So you guys know that you will be turning in your designer’s notebooks on Thursday, 3/4. This mid-term check is worth 1/2 of your notebook grade. Well if you’ve been slacking in the inspiration category, here’s your chance to bulk it up to make sure you get the whole 50 fabulous points.
As a designer you should be taking time every day to immerse yourself in the world of graphic design — whether it is checking out your favorite designer’s blog, reading a design periodical, or just browsing online portfolios. I can not stress enough how important it is to be looking at things. It not only expands your mind as to what is possible with a graphic design degree but also allows you to figure out what your individual approach will be. Sometimes it is fun to find designers and to try to figure out… “how’d they do that?” It’s also really interesting to search through their sites or interviews to see if they offer insight into their process. There are an INSANE amount of styles and visual approaches in design and if you do your research you are bound to find hundreds of designers you find interesting.
However, let’s start small. Your project is to beef up the inspiration section of your designer’s notebook. You are to find 7 (lucky #) designers/illustrators that inspire you or that you find interesting. Maybe you like their style or find their work humorous. Maybe you find their designs mysterious and intriguing. Maybe you just love their typographic choices or color palettes. The possibilities are endless.
As you find your 7 inspiring designers, print off examples of their work. You are welcome to print directly from their website or save their jpgs to your computer and collage them in photoshop. It is important you print their examples in color on a quality printer at a good size. Try to print out at least 3 different pieces from each designer. Put these tasty design/illustration examples into the inspiration section of your notebook. Make sure their name is included somewhere with their work. If you follow these guidelines you’ll be well on your way to being a well rounded and informed designer.
But wait! We’re not done yet! Out of these 7 designers you are to pick your favorite. One designer that you are just totally in love with. In your notebook you are to write 3 paragraphs about this designer. This could include: what inspired you about their work, a little background information on who they are, what clients they work with, what school they went to, what programs they use to create their designs, and more!
I would like you to conduct research on your own when it comes to the designers you like. However, here are some links to help you search…
One good place to start is AIGA’s Design Archives. Unlike other sites that show everyone’s work you can be assured that the work you find here is award winning! You can click on past years, but it might be best to look at the selections for 2009. Another good site is Coroflot. Here designers and firms can post their work for potential employers to see. The bad thing about this site is the content is created by the users, no editing is involved. So you could come in contact with a bunch of crap. However, used selectively you can find some great work here!
I’ve repeated some great design periodicals for you to check out. Good thing is they also have great websites. One in particular is Print. Their site is great and showcases interviews from and information about a variety of designers. They even have a whole page dedicated to inspiring imagery. Hmm how bout that?!!
There are also some great blogs. Follow some links, check out some sites, get lost in the beautiful imagery and creative concepts. Design Sponge, Fly, Print and Pattern, Oh Joy, more from Joy here, Urban Outfitters blog, Poppytalk, DDC, Mike Perry, Design is Kinky, Frank Sturges Reps, i2i Art Inc.
