Design. Fame is easy _Brian Collins
Fame is easy but mastery is hard. Brian Collins
Design, Art direction, Post By Philip Abang
Tag: Graphic Design
The Creative Process
Design. The Creative Process. _Corita Kent #3
Design, Art/Creative direction, Illustration, Post By Philip Abang
Love the moment
Love the moment _Corita Kent #2
Design, Art/Creative direction, Illustration, Post By Philip Abang
Life is a succession of moments
Life is a succession of moments. Corita Kent #1
Many thanks to Chris Do, Founder/CEO of Blind and The Futur for yesterday’s YouTube life stream Why Redesign the Dropbox Logo? Design Master Brian Collins Explains. I have learnt so much about design from Chris Do, his lectures, talks and videos. I am a big fan.
Chris Do is one of the most influential designers presently in my opinion, changing the way design is viewed and communicated. He also teaches about the business of design. The wealth of knowledge which he has accrued over the years as a designer, director, strategist and educator, is helping both young and experienced designers on new ways of approaching design and strategy.
One of his greatest attributes is his act of giving. He features some of the biggest names from the design industry on his media channels. His kind gesture also extends by featuring personalities from a non design background.
Yesterday’s live stream was remarkable featuring Brian Collins, CEO/Founder of Collins. Brian Collins’ achievements are immeasurable. His design work spreads across brands like Coca Cola, Ogilvy, Spotify, Dropbox and so much more. Collins was sensational, sharing tips on how he approaches design and branding. It was nice to see him surrounded by books from his office library which contained over 2000 books. He states that “books are rockets, they can take you anywhere, past, future…” — Books are the genesis in helping you create new and future design solutions by looking through past designs.
These are my take away from the live stream:
Seek influence or inspiration outside of design (if you are a designer).
Design something that will last for a long time.
Extend your idea through time, and be in the moment.
Put sincerity and honesty in your work.
Be authentic and extraordinary.
Fame is easy but mastery is hard.
Seek mastery.
Mastery takes time, mastery is earned.
Poetry is branding.
Brands are based on two things, the familiar and the surprising.
Brian Collins also shared the work of Corita Kent, a nun, artist and educator. Corita Kent is one of his influences. Her works are a breathtaking. Her philosophy in life is as the quote denotes; “Life is a succession of moments, to live each one is to succeed.”
It is good to be in the moment, and appreciate the little details which are often ignored.
I will be sharing more wonderful quotes from Corita Kent and more insights from design icons and role models from the industry.
Thanks again Chris Do and Brian Collins, you are both geniuses.
Design, Art/Creative direction, Illustration, Post By Philip Abang
Create your future
Verse 40. Create your future
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” _Peter Drucker
Design, Art direction, Post By Philip Abang
The people you associate with
Verse 39. The people you associate with
“Surround yourself only with people who are going to take you higher.” _Oprah Winfrey
Design, Art direction, Post By Philip Abang
More gained in listening
Verse 38. More gained in listening
You learn more by listening. Maybe not the case for some, but listening is a skill.
There is a funny African saying which goes… “pretend to be a fool but you learn a lot”, implying that acting as though you do not know leads to a better understanding, and the other sharing more information.
In any case, listening opens you up to new information, better understanding and more knowledge.
Design, Art direction, Post By Philip Abang
The Internal Compass
Verse 37. The Internal Compass
Design, Art direction, Post By Philip Abang
The silent ambassador
Design. The silent ambassador
Paul Rand best known for the IBM, UPS, Enron, ABC, and other corporate logo designs.
Paul Rand was an American art director and a renown graphic designer in modern history, an iconic figure in the design industry.
“There are no formulas in creative work. I do many variations, which is a question of curiosity. I arrive at many different configurations-some just slight variations, others more radical-of an original idea. It is a game of evolution.” _Paul Rand
Design, Art direction, Post By Philip Abang
Good design is honest
Design. Good design is honest. Dieter Rams
I thought I’d share this from one of my favourite designers Dieter Rams.
Dieter Rams is an industrial designer who studied and worked as an architect initially, and known for his minimalist and clean approach for Braun consumer products. He remains an iconic figure in the design industry especially with his distilled approach on products. He best describes his approach as “less, but better”.
“Dieter Rams’ ability to bring form to a product so that it clearly, concisely and immediately communicates its meaning is remarkable… He remains utterly alone in producing a body of work so consistently beautiful, so right, and so accessible.” – Jonathan Ive, Apple chief design officer (CDO)
Good design is honest_ in his 10 principles for good design is my favourite, indicating that an honest design does not try to manipulate the consumer by promises they cannot keep. Also, an honest design does not make a product appear more innovative, powerful or valuable than it is.
Here are his 10 principles for good design:
1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design is makes a product understandable
5. Good design is unobtrusive
6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is long-lasting
8. Good design is thorough down to the last detail
9. Good design is environmentally friendly
10. Good design is as little design as possible
There is a film coming out soon titled ‘Rams’, about Dieter Rams by Gary Hutswits.
I am looking forward to it. It is worth also watching the documentary Objectified also by Gary Hutwits which also features Dieter Rams, Jonathan Ive, and many more influential designers.
I will leave you with these words from Dieter Rams, a transcript from the ‘Rams’ trailer.
Design, Art/Creative direction, Post By Philip Abang
Philip Abang 