design process

Design is Visible Language

Three ways that designers are translators.

design process

Conceptual vs Executional

One is not the other. Know the difference to use your time wisely.

visual helpers

Visual Scrap #7

Kind of the typography issue, but not entirely.

design process

Connect the Dots

How do designers get from text to visual?

spot the difference

Spot the Difference - Apple

Why is Apple always the uber design example people ask for?

exploration and research

What Advertising Can't Do

And also what it should.

presentations

More Lessons on Presenting

Helping people manage choices and decisions is half of it.

photography

Looking vs Seeing

The difference is what makes a photographer or director really good.

exploration and research

Visual Scrap #6

A linkfest for your downtime this week.

exploration and research

The Idea Or The Execution?

Which is more important? Don't all say "both" at the same time.

feedback

Deciphering Feedback

Make the form of your feedback more clear and avoid errors.

design process

The Blank Page

"There's nothing more exciting and daunting than the blank page. Oh, that's good. Maybe I'll do a book of quotes." – Principal Brown, Booksmart

photography

The Devil(ed Eggs) Are In The Details

Food photoshoots – so much time spent considering which direction the celery is pointing.

expectations

The Meh Meeting

Meh is a kind of un-feeling, and that’s why it can seem worse than a bad meeting.

exploration and research

Visual Scrap #5

Did green kill Napoleon, and other color stories.

visual helpers

Thinking Big, No Bigger

“If you can’t make it good, make it big. If you can’t make it big, make it shiny.”

it's relative

Flip It And Reverse It

Are there some old design saws that are less true than they used to be?

exploration and research

Plop, Plop, Fizz...

Why are pharmaceutical jingles so sticky even if we hate them?

exploration and research

Visual Scrap #4

An excess of interesting links for your enjoyment.

mechanics of design

Managing Your Creative Time

Creative time is weird to say the least. Here are some tips.

design process

The *sigh* Creative Brief

Stop worrying about it. Ask these questions instead.

exploration and research

The Great Disconnect

Coming to a head soon is the technology disconnect between companies and consumers.

design process

Shoot Etiquette

The unwritten ground rules that will make you friends or enemies.

design process

Every Decision is a Cascade

Designers are playing chess.

feedback

The One Rule

Examining art to learn how to give better feedback.