days a week. What are the odds?

Anyway, I was planning on going to school today anyway, since that is also where I happen to work and I figured I could use the extra time to get caught up on stuff. And this morning it wasn't really snowing all that much at all.

Jason and I walked to get a burrito for lunch and while we were there, the storm blew in.

Upon further consideration, I decided to sit home instead of waiting for the bus and I do believe that I made the correct decision.

Here is a video I took on our walk home about an hour ago. It is actually much worse now. I'm glad to be in for the day.

Hello friends.

How goes it?

Today was the last day of classes this semester and that is good. Yes, I still have finals before the semester is actually finished but there's only one test, a presentation and a critique. Totally manageable.

I've got several projects lined up for myself over the break, ideas that I've been kicking around for the past couple of weeks. So stay tuned, I'm trying to check in on a more regular basis over in these parts.

Number one on my list is to take it up a notch at Etsy.
I am actually pretty impressed by how well I've done thus far, but I know I can do better! Right?


See you soon...

Whoa, yo.

Another semester come and gone.

Honestly, I am having a hard time believing that I am finishing up Typography II. For so long, it was this sort of unattainable dream, akin to a fairy tale. The idea of finishing up my degree in Graphic Design seemed so far off that it was not even realistic.

But suddenly it is on the calendar. I will graduate one year from now. It is in my line of sight.

And that is exciting. I realize that a degree is not the end all, be all. I realize it won't make me famous or get me a job. But it will certainly make me feel good about myself, hey?

So, yeah.

Ever since I started the Graphic Design program at UWM, I was aware that Typography II is the hardest class that I will face. Not that Type I is easy, it's just slightly less demanding than Type II. Slightly.

Now I feel like I am out of the thick of it.
I've finished my semester project - a 225 page book, each page typographically designed - and am simply awaiting its arrival via UPS.

Yay!

What you see above is the entire cover of the book. The spine sits in the middle, so imagine that.