Premier.com created a great list of the best movie posters of all time. They made some excellent choices. Click here to go to the list.
Michael R. Nelson
Graphic Design Instructor
Ashworth University
I was just reading the terriffic blog of Ashworth Graphic Design Instructor, Mike Nelson.
The blog is called, The Ideation Phase, and it’s is a great resource for all of our graphic design, web design, interior design, and photography students.
Mike recently profiled a couple graphic designers that should definitely inspire our students. Check their sites out and be sure to drop in and say “hello” to Mike when you get a chance.
Thanks Mike!
Greg Lamarche uses a collage to create his work and does a great job.
Hornall Anderson is a Seattle based graphic design firm that is simply phenomenal.
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
With their latest groundbreaking video, created from 3-D data captured by the latest in laser scanning technologies, Radiohead continues to close in on the singularity many of our childhood friends may or may not be sleeping through. The video speaks for itself, so my story ends here. I’ve included a link to the “making of the video” as well. These features are usually boring, but this one is actually cool. Check it out…
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
Jonathan Ive is arguably the most ingenious designer of the last decade. An analysis of Ives’ portfolio requires almost a suspension of belief to comprehend. The term portfolio could easily be replaced by “culture” in this case, since the products of Ives’ masterful mind have literally altered the way all of us, collectively, have learned to communicate, conduct business, entertain ourselves, etc. Well, if you haven’t heard of Jonathan Ive, I’ll go ahead and reveal why his multifunctional industrial/graphic/technical design talents are recognized in the same scope as a Leonardo DaVinci. Ives is the principle designer of the iMac, iPod, and iPhone. He is currently the VP of Industrial Design at Apple. The video I’m sharing today consists of a short interview with Ives in which he discusses the overall arch of his design style. It’s simply an introduction that I hope will inspire you to reach your creative potential as you progress through your program studies. I look forward to hearing what you think. Stay focused!
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
I’d like to take this opportunity to summarize some points of extreme importance for you as a beginning designer. I have followed these principles throughout my career and have used them to guide me in the development of your graphic design program. I call this methodology the Michael R. Nelson “12-Point Program for Successful Designers.”
1. Be humble and ready to learn. Even after you complete your program, there is still a vast world of design out there for you to learn, experience, and absorb.
2. Always enter into a design project with clear objectives and criteria.
3. Establish a clear design process with a methodical intent of reducing possible solutions until a clear solution rises to the top.
4. Don’t be afraid to revisit parts of the design process as many times as needed to get it right.
5. Have a clear hierarchy of information in the graphics you design.
6. Respect typography.
7. Make your imagery meaningful. Don’t be overly simplistic with your imagery. Make sure it’s appropriate and communicates your core message.
8. Always push your designs for a higher level of excellence.
9. A successful designer must be willing to self-educate. Never stop learning about design and exposing yourself to creative outlets.
10. Make your own opportunities. Designers do not have the luxury of sitting back and waiting for prospective clients and employers to come to them.
11. Be discriminating in defining what good and bad design is. Whether you are critiquing yourself or work you randomly run across, or you are participating in a formal group critique, hold the work to a high standard and have the confidence to declare it successful or unsuccessful. Allow proven, high-quality work like we cover on this blog define your standards of good work.
12. Don’t let computer programs “own” your designs.
If you can excel at these 12 points, you will be well on your way to becoming a good designer. Let me know how you are progressing through your program and please reach out to me through this blog if you need any direct assistance. All you have to do is leave me a comment and I’ll follow up with you right away. I’m here to do whatever I can to make this learning experience a successful one for you!
Michael R. Nelson
Graphic Design Instructor
Ashworth University
All you Graphic Artists out there give us a holler!! The upcoming Ashworth Newspaper is in need of your talents! We desperately need cartoonists. We would like a funny page! Any takers?
If you’re interested, follow up with us on the Ashworth University Forum “Student Newspaper” thread. Click here to view and participate in this thread. Thanks!
David
Student
Ashworth University Criminal Justice Program
P.S. Remember; Greatness is not a matter of if, but a matter of when.
Thanks to Carol Esther for permission to use this Photo.
One of my biggest daily struggles is creating graphics using “dummy” images or filler copy, simply because a client is late in providing me with the final art work or copy. This forces me to make blind decisions in Photoshop, because I know they will all change once I receive the real artwork and/or copy. It’s no use coming up with the perfect way to make text fit a page, if the text is going to change in size when you receive the final draft. Working with dummy text or art work is okay for making general decisions, but don’t waste your time with it. If you are already working in your computer program, you are at the stage of making final decisions. Don’t make those decisions until you can be sure that they will truly be final.
I realize that operating efficiency isn’t the sexiest topic a designer can imagine, but let’s look down the road to your future in the industry. Remember, that’s what this course is about: your future. Suppose that you are working with a design team and you are in the comp stage of a project. Let’s add to this scenario that you’re working to get a promotion or a bonus. You’ll look like a hero to your art director if you arrive at critique sessions with twice as many comps as your peers, due to your higher proficiency with the design software. Also, the quality of your work will be higher because you can successfully flesh out ideas and create a better end product. Your final comps will also have more detail and therefore look better than the less-developed submissions of other designers. This is the kind of edge every designer looks for. It’s the kind of edge you need in the very competitive world of design. I want you to have this edge.
Michael R. Nelson
Graphic Design Instructor
Ashworth University
Thanks to thinbegin for permission to use this Photo.
David Carson spent a decade building his reputation as an underground graphic designer before gaining mainstream popularity in the early 1990’s. Some have labeled his signature style as “dirty” in the sense that it may appear unpolished, heavy, and visually dense to the common viewer. Carson was one of the first graphic designers to mash seemingly unrelated typographical and photographic elements into one composition, a practice that is so commonplace today as to almost appear cliché, but at the time,Carson’s ability to convey what were perceived to be complex (subconscious) messages through his work was considered groundbreaking. In the following video, Carson discusses how his design instincts have always guided his career from day one—and how important it is for young designers to develop their own intuitive style in order to consistently create substantive work. Click on the image above to watch this video. I think you’ll find some inspiration in the life and work of David Carson.
Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University
Whenever I get a question from a user asking me “how did you draw this?”, I often have to answer that I’ve used the Pen tool. The Pen tool is probably the hardest tool to learn in Illustrator. It just takes time to master it fluently, but once you do, you have this freedom to create. Sometimes we can get a long way using only shape tools like the ellipse, polygon, rectangle or rounded rectangle. With a bit of creative thinking and some simple aligning in combination with Pathfinder’s powerful tools you might just achieve the perfect drawing in no time. Here is another Illustrator tutorial where I show you to draw a simple icon without the use of the Pen tool…
Before you start you might activate Smart Guides (View > Smart Guides). Select the Rounded Rectangle Tool from the Toolbox and draw a shape as shown in the image above. You can modify the corners of the rectangle using the up or down arrow keys while dragging the shape. Make sure the radius of the rounded corners of the rectangle is big enough. Next, select the Rectangle Tool and draw a small vertical rectangle shape below as shown in the right-hand side image. Now select the Polygon Tool and draw a small hexagon below the small rectangle (see image above).
Select the Selection Tool (black arrow) and select the 3 shapes. Click the Horizontal Align Center from the toolbar at the top. Select the Direct Selection Tool (white arrow) and drag a selection over the bottom 2 points of the hexagon.
Click in one of the points, hold down the Shift key and drag the 2 points downwards as shown in the left-hand side image above. Now select the Selection Tool (black arrow) again and select the small rectangle above the hexagon. Hover your cursor somewhere on the middle of the bottom border until you get the resize cursor icon. Drag the border of the rectangle downwards so it overlaps the hexagon shape.
Subscribe to Feed