Of course Shakespeare got there first with “what’s in a name?” And as it turns out — despite Juliet’s lament — a LOT! As a designer, I deal with company, product, and service names every day, and must say that I do not envy those who are facing this challenge as the...
Business cards are kind of like belly buttons — everybody’s got one. But UNLIKE belly buttons, they’re not extraneous or immaterial, and if you don’t have one, you need one! Full disclosure: A childhood friend of mine did NOT have a belly button, as it had been...
As a designer with a degree in art history, I’ve always been mindful that — at the end of the day — everything is a trend. No work of art, no design, no human-made and manufactured object can help but emerge from its prevailing cultural milieu. I’ve cautioned my...
As a designer, I have been working with typography for years, and “font psychology” has been a factor in my work since long before this particular phrase became popular to describe it. Since the very beginning, typefaces (to me) have always had personalities —...
In my article “On the Creative Process,” I left aside one deep component of creativity because this aspect of creativity — i.e., play — is worthy as a topic unto itself. Play is at the heart of the creative process. And at risk of stating the obvious: creativity is at...
You’ve heard the phrase “it can turn on a dime.” When it comes to writing copy, “it can turn on a word.” Ergo, it makes sense to have respect for good writing. The heart of graphic design is in combining words and images in the most effective and impactful ways...
