Journal archive (2007–2018)
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What does it mean to be a designer in today’s corporate-driven, over-branded global consumer culture? The following is an excerpt from the introduction to Steven Heller and Véronique Vienne’s Citizen Designer: Perspectives on Design Responsibility. So, what is the responsibility…
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The iconic film posters of Bill Gold
American graphic designer Bill Gold, who created posters for hundreds of Hollywood’s most renowned films, died aged 97 on May 20th, 2018, in Greenwich, Connecticut. One of America’s most successful poster designers began his career at the age of 20,…
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Pricing Creativity: A Guide to Profit Beyond the Billable Hour
Blair Enns, author of The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, has released a new title, Pricing Creativity. Blair was happy for me to share an excerpt. Pricing Creativity, Rule #2: Offer Options One of the biggest pricing mistakes that creative professionals…
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Canada Modern
Canada Modern is a physical and digital archive of modernist Canadian graphic design, focusing on the period 1960—1985. It’s the culmination of Blair Thomson’s long-held ambition to curate a comprehensive national cache, whilst addressing the absence of any such resource…
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Identity Designed, the book
The Identity Designed hardcover (published by Rockport, available from January 2019) aims to uncover the most valuable details about what it takes to create a compelling visual identity. Since the Identity Designed website was launched in 2010, it’s been a…
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Ivan Chermayeff, rest in peace
As one of America’s most celebrated graphic designers, Ivan Chermayeff helped to define the creation of modern day corporate identity. I was sad to hear that Ivan Chermayeff passed away on December 2nd, 2017 at the age of 85. While…
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The first Annual Brand of the Year
The pink, cat-eared “pussyhat” that became the icon of the Women’s March in January has been announced as the first ever “Brand of the Year” by SVA Masters in Branding Chair Debbie Millman. In 1964, the late Marshall McLuhan coined,…
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Desk space and design kit
A quick look at some of the kit I use and recommend. I’ve worked from home since 2005. The home’s changed six or seven times — one reason why a minimal approach is helpful — but there’s some standard gear…
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France passes law that says Photoshopped images must have a disclaimer
The law means that any models appearing in commercial photography whose bodies have been made thinner or thicker using image software must be labelled with “Photographie retouchée” (edited photograph). France isn’t the first country to legislate on image editing in…
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On recycled paper and “green” printing
From her new book Designing for Print, Marina Poropat Joyce answers questions on the environmental footprint of recycled paper compared to virgin paper. It’s not necessarily better to choose the former. Is recycled paper more environmentally friendly? A few factors…