On Monday, May 6th, please welcome art director / designer Breanna Goodrow, of Timberpress. Bree wrote our class a love letter: "Why I’m Interested in Communicating With You" 1) I LOVE a reason to talk about design. I've had so many inspiring mentors and teachers that I feel compelled to try and 'pay it forward'... but without the tragedy and drama of the movie (I've seen a million times on cable tv) by the same name. 2) A primitive desire to communicate. I'm a believer in Noam Chomsky's opinions on language. "One of the fundamental aspects of human language is... Continue reading

Here is the process we will follow in developing our work: research, insight, creative idea, and then execution (e.g. ads, poster, online, social media, video, print, out of home, promotional work). We will focus on developing our insights about our festival or event series first; then develop creative solutions around them to see if they work. This approach might be reflected in science: we have a hunch, a hypothesis, then we test it. As designers develop creative ideas based on our insights and then “blow out” the idea by adapting it into the many types of media needed to communicate... Continue reading

This post is partially a repost orginally written and posted by Lara McCormick's for rockpaperink.com. Project and student work contributed by Lis Charman, Portland State University Graphic Design. The student work included in this book is side-by-side with professionals like, FriendsofType, Pentagram, House Industries, Rudy Vanderlans, Mucca Design, and Ampersand Design Studio; and that is nothing to sneeze at. So proud of our students!!! The first creative project ”Type Constructions” in this class has been published in a book titled, Playing with Type: 50 Graphic Experiments for Exploring the Creative Impact of Typographic Design Principles. Challenge: Create a typographic construction... Continue reading

The very lovely and talented (+recently graduated) Corbin LaMont (thank you Corbin!) sent me this cultural campaign called MOMA Starts Here, created for MOMA, The Museum of Modern Art, concepted and designed by the The Department of Advertising and Graphic Design. The Department of Advertising and Graphic Design is The Museum of Modern Art’s in-house design studio. This portfolio website shows a selection of our recent exhibition designs, advertising campaigns, and printed materials—all produced for and in collaboration with the Museum’s many departments, from curatorial to education to visitor services. Continue reading

IMPORTANT HOMEWORK. Strategic Thinking! Answer the following questions: 1) What is unique about this event? (It's important to have a clear answer to this question, as it will lead you to how to talk, think and design your campaign.) 2) Why would I go to this? (Also very important to drill down to the heart of your event series, why it is special? why is it worth your audience's time at attend?) What is at the heart of it? What feelings, ideas, thinking or metaphors tie it all together best? Today we talked about streamlining the idea before going down... Continue reading

Logo by http://www.erikmarinovich.com/ We reimagine the crosswalk between YBCA and SFMOMA—to make your lengthy wait at that stoplight as artful as your experience in the galleries… Excerpts from Tracing History, an exhibition accompanying Bebe Miller's new performance, A History, that expands on Bebe's history of innovation in dance. Below homework from Nayland Blake's exhibition workbook: Continue reading

”takin‘ it further“, this would be a collection of contextual or in enviroment ideas that apply to your project. Examples might be type-based or type focused work that is designed to live "out of home" (on billboards, posters, buses, bus shelters); the design is translated to a another media format, for example: online, ipad app, animated gif, storyboarded idea for a motion piece, or in traditional media: books, editorial, apparel, or consider ideas that would work in non-traditional or non conventional advertising, social design, art making, graffiti, guerilla art or marketing, wayfinding, etc. Then based on your research and thumbnail... Continue reading

Check out this design studio in Barcelona, Spain called Lo Siento: http://www.losiento.net/ -Very special thanks for sending this to me to the brilliant Cyrene! Continue reading

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Today's thinking will focus on how writing and typography plays an important roles in persuasive communication. You may want consider this post in a couple of ways. At the beginning of this course students were asked to respond to highly open ended call for “experimenting” with typography and self-created messages. How does the work below connect to our first typographic experiments? How do these ads employ typography as part of advertising and branding messages and storytelling? How might this work shared in this post help us in our efforts to evaluate our own branding and campaign ideas? Are there connections... Continue reading

Our exercise for today picks up on the exercise we completed in week one. Our week one practical typography exercise focused on some of the basic concerns of line, paragraph, typographic detail (e.g. small caps, acronyms and numbers) and analphabetic characters. We will apply the knowledge from week one and our quiz to today’s work. Our focus will be on developing these skills further and develop a more comprehensive grasp of how to manage information gracefully, employing our typography skills to ease of reading and enhancing comprehension of (sometimes multi-leveled) information. Let’s review line length “measure”, according to Brinhurst “45... Continue reading

To login to your odin network folder in the FPA lab... In Finder, under the "Go" menu select "Connect to server…" In the Server Address box, each user will have to append the first letter of their login name to the end of the following URL: smb://stuhome.psu.ds.pdx.edu:139/<first letter of user's login name> For example, for user "bvila", the URL will look like this: smb://stuhome.psu.ds.pdx.edu:139/b Continue reading

In class (and over email) some of you expressed interest in thinking more about choosing and combining typefaces. In class we talked about making decisions based on the demands the text (or copy) and media (or format) makes on the typeface. For instance, an annual report with excessive acronyms will benefit from selecting a typeface with “true” small caps. We also talked a little bit about considering where the typeface will ultimately live for instance, is is a wedding invitation printed letterpress, digital or litho offset printing?or will it live online, on an ipad, as part of an app, video,... Continue reading

Before reading this post, please read/review the post titled “Type Basics”. The Type Basics post is a review of expert level detail typesetting knowledge students gain from Type One & Digital Page Design. The post is an overview of typesetting blunders to avoid, figures / numerals and additional expert typesetting knowledge / use that is expected in this course. According to my man, Bringhurst…“genuine small caps are not simply shrunken versions of the full caps. They differ from large caps in stroke weight, letterfit, and internal proportions as well as in height. Any good set of small caps is designed... Continue reading

Remember, NO CLASS ON MONDAY 5/28! Use the next week wisely to get all your work done. Help posts to Flickr in the next week welcome for feedback from myself & your classmates. Bring for Wednesday 5/30, our last class: 1. Finished beautiful brand book. 2. $5 worth of food to share potluck style with your classmates. I'll bring the coffee & OJ. 3. Portfolio in progress, if you'd like feedback from myself & your classmates. .... Final brand book due on your personal Flickr page in the "225.04 - Branding" set by Monday 6/4 at 10PM for final grading! Continue reading

We're getting down to the wire! By now you should be caught up with all the elements for this brand book. I'll be working on grades & final re-grades this afternoon. Look for an email from me by tomorrow morning! Here is the final schedule for the remainder of this quarter: Monday 5/21: Digital prelim brand book pages due at the end of class. Work in class. Wednesday 5/23: Prelim brand book pages edits due. Bring a printed version to class for critique. Work in class. Monday 5/28: HOLIDAY! NO CLASS! Wednesday 5/30: Final brand book due on your personal... Continue reading

Some of you overacheivers have already started on secondary collateral pieces for your establishment. Keep going! Everyone should have at least three types of collateral for their brand book. This can include: establishment signage, menu design, biz/punch card, product line or merchandise line. You know what your establishment needs. Make it so! Also create a weekly paper ad for your establishment. You know what to do at this point! Check out the Portland Mercury Ad sizes here. Work in class. Due on your personal Flickr page in the "225.04 - Branding" set, and to the 225 group flickr pool by... Continue reading

your brand book may need more than this, depending on your establishment's unique characteristics. remember that your brand books are not only meant to convey the look and feel of the establishment you've spent the last month creating, but also to give others the tools and rules to understand the brand and continue it in your absence. remember this post for brand book examples! 01 cover 02 Table of Contents 03 written brief [introduce your establishment & brand. you can have a separate page for each of the following, or a succinct paragraph that includes all] How does your new... Continue reading

Keep working & refining your menu design or product line designs. Bring in physical samples of your finished ____________ on Monday 5/14 for critique! Continue reading

Let's flesh out your establishment's brand & utilize those logos! Remember to incorporate RESEARCH [aka visit similar establishments and/or google image search] in your process!\ Due on your personal Flickr page in the "225.04 - Branding" set, and to the 225 group flickr pool by 10pm Tuesday 5/8: At least 3 Preliminary menu design concepts, including inspiration/research, utilizing your previously-created logo, tagline, color palette & type specimens. OR At least 3 Preliminary product packaging concepts, including inspiration/research, utilizing your previously-created logo, tagline, color palette & type specimens. Continue reading

Yes, let's take now through the weekend to finalize what you're already working on! By Monday I want to see a 100% finished designed digital file showcasing your final: Design Breif Color palette Logo & tag line Final supporting type specimen 1 -3 images highlighting what the interior of your space would look like. The design of this file should be consistent with the design of your establishment. This is due on your personal Flickr page in the "225.04 - Branding" set, and to the 225 group flickr pool by 10pm Sunday 5/6. FOR THOSE OF YOU NOT IN CLASS... Continue reading

[this type specimen is from here] Let's finalize what you've been working on! Due on your personal Flickr page in the "225.04 - Branding" set, and to the 225 group flickr pool by 10pm Tuesday 5/1: Final Design Breif [8.5" x 11"] Final Color palette [8.5" x 11"] Exploration of your final establishment name and tag line: let's see 5 different logo/tag line ideas. [8.5" x 11"] Explore 5 different type specimens that work with your logo/tag line ideas. [8.5" x 11"] Continue reading

For those of you that want to explore the world of brand books and get more comfortable with them, this site has many. Search for "brand books:" http://issuu.com/ the skype one is a great example, as is the Vivid one & the bonny one relates to our own books we'll be creating in class! Continue reading

Image from here. Now that you've done all this research on your particular type of establishment, you now have the opportunity to design your own! Fun, right? Let's get started... Preliminary Written Design Brief should convey: How does your new establishment fit in the existing market? What sets it apart [how is it different?] Describe your ideal neighborhood & location Describe the products you'd offer Describe your ideal customer Any other information you feel is relevant Preliminary Physical Location Mood Board should convey: preliminary color palette preliminary materials to use key interior design elements Preliminary Logo Marks Mood Board should... Continue reading

STEP 1 Get together in research teams. If you were absent, we assigned you a group! STEP 2 Identify 20 establishments of your type together as a group. STEP 3 Assign 3 places per person to research in person. Someone has emailed me this master list & sublist, your team and establishment assignments posted below: Team Beer Otis: Mash Tun, Deschutes, HUB Jessie: Burnside, Hair of the Dog, Breakside Cody: Tugboat, Upright, Coalition Chance: Alameda, Migration, Bridgeport Team Coffee Brooks: Courier, Coffee House Northwest, Water Ave. Cafe Dawn: Stumptown, Albina Press, Heart Yumi: Public Domain, Ristoretto, Fresh Pot Rebekah: Barista,... Continue reading