Noisy Decent Graphics

Independent Front Pages

I've been a big fan of The Independent's smaller design.

I think they've taken to the small size better than their rivals. The Guardian is still too big and The Times, to quote David Hillman, is "a total and utter fucking disaster".

One of the things I like the most is their graphic front pages. I've long thought that a broadsheet newspaper could take the same approach graphically as a tabloid does and do well. Use that front page is a dramatic way.

Problem is, again to quote David Hillman, "The problem with the front page being an idea is that some are good and some are bad. It's like saying you got to have six ideas a week — that's quite difficult." Whatever you think about The Independent it's hard not to agree with Felix Dennis , "At least they're bloody trying".

So, let's take a look at some front pages.

(Kate Moss) It would be easy to scoff at this one, but I think it's mature and elegant. It reminds of the covers The Face used to do when they produced good covers. Remember that this is a broadsheet newspaper doing this.

(9/11) They do this a lot. Some interesting facts nicely laid out. Impactful and easy to read. Good communication.

(Immigrant nation) A good way to make a point and stand out in a crowded marketplace.

(Nuclear) OK, I don't really like this one, but it's brilliant to see a national newspaper finally putting those full colour presses to good use.

(Middle East) Again, this was a crowded news morning with everyone covering the same story. This makes the point in a simple, elegant way. A classic case of a picture saying a thousand words. If you can't make the picture out, it has the British, American and Israeli flags in the right hand box.

(3,023) Big numbers are always good. Wouldn't it be great if all news could be distilled down to simple facts like this?

(Rebuild trust) You used to see this a lot in the 70's when they had all those long copy ads, big words with smaller text inbetween. You can still have a dirty big headline but you can put detail between. A useful typographic tool used well.

(10/8) Just another example of a good, graphic page showing great sensitivity to the propensity to use dates to name terrorist attacks.

"Design represents a powerful alternative to the dominant management approaches of the last few decades and is an important perspective for leadership to embrace."

Another interesting tale over on Bruce's blog.

"Many firms that have experienced dramatic gains in shareholder value over the last few years (e.g., Google, Apple, Motorola) register innovation as a central driver of their progress. One can argue that innovation, and a culture that inspires and supports innovation, is the only sustainable competitive advantage. A frequent manifestation of recent innovation has been breakthrough design. Design represents a powerful alternative to the dominant management approaches of the last few decades and is an important perspective for leadership to embrace."

Rock Star Blogger

This is a pretty lame post, I realise that. But I was clearing out some files on my Mac and I saw this. Made me smile.

Thought To Start The Week With

Still raining. Still reading.

5. Iain has already mentioned this, and now Design Observer has picked up a good article on the current trend for reflections on the Signals vs Noise blog - which is always worth a look anyway.

Rainy Reading

Some good things to read on a rainy Saturday morning.

1. An interview with David Hillman in the Press Gazette

David Hillman designed The Guardian before the recent redesign and art directed the original Nova magazine. He has some great opinions about modern news design.

About The Times redesign, "a total and utter fucking disaster" about the Observer "It looks like the fucking Beano with pictures. Now it's just colour and design and type 15 feet high for no apparent reason." And my personal favourite, "at WHSmith's now, it's just a haze of tit and bum and bright colours". How very true.

2. An article in Fast Company about the awkward romance between business and design.

"Design, in short, is becoming an ever more important engine of corporate profit: It's no longer enough simply to outperform the competition; to thrive in a world of ceaseless and rapid change, business people have to outimagine the competition as well. They must begin to think (to become) more like designers."

Why isn't there a British Fast Company?

3. A special report in Business Week on Design Schools.

This ticks lots of boxes. Design is the New Management Consultancy and China, being two of them.

"Desperate to innovate, companies are turning to design schools for nimble, creative thinkers."

4. Graham's brilliant post

Last but by no means least, having said there are not enough women in director/equity roles I recommend you read Graham's brilliant post about & Daughter companies.

Or you could Switch Off Your Internet And Go Out And Do Something Less Boring Instead.

Pentagram have a blog

http://blog.pentagram.com/

Inside the yellow book

Here's some photos for Mike.

I Wish I'd Done That

Good Lord this is brilliant. Firmly in the 'I wish I'd done that' category.

Johnson Banks have created a clock which charts a day in Clapham. It starts at 8am and ends at 8pm, and each number is made up from all the logos you might see in each hour.

(Picture taken from Johnson Banks with huge thanks, usual stuff applies.)

Hope you don't mind me using the photos Michael?

Look what we've got

Someone from here went to the launch of the D&AD book last night.

Here it is. Nice isn't it?

Paula Scher

Paula Scher, do you know who she is? You ought to.

Why? Here's three simple reasons why.

1. Fast Company say "you may never have heard of Paula Scher, but it's nearly impossible not to know her work. Every time you pass a Citibank ATM or hand over one of its credit cards with the iconic red-arched "Citi" logo, you're in her orbit. When you open a box from Tiffany, with its slender, elegant typeface, you're decoding a message she has sent you. If you... are charmed by the signs on the New York subway for the Metropolitan Opera... you're under the spell of this astonishingly versatile, formidably talented designer."

2. It's still criminally rare to meet a successful woman designer and even rarer to find one who is a director or has equity in a design business which makes that fact that she's a Pentagram partner all the more remarkable.

3. She does stuff like this.

(Picture taken from loads of sources, but no doubt owned by Pentagram or Public Theatre  - huge thanks, usual stuff applies.)

There's a great article about her on Fast Company. Well worth a read.

Michael Bierut on Alan Flecther

Read the article here.

"design can be a valid business model"

"1,273% rise in Apple shares over the past 10 years"

Great article in IN about design, Apple and Jonathan Ive.

Alan Fletcher

I said I would write something on the sad death of Alan Fletcher and that's what I've been trying to do yesterday and today.

(Picture taken from Culture Guide  with huge thanks, usual stuff applies)

But the thing is I can't say any more than has been said here.

I never met Alan and so I can't reminisce like Michael does here. I'm presuming most of you reading this know who Alan Fletcher is, but if you don't I can't really add any more than his obituary in The Guardian, The Times or The Independent.

But I still feel like writing something about one of the greatest British graphic designers that ever lived. I'm very, very wary of sounding cheap or crass and I'm worried that the ephemeral nature of blogging is something that Alan Fletcher would have hated.

But here goes.

I think it might be a British thing and I think it might be a generation thing, but if you're my age (31) and you studied Graphic Design at a British University, then Pentagram are a bit like the Beatles. Sort of.

You hold them in such high esteem that even if everything the partners did from now on was rubbish they'd still be your heroes. The body of work that supports the myth is so strong, so unarguably good, they've earned a place in your personal hall of fame.

Sure people may knock them, or say they not as good as they used to be, but you know how good they are and you know that they invented the whole thing anything away.

You know how new bands (almost) always cite the Beatles as a major influence? It's the same with start up graphic design companies and Pentagram. It is with us.

Alan Fletcher formed Fletcher Forbes Gill in 1962 which became Crosby Fletcher Forbesand then Pentagram in 1972. All of these designers are brilliant in their own right but Fletcher deserves special attention.

Here's why.

1. This logo has it all. Elegance, simplicity, complexity, wit, modernity, longevity and a little twist.

2. He wrote and designed this brilliant book (planners especially will like this I think).

3. These are the gates to his house. Alphabet gates must be the dream of many a designer but few could have carried it off with such a deft touch.

(Picture taken from Essgee  with huge thanks, usual stuff applies)

4. Talking of deft touches, he used a pencil more than he used a mouse (but he used a mouse). The sheep seemed relevant.

(Picture taken from Grace Days with huge thanks, usual stuff applies)

5. He designed the best ashtray ever.

And much, much more. I'm sure he would have hated computational creativity.

Me vs the Boffins

About 2 years ago Simon from Imperial College called me and said they were developing some new graphic design software and they'd like to talk to me about it.

The software they proposed was supposed to generate graphic design automatically. Needless to say I thought it was the worst idea I'd ever heard of and the boffins left disappointed.

Today I had an email from Simon saying that there has been some progress and as part of the London Design Festival Imperial are hosting a public debate on the merits and potential of computational creativity and would I be happy to sit on the panel and take the 'anti' view.

In a fit of madness I said yes.

Here's an exhibition of computer generated artwork from the same faculty.

And here's a report on the whole thing from More 4 News.

I'm pretty busy right now but I'm going to try and put some thoughts together tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Anyone like to contribute? Anyone got any opinions on the subject?

I'm not sure how all this works, but would anyone like to be in the audience? Let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. Anyone already going?

Anyone think I'm nuts and that computational creativity is the way forward?

Look

Look what Foxtons just sent me.

Michael Johnson remembers Alan Fletcher

Michael Johnson has posted his memories of Alan Fletcher.

Me, Claire, Bruce, Michael and some Bostonians

My stuff about Design Being The New Management Consultancy has been picked up by Business Week, the Boston Globe and Design Observer. Not bad for a Monday.

So that makes it Me, Claire, Bruce, Michael and some Bostonians. Kind of. Anyone else care to join us?

Alan Fletcher RIP

Just heard the really sad news that Alan Fletcher has died.

In a world of over claim and hype, he was the real thing. A fantastic designer.

Will write more later but here's The Guardian obituary and the Creative Review post.

Alan did brilliant things like this logo.

The difference between original and imitation, or why good design is worth paying for.

You probably hate the Foxtons Mini.

I like them. Think back to 2001 when these colourful cars first appeared. For my non UK readers Foxtons is an Estate Agent and every year since 2001 their negotiators' cars have been Minis and each year they've had a different theme. Here's all six different versions.

The original concept was by Bear Mail and it was original, witty and gave Foxtons real personality. Estate agents have to have company cars, and you may or may not know that if you put your company name on a company car there are tax savings to be had. Bear Mail took these two facts and created something of real value. Graphic design that created a real point of difference. (I bet you liked them when you first saw them.) There was great affection for them back in 2001 and there still is.

Five years down the line and look what's happened. Poor imitations have spung up everywhere. Look how people have interpreted the concept.

Some people have just taken a Mini and put their logo on it.

Some people have just taken any old car and put their logo on it.

Some people spent too much on the car and not enough on the vinyl.

Some people have turned the car into a billboard.

Some people just don't get it at all.

Bear Mail and Foxtons had an original idea, one that probably wasn't cheap (they have 499 cars) and at the time was risky. The imitators have no wit, no humour, no personality. Which is precisely why it's worth paying a good designer to come up with an original solution that adds real value.