“Take On Me”

In the past few days I was able to get some time off from my ever-so-enthralling retail job to head north by about five hours and visit a college friend in the beautiful town of Der Kommissar. While the origin of this trip was indeed to visit my old college roommate Blondie,  it also had the added advantage of being close to a university that provided a master’s program I was sincerely interested in attending.

Making an adventure out of my interest,  Blondie and I made our way to the nearby city of Taco, at the Dead or Alive School of Spinning…

Color Me Puppy Tongue Pink!

I love color. I think the right use of color can make a project. As a graphic designer my colors are all of the CMYK, RGB, and the Pantone variety. Who doesn’t love good ol’ 23C 0M 100Y 13B?  Or PMS 806? Don’t know what those colors are? Most people probably wouldn’t know what you were talking about and I think you’d be hard pressed to find a designer who knows exactly what color that was without looking it up.  However, when you’re out looking for a new paint color for your kitchen, do you walk in and say give…

(NEW) Typography Tuesday: Trochut

When reading multiple interviews of the greats in design the answer time and time again to the question, “what is the biggest downfall of modern new designers?”– is almost always lack of typographical skills. So dunda dun dun…Typography Tuesdays!!! (VO: echo in stereo “uesday-uesday-uesday”) Each Tuesday we will bust the 14-pt Arial right aligned myth and get a little inspiration to boot.

So, come one come all! Every Tuesday we are going to get a typography fix. 

First up…Trochut. NIIIIICCCCE!!!!

Some great work. Click image for site.

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Jinean Robinson is a CCIO (Chief Creative Infections Officer) who has been in the communications industry for over…

Extra Credit

A while back, when I was still a college student, I had the amazing opportunity to partake in an independent study with a leading advertising firm.  There, I experimented (like you do in college) and was given Nabisco as a faux client to help develop my portfolio.  Now, I’m not meaning to toot my own horn over this, but I feel I did a pretty bang up job on these billboard ads.

The concept was simple: “Nabisco Cookies are a treat, a reward that parents give to their children for being themselves, for being kids.

All was right with the world until…

Big Ideas…As Easy As 1-2-3 or An 86 Minute Film

Ever wonder, “what does it really take to develop great ideas?” I mean the big ones. The juicy, sloppy, wet ones that drench the culture and live soaked in society for decades. Well, there is a great Cannes Selection film, “Art & Copy,” that does just that. Or, shall I say instead of wondering, the filmmakers decided to Just Do It!

Check out a screening in your area: http://www.artandcopyfilm.com/screenings/

While in Atlanta, I’m gonna go to the screening on Wednesday, April 22nd as part of the Atlanta Film Festival. Tune in Thursday for my review–like you care what I think–but I’ll let you…

Packaging isn’t important…. Or is it?

My last post referenced people seeing modern art and saying they could have done that. How many times have you heard that in reference to design work? Why pay someone ridiculous sums of money for something anyone can do with a computer (hello Wordart)? Package design is something people often don’t understand why money would be spent on its development. After all haven’t we been told since childhood that it is what’s inside that counts?

Fair enough there are certain products that I would buy regardless of shelf appeal, like store brand pickles, toothpaste I like the taste of, and the…

Color Theory 101 – When Design Has A Mind Of Its Own

There are many principals in graphic design that come together to create great, effective marketing materials. When push comes to shove an effective advertisement will make the viewer go to a store and spend their hard earned money on that product or service. Of the design principals that can be used to turn strangers into customers, Color Theory is my favorite.

Color Theory is an art and a highly skilled trade that goes much further that conscious thought. Colors are used in every design (even monochromatic) and every piece of printed marketing. You are taught basic Color Theory as a child: Love…

Failure Will Not Be Tolerated. Copy That.

Hello 12 Point Type readers! I’m a new writer to this blog and I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with an eloquent and compelling first post on par with my fellow bloggers here that would convince you to subscribe so fast you’d chalk it up to an outer-body experience. Unfortunately, my aspirations fail me. Instead, I offer this:

Now I know a good deal when I see one, but I think it’s safe to assume copy-writing just isn’t for everyone;

even if you do it for a living.

A little something to keep in mind when writing is content and…

A Voice Goes Silent

On Monday, April 13, one of the towering figures in broadcasting and commercial voice over, Harry Kalas died at age 73, prior to the Philadelphia Phillies – Washington Nationals baseball game. Kalas collapsed in the broadcast booth two hours before the game.

Kalas had been the voice of the Phillies since 1971 and was one of the most recognizable voice talents in the sports broadcasting industry for the past five decades. Before coming to the Phillies, he was the broadcaster for the Houston Astros from 1965 to 1970. In 2002, Kalas was inducted into the  Baseball Hall of Fame and received…

Newman’s Own Boutique Design

Recently I lost someone in my family whom I loved and was very fond of. At a time like this, it makes you think about what that person will be remembered for. Invariably you also think about what kind of legacy you’ll leave behind. When Paul Newman passed away last fall, he more than anyone defined how to both live life and leave a legacy behind that so many people will benefit from.

Arguably one of the greatest American actors of the past 50 years. From the early 1950s to this decade, Paul Newman repeatedly set the bar high for acting…

$$ to enter award shows?

Ahh, now I know where awards are and the money to pay for entering can be found.

To those of you who dream of seeing your name grace the gold pencil, running in meadows with gold lions, or at least getting in the table of contents of design award annuals: get ready to pay up. I have been amazed at the fees participants must pay for entering design shows. Ok, ok, maybe I can understand the big bucks for Cannes, One Show, even CA, but all types of “award shows” are now asking for exorbitant amounts for just one entry in…

Hey! Design Haters… Eat This!

“After its package redesign, sales of the Tropicana Pure Premium line plummeted 20% between Jan. 1 and Feb. 22, costing the brand tens of millions of dollars. On Feb. 23, the company announced it would bow to consumer demand and scrap the new packaging, designed by Peter Arnell. It had been on the market less than two months.”

BABY…got back?

Who said Surreal Life is the only home where washed up celebrities could roam?

Where oh where do accounts like this come from…little in the middle but got much back!!!

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Jinean Robinson is a CCIO (Chief Creative Infections Officer) who has been in the communications industry for over 8 years, specializing in creative strategy and implementation, 360 branding communications, and brand development. Join her at http://twitter.com/germllc or her firm’s website at http://germonline.com/

BATTER UP!

I studied all the facts and memorized the stats on the back on the cards. Then I dove even deeper. Baseball cards were uniquely responsible for me getting an “A” in geography my entire education because I was intrigued to go find out where places like Mobile, AL and Fresno, CA were. Remember, I was 8 when I started pouring all over my dad’s atlas’ and road maps to see where my favorite players came from. Needless to say, any geography teacher I shared this with was NOT impressed.

WWF Ads

Some WWF ads that do a great job reiterating a very important cause. Global warming and the severe impact on animals! http://www.worldwildlife.org/home.html?sc=AWY0900WCG00&searchen=google&gclid=CLzll-7b2pkCFQu-GgodoUOvXA

Joel Kirstein is a Creative Director who has been in the ad agency trenches for 25 years, specializing in shopper marketing, branding, and retail. Contact him on Linked In and www.coroflot.com/joelkirstein