‘i can’t stop making gifs’

Ramin Nasibov knows graphic design. This week, he made these gifs. Seems he got a hold of a video editor and has been learning his way around it. I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with!

For more, head over to Facebook.

The post Grand Budapest graphic design first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

As an educator, I’ve broken graphic design into three components: Message, Typography, Layout.

I’m not the first educator to do this – just happened to constantly notice these three elements staring back at me in all the student pieces I evaluate. In my opinion, careful appreciation, understanding and implementation of the three can lead to beautiful work.

message
Graphic design is a communication field, so Message should always drive the project. Today we are bombarded by thousands of Messages on a daily basis, so being on Message is critical. And yes, this usually involves language and writing – which is why I love when students take their written studies seriously.

typography
I’ve seen an (often not cited/supported) statistic that graphic design is 95% typography. Scientific or not, I agree with this. Type is important. I like comparing the exploration of lettering to that of music – there’s enough complexity for it to become a lifetime endeavor. And most of what I teach is type, from multiple angles.

form
Graphic designers are taught to use grids for layout – though relying on ‘grid’ as a catch all way of handling form can be misleading. Grids provide support, a fallback position for dealing with massive amounts of information. Though important, grids have their limitations. Building structure using symmetry, asymmetry, balance, color – some elements obvious, some not – involves continuous practice, a trained eye, instinct.

These three are not formulas, can’t be added together. They need to work in tandem, like cooking a great stew where the ingredients are based on what feels just right.

Click to view/jump

On a related note, the above film – Edward Tufte’s Ingre Druckrey: Teaching to See – found its way into my Twitter feed. It’s about graphic design and beauty. And much more.

In January I’m going to be teaching my first non-type course on Form and Space. I’m starting prep now because I consider form so important – so powerful, so delicate.

And beautiful when done right.

Video found via ayana baltrip

The post Graphic design: Training one’s eye first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

Above, advice from artist Tom Sachs for anyone starting work in a studio. Interns, PAs, gophers. Art, design or otherwise.

Below, Sach’s iconic Prada Toilet, Chanel accessories and the Hermés Value Meal.

The post ‘Working to Code’ first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

One of the reasons I teach at American River College is The Oak Café. Staffed and run by culinary students, the Oak Café is one of the hardest tables to get in Sacramento – with four star ratings [twice from The Sacramento Bee] and mucho local critical acclaim, they don’t skimp on anything. It’s a foodie’s dream tucked away in a corner of a Community College.

Type treatment, set using my Escoffier Capitaux font
 

vincent
A while back, Café instructor Teresa Urkofsky borrowed my copy of Mary and Vincent Price’s A Treasury of Great Recipes (1965). Known for his horror films, Vincent Price (1911-93) was also one of the pioneers of the gourmet movement. He used his celebrity to promote high class eating worldwide. And this over-the-top cookbook – which features funky recipes from the best restaurants in the world (at the time) – is a testament to his love of good food.

Mary and Vincent Price in their ‘prep kitchen-like’ home cooking area

me-n-vincent do lunch
So this week’s Oak Café lunch selections have been adapted from the culinary wonders the Prices used to dine on. Though I didn’t expect my name to actually appear on the menu – my book did provide the inspiration. Here’s the lineup:

October 28, 29 & 30, 2009
steve and vincent price’s treasury of halloween cuisine
Black Cauldron Bean Soup or
Toad-in-the-Hole (Sausage in Yorkshire Pudding)
Deviled Rib Bones or
Pumpkin Ravioli with Sauce Moan-ay
Crème Brulee Diabolique or
Banana – Bacon Crepe on Fire

And for more about Vincent Price’s culinary AND artistic endeavors (he had an Art History degree from Yale AND opened the first ‘teaching art collection’ museum housed at a Community College), check out this writeup here.

what to expect
Good service and good food from students! The occasional mistake (it is a learning environment) but a really wonderful dining experience.

Past menus have included student takes on the fare of Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver, Thomas Keller – it’s a who’s who of the culinary world. The Food Network’s Guy Fieri is a friend of the department (he has two restaurants in the area and went to school with program director Brian Knirk) and if you can get a seat, grab it.

Parrilla y Caldero: Grilled Salmon with Humita (Corn Pudding), from the Oak Café’s Fires of Argentina Tasting Menu, September 2009

rsvp
Reservations may be tackled by calling (916) 484-8526 – menus are posted here. Please note: it can be difficult to get thru – and there are plans to expand the department just because of the amount of people who are turned away. And sorry, I do know that this week is already booked, but reservations for student exams are being taken as I write this.

Final exams start November 4 and feature student-created wonders – that as customer, one gets to grade. And eat.

The post Oak Café, Vincent Price and moi first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

‘Just as Sun Tzu’s Art of War is read as a lesson in business strategy rather than fighting in a miliary sense, or Machiavelli’s The Prince is written about government but used as a guide to management, so this book uses the creative processes of good advertising as a metaphor for business practice.’ -inside cover

In It’s Not How Good You Are  . . .  UK-based advertising guru Paul Arden (1940-2008) does a great job reframing how one can approach creativity, their career and life – by not playing by the rules and reinventing convention.

I’m convinced one who does what they’re supposed to do in life won’t find the happiness they’re expecting. At least, that’s my view right now. It may change.

Going against the grain is weird, odd and often frightening. But it can also be the same thrill one gets on a roller coaster.

Many of the ideas in his book are so obvious, you’ll chuckle. Click on any image for a link to snag your own copy.

(And I just ordered a copy of Arden’s other book, Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite.)

The post Good is obvious first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

If you’re having problems coping with unemployment in the US (who isn’t?), here’s some visuals. It’s huge. Bigger than you are. Interactive map here.

Change is about rethinking how we do things. I’ve been changing my whole outlook; what I do with my business – my blog is part of it. And following the status quo, doing the same thing over and over and over isn’t working. This map shows it.

Found via FlowingData

The post The US has been nuked first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

Found via Dawn Pedersen; posted at Break

The post ‘The worst job ever’ first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

Click the image and read thru:

Found via Twitter.com/Colorburned

The post Totally blunt: 8 common graphic design myths revealed first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..

Swiss International Style guru Massimo Vignelli has released a new book on using type in graphic design. In it he explains in concise detail how it’s done. And as with all his work, it’s precise, clean, neat. Also, it’s free.

Download here: The Vignelli Canon [PDF]

The post Vignelli’s new type book: free download first appeared on the mehallo blog. beta..