anitra nottingham

Both by the same guy... and both wonderful.

In class the other day, we were talking about typefaces and their use... which lead me to a story — the later should be no surprise.

When my wife and I lived in Oakland, we owned a small two-seater car. For a lot of things, it was perfect — we were able to commute across the bridge in the car-pool lanes, parking was easy, and it was fun to drive. However, I have a picture somewhere of me trying to haul three 10-foot rolls of carpet in it. It was not a pretty sight.

Typefaces are like that: what might be fun for a short drive might not be good for a shopping trip to Costco and IKEA. Granted, some typefaces are the Honda Element of faces — multipurpose and useful for a lot of different things — but, most are more single-purpose like a pick-up truck or a sports car.

From a typeface POV, are you using your Nissan Versa to try to haul plywood? Are you planning a road-trip in a pick-up truck?

Generally typefaces that are good for body copy are not good for display... and faces that are good for display are not good for body copy. Body faces are optimized for reading at small sizes and when scaled up either look a bit goofy or lack the visual weight to really capture attention. Conversely, faces designed to capture attention are too bold or characteristic to be used small and over many pages. For instance, could you imagine reading pages and pages of type set in Rosewood?

If you need to haul a mattress, find a friend with a pick-up truck — don't try to strap it to a hatchback... and if you need a typeface for a headline, look to one designed for the job.

Unlike a printer, a computer is something that you'll want for your very own (very soon). We don't suggest relying on computer labs or friends for this.

So many choices
There are a lot of choices out there, so let's keep it simple: we suggest Macs and we suggest laptops. With a well outfitted laptop, you can run the applications (CS6) easily and do what you need to do — plus it can be portable if needed.

There's nothing wrong with an iMac or MacPro, but it unnecessarily ties you to your desk and — in the case of a MacPro — is more computer than you need unless you're doing processor-intensive CAD, 3D, animation or video work. I do everything on a 13in MacBook Air.

Plus, when all of your friends have Macs (and likely the same printer), troubleshooting will be much easier.

However, we don't suggest doing actual design work on your 13in or 15in screen. Hook it to an external monitor (Apple or otherwise) and you'll have a 2-monitor set-up (Monitor and laptop screen) which is very nice.

I have found the MacBook Air to be great. The flash-drive is super-fast and the lightness of the machine makes portability easy. I don't miss the optical (CD/DVD) drive one bit — I have an external one ($80) on my desk that I've used 3 times in 3 years.

The MacBookPro is also a great choice, too... a bit more expensive and a bit more heavy. You'll likely not see the benefit in a Retina display (from a cost POV), but if price is no object then by all means, get a MacBookPro with a Retina display, 8GB of RAM and an SSD. It'll cost more than $3000, though.

Shopping Tips
When shopping, check out the "SALE" section on the Apple site (lower left column) which features refurbished and older stock machines at a 15-25% discount. I'm typing this on a refurbished MacBook Air which was indistinguishable from new.

Craigslist can also be a good way to go, however if searching for used machines, make sure the processor can run the most recent system software. Currently, Mountain Lion will not run on an Intel Core Duo (you need an Intel Core 2 Duo or newer), so a Mac older than 2007 might not work as well for you long-term — when entering the profession, you'll be expected to know the most recent software.

Also, when buying off of Craigslist or eBay, you'll want to be safe and be aware of scams or misrepresented equipment.

Performance
Make sure whatever your choice you have plenty of RAM — 4GB is the minimum. You'll notice speed boosts with more RAM over a faster processor. You'll also notice faster performance with a flash-based hard-drive (SSD). I've not used the newer "fusion" drives, but they look like they could be worthwhile.

So, from a money-best-spent POV: more RAM first > then a flash-drive/SSD > then a faster processor.

Accessories
There are a good variety of accessory input devices as well. If working on a laptop, you'll definitely want a mouse, at least. I've never had a problem with wrist issues (carpal tunnel syndrome), but some folks find that a trackball or tablet (Wacom) can be more comfortable.

Also, remember to back your stuff up (fodder for another post) and use your AAU-ID to get some discounts, too — generally 10% on larger, new purchases at the Apple store.

This one. (The Epson 3880).

Far, far too many students have wished they'd purchased a 3800 or 3880 the first time. Unlike the cameras in the previous post, I've not purchased one myself — but I trust the POV of dozens of design students who have chimed in and noted that the money you save on a less expensive printer (1400-series, 2000-series) will be lost two-fold in the cost of inks. The 3800-series printers have larger ink cartridges and the price-per-drop is less. Given that ink (and paper) costs will eventually eclipse the cost of the printer, this is noteworthy.

Why Epson? Simply because they work well. They've delivered the best and easiest to use inkjet system (profiles, ink and paper) and have been doing so since I bought my first 1200. Plus, when you have the same printer as your classmates, there's a community to help out should something go haywire (or if you run out of ink at 3AM).

Granted this is also something that you might be able to co-op (share) with your friends and/or classmates as it's not something that will be running 24/7.

However, we'd love to hear more. Students — what have your experiences been when buying and using printers? Leave comments below so that they can be saved in a single, threaded discussion.

Q: There are a lot of cameras out there… which is the best?

A: The best camera is the one you have with you.

This is why I love the camera on my smartphone (and the reason I recently upgraded — I got a camera 2X better for $200... which from a camera POV is a good value). The great thing about smartphone cameras is that you often don't look like you're taking a photo at all which can be a bonus in a store or crowded train car. I'm often taking photos of the nutty things I see on BART and folks just think I'm checking my email… However, sometimes a smartphone camera (iPhone in my case) is not enough.

The "what should I buy?" question is a common one, so I'll post it here — in blog format — so I can keep it up to date with new models and so that we can refer to it as we need to...

But before we get into "real" camera suggestions, I'd like to direct everyone's attention to Bert Krages website. Bert is a lawyer, so he knows his stuff. Look this over and know your rights and responsibilities as a photographer in the American public space. Below are a few bits I've paraphrased over the years:

• In general, if you can see it (without going to extreme measures), you can photograph it: This is how the Hollywood paparazzi operate, but also why — when they get on ladders and climb fences — they get arrested. If you're standing on your own two feet in a place you're legally able to be, you can photograph anything you can see with your eyes.
• However, use your brain and the "golden rule": If taking that photo is going to get you questioned by the President's Secret Service staff — is it worth it? Do you really want to freak out that poor person on the train? Be respectful of people and weigh whether or not getting into a confrontation or an awkward situation is worth it.
• People can ask you to leave private property (stores): ... but they cannot take your camera or force you to delete files. If that happens, call the police. However, you do have to leave the store, etc (which is private property). Why let it get to that in the first place? Unless you're doing something crazy, a few photos of cool packaging on a store shelf should not cause such a fuss as to get the staff involved. Be subtle.
• How you use the photo has more implications on rights that anything else: While I can take a photo of you, if I use it for a billboard about drug abusers, that would get me into trouble as I'm ascribing a value/condition to the subject (from whom I do not have a model release or agreement to do so). Taking photos is fine. Using them can get complicated. As a student, much of your work falls under "academic fair use" (look it up), but now that so many things end up on the web and transcend school project, it's best to just use photos of things and people you know are ok.

Now, on to cameras:

Where to look for info and gear?: There's lots of great sites out there. I like http DPreview.com … there are new models coming out every week and they do a good job of staying on top of them. When buying, I always look to Amazon.com first and BHphotovideo.com second. Amazon has a great return policy and B+H is just a great camera shop. Sadly, the SF photo scene is pretty weak. The best Bay-Area shop is Keeble and Shuchat in Palo Alto — they also have a great rental department.

What do you really need?: Rarely will you need a camera with greater than 10MP — especially if they're a "good" 10MP. Older cameras had higher pixel counts but much greater noise. Recent trends in the camera world is to have fewer, but higher-quality resolutions and the cameras listed below have great sensors that will yield a good image with little/no noise.

More importantly, though, is the quality of the lens. Many manufacturers have coupled small cameras with great sensors and great lenses… this is good for us. In general, when looking at a lens, one that tries to "zoom" too much isn't good at any one distance — look for ones in the 3X to 5X zoom factor (20X is trying to do too much). Also, generally speaking, the lower the base aperture, the higher quality the lens. These are numbers like f3.5-5.6 … so, following this rule, a f1.8-2 is a better lens than a f3.5-5.6. Really these numbers are indicating the amount of light (aperture) the camera will let in, but it's also a general gauge for quality in the same way a car with greater horsepower is generally a better car than one with lower. When you see a range (f3.5-5.6, for instance), it means that the base aperture will change through the zoom range. Generally speaking, lenses with a steady aperture are better than those with a ranged aperture, but as long as the range is still within good numbers (f1.8-2) then it's still worth looking at. I generally avoid lenses that don't open up to at least f2.8.

Shoot RAW: Make sure than any camera you buy has the ability to capture RAW files in addition to JPGs. RAW files are just that — raw. The camera has done nothing to the fine insofar as noise reduction, image improvement, etc and it lets you do that in Photoshop. With a RAW file you have great latitude to adjust things like color balance and exposure — even camera distortion — that is harder to do otherwise.

Categorically Speaking: When looking at cameras, they fall into a few basic categories and you see that size and price have a relationship here — generally the bigger and more expensive the camera, the better.

Subcompact

These are camera that can literally fit into your pocket and having a camera /on/ you when you need the shot is better than having a nicer one sitting on your desk at home. These camera sacrifice a bit of quality (usually sensor size and lens heft) for size, but a few have gotten to a good formula. I like:

Canon S110: While some folks prefer the older S95, this is a very slim camera with a great lens and sensor combination.
Olympus XZ1: Similar to the above, but slightly more bulky. The lens is better, but the sensor is (slightly) not as good. It has a hot-shoe which could be good for expandability.
(new) Olympus XZ10: This is a new model but looks to be a good improvement over the XZ1.

Compact

These camera are not small enough to fit into your jeans pocket, but they might fit into a coat pocket. This is my favorite category as the quality/size ratio breaks to something that I find very useful. As much as an interchangeable lens camera seems nice, you use one lens 95% of the time (a medium-length zoom), so why not have a small camera with a great lens that you don't have to swap?

I own and continue to suggest the Canon G-series (I have a G9 and a G15 and have used a G7, G10, G11 and G12). The Panasonic LX series is also very good and Olympus recently introduced a refined XZ line that is worth looking at. While I think Fuji cameras are beautiful (I've had an X10), they make fashion more of a priority than performance… but sometimes you want to look good with your camera, too, so the X-series might be worth a look. Sometimes you can get a good deal on "last year's model"… Canon and Panasonic just released new cameras so the G12 and LX5 (which are great cameras) might be on sale.

Another feature that this series excels at is macro focusing — meaning you can get up close to stuff and still focus. This is often important for designers when you want to photograph the details on something (and why I returned the Canon G1X — it doesn't shoot macro). Sony has made a compact camera with a HUGE (20MP) sensor that is supposed to be good on paper, but it's pretty expensive and without a hot shoe isn't as expandable — folks like it, though,

Canon G15: This is Canon's latest G-series camera> A great sensor coupled with a great lens and lots of manual controls and the ability to add accessories
Panasonic LX7: This is also a very good choice similar to the above. The lens is made by Leica, too.
Olympus XZ2: A similar model (spec-wise) from Olympus... when purchasing my G15, the XZ2 and LX7 were strong contenders. The XZ2 lost out on price and the G15 won because of my previous love of the G9... but really, all three are terrific choices.
Fuji X20: Fuji may had fixed some flaws present in the X10, but this camera still isn't as expandable as the above (filters, lens attachments, flashes, etc)... It's really pretty, though.
Sony RX100: This camera is much more expensive than the others, but the sensor is fantastic. However, it has small buttons and I found it difficult to use. It's a bit more slim than the above cameras as well because of this, though.

Micro 4/3
(compact interchangeable lens cameras*)

This is a newer format which features high-quality sensors with interchangeable lenses. Personally, I'm not sold on the concept yet as I think the lens on my Canon G15 is better (for the price) than most any lens made for a M4/3 (it's a 5X lens at 1.8-2.8 and is tack sharp) and I don't have to fuss with changing it, but there is something to be said for being able to get a super-wide or super-telephoto lens on the camera — or a super luxe or unusual one. Some models like the Olympus OM-D are 2X the price of the Panasonic GX1 and there seems to be little reason for it other than fashion (it is pretty, though).

Panasonic GX1: After a series of cameras that looked more like a sneaker, Panasonic reintroduced a simple, powerful workhorse with the GX1. For its type, it's a great value and very high-quality.
Olympus E-PL5: This is the latest model of the PL series, the more affordable segment of Olympus' line.
Olympus E-PL2: This is an older model, but good and at often a good price.

*Both Nikon (1-system) and Sony (NEX) make interchangeable lens cameras, but their lens-mount is proprietary meaning that the only lenses that will fit on a Nikon-1 (J1 and V1) are made by Nikon and there's only, maybe, four made at present. Not good. And worse for Nikon — the sensor is small. At least the Sony has a huge sensor. The M4/3 format is a more universal format with more folks making lenses for them — the most popular are Panasonic/Leica and Olympus.

dSLR: Digital Single Lens Reflex

Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras are modeled after your dad's camera. They have interchangeable lenses and look like old-school 35mm cameras. They have the largest sensors and can use the best lenses. They are also lots more expensive. Nikon and Canon are the only brands you should really be looking at due to their ubiquity — if you wanted to rent or borrow a lens for flash, shops will have them for Canon and Nikon, but likely not for Sony or Contax.

The thing with these cameras is that not only is the camera expensive, but you'll spend much more on a lens — a good lens can cost over $1000 easily. Like the Compacts, the quality of an SLR lens can be judged by the base aperture. A 50mm/1.2 is "better" than a 50mm/1.8…. and a 24-70/2.8 is better than a 28-70/4 — and the prices reflect that.

When a zoom lens has a range (3.5-5.6) it means the base aperture changes over the zoom range — when you zoom out, it's 5.6… and when you're wide, it's 3.5. Again, the lower the number, the better. Also, there are a number of good after-market lens manufacturers (and bad ones). I have lenses (for my Nikon) from Sigma and love them — the 17-70/2.8-4macro being my most useful.

When looking at lenses, know that the lens that comes with the kit is crap. It is. You'll want to eventually upgrade that lens and you might think to buy the body-only and a separate lens… or buy the kit and sell the lens on eBay. Your call there.

Within the dSLR family, there are two types based on the size of the sensor.

dSLR-APC: These have most have a slightly smaller (APC-sized) sensors. This sensor is still way bigger than any of the previous compact cameras (and better), but it's not as big as an old school piece of 35mm film around which the camera body is modeled. The Nikon 5100 has the same sensor as my own D7000 in a slightly smaller (and less expensive body) which is worth a look. Remember, just because the MP count is higher it doesn't necessarily mean the image will be better — some people think the D5100 sensor is "smoother" than the D5200.

For this camera, a 16-85mm or 17-70mm zoom lens makes a good all-around lens. I have a Sigma 17-70 and love it (it shoots macro, too). Additionally, a 50mm lens "acts" like an 85mm lens on the smaller sensor which is great for portraits. I have a Sigma 50/1.4 and love it, too. Remember, the lower the aperture number the better (2.8 is better than 3.5)

Nikon 5100: Often touted as a less expensive option to the D7000, it shares the same sensor.
Nikon 5200: An upgrade to the above with a different sensor and the same focusing system as the D7000.
Nikon D7000: A good sensor, good focusing system and nice build-quality make this a good choice for someone not ready to commit to the FX format.
(old) Nikon D90: This is an older, but very good model. You might find this one used at a great price.
Canon 650D/Rebel T4i: I could never buy a camera with the terrible "Rebel" logo on it which is why I abandoned Canon 15 years ago. I know it's esoteric, but I'm a designer... It's a good camera, though.
Canon 60D: Another good choice from Canon.


dSLR-FX: Some dSLRs have "full frame sensors" which means the sensor is the same size as an old school 35mm piece of film. These are the best but the most expensive. If cost is no object, this is the camera to own, but with a few lenses, it can cost as much as a car (and way more than a laptop).

For these cameras, a 24-70 or 24-85 lens is a good "walk-around" lens and an 85mm is great for portraits.

Nikon D600: Nikon's least expensive FX model.
Nikon D800: Nikon's newest and most advanced FX model.
Canon 5D/M2: This camera introduced super high-quality video to the dSLR market and put Canon on top in a number of ways. Everyone I know who has one loves it.
Canon 5D/M3: As much as I love my Nikon gear, if I had all the money in the world, I'd get a 5DM3 and get new Canon lenses. However, for the price, I still love my D7000 and Sigma lenses.

Whew… I hope that helped someone...

Congratulations — you've just about landed a freelance job, but now you're wondering how to price it. Pricing can be the most difficult thing in the design business — even harder than coming up with new, good ideas. There are a lot of folks with differing points-of-view on this topic, too, and I encourage you to absorb and reflect on all of them — there are a lot of smart folks out there with a lot to say, so dig for it. Hopefully the below can serve as a bit of a brief guide if nothing else.

Remember that people will often approach you because you're talented (yay!), but don't have a lot of experience (doh!), and will consequently be more affordable. There's no shame in this on either side — all professions have their "beginners": dentistry, real-estate, cosmetology — even medical test subjects get higher rates with more experience. Design is no different. People are taking a risk on you and for that they'll pay a bit less, but even then, how to begin?

I like to advise students to look at a project with a "phased" approach — with each phase having a clear transition to the next. For instance, perhaps your client could just use some design advice and for that, you'd not want to exhaust time to prepare an estimate for an entire project, right? The first, and best thing to do is to have an honest conversation with the client as to what they need or want (or think they need/want). Do they want 25,000 brochures to arrive at a trade show in Phoenix in two weeks — or do they want a JPG to put on their website? Both are design projects with very different points from beginning to end. Perhaps they simply need to generate more clients or evolve their aesthetic. A more open-ended goal might evoke a greater conversation about options they never considered, which might mean more opportunity for you.

Once you jointly figured out what would be considered a successful project, then you can go about trying to exceed those goals and really impress them (and outlining this in your estimate and reflecting on it in your creative brief). You can now establish the phases that work best for their project, generally broken down into areas like: Consulting, Research, Ideation, Refinement, Extension and Production. It's important to note that not all projects will have all phases and you might jump into a project later in the game — at the production phase, for instance.

When looking at the phased approach, some phases could be estimated as a fixed-fee and some are better approached as a per-hour. Even with a per-hour job, you'll still need to estimate the time needed to complete the task and an agreed-upon time (usually 75% of the way into the project) where you'll both re-evaluate what you have accomplished thus far and adjust accordingly.

Looking at the list above:

Consulting:
[per-hour]

Many folks just need advice and this is a great place for you to step in and provide that at limited time on your side and limited expense on theirs. I've done this professionally as well as taken advantage of other professionals offering the same and it's a great way to share ideas and be compensated fairly. Some folks will charge a bit more (+25%/hour) for consulting vs. production as it takes a bit more "brain space". Others prefer to leave their hourly rate as flat (I do this) as it's hard sometimes to separate the "thinking" from the "doing". It is your call as to how you break down your rates and it is something that you might approach differently with each client until you get a firm grasp on your own working style.

Research:
[per-hour or grouped in a comprehensive fixed-fee project]

Sadly, while this is often the most important part  of the job (and it's your job to eloquently communicate this), many clients are simply unwilling to pay for research — in part because they (think they) have done it already. This might be a make/break decision on whether or not you'll work on the project as it opens up a greater discussion of the value of design and design thinking with your client. Just like good wine is often wasted on someone with a greater affinity to diet soda (that would be me), good design — the kind of design you've trained for — is not valued by all folks. There's nothing wrong with that, but it might not be a relationship you'd want to enter into if your values don't align.

Ideation:
[fixed-fee]

This phase is where your value as a designer will shine — it's where you come up with ___ number of ideas (normally 3-5 and this would be worked into the estimate). This phase doesn't work as well at per-hour because it's hard to bill thinking about a project while on the freeway or in the shower. It's also where the greatest amount of your training and talent will be used, so billing by the hour doesn't account for the years it took to prepare for that fifteen minutes of brilliance. There's a great story about a woman who asked Picasso to quickly sketch out something quite simple: "Picasso was in a park when a woman asked him to draw her portrait. Picasso agreed and quickly sketched her. When he handed her the sketch, she was pleased and asked how much she owed to him. Picasso replied, “$5,000.” The woman screamed, “But it took you only five minutes!” Picasso replied, “No, madam, it took me my entire life."… You wouldn't want your client to scream, so, again, be fair and communicative with your client. If they don't understand or value this point-of-view, it might be telling as to their overall value of design — and you might look to this as an indicator as to your fit for the project. The last thing you want to do is to underbid a project for a client who will continue to question costs, fees and value... so at least price it high.

Refinement:
[fixed-fee or part of the above phase]

Depending on your client, they might just want raw idea (for which you'll billed them fairly) or they might want you to refine one to a finished state to either hand off to another team or continue on with yourself. Again, this is where clear communication between you and the client is key so that you can prepare an estimate that is best suited for them. Typically ideation and refinement are coupled, but I've worked on successful project where the designer hands off a few unrefined ideas and another team takes them and runs with them. Again, if you've billed fairly this shouldn't upset you.

Extension:
[per-hour, but possibly fixed-fee if the deliverables are finite]

Once you've established a basic look and feel, you can then extend it to the rest of the brand/product line/associate collateral. This might be something that the client has their in-house team do, in which case, you'll want to be clear about what you provide in the phases above insofar as final documentation (style guides, etc.). However, if they would like you to continue with the job, it is again important to get a scope of the work involved. Generally, extra things always come up and what started as a design for one piece of packaging turns into a packaging assortment, a trade show booth and seven web banners. Again, good communication is key.

Production:
[definitely per-hour]

As students, you don't have enough experience to know exactly how long it will take to get something press-checked, coded or built and it's best to be honest with the client up front and invite (and pay) for any outside help you'll need. Projects can quickly spiral out of control and the worst place you want to be is to have a client expecting you to personally code and implement a website and you're now just getting friendly with GoLive. The same goes for press checks that might carry you to another state (or even another country). A good involvement with the local AIGA network will provide you with a host of folks in the printing, mailing and even digital production worlds, so it's good to make friends at the AIGA events and even volunteer to get to know people better. In the end, as stated many times, you want to be very clear with your client about who is responsible for what and how you're going to get there. Remember, they're paying a lower fee, so that can't expect you to have all of the answers at your fingertips, but with the fee that they are paying you, they rightfully expect that you'll be able to find out those answers. Most importantly, remember that production can be the MOST expensive part of the job, so you really need to pay attention here.

So, in the end, when a client says: "I have $10,000 for this project*" a lot is involved and it's your job to work with them to get to an agreeable and fair solution.

(*specifically, for this kind of thing you need to figure out if this is for design — or for design AND production of the final product. $10,000 is a great design fee, but not nearly enough to get 25,000 brochures to Phoenix in two weeks.)

Academy of Art University / School of Graphic Design
Winter Show 2012
Thursday, December 20th, 6-9PM
79 New Montgomery Street (Gallery)

Join us!

As of late, I've been trying to look at things more and more from the vantage point of our students. Not that this hasn't always been the case, it's become more top-of-mind recently.

Obviously, after 20 years in the profession, some things come as second nature, but they always weren't that way. Although much has changed in that time (for instance, there was no such thing as the internet when I was in their shoes)... much has not. Looking back at the things that had concerned me when I was at their stage has provided a few insights into it all.

For instance, inspiration — and where to get it — has always proved vexing and seemed like a good place to start. No one expects an early practitioner to venture into a field without something under their belt and — if not experience — it should at least be some solid inspiration, right? (and eventually both)...

Taking into account, too, that many of our students didn't grow up speaking English as their native language, some things that I might take for granted — like that a type combination of Franklin Gothic and Clarendon having a vintage "academia" feel — is cast in a very different light.

But rather than try to chase it down myself, I opened the question up to the students. Below are their responses.

Above: Screenshot from a wonderful kinetic type piece based on the wisdom of Ira Glass.

From Kristin

• File things that you love. Create a space where you can store images, type, and other creative work that inspires you, whether that be in your journal, a Pinterest  account or desktop folders. I have inspiration websites, admired portfolios, design blogs, typography resources, etc. all sorted into separate folders on my Bookmarks bar, which makes it easy when researching online.
• Get off your computer. I would say that the majority of my best ideas come when I am not sitting at my desk. Sometimes it’s difficult to want to take a break when you’re buried in so much work and can’t figure out a direction, but whenever I feel like I’m about to pull my hair out and take a step away from the screen, the ideas always seem to come.
• Spend an afternoon downstairs at William Stout Architectural Books, which has a huge design reference and inspiration library.
• Take pictures of type on the street or graphic shapes that catch your eye. You never know when they might come in handy. Several of my photos for one studio project, for instance, came from when I was driving through Marfa, Texas on a road trip two years earlier.
• Volunteer at (way too expensive) conferences. One of my most rewarding experiences last year was doing this at TYPO; I went for free, met amazing people and listened to inspiring designers talk about their process all day.
• Pursue your passions outside of design. How can we be effective communicators if we’re not constantly experiencing the world we live in? One of the reasons why I love design so much is that it encourages exploration in all aspects of my life. Take advantage of that.
• Use a bad critique to see your work in a new perspective, because it’ll make you better than any positive review.  It took time for me to stomach negative commentary. But when I started to use it to fuel my drive and work twice as hard a few semesters in, it started to pay off.
• Instagram might to be a cliché, but I love searching the app on my phone because I’m constantly being exposed to new ways to frame a subject. For more technical guidance, I took a couple classes at Rayko (much cheaper than an AAU class), and it dramatically improved my understanding of my SLR and how to shoot manually.
• Some current design inspiration sites or blogs currently stored at the top of my list: Designspiration, GrainEdit, ISO50, We and the Color, FastCo, Good, Jessica Hische, Ilovetypography, the Dieline….there are countless more, those are just a few.

From Jason:

Since I lived in a relatively rural environment prior to coming here I relied quite a bit on the internet for inspiration. Consequently I have a large collection of sites I go to. Here are a few..

• http://designspiration.net/
• http://www.designworklife.com/
• http://theartistandhismodel.com/
• http://graphic-exchange.com/home.html
• http://www.thisiscollate.com/
• http://www.oatcreative.com/
• http://lovelystationery.com/
• http://www.underconsideration.com/fpo/
• http://www.logodesignlove.com/

 

From Aoife:

Well, I'm lucky to have a multiple-exposure to the things you have listed (cultural and typographic foundation), and can understand the frustrations of those who are new to this and are expected to pick up the slack ASAP and catch-up.

Honestly, I never thought I'd say it, but I am posting on Pinterest and have started following a bunch of people, who post things I like. I've everything from Typography, to Layout Design, Photography, and yes, even Geekery. I started pinning like a mad thing last night, as I suddenly realised it was the one place I could have all my inspiration and access it from all my devices.

Other than that, I tend to follow ffffound and Core77 which pulls design and art from multiple sources into one URL. Otherwise, it's walking to Stout Books, or visiting Galleries, though the latter tends to be a little more artsy (Depending on where you go) rather than the internet. I do spend a small fortune on design magazines and books too as apps aren't "visual" enough.

From Monica:

I like checking out design blogs like Brand New and The Dieline. When I'm doing visual research I like using searchable sites like Designspiration and especially Behance to moodboard. I wish I knew to compile tons of visual research far earlier during my tenure here, since you really can't design in a vacuum.


From Miao:

I check inspiring websites regularly like:

• http://www.behance.net/
• http://www.fromupnorth.com/  (I really love this site, because it covers different areas of design)
• http://www.youworkforthem.com/fonts/
• http://designobserver.com/

From Jenny:

As a international student, I don't really know much about the American culture of design, so I have relied on the internet for inspiration. Here are some websites that are inspiring to me.

• http://www.notpaper.net/
• http://www.nicolastarr.com/but%20dont%20you%20weep%20coll.html
• http://blog.howdesign.com/
• http://www.good.is/everyone
• http://www.annadorfman.com/
• http://www.oldbrandnewblog.com/search/label/art

For international students, communication is important although sometimes it's hard. I found that it is interesting to see design pieces which are designed in a foreign language that I don't understand, because I will just focus on the design instead of reading the words to understand the story.

 

From Zack:

Here are a few of my favorite sites:

For super clean graphics:

• designspiration.net
• aisleone.net

For type related ideas:

• fontsinuse.com

For textural or grungy graphics:

• graphic-exchange.net

Books — For period specific design, I turn to monographs. Favorites:

• Willi Kunz (both of them but Micro/Macro is the best)
• Wolfgang Wiengart (my way to typography)
• Sagmeisters books are good
• Victore's book: who died and made you boss
• Non Format: Love Song

I've lately got into Annuals and collections. Especially when exploring what something "should' look like. Trying to find a feel for a project. Favorites:

• HOW
• PRINT
• Comm Arts
• Also, the Grant Design Collaborative 1000+ series of books is great

For really temporal stuff, mostly web related:

• Dribbble.com

Motion related:

• Art of the Title
• motionographer.com
• http://vimeo.com/channels/nicetype

Thats all I have off the top of my head. The best ideas tend to come to me when I go run or ride my bike. I'm not sure you can "force inspiration" it's more a matter of allowing inspiration to come to you. And I don't think inspiration hangs out in front of a computer screen too often.

...

Thanks, guys. Keep them coming.

I've just kicked off a project based on — at its core — displaying information visually... or "infographically". So that I can get a bunch of links off to my students in short order, I've created this list. Here goes (and please feel free to add your own in the comments section below):

• http://www.fastcodesign.com/1668987/why-infographic-thinking-is-the-future-not-a-fad
• (book) http://www.amazon.com/Information-Graphics-Sandra-Rendgen/dp/3836528797
• http://pinterest.com/hlwimmer/gr618-p4-inspiration-visual-data/
• http://www.feltron.com/
• http://www.mikemake.com/Charting-the-Beatles
• http://inspiredm.com/20-essential-infographics-data-visualization-blogs/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/bizweekdesign/sets/72157625142355829/
• http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150172053355849.289748.199718485848
• http://champsring.com/
• http://hyperakt.com/work-detail/322
• http://hyperakt.com/work-detail/324
• http://www.fastcodesign.com/1668987/why-infographic-thinking-is-the-future-not-a-fad
• http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663663/infographic-of-the-day-star-wars-retold-in-icons?partner=homepage_newsletter
• http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664400/infographic-of-the-day-a-tour-guide-to-collaborative-consumption
• http://www.onlinecriminaljusticedegree.com/tsa-waste/
• http://www.foundhealth.com/blog/2012/09/big-bad-corn-an-infographic-on-americas-scary-corn-industry/
• http://www.flipflopflyin.com/flipflopflyball/index.html
• http://www.good.is/infographics
• http://www.good.is/posts/infographic-the-united-bike-lanes-of-america
• http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/
• http://trends.truliablog.com/
• http://datavisualization.ch/
• http://www.smallmeans.com/new-york-times-infographics/
• http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669575/ingeniously-charting-the-horrifying-power-of-todays-nuclear-bombs
• http://data.massivehealth.com/#infographic/perception
• http://thisisindexed.com (more of a "fun" thing)
• http://www.vulture.com/2012/10/ten-classic-30-rock-jokes-as-infographics.html (more "fun")
• http://www.inspiredm.com/9-interesting-infographics-about-color/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u58FPkmejoc
• https://pinterest.com/rtkrum/cool-infographics-gallery/

This is a pair of essays on production-specific topics that I hope to post in the next few days. The first is about paper and the next is about ink — both are topics that have come up in class recently. If you’ve something to add, please feel free to post in the comments section.

When beginning a discussion about print-production for the graphic design student, there are many places one could start. The other day I was thinking about how I learned this stuff and what was the most baffling and clarifying to me — and how I might explain it today to our students. Paper and ink have been a fundamental part of the communication designer's toolkit and  — even in a digital world — paper has a place... yet is perhaps the most difficult your get your head around when thinking about type, weight and size.

[Most production-orieted things I learned while on the job as we didn’t have production classes (or the internet) when I was in school. I also picked up a lot by working as my own production manager in my first job at a very small studio and later with production managers at larger firms. Many thanks to Elizabeth, Jan and Melissa for their patience and understanding.]

It might be a while before you’re picking your own paper for a print job — but even as students you’re communicating with production vendors, so it’s good to know the ropes. Also, you can often impress a new employer with your wisdom. Remember that Epson heavy weight matte is not what we’re talking about here. While there’s a whole discussion to be had about inkjets and inkjet papers, we’re talking about big sheets of paper running though million dollar presses... because you don’t print annual reports (real ones) on Epsons. It’s true.

So, to start the discussion we need to get a sense of the scope of what we’re talking about. Unfortunately, the North American/US system of measurement, size and weight isn't ideal. Once you sleuth it out, it's not hard to navigate — but, like inches, feet and yards (as opposed to millimeters, centimeters and meters), things aren’t quite as intuitive. I’m not quite sure how the US system of paper measurements and weights started — you can look that up on Wikipedia — but we can at least talk about it from a practical angle here.

 

Size

Starting with size is an easy one: Letter, Tabloid, Monarch, Foolscap? A3, A4? The DIN system is of German origin — and it is based on a “parent” sheet (A0) and chops in in half, then in half again, etc. to come up with the smaller sizes, A1 being the biggest, A2 being half of that, A3 being half of that and so on. This make sense, right? The US system (sometimes called ANSI) is not quite as logical. Granted, Letter is half the size of Tabloid, but I'm completely baffled as to how Monarch and Legal sizes fit in here.

To make matters even more confusing, the US system also has an “A” (for “announcement”) and A7 is used to describe an envelope size that holds a 5x7in card. Thusly, you might imagine A6 holding 4x6 card, but it actually holds a 4.5x6.25 card. And unlike the DIN system where A2 is larger than A3, in the US system (speaking of envelopes, specifically) A6 is smaller than A7. Confused yet?

The important thing to remember is that if you’re going to be practicing design in the US, you just have to sit down with a paper chart and get familiar these sizes. I wish there were more insight into a “trick”, but I haven’t found one yet. If you do, let us know...

Wikipedia has a good entry on US paper sizes.

 

Weight

Paper in the US is noted by paper category — cover, text, writing and so on — then weight. The weight usually refers to how much a certain quantity (500 sheets) of paper weighs... however, the the sizes of the sheets in the stack aren't consistent which creates some confusion.

For instance, when weighing cover stock, they weigh 500 sheets of 20X26 whereas when they weigh text paper, the size is 25X38 (a larger sheet), so with this in mind, "100 pound text" weights more as a stack (because each sheet is physically larger) than "80 pound cover" which is weighed as a smaller sheet. However, 80#C is actually thicker — or more stiff — than 100#T. Fun, huh?

When you see this written out in shorthand (100#T, for instance), the number designates the weigh (55, 60, 80, 100, etc.), the # = "pound" and the letter refers to the category of paper (C = cover, T = text, W = writing, I = index). Again, it’s the kind of thing you have to commit to memory, but the rundown goes something like this (from lightest category to heaviest category): writing > text > index > cover. There are a few more thrown in here, like “book” and “bond”, but these are the major ones. In fact, text and cover (T and C) are the two most common. I don’t think i’ve ever speced a job on “index” paper, although I’ve bought Index-weight reams at the paper store.

A classic combination in the commercial/business world for softcover books (perfect-bound or saddle stitched) is 80#T for the pages and 80#C for the cover — the art/design world, however, is fond of slightly heavier stocks (100#T and 100#C). 100#C or heavier is great for cards, like business cards — however, postcard weight is measured in "points" which adds another level of mystery.

Here’s a link to chase down, too, for more information.

 

Type

In the world of commercial papers, there are 2 major categories of paper: coated and uncoated — and each have very different characteristics.

Coated paper has a clay (or polymer blend) coating applied to the paper to give it certain characteristics -— namely sheen and ink/moisture/wear resistance. Once mixed, the paper is passed through rollers and is calendered to give it its sheen: high gloss, satin, matte, etcetera. Calendaring is the process where paper travels through big rollers at the paper factory to make it flat and smooth. Because of the coating, the paper takes ink differently — specifically, it doesn’t “soak in” as much and seems to be more vibrant. While coated paper can often has a “slick” feel, the matte coated papers — especially the lower quality papers — often feel more like uncoated paper.

Uncoated paper has little to nothing applied to the surface. It is porous, like unpainted wood, and absorbs ink readily. It has a “natural” hand-feel and often feels thicker than it’s equivalent coated counterpart (i.e.: 80#C-uncoated will feel thicker/stiffer than 80#C-coated)... This is because the coating and calendaring process of coated paper making actually compresses the paper a bit making it seem more flimsy.

 

Finish

In addition to “type”, paper comes in “finishes”. For instance, uncoated paper comes in “smooth” which is smooth in testure, “vellum” which is a bit more rough, and “laid” and “linen” (and others) which have a texture applied to the surface. Generally, I've printed most jobs on smooth or vellum finishes. Vellum is often nice for a business card because of the slightly rougher, more tactile “tooth”. Each paper mill has it’s own custom finishes, too, like “ultrasmooth”. Mohawk Paper, a popular national mill, even has a paper called Navajo which is an uncoated paper that has been put through the calendering process to compress the fibers — actually burnishing it — to give it almost a galvanized-like finish. The result is an uncoated paper that takes ink in a very interesting way (almost like a coated paper in some ways).

Each mill has it’s own slightly different way of doing things, so make sure to check out the samples to see what you're getting and look at how the ink sits on — or in — the paper.

PMS inks, too, look very different on coated or uncoated paper. PMS109 — a medium yellow — looks like yellow mustard on coated paper and dijon on uncoated paper. Make sure to check your colors on the type of paper you plan on using. In a commercial world, you can request from your printer something called a "draw down" which is a physical sample of the ink you're using applied to the paper you're printing on. This is often good to share with the client so you can both be assured what you'll get after the expensive print job delivers.

Format

When paper is printed in a commercial setting, it is printed on one of two main types of presses: sheet-fed or web.

Web presses use paper on rolls and pass these continuous sheets through a maze (web) of rollers. These presses are extremely fast and sometimes employ drying units which flash-dry the ink (which can effect the look of the ink on the paper) and are generally always used for large jobs because once you get it running and warmed up, it's already printed a thousand copies. Catalogs and newspapers are printed on web presses.

Like the name indicates, sheet-fed presses feed single sheets at a time and are good for small to medium sized jobs as they're smaller and less expensive to buy and operate and therefore less expensive to print on. A sheetfed press is still larger than a minivan (and costs more than a house), but smaller than a web-press which can be larger than a train-car and cost millions of dollars.

Format matters because the paper needs to be ordered to the proper format: sheets or rolls. One thing to remember: when printing large jobs, most paper is made to order and this takes time. For instance, if you were printing a million catalogs, no one has that much paper just sitting around — it's made to order for that specific job and can often take weeks to deliver. Make sure to build that into your schedule.

 

Grades

Like beef, wood, and other commodities, paper comes in grades, indicating quality and price. In order of finest to crappiest, the order goes: premium / number 1 / number 2 / number 3 / opaque ... There are a few others thrown in there from time to time (like ultra, book or offset), but these are the main ones.

As with anything, you want to match your materials with your message (and often your budget). Sometimes lower-cost papers not only perform well, but feel right for the job. For instance, printing an instruction manual (or the annual report of a company whose stock is dropping) on premium paper could seem weird. Some of my favorite papers are #3 papers as they're a good blend of performance, feel and value. Make sure to make friends with your local paper reps and begin to request paper sample books so that you can begin to learn and appreciate the wide range of papers out there.

 

Why do we care?

As a designer, knowing what is possible is a great first step when thinking about a project and it also can give you some inkling about where boundaries could and should be pushed.

And it’s also good to start making friends with the people who can help you to fulfill your vision. Printers, programmers, production managers and taxi drivers can be among a designer's best friends, so it's good to begin to build your network and community. Some of the best friends you’ll make in the industry are your paper representatives (paper reps) responsible for promoting a certain type of paper in your region. They can hook you up with sample books of the types of paper they sell as well as provide samples.

You’ll have two kinds of paper reps: mill reps who represent certain mills — or makers of paper — and distribution reps who work for the wholesalers of the paper. Often these guys travel in pairs. Some of the local SF distributors are Xpedex and Kelley paper. Some of the popular national mills for paper are: Appleton, Mohawk, Weyerhaeuser, Potlatch, Smart and Neenah... There’s even boutique mills like French Paper Company. You might also find "brokers" like New Leaf Paper which is an interesting model — they neither make nor warehouse their papers but instead have various mills make the paper to their specifications and send directly to the job site. This works well for large print jobs, but it means you'll likely not find their samples on the shelf at the Kelley paper store. Additionally, some mills specialize in certain types of paper (uncoated, for instance) and some make lots of different lines/brands of coated, uncoated and specialty papers. Appleton, for instance, just makes coated papers while Mohawk makes a wide variety of different lines of paper.

It’s a very complex web of folks, but once you know a little, it’s easy to navigate a cocktail party. Fortunately, too, these folks are very generous with information... It’s their job to get you to like their paper, so they’ve very interested in talking to you about it. You'll see them hanging out at booths at the AIGA design shows and events, so make sure you talk to them.