The guys over at The Denver Egotist were nice enough to feature me in their local talent series, Helping Denver Suck Less.

In little more than a year, The Egotist has become THE blog for all things advertising and design in the Denver region, and most importantly, has fostered a growing discourse among creatives in the area.

Thanks for the honor, Egotists!

My recommendations for 2008 — 10 Dos and Don’ts for design success in the coming year.

1. Taste the Rainbow

Many of us make a habit of sticking with just a few trusted colors and palettes, and in turn, our design solutions all start feeling the same. Don’t limit your color explorations — sometimes a radical departure in color will lead to exciting and unexpected results. And in case you didn’t notice…big color is in.

Two of the best online color tools:

Adobe Kuler — This color tool by Adobe Labs sets the bar — browse thousands of great color palettes or create your own with this wonderfully designed website. Kuler’s interface is extremely intelligent, and you can easily download your creations for use in Adobe programs.

myPANTONE — This is Pantone’s “online creative community for sharing color information and trends” CA. This tool is designed to work with the new Goe System and also provides lots of extras like color trends and techniques.

2. Read Cradle to Cradle

This one may seem a bit outdated given that this book was first published in 2002, but even six years later, its content couldn’t be more relevant, or valuable.

Cradle to Cradle is a Bible of Sustainability. German chemist Michael Braungart and architect William McDonough argue that the traditional view of “Reduce, reuse, recycle” does nothing but perpetuate a “cradle to grave” manufacturing model — a model that has resulted in unnecessary waste since the Industrial Revolution. The authors challenge the notion that industry must inevitably lead to any waste at all.

Instead, Braungart and McDonough suggest a “cradle to cradle” model, in which like nature itself, “waste equals food.” They argue that after any product’s useful life, it can provide either biological or technical nourishment for something else. From carpet to sneakers, Cradle to Cradle demonstrates that this new way of thinking benefits not only the environment, but commerce as well.

Cradle to Cradle is a must-read for any graphic designer who’s seriously committed to reducing the damage caused by print and packaging. The book itself is even printed on a durable synthetic paper that can be recycled with no decrease in material quality.

3. Define ‘Design’

When someone asks you “What is design?”, how do you respond? Many designers fumble around for a concise explanation of exactly what it is that we do — maybe some don’t really know to begin with. After all, design can be a rather broad and abstract subject. But if you’re going to call yourself a professional designer, you should be able to communicate what design is: even if it’s not technically correct, a concrete definition can remind you of your mission and clarify your craft.

My favorite comes from Don Newgren, a former professor of design at York University: “Design is intelligence made visible.” Define ‘design’ for yourself this year, and if you need some help, check out this great archive of design quotes.

4. Design Something for Free

There are a lot of products, services, and causes out there that could use some good design…a lot. Get charitable and donate your services to someone; a logo, a poster — anything. It doesn’t have to be big to make a difference. Not only will you be performing a good deed, but you’ll also help cultivate appreciation of good design. Tip: look to a non-profit — most of them are clueless when it comes to the quality of their visual system.

5. Banish Brush Script

Lots of designers like to pick on Comic Sans, and rightfully so, but lately I’ve seen an alarmingly prevalent use of Brush Script. Most of its application has been limited to a number of unremarkable amateur designs, but lately it’s popped up in print and broadcast designs for some pretty big companies.

As far as scripts go, the typeface isn’t completely horrible, but its incredible overuse has killed any personality that it may have once had. Do the world a favor and delete it from any computer that you may come across, then try replacing it with one of these superior scripts: Kinescope, Bello, FF Market.

6. Practice What You Preach

The ability to effectively communicate is an essential skill for a graphic designer, unfortunately, when it comes to communicating for ourselves as opposed to our clients, many of us suck. Make 2008 a year of renewed civility:

– If someone calls you, return the call promptly (I’d say no more than a day in most cases). You wouldn’t blow them off in person would you? So why would you over the phone?

– If something is really important, speak to someone, don’t hide behind an e-mail.

– Avoid texting at all costs except for the occasional ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘movie at 5.’ Why? Look at kids these days — soon an entire generation will be unable to speak to each other in person.

– Never, never, never answer your cell phone at the dinner table. Amazingly rude.

– This one is for students: be honest with your critiques; no one needs lip service. If you think something is bad, say so. Hiding your opinion in an attempt to save someone’s feelings will just hinder their growth.

7. Say No! to Spec

Spec work, or work done on the speculation that you will eventually be paid for the job if the client likes what you’ve done, is not only bad for the design industry, but also devalues your skills as a designer. It’s basically like working for free, and unless you’re operating under the spirit of my 4th resolution, it’s not only unethical, but unproductive as well.

Good design requires a true investment of time, energy, and investigation — things that are difficult to give when there’s no promise of compensation. Unfortunately, many clients don’t understand this, nor do they realize that spec work often leads to work that is under-informed and under-developed.

Take a stand against spec work this year by logging on to NO!SPEC, an online initiative that promotes professional, ethical business practices within the visual communication industry by saying NO! to spec. There’s loads of information about why spec is wrong, and what you can do to fight it.

8. Use Recycled

The reasons for not using recycled paper are running thin these days: it’s eco-friendly; it requires less energy to produce; recycled paper is often equal in performance and quality to virgin paper; and it costs only slightly more if not the same as conventional paper. Convincing your client may be difficult, but an informed recommendation may just win them over.

For more information on recycled paper and printing check out the AIGA Center for Sustainable Design.

9. Get Your Hands on Meta Serif

This should be self-explanatory, but if it’s not, read here.

10. Enlighten Your Fellow Man

2007 was a huge year for design in the public eye: the iPhone, Clearview, One Laptop per Child, Helvetica. The average Joe is finally starting to understand and appreciate the importance of good design, but there’s still a long way to go. Use 2008 to build on last year’s momentum. I recommend starting with a family viewing of this.

Happy New Year from twenty5ive!

Just as a young quarterback studies film of the NFL greats that came before him, a designer’s education would not be complete without understanding how other designers have met challenges in the past, and what they thought of the results. Personal Views, an unparalleled series of lectures from ESAD, is a fantastic resource for doing just this.

In only 4 years, this impressive program from the Escola Superior de Artes e Design in Portugal has gathered 36 of the world’s best designers, writers, and educators, and will host 9 more in 2008 — an impressive feat. These professionals are asked to talk about “values and objectives that have meaning for them.”

Program coordinator Andrew Howard explains:

“A lot has changed in the world of graphic design over the past 15 to 20 years. The tools with which we make things, which are also the tools we use to think with, have been revolutionised. What was held to be true and fundamental in design has become open to question and challenge. Differing sets of values and theoretical models now compete for acceptance and perhaps the strongest effect has been felt within design education.

Considering these changes it seemed important within the context of a design college, to ask whether traditional concepts of design are still legitimate, whether the very idea of orthodoxy – that there is a standard approach to design – has been replaced by a range of personal preferences. It’s within this context that the Personal Views seminar series was conceived, and from which it draws its title.”

The companion website is superbly designed and very functional. Full-length Quicktime videos are available from lecture 28 and on — highlights include Neville Brody, Erik Spiekermann, and Ellen Lupton.

Personal Views is a truly invaluable resource for any designer, especially young designers, and is a great way to kill an hour of free time. Kudos to Andrew Howard and ESAD — hopefully they have set a standard for other design schools to follow.

Illustration from the cover of Pentagram’s 2008 Typography Calendar.

Human beings have been tracking the passage of time for more than 6,000 years. From the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, and Mayans, up to present-day, we have continued to refine systems that enable us to organize the passage of days, months, and years. Calendars help us plan our schedules, record our history, and observe our holidays. But for everything the calendar does, it is perhaps one of the least appreciated pieces of information design in existence, and often times, one of the worst-designed as well.

We’ve all seen them. Walk into any mall and within 5 minutes you will find yourself standing in front of a kiosk selling hundreds of varieties of the most pitiful print designs you’ve ever seen. 365 Puppies and Thomas Kinkade 2008…Oh god, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. They are dull, predominantly squarish, covered in drop shadows and cheap fonts, and generally forgettable. Their grids are generically composed, their typography is bland, and rarely do they actually inspire us to write anything in them.

But why do so many of these calendars continue to exist? Is it the generally poor taste of the populace? Laziness? Or are people just unaware that better alternatives exist? It’s probably a combination of each. And like most types of information design, many people simply don’t consider that a calendar can be more than just a functional document which is decorated only as an afterthought, and rarely actually designed.

Why can’t a calendar be stylish? Why can’t it be a part of our homes’ decor? Shouldn’t a calendar dramatically indicate the date, instead of just plainly hold it on the page? A calendar can easily be all of these things, and if you look a little further than the local shopping center, you’re sure to find some.

Here’s a list of some of my favorite calendars for 2008. Grab one for your home or office, and start the new year off right.

Cats Let Nothing Darken Their Roar 2008, by designer Noa Bembibre. A wonderfully bold and entertaining calendar. This is one of those designs that makes you say “why didn’t I think of that?”

Pentagram’s 2008 Classic Typographic Calendar designed by Kit Hinrichs, using twelve typefaces designed by typographer Matthew Carter. Highly functional. Highly sophisticated.

SusyJack Mini. 12 Abstract designs contrast the super-clean text. Printed on narrow Bristol cards. Buy it here.

Formosa Wall Calendar. Designed by the multi-talented Italian designer Enzo Mari in 1967 for Danese Milano, Italy, the Formosa Wall Calendar has become one of the classic icons of 20th Century Design and can be found in museum collections worldwide. Made of anodized aluminum and lithographed PVC. A whopping $250! Something tells me Massimo Vignelli would like this one. Buy it here.

Snow & Graham’s beautiful wall calendar. Simple, elegant illustrations and Oldstyle typography printed with 12 hand mixed inks. Buy it here.

2008 Turtle Papers Calendar. Lovely illustrations of birds and florals in a range of colors from their latest stationary line, printed on brochure-sized cards. Buy it here.

MoMA Acrylic Perpetual Calendar. Two Lucite blocks create this simple perpetual calendar. One slides past the other to indicate the day and month, allowing for use year after year. Genius. Buy it here.

2008 Botanical Desk Calendar, Little Tree Press. This exquisite desk calendar is letterpress printed on 100% cotton rag paper with a deep impression.

A Year in the Kitchen. A clever calendar depicting everyday kitchen objects. Whimsical meets modern. Buy it here.

Seasprayblue 2008 — featuring 12 highly imaginative illustrations by this Dresden artist. Buy it here.

Jumping Point calendar — created in 1975 by Michael Domberger to mark the passing of a day by punching out a small circle and exposing the vivid color underneath. Buy it here.

Imbroglio Calendar by Jean Pierre Vitrac. A moveable magnet reveals the date. Mmm…type tricks. Buy it here.

For more great calendars check out etsy.com. They have an endless selection by designers and print shops from around the world.

And if you’re really up for a calendar that’s sure to create conversation, head over to MarthaStewart.com to learn how to make your own Chalkboard Wall Calendar. There’s a complete how-to guide. There’s no way you’ll miss a deadline with this thing.

Additional Resource

Do you know how December go its name? It’s from the word decem, meaning ten, because it was the 10th month in the old Roman calendar. Check out Calendars Through The Ages. Everything you would want to know about calendars can be found here.

There’s a new trend in wine that has nothing to do with the grapes, but it may have the biggest effect on consumer experience in years. The cork — used to plug up bottles of wine for almost 2,000 years – may be on it’s way out, and the ramifications could go far beyond just the taste of your next glass of Pinot.

Yes, the cork…we collect them, put them in jars, frame them behind glass, or turn them into cutting boards. Others simply throw them away after a quick smell. Whatever we do with them, everybody associates a cork with wine — it is an inseparable bond. A cork is more than a stopper: it is a guardian, a master of ceremonies, a memento. But despite the cork’s esteemed reputation, it’s beginning to be displaced by a new closure…and a new experience.

Aluminum screwcaps, and other new closures, are beginning to gain ground in the wine industry. The reason? Cork, which comes from a tree grown in the Mediterranean, is vulnerable to mold that can cause a bottle of wine to smell musty and taste of wet cardboard — ‘cork taint’. Most experts believe that around 2-5% of all wine is tainted – some California winemakers put that estimate as high as 20%! That can mean a lot of wasted time and revenue, and it can put a bad taste in consumers’ mouthes.

The explosion in wine’s popularity since the 90s greatly increased demand for cork, a difficult crop to grow, increasing its price and scarcity, and in many cases, decreasing quality control. This combined with the risk of cork taint prompted many winemakers to begin seeking a new closure method, and the screwcap is it.

Screwcaps block more oxygen than cork and can offer more controlled aging. Cork on the other hand is natural, and its cell structure varies, thus it is less consistent when it comes to protection against oxygen. Screwcaps also cost less: corks can range from 13-75 cents each depending on quality, while screwcaps only cost 10-18 cents each. Most importantly, screwcaps have no potential for mold. Many vintners and wine enthusiasts are starting to agree that screwcaps equal better wine and better business. In fact, demand for natural cork was down 20% between 2000 and 2005. In New Zealand, 90% of all domestic wine is now sealed with screwcaps. Even high-end vineyards in the States are beginning to switch over.

Companies like Alcan Packaging are finding ways to dress up the screwcap, which many believe is now the best way to seal a bottle of wine. Even $100+ bottles are sporting the new hats.

Smoking Loon, widely-known for its synthetic orange Neocork, is a division of Don Sebastiani & Sons. The company uses modern closures for all of its products, including screwcaps and the unique Zork.

Cork’s Future

Despite the screwcap’s new following, cork’s future may still be bright. Quality has improved over the last 10 years as growers have begun to feel the pressure. Many conservationists also support cork: without cork demand, millions of acres of land would no longer be needed and would become susceptible to threats like fire and overgrazing, which is why the World Wildlife Fund launched “Choose Cork” in 2004. Cork is sustainable, and productive cork trees are never cut down and are only harvested every 10 years. Even the FSC has gotten involved — the first FSC-certified corks hit the States this past fall. The cork industry also provides 100,000 jobs, many of which would be lost if screwcaps take over.

Perhaps the biggest argument for cork has nothing to do with jobs or the environment, but rather its value as a design element. Many would agree that much of the experience of drinking wine is in the ritual of serving it — slicing away the capsule, the twist of a corkscrew, that familiar ‘Pop’ sound as we struggle to pull away the last remaining barrier between ourselves and liquid bliss — and finally, the aristocratic inspection of a uniquely emblazoned plug. The cork, often overlooked and unappreciated, is a vital component to the celebration of wine.

What would become of the wine experience without the cork? Whether it’s a party at your favorite bistro or a romantic meal at home, the screwcap just doesn’t seem to bring out the drama. “In terms of the theater of table-side service,” says Andrew Bell, president of the American Sommelier Association, “…having a wine person from that establishment present the bottle and then unscrew the cap takes away from the experience.” Still not buying the significance of cork? In a 2004 study, 62% of Americans surveyed said “cheap” was the first word that came to mind when they thought of a screwtop wine bottle.

First Impressions: Once the capsule is removed from a traditional bottle of wine, the cork still needs to be pulled. With a screwcap, what you see is what you get — twist and enjoy.

Corks, each with their own branded seals, signatures, and ornaments, are priceless pieces of design ephemera. They express qualities that simply can’t be found in other closures — a sense of history and tradition, of handcraft, and distinction. Each is a little trophy in honor of the ‘good life’. Corks are an organic counterpart to the juice found within; they are timekeepers, and a fragile reminder of all the effort that went into what’s contained inside. As they stain red and fragment to pieces, corks remind us that while our consumption of the wine may have been brief, the process that brings it to our mouthes is long and storied.

It is yet to be seen whether or not screwcaps and other stoppers like the Zork can achieve what the cork has. And while most would agree that screwcaps are a technical improvement to the preservation of wine, I doubt they will ever contribute to the attraction of wine as the cork has. As designers, we must ask ourselves where product value is most important — in the quality of the product itself, or in the perception and enjoyment of the product in the consumer’s mind? Screwcaps may elevate the quality of the wine, but they may also detract from the reasons for drinking it in the first place.

Extras

Great Flickr photoset of cork graphics
Some award-winning designs featuring screwcaps
Putting A Cap On Wine Corks – TIME
A Corking Dilemma – Forbes

Watch Vive Le Screwcap

An informative, scientific, and comedic attempt to explain the virtues of the screwcap. By Bonny Doon Vineyard.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSlmjxQkJRE[/youtube]

In my search for a job (still ongoing…), I’ve literally traveled coast to coast, visiting some of the best design studios in the country. From Duffy & Partners to Go Welsh, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of the brightest minds in the profession, and see the places behind the names. For my first segment of Studio Tours, I’ll take you inside id29 – one of my favorite stops from this past summer. A small studio on the banks of the Hudson River in Troy, NY, id29 is proof that good things come in small packages.

From the moment you set foot inside id29, you’ll feel at ease. I arrived on a sunny afternoon in October, a few hours late thanks to a delayed connecting flight. As I made my way up the steps to their studio I was greeted with a pint of Pumpkin Ale, fresh from the tap of Brown’s Brewing Co., id29’s next door neighbor and and one of their favorite clients. It was a kind gesture from a firm that stresses occupational enjoyment over financial gain.

Fortunately for id29, fun and success have gone hand in hand for the seven-person operation. Fresh off their work for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows campaign, this four-year-old firm has achieved a lot in a short time. Clients include Merlin bicycles, Pitney Bowes, Mohawk Paper, and The Case Foundation, among others — and their work has appeared in Print and the prestigious Lürzer’s Archive. They’ve already moved into a bigger space on Troy’s dynamic River Street too. It’s all the result of some very hard work, and of course, exceptional designs.

The studio, converted from a former collar factory, is filled with fun chairs, toys, and signs. Designers share an open space for easy communication. Sizable desks are crafted from nothing more than steel legs and a beautiful slab of wood.

One might think that this kind of rapid success might go to their heads, but you’d be wrong. Having spent a couple of days with the gang at id29, I can tell you that people come first for these designers. Doug Bartow, principal at id29 and one of a select few to graduate from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, picked me up at the airport personally — an uncommon courtesy. Doug’s co-principal and the studio’s very own ‘Lance Armstrong’, Michael Fallone, even made sure the Ale was ready to help me unwind when I arrived — and unwind I did.

We casually discussed backgrounds, shared travel stories, and looked at each other’s work as music played in the background via a community iTunes library. It was just the sort of friendly atmosphere that permeates through id29 on a daily basis; an atmosphere that belies the outstanding quality of work coming out of this place.

The creatives, including designers Bryan Kahrs and Susan Merrick, bring a diverse set of skills and sensibilities to the table: illustration, photomontage, original typefaces, clever copywriting — there are no weaknesses at id29 when it comes to executing a concept, and each client’s solution is as expert as it is original.

Style and approach runs the gamut at id29, while consistently maintaining a focus on communication and client success. For this innovative campaign for Mohawk Paper, simple visual metaphors were developed, then shot by a local photographer. For ‘Coated’, liquid chocolate was chilled until it had just the right amount of gooeyness.

Advertisement for Merlin bicycles. Experimentation is common at id29, where they constantly push the expression of typography.

After a few more Pumpkin Ales and conversation ranging from typography to Boston Terriers, we set off for dinner at José Malone’s, a pleasantly strange Mexican-Irish restaurant, followed by drinks at Ryan’s Wake, a classic Irish pub on River Street. I was treated like an old friend by the group as we argued over taste in music and sports loyalties. It doesn’t take long to understand why huge companies like Scholastic have recently joined forces with the small and imaginative shop. Their combination of hospitality and great talent is magnetic. id29 has created an atmosphere in which relationships and creativity can truly flourish, and the results are clear.

id29 tackles everything from print and identity to packaging and environments for a diverse list of clients ranging from local arts organizations to national brands. Their small size means that everyone has creative control, and everyone gets a chance to fully immerse themselves in each project.

For Brown’s Brewing Co., the designers actually went pubcrawling in London with the brewery’s owner for inspiration — it’s just the kind of personal dedication that goes into every project at id29, whether for a local restaurant or one of the biggest publishing companies in the US.

Bottle labels, coasters and tap handles for one of northeast’s premier craft brewers. Period typography and scratchboard illustrations fit perfectly with the town’s industrial past.

1) Invitations for an architecturally-inspired masquerade ball – guests could actually cut out their own mask. 2) Corporate Volunteering Handbook for The Case Foundation, founded by AOL’s Steve Case.

1) Logo for Falling Anvil Studios. A simple manipulation of orientation adds interest without decreasing legibility. 2) Logo for Revolution.

Before I even got to id29, they were nice enough to mail me a copy of ‘How To Be A Better Client,’ a limited edition book and comical guide to the ins-and-outs of the client/firm relationship. Highlights include ‘Cool Ways to Sit at a Meeting’ and ‘Rosie O’Donnell vs. Martha Stewart.’

For more information about id29, check out these links:

id29.com
Small Business, Big Clients
Working Hard…

This poster, a one-color design printed on gray paper stock, clearly communicates a shocking statistic. The letterforms were filled with a pattern as opposed to a solid in order to demonstrate how little ink is actually needed to transmit an effective message.

The poster in and of itself also takes a shot at the industries responsible for the inflated price of color ink; as a recent student, I can attest to the fact that many designers, especially student-designers, are often forced to diminish their designs because of cost.

So how do we as designers make the most of the situation? The following are some practical advantages to reduced-color design.

Production

One and two-color designs are easier, quicker, and cheaper to print. They are well suited to a number of materials, and present well on cheap substrates such as cardboard. Reduced color designs can easily be screenprinted, converted to embossing or engraving, and can be used with many other types of output. Often times, presses aren’t even required as a home printer or a Kinko’s copier can do just as well with these types of design.

Designs can also be easily varied by simply swapping out an ink, changing the paper color, or combining different variations of the same design. Whether it’s a logo or a wine bottle, seasonal or special editions of a design often need nothing more than a color substitution.

Cost

A significant amount of money can be saved by designing for a limited amount of colors. Less ink is used, less press time, and often, less precision is required compared to printing full-color designs. Lower costs allow clients to spend more money on paper, quantity, or other extras, like die-cuts or varnishes — or simply pocket the savings. Eliminating even one color can often cut costs in half.

Environmental

Eliminating inks from the waste stream can significantly decrease pollution. Printing with fewer inks also uses less resources, less energy, and eliminates many of the harmful by-products created by presses. Also, by avoiding specific inks, certain Volatile Organic Compounds can be kept out of the environment and the printed product retains its recyclability.

For more information on eco-friendly printing:
Printing Green: 12 Things You Need to Know

Archive Type, a wonderful type foundry specializing in historic reproductions, has recently released the beautiful Archive Thermo.

Thermo is a deliciously simple Art Deco typeface based on specimens originally found in a 1930s American Typefounders Catalog. A “clean cut, sans serif with geometric proportions” and the “elegance of a human touch,” Thermo is listed as a display font, but also lends itself well to text sizes. The typeface has a svelte legibility and just enough irregularity to add a subtle, handmade feel to the font.

The font contains alternate characters of varying widths that can be freely combined, and best of all, it’s only $20! More images after the jump…