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How to Design Like Apple

In this video they give some very precise explanations on how to design like apple. Jonathan Ive being influenced by dieter Rams has helped Apple to design some beautiful products. Whenever I somehow find myself using non apple product I tend to get upset by how everything is works from the design to the software. The Steve Jobs biography taught me how serious Steve Jobs took design, even when he was in the hospital he was thinking about design. He also complained about how certain things were designed poorly I forgot what to be exact.

Designed a logo a day for 30

Mechanicsandfarmers-02So on I finally finished up my latest project that I feel was a great experiment. I’ll admit at times I felt a little frustrated with feeling as if I’m doubting myself with designing logos. The reason for taking upon the task of designing a logo a day for 30 days I felt it would help me become better at designing logos.

Some of the rules I set for designing these logos were

  1. They can only be from local businesses
  2. I will not spend more then 10 – 15 minutes coming up with a concept ( The reason for this was to set limits on my time of thinking and to see what I could come up with)
  3. Think fast and stick with my gut feeling
  4. Sketch first before going to the computer
  5. Experiment with different types of businesses

So overall I am very pleased with what I can up with. Some of the logos are just little refinements and others are completely brand new. Mainly I wanted to design the logos how I felt they should be used to represent the type of business correctly.  Here are a few of my favorite logos that I designed. Check out the rest of them here and here

Floral_dimension-02 Italian Pizzeria-02 Numen_Artworks-02

Robert Crumb Documentary

Last night I watched this documentary called crumb. The documentary was about the cartoonist named Robert Crumb. The way I came across it was by just searching for documentaries for designers to watch.

What I learned from this was how he was always sketching. His wife said that wherever they would go he would always be sketching. After hearing that It really opened me up to carrying my sketchbook around when the time is right for it. Also it shows his childhood and you get to see his family and why he no longer lives in the USA. Here’s a link to the documentary let me know what your thoughts are in the comments below.

Not Being Famous is a good thing

This is one thing that I did not really think about at first. Because we all strive to become well known in our field. Many people are so obsessed with being famous which is not a good thing.

Because whenever you become Famous you do not have chance to make mistakes. For example if I was a designer who had won Awards and Cannes, Made the cover of How and print magazine and etc you would expect a certain quality of work from me.

“Being a famous designer is like being a famous dentist.” – Noreen Morioka

Being Famous only represents one kind of success and that is publicity. If you are doing something to just be Famous it may be time for you to re-evaluate what your real reason for it is. Not saying that doing things just for the fame and money is bad just remember

Beware of what you become in pursuit of what you want. – Jim Rohn.

Be a student not a follower

Be a student not a follower is such a great quote that I remember hearing from Jim Rohn. When I first heard it I immediately changed my whole perspective on how to view people who are great then me. Because to me being a follower your really not learning anything from the person who you aspire to be like or admire.

Just think someone who is a student they learn as much as they can about whatever the subject may be. While a follower will only do one thing follow and copy. Which after while will start to limit your growth and perception.

So always remember there is only one of you and nobody else like you. Study and learn from the greats, and then apply what they did to your own life (well the things they did that you agree with and fit into your view of life).

 

 

 

Learning is in the Process

At first this was something I never quite understood involving design. When I watched the Eames documentary the architect and the painter I was exposed to it. Because sitting in class in art school you feel as if learning comes from a teacher and not the process.

This is also in relation to learning how to play sports. Not saying that you cannot learn from books but the real learning comes from doing. Nowadays there is unbelievable amounts of free information on whatever subject you want to learn. Because if you want to learn something you have to be willing to go through the process of failing until you become good at it.

In the process of designing you start sketching and then after your done sketching you move to the computer. While working on the computer you see what is working and what is not working. Those moments are where the real learning is taking place in being a designer.

Remember

 

Art resides in the quality of doing, process is not magic. – Charles Eames