Latest Posts from GDF Bloggers
Mike Lenhart | July 3, 2008, 2:15 PMScannable Items - 2nd Time Around
Chris Dickman | June 29, 2008, 9:25 AM
So Long, Marianne
The stories that countries tell about themselves are rife with half-truths, propped up with fetishistic elements that speak in a special code to the initiated. Americans have the Liberty Bell, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, the Declaration of Independence, and so on. Canadians have.. hmm, actually we Canucks don't have anything in that line, which in itself is a central element of our national character, but I'll save that for another blog. The focus this time out is on the French, who have a complicated history marked by Kings and Church, the French Revolution, Napoleon and recent events of a more or less unfortunate nature, all of which has become part of the myth of France.
Mike Lenhart | June 28, 2008, 9:53 AMScanable Topics - Take One
For a long time now, I've been a scanner. I find many things in my world, mainly printed, that I just have to keep for possible future use. So, I scan them and file them away. Granted, I am sort of a saver, hoarder if you will, but I always feel I will need these items at some point in the future. Many of them I don't and I forget about them. But, I thought that, in order to use them and do something with them, I'd write a series of entries on the various things I've scanned and tell you about them. This time it's all about classic movie poster art.
Chris Dickman | June 22, 2008, 9:37 AM
I Am Red, Hear Me Roar
There are hundreds—yes, hundreds—of awards available to those in the ad agency biz, ensuring that just about everyone should take home a prize at some point. Not that competition for these bits of plastic and glass isn't intense, since not only individual careers but the fate of entire agencies rests on continually snagging them to ensure a steady stream of top accounts. In fact, it's gotten to the point where campaigns are increasingly created with an eye on awards, not always to the benefit of the client. A good way to monitor this is on AdsOfTheWorld.com, a Graphics.com Network site, where visitors are quick to comment on campaigns that serve agencies first and clients second.
Mike Lenhart | June 16, 2008, 4:27 PMI'm Not Eating a Dunkin' Donut or Going to WalMart, Either
There are studies and surveys out there on virtually every type of consumer and buying habit known to Man (or Woman). Marketers, advertisers, and smart businesses rely on the findings of these surveys in order to appease and talk to their customers. So, it only seems natural that one facet of consumers, the Gay and Lesbian market, be studied as well and find their preferences. (Since I've been on this June-Pride-Month soapbox, I thought I'd continue standing on it.) Read on. Mike Lenhart | June 10, 2008, 12:23 PM
The Death of a Psychedelic Rock Artist
I was reading the Times the other day when I came across an obituary that gave me pause. It seems that Alton Kelley, one of the preeminent pyschedelic rock poster artists, died at his home in Petaluma, California. He was 67 years old. Kelley was one of those guys who, back in the mid '60s, designed and hand-produced rock posters to promote bands and concerts in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco. What a trip that must have been (pun intended).
Chris Dickman | June 8, 2008, 10:36 AMWelcome to the App Frame
If you're into Photoshop, and I mean really into Photoshop, there's no limit to your interest in learning everything you can about it, both related to its current incarnation and future versions. And for a look into the future, there's no better man to keep an eye on than John Nack, Senior Product Manager for Photoshop.
Mike Lenhart | June 5, 2008, 5:26 AMWe Love Your Art, But You Can't Exist - At Least Not Like We Do
[This editorial/art and cultural study is in recognition and celebration of Gay Pride Month (June)]
There's been a lot of talk in various circles about equality, and what constitutes that. As many of us have heard, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Equality, and the right to live and have equal access to the fundamental benefits given to all in the Constitution of the United States should be a no-brainer.
However, there has been a recent firestorm over an equal freedom, the notion of marriage, and what exactly that means. Doesn't everyone in America have an inherent right to marry the one they love? Does there have to be a set of rules, or norms, set up by a certain few, that all of us must follow in order to enjoy this right? And, if we don't, does that mean we're less of an American, or a person? It has become increasingly aware to me, sadly, that this is so.
Of course I'm speaking of Marriage Equality - for all. To some, it may not seem like such a big deal or possibly may even be a non-issue. But let me tell you, as a guy who has invested an entire life trying to fit in and sit at the table with the other class, it is a big deal.
Mike Lenhart | June 2, 2008, 10:59 AM
Paint Your Stinkin' Shoes!
Laurence King has come out with another design book, this time on the art of personalized footwear. Customizing your shoes (sneakers) gives those old, worn-out tennies a new look and new life. This book, called Custom Kicks, is filled with photos and other information on how these tricked-out pieces of apparel knock out the modern world. 225 pages worth? I don't know... Chris Dickman | May 25, 2008, 6:31 AM
Designing for the Greater Good
If you're a student, or a young designer building a client list and a career, you've probably given more than a little thought to how to position yourself and your work in terms of the increasing emphasis the world of design is placing on social responsibility. Perhaps you already take on pro bono work for worthy local social, environmental or political organizations and causes. While engaging at the local level is very important, also worth considering are the many cause-driven design contests that operate at a national or international level, notable among which is the annual Good 50×70 poster project.
Mike Lenhart | May 21, 2008, 3:17 PMIt's A Colorful Life
Chronicle Books sent me the second in the series of Designer Toolkits called 1000 Colors - Thousands of Color Combinations - and let me tell you, it rocks! The handy CD that accompanies this book is as good as the one that came with the first one by Graham Davis. Color is beautiful and my rods and cones thank you!
Chris Dickman | May 18, 2008, 12:37 PMLemon Poppy Seed
Compendiums of recent design work typically begin with carefully-written introductions that labor, often too hard, to stitch together the work that is to follow into some kind of a coherent whole. Lemon Poppy Seed: Multitasking Creativity, a recent title from the never-boring German publisher Gestalten Verlag, doesn't fall into this trap.
Susan Kirkland | May 14, 2008, 12:14 PMEconomic Chaos & FREELANCE
The news reports about our robust economy last year baffled me, and I freely admit my life as an artist has dragged me through the school of hard knocks and taught me how to live well without having a lot of money. In December, our economy grew a miserly 0.6 per cent and they were still calling it robust. The first quarter of 2008 reported the same statistics (that's six tenths of one point of 100 points, kids) of 0.6 per cent growth: NOW we're in a recession according to analysts. The cost of fuel has quadrupled, and since every money making venture depends on oil at one level or another, it makes good sense that rising prices would soon follow as I wrote back in 2005 on a topic I know practically nothing about—economics. Why are we talking about this on a design blog? Because many have new businesses but few have business education, so here's few things about how to stay in the black while your competitors are just black and blue.
The 200th Monster
There's something intriguing about a daily, self-imposed task that imposes formal constraints but which is flexible enough that creative exploration is possible. More than possible—the work is actually stimulated by the rigors of the premise. Luc Grateau's paintings of commuters rendered on Paris subway tickets are a perfect example. And closer to home is Stefan G. Bucher's playful series of Daily Monsters, which recently concluded with number 200.
Mike Lenhart | May 11, 2008, 10:46 AMSwayed By A Logo
There's been a lot of presidential buzz going on this year, and it's not even the fall voting season yet. Quite frankly, I'm tired of the whole thing. However, being the design-and-visual-minded person that I am, I have been able to cut through the rhetoric and grandstanding and take a peek at what really matters - the presidential logos.
