David Airey

Author: David Airey

  • When asking for a design critique

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    David Airey
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    Designers often ask me for feedback on their work, but in many cases they’re asking the wrong question. Don’t show two logos and ask, “Which one’s best?” What does the client do? How do they want to be seen? Why? And it’s always easier to offer an opinion when designs are shown in context, i.e.,…

  • What employers look for #4

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    David Airey
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    The fourth installment is from Simon Manchipp, co-founder at London-based SomeOne. Everyone is a graphic designer these days. Everyone has chosen the colour of their wallpaper, curtains, or the colour of their car. So everyone thinks they are qualified to make graphic judgements. After 10 years in advertising I found a similar thing with music…

  • What employers look for #3

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    David Airey
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    From Rochelle Fainstein, digital marketing manager in the Manhattan office of Sterling Brands. Whenever we post a design job listing at Sterling, we always point out how important it is to us for you to possess four core values: Be brave, be productive, be collaborative, and be creative. These values are what truly connect us…

  • What employers look for #2

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    David Airey
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    From Jim Walls, executive creative director of Philadelphia and Los Angeles-based branding agency 160over90. Inside 160over90’s Philly studio 160over90 has been damn lucky. Steady growth over 10+ years means we’ve had at least one open design position in Philadelphia at any one time for at least the past five years. Now that we’ve opened a…

  • What employers look for #1

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    David Airey
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    Finding your ideal job in the design profession isn’t easy, so to help, I asked a number of design employers to give advice to job applicants. First up is Eric Karjaluoto, partner and creative director at Vancouver-based smashLAB. Inside smashLAB Oodles… That’s the best term I can use to describe the number of aspiring designers…

  • Identify, by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv

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    David Airey
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    In Identify, designers Tom Geismar and Ivan Chermayeff, and partner Sagi Haviv, open their studio for the first time in the firm’s 55-year history, revealing the creative process that led to some of the world’s most well-known marks. “Identity design is not about what one likes or dislikes. It’s about what works.” There’s a preface…

  • How to get 87,698 blog subscribers in five years

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    David Airey
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    I started this blog in 2006, not really knowing what I was doing. According to FeedBurner stats, the RSS subscriber count has risen to 87,698, and here are a few things I’ve learned along the way. 1/ Focus on what you enjoy Two things here; focus and enjoyment. When you focus your content on a…

  • The stories behind car brand names

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    David Airey
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    Etymology is the study of the history of words. Here are a few choice picks from the automotive industry. Alfa Romeo – the company was originally known as ALFA, an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. When Nicola Romeo bought ALFA in 1915, his surname was appended. (photo credit) Aston Martin – from the “Aston…

  • A short break in Tenerife

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    David Airey
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    Photos from Tenerife, and the Parque Nacional del Teide. Such a beautiful place.

  • Where to find the right designer

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    David Airey
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    There’s a huge variety of designers available for all levels of investment, from budgets in the hundreds to those in the hundreds of thousands. The more effort you put into finding the right designer, the more likely it is you’ll get the level of design you deserve. As I’m not always the right fit for…