More often than I care to admit, I serendipitously stumble across something highly inspiring that it could be argued I should have already known about. Something that’s been right under my nose, perhaps even had a great influence on me, but of which I’ve not previously been keenly aware. …
Let’s discuss the ridiculousness of the term brand identity, shall we? Recently, the term has become inexplicably popular — to the point that it’s nearly usurped the use of the words brand and identity individually. …
Dear Adobe Creative Suite:
For the most part, you make our lives easier. We’ve never taken you for granted, but your supposed “self-improvement” to “CS5″ has left us wondering if you even care about us at all. Back in your “CS3″ phase, we thought things were going pretty well. Then, we decided to spend some time apart during your half-hearted “CS4″ period. And now… well, you just feel like a stranger, CS. …
Design and writing are remarkably similar pursuits, and it’s not surprising that I enjoy a nice, quippy turn of phrase. So, when Quotes on Design launched last year, I jumped at the chance to stake my claim. …
I think it’s safe to say that designers spend most of their time trying to be clever. All of the sketching and dot-connecting — it’s usually in search of a solution that has some kind of aw, sweet man! twist. Why do we do that? Is it worth the trouble? Worse yet: is clever actually working against us? …
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After the lively discussion on the power of information design from my last post, I was compelled to gather more objective data to inform the conversation. So last weekend, I went back to this same big-box hardware store, and grabbed a few more images. Not sure if they help or hurt. …
It’s often said that trust is the most important part of a relationship. That adage is true for professional relationships, too — especially between design firms and their suppliers. …
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We’ve got a great team of problem solvers here at Oxide, but I’ll be the first to admit we don’t have an answer to every situation. Also, while they taught me in high school to always write from a thesis statement, in this case I’m presenting an observation and hoping that you will help me discover the answers. …
For those not familiar with him, Wayne Gretzky is most famous for playing hockey with the Edmonton Oilers and wore the number 99. I designed this logo on a lark — for a fictitious website featuring Gretzky’s timeless and astute quotations. As much as I would love to have The Great One as a client, we do not. I designed this logo simply after realizing that quotation marks resemble the number 99. …
The following is an open letter written to Nebraska’s Governor Heineman (originally published on Facebook) following a public spec work competition for the state’s next license plate designs. More background on the original story is available here. Or, check here for a more subjective take on the matter. …