Grace Dawson & Tosh Hall: The Reflex Blue Show #189

July 9th, 2018 | by Donovan Beery
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Grace Dawson & Tosh Hall: The Reflex Blue Show #189

Grace Dawson and Tosh Hall of Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR / JKR Global / some random law firm) were at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston to give a presentation about how we haven’t changed – the world has. And to eat chowder. A lot of chowder. At minimum, a bowl of chowder a day.

We speak about their presentation, chowder, how to pronounce chowder, giving out cans of Budweiser at last year’s HOW Design live, giving out Dunkin’ Donuts at this year’s HOW, the work of JKR Global, The Dieline, and more.

Somewhere along the way, Tosh mentioned that Budweiser went through a global rebrand in 2014 – and I recall that being around the first time, that as a designer, I looked at a Bud Light can and thought it was maybe, well, nice. Very nice – like, people who are really good at packaging worked on this. For a history of the previous cans, here it is. You’re free to your own opinions, but 2014 did an amazing job of paying homage to the brand, still looking and feeling like Bud Light, and also being something waaaaaaaaaay better. Then for the summer of 2016, Bud heavy was rebranded as America. Once again, the work stood for itself. I had no idea who was behind any of this until I met Tosh Hall at a Dieline party at one of the past HOW events. Thankfully our schedules aligned this year. So, we also talk about America, Bud Heavy, Bud Light, clients bringing more beverages to your office than you can consume, the work of the JKR Foundation, and The Gut Stuff.

Enjoy.

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Josh Silverman: The Reflex Blue Show #188

June 26th, 2018 | by Donovan Beery
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Josh Silverman: The Reflex Blue Show #188

Josh Silverman was at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston to give a presentation about working at the layer of people. So, we talk about The People Layer and why it’s so important. We also discuss things that constantly change (was the last FreeHand release really back in 2003? Did PageMaker really release a new version as recently as 2001?), and things that never really change in design (seriously, how did no mention of clients asking for the logo to be bigger come up?).

At the time of this recording (6 weeks ago? So, like 127 years ago in Twitter time?), Josh was, well, at Twitter, where he keeps his handle of @jhsilverman (might as well mention that mine is @36point I guess) – so let’s talk working at a super well known company like that. And yes, one character Twitter names are both rare, valuable, and have people willing to steal them.

Josh, this is for you – I “think” this is the book I referenced that had a chart showing the titles and number of people on various team sizes. If anyone else can confirm / deny such statements, let us know. I had a copy of this book I loaned away around 2000 or 2001, and it was never returned (I likely would have gotten rid of it long ago regardless, so no issues to the party who took it).

I’m not exactly sure when or where I first met Josh, but I am pretty certain is was at an AIGA event of some sort. Joining the AIGA Nebraska board was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in this profession – and one that has led me to meet so many other great volunteers and board members around the country. We speak a bit about this as well. Even when your AIGA term or volunteer service ends, it seems you never really give up those connections you made, or the desire to want to help again. And going to graphic design events starts to turn into a family reunion of sorts after a while.

Enjoy.

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Allan Espiritu & Kevin Kernan: The Reflex Blue Show #187

June 11th, 2018 | by Donovan Beery
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Allan Espiritu & Kevin Kernan: The Reflex Blue Show #187

Allan Espiritu and Kevin Kernan of GDLOFT were at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston to celebrate winning the Print Magazine Regional Design Award, Grand Prize with their poster designs for AIGA Philadelphia’s 35th Anniversary. They were also signing slightly modified versions of these posters at the Neenah Paper booth while there.

And I have to say, these posters are sweet. I have a, well, crazy amount of stuff in the office, so it’s not like one item can stand out that much, right? Or maybe so, as I hung up one of the three posters, and the first two people to visit the office afterwards (and not at the same time), immediately mentioned how cool this one poster was.

Anyway, we talk about the posters, about pop music lyrics, David Bowie, the colors for a 35th anniversary, GDLOFT, teaching, and wait – Allan not only works full-time at GDLOFT, but also seems to teach design full-time at Rutgers. We also talk a bit about fine-art, and advice for students.

Graphic design is such a wide and varied profession, that I always enjoy talking to people that see what they can do with design, and then make their own path rather than just follow what they believe to be the norm. And GDLOFT certainly makes their own roads in design. There may be a difference between fine art, design, and teaching, but there is also an overlap, and sometimes the best ideas come from those little areas that we find in-between.

Enjoy.

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Emily Cohen: The Reflex Blue Show #186

May 29th, 2018 | by Donovan Beery
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Emily Cohen: The Reflex Blue Show #186

Emily Chohen was at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston to speak about “The Power of Saying No.” I said yes to a podcast though, and we speak a lot about no. Well, the power of saying no. And when to say no. And how to say no. And how not to say no. Also, when to say no. And probably other things about no.

We also speak about her new book, Brutally Honest. I am looking forward to getting my copy, as every time I speak Emily, I end up quoting one or two things she told me for the next few months… sometimes much longer.

We also talk about how Emily helps her clients (who are basically other creatives). And most creatives, starting with myself, always need help with the non-creative things – maybe how to write a proposal, how to price graphic design work, what work is appropriate for a graphic designer to do, what work should a graphic designer go after, how and when should a graphic designer hire someone, and why you should fire at least one client a year.

Just re-listening to our conversation while editing this podcast helped me to confirm that I made a decent decision earlier today. What is with being in design and second-guessing everything? Not all clients are perfect fits, and not getting a project is not the worst outcome – in fact, it’s probably more common than actually getting a project – and chasing anything that doesn’t make sense, well, just doesn’t make much sense at all.

Enjoy.

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Bill Gardner: The Reflex Blue Show #185

May 21st, 2018 | by Donovan Beery
Posted In: The Reflex Blue Show

Bill Gardner: The Reflex Blue Show #185

Bill Gardner was presenting the 2018 Logo Trend Report (not quite online yet, but it will be soon) at the HOW Design Live design conference in Boston. We ended up taking a bit of time to discuss logos, the difference between trendy and trend, amazing orange jackets at conference parties, LogoLounge and their now 15(!) books, and more.

At last year’s LogoLounge party (my short post about the event here) at HOW Design Live, I saw Bill do an amazing magic trick. This year, I wrote about him doing another magic trick in the exhibit hall. So, we spend the first part of this episode talking about magic, and what it was like performing a trick for Muhammed Ali.

I guess I have been an actual member of LogoLounge for almost eight years. I probably should have signed-up earlier, as I really do believe it’s beneficial to me, and more importantly, to the profession of design. When I review student portfolios, I always ask something like, “What type of work do you like doing the best?” and I would say at least half of the students respond with something like, “Logo design.” There is just something about the initial look of a company / cause / event – about distilling meaning and mission into something that still works at a fourth of an inch. Having a website dedicated to nothing but logo designs, presenting them well (and easily searchable), as well as putting the best of the group on the front page, well, I guess it reminds me of what we should be doing, the quality we should be doing it at, and the constant reminder that even in a format that we speak of wanting something ‘timeless’, that change is always needed. Take risks in logos. Make a logo look like it was created a long time ago, and yet also created in the future.

Enjoy.

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