There's not much I could say on the passing of Steve Jobs that isn't being said somewhere else. And I'm uncomfortable remarking on the loss of someone I did not know.
But I admire Steve Jobs for having found his passion in life, and having the determination to pursue that passion. We should all be so fortunate.
05 October 2011
02 October 2011
Pace
I think I need to learn to pace myself better. I'll work very, very hard for a few days, and get a great deal accomplished — and yeah, I know, the work I do might not seem much like "work" to some (I'm not always certain my wife and nine-year-old make this distinction), but it does involve a concentrated effort and a creative spirit, and quantities of both are not limitless. So I'll have full, rich days, and then — I'll be kinda burned out, and I won't want to do much of anything.
And I can't help but feel bad about that (I always feel bad when I'm not doing much of anything, when there's always so much to be done), but when I get like this, I just don't have it in me. I have to pause, while my mind works itself back into a state where it wants to create (and work) again.
And I can't help but feel bad about that (I always feel bad when I'm not doing much of anything, when there's always so much to be done), but when I get like this, I just don't have it in me. I have to pause, while my mind works itself back into a state where it wants to create (and work) again.
Sketches: Stop The World!
Part of my work as a designer is to try to talk people out of a bad idea. Some ideas are poorly-thought-out, or they're unworkable, for whatever reason, or they're just — bad. Bad in that they'll work against the best interests of the project. In this case, a cover that will work against the book it's supposed to help promote.
For this book, I was given a (reasonably) catchy title and a cover concept — but a really bad photo. I think it must have been shot out-of-focus, printed on an inkjet printer (to screw up the color), and then scanned (to add more dust). I tried gently to suggest that that photo just wasn't going to work (as much for technical as aesthetic reasons) and instead I offered to create some concepts working off of the title.
I did about a zillion thumbnail sketches...
...and refined a handful that I liked, which I tightened up a bit for presentation.
The Author, however, was stubbornly insistent on her original concept — and that photo — so I'd have to find a way to work with it. I thought the best way to do that would be to put more of the burden on the type and design elements, thus, making the photo smaller (which might help to disguise some of the problems). Several sketches later...
I liked B. (in the center on top), and in fact, that was really the direction I wanted to go in -- the rest were only meant to offer a few more options for the sake of, well, offering options. Everyone ultimately agreed on a slight variation, D. (on the bottom), and that was probably all for the better, as it eliminates dead space at the top. (That little figure in the center holding the globe represents the photo.)
The final cover (on the left) worked out better than I thought it might. That photo — well, that photo still looks terrible, even after I did what I could to clean it up, improve the detail and adjust the color, but maybe it looks less terrible. Given the choice, I'd have probably done something similar to what I chose to do with the Title Page (on the right), with a slight adjustment to the word balloon. (I might have used the globe, too.)
By the way, if the type on the top of the cover looks kinda familiar, that's only because I swiped it from an earlier design. I had made a note to use that typeface (Bovine Poster) when I was doing the thumbnails, and once I started working on the cover I remembered having used it before, for more or less the same purpose. (It only ended up the same color further along in the process, though.)
For this book, I was given a (reasonably) catchy title and a cover concept — but a really bad photo. I think it must have been shot out-of-focus, printed on an inkjet printer (to screw up the color), and then scanned (to add more dust). I tried gently to suggest that that photo just wasn't going to work (as much for technical as aesthetic reasons) and instead I offered to create some concepts working off of the title.
I did about a zillion thumbnail sketches...
...and refined a handful that I liked, which I tightened up a bit for presentation.
The Author, however, was stubbornly insistent on her original concept — and that photo — so I'd have to find a way to work with it. I thought the best way to do that would be to put more of the burden on the type and design elements, thus, making the photo smaller (which might help to disguise some of the problems). Several sketches later...
I liked B. (in the center on top), and in fact, that was really the direction I wanted to go in -- the rest were only meant to offer a few more options for the sake of, well, offering options. Everyone ultimately agreed on a slight variation, D. (on the bottom), and that was probably all for the better, as it eliminates dead space at the top. (That little figure in the center holding the globe represents the photo.)
The final cover (on the left) worked out better than I thought it might. That photo — well, that photo still looks terrible, even after I did what I could to clean it up, improve the detail and adjust the color, but maybe it looks less terrible. Given the choice, I'd have probably done something similar to what I chose to do with the Title Page (on the right), with a slight adjustment to the word balloon. (I might have used the globe, too.)
By the way, if the type on the top of the cover looks kinda familiar, that's only because I swiped it from an earlier design. I had made a note to use that typeface (Bovine Poster) when I was doing the thumbnails, and once I started working on the cover I remembered having used it before, for more or less the same purpose. (It only ended up the same color further along in the process, though.)
30 September 2011
Sketches: Walking With The Stars
Nothing too terribly complicated here. I actually came up with the basic idea while driving (which wasn't as dangerous as it might sound), and did a quick sketch on my iPhone will waiting at a traffic light...
...and elaborated on that basic idea in the customary series of thumbnails.
I had it in mind to do something simple and bold (and flat) — but the Author asked that the star be less yellow and bright, and further along that process it also became slightly more representative of an actual Walk of Fame star (which had been part of all my original sketches, anyway). It took some time to work out the details, as the design elements on the star now had to have depth and shading, but I still tried to keep the design (mostly) flat.
I don't think this was entirely successful — if I were to approach the question again, I'd probably just make the star a flat, but more golden color and have done with it (and avoid those additional elements altogether). The gold detail seems to look darker and less delicate when the image has been reduced, though, so perhaps it will all work out better in print.
That's dummy copy on the upper right hand corner of the blue cover. The subhed proved to be too long to fit up there, so it was moved to the lower left. (The Author also asked for the color to be more purple than midnight blue.)
...and elaborated on that basic idea in the customary series of thumbnails.
I had it in mind to do something simple and bold (and flat) — but the Author asked that the star be less yellow and bright, and further along that process it also became slightly more representative of an actual Walk of Fame star (which had been part of all my original sketches, anyway). It took some time to work out the details, as the design elements on the star now had to have depth and shading, but I still tried to keep the design (mostly) flat.
I don't think this was entirely successful — if I were to approach the question again, I'd probably just make the star a flat, but more golden color and have done with it (and avoid those additional elements altogether). The gold detail seems to look darker and less delicate when the image has been reduced, though, so perhaps it will all work out better in print.
That's dummy copy on the upper right hand corner of the blue cover. The subhed proved to be too long to fit up there, so it was moved to the lower left. (The Author also asked for the color to be more purple than midnight blue.)
28 September 2011
Haunted Airways
As an added bonus, for some reason this copy had seven One Dollar Silver Certificates hidden inside, most from 1957 (one was from 1935), a few of which look as though they had been minted only yesterday.
Star Trek in High Definition
I'm so very thrilled that I'll finally be able to see that episode (I forget what the title is), you know the one, where young Wesley Crusher stumbles over a flower bed and is consequently sentenced to death — in glorious high definition!
25 September 2011
Better Unknown
We went to see the Croton Dam, the day after heavy rain (the remnants of a hurricane) had passed through the area during the night. The scale of the waterfall was breathtaking, and the river it fed into rushed by at a furious pace.
We were surprised to see five men carrying in an inflatable raft — properly dressed for the occasion, and obviously experienced. We saw them again a bit later, further along the fast-moving river as they passed under a small bridge.
We found out later that the inflatable raft had overturned, and all had to be rescued from the river. One of the men, unfortunately, had died.
My wife wishes I hadn't told her. I wish I didn't know.
What I still haven't told her, and the memory that continues to haunt me, is of two women with very young children who were with the men as they were trying to make the decision on where to begin the journey.
We were surprised to see five men carrying in an inflatable raft — properly dressed for the occasion, and obviously experienced. We saw them again a bit later, further along the fast-moving river as they passed under a small bridge.
We found out later that the inflatable raft had overturned, and all had to be rescued from the river. One of the men, unfortunately, had died.
My wife wishes I hadn't told her. I wish I didn't know.
What I still haven't told her, and the memory that continues to haunt me, is of two women with very young children who were with the men as they were trying to make the decision on where to begin the journey.
