Something tells me that Michael Moore's new movie will not be one through which President Obama can sit comfortably! He briefly but intensely criticized Hillary Clinton in Sicko even though health care was her issue, but I think his new assault on the fucking banking system is going to be a much broader critique for this administration.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb lists ten principles for a Black Swan-proof world. Most points relate directly to the current economic situation in the US.
"No soncialisation of losses and privatisation of gains. Whatever may need to be bailed out should be nationalised; whatever does not need a bail-out should be free, small and risk-bearing. We have managed to combine the worst of capitalism and socialism. In France i the 1980s, the socialists took over the banks. In the US in the 2000s, the banks took over the government. This is surreal." Nassim Nicholas Taleb
It was difficult to choose just one of Taleb's points to excerpt; they're all worth considering. BTW, a Black Swan is an event that is rare, has a large impact, and is deemed predictable after the fact. I might have to push Taleb's book of the same name to the top of my reading list.
Yes, I am passionate about art history. The past has a lot to say about the future, and all that phylosophical shit. Was reading Milton Glaser's essay 'Ten Things I Have Learned' one night, and, with your permission, I would like to write a similar one, with how I see things now. Future me, please don't judge me for how I used to think - and also, never eat or drink anything that has the last year's Xmas promotional packaging. Thanks.
ONE
You can only work for people that you like.
Always thought of myself as a man who ponders about phylosophical shit and has strong principles and ethical values; it's a contradiction, because, as an advertiser, you get to put those righteous things in a closet and throw away the key. Don't get it? Let me explain. For instance, you're a designer that's a hardcore environmentalist but a mining company is offering you a million dollars to make a campaign to change the public opinion regarding poisoning the earth, rich snobs, destroying the local culture, etc. Of course you do it, because a million dollars can buy a lot of bubble gum, but your green ego has just commited suicide. You feel bad, and you wish your client suddenly went bankrupt.
Anyway, I strongly believe that in order to make good advertising, one must believe in that project, have an affectionate relationship with the idea. For that's why you chose this profession - for it's unpredictability, for the opportunity to be godlike, creating beautiful, astonishing things, for smacking fate on the tush, for fucking the rules.
TWO
If you have a choice, never have a job.
From the dawn of time, we are fed fear on a silver platter. What would we do if food, clothes and a roof were free? We'd be bored to death - like in Paradise. Uhm, fuck no?
The Venus Project. Imagine a life without fucking politicians, without fucking retarded policemen, without worries and stress. You could do things exclusively from your heart. What do you think about this?
THREE
Some people are toxic. Avoid them.
Aside from all authority - people that have the IQ under 40 yet still have 'managing partner' written on their business cards, people that think that just because they're old - they're better than you, people that think any discussion is to be taken personally - egocentric, people that feed on stereotypes - homophobic narrowminded assholes, conformists, pseudo-nonconformists, bad kharma caused by bad odour people. You cannot bloom with all these weeds(yes, I wish it were that kind too) next to you.
FOUR
The good is the enemy of the great.
When I was very young, used to always give in to peer pressure in order to be somewhere near popular kids. I think this is worse than AIDS, SARS or pig-SARS. Every job demands you to be professional, but what does that means? Arriving at work on time, staying overtime with no overpay, being proactive all the time, shut the fuck up, don't have opinions, do as you are told and idolize your superiors. Really? By following these things, I will receive the 'professional' badge, chief boyscout?! NO! I'd rather be late for work and be the first one that scrams, talk back, throw the account manager out the fucking window, write on the walls and never flush - if it makes me come with a brilliant idea. Don't like it? Fire me.
FIVE
Less is not necessarily more.
Really? More stereotypes and trends? Pink is the new black? Exercise the eye of the heart, not the asshole of the world.
Ok, so the title to this post is completely off the chart and plunged into a hindu McDonald's men's toilet. Ok, so I made another list post. I am not to blame that I got a lot of feedback concerning big block text posts - people want lists, how to's, diy's and kitty pics.
So, as the title (unclearly) states, here are, in my opinion, the top ten things to say no to, if you go by the BYOB rule presented at the end of the article.
1. Can you show me a mock-up to help us choose a designer/developer? Hm, no.
I fell for this once when I was young and naive. I made no money and wasted lots of time. Don't do unpaid work for the chance to be paid - this wouldn't fly in any other industry, so why the fuck design? The best case scenario (though rare) is that you get a job with a client who knows that you'll work for free when necessary. The worst case scenario is that they don't pay you, and still use your stuff, knowing you don't have the legal resources to do anything about it. Most likely though, you’ll just waste time.
2. Can you give us a discount rate? No.
There are A LOT of companies out there that do not see design as a service worth more than $20 an hour. These should never be your clients. In my early design years, I used to value "getting the job" so highly, I would take on an inordinate amount of work for the pay. Let me tell you that it's not worth it. Ever. Remember, you may be doing this company a favor, but on the flip side, you're hurting your own future, and your family's. Although I SUCK at math, here's what I do: if doubling your rate loses half your client work, then you're still making as much in half the time. If you do excellent work, get paid for it – there will always be comparable "firms" charging triple or cvadruple of what you are.
3. Will you register and host my site? Isn't that cute. The force is strong with thy, but no!
Sure it seems like a good idea - free recurring revenue right? Well, maybe... if you can first get them to pay, and then if you can justify making $10 a month for the endless phone support you'll have to give at all hours of the night. You see, once the client thinks that you are responsible for their email and website functionality, you WILL get called all the time when their email shows the slightest wavering or their website 404s for any reason on their home computer. Believe it or not, I've even known someone who had a client call about his cell phone functionality just because my friend hosted his site. It ain't nothing but a G thang baby! Give them a hosting company and let them sign up themselves.
4. Can you copy this site? Fuck no!
Now you may think that I answer "fuck no!" strictly from a moral standpoint, and although that is true, there are other equally important reasons. First, if they're copying a site, they have shady ethics themselves and the chances of you getting paid on time and in the full amount are less than fucking likely. Second, doing this type of work reduces you to a kung-fu monkey, and although some of your work may be like this to pay the bills, why purposely pursue it? Third, if it's a true copy, the only benefit you may receive is payment - you really won't get to use it for a portfolio or example work, and furthermore, this type of client is one you do not want work from in the future. Worst case scenario: you get caught in the act.
5. Can I pay for my e-commerce site from my website sales? No.
I hate to be the pessimist (fuck it, actually I love it), but when I am asked this, I want to tell them that they most likely won't make any money so they might as well ask me to do it for free. Yes, I know there are exceptions, so sometimes I will ask them about their business, marketing, and revenue plans, which 99% of them don't have. They just thought that selling t-shirts would a novel idea for the internet. I usually go into a spiel about having to support me and my family, and I can't do it with speculative work - I then recommend Yahoo! Shopping or CafePress, and 9 times out of 10, they never get their site up anyways. No more cutting corners!
6. I have a great idea. Do you want to...? Hellyeahmno.
Not much different from #5, but could be a much larger time waster if you buy in. Again, not trying to be a jerk, but if the person adds little to the potential business outside of speaking an idea, then any work you proceed to do is mere charity (which you may be okay with). But to be honest, I'd rather be charitable with my family and friends and make them partners for free versus a stranger. Trust me, if some really has a great idea, they'll make you partners AND pay you as well.
7. Do you have an IM account? fluffy_lover_58@no.way.com
I might give it out if it's to a person I can trust during an intensive project, but as a general policy, I tell clients that it's my general policy not to. The reason here is obvious - you have a life and other clients beyond them. Many clients see you as an on-call employee, and this is bad. This is why you quit your day job.
8. Can I just pay the whole amount when it's done? No.
I require 50% up front (unless it's a huge job - then maybe 30%). I need that assurance that they have "bought in" on this project, and that I can plan on the income, pay bills, and eat. People who want to pay at the end are much more likely to back out after you've done tons of work. Happened to me, and could happen to you.
9. Is there any way you could get this done tonight or this weekend? No (by which I mean yes if you have a billion dollars on you right now).
Once they know that you helped them out one time, they will expect it in the future. Now you might choose to get extra done at night (I do all the time), but don't start making promises about getting things done at night or on the weekends/vacation. I know a lot of freelancers that charge night/weekend hours as well, so that might be a possible route to take as well. Because the reason you freelance is for the freedom, right? Right? Right?!?!
10) Can I be sure you won't use this work in anything else? No.
This is a very sensitive subject because most clients misunderstand it (intellectual property is a tricky subject anyways). In my Terms and Conditions that I require all new clients to sign, I make sure they know that (1) their code has utilized code from other projects which I haven't charged them for (2) I will probably use code from their project on other projects (3) the own the code and implementation of the project (finished website), but not the actual code pieces (login system, image uploader, etc.). I pride myself in productivity and speed, and I need to use other code all the time to accomplish this. Not to mention that I sell stock Flash which I may need old code to help build. They're not paying you to create code that they in turn will sell, so make sure they know that it's the implementation and not the coding that's theirs.
So, that's it. What else would you add to this list?
Instead of the traditional genius ending, I'll let you listen to a "listen while designing" track: System of a Down - BYOB (Bring Your Own Beer, Bring Your Own Bombs, Be Your Own Boss, and so forth). Cheers.
But that's EXACTLY the way it is in Romania:
Clients have no trouble paying $5,800 for an hour in a Gulfstream corporate jet or $425 for a month of parking. But God forbid they spend $3 per year on a glossy annual report. Bill Cahan
For many, Milton Glaser is the personification of American graphic design. Best known for co-founding New York Magazine and the enduring I ♥ NY campaign, the full breadth of Glaser's remarkable artistic output is revealed in this documentary portrait, Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight. From newspapers and magazine designs, to interior spaces, logos, and brand identities, to his celebrated prints, drawings, posters and paintings, the documentary offers audiences a much richer appreciation for one of the great modern renaissance men.
Artfully directed by first time filmmaker Wendy Keys, the film glances into everyday moments of Glaser's personal life and capture his immense warmth, humanity and the boundless depth of his intelligence and creativity.
For all my readers from the US, I also found the dates and cinemas that it will be airing on:
New York City: Cinema Village, May 22nd
San Francisco: The Roxie, June 19th
Boston: MFA, July 2nd
Chicago: Gene Siskel Film Center, June 12th
Denver: Starz Film Center, June 12th
Albuquerque: Guild Cinema, June 27th and 28th
Las Vegas: AIGA, June 18th
Here's another bonus for my readers, a little movie about Milton Glaser. It inspires me so much about the future.
For all you inspiration stealing seeking designers, Logo Lounge releases their take on logo trends for 2009, written by Bill Gardner.
As you probably noticed, a lot of the posts have the "episode whatever" tags. That's because I intend to never make newer episodes. Kinda like all the TV rejects.
Today we are going to talk (see) about the ceiling stopframe movie trend.
The first one, Oren Lavie - Her morning elegance. I am posting them in the order of their appearance.
The second one, entitled "Sorry I'm late" - www.sorry-im-late.com
And now I ask you this: why oh why, after a guy conceives a personal style, you steal it, and make it into a marketing idea? Are the marketers generally stupid, or is it just me? I will come back with another post regarding the same thing about outdoor advertising in the romanian metro-stations (with the "very original" theme - grafitti). Feed us crap. We'll call it Nutella.
Something light, for the weekend! I know it's a retarded post, but what the hey, I'm on my week's vacation.
Am I the only one that thinks the ending line is genius?
Who here hasn't heard of Paul Rand? Please, close this blog, and shove a sharp object in your nose, as you run towards a wall.
Rand was a “business problem solver and an artist”. In this video, Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple) discusses the great, (logo) designer, Paul Rand. Problem solve first, design later.
I’m quite positive that this video has been around for quite some time (since it was filmed in 1993), but for those who missed it here is an interview with Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, discussing his logo designer, Paul Rand – Steve is one happy client (effin' sigh!). Just to be clear, this is about back when he was in NeXT. Damn, is he an alchemist?
"Design is everything. Everything!" Paul Rand
Okay, this blog is beginning to resemble more and more "What really grinds my gears" by Peter Griffin.
But screw that, let's get back to the point. For any of you human resources people reading this, I don't care that I will never get my CV read by you ever again, because frankly, I don't really think you CAN read.
Here is a list of bullshit:
Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple provides this insight into HR (Source: Stepwise):
Ms Smith (prospective vicepresident of HR at Apple) describes how Mr. Jobs was hostile from the start of the interview:
“He told me my background wasn’t suitable for the position. Sun is a good place, he said, but ‘Sun is no Apple,’ ” recalls Smith with a laugh. “He said he would have eliminated me as a candidate from the start.”
Jobs offered Ms Smith the opportunity to ask questions.
She asked, “What is the corporate strategy?” Jobs replied, “We’re only disclosing our strategy on a ‘need-to-know’ basis.”
Next, she asked why Jobs wanted a VP of Human Resources when it was well known that he was “not a big fan of HR.” According to Smith, Jobs replied,
“I’ve never met one of you who didn’t suck. I’ve never known an HR person who had anything but a mediocre mentality.”
After this, Jobs’s assistant knocked on the door, informing him that “the call you were waiting for is holding.” The interview was over, leaving Ms Smith’s emotions a smoking ruin.
Normally I wouldn't stress you with my personal matters, but what the hey. It's my blog, so I can write whatever comes to mind. Poppycock.
As the title says, I need your help in a serious matter. Looking for an apartment to rent in Bucharest. Something close to the center: Romana, Universitatii, Victoriei. It has to be close to a park, have a nice view, and be cheap.
And no, it's not a longshot. People should reevaluate their services before asking for 500 euros for one room. For fuck's sake, I can find a place to stay with that amount in dead center Tokyo!
So anyway, if you know somebody that knows somebody, if you have what I'm asking for, write me an e-mail, comment here, or twitter here.
There will be a surprise involved. Thanks!
Every now and then, I am going to write a little something about artists I know and admire. Parce que je veux devenir artiste!
The great Joseph Clement Coll - I am sorry Wikipedia has such a small article - (1881-1921) drew like he was conducting a damn symphony orchestra.
From the Kelly Collection of American Illustration
Note in the following close up the range of effects Coll employed-- the difference between the fine pen lines and the broad brush strokes; the difference between the accuracy of the eyelashes and the almost abstract wiping of a dry brush on the cloak; and notice how Coll achieved the value he wanted for the background by first painting it with ink, then scratching it with a blade:
Coll's line was vigorous and varied and confidently rendered. No simple, monotonous shading here. Look at how his line curls and twists and plays in ways that would not be visible to the reader of the printed page in Coll's era, but which nevertheless contributes to the overall vitality of the drawing. I couldn't draw like this even if I was higher than Towelie.
James Montgomery Flagg, another talented pen and ink artist, gave a good description of his superior, Coll:
"There is no doubt that he was one of the few masters of pen and ink in the world.... He found romance in a story and doubled it, lavishly, prodigally. He gave himself in his work instead of selling his signature on half-heated stencils. In short, he was a great artist."
Serial innovators Bre Pettis and Kio Stark came together to produce what we now call "The Cult of Done Manifesto". As Bre explains,
"it was written in 20 minutes because we only had 20 minutes to get it done".Talk about giving a genius answer.
So, without further adue: The Cult of Done Manifesto
American Artifact chronicles the rise of American rock poster art since its birth in the ’60s. Groovy, baby!
Director Merle Becker crosses the country interviewing rock poster artists from the different eras to discover that America is currently in the midst of a 21st century “rock poster art movement”, where thousands of artists around the country are doing silk screened rock poster art inspired by their local scene, the music of our time, and the spirit of our era.
The film features interviews with renown artists including Stanley Mouse, Victor Moscoso, Frank Kozik, Art Chantry (I know, what's a guy that goes by the name "Art" gonna do in life? Sell refrigerators!), Emek Golan, Tara McPherson, Derek Hess, Chris Cooper, Jay Ryan, and more, as well as fans, collectors, and musicians.
Scheduled release for the film is June 20th, 2009.
And speaking of grids, Creative Review has built a new and no frills home on the web courtesy (although I am sure it cost more than courtesy) of the Bureau for Visual Affairs.
Link via good ole Computer Love.
Good morning, class! Let's take our seats! Who here hasn't heard of grids in design? Naughty, naughty!
Basically, a grid system is a series of vertical and horizontal axes used to structure content on a medium - from sculpture to new media. The less common printing term “reference grid,” is an unrelated system with roots in the early days of printing.
A number of graphic designers (including Max Bill, Emil Ruder, and Josef Müller-Brockmann), influenced by the modernist ideas of Jan Tschichold's Die neue Typographie (The New Typography), began to question the relevance of the conventional page layout of the time. They began to devise a flexible system able to help designers achieve coherency in organizing the page. The result was the modern typographic grid that became associated with the International Typographic Style. The seminal work on the subject, Grid systems in graphic design by Müller-Brockmann, helped propagate the use of the grid, first in Europe, and later in North America.
“ The grid system is an aid, not a guarantee. It permits a number of possible uses and each designer can look for a solution appropriate to his personal style. But one must learn how to use the grid; it is an art that requires practice. ”During the mid 1970s instruction of the typographic grid as a part of graphic design curricula had become standard in Europe, North America and much of Latin America. The graphic style of the grid was adopted as a look for corporate communication. In the early 1980s, a reaction against the entrenchment of the grid, particularly its dogmatic use, and association with corporate culture, resulted in some designers rejecting its use in favor of more organic structure. The typographic grid continues to be taught today, but more as a useful tool for some projects, not as a requirement or starting point for all page design. Even though I say that every designer should make use of it.
Josef Müller-Brockmann
For anyone else concerned about where the economy is heading (hmm, no one?), here is an interesting and sobering view by Peter Schiff as presented at Google.
Hello and welcome (back) to this blend of culture, vision and utter crap. I had a few subjects in mind for this post, but picked the latter one, for it's been bugging me for a long time now.
Why blog?
I had only negative arguments about blogging: haven't too much time on my hand, what would the blog be about, do I really have anything relevant to say, if so - would anyone listen, would I become as lame as some fucking stupid romanian bloggers?
With that being said (yo, assholes, you owe me big time for showcasing your aids-infested blogs just now; by the way you should quit), I've made a list with the top reasons for not making a blog or pressing the delete button right now.
So: (burp)
With the glass of water half empty, nervously sharpening my crayon, I wander off into a world of perfect first blog posts. So naturally, instead of having a brainstorming session, I took the half-assed way. But even that seemed a way that would imply me actually thinking it through. Being in what idiots and journalists (the same thing) call "the three-minute generation", it couldn't be done by a long-shot. It was then only natural for me to post a youtube video about a freak. Yes, I know it's supposed to be a design slash advertising slash what was it blog, but you see, aw, look at the kitty.
...But seriously now, I always liked design quotes, as they can teach you more than any book, and I'll tell you why. Don't get me wrong, the "Universal Principles of Design" by William Lidwell and Kritina Holden is an excellent book and I recommend it, but just as pure lecture.
Picture this.
Let's just say you, the respected reader, are a newbie designer, mesmerized by all the "glitz and glamour" this industry has to offer. You don't know where to start, the veterans are not showing you any smooth love, the writers at the books for dummies think you're a dummy, and so forth. So what this young designer should do is build himself a hierarchy of resources which will help him develop his skill, his own ideas which he will later on lay upon the world.
Look, honestly, the country I come from, Romania, doesn't have jack shit for an educational system. We do not have specialized design schools, even if we are willing to pay a tuition. All we have are shit for brains and laundry money in our socks.
So schools are somewhere on the very bottom of my self-development pyramid. Yes, I have quit faculty twice now. Any Romanian school teachers reading this, you should carefully listen. After one year of "shoveage" of more than questionable courses, bullshit grading systems and required attendance, it was a no-brainer that I have no business wasting my time in there. When I was in highschool, faculty looked like a good dream, where finally you could study what you damn pleased, be rewarded because of who you really are, and get a chance to excell, be a better man. But the dream vanished, along with my patience, because I will not waste years of my life pleasing my parents, receiving a diploma or live with the illusion that a faculty guarrantees a good job.
Next on my list there's the beer peer pressure. It exists everywhere, from the day you are born. Maybe even before that. It is pointless to write about the troubled life of an artist soul, never satisfied with his own work, always ashamed of what he thinks or creates, always judged and looked at for having paint on his sneakers.
When I first started working at a pseudo-agency back in my hometown, I had to learn to cope with a guy cutting metal next to my ear while trying to make a beautiful logo.
Later on, the older designers developed a fucked up feeling called envy, mainly because I know how to manage a new situation within the three minutes my brain can focus it's attention in one place, and secondly because they're old poop-pants. Facing such rancor, miscommunication and
unsportsmanlike conduct, it was clear that the way to go is alone in this expedition. The only way that a newbie designer can get to learning new techniques is by stealing from his colleagues, because he will not get trained. Let's face it, when did you last treat a new colleague of yours with patience and understanding, for he might not have been as fortunate as you in becoming a human-encyclopedia of advertising.
I will not debate the concept of "supervisors" or "account mangers" at this time, for they have no moral or enriching value whatsoever. They're like supersaturated-fats.
Onwards to the next step, which is fairly important to me, and it's called DIY Y JKS(Do It Yourself, You Jackass). That literally means "jammin' with the symphony". Who's to say you're right or wrong? The rules get changed every day, so why not be one of them that turns the world upside down, revolutionizes it. For instance, just try to think to a possible solution to a problem you've never encountered. Sure it can fail miserably, but then again, Bill Gates is rich.
On a lighter note, thank the Lord for the second web, with it's abundance of LOLCat tutorial blogs, freelancer blogs, interview blogs, and plain ol' eye candy blogs. I would be light years behind if it weren't for these things. It's like being at Louis Vuitton's fashion show in the front row, and giving him drunk-honest feedback through comments.
Think about it. A book contains usually like 10% of what a blog can manage easily, content-wise. But blog = free. See where I'm getting here? Plus, books tend to have a preachy attitude towards the reader, especially those self-help books. Another thing that's in the negative side of books is the eco-argument. Why cut trees if you write boring stupid bullshit? This goes out to you, my behated teachers.
That is why I like design quotes. Wise tales from the masters. What is your favorite quote?
The last-but-certainly-not-least step is Nirvana. That sensorial revelation you have when you're dreaming a geometrical symbol, an ad, an idea, and you wake up in cold dripping sweats, rushing to the moleskine to lay it down into immortality. And this.
These are the steps that make me the designer I am today. But I am interrested to see what are your steps. What does this hierarchy look like to you?
