Both American Apparel and American Airlines have very similar branding, but their separation is made through kerning, color, weight, and space variables

As Graphic Artists, our daily job and requirement is to clearly communicate (through imagery) the emotion, representation, and goals of the businesses that we create for. If Graphic Artistry is your job, you may know through experience that successful work is not just creating original artwork, but capturing and excelling the clients accumulative brand. Early stage Graphic Artists seek to create original artwork first, and find a way to make it work for the client second. The unfortunate nature of the beast is that even Graphic Artists who have years of experience still want to make original artwork. It’s not unfortunate because of this drive to create original artwork (or else we wouldn’t have a job), but the idea that a strive for original artwork in itself creates competition.

Museum of Arts and Design material created by Pentagram

In more recent news, the publication of “rips” or “copy-cat” content and work has become more frequent. My goal is to demolish this sense of competition through basic logic. While the depth of these two ideologies (original artwork and brand communication, yes, two different ideas) proceeds much more than I could write in short terms. I still want to give it a try. If you really think about it, life only has so many choices, and on a daily basis we make only a select few amount of choices (or decisions). “Should I go to the grocery store or stay home?” We turn these choices into variables, and with Print and Web, these variables are even more limited. How? The decision to match one idea to another is a choice and over time ultimately becomes a limitation. But limitations to design are not bad. Our limitations to design keep our idea’s plausible. If we didn’t have these limitations, designers would no longer need theory, and our work would no longer be valuable. If you believe that another person hasn’t matched the same two variables you did when you had that next “big idea” then your mistaken. We take one idea, match it to another execution, and try to make it equal innovation (this is the light version of this equation).

India cellular provider Tata advertisement created by
Wolff Olins

But before I go too in-depth about the idea of limited variables, I mentioned that this article isn’t about that. It’s about disproving the idea that original artwork is “good design.” Some of the biggest brands in the world use the same styling. We could look at American Apparel, and American Airlines. Both use Helvetica, roughly the same weight, and even have close to the same amount of lettering to make up their name. But the public doesn’t see it as a “copy-cat.” Why? If you have watched Helvetica the film, you would know that Helvetica was the correct type face to capture the right brand emotion, bridging the consumer gap to the corporate mentality. The goal was to make the customer feel as though the corporate identity wasn’t “above you” or “not welcoming.” One of the main reasons Helvetica became so over-used is because of this transparent and modular nature. But using the most recent public logic of “copy-cat” material, one firm would be the business who used it first. Then the designer or firm who used it next would be bombarded with brief, one or two sentence cave-man-like negative comments about their recent work.

One sentence comments feel good, like this hot tub I am in

The extremely funny thing about this type of logic, is that the more a specific style or “trend” is used in design, it becomes less innovative. Causing these “trends” to be used more frequently, and the more frequent it is used, the more chance it has of becoming a design style (it is no longer a trend — i.e: grids in design was used as a trend first, but then became a rule). This is the natural evolution of the industry. But how can we simplify this? Instead of changing the evolution, how can we change our thinking? Easy, designers need to take less focus into what is original material, and more focus into how well that material or collateral accomplished the communication the brand was seeking. From a designer to designer basis, we still judge each others talent based on how radical their material is from the rest. When in reality, that’s not successful design nor do I feel it is the best way to judge design in general.

There is no direct answer to this riddle, because if designers stated more clearly what the client or brands communication goals where, we would no longer need the visuals to express them. It’s quite the oxymoron in a way. But we can challenge these facts by thinking about another idea, that maybe it was not two designers or two firms that copied each others material. Instead, maybe it was two brands looking to emotionally and visually communicate the same message.

I picked up this book fairly recently, realizing that I was extremely late to do so. I remember all the of initial public shock of the books first days on shelf, but I just couldn’t find the time to pick it up. At a point when I was desperately looking for inspiration, and not finding it online, I decided to take a step away and go hunt down this amazing book.

The fairly large front cover and large type on the sides made it quite easy for me to find it on a shelf of hundreds. Once I found it, a rushed smile appeared to my face as I instantly knew this would entrap my inner design humor. There is a funny sense of humor designers and artists sometimes have, mostly just being so blatantly childish that it just makes anyone smile. But our “designer smile” also pops out because of the second thought we have, which most times shows through as an inner monologue saying something like, “Man, why didn’t I think of that.”

The book contains hours of effort and planning, which isn’t seen often

The depth of this book proceeds further than it’s very visual cover, very modular and transforming nature, and the very bright content. The book contains hours of effort and planning, which isn’t seen often. The content is simply useful, not in the fact that it’s just useful, but what I mean is that if you don’t find the content to be insightful, you’re probably not looking hard enough. It’s quick, to the point, and instantly inspiring. A journal, bible, and trophy for all Graphic Artists and collectors.

Purchase this book from Amazon. Watch a video demonstration of this books beauty:

Have you ever gotten caught up in using the same words to describe a design? Well don’t, there are plenty of other really great words in the dictionary that can describe a design, style, mood, or feeling much better than your classic “minimal, simple, or great”

In an effort to help young designers, old designers, and people of all ages, I give you The Lingual Proposition. Twenty seven choices of words to describe a design better than the ones you use now. Print available soon.

1. Proportionate
Definition —Proportioned; being in due proportion; proportional.
2. Elegant
Definition —Gracefully refined and dignified, as in tastes, habits, or literary style: an elegant young gentleman; an elegant prosodist.
3. Organic
Definition —Characterized by the systematic arrangement of parts; organized; systematic: elements fitting together into a unified, organic whole.
4. Post-Modern
Definition —1949, from post- + modern. Originally in architecture writing; specific sense in the arts emerged 1960s. Postmodernism defined by Terry Eagleton as “the contemporary movement of thought which rejects … the possibility of objective knowledge” and is therefore “skeptical of truth, unity, and progress.”
5. Fantastic
Definition —Conceived or appearing as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination; odd and remarkable; bizarre; grotesque: fantastic rock formations; fantastic designs.
6. Soothing
Definition —To tranquilize or calm, as a person or the feelings; relieve, comfort, or refresh: soothing someone’s anger; to soothe someone with a hot drink.
7. Gorgeous
Definition —Splendid or sumptuous in appearance, coloring, etc.; magnificent: a gorgeous gown; a gorgeous sunset.
8. Beautiful
Definition —Having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind: a beautiful dress; a beautiful speech.
9. Functional
Definition —Having or serving a utilitarian purpose; capable of serving the purpose for which it was designed: functional architecture; a chair that is functional as well as decorative.
10. Gregarious
Definition —Gre⋅gar⋅i⋅ous⋅ly; social, genial, outgoing, convivial, companionable, friendly, extroverted.
11. Dramatic
Definition —Characteristic of or appropriate to the drama, esp. in involving conflict or contrast; vivid; moving: dramatic colors; a dramatic speech.
12. Candid
Definition —Free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward: a candid opinion.
13. Unique
Definition —Existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics: a unique copy of an ancient manuscript.
14. Stylistic
Definition —Of or pertaining to style.
15. Shaped
Definition —Designed to fit a particular form, body, or contour: a shaped garment.
16. Eccentric
Definition —Deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd: eccentric conduct; an eccentric person.
17. Tasteful
Definition —Taste⋅ful⋅ly; elegant, chic, refined, suitable, becoming.
18. Brief
Definition —Using few words; concise; succinct: a brief report on weather conditions.
19. Fashionable
Definition —Current; popular: a fashionable topic of conversation.
20. Theatrical
Definition —Of or pertaining to the theater or dramatic presentations: theatrical performances.
21. Elevated
Definition —Raised up, esp. above the ground or above the normal level: an elevated platform; an elevated pulse.
22. Delicate
Definition —So fine as to be scarcely perceptible; subtle: a delicate flavor. See also detailed.
23. Graceful
Definition —Characterized by elegance or beauty of form, manner, movement, or speech; elegant: a graceful dancer; a graceful reply.
24. Fluent
Definition —Easily changed or adapted; pliant.
25. Polished
Definition —Refined, cultured, or elegant: a polished manner.
26. Effortless
Definition —Requiring or involving no effort; displaying no signs of effort; easy: an effortless writing style.
27. Enjoyable
Definition —Giving or capable of giving joy or pleasure: a very enjoyable film.
29. Thank You
Definition —Patrick thanks all who reads, and appreciates those who comment.

Just one of the concepts from Happy Cog on redesignmozilla.org

Just recently, Happy Cog created a Web site called Redesign Mozilla. It gives the public a chance to view the design process for one of the most reputable companies on the internet, Mozilla. I find the experiment completely awesome, because people get to see inside of the designers mind, and get to interact with the designs Happy Cog is attempting to pitch (acting as sort of a public focus group).

But, it does raise a couple of questions in my head. In our past thread, George Thompson made a really great point in the Tropicana discussion, basically saying that sometimes things don’t need a redesign. A good friend sent me the book Designing Design by Kenya Hara and in the book it sort of dabbles into the same points, I will do my best to review the book later. But if we cannot understand why things need a redesign, then the object or brand probably didn’t need to have one in the first place.

Elegant, unique, and easy to navigate.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Happy Cog, just like the other 50,000 fan boys out there who whimper at the knee’s to the sight of Mr. Zeldman. But does Mozilla.org really need a redesign? Couldn’t they just use the very good looking Mozilla.com design and make a variation of it? I’m afraid that this might take the toll of Tropicana from the mock-ups I have seen so far.

As much as I talk about art that has such deep thought, I really think that some art shouldn’t have any thought at all. In all honesty, as an artist, I think the worst thing you could say to me would be something along the lines of “me needing to stay inside my niche.”

It’s been such a great experience to have so many people contact me and compliment me on the effort I have put into multiple projects, but I have to say most of that comes with the designs I put tons of thought into. So, in a way, my focus has been typography driven designs with soothing simplicity, all of which derives from careful planning.

But, that doesn’t mean that I have a niche. For some reason the word to me feels as though it’s strangling. I feel as though I am trapped into doing one single thing, and that’s just not what I want to do. I want to engage in multiple styles, mediums, and overall experiences (Note: You may have to do this in business, being a modular person opens plenty of doors).

Custom brushed metal, matte gold and black paint

Something magical happens when you don’t think about what you are going to make, just have the vision, and engineer a way to create it

I had this picture in my mind, it was of a gradient circle on a brushed metal surface. I wanted to begin experimenting in actual art mediums. But my goal wasn’t to be intellectual or have any depth to my art, my goal was to take this picture I’ve had in my head for the week and make it real.

But something really magical happened, I created the image that was in my head and when I got finished, I realized it had much more depth than I could have ever planned for. In new light the brushed metal changes perception, and the gradient circle transforms direction, and it wound up being really fulfilling. So, with this experience, it showed me something great. Ready? Don’t ever stifle possible creativity or opportunity because you think it will make a negative impact on your person.

Last but not least, if you would like to purchase the hand-made brushed metal work of art that I have created, I would have no problem creating more. The only thing that I ask is that you pre-order the item so I can build inventory accordingly. Please e-mail me at patrickalgrim @gmail.com if you would like to know more information.

Tropicana’s original package design next to the new package design that was eventually taken off shelves

The environment of which your focus group takes place is just as important as the actual product you are testing

It’s old news by now, that Tropicana reverted back to their old packaging. But if you have been out of the loop for a couple of days or weeks, well then here is the down-low. Tropicana decided it was time for a change, and decided it would be best to push towards a clean package design and identity for the very well known orange juice. After much disappointment and customers calling the new packaging “generic,” Tropicana quickly reverted back to the old package design before losing any more sales.

Now, let me speak on behalf of my own experiences. One Sunday I was in a hurry for breakfast with the family, and found that we were out of orange juice. I ran to the local Jewel where I was attempting to find orange juice. The wall of juices that I encountered did make me step back for a moment. It felt as though I had over 100 types of juices to choose from. I attempted to find Tropicana but for some reason it took me 5 minutes to do so. I couldn’t find it because the new package design for Tropicana looked like the Jewel brand, which I didn’t want.

Overall my experience made me take more time to find Tropicana, which isn’t good. Most people are in a hurry and as we all know in User Experience, if it takes someone a long time to find something, 80% of the time, they will just give up.

So what can we all take from this? When doing your focus group, the environment of which your group is taking place is just as important as the focus group itself, if not more. If the company or internal design team would have just taken the new packaging and put it on a huge wall of other orange juices, they would have noticed right away that the new design just didn’t stick out. Point and case.

Next time you do a focus group (with family, friends, customers, consumers, or anyone) be sure that you put them in a situation that the product is often in. In this case, a grocery store.

Welcome our new mascot Mr. George, he runs the business side of things

I decided it was a long enough time with the old design. At the time I created the second version, I was more focused on creating some serious content. I was ready to put tons of time into creating podcasts, and ensuring that people visited the blog on a daily basis to get their morning inspiration. But I soon realized, I didn’t have the time to do that. My design business began growing, and growing fast. I focused on creating what I feel are great products for some amazing clients. But I never let this Web site go.

I’ve spent some time answering interviews, where I explained where this Web site failed, and how it could benefit from having a more direct focus on content. So, after spending a couple of weeks purely thinking, then spending a couple of weeks creating. I ended up with what you see here today.

I have archived the old version of the Web site, including all of it’s articles. Unfortunately, this is going to cause a lot of people 404 errors, so I have made my 404 page as descriptive as possible for the time being. I also realize that this may cause my page rankings to decrease for a short period of time, but that’s okay!

From form to function. 87 pixel wide columns, with 30 pixel gutters, 8 columns total with a 940px wrapper

Every comment is a contribution, and now you get more out of being a contributor to this community

Comments are a serious thing, I love it when people get involved in the conversation. But I realized that most people don’t see the huge benefit in taking part of a community, or being frequently active in one. So I took some steps to help you benefit more from being a part of this one.

The way I see it, your comment is just as important as the content, if not more

Now, when you comment, your thoughts will appear on the front page, where your Web site is linked directly. Does this mean that people could leave Hell Yeah Dude and jump into your Web site? Yeah, but I think that’s a good thing! Focusing more on discovery of new content is an important thing. I have also improved the way that comments are displayed on a single page. Making it easier for you to have conversations with others, and for your comment to be apart of the main content.

Modular color schemes, to better express the mood of that month, week, day, or year

Modular color schemes, making it easy to change the “design” in only a couple of minutes

I really love color. Understanding that what we perceive to be Web design is mostly a mixture of great typography, attractive color schemes, and organized content, I have decided to change my “design” often. Some days I really love orange, some days blue, some days yellow. Now, when you visit the Web site, you will be surprised every so often with a new color scheme. This will keep things fresh, and promote you to visit the Web site often (not just reading the RSS feed).

Last but not least, more content, but less text

Not just articles, but topics. When topics are posted, they could be general news about the industry, or maybe albums or authors that I really enjoyed. Sharing my inspiration with you, should hopefully help you with your inspiration journey. You may also notice in the sidebar that you can now promote your own Twitter account, tweets, or links directly on this Web site. Just use the hash tag “#HYD” and it will instantly appear in the sidebar. Another great way for you to contribute to content without taking tons of time away from your day.

Finally, thank you to all the readers here in this community.

Some of the great pictorial examples that support the theories explained in the book

When people ask me about Grid Layout, this book instantly comes to mind – a simple, quick, and understandable guide to Grid Layout

The Principles of Organizing Type by Kimberly Elam is a seriously amazing book. The book really packs together a ton of great information about design, the helpful manners of Grid Layout, and how it can be used. It doesn’t just talk about the history of Grid Layout (which shouldn’t be taken lightly, since most don’t discuss this helpful design rules history) but also talks about how you can use it in your own way.

Tons of really amazing people ask me for resources about Grid Layout, and I think the best resource you can get is this book. It’s really light reading, with a large number of pictures to reference the ideals. On a side note, this was the book that inspired me to create the popular Angebot theme.

Purchase this book from Amazon.com - Contains affiliate information

Four Tet has been on my radar for the longest time, I have been a fan for a while. But after listening to last.fm for a while, I started hearing more Four Tet, and more from the album Rounds that I had forgotten to previously check out. The music is great, it’s simple, upbeat, and yet still keeps you going.

If your working on a project, campaign, or maybe just want to relax at around 6PM on a Wednesday, this is the music for you. Lounge type tracks with clear distinctive nature, this album is perfect for anyone artistic and looking for inspiration.

Buy this album on Amazon.com – Warning, contains affiliate information