If Nobody Hates It, Is It Worth Remembering?
The fastest way to make something forgettable might be to make sure nobody dislikes it. So should good design actually divide opinion?
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Ideas, opinions
and useful stuff.
A few thoughts on branding, design, websites and the creative work behind them.
Paper Became a Luxury
We spent about twenty years trying to kill paper. Menus became QR codes. Tickets disappeared into our phones. Brochures became PDFs nobody opens. Business cards became, “I’ll just add you…
McLaren Went Backwards to Move Forward
I’ve always loved cars. My dad was a mechanic, so I grew up around them. Cars being fixed, bits of engine on benches, tools everywhere, someone swearing because a bolt…
Designers Can’t Switch Off. We’re Always Looking
I don’t think designers ever really stop working. We stop doing work, obviously. Laptop shut. Adobe closed. Phone down. Maybe even a holiday if we’re feeling reckless. But the brain?…
Great Work Can Still Go Badly Wrong
Brilliant people, good ideas and healthy budgets can still produce average work. Creative direction is what joins the dots, protects the idea and helps talented people do their best work.
McDonald’s Removed Almost Everything. The Result Says Almost Nothing
McDonald’s New Zealand stripped its latest outdoor campaign back to almost nothing. No logo, no product photography, just product names, colour and decades of brand recognition doing the work.
My Tutor Couldn’t Use a Computer. He Taught Me Everything Important
My Tutor Couldn’t Use a Computer. He Taught Me Everything Important When I was learning graphic design, one of my tutors was a man called Adrian Spaak. Adrian was grumpy.…
Three Designers Who Keep Reminding Me About Good Design
One of the strange things about being a designer now is that I probably see more design before breakfast than designers twenty years ago saw in a week. Instagram. Behance.…
I Try Not to Design Anything Until I Understand the Real Problem
I Try Not to Design Anything Until I Understand the Real Problem Opening Illustrator is dangerous. Not in a this software may harm your computer kind of way. More in…