Pantone’s color books are probably the most used tools a designer uses behind x-acto blades.

Pantone Duotone

The duotone book lets you see exactly what you’re going to get when you send a file off to press. This helps a lot because color you see on screen does not match color you see from spot printing. Even CMYK printing doesn’t match up fully.

Pantone Goe System

This system is basicaly a way to simplify finding colors. Colors are right next to eachother in the guide instead of spread into different sections of the fan. The book currently has 2,058 colors. This nearly doubles the number from the Pantone Matching System’s 1,114 colors. The inks are also mixed differently. You should check if your printer works with the system before specifying however. It is not intended as a replacement for the Pantone Matching System, but an expansion to it. The two books are meant to be used together. The new system uses a three number pattern with hyphens to specify color. for example: 4-1-4 C. This number indicates a yellow in Goe. Don’t confuse this with Pantone 414 C which is a grey color.

Our labs have a Xerox printer and a projector that give a lot of headaches. The projector is simple if you know how to use it.

1. Turn it on with the remote
2. Turn on the lamp with the power button
3. Make sure neither light for the extension is turned on
4. Switch it to RGB 2

The printer jams, looses files, and randomly restarts in the middle of printing. The main reasons we keep it around is because it does duplex printing. Knowing how to do that helps as well.

1. Open the print dialogue
2. Click the down arrow to expand
3. Check two-sided printing

During our Chicago trip, we visited Steven Liska at his design firm Liska and Associates. Entering the lobby of the building, you are greeted with space. Nothing was confined. We took an elevator up to their floor, walked through the glass doorway, and was led to the client meeting room. The walls were slightly transparent, so you could see shadowy outlines of the employees being active while we were talking. The first thing I noticed about the room was that the walls were covered in thumbnails. This was what I’ve become used to over the past four years. It was refreshing to see that even the big guys in Chicago had to work through the bad ideas to get to the good ideas. He jokingly said “I’m going to fire whoever put up the thumbnails of that cartoon cow”. That comment set the mood for a nice casual conversation with the man.

“You need to know web”. Steve agrees that print media is on it’s last legs. “It’s going to tank hard”. He gave examples of annual reports becoming digital. It’s simply a matter of cost. Is it more effective to pay for prints for 20,000+ investors or create a web document one time? It makes sense. I love print media, but it jolted me a bit to have the situation brought to light like that.

He also stressed that your social networking sites have to be cleaned up. He looks up EVERY potential employee on facebook/twitter/myspace/blogs. If he sees anything questionable, he won’t even bother calling.

“You need to know how to do everything, just a little”. Being broad in focus is important to Liska. But you need to compliment your broadness with a firm understanding of web. “If you know flash, you’ll probably get a job”. I can only assume he means the back end of flash. Coding etc. “Our role as designers is going to be changing.”

We also were able to take a look around. The designers working there were quieter than I expected. Hard at work for various projects. They had a great view of the city and big comfy work spaces.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised that it was a very friendly, focused environment.

Kristi Samuels was kind enough to visit our labs recently. She covered some facts about paper that served as a refresher course and provided new information as well.

A main point that was covered was the sustainability of paper. Corporations are trying to create a green reputation these days. There are a few ways to go about attaining Eco-friendly designs that serve this purpose. The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) uses a mark that indicates that every step from logging the trees, all the way to printing on the paper has been done in a environmentally conscious method. If even one of these stages is not certified, the final print cannot contain the FSC mark. Having the mark indicates a responsible designer and company. The FSC works on a broad, world wide scope as well.

You can’t always get FSC approval, but there are other methods of printing that are still responsible. Simply choosing a recycled paper can have a positive impact. The quality of recycled paper has increased dramatically in recent years as well. It is certainly a viable option.

Locally, U.S. designers can specify SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative) methods. Similarly to FSC regulations, SFI monitors each step in the process.

Deforestation isn’t good for our planet. We’re running out of rain forests consistently. Any steps taken to reduce our “footprint” helps to prevent clear cutting and other damaging environmental factors.

When should a database be used? Generally, a database is used to access information. It contains information that you can rearange, organize, or delete. Filemaker Pro makes creating a database fairly easy.

This can work wonders for keeping your contacts up to date. Filemaker uses one set of information. All of the recorded information for one person makes up one record. Each record has a collection of fields within it. Fields are individual pieces of information with values. A value could be text, number, calculation, or date based.

Browse Mode

The main way to view files and enter data is called Browse Mode. Optionally, you can set up a password for this view, but it is not a requirement. You can search for specific key words by hitting the key command [command + F] You remain in this find mode until you enter find all mode [command + J] to get back to everyone’s record. Browse mode convieniently has a spell check when entering data as well. If a field is changed, it will change in every layout. When entering field categories, you must name it and check box the type of information that the containers will have. If you select a calculation, it will ask you to enter an equation.

Layout Mode

This is the view primaraly used to design how things appear on screen. You can rearrange items, and use a format painter to copy and paste appearances to entry fields. You can use the same data in different ways. For instance, one layout could show a picture, name, and how you know the person. Another layout could not show the picture, but show first and last names with contact numbers and location. You should use different layouts for different uses.

Preview Mode

This view shows you exactly what the information will look like when you make a printed copy. When printing, it is important to remember to change records being browsed to the current record or it will print 1,000’s of records instead of the one you have selected. Records browsed in this case means how many search results you recieved when you did your search. If your results say 8, you will print out 8 even if you do not see them all.

Once you figure out how the program functions, and enter all of your relevant data, it becomes a convenient tool to use. It’s uses are not limited to just contact records either. It’s a great way to do job tickets, expense reports, or weekly project reports as well.

When you are designing a project that is intended to be sent through the postal system, you should pay attention to the regulations. There are good resources for these. Sometimes you can convince the workers in the post office to give you their old envelope regulations guides. If you’re not so lucky, here are a few design practice tips to help you out:

• Always double check everything you do
• Check the sizes of envelopes and stay within min/max limits
• A good general rule is that a card or letter’s minimum size is 5 inches by 3.5 inches, with a thickness of 0.007 inches.
• Glass, string, staples and buttons can damage the sorting machines used by the USPS
• Any regulation paper that can be postmarked on can be used
• If you place a logo within the address, it cannot say anything and must be abstract
• It’s a good idea to use sans-serif, all capitol letters
• 0.02 inches of leading used in address
• Character space between words should be the same as the space in leading

A good test to see if your design will work well with the optical carrier reader is to try and fold it in half. As always, the regulations can and do change from time to time. Check up with a current official guide. Here’s a good example:

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/qsg300/q201b.pdf

At this point, just about everyone has a social networking profile. Reconnecting with friends is great. In fact, the social networking aspects that websites are now incorporating has had such a large impact, that it has upgraded the web to version 2.0. If you understand that anyone can reach you now, then you should also naturally assume that employers have that same ability. Want to get a design job? Then expect your interviewers to Stalkbook you.  Even if you check private in your preferences, there are ways for employers to find your information. Don’t assume you are safe. Most design firms would never hire anyone without first going to their social networking pages. That includes Myspace/Facebook/Twitter/Blogs/Linked-In accounts.

In the past few years, the percentage of employers who do at least a basic social networking search of your name has risen to an alarming 31%.

Maybe it’s time to delete those drunken Jell-O wrestling pictures from your last party. Hey, you could even turn it into a positive. Think about what qualities a person would want to see when hiring an employee. Try to reflect that professional image. Show off your references. List your accomplishments. Mention your skills that make you valuable. Your profile should be employer friendly. Remove pictures, content, and links that send the wrong message. Update your profile regularly to show you’re actually active. Block certain comments or people from commenting. Avoid joining groups that have names that could turn employers off. Set your profile to private so only designated friends can see it (just remember: that does not guarantee what friends will do with it). Change your email from slimebomb69 to your first and last name.

IF IT’S ON THE INTERNET, THEY WILL FIND IT!

There are a few options when designing for t-shirts. The first thing you should figure out is if you want to do direct to shirt printing or transfers

Screen Printing
This technique is more stable. It can withstand multiple washings without showing signs of degradation. It uses a thicker ink that melts into the fibers of the shirt. You should avoid halftones and fine lines, because they will not turn out in the end result. Try to avoid using puff printing, because it can be very tacky. That being said, there could be a situation where puff printing is appropriate to the design.

Transfers
In this technique, you print on transfer media instead of the actual shirt. The image has to be printed backwards, since it will flip when being transferred. This may be a preferred method if you are only printing a low quantity, due to cost. Set up is very easy. You can also under-print white for opacity.

T-shirt Brands
You should always choose a brand name quality shirt. Good examples are Hanes or Fruit of the Loom. Fruit of the Loom’s sizes run narrower than most brands. Avoid specifying off brands because they deteriorate after a wash or two.

Fabrics

100% cotton

• Shrinks after a wash or two
• Feels soft

50% cotton 50% polyester

• Doesn’t shrink
• Material aquires cottony balls

100% polyester

• Don’t use it!

Important Things To Remember:

• Sometimes you can get swatchbooks of shirts of some companies
• White shirts are always the least expensive
• Pastel and grey inks can cost a bit more
• Dark color inks cost the most
• Generally stick to a 12 x 12 image size maximum
• Ask if the design will fit comfortably on every size shirt
• The image should not go under the armpits (TRY YOUR SHIRT ON!)
• You use spot color seperations
• Analyse your separations for knockouts and trapping
• Convert all of your strokes and text to path outlines
• You should send multiple versions in case they are not up to date with software (common with screen printers)
• Only send the printer PDFs if they do not have a way to open the file in it’s native software
• Printers need to give you the specs to save the file in
• Always ask them about trapping if it’s an issue in your design
• Specify exactly where the image should be placed, and illustrate it in your printer package
• Screen printing inks DO NOT conform to the pantone system
• Include a color swatch chip so the printer can match color
• Ask if it’s possible to see a proof
• Dark color shirts will dull the color of inks
• Consider white underprint. It costs another plate and adds a layer of ink thickness. (don’t do it unless white is vital to your design
• Create a prototype and place the image on a generic shirt image with measurements
• Include 100% and smaller mockup version in the printer package

Two years ago, our teacher, Linda Powell returned to Herman Miller. She asked Steve Frickholm if there was anything she could work on.

Design System

Design quest, Sit for Less, and other retail furniture stores were currently being positioned to sell classic Herman Miller furniture. They wanted a system for these small retailers to advertise Herman Miller products on their own, yet retain a degree of consistency and high design. An example retailer was created to represent all of the others in the documentation. It was an instruction manual, so they had to create a fake identity for the purpose of showing arrangements. They called it Mid-Mod Habitats. Just like any other identity, they created a shop packet containing specifications. The goal was to get everything done by the time she was leaving in December. “We want to give them more than standards” -Linda. The first thing that had to be done is create a logo. This was done in the same process that we have used in the past. An additional element that read “Authorized Herman Miller Retailer” had to work with any of the retailer’s logos. Leading and point size was specified. Then, various layouts of hypothetical business’ logos along with the “Authorized Herman Miller Retailer” addition were shown. They grabbed sponsor ads from opera and concert brochures (a common ad placement) and created their own versions. 18 variations of layouts were made in the end. The retailers ended up using these templates, and it was encouraged. The same process was repeated with magazine advertisements. Next, window advertisements were created. The text version of Herman Miller was not as effective as the circular logo in this case when viewed from a distance. Example website layouts were explored next. Finally, all of this information was compiled into a standards manual for retailers to use as a guideline.

Holiday Card

Linda’s next project was a holiday card sent out to clients of local retailers. Initially, letters were called out in red, next to grey letters forming various holiday associated words. Every time the letters P, E, A, C, OR E were used they had the red color. Through refinement, it was eventually determined that verbs would be more effective. “Sing a Carol” instead of “Christmas Carols” for example.

“Invest in the mark” -Bruce Mau

In this project, the herman miller logo was going to be refined into a simplified, recognisable symbol. The process involved changing it from logo with type to only the symbol. (on a side note: the symbol is an M, not an H, as most seem to think) What makes a mark stand out? The space around it. The color. The contrast. Size Relationships. Many options were shown for different items including stationary, business cards, envelopes, and signage. In fact she pulled out the final binder and it was gigantic. It echoed a gratifying THUMP when it was dropped on the desk.

VS

Fontstruct.com is a website that lets you create your own font. You use building blocks to determine how each letter is formed. It seems a bit limited, and could possibly be used to create some hideously offensive typefaces. However, it is fun to use and could have it’s uses. Here is an example of one such offensive lower case G I worked on for a little bit. Yeeeesh!

See? I didn’t make that up.

Art

I paid a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago during my trip. Despite the hot topic of the new identity and way finding system of the museum, i was able to find my way around perfectly fine. It is nearly impossible to see everything that the museum has to offer in a single day, let alone the few hours I had to enjoy the exhibits. However, what I did manage to see was great.

Clown Torture, 1987

Four-channel digital video (projections, monitors, and sound); 60 min loop

Walking around the modern art area, off in the distance you could hear yelling and glass breaking. It was very intrusive to the rest of the experience. I think this was the artist’s intent. People half ignoring the torture going on right in the next room. When you actually enter the room, you see monitors recording a clown being tortured in various ways. One display showed him balancing a fish bowl on top of a broom handle. After so long, the bowl crashes into the floor causing the clown to cry. Another had him in a bathroom yelling about something or other. Interesting to say the least. I think many of the attendees were turned off by the gorilla art tactics, but the artist got his desired response. He made a majority of the people who entered very uncomfortable.

Shūkongō-jin

Wood with traces of polychromy. Japan. Kamakura period (1185-1333)

I had to pay a visit to the Japanese art area. This little guy is known as the “Thunderbolt Deity”. He brandishes the kongōsho. It’s a stylized thunderbolt that destroys ignorance and evil. Shūkongō is never meant to blend with it’s surroundings, so artists generally portrayed him with exaggerated effects.

Miss E. Knows, 1967

Acrylic on Plexiglass, aluminum, rubber, and enamel on wood frame

This one caught my eye due to the sheer complexity of the layering. Jim Nutt was a member of the Hairy Who. The group would meet in Hyde Park and had a focus on garish colors and pop-culture. Nutt works “painstakingly slow”, always depicting a woman from the artist’s imagination.

Chicago is a city where you can get lost for hours just from exploring the various attractions. One potentially overlooked aspect of the town lies in it’s specialty shops. When you find a good one, it’s almost as if you’ve stumbled into a secret hot spot that only the locals know about. During my visit, I managed to visit quite a few of these businesses. Here are a few of the highlights.

Vosges Haut Chocolat

Vosges was probably the most impressive shop that I came across in Chicago. Right as you enter, you notice the extremely purple motif. There is a small café seating area for lounging in the front. Pre-packaged chocolate, wine and clothing were on display inside of wood shelving systems with a mirror backing. In the center of these was a great wall of typography, describing different chocolate categories in the “Chocolate of the Month Club”. Surprisingly, the middle section had a victorian dining table with a paper tree as a center piece. When you ventured further back into the shop, you were greeted with an amazing little ice cream/chocolate/wine area that resembled a well designed 50’s malt shop. Looking into the display glass, there were miniature works of art created with the natural ingredients of the chocolate. I definitely recommend visiting this shop if you get the chance.

Quimby’s

This place took me back to my childhood. Every weekend, I would get up early and run down a few blocks to Pete’s Comic shop and blow my five dollar allowance on the latest comics. Quimby’s caused a rush of fond memories to assault me once again. Even though the comic industry is dying off, this place has not lost the overall feeling of what comic shops had to offer. The exclusive feeling of being in an underground comic shop even reflects in their signage. Random passers by would never guess that they sold books and comics inside. The interior is plastered with random “cool stuff” that they just felt like sticking to a wall. The back has a nude poodle with human breasts, a mannequin painted green with wild hair (placed right in the middle of the walkway), and a vintage photo-booth, that we managed to fit six people inside for a souvenir. The content is less comics, and more hand done zines, books, and toys. I even found a great glow in the dark zombie collection of figures.

Paper Source

This place was definitely a required stop for any designer. It was all about paper. They had origami kits, scrap booking supplies, calendars, and anything else you could picture as an activity with paper. I managed to catch a cool little tutorial on how to take an ink stamp and melt metal flecks into it to create a foil stamp/embossed look. Walls covered in paper selections was a great sight to see. It was a little scrap book heavy, but worth the visit all the same.

The next time you’re in Chicago, be sure to take the time to just wander around. You never know what great little place you’ll come across.

Grand Rapids is hosting the first annual art prize. It is the world’s largest art prize.

Prizes are as follows:

1st place: $250,000
2nd: $100,000
3rd: $50,000
4th through 10th: $7,000

The 2009 first place winner was Ran Ortner’s piece titled Open Water no.24. It is oil on canvas 70 x 228 inches. The first thing I thought when I got a glimpse of this was that it was a photo scaled up. After closer inspection, I saw that it was actually an oil painting. In one word: amazing. Even from a few feet back, you’re still convinced you’re looking at a photo.

Placed right next to this was a metallic reed machine that produced an industrial version of the sounds of an ocean. It was the perfect compliment to the experience. However, this piece was done by a different artist.

Open Water no.24 will be traveling to New York, Singapore, and Moscow in 2009.

I’m definitely looking forward to seeing future Artprize events. It’s a great opportunity for people in the Grand Rapids area to see art from all around the world. The quantity of work, and the experience of walking through a city packed with art everywhere you look is exceptional.

Good Design: Stories From Herman Miller

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the exhibit being displayed in the Muskegon Museum of Art. Instead of being led through the exhibit by the regular guide, I was treated to discussions with Barb Loveland, a designer for the exhibit itself. Barb’s credentials include teaching at Ferris State, designing for Herman Miller and teaching at Frostic School of Art.

She described, in detail, her personal design process. The team working to create the installation had “a good balance of people”. She is self admittedly ”a disorganized designer”, but during the creation, she kept each stage of the design process well documented and orderly. The exhibit was meant to be transported to 15 locales from the beginning. Modular sections had to be made to be taken down and possibly have pieces omitted due to space limitations. Ideally, the sections would be placed in the four corner configuration used in Muskegon. This let the viewer, while standing in the middle, see down pathways inside of each section to important figures that were influential to that specific form of design.

She worked with Vincent Faust, who was the fabricator on the project. Stainless Steel piping was used to provide the support structure for each panel. He was able to find pipes that were absent of text or markings usually present from the manufacturing stage. They remained unbrushed or polished to retain an industrial feel.

The panels themselves were comprised of a twelve column grid. Barb stated that “Nothing was off of the grid, with the exception of a 15 degree picture”. It was important to see the panels printed at full size so she could get a sense of scale, which the computer screen could not show accurately.

The exhibits had the following highlights in each:

ERGONOMICS: Seating

• This section had videos playing that showed people playing hockey in herman miller chairs.
• Two prototype stages of a chair were on display. You could evaluate different product design considerations on the accompanying dry erase board.

ACTION OFFICE: Inquires

• This section showed the early stages of cubicle design.
• It was mentioned that people feel more secure in enclosed areas.
• Everything in the action office was in quick reach of the resident.
• A model kit was displayed showing how business owners could re-arrange the pieces to fit into their work spaces.

GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS: Engages

• I saw my teacher and former Herman Miller designer, Linda Powell, on one of the panels for modular furniture.
• Interactive media was available on little macbooks for the viewer to navigate.
• A bookshelf was installed and the viewer could read the various books at their leisure.

MID-CENTURY CLASSICS: Endures

• George Nelson’s Marshmallow Sofa was displayed

• Charles and Ray Eames had multiple furniture designs on display

• Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick’s Aeron Chair (shown at the top of this blog) was displayed

If you are interested in attending the exhibit, the Muskegon Museum of Art is located at 296 W. Webster Ave. in downtown Muskegon. Call 231 720-2570 or visit www.muskegonartmuseum.org for information.

Images used obtained from hermanmiller.com

When written communication is needed, you have to consider the medium of your message. Each of these forms has their own strengths and weaknesses. Before hitting the send button on that email, you should evaluate the purpose of the interaction and decide which form is most appropriate.

Letter

• the most personal form of communication, outside of direct contact with the recipient
• has a formal and organized presentation
• used for important documents
• contains more information than the other forms
• contact information is given: name, address, phone, email and date
• should have a direct greeting, such as “Dear Michael”
• should never have a blind greeting such as “To whom it may concern” or “Dear Sir”
• contains a salutation at the end
• should have a hand-written signature of the writer

Memo

• usually remains internal to an organization or project
• short and to the point
• quick form of communication
• has a letterhead
• dated
• does not require a signature
• uses bulleted points
• designed with tabs and margins
• can have enclosures for additional information or documents, such as an edit to body copy
• if you start a bulleted list with complete sentences, you should continue with that theme
• should be written from the same perspective throughout
• uses a quick close

Email

• the least formal of the three
• brief and to the point
• quickest way to communicate
• don’t overlook proof-reading
• you can send blind copies to multiple people without addressing them personally
• do not use texting shorthand such as lol or ttyl
• remember that you can control the typeface size and space between each paragraph
• you can have digital attachments
• links may be provided