graphicdesign: cover and toc

tim jessup (

redeggmonitor) wrote in

graphicdesign,
@ 2004-09-24 13:37:00

cover and toc

The following is the cover and table of contents for a surf magazine.
pretty straight forward, with the exception of the approach to the typography.

(Post a new comment)

	lemonboy 2004-09-24 01:43 pm UTC (link)
	looks regurgitated(conceptually/typo trends) recycled and spat out. was this the intention? IMO the title needs to be able to "stand" on its own even if tied into the BG phrasing (Reply to this) (Thread)

	jonnyangelguy 2004-09-24 01:47 pm UTC (link)
	Comming the the Graphic Design God.. ver nice. [/sarcasm] (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-24 01:50 pm UTC (link)
	i don't get it? (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lemonboy 2004-09-24 01:52 pm UTC (link)
	?eh? just an opinion (Reply to this) (Parent)

	goforthbyday 2004-09-24 01:56 pm UTC (link)
	i don't know how i feel about the cover, but i like the TOC a lot. what's the smaller image of behind "features?" (Reply to this) (Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-24 01:59 pm UTC (link)
	it is a black and white photo of someone on their back. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	top0098 2004-09-24 02:20 pm UTC (link)
	reminded me of that surfer dude that became a well known graphic designer, david carson, i think. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	bingo labradors 2004-09-24 02:56 pm UTC (link)
	Go Beach Culture! I've always loved that TOC (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: bingo redeggmonitor 2004-09-24 02:58 pm UTC (link)
	>; ) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: bingo labradors 2004-09-24 03:02 pm UTC (link)
	is there a prize? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: bingo redeggmonitor 2004-09-24 03:03 pm UTC (link)
	the prize is in the comments. : ) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	andaletka 2004-09-24 02:55 pm UTC (link)
	Its good but looks bit old-fashioned, somewhat reminds me of Bowie's Outside stylistics ... (Reply to this)

april_wednesday
2004-09-24 03:01 pm UTC (link)

bit too carson for my taste... it just feels like you're intentionally trying to mimic his style, especially considering the subject matter. even he's trying to move away from his style nowadays. i used love his style and his "break the rule" shtick(when i was a student) but i don't even compare most of his work as design since it doesn't balance form + function at all. he's just doing them for the sake of his own design principle, or what at least what he thinks are principle. perhaps this is the limitation of not having a design background, he feels like a one-trick pony. that's just me though. there are still tons of ppl discovering carson for the first time. i still have his autographed sheet framed to my wall from when he came to my school for a talk long long time ago :)

(Reply to this) (Thread)

redeggmonitor
2004-09-24 03:24 pm UTC (link)

there are so many designers out there, great ones, past and present. i don't think one could discover all of them in a lifetime. not to mention the ones that we miss because they are not "at the right place at the right time" or, in other words, famous.
i think carson's background in sociology helped him as a designer, after all, it is who we communicate to.
i think that inspiration goes beyond what we learn from design, i find inspiration everywhere. i think focusing on desing only is a limitation. first and foremost is communication, and the end justifies the means.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

april_wednesday
2004-09-24 05:09 pm UTC (link)

yeah, i agree, inspiration can be assimilated from anywhere. in fact i produce the best work when i don't look at great designs but through reading books, watching movies or even playing games. but what i was trying to point out about carson is that he doesn't seem to evolve. he still uses same visual style as well as concept. i was once infatuated with his work but over the years i got what i could from his body of work and moved on. when i look at his new work and his raygun/surf mags i can't tell the difference. you simply can't use one technique for every possible job out there, designers must adapt to new situation/job/gig because every client want different things. that's the double edge sword with having a fixed style. on one hand you have a starting point but on the other hand the result tend to me similar in nature. anyway, i guess that's why i moved away from admiring his stuff.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-25 12:09 pm UTC (link)
	exactly. inspiration comes from within. (Reply to this) (Parent)

enve_oner
2004-09-24 03:30 pm UTC (link)

agreed. at first i thought it was just a scan or sample of david carson's work. the reason his work is great is because he was one of the first and most talented people to do it. he pulled it off well, now he's moving on. develope your own style. take aspects and theories from those you admire. but don't just completely bite their style.

april_wednesday, i too had the pleasure of meeting him when he came to my school a few years back, he got a kick out of signing a chicken mcnuggets carton i found in the garbage.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	i_make_no_bones 2004-09-24 03:51 pm UTC (link)
	man he was so wasted when we went to the bar his last visit in savannah. he had no idea what was going on, haha. (Reply to this) (Parent)

april_wednesday
2004-09-24 05:14 pm UTC (link)

hahah that's awesome! :) which school are you from? i went to york/sheridan design program in canada and a girl from the program invited him there because she was an intern at his studio. frankly i think he was banging her :D haha it was quite a big deal, not the banging part, but i'm told she wasn't much of a designer and she copied/scanned other ppl works, alot of plagerism. there was a story of how carson didn't even come to the studio to avoid her :)

i completely agree with you about learning what you can from a great mind and moving on. you can't fixate yourself on one source of knowledge too long, just get what you need and take on other great minds. you're suppose to gather various body of knowledge and ideas and form your own. i used to copy and imitate ppl like carson and mckean in school and for a student that was the best way to learn. but now that i'm out of school i know better to do something like that. originality speaks volumes.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	uberchris 2004-09-24 03:33 pm UTC (link)
	David Carson influenced? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	uberchris 2004-09-24 03:35 pm UTC (link)
	Oh i guess people wrote that already... but anyway.. very post modernist. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-24 04:16 pm UTC (link)
	it is david carsons work. i was curious to see what the feedback would be for an award winning designers work (i got shafted in my previous post). (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	(Anonymous) 2004-09-24 05:15 pm UTC (link)
	you didn't get shafted. you got honest critisism. thats what you asked for. i for one play by the rule "if you don't have something constructive or nice to say, don't say anything at all". so i stayed out of your last thread. but in all honesty it looked like a design from an inexperienced designer who has no grasp of how to effectively use space or type. -tone (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

redeggmonitor
2004-09-25 12:15 pm UTC (link)

perhaps you are too used to seeing design that follows rules, that is stereotypical. even design that breaks rules becomes passe.
in reality, it is all subjective.
beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
there are successful designers who i wonder why they are successful.
i appreciate your honesty, though.
but, not knowing your background or design experience, your comment regarding my piece appearing inexperienced and having no grasp holds no value.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	uberchris 2004-09-24 05:20 pm UTC (link)
	ahhh... yeah that table of contents image was by him. Well, the image looked very familiar to me. (Reply to this) (Parent)

mylaptopisevil
2004-09-24 11:25 pm UTC (link)

Just because people are looking at your work through a very strongly made balance/grid system viewpoint doesn't mean you got shafted, it means your style is not what is appealing to them.

It's just silly to act like we're out to get you because we disagree with your style. I dislike it. Even if you're doing it to 'break the rules', I dislike it. I told you why, and you said "But that's what you wanted me to say" or "thats what you wanted to accomplish". So I'm not sure what you wanted to pull off by even posting in the first place.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	i_make_no_bones 2004-09-24 03:49 pm UTC (link)
	hey asshole, that IS a david carson cover. nice try. it's on his website. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-24 04:09 pm UTC (link)
	asshole, huh? did i ever say whose work it was? i merely posted what it was. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	i_make_no_bones 2004-09-24 04:11 pm UTC (link)
	well its pretty shady to not attribute copyright and let people assume its yours. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-24 04:15 pm UTC (link)
	true, it was underhanded. but, because of the critique and comments i recieved on my previous post, i was curious as to what would be said about an award winning designers work. it backfired, obviously, it was recognized almost right off, with a few exceptions. : ) and most of the people who commented on this entry did not comment on my previous post. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	enve_oner 2004-09-24 04:30 pm UTC (link)
	so...because the majority of people in your last post didn't care for your work its an obvios assumption we wouldn't like david carson's work? i'm not seeing how this works. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

redeggmonitor
2004-09-24 04:39 pm UTC (link)

it works like this.
i post my work, recieve feedback that i am surprised by.
so, out of curiousity, i post an award winning designers work that does not fit the norm and observe the feedback for it.
and there were, in fact, a few who did like the work that i posted.
and some of the comments i did find helpful.
it was more out of mere curiousity than anything else, to see what the comments would be.
and if it would even be recognized.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	iamkevo 2004-09-24 08:38 pm UTC (link)
	he's only award winning because he's different- and most graphic designers still hate his work. the only thing david carson had going for him was ambition and innovation. (Reply to this) (Parent)

april_wednesday
2004-09-24 05:21 pm UTC (link)

it IS carson? i figured it was VERY closely imitated from his work but didn't think the poster would actually go the length to post it.. that's quite low to repost his work on here even if there was no mention of ownership. i automatically assumed it was his work since he posted it because that's what ppl do here, get criticism for work in progress and such, other wise it would be mentioned that it's taken from a famous designer or so on. and it's a bit of insult when he said he posted these to see if anyone recognized carson's work

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	lemonboy 2004-09-24 04:34 pm UTC (link)
	still stands: looks regurgitated(conceptually/typo trends) recycled and spat out. IMO the title needs to be able to "stand" on its own even if tied into the BG phrasing (Reply to this) (Thread)

	labradors 2004-09-24 08:30 pm UTC (link)
	well i know the TOC was done in 1990, which is now 14 years old... probably accounts to the regurgitation effect. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	andrewsarcasm 2004-09-24 10:28 pm UTC (link)
	you are gorgeous. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	mylaptopisevil 2004-09-24 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	I agree with if it was just made 'now', it would be regurgitated. But, then, I think it was a more novel concept. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lemonboy 2004-09-25 12:32 am UTC (link)
	in the late 80's everyone was playing with textploration like that at their local kinkos in fanzines and local skate rags...still regurgitated to this day sadly (Reply to this)

	localilo 2004-09-25 01:00 am UTC (link)
	just because he is a award winning designer does not mean everyone likes it! If you can't deal with critiques then don't post your work... hey like me! lol.... I am not brave yet but at least I am honest.! (Reply to this) (Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-25 07:33 am UTC (link)
	i can deal with critiques. seems most are not used to a dialogue during the critique. (Reply to this) (Parent)

lemonboy
2004-09-25 11:16 am UTC (link)

Stray thoughts IMO:

We go thru life absorbing aesthetic from our world experience and media
Building an unconscious template of derived and distilled interpretation of what we individual feel is pleasing thru the filter or lens of our conscious and subconscious thought.

The reality is that as you absorb images and elements and aesthetic thru time this massive library is always for the most part retained within your mind even if you are unaware of it
And depending on how it emotionally or logically imprinted itself in you will effect your
Growth stylistically unless you make a firm concentrated effort against it.

Is isolation from trends the only key to true groundbreaking exploration in aesthetics…not necessarily but I think it helps not to horde over steps already taken. Sure you can always make a better mousetrap and reinvent the wheel…is it really necessary?

Some golden rules to make something palatable to mass consumption will always remain to our experience as long as our biology and individual cultural bias exist as it is.

Does media/experience gluttony aid in stylistic growth? I personally don’t think so unless
It is tempered with acknowledgement not to revise what is being absorbed but to feel where it could have gone on a different branch of interpretation.

Don’t take inspiration from what has been done take inspiration from what wasn’t done and how you personally feel that style or aesthetic could have truly grown if it had been pushed or restrained further.

Does imitation help growth? In some cases I suppose it could. But in most cases I think it
Becomes a detriment to growth to others as they unconsciously or consciously have these imprints of imitation become rote to them and as in muscle memory of physical action
Become second nature them as an instinct impeding exploration unless real effort is made against it.

I personally feel that almost all design falls into the following categories or a blending of the following:

Explorer
Revisionist
Whore
Sheep

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-25 12:19 pm UTC (link)
	i take inspiration from everything, regardless of whether or not it has been done, so i agree with you for the most part. as far as limiting to design to four categories, i disagree with limitations and labeling, though it is inevitable in our culture. (Reply to this) (Parent)

lemonboy
2004-09-25 12:34 pm UTC (link)

Disagree with labeling but it will exist no matter the urge to deny it until biology and cultural bias changes.
We label and name things in generic terms to distill an idea/concept & feeling quickly to ourselves and others.It has always been this way and will always be this way unless a time comes without visual/verbal communication.

Describe a tree without a foundation of "labeling"?

I personally feel my own work falls within a blend of the following:

Whore/Explorer:
Whore: I enjoy having thousands of people experience and use my work regularly
and gain satisfaction out of paying my bills with constant mass consumed work.

Explorer:Finding new ways to percieve a concept and creating new paths to achieve different asethetics.

Revisionist: when a client needs it(again I like paying my bills)but always offer them
a new take or exploration in case you can entice them in a new direction.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	redeggmonitor 2004-09-25 03:38 pm UTC (link)
	i agree that it is inevitable and our nature to label, but nevertheless unfortunate. though, as you pointed out, serves as a function and purpose. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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