Resources
Michael Beirut is a giant in the field of Graphic Design. He is a past AIGA medalist and a partner at Pentagram. His work is inspirational and groundbreaking.
He is the designer behind the famous Design Counts Postcard that launched the AIGA campaign to change and standardize election ballots after the disastrous 2000 election, which familiarized all of us with terms like “pregnant and hanging chads” and butterfly ballots (look it up if you don’t know what I am talking about).
Paperspecs published an interview with Michael Beirut, in which he discusses his career and shares some tips with new designers. What really caught my attention is the beginning quote about what makes you a successful designer:
“If you read a lot and you’re genuinely curious about the world, you’ll go far in this profession because there simply aren’t that many people who are able to combine graphic design talent with genuine curiosity about the world.”
The interview was edited by Will Sherwood, author of an interesting blog called: Will Sherwhood’s Success Secrets and Tips.
Sometimes, when you are working hard on your project, you need to blow off some steam. Try one of creative games specifically made for designers. Some of them are deceptively simple. You may even learn something.
Are you pen tool master? Well, let’s see about that. The Bezier Game is a fun way to practice using the pen tool. Warning: it is not as easy as you think, but it can be quite addictive!
Many studies has shown that hand writing your notes leads to better recollection, and now, more and more people are looking back at sketching, realizing that this process, often ignored in favor of computer-generated thumbnails, is indeed more conductive to creative thinking and idea-generation.
In this article, Drew Coffin, from Web Marketing Today, emphasizes the importance of pen and paper: “Sketching on paper forces you to slow down and your brain naturally fills this added time with new ideas, concepts, and design directions.”
I can’t agree more. So, allow yourself the time to sketch and think: your designs will be better for it.
History of Graphic Design 