Posts Tagged: design

Travel IS school

I don’t care what prestigious school you attended; your design education is incomplete without travel. Lots of it.

11 Lessons I Learned the Hard Way Managing a Design Firm

The following article by Mark Busse was published in December 2012 in Design Edge Canada Magazine.   The purpose of this column is to challenge some of the assumptions that many young designers and future firm owners may have entering this profession. If I can help a few of you avoid learning even one or […]

Brand Management 101: Styleguides

Imagine you’re a prospective customer or client. You saw a pretty damn sexy poster for a phone company, and it just so happens you’re in need of a new phone contract. You type their URL into Safari, eagerly expecting to find out more… only to find that the colour scheme differs from the poster, the typeface is off, the logo is inconsistent, and the whole thing feels like an entirely different company. Would you still want to trust this company with your money and rely on them for service?

Too often, this inconsistency is the result of forgotten brand standards. It can be tricky to remember all the little things that make your brand what it is, and after some time, the details will start falling through the cracks. That’s why it’s important to invest in a brand manual, or style guide.

You don’t need to join a design association to succeed

You don’t need to join a design association. What’s the point? Your time is tight as it is—you have Mad Menepisodes to catch up on—and money is even tighter, so why give any of it to a club of stodgy old designers who don’t get it anymore anyway?

You don’t need to join a design association. I suppose it demonstrates the level to which you are committed to your career and community, but so does that tweet you sent to@JessicaHische last week. I’m sure she hasn’t responded because she’s super busy right now. #pleasenoticeme

Odds are, you won’t succeed as a designer

The following article by Mark Busse was published in June 2012 in Design Edge Canada Magazine.   Most of you won’t make it in the graphic design industry. Sorry if that stings, but it’s time someone told you the truth. The odds are stacked against you. Colleges and universities are churning out more design program […]

Competitive analysis – a path to mediocrity?

The following article by Mark Busse was published in May 2012 in Design Edge Canada Magazine.   I recently met a fellow design firm owner in the U.S. with a particularly salty view of competitive analysis. In his firm, if a designer is caught going online to research a client’s competition before a concept has […]

When it Comes to Design Research, Clients Aren’t Really Our Clients

Seriously, they’re not. Not really. Think about it. Our clients’ clients are our clients. Before any fellow design instructors flip out, insisting they spend a good deal of time teaching their students how to interview clients, develop target audience personas or write project creative briefs, ask yourself honestly how often this is really done. How frequently […]

Design School Didn’t Tell You…

Design Edge Magazine recently launched a new section on their website and invited my friend David Berman and I to be regular contributors. My column is called Design School Didn’t Tell You… and my first post, This industry will drive you crazy, is below: The graphic design industry has driven me crazy. OK, that might not […]

Dream. Create. Share. Thoughts on Passion, Creativity and Design with Mike Goedecke of Belief

Belief founder Mike Goedecke sits down for a discussion about passion, creativity, and design. From why he once refused $2.5M for his domain name, to some insights into his creative process, Goedecke shares his unique vision and approach to pushing the boundaries where technology meets art.