Graphic Designer's Guide To The Galaxy

Atelje B Plus - Novi Sad

2012-01-20T14:52:00.003+01:00

This is an interesting party. These guys hired me a month ago, just before the New Year's Eve. After long hours and sleepless nights that I spent to finish this logo before the holidays, they told me they didn't know that paying the designer after the job is done is mandatory. Anyway - it wasn't specified. They asked me to wait till the end of January.

Having in mind that this is a construction company, and my fee was almost symbolic, this gives you an insight of Serbian business flora and fauna.

Inizio - products and accessories for babies - brandname and logotype for sale

2012-01-20T14:22:00.005+01:00

Inizio - products and accessories for babies, including cots, buggies, prams, toys, clothing and such... The client wanted me to come up with the brand name in Italian. I chose "Inizio" - the beginning. Here are two versions of logotype.
The whole project is on a hold up, so I decided to put it on sale. Full package - brand guidelines - 400EUR.

Genus

2012-01-20T14:14:00.001+01:00

Health Workers of Gynecology Clinic Association, Novi Sad. I did this logo a few months ago. Very nice people there. They do a very responsible job. It was really a pleasure working for them.

Sunrise Games

2011-10-01T16:14:00.004+02:00

Sunrise Games is a computer game studio from Sydney NSW, AU. Their products are based on good old computer games from 80's and 90's. "Those games that'll keep you awake till sunrise!" - says the owner.
I wanted to catch that retro flavour and avoid depicting sun at all costs. I wanted something more interesting and catchy than a widely used yellow semicircle. What is a perfect symbol for sunrise if not a rooster? Plus - it's other meanings completely correspond to the company's ideals.
My regular logotype cook-book, Dictionary of Symbols (Dictionnaire des symmboles - Allen Gerbrandt and Jean Chevalier) says the following:

...Rooster is a solar symbol. In India it's an attribute of Skanda, which personifies solar energy. In Japan - personifies audacity. Holy roosters are bred in some temples. In China - meaning of "good" , "auspicioussign". It has Five Virtues - civic (crest gives it Mandarin appearance),military (spurs on its feet), courage (its behavior in fighting),kindliness (shares its food with hens), reliability (accuracy with which announces the dawn). In Greece - symbol of light that is born and attribute of Apollo. It was believed that it can cure disease. Together with dog and horse - one ofthree animals that accompanies human spirit in the afterlife. In theNordic tradition - symbol of warrior vigilance, guardian of life...

Having this motif secured, I moved on to typography. The font (Freakout_Go bananas.ttf by Samuel Park) wasn't my first choice. At first I tried something in harmony with rooster above, but in some of my early drawings there was a rooster standing on the fence. It gave a nice, heavy, gamey, retro base. Plus it has corresponding name.

Atelier Pekan is on Artflakes

2011-09-12T04:05:00.001+02:00

Studio (which I work for) went online today with some illustrations for children's books.

Syd Mead - Visual Futurism

2011-07-13T21:04:00.000+02:00

VISUAL FUTURIST: the art & life of Syd Mead

2011-07-13T14:23:00.000+02:00

Yet Another Competition

2011-05-09T06:00:00.001+02:00

When someone asks for a designer (on my favorite forum) - and if I have nothing better to do - I usually reply.
When they send me material and I realize that several more designers got the same mail - it's a competition. Concurs. The thing I prefer to avoid. They practically lured me into this one.
It's a grass seed box. The legal one, not the other grass.

Enki Bilal

2011-04-30T01:19:00.000+02:00

http://bilal.enki.free.fr/

Jean Giraud - Gir - Moebius

2011-04-27T21:28:00.000+02:00

In Search of Moebius - Jean Giraud clip1/3 by foivosloxias

In Search of Moebius - Jean Giraud _clip2/3 by foivosloxias

In Search of Moebius - Jean Giraud_clip3/3 by foivosloxias

Free But Quality Fonts

2011-04-24T18:47:00.000+02:00

Sites like this one are not so rare. Only one thing - here you can find really good free-for-commercial-use fonts.

In their words:

http://www.fontsquirrel.com/

Logo Redesign: Newer Doesn't Always Mean Better

2011-04-24T17:53:00.005+02:00

Interesting comparison of some redesigns. The author gave redesign reviews of 10 good and 10 bad logos. You may call me a snob, but I remember when Adidas went from it's beautiful logo to "three stripes" thing (1996.) - I didn't buy a single Adidas item ever since.

Thumbs up:

Thumbs down:

http://designreviver.com/inspiration/20-great-and-20-not-so-great-logo-redesigns/

Greatest Typographers: Hermann Zapf

2011-04-22T00:13:00.001+02:00

Hermann Zapf (born November 8, 1918) is a German typeface designer who lives in Darmstadt, Germany. He is married to calligrapher and typeface designer Gudrun Zapf von Hesse.

Zapf's work, which includes Palatino and Optima, has been widely copied, often against his will. The best known example may be Monotype's Book Antiqua, which shipped with Microsoft Office and was widely considered a "knockoff" of Palatino...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Zapf

Running Water, Photoshop Tutorial

2011-04-21T04:32:00.000+02:00

Although the final result needs some tweaking - I think this one's really useful. A nice, clean site with 5 pages of Photoshop tutorials: http://www.tutorialwiz.com/water_on_tap

Clients From Hell

2011-04-21T04:20:00.002+02:00

Fantastic blog! - For those days when you need a proof that you're not alone.

http://clientsfromhell.net/

Graphic design glossary

2011-04-20T05:10:00.001+02:00

A reference guide and resource for design students, researchers and creative professionals wishing to check up on unfamiliar terms.

http://www.designtalkboard.com/glossary/

Hotel Logotype

2011-04-20T04:37:00.001+02:00

This one was a tough one. The hotel's name is "Maple", but not a plant - it refers to the name of the mountain.

It's a kind of health-spa for older people and children (!) and has two stars. It is undergoing some maintenance, and I think that they're after the third star. They needed a logotype containing the name and the word "hotel".

OK, health / tourism - the logo needs to be somewhat biomorphic, soft. Third star needs some elegance, that "expensive" feel to it. The other entries will focus on maple tree or leaf, which I think is wrong, so I decided to make a symbol of the building using hotels initials.

Design elements and principles

2011-04-20T04:10:00.000+02:00

Wikipedia:
The 3 F's

Form follows function is known as the 3 f's of Design. Form refers to what something looks like, and function refers to how it works...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_principles_and_elements

Read this from time to time:

2011-04-20T04:02:00.008+02:00

Wikipedia:

Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, programmers, signmakers, etc.) – undertaken in order to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), web sites, publications (magazines, newspapers, and books), advertisements and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_design

Milton Glaser's Advice to Young Artists

2011-04-20T03:54:00.003+02:00

Wikipedia:

Milton Glaser (born June 26, 1929, in New York City) is a graphic designer, best known for the I Love New York logo,[1] his "Bob Dylan" poster, the "DC bullet" logo used by DC Comics from 1977 to 2005, and the "Brooklyn Brewery" logo. He also founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Glaser

Milton Glaser's Advice to Young Artists

David Carson on design + discovery

2011-04-20T03:47:00.001+02:00

Wikipedia:

David Carson is an American graphic designer. He is best known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography. He was the art director for the magazine Ray Gun. Carson was perhaps the most influential graphic designer of the nineties. In particular, his widely-imitated aesthetic defined the so-called "grunge typography" era...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Carson_%28graphic_designer%29

Neville Brody interview

2011-04-20T03:43:00.003+02:00

Wikipedia:

Neville Brody (born 23 April 1957 in London) is an English graphic designer, typographer and art director.

Neville Brody is an alumnus of the London College of Printing and Hornsey College of Art, and is known for his work on The Face magazine (1981–1986) and Arena magazine (1987–1990), as well as for designing record covers for artists such as Cabaret Voltaire and Depeche Mode. He created the company Research Studios in 1994 and is a founding member of Fontworks. He has been announced to be the new Head of the Communication Art & Design department at the Royal College of Art commencing in January 2011...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Brody

étapes Neville Brody interview from Research Studios on Vimeo.

The League Of Movable Type

2011-04-19T15:00:00.001+02:00

In the words of the authors:
Here, you'll find only the most well-made, free & open-source, @font-face ready fonts.

http://www.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/

Movie Fonts

2011-04-16T04:05:00.002+02:00

Themed fonts, large list:

http://www.typenow.net/themed.htm

Do You Love Typography ?

2011-04-12T23:56:00.002+02:00

Interesting blog which showcases everything about typography.
Words from the author:

I love Typography (ILT) was born on August 7, 2007. It exists because I have a passion for typography, type design, and lettering, and for the words born of those disciplines. As a child I wondered why the teacher asked us to draw the letter a as an o with a tail, when in my books, the a’s had an extra bit at the top. This site aims to make the subject more accessible, to bring the study of typography to the masses, if you will. It’s just about impossible to imagine a world without type, but at the same time type’s ubiquity has most of us taking it for granted. So take a closer look. Where do our letters originate? Why do they look the way they do? And what makes for good type and typography?

John Boardley
http://ilovetypography.com

19 Rules of Typography (From the book: Digital Color and Type, Rob Carter. Rotovision 2002)

2011-04-08T03:17:00.001+02:00

Remember, rules must first be understood before they can be broken. Once you have a good foundation of these rules, you can freely journey into unconventional terrain.

Rule 1: For optimum legibility, choose classical, time-tested typefaces. These typefaces should be drawn and crafted with consistency among characters, and exhibit highly legible proportions. Examples include: Baskerville, Bembo, Bodoni, Caslon, Centaur, Franklin Gothic, Frutiger, Futura, Garamond, Gill Sans, Goudy Old Style, Helvetica, News Gothic, Palatino, Perpetua, Sabon, Times New Roman, and Univers.

Rule 2: Be mindful not to use too many different typefaces at any one time. The main reason for using more than one typeface is to create emphasis or to separate one part of the text from another. When too many different typefaces are used, the reader is unable to determine what is and what is not important.

Rule 3: Avoid combining typefaces that are too similar in appearance. If the reason for combining typefaces is to create emphasis, it is important to avoid the ambiguity caused by combining types that are too similar in appearance.

Rule 4: Text set in all capital letters severely retards reading. Use upper and lower case letter for optimum readability. Ascender and descenders provide the necessary visual cues to make text more readable. Text set entirely in upper-case letters form monotonous, rectangular shapes. Upper-case letters can successfully be used in display type (headlines; type above 16 points).

Rule 5: For text type, use sizes that, according to legibility studies, prove most readable. These sizes generally range from 8 to 12 points for text that is read from an average distance of 12 to 14 inches. Be sure to remember that sizes (based on the x-height of letters) appear different from one typeface to another.

The rest is here.

Bitter liqueur - bottle and label concept

2011-04-06T19:16:00.005+02:00

Pelin (as usually called in Serbia) or Pelinkovac is a kind of wormwood based alcoholic beverage, somewhat similar to Jägermeister. In nineties it became very popular among youth, as it is stronger than beer yet weaker than votka. In Balkans - if you're visiting - the best bitter is "Gorki list" (Bitter Leaf) while the rest are too sweet, too weak or too caramelised. For this contest entry I made a thorough research of bitters bottles. I wanted to make something simple, appropriate, elegant and - with story.

I started with the shape of amphorae, since in Roman times they used to welcome soldiers with chilled pelinkovac. The best way to chill something liquid was to put it in this ancient vase-shaped ceramic container. Bottle cap is therefore cone- shaped, which also makes it easier to pick (from a box, or a shelf). Manufacturer wanted it to hold 1 litre of pelin, so it is not a luxury drink, meaning that the packaging cannot be expensive, hard to fill, hard to apply label to, or contain any exotic parts. The bottle is green, but the liquid is dark brown, so the product appears to be black. The black label blends in nicely. Logotype, unfortunately, wasn't to be redesigned. Bitters bottles are usually rectangular (the old Zlatni Pelin as well) and I kept this shape - it's easier to transport.

I would like to thank to my dear friend Danko Sekulic , who did 3D visualisation of this project.

SOS Japan

2011-03-20T01:38:00.004+01:00

This poster is a giveaway. If anyone needs a printable/ editable version - it's here

Amateurmedia.net

2010-06-13T00:35:00.001+02:00

This is a blog created by Alexander Alexandrov.
The goal is to post all his ideas related to web design, graphic design, motion Graphics, print and other. His favorite software: Cinema 4D, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash.

Check it out for some nice tutorials!

Brush King

2010-03-19T02:59:00.002+01:00

Free photoshop brushes.

Photoshop Tutorials www.noupe.com

2010-03-12T01:36:00.000+01:00

As the authors say:

For months, we have been bookmarking interesting, useful and creative Adobe Photoshop tutorials and Resources, so you can now rest assured that you will have the necessary tools to get the job done.

The Vendor Client relationship - in real world situations

2010-03-07T19:35:00.002+01:00

The Client's Wife

2010-03-07T17:46:00.010+01:00

You might never see her face, but Client's Wife is the ultimate factor which determines the outcome of almost every project that a designer does. Even though she has no educational connection to graphic design or any relation other than financial to what the client does. For some reason, which I really don't know, almost every man thinks that his wife knows everything concerning visual and applied arts. If she likes it - that's OK. If she doesn't - get prepared for an avalanche of surreal demands.
A friend of mine called last week asking for a quality photo of a cat. He designed a billboard for a computer shop. Although the name of the shop has nothing to do with any feline shaped animal, he had to put it there. We all know that cats have nothing to do with laptops, graphic cards, server applications, cords, modems... Owner's wife likes cats!
My remark that he should put a photo of her holding a laptop and a cat (to soften the irrational impact) was ignored.

Current Logo Trends

2010-03-07T16:44:00.001+01:00

By Bill Gardner

These are austere times, but the logos recently loaded onto LogoLounge.com - nearly 35,000 since 2008 - certainly do not reflect it. And that is how it should continue to be. Wary homage may be paid to marketing in lean times, but not to identity design. This are two wholly different efforts with different goals. It should set a long-term course for clients, not fall into pits carved out by economic phases.

Source: logolounge.com

Logo Design & Branding Trends 2009

2010-03-07T16:40:00.002+01:00

To stand out and be refreshingly different at whatever cost - that's the message we're getting from today's logos. From an identity point of view, web 2.0 logos failed miserably. They may not be around for too long. Copycat websites may still work, but when it comes to identities, designers will have to roll up their sleeves and work much harder.

Source: logoorange.com

Logo Design Love

2010-03-07T16:15:00.003+01:00

I consider designing a logo the ultimate challenge in graphic design. Since the books on the subject were scarce while I was a student, this written word was a revelation to me. If you want to assess designer's skills - check out his logotypes.
Here's what the author says about his site:

"Logo Design Love is a website (and now a book) devoted to logos.
Launched in January 2008, this blog is regularly updated with news, features, and opinions from the world of brand identity.I’m your author, David Airey, an Irish graphic designer in Edinburgh"

Packaging

2010-03-05T00:31:00.001+01:00

Two blogs about packaging. PackagingWorld and TheDieLine .
Some products from B.E.E.

Serbian Cyrillic

2010-02-26T21:45:00.004+01:00

You probably didn't know that Serbian language uses phonetic alphabet. One letter = one voice. There's no "spelling" involved. Since this is the most perfect orthographic principle (Write as you speak), the same reform was attempted with English, some fifty years after Vuk Karadzic reformed Serbian language. I told some of my Dutch friends that I can teach them to read/ write in Serbian within a day. Of course they wouldn't understand a thing, but they could at least read it to someone who does. Although we use Latin alphabet as well (sometimes I can't tell if I read something a while ago - which script it was written in), the official script is Serbian Cyrillic. It has 30 letters.

Some of the most beautiful cyrillic fonts can be found (and downloaded) here: Slovolikovi

Philippe Patrick Starck

2010-02-26T21:04:00.005+01:00

This is my favourite designer. I owe him a lot, regarding creative thinking. Designer's Galaxy wouldn't be complete without this guy.

(From Wikipedia)

Philippe Patrick Starck (born January 18, 1949, Paris) is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style. His designs range from spectacular interior designs to mass produced consumer goods such as toothbrushes, chairs, and even houses.

He was educated in Paris at École Nissim de Camondo and in 1968, he founded his first design firm, which specialized in inflatable objects. In 1969, he became art director of his firm along with Pierre Cardin.

My Logos

2010-02-26T20:57:00.000+01:00

At the top: my paraph (avatar, simple graphic signature). Cyrillic letters "B" and "V". Spells the same on all four sides - can be rotated. For non cyrillic use - it's a nice signature.

Following: Maroma - textile import/ export company. Logo symbolizes thread. I found out that "maroma" was the ship's rope (Portuguese). The sign is very complex: Yin/Yang-like symbol for export/ import, all the letters (M,A,R,O) combined, tiny thread makes a rope profile in the center.
Sergej D. Matvejev - Biodiversity research society. Bird, butterfly, turtle, fish, snake, flower - all in one. -Biodiversity!
Kovilj - mineral water brand. Client insisted on relating his product to the Orthodox Church, specifically Kovilj monastery. I based my work on details from orthodox icons.
Delicious Plus - publishing (TV and magazines) company focused on cuisine.
Reman - remanufactured printer toners brand.
Arlekino - baby and kids shop.
36. Novosadski Salon (annual art exibition - Novi Sad Salon) - rejected work.
Korona - printer and photocopier service.
BIJOSS - special concrete products - tiles, columns, water fountains made of fine concrete.
Etno sajam Zlatibor (Zaltibor Ethnic Fair) Annual fair on mountain Zlatibor (Serbia). This was the winning entry. The word "ethno" (cyrillic) creates a distinct patchwork.
First Hand Art - project targeted all artists from Serbia. Online gallery of their works.
Erdeviana - vine brand. The client wanted a new name for four new types of vine. His idea was to use the name Probus (Roman emperor born not far from Erdevik, where the vine is made) but felt that the name sounds too rough for a vine. I came up with a new, female name"Erdeviana" regarding the name of the village and its Roman ancestry.
Truck and Car Solutions - Used cars, trucks and machinery company.
Recruita - Dutch-Serbian IT recruitment company.
Gest prezentacije (Gesture Presentations) - Internet marketing agency.
MedFocus - Media focus, publishing (TV and magazines) company.
PanAqua - mineral water brand.
Chamber of Commerce, Serbia - rejected entry. My idea was to simply emphasize the importance of export/import by representing them as chain links.

Saul Bass On Making Money vs Quality Work

2010-02-26T20:53:00.001+01:00

(From Wikipedia)

Saul Bass (May 8, 1920 – April 25, 1996) was an American graphic designer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker, but he is best known for his design on animated motion picture title sequences.

During his 40-year career he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including most notably Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Amongst his most famous title sequences are the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm, the text racing up and down what eventually becomes a high-angle shot of the United Nations building in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, and the disjointed text that raced together and was pulled apart for Psycho (1960).

Saul Bass designed the sixth AT&T Bell System logo. He also designed AT&T's "globe" logo after the breakup of the Bell System. Bass also designed Continental Airlines' 1968 "jetstream" logo which became the most recognized airline industry logo of the 1970s.

Smashing Magazine

2010-02-17T15:39:00.000+01:00

As a professional of any kind, you have to keep tracking of what's happening in your area of expertise. Follow the news. The best way to do it is join forums and follow blogs. One that I'd like to recommend is Smashing magazine.

WhatTheFont?

2010-02-07T03:45:00.003+01:00

Did you know that you don't have to visually match bitmap to your font database every time you need to work on some specific project?

Seen a font in use and want to know what it is?

Submit an image to WhatTheFont to find the closest matches in their database.

http://new.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont/

Danijel (Grandpa) Babic

2010-02-07T01:25:00.005+01:00

Another inspirational moment. He is a very good old friend of mine. If you seek something exciting, strange, very strong and precise - he already did it. His canvases are all, in one word, striking.

http://www.danijelbabic.info/

In case you've ever wondered if someone who can paint would buy a painting - I'm a proud owner of this one:

http://www.danijelbabic.info/displayimage-5-139.html

Inspiration

2010-02-06T23:47:00.004+01:00

Often, when I want to recharge my batteries, I search the web for some other than graphic design creative stuff. It's very important to keep an open mind. I don't think that graphic designer's interest shouldn't be limited only to one aspect of visual/ applied art. Creativity is universal, whether in cooking or architecture or film making or painting. I found that my colleague Hethe Srodawa, an illustrator, has very fresh style worth viewing.

I want to thank him for a really nice presentation of his work.
http://www.hethe.com/

One of my recent products

2010-02-06T23:24:00.005+01:00

This is a site that follows something new in my approach to designing. I had already complicated domain (due to search engine policies - it's OK), and I wanted to make it as simple as possible - visually. The client arranges their own "Offers" page, the rest is fixed.
Result - clean, flexible site that does what it's supposed to do - gives information.
The photo shows an example where printed material correlates with web presentation:

http://www.truckandcarsolutions.com/en/index

Making of this site wouldn't be possible without coding skills of my dear friend, Igor Davidov.

Let me start...

2010-02-06T22:46:00.000+01:00

... With some useful things. I' ve posted these before, but not for the general audience. Some things I've found screening through several forums. Hope every designer out there may find them interesting:

http://dezignus.com/ and
http://qvectors.com/ - for your vector needs.
Then
http://www.sxc.hu/ - needs registration (free, no spam) - a lot of stock photos. Very good search engine.
http://freerangestock.com/index.php - same here.

Patterns:
http://www.squidfingers.com/patterns/
http://www.k10k.net/frames.aspx?section=patterns
http://www.theinspirationgallery.com/wallpaper/index.htm
http://www.hybrid-genesis.net/
http://citrusmoon.typepad.com/patterns/
http://veredgf.fredfarm.com/pattern-bomb/
http://www.pixeldecor.com/patterns.shtml
http://www.donbarnett.com/tiles/tile.htm
http://www.tilemachine.com/

Brushes:
http://brushworx.artflower.de/
http://brushes.fantasiaexotica.com/brushesx.php
http://chinaberry.rainingdreams.org/main.html
http://www.paintillusion.com/_sgt/f10000.htm
http://www.pixelchick.dk/pc.php?file=brushes
http://brushapalooza.thedarknightofthesoul.com/brushes.html

And - the best free font manager ever made, The Font Thing :
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html