AU Blogspot

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

As a web designer with the ability to create dynamic online business platforms, you are truly in a unique position to turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.  This video tells the inspiring story of Theresa Rodriguez, a young entrepreneur who founded BostonNighlifeTV, an online site that keeps Bostonians in touch with everything “cool” going on in the city’s nightlife scene.  Do you have a great business plan that you’ve been sitting on?  What are you waiting for?  Think about it.  You’re a web designer.  You don’t have to wait on anyone to get your idea off the ground in the online marketplace.  It’s not unrealistic to think that you could be the next Theresa Rodriguez.  If you have an idea that you’d like some feedback on or would like to share your own success story, feel free to email me at:

aublogspot@ashworthuniversity.edu

I look forward to hearing from you!

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

Joshua Davis is acknowledged as one of the most innovative multimedia-digital designers the world has ever seen.  Creator of such seminal web sites as Praystation, whose’ radical use of open source flash applications was almost unheard of at the time; Davis has redefined the very concept of “interactivity” for a generation of web designers.  His relentlessly creative work defies classification and incorporates elements of physics, mathematics, code, architecture, etc.  Are you getting the picture?  This guy is a monster.  I decided to post this video chronicling his work on what is now considered a legendary campaign for BMW’s Z4 automobile.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a web designer, graphic designer, or just someone who appreciates brilliance in any form; you should take a few minutes to learn from Joshua Davis.  Let me know your thoughts.  Who are some of your favorite designers?  If you’re not sure, simply share some of your favorite web sites with the Ashworth student community.  Talk to you later.

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

Hi everyone, 

I sure am glad that I enrolled in Ashworth University’s Web Site Design program. First of all, I wanted to put my home based scrapbooking business on the Web. I got involved doing the site with sitecreatorplus and created a Web site for my business. It was awesome, but I wanted more…so I signed up for Web site design here and I love it. I have been put a little behind because of my business, but I am catching up now. If you want to view my website, you can check it out at

www.myscrapbookingstuff.com  

That is what I want to be able to do all on my own.  And I will achieve it!  Have a great Day!  

Carmen
Web Site Design Program Student
Ashworth University

              Thanks to Starck Ting for permission to use this Photo.

Throughout his career, Philippe Starck has positioned himself ahead of the design curve, practically ignoring it, but not through the prescient recognition and/or early adoption of trends.  Starck instead relies on ingenuity to reinterpret the concept of design itself, reworking the most mundane of objects (clocks, silverware, computer mouses, etc.) until they are capable of being perceived in different contexts—with new meaning and functions.  In this conceptual sense, one can detect traces of Marcel Duchamp and his influential readymade objects.  The following video offers a fine introduction to the vision of Philippe Starck.  Starck’s vision will inspire you.  Click on the image above to watch this video.  Let us know what you think. 

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University