the hidden value of hidden messages – part 2
Hidden messages, conveyed through optical illusions, puns, subliminal messages, riddles, and in jokes, have always played a unique role in visual communications. They raise questions that are fun to ask, but often impossible to answer. More than anything, they appeal to a childlike delight we all share in finding in things ‘hidden in plain sight.’ I’ve read that ...
Powering past coal
The Power Past Coal website was conceived to be a media hub around the coal train issue impacting the Pacific Northwest. For the unfamiliar: the issue is about a coal terminal proposed to be built at Cherry Point in Whatcom County. If built, this would create an enormous influx of trains carrying coal – and with ...
design by committee (but in a good way)
“A camel,” the old saying goes, “is a horse designed by committee.” ‘Design by committee’ is not code for horrible design, but rather bland, unremarkable design — work compromised by being unfocused trying to please too many, while actually pleasing too few. Yet, most marketing work is actually designed by groups of people – much ...
the hidden value of hidden messages
A fundamental principal about marketing communication relates to making it easy for the audience to understand what you’re trying to say. A message that requires serious thought is almost certainly going to be upstaged by less demanding messages. Yet, as I see marketing as the strategic breaking of rules, I can justify throwing the ...
forms follows function
“I would have written you a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.” — Mark Twain The process of developing meaningful content for websites is sometimes a bigger challenge than the technical construction of the website itself. One reason for this is there being essentially no limit to need. The freeform nature of the ...
on the care and feeding of colors
Most people have experienced falling in love with a paint color only to be appalled by the same color when seeing it covering an entire wall or room. Color is not just a tricky thing, it is the trickest thing. Everyone views color differently to varying degrees. I seem to remember a dispute my parents ...
variations on a theme
The combination of new location, a daily bike commute, and quick daily walks have made Becca and I much more sensitive to the changing seasons this year. Readers of previous posts will remember that leaves are of particular interest to us this fall. We were especially struck with the incredible richness and range of colors, ...
type as metaphor
Thinking creatively means making contextual decisions that are not always informed by an absolute set of opinions or values. For example: some people hate hyphens and never use them, but “real designers” know that sometimes hyphens have to be used… usually to avoid something even worse. I say that because recently we’ve been involved in ...
A puzzling invitation
When we heard the theme for this year’s Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood fundraiser event was “Tango and Tapas” we knew we wanted to letterpress the invitations, so we went about finding a combination of Argentinian type to use with a dramatic tango dance image. We chose a color combination of a vibrant orange and a ...
ignoring the rules
This is an enormous jar; when full, it will probably contain several thousand dollars. I like the design on the front. It made me want to throw in a few dollars, which I did – happily. This design breaks tons of rules, including: numerous technical errors no mention of the speaker, timeline, contact info, ...
colors of late summer
As Becca and I establish new routines in our new downtown office space, we’ve been enjoying short walks we complete several times daily. This summer we were reminded how delightful the change of seasons are in Bellingham – particularly the leaves and sky. As part of our thinking about local color, we’ve been photographing a ...
the virtues of experimentation
Thinking about where I invest my time and energy, I look at other artists and see what I can learn from the decisions they’ve made. Without a doubt, the best creative people I know are people who have made a life choice of doggedly exploring new ways of working and thinking about their craft – whatever ...
