At last year’s Flashforward conference, I was impressed by the presentation on “sonic branding” given by Dave Schroeder of PilotVibe. The very idea that jingles, start up sounds and sounds effects in ads are carefully crafted to immediately differentiate one brand from another or to appeal to a certain audience is interesting to me. And […]
Read This ArticleAn oldie but a goodie we used to tell potential clients about the difference between marketing, PR, advertising, and branding. The only thing I might add to this joke is a line about design, something like: “You look like you’re hung like a horse—you must be a great lover.” [kudos Cory for the link]
Read This ArticleJune 4th marked the launch of the new London 2012 Olympic logo and it didn’t take long for the controversy to begin. I’d already fielded a number calls and emails before lunch from friends, designers and even the media. My inbox is filled with emails about the subject from various GDC designers across the country—some […]
Read This ArticleIf you arrived in a transit station as you hurried to work and there was a nondescript young man in jeans, t-shirt and a baseball cap masterfully playing Bach’s Partita No. 2 in D Minor on the violin, would you notice? If you noticed, would you stop and enjoy the moment? Would you recognize his […]
Read This ArticleMark just asked me to take ten minutes and jot down my opinions about what a student (or anyone I guess) should do/include/avoid when putting together and presenting a portfolio. A couple years ago I actually did a post on the topic on this blog. Since then I have been on the receiving end of […]
Read This ArticleWell, we did it, again. The Industrial Brand/Legends Memorabilia “PicniCANtics” took top honours in this year’s Canstruction Vancouver for the third, THIRD, year in a row (2005 Award, 2006 Award). For those not in the know, Canstruction is an international design/build competition that benefits local food banks, brings together teams of architects, engineers, graphic artists […]
Read This ArticleThe longer I stay in this industry, the more I realize the difference between producing graphically appealing (pretty) solutions and creating strategic communication designs that produce results. Though I use my training in Graphic Design daily and often find much of what I do professionally to be based on visual language and aesthetics, it is […]
Read This ArticleSome time last year I began considering about the similarities between branding loyalty and belonging to a church after an interesting conversation with Rick Poyner, the design critic and founder of Eye Magazine, who said “Religion is now just another lifestyle option fighting for survival with all the other brands in the chaos of […]
Read This ArticleI feel a rather humbled and a little bummed out since attending Rimmerfest at SFU downtown in 2007. It was both an inspiration and an honour to be among Canada’s Graphic Design elite to celebrate and honour one of Canada’s living national treasures, the printer, publisher, and one of the few remaining typography and […]
Read This ArticleI’m repeating myself a little with this post, but I thought it worth another moment of consideration. One issue at the recent GDC AGM in Edmonton that kind of got my knickers in a knot was a presentation by the legendary Walter Jungkind and Yves Rousell, who researched and wrote a new official definition for […]
Read This ArticleOnce upon a time, logos were no big deal. Consider that Nike founder Phil Knight picked up his company’s legendary swoosh from a graphic-design student for a mere 35 bucks. That was in 1971. And thanks partly to that purchase, sneakers and company symbols have never been the same. No logo? No way. “Your logo […]
Read This ArticleMany years ago while travelling throughout Europe I discovered the work of Spanish architect Santigo Calatrava. I was immediately drawn to the marvellously complex yet elegant architectural forms of his structures (especially his bridges). Almost always executed in white, the colour (or absence thereof) served to enhance the beauty of form and suggest a sculptural […]
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