100 Habits Of Successful Graphic Designers: Insider Secrets On Working Smart And Staying Creative

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781592531882
• ISBN10: 1592531881
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-01
• Publisher: HACHETTE

Summary

In need of advice? Just want to sounds off? Opening this volume is like grabbing lunch with a fellow designer to commiserate or celebrate. In its pages, noteworthy designers, both past and present, working in fields ranging from graphic design, fashion, architecture, typography, and industrial design sound off on every topic, ranging from deadlines, inspiration, competition, rules, respect, education, and handling criticism-all with a certain amount of irreverence. Their thoughts are boiled down into succinct, quotable quotes and one-liners that exemplify their character and demonstrate their philosophy on the world around them.Enjoy reading thought bites from everyone from Art Chantry, Margo Chase, Ed Fella, John C. Jay, Hideki Nakajima, Stefan Sagmeister, and Rudy VanderLans.

Author Biography

Joshua Berger is a founder and creative director of Plazm. Berger has been recognized by numerous design publications and award shows. He received the Gold Medal at the Leipzig Bookfair for his collaboration with John C Jay on the book Soul of the Game. His most recent projects include the art direction and design of ESPN's Ultimate Highlight Reel and development of the web site www.anit-war.us, dedicated to distribution of anti-war graphics to activists globally.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 8
Self-Promotion	p. 10
Let the work speak for itself
Create promotions that reflect the goals of your company
Keep in touch with your clients, past and present
Let someone publish your work
Win and keep clients with a multi-pronged approach to self-promotion
Use cultural relevance to create ongoing momentum
Create self-promotional materials that are deceptively simple
Do an extra-good job on tiny projects
Distribute your work through respected channels to gain client confidence
Everything you do promotes yourself
Walk around a book fair and hand out your book designs to publishers
Create after-the-fact flyers
Working with Clients	p. 36
Visit the client's site-physical and virtual
Research client decision-making systems
Spend time with your client to build consensus and create shared goals
Expand your audience by doing public art projects
Don't talk about CD art in a CD art meeting
All work has its own unique client
Learn the language of the client
Teach the client your language
Seek out creative clients for successful collaborations
Build small projects into engaging, ongoing work
Work for the government
Develop a clear ethic of client interaction that works for you
Workflow and In-House Dynamics	p. 60
Find an emotional connection with your audience
Demand respect, creative license, and fair pay
Expand with your clients
Develop brands that both reflect and influence culture
Help save electricity
If you are a designer, design; if you are a manager, manage
Accessible can be smart; smart can be funny
Hire interesting, creative people-and listen to them
Always keep the valve in the open position
Cultivate a workplace with a specific look and sound
Keep decision making simple and nonhierarchical
Creative directors need to stay creative
Look far and wide for your sources in the creative process
Continuing Education and Professional Development	p. 84
Avoid design conferences
Support young designers
When you retire, deal with the possibilities, not the necessities
Go back to school no matter how old you are
Start a magazine
Make a low-budget project look expensive
Read it all, forget it all, and do your own thing
Actively pursue intellectual subjects that resonate with you
Learn the vernacular of a new field
Continue your own education by teaching
Develop and sustain an art practice throughout your life
Never stop learning; don't start teaching
Encourage young people to make art
Community Involvement	p. 102
Develop a social agenda
Develop long-term relationships with nonprofit organizations
Address local, immediate needs
Use the Robin Hood theory
Minimize travel expenses-work with your neighbors
Create highly visible and culturally consequential design by working for clients in education and the arts
Integrate your politics with your creation
Teach
Don't feel obligated to do charity work
Keep in touch with your nonprofit clients
Partner with like-minded firms
Use client work to collaborate with young new artists
Provide service to your design community
Technology	p. 124
Acknowledge the value of the analog process
Use computers to communicate with stone masons
Make design invisible
Recognize the limits of digital technology for creative work
Let your small shop thrive on high-tech
Whatever you think, technology is in control
Remember that technology serves you; you do not serve technology
Use technolgy in unexpected ways
Work with emerging technologies
Make friends with people who know a technology that you want to learn
Develop an overarching technology metaphor
It's OK to not go multimedia
Use the computer as a business tool as well as a creative tool
Personal Growth and Keeping Creativity Alive	p. 146
Travel as much as possible
Look at the everyday world for inspiration
Watch videos of comedians
Practice and preach, don't theorize and teach
Change your environment
Have conversations with great talents
Keep creativity alive by any means
Read a good book
Set up shop in a foreign country during a recession
Work with visual artists
Take some time off
Develop personal growth and personal taste; you are what you eat
Take risks with your career
Partnerships and Strategic Synergies	p. 170
The secret of a successful partnership is to never compromise
Collaborate with someone in a different field
Collaborate with someone whose skills complement your own
Collaboration does not depend on compromise but rather on good decisions about whom you work with
Find a mutually beneficial relationship
Allow each creative team to determine its collaborative approach
Take a risk in choosing collaborative partners
Partner with companies willing to take risks
Partner with civic organizations
Forge partnerships that broaden your cultural horizons
Help other people collaborate
About the Contributors	p. 190
About the Author and Designer	p. 192
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.