Sustainable Graphic Design

With today being Earth Day, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss sustainable graphic design. Sustainable graphic design is more than just recycled paper and soy based inks. It is considering a project’s entire life cycle and the resources used from beginning to end. Designers are constantly thinking “outside the box” creating fresh and innovative designs. Now we need to start thinking about the box using our creativity to promote greener design solutions and smart business decisions.

Renourish is a website that reaches out to designers by providing an online resource to help designers make more sustainable choices on their projects.  Led by Eric Benson, Yvette Perullo and Jess Sand, Renourish’s objective is to push the graphic design industry towards making sustainable design decisions part of every design projects and not just the “green” projects. Renourish provides tools such as a project calculator and paper finder. It also features projects and studios that have met Renourish standards for sustainability, as well as provide information and roadmaps that promote greener graphic design. If there is one thing you do today, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to check out this site, re-nourish.com

Green Graphic Design by Brian Dougherty of Celery Design Collaborative is another excellent resource for designers who want to learn how to incorporate sustainability in everyday design projects. Dougherty uses the avocado as a metaphor to describe the designer’s role in graphic design: designer as the manipulator of stuff, designer as the message maker and designer as an agent of change. Using these three factors, he applies them towards sustainability and the “range of possibilities as a green designer is directly related to how you define your role as a designer.” We are all familiar with thinking about the materials being used but what about the message being delivered and how that message influences our audience.

Changing the way we design means changing the way we brainstorm. Dougherty encourages a brainstorm process of NGISED, “designing backwards.”  Although we typically do not like to think that what we have worked so hard on ends up in the trash, it is the reality we must face. Designing backwards may sound discouraging but potentially it will put more value in our work. Considering the destiny of our designs will dictate the most effective way to deliver the message and the materials used to make it (and deliver it) this will allow us to somewhat foresee and plan our end project’s destiny. In other words if your project’s inevitable destiny is the landfill, you’ll know to stay clear of materials such as certain plastics and finishes that could contaminate our landscape further. Green Graphic Design is an easy read and I highly recommend it to designers. Green design is good design. Happy Earth Day everyone! k

Dougherty, Brian. Green Graphic Design. New York: Allworth Press, 2008. Print.

Creative Bleed turns 1

new logo design for creative bleed

Creative Bleed turns 1! A year ago today marks the anniversary of the first post on Creative Bleed. It has been a challenge coming up with good content on a weekly basis, at least more then anticipated especially with the events that have taken place in my personal life in the last year. However, this challenge is welcomed and my passion for art and design keeps me motivated to keep blogging. What to expect from Creative Bleed this year:

New look: I am currently working on a new look for Creative Bleed, that I hope to have ready in the next few months.

Content: There are two subjects that Creative Bleed will focus more on in the next year:

• Local (Bay Area/Northern California) art and design
• Sustainable art and design

Of course, as always your comments and suggestions are much appreciated. Also if you or know someone who would like their work to be featured on Creative Bleed please feel free to email me at creativebleed@gmail.com. I am currently looking for artists and designers who would like to show off their work and/or work space. And of course THANK YOU all for reading and your support! k

PS: I may be testing out new WP themes, because the current theme has a few bugs with Fire Fox that I find annoying. But at some point I would like to design my own theme for creative bleed. Feedback is always appreciated.

Plastic World

Last weekend we checked out the San Jose Museum of Art. SJMA is one of my favorite museum because of it’s size. It’s the perfect size museum to check out all their exhibits and really enjoy it. It’s also great if you have little ones. They always have a few hands-on exhibits and the small size of the museum holds their attention span. We took our daughter who about 5 and half months. We took her out of the stroller so she could check things out and I think she liked looking at everything, especially the video exhibit New Stories from the Edge of Asia: Plastic Life. Personally I find it slightly painful to watch video installations in museums. I think it because I have the urge to sit in a big comfy chair and snack on butter popcorn. The idea of just standing there for the next 5 to 10 minutes I find agonizing. But I have to say these two artists caught my attention I watched both films all the way through, then I went home and watched them again.

The Soliloquist from Keats on Vimeo.

Click link above to watch animation.

Ma Kuang-Pei The Soliloquist animation caught my eye as I came around the dark corner of the exhibit. Using the sketchbook in his animation drew me in. The textured backgrounds and water colors are beautiful and really set a whimsy mood for loneliness. The way things float and feel weightless coincides with the storyline of loneliness and the void you feel when you lose someone. The Soliloquist illustrates a two dimensional world come to life. I hope to see more from this artist.

Tajin Takeuchi, A Wolf Loves Pork is a stop motion animation created from thousands of still photographs. Created in 2008, it is always great to see someone utilize analog techniques that takes so much time. This animation reminded me of the artist/photographer David Hockney as well as looked like something that would be on Sesame Street. This exhibit runs til September 19 at SJMA.

Hand-Painted Skateboards

Last month my husband and I decided to hand-paint a skate board for my brother’s birthday. Growing up skateboarding my husband favored the blank decks because not only were they affordable but he could draw what ever he wanted on them. (Too bad we don’t have any pictures of those old skateboards.) Anyways, so off we went to our local skate shop, 6 Twenty One to purchase a lone blank deck that no one seemed to want, according to one of the shop kids. Back at the house we made thumbnails of our ideas based around the one thing my brother is passionate about with the exception of skateboarding…DA BEARS.  So hence, we went Chicago style with the Chicago cityscape and the Bears logo. The two of us hand painted the board with acrylics, watercolor (later I found to be a big mistake) and sharpies. The Bears logo unfortunately is a decal we purchase, neither one of us had the balls to paint it but looking back I wished we had. We intentionally distressed the stripes and cityscape to give it that urban look. Needless to say my brother was stoked, he now had his very own personalized Bears skateboard, it truly one of a kind!

Surfing the web for hand painted decks, I came across these boards I thought I share by other creatives and skateboarders. Enjoy! K

Wegerbauer's Creative Team Deck Design Winner

Found on wegerbauer.com. Check out Eric Wegerbauer post on his Skateboard deck design, lots of cool boards and a great idea to boost up morale in a creative office. Click Here to read his post.

Mark Rivard "Cityscape"

Found on Sharpie’s Blog which is what led me to last weeks post about Sharpies. Skateboard Artist Mark Rivard uses sharpies to create his boards check out an interview with Mark on Sharpie’s Blog here, also check out his site, lots of cool board work at markrivardskateboardart.com.

Adam Khan's Khancept Decks

Found on spraygraphic.com Adam Kahn’s Kahncept decks uses spray paint and paint markers. Click here to see more of his work.

PS: If you have an idea for a post, know about any events or would like your work to be featured on creativebleed please email me. Thanks K.

Homage to the Sharpie

Awesome Dad, Derek Benson uses Sharpies to draw on his kid’s lunch bag.

The Sharpie is one of those objects I would have if I were to be stranded on a deserted island. Not saying I would necessarily bring it along knowingly (although after writing this I probably would), but it would have just found it’s way with me.  Like loose change and paperclips, I find them everywhere at the bottom of my purse, book bag, diaper bag and even my husband’s pockets. They accumulate in the drawers of our home, office, the cracks in the couch and I am sure to find them on the floor of my car. But unlike loose change or paperclips, Sharpies seem to have more value, at least for us anyways. We use them to write, to draw and to fix the scratches in our Ikea furniture. Sharpies are not only an extension of our hands but our brains. Sharpies make brainstorm sessions productive and bring tears during critiques, but making us better designers in the process. It’s the one tool that hasn’t change much and doesn’t take an IT person to fix. And like a pencil, its more than a tool but it’s own medium.

Prom in style! Amy and her date draw their prom get-up with Sharpies.

Sure there are other markers, but they are not like Sharpies. Sharpies are affordable and available almost everywhere: office supply stores, art supply stores, book stores, grocery stores, gas stations, I wouldn’t be surprised if Urban Outfitters sold them. They can be used on every surface such as paper, canvas, photographs, glass, wood, fabric, metal, clay, cement, plastic, fiber glass, etc…just to name a few. They work well with other materials and they can easily be taken anywhere (I’m pretty sure they are still allowed on planes.) They come in different weights and colors, you can recycle them and even personalize them. And if you visit their site you can explore all the beautiful things a Sharpie can do. I know, I sound like a spokesperson for Sharpie. But I am not and I didn’t get paid for this post. Like my Moleskine, Sharpies are another entity in my day to day life as well as many others. This is just simply my homage to the Sharpie…you complete me! K

Cheeming Boey uses styrfoam coffee cups and Sharpies
to make his intricate designs. FYI he goes through a Sharpie every 1-2 days.

Inspiration: Daily Drop Cap

ommiting to create something everyday is obviously a challenge but a great way to get your creative juices flowing, as well as explore the infinite possibilities of execution. It is also a great exercise in challenging yourself to think outside of the box and explore different techniques and tools. Many creatives are also publishing their daily commitments on blogs to not only share their explorations and promote their work but also to be held accountable for creating something new everyday. These blogs are fun and inspirational to take a peek at! I plan to share them on creativebleed as I come across them. If you know of any daily creative blogs or have one of your own, I would love to hear from you. K

ow… I give you… Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische. Hische designs are whimsical and feminine. It is evident how she explores different ways to create each character sometimes creating characters unique from her own distinct style. Hische also shares her Daily Drop Caps for non-commercial use. Please go to Daily Drop Cap directly for details and follow her ongoing Daily Drop Caps.

Conceptualizing Gold: A Look At Olympic Poster Design Concepts

Daniel Yund Concept for Olympics Poster Series, 2008

In spirit of the Winter Games, it would only be fitting to have a post on Olympic poster designs. Designing an Olympic poster is a classic student assignment for Graphic Designers. Searching the web, I came across these two up and coming designers, Daniel Yund and Alan Clark. Both designers use concrete shapes, repetition and the movement of the sport which contrast from the Olympic Games posters that we have seen in recent years. Typically Olympic posters are more complex, focusing on the athlete, form, motion and emotion. Although these designs are concepts and not official Olympic posters, their work is clever, unique and very Swiss . K

Alan Clarke Olympic posters proposal for London 2012

“My thinking behind these posters was to convey the movement and energy of the games, in a simple yet abstract way. The designs focused on the movement and speed of the athletes equipment. They were used to help travelers associate relevant tube stops, with the Olympic events that are being held there.”
– Alan Clarke

Alan Clarke Olympic posters proposal for London 2012

Otl Aicher 1972 Munich Olympic Posters are a great example of the International Style and most likely inspired the designs of Clarke and Yund. What are some of your favorite Olympic Poster Designs?

Official Olympic Games Poster Munich 1972

What do you think of the 2010 Vancouver posters?

Official Olympic Games Poster Vancouver 2010 Snowboard Halfpipe

Official Olympic Games Poster Vancouver 2010 Figure Skating

Drop & Crop: MTV’s New Logo

MTV's New Logo

Well it’s about time, MTV hasn’t been “music television” in a long time, I dont think I have seen a music video on MTV in over ten years. So when MTV unveiled their new logo on Monday the first thing that is really noticeable (not to mention highly appropriate) was loosing the tagline. Of course I cant say much else has changed, other then a nice tight crop on the logo itself. It’s the first time I have seen a logo redesign and thought to myself, “That’s it?” It’s sort of funny the MTV logo is known to change it’s appearance on a daily basis from colors to funky patterns to disguising itself into another object like an amp or television set. It has to be the most well-known and manipulated logo. So is this new design really a redesign or just another manipulation?

Variations of the new MTV logo. Image from thewrap.com

According to Andrew Hampp’s article in AdAge.com, MTV general manager Stephen Friedman explained:

“We needed the logo to be flexible enough to have the artists within it but also the stars of our shows. It’s an updating that speaks to this audience in a much simpler, bolder way.”

Hampp also writes, “Mr. Friedman said MTV has also had a problem with brand recognition among viewers who would love certain shows but had no idea they aired on MTV. “The way the logo frames it makes it a simple reference point,” he said.”

Old MTV Logo

The new logo was done in-house but the original logo was done by Frank Olinsky. According to Olinsky’s story the logo was meant to always change:

” [When] asked to come up with the “corporate colors” for the logo. The decision was made that there weren’t any, and that the logo should always change. Knowing that many animators, designers, ad agencies, etc. were going to be working with the logo made them think how, just like rock music always changes, the logo should also. This was a concept that had never been used on a logo before. The “M” and the “TV” could be made of any colors and/or materials.”

Even Cookies! So is the new logo a redesign or a logo that was born to always change? Any thoughts on a new tagline for MTV? K

MTV Promo Cookies from Rolling Pin Productions

Sources:

Hampp, Andrew, “Does MTV’s New Logo Look Too Mainstream?” [Mediaworks] Advertising Age. February 9, 2010.http://adage.com February 9, 2010.

Olinsky, Frank, “MTV Logo Story” http://www.frankolinsky.com/index2.html. February 9, 2010

Stableford, Dylan, “MTV No Longer About ‘Music'” [Media Alley] The Wrap. February 8, 2010. http://www.thewrap.com. February 9, 2010.

MTV Cookie image:

http://www.rollingpinproductions.com/Logos.htm

Screen Prints and Polar Bears: LOST Fans get Creative

Designed by Ty Mattson of Mattson Creative

What does an island, a polar bear, a VW bus, a paintbrush and a screen print all have in common?

The LOST fanatic. The final season of LOST premiers tonight! As a huge fan of the show, it would only be appropriate to feature some work by fellow LOST enthusiasts, who have found the show to be their creative muse. Has LOST inspired you? Check it out. K

UPDATE: TY Mattson LOST Art is now available at the abc store at abc.com, click here.

Olly Moss "Locke's Secret"

Methane Studios "The Dharma Van"

Julian Callos "No Man Is An Island" ink, acrylic and gouache on watercolor paper

Check out more LOST inspired art at:

damoncarltonandapolarbear.com

The LOST Underground Art Show

Just For Fun: What Type Are You?

Screenshot from Pentagram's What type are you?

Came across this last week and had to share. Pentagram a London based design firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, Austin and Berlin has created this What type are you? application. The application asks four questions in regards to character and assigns a typeface based on the viewers answers. After participating, my assessment was Archer Hairline which I totally agree, a modern straightforward typeface with a hint of elegance designed by Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones. Check it out and share what type you are.K

What type are you: http://pentagram.com/what-type-are-you/
PASSWORD is character

Archer Hairline