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What Does Design Look Like Next?

Maura McDonald — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:25:13 +0000

AIGA Pivot: Valerie Casey A brilliant, thoughtful AIGA presentation by Valerie Casey, founder of the Designers Accord, the global coalition of designers, educators, and business leaders working together to create positive sustainable impact. Valerie Casey is a globally recognized designer and innovator: She was named a “Guru” of the year by Fortune magazine, a “Hero of [...]

Web Design Toolkit

Maura McDonald — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:45:44 +0000

It is always a treat to get a peek inside a designer’s process. I had the pleasure of organizing another AIGA Raleigh’s Homegrown Lunch & Learn last week. It is great to be able to just sit, listen, learn, eat, and mingle with other creatives. The Web Designer’s Tool Kit presentation with Mindy Wagner of Viget gave helpful insights [...]

Holiday 2011 Cards from Tiny Prints

Maura McDonald — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:09:08 +0000

Can you believe that it is almost that time of year? I am getting ready to choose our 2011 holiday cards because I love to send out personalized Christmas cards to our family and friends every year. It is a particularly nice way for our relatives who live out of state to get to see how [...]

7 steps to make your design lighter on the Planet

Maura McDonald — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:01:02 +0000

The English word “design” means construction. It has nothing to do with “Pop”. Here are a few things to think about when designing or purchasing a product: Do we really need it; can we live w/o it? Can it be smaller, lighter; made with fewer materials; minimize waste? Is it designed to be durable [...]

The Principal’s Principles

Maura McDonald — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:25:43 +0000

What do R+M, Anoroc, Creative Associates, Ulanguzi, and Flywheel Design have in common? How many times in your career have you been able to have a frank conversation with so many creative leaders? I took advantage of the informal setting, got answers to questions and witnessed “competitors” getting past the separate mentality and acknowledging that [...]

Subscription Software—Who wins?

Maura McDonald — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:48:57 +0000

Adobe’s recent Creative Suite® 5.5 product line announcement caught my attention. It was not what Adobe’s selling that caught my interest; rather, it’s how they’re selling it. This launch marked a major change to Adobe’s product release strategy for Creative Suite®. Adobe plans to add a subscription option with a much lower initial cost. Instead [...]

Using QR codes to unlock Central Park

Maura McDonald — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:07:58 +0000

For Arbor Day 2010, QR codes were seeded across NYC’s Central Park, transforming it into a mobile interactive experience. With web-enabled smartphones and QR code readers, users could explore the World Park in a new way. This World Park campaign was developed to raise awareness and engagement within NYC parks. Park visitors could unlock Central Park’s [...]

How is your brand affected with short links?

Maura McDonald — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 06:32:58 +0000

Branding can permeate every aspect of your communication design including your short links. I became interested after seeing some cool URL short links and investigated how to get my own. The process is simple and requires you to buy a unique domain name with a new twist. By using domains with different extentsions than .com, [...]

What Makes a Good Ad?

Maura McDonald — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:16:12 +0000

Do you know what makes a good ad? Of course everyone knows a good ad when they see one. But how do you create a good ad or a great one? This past Monday I had the opporutnity to hear Bruce Bendinger, a seasoned creative director with some of the largest agencies and accounts including [...]

New Approaches to Signage

Maura McDonald — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 21:52:23 +0000

New technology and the growing need to be more sustainable are changing the face of signage. As well as the growing importance of brand identity in signage, the other big influence is new technology. Digital technology is an opportunity to communicate to visitors in new ways that enrich their experience. Digital signage offers flexibility, and [...]