RSU-Design.com

Ditoria from typometro on Vimeo.

Here’s a link to some really informative PDFs regarding real-world branding and identity design systems. Download a few of these and click through them to get an idea of what a designer has to do to create a strong and coherent brand identity.

designerstalk.com

Your second assignment is an to create an identity system that accurately represents your the client. We’ve been discussing various ways that you can use line, shape, texture, etc. to represent abstract ideas. You will employ those same techniques in trying to represent your client and their objectives with a logo and paper system.

Your client:
Namaste Solar
4571 Broadway Street
Boulder, Colorado 80304
ph. 303.447.0300
fax 303.443.8855
info@namastesolar.com
www.namastesolar.com

For the business card:
Blake Jones
Co-Owner/Co-Founder
President & Chief Executive Officer
NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer
303.447.0300
ceo@namastesolar.com

Learn about your client here.

Your objective is to design a new logo that will bring Namaste Solar into the 21st Century, and position it as the most technologically advanced, environmentally friendly, and forward thinking producer of solar power products in the business.

Mandatory Elements:
Logo (1-color and 2-color versions)
Business Card (2-color)
Letterhead (2-color)
Envelope (2-color)

Optional Elements
(pick one):
Newsletter
Website
Vehicle Graphics
Magazine Ad (full-color 8”x10”)
Brochure
Banner Ads (series of 5)
Annual Report

Presentation:
At the critique, you should have print-outs of the various Project Elements. They do not need to be mounted for the critique. However, when they are DUE, they should each be mounted on 15” x 15” black mat board like this:

Begin: Tues March 9th
Critique: Thrs March 25th
DUE: Thrs April 1st (no kidding)

TYPOGRAPHIC SCAVENGER HUNT:

One objective of studying graphic design is to become more aware of your surroundings. Through studying and looking at various movements in the history of graphic design, you will see them in the visual culture in which we live.

Your mid-term project is to go on a scavenger hunt of sorts. I want you to carry a camera around with you, and document the occurrences of some of the typefaces we’ve studied. Next, you will load those images into a Word document (click for an example) and describe the circumstances in which you found each specimen, and why/how you identified it. For example, how do you know for certain that this photo is of Helvetica? And so on.

Finally, print out your findings and hand them in on Wednesday March 24, 2010.

___________________________________________________

You are to find the following:

Helvetica:  10 examples
Futura:  5 examples
Garamond:  5 examples
Bodoni/Didot:  5 examples
Misc.  5 examples (these can be any typeface we’ve studied)

30 Total

___________________________________________________

Begin: 03/08/10
Due: 03/24/10

Download a PDF of this assignment here.

Logos featuring Helvetica…

MODERNISM!

Things are getting good! We are well into the 20th century now, and the designers and their work continue to evolve in brilliant ways. Please read & respond to the following articles in the comments section below.
(Your comment counts for attendance/participation for today’s class)

Jan Tschichold – Linotype Feature
Go read this fantastic biography of Tschichold. Be sure to click on the links at the bottom of the article “more… start student” etc.

Paul Renner – Linotype Feature
Now, go read this feature on Paul Renner, designer of Futura. This typeface is second only to the legendary Helvetica in terms of ubiquity.

Finally, we cross the Atlantic and begin Modernism In America.
Check out Lester Beall (also here), Herbert Matter, and Joseph Binder.

Project 02: Interpretation

For this project, you will interpret 10 different concepts.
You will use Illustrator to create shapes that represent ideas.

The ideas are as follows:

1. Happiness
2. Loneliness
3. Omnipotence
4. Persistence
5. Anger
6. Hope
7. Surprise
8. Jealousy
9. Embarrassment
10. Boredom

Remember:

• Create 10 6″x6″ artboards (like the last project)
• Keep it simple
• Use crisp, clean lines
• No color, just black on white
• Label each artboard in the upper left-hand corner in 12pt Helvetica Bold (like this)

CRITIQUE: TUES MARCH 2nd (this-coming Tuesday)
DUE: TUES MARCH 9th

For this project, you are to design a biography website for a notable figure in fine art and/or graphic design.

It should include the following:

• a home page
• a news page
• an about page with a thorough biography
• an image gallery of selected work (approx. 20 images)
• a page with links to more information about this person
• an external CSS sheet that defines the site’s styles

Examples:
Paul Rand
Sheperd Fairey
Cody Hudson
The Clayton Brothers

Begin: Tue Feb 23
Critique: Thr March 4
Due: Thr March 11

bauhaus 01

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Facebook info here.

Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Donuts

Eric Joyner grew up in the 1970s reading comic books, making gunpowder and being bribed with donuts to go to Sunday School by his Methodist mom. When he discovered Van Gogh, the inspiration led him to painting and ultimately to the Academy of Art in San Francisco. After a 10-year stint in the world of advertising and digital animation, Eric returned to his first love in 1999 to paint landscapes, Mexican masks and Japanese toy robots.

Three years and lots of robots later, he watched Jeff Daniels paint a still life of donuts in Pleasantville. Next thing you know, Eric’s a famous artist with a book, a slate of exhibitions and his biggest fan right here in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This father of the dirty little war raging between donuts and robots is our February speaker back at TLT. You better beat Mary Beth to a seat for this one.