Lists

I am a creative type. In general that means that I am free flowing and when ideas pop into my brain I run with them. But there is this part of me that is extremely meticulous. One might even venture to say compulsive. Here’s the thing: I love lists and there are parts of my life in which I cannot function without a list. 

Grocery shopping is one of those areas. I plan out my meals for the week. I compose a list of grocery items I will need from the store. To my husband’s annoyance, I will ONLY buy what is on my list. I go through the store methodically. And then when I go to check out I organize my items on the conveyor belt as to how I think they should be put in the bag. Whether the items go into the bag in the right way is up to the cashier. Seven times out of ten, the cashier bags it wrong (at least according to my standards).

It is particularly frustrating when I go to all of this effort and they combine items in strange ways such as vegetables with frozen foods or worse bread or eggs with something heavy! It really makes me mad if they overload my bags and the bags break before I can get them from my car to my kitchen.

You may be asking yourself, “What does this tirade have to do with design?” Well there is a connection. Designers have to be creative, but they also have to plan. If there is no plan things that do not belong together get lumped together to form a disaster.

Logos and images must match what the text is saying. If you just throw a bunch of random information on a page it would equal disaster.

Sure there are moments of pure creativity but those moments are best used in conjunction with a plan - a way to organize your ideas and thoughts. Don’t be fooled into thinking that being creative and creative license gives you a free pass to not think.

Life Shapes

Have you seen the Life Shapes Hyundai commercial? It is one of my favorites. 

The Pilobolus dancers use interpretive dance to illustrate several life shapes: musical instruments, a bicylce, an opera singer, a tent, a see saw and finally the Hyundai Sante Fe.

At the end, the dancers fade and the actual vehicle appears with the only commentary in the entire video: "The new Hyundai Sante Fe. Flexible. Agile. For whatever shape life takes."

This commercial is an unconventional example of how to convey a message with images.

What is Graphic Design?

With the current availability of computers and software, there are a lot of people who have begun to consider themselves to be designers. While it is wonderful that more people have these opportunities, it should be noted that graphic design is a process that should be taken seriously. 

Graphic design is more than just slapping something together for a brochure or presentation. When used correctly, graphic design should cause someone to think. It should evoke emotion. It should make you want to act.

Paint with More Colors

I don’t claim to know much about music. Actually beyond my personal music collection and preferences I know very little. However I do know a lot about design and I can recognize good design in its various formats.

 

Awhile ago Ethos3 worked on a marketing piece for O’brien Amps. What struck me about this company is that they perceived a problem in the design in existing amps and they set about to create an amp that would meet their needs and desires. “…there are a bunch of great amps out there, but they all made me feel like a painter with only two colors on the palette. It's the in-betweens that matter, the tones that you just can't get to with a channel switching amp. The in-betweens allow you to truly express yourself,” - Tim O'Brien.

Tim knew there had to be a way to create a great product out of something that had been around for a while. He wanted to be able to express himself musically with a simplified amp that would give him more control and allow him to paint with more colors. To me good design is all about simplifying and making things more beautiful and easier to use.

It is okay to stumble.

Recently in my step aerobics class, I decided that it was about time for me to increase the intensity of my workout. So I decided to increase my step from my regular 6” to 8”. In theory this was a good idea. I work out regularly and I need to take it to the next level. Well the reality was that about half-way through the class, when I was getting tired, I stumbled and actually missed the step and started to fall. I was able to recover without actually falling, but not before others noticed and twisting my ankle in the process. A couple of people stopped their workout to ask me if I was okay but most people just kept on doing what they were doing, ignoring what had happened to me. I was able to get back on my step and finish the class, even though I felt a bit clumsy and foolish.

"You may fall or stumble and if you are lucky, someone will be there to give you a helping hand or to offer encouragement."

This experience got me to thinking about life. There are times that you will take risks or you decide to try something that is new or out of your comfort zone. You might accept a new job or decide to quit a current job to pursue your own thing. You may make design, marketing or business decisions that don’t go the way you anticipate. You may fall or stumble and if you are lucky, someone will be there to give you a helping hand or to offer encouragement. More likely than not, the earth will keep spinning and most people will keep doing what they do. The good news is that it is okay to stumble. You might even learn something from it. The best thing you can do is to get back on your feet and keep trying.

Blogging is fairly new to me, so I may stumble. Hopefully I will always keep trying. I would like to use this blog to share my views and thoughts about design and life in general. I hope that you can learn from my ideas and that you will teach me as well.

NoDa Gallery Crawl

Last night Daniel surprised me by taking me to the Gallery Crawl in NoDa. On the first and third Friday of every month, all of the local art galleries open their doors after hours so that you can come in and see the art.

NoDa is a historic area that has been transformed into the arts district. It is very bohemium. Charlotte is basically a pretty city, so occasionally it is nice to go somewhere that has a little flare. NoDa reminds me a lot of Asheville, NC.

Visiting art galleries is not Daniel's favorite thing to do, but there were some pretty cool metal sculptures and turned wood pieces that he appreciated. In one gallery we found a bust and a life-size golfer made completely out of rusted washers and nuts that had been welded together. In another gallery we found some sculptural pieces made out of car parts. Another gallery had a bench that had been made out of one piece of wood with excellent craftsmandship. So overall we both had a good time.

Afterwards, we came home, watched a movie and fell asleep on the couch.

Meeting at City Club

So I am not really a "country club" kind of girl. In fact I sometimes wonder how I get by in Charlotte where it is common for people to live in million dollar homes and drive expensive cars. I actually had a meeting on Tuesday with a stylist to do some graphic design for - I am not exactly stylish so I am not sure what she thought of me.

Anyways, last night I had a dinner meeting at City Club in Uptown Charlotte. I have only been to City Club once before and that was for a company Christmas party. The restaurant is at the top of one of the buidlings Uptown. The view of the city is great, even at night, and the food was delicious. I definitely felt out of my element though.

When I drove Uptown last night to the meeting, nobody had told me that the center of Uptown would be closed since they are setting the streets up for "A Taste of Charlotte" and City Club was right in the middle of all of the chaos. I could not get to the appropriate parking garage and had to park 2 city blocks away at the Dublin Hotel. I had assumed I would be able to park in the building and did not wear appropriate shoes. So now both of my feet have blisters from the extra walking.