Ina Saltz – Philip Abang

Design. Change is Good _Ina Saltz. #1

Great advice from one of my favourite typography tutors on Lynda.com. Ever thought about a change in career or life in general? Well, it may seem extremely difficult in most cases especially when faced with fear of the unknown. I like the fact that Ina Saltz highlights that change in your career path (even life itself) can pay off in happiness, balance, and quality of your life. What is that thing, job or position that needs changing from your perspective? Ever thought about that?!!

Having to listen more has change the way I gather or dissect information. Taking a leap of faith in doing a graphic design course completely changed the way I viewed the world around me. My interpretation of colours, things and their meaning definitely changed. Needless to say that my problem solving skills have gone up a notch.

I was listening to a radio show called The Rich Dad Radio Show by Robert and Kim Kiyosaki on Find out How to find your Purpose in Life featuring Steven Pressfield, and I wrote these lines that Steven Pressfield had said about what stands in the way of change (if you put it that way) and finding purpose in life, thus;

It’s kind of the rule of life that anything that is really positive for the evolution of the soul is very freaking hard to do and you feel an enormous resistance to doing it. — Capital ‘R’ resistance from something as simple as going to the gym to facing your true destiny whatever that is, there’s going to be an enormous wall of resistance.

The above relates to making that change that will impact your happiness, balance and quality of life that Ina Saltz had stated.

Thank you Ina Saltz, and thanks to your Typography tutorials on Lynda.com. I have benefited immensely from these including your book Typography Essentials: 100 Principles for Working with Type (Design Essentials) which I have in my mini library.

Design, Art direction, Post
By Philip Abang

Verse 11. Mastery

There is the temptation to have our fingers in every pie. With growing societal and personal demands, it seems like our craft is no longer enough to sustain these demands. The underlying pressures stretches us to become almost everything from photographers, designers, writers, illustrators, bloggers, entrepreneurs, business owners, and the list goes on.

Graphic design is said to be everything. Look around and you find design everywhere, from packaging, logos [Identity design], branding, collateral design, environmental design, iconography, information design [infographics], posters, advertising, editorial, motion graphics, you name it.

As a graphic designer there is the pressure to be good at all the above. However, you can master any of the above and still do well. For example, there are prolific poster or logo designers whose sole earning comes from mastering the art of logo or poster design. Same can be said with editorial, motion design or any other.

Michael Bierut is a prolific logo designer. Also, Milton Glaser known for the ‘I ♥ NY’ logo is a prolific poster designer. These famous designers are specialist in their craft. Other graphic designers worth mentioning that I admire and to many are role models include Stefan Sagmeister, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, David Carson [Exploratory Typography], Sean Adams, Bonnie Siegler, Jonathan Barnbrook, Erik Spiekermann, Saul Bass (Title Designer), Edward R. Tufte (Information design), Kyle Cooper (Title Designer), Vince Frost, Margo Chase, John McWade and Ina Saltz. These designers are masters in their craft from environmental design, exploratory typography, identity design, branding, motion, editorial, exhibition, interior design, type design, and teaching design.

Today’s designers are asked to be all of the above. Honestly, that takes your entire life trying to master everything, and I’m afraid to say, there is a chance you remain master of none.

Bruce Lee’s quote denotes a case of mastery in a specific area. The Principle of Specificity indicates that one becomes skilled in a particular area. Nonetheless, mastery requires persistent practice, from fundamental to advance, and from advance to mastery.

I admire those with a signature style. A style that can be pinned to a particular individual in any work of life. I still strive to attain mastery in a specific area in graphics, with 10,000x practice that is achievable I will say.

Lest I forget, Bruce Lee was a genius in his craft.

Design, Creative direction, Post
By Philip Abang