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# Retinart

Master the Craft of Design

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## Posts

- [Blog](https://retinart.net/blog/) - Newsletters3 Ways to Charm (Powerful) Inspiration NewslettersHow The Inspiration Myth Devalues Our Craft NewslettersWhy Inspiration Is A Myth (and What Beats it Every Time) NewslettersNever Be Worried About the Blank Page Again NewslettersTrying to Make Ugly Things Beautiful NewslettersFinding A Bit of Brilliance NewslettersHow To Restart A Creative Habit NewslettersThe Horrible Moment When We Stop
- [3 Ways to Charm (Powerful) Inspiration](https://retinart.net/newsletters/3-ways-to-charm-powerful-inspiration/) - Inspiration comes in different flavours. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a distraction from a hard problem, a way for us to escape. Sometimes people assume that all inspiration is of equal value, and that it’s the only thing good work needs. But sometimes it works for us. Sometimes it’s powerful. Sometimes it gives us the
- [How The Inspiration Myth Devalues Our Craft](https://retinart.net/newsletters/how-the-inspiration-myth-devalues-our-craft/) - Newton wasn’t the first to see an apple fall. But so often we hear about this inspirational myth of how it moved him toward his theory of gravity. To be honest, I’m not even sure if there’s any truth to the story. But it’s a myth that raises a problem that us designers are annoyingly
- [Why Inspiration Is A Myth (and What Beats it Every Time)](https://retinart.net/newsletters/why-inspiration-is-a-myth-and-what-beats-it-every-time/) - We’ve all gotten drunk on the myth of it. Spending too long sitting around, drinking in our own creative genius, waiting for inspiration to arrive. Every creative industry probably has its own legends of divine inspiration – physicists have Newton’s apple, us designers have Scher’s Citibank logo. Such mythology causes us to don a caricatured mask,
- [How To Restart A Creative Habit](https://retinart.net/newsletters/how-to-restart-a-creative-habit/) - Breaking a habit is fun. Last week I wrote about what happens when you stop showing up and how quickly it can undo a lot of great work. What I didn't mention is that stopping is the fun part. It's easy and gives us a whole slew of immediate benefits – more time, more energy,
- [Trying to Make Ugly Things Beautiful](https://retinart.net/newsletters/trying-to-make-ugly-things-beautiful/) - I couldn't stand the possibility of a single grain of this idea slipping through my fingers. I pushed around the elements of it, rearranging, shifting, squishing, moulding all its pieces, and wishing, more than anything else, wishing for it to become something beautiful. I spent weeks hoping to find wherever this feeling I had was
- [Never Be Worried About the Blank Page Again](https://retinart.net/newsletters/never-be-worried-about-the-blank-page-again/) - When we feel the stopping power of the blank page we think it's the emptiness that's the problem – that we have nothing to work with. I think it's the inverse. It's not that we don't know what marks to make, it's that we don't know which marks to choose. We make it our duty
- [Finding A Bit of Brilliance](https://retinart.net/newsletters/finding-a-bit-of-brilliance/) - Every product, event, app, service, whatever we have to design for, has something special about it. At least we have to convince our selves of that. If we can't see it, how is anyone we're talking to going to? But more often than not this talk of what's special, of this brilliance, gets lost amongst
- [The Horrible Moment When We Stop](https://retinart.net/newsletters/the-horrible-moment-when-we-stop/) - It doesn't always show to the outside world, nor do we always notice it, but we find a magical kind of success when we show up regularly. Our efforts compound. The value plucked from the hundredth day working is greater than that from the first. What once seemed unimaginable seems obvious as you gain a
- [Plan For Who Knows](https://retinart.net/newsletters/plan-for-who-knows/) - Being able to say "I'll get to it tomorrow" is a wonderfully hopeful thing. It can also mean that our crafts don't go honed, but stale.
- [A Little Email Is A Big Thing](https://retinart.net/newsletters/a-little-email-is-a-big-thing/) - An email that might only take thirty seconds to tap out could save hours of frustration and anger, while helping maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with your clients.
- [It Shows In Your Work](https://retinart.net/newsletters/it-shows-in-your-work/) - The mood in which we approach our work can often set the tone for anything we produce. Go in bored and the audience will be able to tell. Go in with excitement and maybe it'll get their attention.
- [Mourning & Honouring Dead Heroes](https://retinart.net/newsletters/mourning-honouring-dead-heroes/) - We should honour our lost heroes by continuing the threads they started for us.
- [Cheat!](https://retinart.net/newsletters/cheat/) - We think cheating is a bad thing -- but what if there's an honest way to cheat? What if all those times we've someone get ahead in their career's, they cheated, but in the best possible way?
- [Craftsmanship Doesn't Mean Giving Up Who You Are](https://retinart.net/newsletters/craftsmanship-doesnt-mean-giving-up-who-you-are/) - Honing your craft can be exhilarating and incredibly rewarding. But doing so at the risk of losing who you are, of forgetting what it's like to live life, might not be worth it.
- [Does Anger Come From Unmet Expectations?](https://retinart.net/newsletters/does-anger-come-from-unmet-expectations/) - Have all the times you've gotten angry about clients or your own skillset been due to having an expectation that went unmet?
- [The Interesting Thing About Interesting Things](https://retinart.net/newsletters/the-interesting-thing-about-interesting-things/) - It's part of our role as creatives to find something interesting in pretty much anything. But what happens when we start seeing interesting problems everywhere? What happens when we start collecting them?
- [The Cunning Adventures of Clever & Smart](https://retinart.net/newsletters/the-cunning-adventures-of-clever-smart/) - We sometimes confuse what it is to be both clever and smart. One is gentle and can be charmed into letting down its guard. The other is always a few moves ahead.
- [Distracted Learning](https://retinart.net/newsletters/distracted-learning/) - Are you learning as an excuse to not focus on what's right in front of you?
- [I'm Honoured To Use Your Craft](https://retinart.net/newsletters/im-honoured-to-use-your-craft/) - We're makers, so it seems normal to us to, well, make things. I always thought I had to make it all, that it would be cheating to use someone else's work. What a fool I was! We should be honoured to use the craft of others.
- [Use Rituals to Get There Faster](https://retinart.net/newsletters/use-rituals-to-get-there-faster/) - A squeeze of the thumb, a tap on the forehead, or a few words can help us ignite networks of passion in our memories and help us get to the real work.
- [It's Better To Obsess](https://retinart.net/newsletters/its-better-to-obsess/) - It's better to obsess on one thing. One thing. Just one thing. Nothing else, but this one thing. One thing only. One, one, one, one, one, one, one, one, one, one thing.
- [Using Our Words Instead of Letting Them Use Us](https://retinart.net/newsletters/using-our-words-instead-of-letting-them-use-us/) - Without realising it, the words we use can shape our outlook dramatically, making good clients turn bad, fun work become boring, and opportunities to hone our craft turn into dull and worthless moments. But we can change the words we use, and so change how we approach our work.
- [It Doesn't Matter, Make Something](https://retinart.net/newsletters/it-doesnt-matter-make-something/) - Light bulb blew? It doesn't matter, make something. Batteries in mouse died? It doesn't matter, make something. Tired? Sore head? Sore toe? Doesn't matter, make. Chair too low? Desk too high? It doesn't matter, make something. Don't think you're good enough? None of us do, make something. Parents, family, friends telling you you're wasting your
- [Beating Infinite Distractions](https://retinart.net/newsletters/beating-infinite-distractions/) - Hi there, The thing I've been looking forward to most about having a newsletter, or more specifically, having you as a reader, is the privacy. An email can be both casual and intimate, and I think it can be the perfect forum to exchange ideas. Something about the email client causes us to slow down,
- [You Should Be An Amateur](https://retinart.net/newsletters/you-should-be-an-amateur/) - Nope, that's not a trick title. What follows isn't a list of things you shouldn't do because it's what amateurs do. Those kind of articles are cute the first time you read one, but then after that they're kind of … awful. See, the thing is, I honestly want you to stay an amateur. Though,
- [What's Your Craft?](https://retinart.net/newsletters/whats-your-craft/) - A million tiny trials and tests and failures Year upon year I've worked to find success. Every time a year turns anew, I, along with a billion others, plan to make the twelve months that follow the perfect twelve. "Enough is enough!" we declare, and hope to make sweeping gestures and implement grand change overnight.
- [The Whispers of Crafted Objects](https://retinart.net/newsletters/the-whispers-of-crafted-objects/) - Hey! There's this thing about a crafted object that I wanted to talk to you about. There's often a weight to such a thing, a surprising heft unseen. It's not a requirement, but a common trait, much like the simplicity these things tend to share. It's a property that comes from a desire to use
- [Craft Solves Problems with Grace](https://retinart.net/newsletters/craft-solves-problems-with-grace/) - A crafted object feels as if it holds a soul within, a little ghost, born though the marriage of artistic and technical mastery. It isn't useful for an object to look beautiful if it doesn't work, nor is it noticed if it works perfectly but is ugly, or plain. A crafted object solves a problem
- [It's Ok to Crawl](https://retinart.net/newsletters/its-ok-to-crawl/) - It's ok if you can't walk right away. It's ok if you can't run, sprint, or perform a flawless long jump right away. It's ok for your skills to be mediocre at first. It's ok for your project to be average and rough around the edges when you launch it into the world. It's ok
- [Are You Making Things That'll Last?](https://retinart.net/newsletters/are-you-making-things-thatll-last/) - To pursue craft is to make things that will last. Not that every crafted object needs to be timeless and work perfectly for all of eternity. (A few thousand words await order to serve this topic, but the tl;dr version is a simple example - imagine the perfectly crafted website from 1995. Not so wonderful
- [You Should Start with a Stumble](https://retinart.net/newsletters/you-should-start-with-a-stumble/) - I'm writing this a few days after recording my first podcast. It's not good. It's not what I want it to be. I know the topics covered are what I wanted to cover, and I probably said a few things that I'll be happy with. But. It's not good. Turns out talking on a microphone
- [Will You Outlast Your Passion?](https://retinart.net/newsletters/will-you-outlast-your-passion/) - Craftsmanship will outlast passion. The theme of time bounces around a lot when thinking about craft. We ask ourselves questions like "How long until I'm a master?", "When will I be able to make more money, win awards, get more clients?", "Shouldn't I have seen improvement by now?" One thing that seems certain is that
- [Craft Is A Generous One](https://retinart.net/newsletters/craft-is-a-generous-one/) - It takes a lot to develop a craft. It means missing out on things. It means being left out. It means leaving yourself out. It means not getting some random bit of pop culture that doesn't matter, it means watching one amazing TV show instead of a dozen bad ones. But it gives back so
- [Hidden Distractions and that Stupid Bear](https://retinart.net/newsletters/hidden-distractions-and-that-stupid-bear/) - Our son has a nightlight. We didn't sleep much last night because the batteries kept running out. When he wakes up through the night and sees that it isn't on, he starts asking for "more light please." Sounds adorable in the light of day, but having only had about four hours sleep last night it's
- [Build Your Workshop, Find Your Focus](https://retinart.net/newsletters/build-your-workshop-find-your-focus/) - The smell of wood shavings, varnish, dust, and metal. It's dark, for some reason; it's always poorly lit, like it's a level below the surface. Maybe light falls in through short windows at the top of the walls, the kind that frame a scurry of shoes hopping past. Cool but not cold, dim but not
- [Practice The Process](https://retinart.net/creativity/practice-the-process/) - I rarely played sport when I was a kid. Mostly a little basketball, but I was an average player on my best days. I think it was mostly a social thing. I showed up for the minimum amount of practice, but never did much on my own. Maybe that's why I never practiced as I
- [Craft Saved My Brittle Skills](https://retinart.net/newsletters/craft-saved-my-brittle-skills/) - The passion that sustained me was melting away, leaving behind skills dried so deeply they had long-ago gone brittle. The smallest winds of challenge could turn them to dust. Thinking about what craft is, what it means to me, what my version of it looks like, what my skill set looks like, I realised it
- [Look, Dismantle, Understand, Rebuild](https://retinart.net/newsletters/look-dismantle-understand-rebuild/) - I think I was using an app called HotDog. It was about fifteen years ago and the web was so young that it still had smears of amniotic fluid on its chubby little cheeks. HotDog was a HTML authoring app. I can't remember if it was just a code editor or if it had a
- [Your Words Matter](https://retinart.net/newsletters/your-words-matter/) - Rudyard Kipling nailed it he said that "words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." Words and their meanings get us as high as the stars, and can just as easily undo us into a thousand flakes. The words that sit upon my tongue are different to the ones on yours. They
- [You Should Practice the Pain](https://retinart.net/newsletters/you-should-practice-the-pain/) - There's more to making great work than being a creative genius. There's also a willingness to flirt with the line between struggle and burnout, to push at it, so that you might grow comfortable with it, so you can push it out further, so that you can last until your work goes from good to great.
- [A Message Isn't Spoken Until It's Heard](https://retinart.net/newsletters/a-message-isnt-spoken-until-its-heard/) - A message isn't spoken until its heard. I feel as if the work I do doesn't exist until someone has seen it. The words are on the screen in front of me, but it feels as if they're just on loan from my mind. They don't exist anywhere outside of my little world. They don't
- [Seeing Something New In Your Old Photos](https://retinart.net/newsletters/seeing-something-new-in-your-old-photos/) - A friend of mine started working out. We were teenagers and he was the first of our group to care about looking after himself. I didn't notice really. He'd always been fit, with some muscle tone, but now it was a serious part of who he was. He loved pushing himself, getting stronger, and learning
- [I Want To Be Wolf Bait (The Joy of "I Don't Know")](https://retinart.net/newsletters/i-want-to-be-wolf-bait-the-joy-of-i-dont-know/) - "I don't know." Great Googly Moogly is that a wonderful thing to say! What a wonderful thing it is to hear! When we hear it we are given an opportunity. If the time and place and person and context is right, we have an awesome opportunity. We get to show them something awesome. We can
- [Everyone Loses the Blame Game](https://retinart.net/newsletters/no-one-wins-the-blame-game/) - It's the client's fault. It's the project manager's fault. It's because of the budget, the political situation, the committee to which you're pitching. You didn't have enough time. You didn't have enough money. You didn't have enough information. It's natural for us to want to shift the blame. It's even more natural for us to
- [Craft Ushers Into Our Lives Through Discipline](https://retinart.net/newsletters/craft-ushers-into-our-lives-through-discipline/) - Knowing what makes something wonderful doesn't make us craftsmen, it simply makes us fans. We have to make things. We have to make things everyday. We have to move our minds and imagine making things, we have to move pencils and draw sketches of things, we have to wonder what things could be made, what
- [How To Start Creative Work After A Break](https://retinart.net/newsletters/how-to-start-creative-work-after-a-break/) - We sit at our desks and tell ourselves what we'll do. We convince ourselves how we'll find our groove again, how we'll come back in a blaze of glory as if no time has lapsed between our most and least creatively productive moments. And then we stumble. It isn't as natural as we hoped. It
- [9 Things I Learnt From<BR /> 100 Days of Writing](https://retinart.net/creativity/9-things-i-learnt-from100-days-of-writing/) - Writing for a 100 days proves to be easier than writing for 30, taught me the difference between crafting and shipping, and showed me that words are better than minutes.
- [Typographic Marks Unknown](https://retinart.net/typography/marksunknown/) - There are many typographic marks which are familiar to most, but understood by few. Most of these glyphs have interesting histories and evolutions as they survived the beatings given to them through rushed handwriting of scribes and misuses through history. They now mostly live on our keyboards and in our software, and a few are used often, so it seems only fitting to know where they come from and how to correctly use them. The Pilcrow History of the Pilcrow As with many elements of language today, it all started with Latin. While the pilcrow has evolved to resemble a backwards P, this is nothing more than incidental. In its early forms, the pilcrow was a C, a shorthand used for the Latin word capitulum, meaning chapter, mostly in a religious sense, which may be why it isn't uncommon to see it in use in Biblical texts today. Replacing another symbol, the paragraphos, to become the new mark representing a paraph---a new line of thought or break in text---it evolved over time through the natural development of handwriting. Initially starting as the C, a slash was drawn through it, perhaps to make it more noticeable, then a second slash was added, and through time the C went from being the vertical centre of the lines, to the top of them. All this ended in what is often now seen as a P backwards. The evolution of the Pilcrow Using the Pilcrow Initially the pilcrow was used to separate blocks of text, rather than dividing them with space. While this is, of course, now the normal thing to do, it isn't impossible to find modern text that do the same as what was originally intended, mostly in an effort to insert a little bit of flare or maybe to serve as a throwback to typesetting that may be seen as a little more classical. An example that is often cited is Eric Gill's An Essay On Typography. It is also used by proofreaders to denote a paragraph that should be split, and also as a mark used to reference a specific paragraph is legal documents (an example is included in the Section Sign below). While graphic designers, and especially those outside the field, would have no major need to think about using the pilcrow, it is worth noting that they can be a pleasure to design for our typographic friends.
- [The Secret Law of Page Harmony](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/secret-law-of-page-harmony/) - "A method to produce the perfect book." The perfect book. This is how designer-genius Jan Tschichold described this system. Not the ok book, nor the pretty good book, but the perfect book. This method existed long before the computer, the printing press and even a defined measuring unit. No picas or points, no inches or millimeters. It can be used with nothing more than a straight edge, a piece of paper and a pencil. And you can still use it. This is a system which is still as valid, beautiful and elegant with ultra-modern design as it ever was for the work of the scribes, Gutenberg and Tschichold. The Secret Canon & Page Harmony Books were once a luxury only the richest could afford and would take months of work to be brought to fruition. And they were harmoniously beautiful. The bookmakers knew the secret to the perfect book. They shared among themselves a system---a canon---by which their blocks of text and the pages they were printed on would "agree with one another and become a harmonious unit." So elegant is this method of producing harmony that a few designers saw to rediscover it. Even though it was considered a trade-secret, they all came to the same conclusion, hundreds of years apart, independent of one another, but each supported by the other. They found the way to design a harmonious page. A perfect page. There's a dance to all this Let's look at this dance, shall we? In it's simplest form, here is the canon, without the guides. And here it is with them (using the Van de Graaf Canon and Tschichold's recommended 2:3 page-size ratio, which we'll get into next).
- [Reflections on the Thirty Day Writing Challenge](https://retinart.net/creativity/reflections-on-the-thirty-day-writing-challenge/) - Rembrandt's Philosopher in Meditation, 1632 I think. I think and I think, think and think some more, think about it a little more, then a little less, then a little more to make up for thinking about it a little less. I over think and under do. I don't get my hands dirty, I just
- [Day 30 - Learn To Enjoy Discomfort and Watch Your Talents Grow](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-30-learn-to-enjoy-discomfort-and-watch-your-talents-grow/) - It was becoming a lot of work. Sorry, I should say that he was becoming a lot of work. It felt like the amount of work that was needing to go into raising my son was just growing at an alarming rate. Felt like? Hmm, pardon my cuteness. It was absolutely, without a doubt, growing
- [Day 29 - Keep Your Hands Moving](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-29-keep-your-hands-moving/) - I've fallen into this trap so many times and for so many years that it's simply embarrassing. I call it the theory trap. When reading anything relating to your craft, it's easy to assume that your skills are developing. You know how to balance two elements or how to highlight an item, so you must
- [Day 28 - Design What You Know](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-28-design-what-you-know/) - "Write what you know." Budding writers are regularly thrown this bone. It's a suggestion borne of fear. "Write what you know" is a succinct way of saying that writing isn't too hard; just take what's already in your head and put it onto paper. What's so hard about that? Everything you need is already rolling
- [Day 27 - What's In It For Them?](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/day-27-whats-in-it-for-them/) - What's in it for them? That's the audience, that's who 'them' is. What's in it for the audience? What's in it for the one person who you will be stopping? What's in it for the person whose day you are interrupting? They might be looking for information, but we're not part of the search. That's
- [Day 26 - Five Lists Worth Keeping](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-26-five-lists-worth-keeping/) - We love lists. They help us organise our day, our books, our experiences, our folios, our clients, and a thousand other little, and not so little, things. I've always found that keeping lists helps me feel as if I have some control over the chaos of life. There's been a few that I've been either
- [Day 25 - Aesthetic is a Given. Effectiveness is a Must.](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-25-aesthetic-is-a-given-effectiveness-is-a-must/) - It might be because of where I work - in-house at a University. Both these things, the kind of studio it is and where it is, bring with them an awful lot of baggage. There's politics, fiefdoms, acronyms and a thousand other pieces of tape that get in the way of doing work. But one
- [Day 24 - Informal Mentors](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-24-informal-mentors/) - I've been thinking about deliberate practice a lot lately. In The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle, he tells the story of a girl learning to play an instrument. She's an average student, right in the middle of the pack. Her class was asked to video themselves practicing as part of an experiment, and what they
- [Day 23 - Embracing Embarrassing Curiosities](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-23-embracing-embarrassing-curiosities/) - "We all love things that other people think are garbage. You have to have the courage to keep loving your garbage, because what makes us unique is the diversity and breadth of our influences, the unique ways in which we mi up the parts of culture others have deemed 'high' and the 'low.'" -- Austin
- [Day 22 - Jealousy.](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-22-jealousy/) - It's a horribly nasty trait to have, one I've gone to battle with for years. Jealousy. I'm sure it's just another tool from the kit that Resistance carries around in the back of our skull. I know I'm not alone - you can see it in the eyes of your friends and coworkers when you
- [Day 21 - Small Frames Solve Big Problems](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-21-small-frames-solve-big-problems/) - In Bird by Bird, author Anne Lamott describes the feeling an author gets, and the routine of distraction and anxiety they put themselves through, when trying to surmount a large writing project. She then offers some advice on how to work through it, advice that I think is perfect for the designer as well as
- [Day 20 - Why Designers Need Empathy (and How to Develop It)](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-20-why-designers-need-empathy-and-how-to-develop-it/) - Lately I've been reading quite a bit about blogging. I love blogging, and have been wanting to do it professionally (focusing on design, of course) for years. On this, day 20 of my 30 Day Writing Challenge, I can say I've started to take steps towards making that happen. One of the things that come
- [Day 19 - The Professionals in the Children's Wing](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-19-the-professionals-in-the-childrens-wing/) - My beautiful son had surgery today. For the sake of his privacy I won't go into detail about what it was for. It wasn't a major surgery, but he had to be put under. It was preventative - if we didn't do it now, he would one day experience a pain like no other, one
- [Day 18 - Give Away Your Best Ideas](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-18-give-away-your-best-ideas/) - When that spark of inspiration hits it's like nothing else. Sometimes it comes in the form of an idea. Not a complete execution, but an idea strong enough that it can be applied to whatever job we're working on at the time. What if... What if the job we’re working on at the time is
- [Day 17 - 5 Steps to Stop You Being Your Own Worst Client](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-17-5-steps-to-stop-you-being-your-own-worst-client/) - When it comes to self-directed work, it's common to hear designer's complain that they're their own worst client. A lust for perfection is often to blame, as if the designer holds themselves to a level of expectation unreachable. But the next morning, they'll be able to do for someone else exactly what they're having trouble
- [Day 16 - The Brief is a Suggestion](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-16-the-brief-is-a-suggestion/) - The brief we're given for a project is often a stab in the dark by the client. They're aware of a problem, one which they're pretty sure they've identified, and were nice enough to provide us the solution. We just need to give it some form, and boom, everyone's happy, the problem's solved. It'd be
- [Day 15 - The Balance of Passion and Fear](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-15-the-balance-of-passion-and-fear/) - I've found that when there's the perfect balance between fear and desire amazing things happen. The idea of writing everyday is something I've wanted for years, but to actually do it scares me. Or at least it use to. Now I'm excited. It worked out well. The idea of presenting my folio to study design,
- [Day 14 - Designer as Conductor](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/day-14-designer-as-conductor/) - It's easy to get caught up in creative energy and excitement. We can sometimes be so in love with a project that we seek to take charge of every element. We want to draw every icon and illustration, we want to take every photo and do all the post production, we want to define every
- [Day 13 - It's Better to be a Student](https://retinart.net/retinart/day-13-its-better-to-be-a-student/) - I didn't mean to write this. I was going to stick with the topics out of the yellow envelope until I hit day 30. But this is something I had to figure out. I started Retinart because I was done with my studies but not yet finished with my study. I had graduated but had
- [Day 12 - Learn the Audience](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-12-learn-the-audience/) - "If you are a writer, or want to be a writer, this is how you spend your days—listening, observing, storing things away... You take home all you've taken in, all that you're overheard, and you turn it into gold. (Or at least you try.)" – Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird. Sitting in a museum, the
- [Day 11 - Ease the User's Stress by Telling A Story](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/day-11-ease-the-users-stress-by-telling-a-story/) - I think about Legally Blonde pretty often. Remember that one? It's the Reese Witherspoon movie in which she plays a fashion-loving, cutesy but serious but not too serious, budding, but of course kind of brilliant because it's Hollywood, pink in a world of grey, girlie-girl lawyer. At least I think that's what it's about. I
- [Day 09 - Never Cheat the Content](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/day-09-never-cheat-the-content/) - The lecturers made a mistake. They asked us to take a word and illustrate it so in had a relationship to the meaning of that word. If you have the world "cold" you had to add snow or make it look like ice. "Fire" was, well, on fire. Most students make the obvious joke -
- [Day 10 - Good Design Moves People](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/day-10-good-design-moves-people/) - It feels like I need to swallow. It's not quite a pain, but it's a discomfort of sorts. Right in the bottom of my throat. Maybe closer to the top of my chest. It moves whenever I go to look for it. My eyes warm around the edges. My brow softens. I sigh. Not one
- [Day 01 - Stuck? Pay Tribute to Your Inspirations](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-01-stuck-pay-tribute-to-your-inspirations/) - Even when you've followed the plan perfectly, things go wrong. Especially if you're doing creative work. Even when you know exactly what works for you, what's worked for you a thousand times, your own private little process, it isn't impossible for a roadblock to be shoved in front of you. The feeling is awful -
- [Day Zero of a Thirty Day Writing Challenge](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-zero-of-a-thirty-day-writing-challenge/) - There's a pain in my stomach. It's one I've had before, and will undoubtedly become intimately familiar with in the coming weeks. It feels like a sickness of some sort. I'm doing this again. I'll bring myself back to this place every morning. But only if I'm disciplined. I feel unwell this morning, but here
- [Day 02 - Giving Gut Feeling Shape](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/day-two-giving-gut-feeling-shape/) - "Of course the square existed previously, the line and the grid existed previously. What's the deal. Well, it's simply – they were pointed out. They were announced." From Who We Are, the Manifest of the Constructivist Group. It's amazing how simply an entirely new world becomes visible to you. You might be walking down the
- [Day 03 - Don't Be Fearful of the Little Old Lady](https://retinart.net/working-life/day-03-dont-be-fearful-of-the-little-old-lady/) - There's a little old lady on campus. She's small, very grandmotherly. She's in the faculty of education and has kind eyes. And she scares the shit out of me. She's the client that I worked with for what would become the worst job I can remember doing. The details don't matter, it was a mixture
- [Day 04 - Your Own Private Fishing Village](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/day-04-your-own-private-fishing-village/) - There was an electric beat in his steps as we walked down a path that felt a thousand years old. It was the first time in ten years since we had visited Lebanon, my father's birthplace. He grew up here and as he was showing a teenage me around, he was excited. He showed me
- [Day 05 - Be Smart in the Solution, Not the Pitch](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-05-be-smart-in-the-solution-not-the-pitch/) - I've always felt like a dummy. It's why I read so much, an eager attempt to counter it, but the more I read, the bigger a dummy I feel. When the bad part of my ego gets involved, that part that is always playing offense, I start to explain to people how I read so
- [Day 06 - Scare Yourself](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-06-scare-yourself/) - This project scares me. The videos I've been doing for it scare me. The idea that I'm hitting publish on work I've rarely had the chance to read, let alone edit, scares me. Retinart is my home, as long forgotten as it may be, and the idea putting less than perfect articles on it scares
- [Day 07 - Look Closely at Life](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/day-07-look-closely-at-life/) - One of the things that got me most excited about graphic design was that I could create without drawing. I sucked at illustration of almost all forms. No, that's a lie. It was definitely at all forms that I was a poor student. But here I was, about to start my studies in graphic design
- [Day 08 - What We Earn](https://retinart.net/creativity/day-08-what-we-earn/) - This is a lesson I've had to force myself to take too many times to count. I'm the reason I'm in the situation I'm in. I'm the reason my folio finds its body in the kind of shape that it is. I'm the reason ... This isn't about playing the victim, which is what a
- [For the Designer's Shelf – Writing, Lies, Scripts, and Letters](https://retinart.net/books/for-the-designers-shelf-writing-lies-scripts-and-letters/) - I utterly adore the book. Especially when given shape in the form of crushed plant matter and ink. It makes me all warm and jelly-like. I find myself tickled with delight when talk of a newly published design book trickles through. So, to indulge in this little addiction of mine, I thought I'd share some
- [Starting.](https://retinart.net/creativity/starting/) - In the split second that sound existed, that knocking at the front door, I hoped with every ounce that I had that it was someone, anyone, looking for me, to distract me from this task of being creative, of writing. It was nothing more than the wind. Back to the hard part. Back to starting.
- [To Be A Beautiful Fool](https://retinart.net/creativity/to-be-a-beautiful-fool/) - A familiar discomfort spirals through my chest. A discomfort born from the process of pulling together ideas and memories in an effort to produce something new, something which is so far superior to the culmination of its parts. Something that will inspire and excite. But I know what we all know, through experience we know
- [Jan Tschichold - Typographic Genius](https://retinart.net/artist-profiles/jan-tschichold/) - Jan Tschichold left an impression upon the world of graphic design and typography that few could compete against. From strongly advocating the beauty of sans serif fonts and clean, organised design 20 years before it took off, to strengthening the design of Penguin books to turn them into the something special that they are. Jan Tschichold spent a life learning and exploring and left us with much to do the same. Early Life & Education Jan Tschichold took his first gulp of air on the second of April, 1902 in Leipzig, Germany, when his parents Maria and Franz welcomed him into the world. Sign-writer by trade, Franz gave his son an introduction to the world of lettering - although not seeing it as his future, Tschichold learned the ins-and-outs of sign writing while assisting his father. His aspirations of becoming an artist were deflated when his parents thought otherwise. Not wanting their son to be an unfruitful artist, the family concluded that becoming an illustration teacher was a worthwhile option---it provided a creative outlet and a steady income. Tschichold as teacher began when he was 14 years of age and lasted a mere three years. The wheels of calligraphy and script began to turn in the mind of Tschichold two years prior to the start of his teaching post. It was the 1914 World's Fair for Books & Graphics that left an impression. An interest in calligraphy formed, fueled by his personal studies of the books Tschichold poured himself into - especially those which covered calligraphy, ornamental script and writing. At the age of 17, Tschichold threw his back against his life as a teacher and began his typographic studies. While he studied a range of creative endeavors, such as engraving, wood cutting and bookbinding, it seems as if his time of study didn't involve a great deal of education. Simply, he knew it all. Because of his personal studies and passion, there wasn't much he didn't have a strong understanding of.
- [The Typographic Scale](https://retinart.net/typography/typographicscale/) - A list of numbers that make it easier to set type. But why these numbers? What relationships do they hold with one another? Is there some mythical secret held by the casters of the fonts of old? Why is it that when you combine 8, 10, 14 and 36 points of height something beautiful happens? In an effort to better understand this list of numbers I did that which excites any warm-blooded designer - I played with typography. In its infancy, typesetting was much less an avenue for creative expression than it is today. That isn't to say there was no beauty in the work done, it was more a case of limitations of technology. Which is an odd thing to say, as it was because of this technology that the rules could exist in such a defined manner. The typesetting was deliberately strict because it was now possible for it to be so. When our letters went from being written by scribes to being moved by the typesetter, the creativity in the hand-crafting turned into an element to be held by a different group of hands. The Typographic Scale With this new ability to set size, spacing and layout in stone (or metal), it is no surprise that some habits became ruling and some rules became habit. While we are now able to set our text size at whatever we please, in the time of the true font (metal type in one face at one size of one weight), a number of predefined sizes were the norm.
- [Forget All The Rules About Graphic Design](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/forget-rules-graphic-design/) - In 1954 Bob Gill developed a design the he would later call more pleasing “than any other design job [he] had done up until that time..." What pleased Gill so much was the Title Card for CBS sitcom Private Secretary, "because the result looks so inevitable and easy.” He was 23 when he received this job and it served as the moment his career went into overdrive. Not only did it win him his (first) ADC medal and saw his name grow to demand more respect (he would joke it was the year that he finally got an answering service for his office), but it taught him something monumental. Private Secretary was special because it helped him realise that a design can only be taken so far by an aesthetically driven solution. “I stopped trying to ram my aesthetic prejudices down their throats. Why should clients have my tastes? … I talked to them about solutions and ideas instead of design.” It is because of this attitude towards “inevitable” solutions that Gill's clients thought so fondly of him. He was giving them tailored work that was concept driven and so well considered that he was able to effectively describe them over the phone. He started to consider what the solution should be first, worrying about appearance second.
- [The Colors of Grief](https://retinart.net/creativity/the-colors-of-grief/) - A tribute to my lost daughter and the creative loss it brought.
- [9 Mini Reviews — I Do Love These Books: Part 1](https://retinart.net/book-reviews/9-mini-reviews/) - It's not you, it's me. It's not that I don't love you, I do, really. You make me happy. Honestly. Crazy happy. But I just can't review you. I'm sorry. Yes, yes, we had some good times, you showed me some wild things. But no, I can't. No... really, no, that's enough, pick your self up! Have some self-respect! Ok ... yes ... ok, I know, I know -- you're right. Alright, just a quick little one, ok? A few of my favorite books Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to a few of my favorite books. For one reason or another, I'm (probably) not going to review these in great detail like I normally would; instead I'm only giving each a couple hundred words, instead of a thousand. > In a sense, what they suffer from is that I love them too much -- meaning objectivity is being thrown to the heap. But I do very much want to share them with you.
- [Working Hard to Leap Buildings](https://retinart.net/retinart/working-hard-to-leap-buildings/) - I've always had a tendency to work maniacally on a project, pouring every ounce of energy into it until the outcome is struck. This has been truest when it comes to Retinart. If you look through the archives it becomes quite clear that I work productively for a month or two, then lie dormant for several – there's no real outcome to aim for, so I burn out. A few weeks ago, as I was retreating to the warmth of my bed, I felt the exhaustion of the day swarming in my shoulders. “Hmmm” I muttered, “I have to stop with the Hard Work and just start working.” It was an odd thing to have flutter through my mind, but it was the closing of the day so I brushed the thought off. The following days found the notion continually snake through my thoughts. Deciding to explore it further, I realised this was something I've always done, happily dedicating great effort to Hard Work.
- [Learn Theory, Practise Aesthetic](https://retinart.net/creativity/learn-theory-practise-aesthetic/) - The most important thing you can do as a graphic designer is to practise as much as you can. Practise with intention and thought and careless abandon. Learn theory but realise that it doesn't help you become a better designer, merely a more knowledgeable one. All the theory in the world won't make a page more interesting to look at unless you understand how to marry the theory with aesthetic. Aesthetic is the craft of our profession. I've heard some designers say that aesthetic is like the bastard child of design, it's there but it shouldn't matter as long as the functionality is solid or the design serves its purpose as a communicative artifact. These designers are idiots. Aesthetic matters more than anything else. Our profession is largely built on craft and gut feeling and knowledge that can be learned but rarely taught. This makes some uncomfortable as it suggests that any ol' creative hipster could walk into our studios and do what we do. But like I said, designers who think this are idiots. We are not part of an industry done by rote, nor willy-nilly mark-making.
- [Typographic Marks Unknown II: Ligatures & Blockquotes!](https://retinart.net/typography/typographic-marks-unknown-ii-ligatures-blockquotes/) - Much like the origins of the spoken word, those of the written are often forgotten. And the marks that make up those words? Mostly never thought about. This can also be said of the question mark, the exclamation point, quote marks and the beautiful, beautiful ligature. Turns out their history is pretty interesting. In September 08 I wrote an article on a small collection of typographic marks that had interesting histories, weren't often seen in use or were often abused in their applications. It was a lot of fun and I wanted to give it another go. But rather than have a look at a few of the lesser-known marks we use like I did with the previous article, I thought I'd go for the exact opposite -- have a look at a couple of marks we all know about and use. The Question Mark Latin for question, quaestiō may be where the origin of the Question Mark can be found. Whenever our Latin writing friends wanted to indicate a question or query, they would add quaestiō to the end of the sentence. Lacking a sense of elegance, and not to mention taking up quite a bit of space, quaestiō was abbreviated to QO. This worked wonders for the scribes as their jobs became a little easier and they could produce texts quicker and have more space to work with. But for some, QO seemed like a word with missing letters. To counter this, the O would be placed beneath the Q, rather than next to it -- a clever little move that turned QO from an abbreviated word, to a glyph unto its self. Being that this was now a sort of symbol that was always drawn by hand, the evolution of it to the question mark we know today is fairly evident (and pretty damn cool). Borrowed from Wikipedia.
- [Good Designers Learn From History](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/good-designers-learn-from-history/) - What a wasteful child I was, unaware of what graphic design history can give. I foolishly thought of history as dusty facts and faded images. And only the foolish child thinks history doesn't matter, that it's irrelevant and inessential to growth. I browsed Meggs' History of Graphic Design sparingly, reading not much more than the captions. Then a few designers kept catching my eye, so it was more reading -- but no longer mere captions, but the illustrious body copy that Meggs gives us in search of understanding. Then it was everything I could get my hands on. And something fantastic started to happen -- I was becoming a better designer, producing work with greater reason, stronger justification and refined meaning. Jan Tschichold is the designer who really kicked my interest in discovering beauty of image and theory in history Graphic Design History Gives Us Theory History is of as much importance as theory -- they should be married in the classroom and honeymoon in the studio. To truly understand and use a piece of theory properly, we need to know why it became worth knowing -- in what conditions was it first developed and used, why was it successful and what was its original purpose and audience? Without this knowledge, how could we use it effectively?
- [Why your client is a shithead](https://retinart.net/miscellaneous/why-your-client-is-a-shithead/) - Why is your client acting like a shithead? More often than not, it's our own fault. At least in the sense that we can fix it, therefore we can take responsibility. Very, very few people are naturally painful. They don't go home and tell their kids exactly how to play with their toys, tell their partners that they are taking too long to do whatever or that their dinner guests need to move their plates a little to the left and down an inch. (Alright, so there might be some people like this, but they really are shitheads and there isn't much we can do about that.) They're nice people, just getting through the day, trying to get their work done. They have a boss they work for, a family they love, a book they cry at and a movie they laugh through. They have their own stresses and worries and don't want us to add to them. They're normal. I know, I know, a whacky thought. But they're human and nothing more nor less. So why is it that they treat us so poorly? What did we do to insult them? Why do they ridicule us and force us to think unnatural thoughts involving the tearing of flesh from limbs by the teeth of angered hounds?
- [Paula Scher, Herbert Matter & Swatch: Was it Plagiarism or Parody?](https://retinart.net/creativity/scher-plagiarism-parody/) - After the flames of modernism became mere embers, the design community started to turn to something with more warmth. People were after something comfortable -- a song buried in memory. So designers of the eighties began looking back to move forward. Digging through the archives and history books, designers searched for visual languages which had more romance wrapped in their tones than that of the clean lines and bold type of modernism. Philip B. Meggs, Meggs' History of Graphic Design, 4th edn., pg 481.Should a designer sit down and find novelty in a historical style, they wouldn't set out to copy any exact piece. They would learn the language it spoke and use its "vocabulary of forms and form relationships, reinventing and combining them in unexpected ways." Looking Back with Paula Scher By the mid-eighties, Paula Scher had become known as a designer producing original and clever work that sometimes spoke with the tongue of the past, emulating style and feel in interesting and new ways. Doing this, Scher and her business partner Terry Koppel put together a promotional booklet entitled Great Beginnings. Compiling the opening paragraphs of well known novels, the booklet served as a great introduction to how one can reappropiate design styles long gone in fitting and interesting ways. ~~~ ~~~ The poster that got everyone thinking
- [Photoshop Has (Almost) Nothing To Do With Graphic Design](https://retinart.net/creativity/photoshop-has-almost-nothing-to-do-with-graphic-design/) - Think of the photographer who captures a fraction of time or the illustrator who tells a story. Will these moments not exist if it weren't for the camera or the pencil? They exist in spite of the tools used to capture them. The ideas that we develop for our clients, the messages we wish to communicate, exist in spite of Photoshop or any other piece of software. The lines of code wrapped in an interface do nothing but hold a (virtual) expression of our ideas. Much like the photographer's moment, the ideas exist whether captured or not. But so many insist on calling Photoshop mishmash pieces design, when they are nothing of the sort as they hold no idea, just stylistic nonsense. A hammer can help build a house, does that mean hammering two planks of wood together is good enough to be a home? Oh Photoshop, Your Crown Is Too Heavy Yes, Photoshop is, today, an essential tool of graphic design. Yes, knowing our tools well make our jobs easier and can help our work become beautiful -- there is no denying that. But it isn't enough to know the tools well without an idea to which they can be applied. The expressions these tools craft will be without soul, meaning or story. The idea is not validated by the tools used to craft its expression. But the tool does find validation in the expression. The tool relies on it to be considered valuable. Photoshop is no different than any other tool. In 100 years, discussions about what version of Photoshop was used to produce the wonderful work today will not be held. It will call it a tool. It might be an wonderful tool to wield, but it is only a tool. It may have changed the way we express our ideas, but it shouldn't change the way we conceive them.
- [The Timeless Beauty of National Geographic](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/timeless-beauty-national-geographic/) - Who isn't familiar with that wonderful yellow frame? It holds breathtaking images of exotic destination and mountains of nostalgia! It's the flag of the editorial institution that National Geographic has established over the span of 120 years. The eponymous yellow rectangle has seen virtually no change, much like the interior pages, since it first bordered the front covers of the 1888 launch issue. I thought it could teach us a few things about timelessness in graphic design, so I randomly picked four issues to look at; March 1964, November 1988, April 2000 and a recent December 2009. The Front Cover National Geographic's front cover is a great example of how well simple branding can be tied to a product or message. In this case, the slightly warm yellow has become a symbol of wonderful photography, intriguing articles and serves as a doorway into places worlds away. The '64 issue is clearly the most different because of a floral border that, while taking up space, being distracting and kind of just kitsch, is romantically wonderful. It feels so appropriate to the sixties (echoes of William Morris?) that I'm glad to see it. Though I must say I'm also glad to see it evolve to nothing more than a yellow border. The yellow frame works the hardest as a piece of branding, being more recognisable than the logotype (which only changed slightly -- notice the slight type size change in the '09 issue?) and far stronger than the floral badge that was used in the '88 and '00 issues.
- [Tomorrow's Cool](https://retinart.net/creativity/tomorrows-cool/) - Making your design look cool puts a date on it. Cool is a temporary thing, based on emotions and thoughts and ideas of the time in which it was made. More often than not, what's cool is a taste of what people guess tomorrow will bring. But tomorrow hasn't happened yet. What we guess will look cool tomorrow is an assumption based on how we feel today.
- [“Clarity!” Demanded the Modernists](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/clarity-demanded-the-modernists/) - The design shouldn't uselessly babble and scream until it's foaming at the mouth. It should speak clearly and be easily understood. It should have a charming level of clarity and character as all parts are given a reason for taking up space. It has to be quickly and easily understood, as elements accent the message and design, never drowning them. This is where the soul of the early 20th century modernist lives. Fifty years before the Swiss movement really got some bounce, The New Typography got the ball rolling. It started as the 20th century was moving into its early years, with the Bauhaus and the Futurist art movements fueling the fire. Before the design was clean, it was messy. Before it was quiet, it was loud. Very loud. To the modernist, this wasn't appropriate. It wasn't easy to digest information and too much intervention upon the message was being done by the designer. Let's have a look at where it all began for the modernists -- with The New Typography. Spread from NKF cableworks catalogue designed by Piet Zwart. The imagery and text dance with one another, rather than one simply pointing to the other. (1928)
- [Going to the Next Level](https://retinart.net/creativity/going-next-level/) - Improvements can always be made. Always. It is not possible to go through your career without having every single piece of work you do needing an improvement of some sort. The trick is knowing that the improvements need to be made. Imagine sitting down at a table with a designer whose work you admire passionately. This person is a living-god in your world and their word is gospel. Now imagine your sliding a piece of your work across the table. Think about it for a moment. Really do it. I'll wait, I'm in no rush. So, how was it? I hope for your sake it wasn't terrifying. I hope you were proud and waiting to hear what advice they had to offer. I hope you were confident in the work you were showing them. I hope you believed in the work. If this isn't the case, then why not? It's time to do something about it. The work doesn't have to be as good a theirs, it doesn't have to be as clever as theirs - after all, isn't this why you admire them so, because they're able to think differently to you? You should be confident in your work. You should be able to say "with this I give you the finest of my skills". Hell, it doesn't even need to be good. Just the best that you are capable of. There is nothing stopping you from moving to the next level If the idea of showing your work to the person across the table fills your soul with fear? Many consider this a lack of confidence a trait well worth dispensing with. I think the opposite. It is something that you can take amazing advantage of. You are in an enviable position because you know your skills are lacking. You would be wise to realise that there is nothing stopping you from moving to the next level.
- [You're Going To Be Fine](https://retinart.net/working-life/youre-going-to-be-fine/) - Generally I despise this kind of hallmark advice. You know the sort, something that tries to evoke some sort of reaction as if it's a revolutionary, deity-like discovery of thought, even though is is often closer to day-time television psychology. But oh well, here it is: You're going to be fine. I find my self compelled to say this, as it's a big lesson I began to learn after I began my working life and I'm sure there are some people who are in that same position right now. You're going to be fine. Honestly, totally fine. No problems. It'll work out just dandy.
- [Jan Tschichold's Inspiring Penguins](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/jan-tschicholds-inspiring-penguins/) - It is far more valuable to see five beautiful pieces and understand how and why their beauty touches you, than it is to see a hundred beautiful things and merely understand that they are beautiful. Today, I'm going to show you a few pieces of beauty that send shivers of joy through my heart, and how the designer behind them---Jan Tschichold---turned the mundane into the magnificent. A hand-rendered concept produced by Tschichold while exploring his ideas. After recently writing an article on how inspiration can provide a journey, I thought a few holiday snaps of an enlightening trip I've taken might be of interest. Earlier this year I explored the tracks laid forth by one of the most renowned graphic designers and typographers in history -- Jan Tschichold.
- [Pixar & Dreamworks: The Stories Their Brands Tell](https://retinart.net/critique/stories-their-brands-tell/) - Pixar is a billion dollar company because it knows how to tell a story. They know how important it is and that without a strong story at the core, all the technical wizardry and aesthetic mastery of their films would be overly sweet. Story telling is often as important in graphic design as it is in animation and film making, even if it isn't as obvious -- we use grids, type, colour and imagery to help bring stories to life. When there is a lack of a story---of an idea---there is nothing but average design to be found. Why? Because there's a lack of a point of interest -- there's nothing for the audience to grab onto. So let's learn from the mistakes and glories of others, comparing two story tellers who act on the same stage---Pixar and Dreamworks, of course---and the stories told through the branding of their films. I'm talkin' logos, baby. Toy Story Pixar Playful and fun -- a great way to start! This logo is a winner because it's appropriate without being condescending. The primary colour pallet aims it perfectly at its audience and nothing says "gimmie" like red and yellow. The type size, the chunkiness of it, as well as the playful way it's laid out, make this cute in the right way and screams, well, "Toy". It's also nice to see a logo which has depth (hinting at the 3D of the animation) without going straight to embossed trickery. A Bug's Life Pixar Another nice and flat logo from Pixar. It's lovely to see a beveled look isn't what they go for just because their films are CGI. The bugs eating away at the letters are cute and the little one between Disney & Pixar is a great touch. The typeface is appropriately playful and has an exaggeration to it that suggests that we're going to be shown little things really big (I'm looking at the i, f and e mostly), but it'll be a gentle ride. The slight warmth of the yellow is nice little ray of sunshine that gently touches down on the bug covered leaf. All this adds up to a little reflection of the film -- it has its footing in it. Antz Dreamworks I'm sorry, what?
- [Take a Journey of Inspiration](https://retinart.net/creativity/journey-of-inspiration/) - Inspiration should serve as a motivator and guide. More than superficial beauty can be found within the depths of that which you find intriguing.
- [Book Review: The Anatomy of Design](https://retinart.net/book-reviews/book-review-anatomy-design/) - One of those design books that don't end up serving as a bookend, The Anatomy of Design is worth far more than the price on the sticker. Analyzing 49 great pieces of design, we are shown by Heller and Ilic that similar ideas can be expressed in different ways repeatedly, making them new again. Part beautiful imagery, part history lesson, much can be learned and a better respect for ideas and how they are expressed differently by each of us can be taken from this wonderful collection of pages.
- [Gutenberg and the Book that Changed the World](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/gutenberg-book-changed-world/) - In 1455, Johannes Gutenberg brought together an orchestra of technologies and ideas to give us the printing press and movable type.
- [That Damned Wall](https://retinart.net/creativity/that-damned-wall/) - Oh, don't we hate that wall with such spite? We smash into it and it stops us dead in our tracks. We're working away, working hard to give beauty to the problem before us and then … arch! Dried up! Tired! Bored! Sick of it! Sick of it all! Throw it all in! I hate the wall. I hate it with all the lustful anger I can muster. I hate hitting it, I hate staring at it. I hate that it makes me swear and cry foul as I wish upon it a destruction. But we all know the truth -- the wall is only in our minds. Our minds are what hold tight, not some outside force, so it is my self that I call a 'fucking pain in the ass'. Such awful words on the tongue, aimed at my own mental anguish! Dreadful! Horrible! When what is stopping us is our own minds, we are trapped in an unbreakable bubble. A joy in destruction But I love bashing the wall -- smashing it, destroying it. And because the wall doesn't exist outside the confines of my consciousness I am the only one capable of obliterating it, so the bashing and smashing is ever more enjoyable as it's a triumph over the self.
- [The Power of Emotion in Graphic Design](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/power-emotion-graphic-design/) - The driving force behind all our decisions is emotion. It's what makes us human, is what defines who we are and how we react to different situations. Graphic design is a platform from which emotional fighter-jets can be launched. So why is so much of what we see not much more than emotional paper-planes? This logo makes me cry Oh, what emotion this logo pulls from me! The typeface gives a fitting air of femininity and gentleness.The heavier strokes of the letters negate any delicateness that one may consider this logo to have. The exclusive use of uppercase, the elegance of the lettering---especially the finials of the R and the E---lead to a quality of stability. Then there is the child-in-womb beauty that the ampersand creates. This is the moment where my heart swells. The head of the fetus as ampersand that is sitting safely within the O just works. This is elegant design thinking at its best. Not only does the ampersand look beautiful in itself, but the slight curve and attention to detail of it---especially the back of this child---and how it derives its shape from its mother O sends a tingle through my spirits. It looks so comfortable. It looks like the ampersand is fittingly the child of the O as their shapes compliment and reflect one another so well. Reminiscent of a baby in the womb with face and feet so close, balled up, waiting for oxygen to fill its lungs, the ampersand creates a beautiful illustration that wouldn't work if on its own. In lesser hands, this may not have been pulled off with such grace, but Lubalin manages it so well here. The concept is great, the execution perfect. And it breaks my heart. This bookmark slides a smile upon my lips The stock has a velvety soft texture to it that is inviting, looking so warm that the fingers lust to reach out and touch.
- [Pushing "Wrong" Out of the Picture](https://retinart.net/creativity/pushing-wrong-out/) - Worrying about whether what you're right or wrong means you are evaluating the ideas before they exist, judging before the work can be judged.
- [The Jazzy Blue Notes of Reid Miles](https://retinart.net/artist-profiles/jazzy-blue-notes-reid-miles/) - Every now then, as you stumble through design history, you trip over and fall on your ass. When you look closer at what caused you to stumble, you realise it's a rather a big rock, one that you should have seen coming. Perhaps it was a big moment when things changed in our industry, in society, in theory and you'd simply been ignorant to it until that moment that it got caught under your foot. More often than not it's a person. When we first start studying we hear the names Josef Muller-Brockmann or Paul Rand and when we see more of their work, or read some of their words, we wonder how we didn't know of them sooner. We could learn of them on our third day of study and argue that we should have heard of them on our first. For me, the latest person whose name caused me to happily hit the dirt is Reid Miles, an amazing modernist designer who designed over 500 LP covers for Blue Note Records through the 1950's and 60's. Blue Note Records Blue Note Records was known for their selection of artists, whom they treated with a surprising amount of respect, rather than imposing upon them their own ideals about how their work should sound. They would go as far as to pay the artists for their rehearsal time, as well as their recording time, something which other independent music labels wouldn't do. The benefits of this was improved sounds, relaxed artists and a comfort from all those involved that translated well onto vinyl. And while the majority of the music they released was aimed at a wide audience, they would also work with lesser known and slightly eccentric jazz musicians. It's almost an abstract thought, but the company wasn't overly concerned with making money with these records as they want to simply write about new developments into the history pages of jazz. This creative freedom is one worth noting, as it is perhaps this experimental, let the artist be an artist, kind of mentality that extended to their covers and to the ideas Miles had for them. The Personification Printification of Jazz When you look at the work of Miles, you can't help but feel as if you're looking at Jazz realised. When he first joined Blue Note, he worked as an assistant to John Hermansader, the then creative director of the company. John's work was quite lovely in its own right, but lacked a certain punch that Miles would go on to deliver. Initially Miles just wanted to keep up and continue the stylistic tradition that Hermansader had started, but in the end he elevated it to staggering heights. His covers "sound like [they know] what lay in store for the listener", Felix Cromey, Blue Note: The Album Cover Art which cannot be argued. Even to those who have no idea about---or hardly heard---jazz, the covers just look the way jazz covers should. Perhaps its the typography? Or the photography? Or maybe it's the colour? I think of jazz as an explosion of soulful sounds, which are peppered with extreme emotion. The covers that Miles designed have much in common with this idea.
- [The Redesign of Retinart](https://retinart.net/retinart/the-redesign-of-retinart/) - I just got to the point where I was always embarrassed. I loved my previous design, but I was embarrassed by it. And one shouldn't hold such rotten feelings when asked to show their blog. Or worse yet, when other sites actually link to it. It should be a moment of excitement, of satisfaction of 'everything is just right'. That's what I was missing. I didn't have that at all. I was bothered by a lot and found my self in a horrible position, burdened by cures to fun and excitement. I felt as if I could do better. I felt as if I needed to provide a better experience for those of you who were kind enough to come visit. A blog should feel like a home -- a place of comfort, entertainment, knowledge, an inviting place of warmth, full of little nooks and crannies in which fun can be found. So I set my self the task of building a better home.
- [Valuable Ideas and TED](https://retinart.net/creativity/valuable-ideas-ted/) - The most valuable of all that we can ever own costs us nothing. When it is passed from one person to another, it does not diminish in quality or quantity. In fact, what happens to this possession is quite the opposite - it grows. It develops and becomes strong, frightening the closed minded and exciting the willing. Let's have a look at few video presentations on this special little something at the Technology, Education & Design conference - TED. The most valuable of all that we can ever own is an idea. A thought. An idea is the start of everything. most of everything is, obviously, ultimately worthless. Which means many of the ideas that come to us through the ether are, you guessed it, ultimately worthless. Yet once in a while, an idea grabs hold. It latches on and infects the host with curiosity and passion. It pushes those in its path to discover something new. To do something great. It may be something as simple as the ball-point pen or as complex as a thought as to how the human brain functions. In a nutshell, the TED conference is about clever ideas. Creative, awe-inspiring ideas that help to shape worlds - be it the world of science, the world of the hungry, a third-world nation or the world of business. An annual conference (or should I say because of recent expansions, conferences) TED runs for three days, as fifty people share their ideas, 18 minutes at a time. It is for reasons like TED that I hold reverence for the power of the internet. A few years ago, those behind the conference began to share some of the moments of what happens on stage online. The popularity and spread of these videos is extraordinary. It shows that we are all curious and interested in how to better ourselves and the worlds around us. The collections is now at over 400 videos, and it's growing. What you'll find below are a few videos which I find to be fascinating and in relation to what you are here for---what it is we love---graphic design, creativity and beauty. Stefan Sagmeister. ... much, much more difficult is, this, where the design actually can evoke happiness. There are two lessons that are to be learned from Stefan Sagmeister's talk at TED. The first is about happiness. It is about the importance of finding as much happiness as we can from the work on which our thoughts dwell. And more than merely finding happiness for our selves, the joy one can take when they can inject happiness into their work and have it show through to the point of the audience being able to connect and share in such feelings. The second lesson, and one that is no secret to anyone to whom Sagmeister's work and career holds some familiarity, relates to honest. Honesty and the ability to place a little part of your own mind and thoughts into the work. It is perhaps because of this that many see Sagmesiter dancing upon the line that separates graphic design and art. It is definitely why his work is so engaging and entertaining. Through his work, which is all client requested, he makes it easy to appreciate what it is he is thinking, feeling and saying, because the messages are perosnal to him. And they are messages he wants to share.
- [Experience & Trap Door Laughter](https://retinart.net/working-life/experience-trap-door-laughter/) - When one has the same lesson over and over, it becomes known intimately. A person will know exactly how something will end, when it is experienced again and again and again. They will know the effect it will have, what the idea behind it is and eventually, even if it was at first, it becomes very unintelligent. It becomes stale, boring, obvious and foolish. This isn't a secret by any means, yet many seem to forget about this little fact when it comes to dealing with clients, who haven't had the lessons we have. He doesn't laugh at movies anymore. He said it so easily. Well, that's not completely true, he assures us. He says that this one film---he's a film critic, you see---made him laugh once or twice, which was worthy of praise because he doesn't laugh at movies anymore. That's a little jaded, isn't it? That's not a rhetorical question - I'm genuinely wondering if he can be labeled as jaded? I watch this man and his co-host often. He, well, both of them, but it's not her we're talking about, has a very respectable intellect. He laughs and cracks his wit like a whip and has a joyous time with his on-screen partner, so clearly he's a happy man, a man able to jest and smirk and laugh. So no, perhaps he isn't jaded. But, the thing is, he doesn't laugh at movies anymore. If one were to lend their thoughts to it for a moment, an easy discovery can be made - he doesn't laugh at movies for the same reason doctors don't shed tears for death. Which is the same reason a farmer isn't bothered by going shoulder deep into Bessy. And why an electrician will happily play with that which can literally shock the life out of him We've seen it before and know how it'll work
- [Blackletter](https://retinart.net/typography/blackletter/) - Blackletter, or as it is often mistakenly called, Gothic or Old-English, is an all-encompassing term given to a range of fonts which started with Gutenberg's 42-Line Bible. It strongly maintained its roots in the calligraphic scripts and organic shapes of its ancestors-in-influence for the following 500 years as it remained in strong use. ... In which the darkness of the characters over-powers the whiteness of the page ---Steven Heller--- A better opening than this elegant description of the oldest of fonts, I cannot give. So let's forge ahead. Carolingian Minuscule As the class of intellects grew in Europe around the 8th century, a standard script was developed in the hope to have the Roman alphabet more readable and the forms and accents the letters bore be less dependent on the region in which the text was written. If it was written on one side of the country, it had to be read on the other. This script, on which the earlier forms of blackletter was based, was a beautiful culmination of Latin, Greek, Irish and English scripts used for the religious texts of monasteries. The script became known as Carolingian Minuscule. Carolingian Minuscule was developed at the request of the Emperor Charlenmange, to be used throughout his land, which included Western and Central Europe. While illiterate himself, he held a love of letters and realised that a unified writing system that would aid in literacy across his empire would be beneficial to its survival and growth. With its ease-of-understanding for those newly-literate, use spread across universities and through the boom of literature that was spilling forth. In the original form developed under the emperor, the script's letter were wide, and large documents were labour-intensive to produce. The script evolved over time and a few hundred years after its initial development, it found its place as the father of blackletter. The letters became smaller, thinner and the script had less of a cursive flare to it. Ironically, the life this script lead ended with characteristics that were deliberately avoided during its inception. The purpose of Carolingian Minuscule, above all else, was legibility. It was the first script in which a clear difference between capitals and lowercase letter-forms, as well as one of the first in which a strong space between words, was required.
- [Links: Elegant Type & Floral Blades](https://retinart.net/links/links-elegant-type-floral-blades/) - To be found this week is much in the way of publications. There are beautiful books, metal type, respect to white space and dramatic contrast in type sizes between body and heading. Not to mention a great deal of care taken in choice and positioning of photography and illustration. Everything I adore about publication design, be it magazine or book, online or off. There is also patterns and blades, a Wall-E cases mod which'll do well to cure any bout of laziness you have once the amount of work involved is witnessed and you'll want to keep your hands anything but idle.
- [Natural Talent](https://retinart.net/creativity/natural-talent/) - Natural talent works well as a scapegoat and defense for one to protect themselves from the real world. To say someone is naturally talented is to say that no matter what efforts you exert, they will forever prove themselves better. Which is to say that they didn't earn what they have. What utter idiocy. It's a matter of being curious, answering questions which invoke inspiration and joyous hard work. That is where true natural talent lies. I am not naturally talented. Nor are you. I'd say you're better than that. Don't get me wrong, I'm in no doubt that you're a talented, intelligent and creative person. What I do doubt, however, is the idea of such skills being given at birth. I doubt that our ability to draw like this or write like that is something that we don't work for, but is something that just comes into us out of nothingness. I say you earned the skills you have. Hence you being better than that. Curiosity What I know though, is that you were given that which has been the driving force behind everything creative we, as a species, has ever done that is worth mention - curiosity. All of those whose careers revolve around creative thought are continuously curious We've all curious about something. For some, to ask the question 'why?' is to give ourselves happiness We are born curious, this is what's natural. Some of us are taught to stop asking questions because it's annoying, others might not find the answers they want so give up. Either way, questions and probing becomes something of a lost art for some. They are more curious and are the ones who have an interest in a field Those that may appear to be naturally talented are more likely to be those who are more inquisitive. They are more curious and are the ones who have an interest in a field that allows them to constantly ask questions. They haven't forgotton how important they are. To say a skill rather than curiousity comes naturally is to diminish the work those deemed naturally talented have done---and it demeans the work and effort you've put into your own craft, your own questions. It is saying that no matter how hard you work, they will always best you.
- [Links: A Shadow of a Letter is Cast](https://retinart.net/links/links-shadow-of-a-letter/) - Without intention, the design half of this week's links are all strongly typographic. I've been wondering of late what weight good typography holds in good graphic design. If what is shown here is any indication, it's must be the majority of the work, no? But then there's the art, with which the typography has something to play off and reflect. Hmmm. Ponderings aside, enjoy this week's links!
- [Good Designers Ask "Why?"](https://retinart.net/working-life/good-designers-ask-why/) - Asking the simplest of questions can debunk the oddest of requests. Asking Why? means those requesting the questionable must stand tall and proud and explain with certainty why they make their request. If they cannot answer, then it proves it was on a whim and probably worth ignoring. If they answer well, then chances are there is something beautiful-in-reason to be found in the answer. As designers, we provide a service. Ok, nothing revolutionary in that statement. We're service providers. Clients come to us with a problem, we perform the service of giving them a solution. Right? Right. Hmmm. A problematic mind set ... is that we are nothing more than button pressers A problematic mind set that has infectiously attacked many of our brothers and sisters of design is that we are nothing more than button pressers. An easily found conclusion. After all, when clients come to us for something, we must give it to them, that's our role as, all together now, service providers. They want - we give. The client, or some of the nastier ones, think along these lines, but aren't stopped by the cure carrying designer. They demand we do it their way. And that's fine. What isn't fine is when the designer doesn't question the decisions. Because when you, the designer, doesn't question and just acts, then you simply become an interface that sits dumbly between the client and the software. You know the magic buttons to press, you have the software and the large monitor. Apparently this makes a designer. You simply become an interface that sits dumbly between the client and the software The best part of doing so is that these types of designers later bitch and moan the loudest. The job looks awful! My client is an idiot! Why, oh why do I get the bad ones? Wah wah wah. Don't be one of these stooges. Just don't, it's stupid and a waste of your talent and time. The only difference between the self-loathing Mac operator and the happy and successful designer, who have both had their suggestions ignored, who both have clients who push them to develop shitty work---work the client loves and the designer loathes---is a simple questions. Why? The good designer will always ask Why?
- [Links: Craft within the strokes](https://retinart.net/links/links-craft-within-the-strokes/) - The wing of a bird flutters, as the spoke of a wheel twirls, while the clouds of a wall float past a beast on a table and landscapes of fog mist. All this and other wankery phrases turned in this week's links! Oh, and a healthy dose of beautiful type! Can't forget the lovely letters.
- [Real World Grunge Type](https://retinart.net/typography/grunge-fonts/) - In this feature-length article Grunge Type is looked at a little more thoroughly than most who employ such fonts would think to do. While there isn't anything wrong with type that has been beaten and broken, there is definitely an issue with most of the fonts that are put under this category. Let's have a look at how to do it well and how to give your headings real world grunge character. In theory, grunge fonts are lovely things, aren't they? They can be used to help give a feeling of tangibility---this piece of text, these words and their message have gone through hell to meet us. Through their beaten but still standing shapes they give a sense of longevity, all while having an air of the modern to them. The real charm of these cracked letters is a result of our ever refined culture---the computer affords the designer the ability to make all the lines straight, all the circles perfect. Yet here are these forms that aren't clean and neat and shiny. They serve as a break from our gloss screens and polished metal. They're almost organic in a sense. Or at least that's their goal - to look as if they exist outside of the realm of pixels and vectors. If the computer makes things perfect, the real world gives it character. And this is what grunge fonts try to achieve - a sense of character and charm. Too bad that this is almost never truly the case.
- [Links: Olivetti & Bold Type](https://retinart.net/links/links-olivetti-bold-type/) - Graphic design and those creative souls who linger behind the elements of it are, at it's core, fun, aren't they? Graphic Design is quirky. It's clever and it makes the world around us a better place to be in. This week's links are a small showcase of the fun people have had in their work, from the quirky cards of King Popcorn, the still brilliant posters for Olivetti to the workspaces where creative wonders are produced and the advertising that leads us to the places where the seeds of our skills are planted.
- [Reimagining Nineteen Eighty-Four](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/1984/) - George Orwell's masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four, is a piece of literary work that few are ignorant of. Yet after a bit of time looking at different covers designed since its first edition, I began to think that there weren't many that felt like true reflections of the original. George Orwell's masterpiece, Nineteen Eighty-Four, is a piece of literary work that few are ignorant of. A chilling story of a world at war where all information, culture and, to a terrifyingly easy extent, ideas are controlled by the Thought Police from their Ministry of Love---it's a lot worse than it sounds---under the law of a strict ruler - Big Brother and his totalitarian regime. We focus on Winston, a man of no importance in this alternate world of 1984, whose purpose is to alter records as to better reflect the current politcal mood of the party. When the designer includes a subtle reference or link it's always a delight While the covers of books don't have to represent exact moments or ideas contained within the pages they cover (there's a saying about it, I believe), when the designer includes a subtle reference or link it's always a delight. When the cover makes more and more sense the deeper your understanding of the story becomes, it begins to become an inside joke between you and the block of paper in front of you. This doesn't really happen with many, if any at all, of the covers of this classic novel. There seems to be something lacking for most of the covers designer for Nineteen Eighty-Four since it's original writing, which is surprising given its popularity and position within literary history.
- [Links: Patterns, Dharma & Holi](https://retinart.net/links/links-patterns-and-dharma/) - The biggest blessing and curse of the internet is the limitless opportunity it gives us to indulge in any fetish we have. This week I'm letting you peek in on my whips and chains, so to speak. There's beautiful floral patterns, grit, editorial design, Moleskines and some messages from the Dharma Initiative.
- [The Sketches of Leonardo](https://retinart.net/creativity/da-vinci-3/) - It's not uncommon for anyone even remotely interested in art to have an interest in the life and work of Leonardo Da Vinci. Nor is it uncommon for creatives to have a thing for peering into the sketch books of others to satisfy a creative curiosity as to how someone thinks and develops their ideas. I know I fall hard into both camps, so I thought I might bring the two together. Let's have a look at the brilliant sketchbooks of the old master. The power of Leonardo's works is undeniable. While he may have only produced a handful of finished pieces, the impact he left is second to none. Below are the sketches for two of the most well known and renowned pieces of creative work the world has ever known. These illustrations move me. Not because of what they are depicting, but because of the quality and care and craft that was put into them. As a graphic designer, I have a love for seeing the sketch books of creatives, as I'm sure you do too. There's something to looking into the development of a piece of work you admire -- to see how it was constructed, how the idea came to fruition---it's interesting and exciting. The notes are mostly observations or little tidbits I read while putting this all together, that make the imagery a little more interesting. The Last Supper Easily in the top two of Leonardo's most renowned pieces, The Last Supper was commissioned by his employer of the time, the Duke of Milan, in 1495 and took three years to complete. While the painting has deteriorated horribly over the years, what makes it so special is so easily seen -- the emotion and expressions strewn across the faces of those at the table are stunning. The detail in their skin, hair and clothes are of such high quality and rich detail that it can be hard to easily understand the depth and complexity emotion and body language shown. Let's start with a good look at the finished product. This is the moment in the Biblical story that Jesus says that he will be betrayed by one of those sitting with him. Looking closely at the expressions, you'll noticed surprise, anger, fear and sadness, which up to this point weren't always shown in such legitimately human ways in previous representations of this scene by other artists. Now moving on to the sketches! This was an initial draft done hastily to establish position and proportion, done as if he had excitedly realised how he was going to compose the image.
- [Links: Beautiful Blackletter & Script](https://retinart.net/links/links-beautiful-blackletter-and-script/) - I love the old, I love the new. I adore the editorial, I adore the illustration. I lust for the the grit and grime, I lust for the the cut and pasted. And the blackletter and script; I am infatuated. This week's links!
- [Links: Through A Beautiful R](https://retinart.net/links/links-through-a-beautiful-r/) - This week's links swing between the rusty, dilapidated scenes of abandoned gas stations, through to delicate collages of type and image. There's also some amazing work form studio KXX, some images that will bring back memories for many, the original iPhone and some of the best newspaper design in the world.
- [These Things, I Wish To Have Known](https://retinart.net/working-life/wish-to-have-known/) - How many times have you thought to yourself that you might have avoided a whole field of mental-mines if you had just known that some clients are going to be the beasts of nightmares and that it's not so bad when you make a mistake? I put together a list of fifty or so tips I wish I had known when I started my working life. I hope to help at least one student relax a little. You're going to screw up. The world keeps spinningThings are going to go wrong and it'll be your fault. It's ok. Admit when you've stuffed upIt means you're taking responsibility; save time on bickering or making-up excuses and you'll feel virtually no guilt. Solve your screw upsYou stuffed up, cost people money and wasted peoples time. Waaah. Solve the problem and be a professional. Keep your desk cleanNeat desk, neat mind. Take the full lunch breakYour brain needs the break and the fresh air and time to think will do you well. Enjoy creative magazines and/or books at the start of every dayDon't jump straight onto the computer. Get your creative juices flowing organically. Drink waterLots of it. Coffee = bad. Learn to love the On Proof & Working traysYeah, the in/out tray system is lame, but it'll keep you sane and keep your desk neat. As a side note, have a notepad handy where you write down everything you need to do. Every little request that comes your way, write it down in a list, as well as every job you need to do when a proof comes back with changes. It helps you organise what to do when. Clients are people tooStop laughing, they really are. Seriously, stop laughingSome people are assholes, but most are nice. Therefore, some clients are assholes, but most are nice.
- [Links: Ceramic Letters & Flowers](https://retinart.net/links/links-ceramic-letters-with-floral-patterns/) - Grab yourself a cup of coffee, this weeks links post is a hum-dinger. We meet a snail named Victor, ceramics so cool that you'll be happy if Granny gave them to you, beautiful illustrations, more beautiful illustraions, erotic awesome stairs that makes me wish I lived in 9 level house so I could have stairs EVERYWHERE, some type history, some delicate type and some heavy type. Oh, and the first lucky caller to ring in and give us the novelty word wins a trip to the Grand Canyon!
- [Letterpress Addict](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/letterpress-addict/) - We all have our addictions based in creativity. They keep us up at night. They loot and plunder the gold from our pockets and often don't make sense to family and friends. We lose our selves for hours at a time in our obsessions, thinking and tinkering, pondering and playing. But the rush of joy and happiness and energy they give us can be the greatest high one could imagine. Hello, my name is Alex Charchar and I'm a letterpress addict. I'm addicted to paper that has been kissed by metal type. And, sometimes.. sometimes it doesn't even need to be metal type---it can be photopolymer plates, which is sort of like metal type but... different... it's a whole Pepsi vs Coke thing... Even wood type will flame my passions. Oh, blissful wood type. However it's pressed, I love paper that's been squashed; that's been impressed upon by inked letters and... ohhh... but... yes, yes, even on the dark, quiet nights, when I just need my fix, I'll even go as far as to enjoy the sweet, naked bliss of a blind emboss. That's right! I'm a print designer who loves the look of paper that's been printed without ink! It just feels so good and I am not afraid to admit it so. I'm not even sure when my story of addiction began. I don't remember my first taste. I must have been 16 years of age the first time I got a sniff of it. Just a whisper. It was all I needed. I was starting to look at graphic art and design and get excited about this new world of beauty. DesignIsKinky served as my gateway---showing me things I'd never seen before---expanding my mind into the little hours of the morning. Once in a while I would hear the voices talking to me. I would shake my head and accept them as background noise - I wasn't here to see them. Not yet, anyway. But... but they grew louder. "Who... who are you?" I once said aloud, realising I was talking to a computer screen and feeling a little ashamed. Then... "We are the letterpressed, come play with us." I awoke the next morning in a pool of cold sweat. I had seen something the night before. And it was special. Beautiful.
- [Links: Alien Buildings](https://retinart.net/links/links-alien-buildings/) - Another week, another batch of links! This one is a big one so strap in and get ready! We've got some beautiful and eerily alienesque architecture, some gorgeous business cards, books, books and more books as well as beautifully delicate packaging.
- [Links: You guessed it, kerned](https://retinart.net/links/links-you-guessed-it-kerned/) - Second week in and this stuff is still fun to put together. Today, I present to you, monsters of the typographic kind, the darling Maira Kalman, type from the streets, school-day style type, an RSS feed worth subscribing too and a bad-ass type game. Yup, looks like this is a type heavy links post this week. Enjoy! KERN iphone game demo from Jason Franzen on Vimeo.
- [Art Director: Milton Glaser](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/newyorkmag/) - Milton Glaser is a name virtually anyone who has studied graphic design history to any extent knows. The Bob Dylan poster and the I Love NY logo are two works that many people even outside of the field know and have seen time and time again. For several years, between his time as co-founder and president of Push Pin studios, yet before the I Love NY logo, he was art director of New York magazine. I love magazines. Editorial design is second-to-none for me. It's a world where things can be tried and if successful, pushed, evolved, grown. If an idea looks good at first but not so good 20,000 copies later then damned be the embarrassments! There'll be another issue soon enough. Typography is played with, photography and illustration can carry all the weight of a layout and the rules and expectations can be pushed to within an inch of their lives, only to be brought back to something graceful and elegant the next story. Because of this love I have, when I read about Google's new digitizing of publications from the last century or so, I wet my self. Well, not really, but you get an idea of the level of excitement I was experiencing. In the small pile of publications that this new digital archive was building, only a few names aroused a modicum of interest. Except one, one caught my eye for one reason or another: New York. A name I was at best vaguely familiar with. A level of awareness I was more than happy to boost as best as I could for a couple of hours a night for the better part of a week.
- [Links: YEAH! I CONCUR, SIR!](https://retinart.net/links/links-yeah-i-concur-sir/) - With the amount of beautiful things on the internet, it's hard to not want to show as much of it as you can to your friends. So, my friends, here you are! I'm going to try to make this a weekly post, showing some graphic artist's, designer's and blogger's accomplishments from around the web. I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I do.
- [Reza Abedini](https://retinart.net/artist-profiles/rezaabedini/) - Practicing in his homeland of Iran, Reza Abedini is an accomplished graphic designer who continually blurs the lines between art and design. He combines simple illustrations with poetic typography and elegant layouts, exploring the beauty of the Persian language. As well as being a member of the AGI, Abedini has won many awards as well as judged and been apart of many panel discussions. "For me, graphic design is totally art" "For me, graphic design is totally art." Looking at the work of Iranian graphic designer Reza Abedini this is easily an understandable comment. With a strong sense of pride in his Islamic heritage and Iranian background, Abedini wields his skills with the Persian Language in beautiful and graceful ways. With a strong passion for the history of his culture, Abedini believes that traditional art forms are dead and that "graphic design is a new art of the 20th [and] 21st century ... Graphic design is a kind of phoenix". Looking at his posters, free of the influences of the International Style, you can't help but feel that you are looking at a piece of art as much as you are looking at a piece of graphic design --- the lines of both being deliberately blurred in an effort to speak with his own voice as a director speaks with theirs when reciting a screenwriters script. "Graphic design is a kind of phoenix" A helping hand As a teenager Abedini was guided into the arts by the hand of a teacher who saw a creative spark in his pupil. He requested a short story from Abedini. Finding favour with his teacher, this short story caused him to see fit to ask Abedini to assist him with various creative projects. With a way to travel into the world of creative thinking, Abedini's knowledge of the crafts began to expand. Abedini enjoyed this time of creative flourishing and exploration, eventually hitting a chord with brush and paint. An interest ignited when he was tasked with illustrating the set for the play his school was performing. His teacher, once again seeing something in Abedini, introduced him to graphic designers and other creatives in the area, who served as a gateway to deeper knowledge of the world of creativity, as well as Iranian and Persian cultural history.
- [How To Achieve An Impossible Task](https://retinart.net/creativity/impossibletasks/) - One of the most memorable lessons learned while studying design had nothing to do with layout, typography, color or any other facet of the syllabus. It had absolutely nothing to do with design, but effected how to go about doing it. It was how to work furiously and complete a conceivably impossible task. After expressing an interest in using ink for illustration but not feeling confident enough in my abilities, my teacher of the time set me to task on something that caused many a cursed word to spill. Before I had ever illustrated a single image using ink, he told me I was to deliver to him a book full of illustrations by the following class. A full book in a week. How I was meant to achieve this man-walking-on-the-moon goal was beyond me. But there wasn't enough time to sit around and think about how I couldn't do it--- I had work to do and I was shitting myself. *** After a week of working furiously and completely changing my routine, I proudly, and a little arrogantly, presented my book of illustrations, which was greeted with a somber flicking-through, then closed and commented on. With a sadistic smile, he uttered '... good on you, now double it by next week - two more books.' More words of the cursed spilled. *** When the day to present came, something remarkable happened. He gingerly went through this new duo of books, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. A few minutes passed and we started talking. 'Look at this one ... then this one - what do you notice?' Well, you evil son-of-a-bitch, I notice hours upon hours of my life sucked into over 300 pages of shitty illustrations. 'That one.. is a little better than the first.'
- [Beautiful Bjork](https://retinart.net/artist-profiles/beautifulbjork/) - There are some artists, regardless of medium, who are special. For many of us, Icelandic mega-talent Bjork is someone special. Her soulful voice sings to our hearts and souls in ways few-to-none can match. Originally I wanted to have a wide look at the works of Bjork, going from album to album and looking at the art and design of the album art as well as the film clips the accompany her beautiful music. Having listened to her music over and over and enviously gazed at her film clips in the same way one might look at the works of an old master, I realised something. Something obvious, something I already knew but hadn't quite realised. She's extremely accomplished. Like I said, obvious. So instead of presenting you with a 25,000 word article on the artistry of this queen of the creative, I thought it might serve better to produce for you a small article, focusing on a few key creative works. Of course, I could, and would, happily express my love for her work for 25,000 words, so this may very well turn into a series of articles, each focusing on a few film clips and an album or two per article. Without further ado, I give you creativity in one of its most beautiful personifications: Bjork. Post Having evolved from her days as a punk-rock firecracker as part of the Icelandic group The Sugarcubes, through her first (and very successful) solo endeavour of Debut, her explosive exploration is contained and expressed through the part-jazz, part-pop and part-dance sounds of Post. Each song is increasingly different. Opening with the heavy sounds of Army of Me, we are given an impression best left as the first. This strong, somewhat powerful piece of music doesn't set the tone for the rest of the album. In fact, no single song does. Each song is distinctly Bjork---expressive, hyper, emotional and unique. Each feeling right and fitting nicely on this album, but no one song defining the qualities or sounds of it as a whole. There is the almost dance, almost ambient Hyperballed, the delicate Isobel, the extroverted big-band extravaganza It's Oh So Quiet and the sombre Possibly Maybe. All different in style and sound and all tracks that would serve as keystone moments on albums of their own. Hyperballad A song set in the moment of a relationship when aspects of your character need to be executed in secret. We are given a tale of someone who needs to release themselves in a away so that they can feel comfortable with the ones their with. To put it simply, it's about acting out or in a certain way when your partner isn't in the audience, so that you can be more comfortable when they are around. Not so much about keeping secrets, more about keeping apart of yourself for yourself. Much like the music Bjork creates, the French director Michel Gondry created a multi-layered film clip full of contrasting styles mashed together with beautiful colours and shapes while being elegant in its execution. With layered video, it'd be easy to assume it was all simply done during post-production. Surprisingly it was all done straight to film, on one role 400 feet in length. Maybe it was done this way for no other reason than to experiment with double (does it count as triple when you do it a third time?) exposing the film in the name of artistic experimentation. An excuse to have bit of a play. Perhaps I'm wanting to find the romance in the production and methodology of this one, but I'd rather think that more than an excuse to play, it was done this way to give the clip an organic feel. By layering the clip via double exposure, rather than doing it in post, Gondry relinquishes a great deal of control, giving the video room to grow along its own path through misalignment and mistiming in filming. Perhaps it might be better to consider this film clip crafted by Gondry, rather than directed.
- [The Art of the Title](https://retinart.net/interviews/artofthetitle/) - The first few minutes of a film will often either leave the audience full of excitement and eager to see how the story of the movie will play out, wondering what hints they were shown in the opening credits to what they're about to watch. Sometimes these opening moments are grander than the film that follows them. Sometimes you talk to your friends about the notebooks instead of the head in the box, or the silhouetted men running around more than the prodigy delinquent. Ian & Alex of The Art of the Title Sequence are two curators of a collection of title sequences best described as fine art. With the amount of media we are shown every day, to be willing to sit down for two hours and say to the film makers "alright then, you have 120 minutes of my life" is no small feat. Not to mention that we have conditioned ourselves into jumping from topic to topic, idea to idea, advertisement to advertisement, resulting in diminished attention spans. So when that 120 minutes starts up, the first three or four might be some of the most important. If the opening credits to a film bore us, we would be forgiven for feeling the whole film will be boring. If they're exciting and manage to push our cart to the top of an emotional roller-coaster, then there we'll be, sitting at the edge of our seats, strapped in, waiting to be thrown around. Ian Albinson and Alex Ulloa are two who enjoy that roller-coaster and have the discussions about the notebooks. The two behind the immensely addictive site The Art of the Title Sequence have a passion for those opening moments and regularly show some of the best to have been created. They were kind enough to give me a few moments of their time and provide one of those interviews you wish never really ended. What is it that good title sequences share? A: They are original in a way that is either daring and challenging, or clever and wonderful. They are always thoughtful; even those with raging adrenaline and nervy force have a thoughtfulness to them. I: Almost all tell a story, however straightforward or abstract they may be. The now legendary opening sequence to Se7en. It seems like title sequences are to Se7en as branding is to the FedEx logo (and it's white-space arrow) - why do you think the opening credits to Se7en serve as a suitable gateway drug to explaining the world of title sequences, as the FedEx logo does to explaining branding? A: Because they were both lucky and smart. Have you seen Man on Wire (note this: much of life relates back to Man on Wire)? When the physicality of Philippe Petit stretches and lays amongst the clouds in actual manifestation of a man realizing-and-soaking-in-and-being-playful-with His Dream we understand---once we're over the drunken thrill of this incredible moment---that this man was smart, but he was also lucky enough to have existed at a moment in history where twin monuments were being built. So goes the opening title sequence for Se7en (the film itself being the rare example of every collaborative element, which is to say the whole of it, was executed to perfection), this new standard in title sequences equalled the film and the film delivered the brilliant tonal darkness promised in the sequence. That sequence and the classic example you provided in the FedEx logo have a depth and thoughtfulness to the 'communicative attributes' within. Thank you for the question; because of it I revisited a posting I hadn't thought of in years. This new standard in title sequences equalled the film
- [Music and the Artist](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/musicartist/) - Mountains of ink and graphite have been spilled in an effort to explain music and the affect it has on the soul, especially that of the artist. It almost feels redundant to say that it changes and evokes moods, that it inspires and drives. Music can be something special for the creative as it helps motivate and coax out ideas which lay hiding. I spoke to six immensely creative people to find out what music means to them and how it affects their work. What you'll find below are three questions that I gave six talented illustrators about music, how it affects their work and who some of their favourite artists are. Kerry Roper Kerry Roper's work reminds us how beautiful the texture, grit and scratches of grunge can be when handled by a master. What does music mean to you when you're working? Music inspires and drives me. I find music a great inspiration to my work - wether it be the lyrics or the general sound itself. I love the way music can evoke emotions - I try to achieve this through my work by using both images and words. Music also can help me get into my work by stopping any distractions from other surrounding sounds. Words are powerful and it's great to listen to music which encapsulate this power. What's your favourite bands/albums to have on when you're working? Usually I like to listen to bands such as Interpol, Kings of Leon, The Charlatans and Joy Division. They're all very moody bands but they have great attitude and lyrics. Are there any illustrations that you've done that were were strongly influenced by the music you were listening to at the time? It's sounds like a cliche but two illustrations that have come direct from music are The Beauty Room sleeve and the Devil's Gun sleeve - I listened to them for inspiration on designing the actual covers for the bands themselves. They are both completely different kinds of music one being more soulful and the other very dance/mix oriented - I think this reflects well in the final cover designs.
- [Why Do Creatives Create?](https://retinart.net/creativity/creativescreate/) - What is it in us that makes us want to create? Why do we want to take nothing and fill it with something? Why do we desire to take that which is inside us, be it an idea, question or emotion and express it through colour and shape? Why is this urge satisfied for only a moment? Why do we create? For some of us the question of 'why do I do this?' plagues us as it evasively makes its way into our minds. Once we stop for a moment to ponder this simple question, its importance and dominance in our brain grows stronger and stronger as each answer drives a path for more questions of self-reasoning. We subject our selves to creative mood swings as we fly around the spectrum of emotion---from the pleasures of witnessing the works of others to ecstasy as we manage to produce a piece of work which balances our mind and body, and just feels right. Sometimes it's anguish felt when we see someone provoking emotion better than we can or even anger, after hours of our time and portions of our souls are spent, yet we still can't quite get it right. We subject our selves to creative mood swingsas we fly around the spectrum of emotion And of course there are the clients. We become creatives for hire, subjecting our work to the whims of the client as they make it a little bluer or make the logo bigger. But before we go into why designers design, let's ponder why creatives create. To create is to solve a problem. To answer questions. At least this might be the case for any piece of creative work that means anything. Sometimes the question is 'how can I evoke an emotion?' or, 'how do I stop them from forgetting?'. It might also lay on the other side of the above, in that rather than trying to evoke something, it must solve the problem of how to capture an emotion.
- [Sparkle and Spin, Little 1](https://retinart.net/book-reviews/rand/) - You'd be hard-pressed to find a graphic designer who doesn't know the name Paul Rand. You'd be even harder-pressed to find anyone who lives in the western-world who doesn't recognize the marks he'd made. When ordering Sparkle and Spin and Little 1, I wasn't sure if this was the sole reason I wanted them---a little piece of quirkiness by a great graphic designer and the women he loved. Having received them and enjoyed them several times, I now know the reason why I now love them -- they're simply beautiful. Both brightly illustrated, the graphic wit behind these books is a joy to take in - a lot can be learned about how to capture an idea and emotion in the simplest of ways. A mix of large type, paper-cut illustrations (that remind me of Saul Bass in many ways) and simple drawings mix together as they show us that the sum is greater than the parts. Sparkle & Spin Published in 1957, one year after the couple produced their first children's book, I Know a Lot of Things, and also a year after Rand developed his first branding effort for IBM, Sparkle and Spin is a 40 page delight that is written as an introduction to words and how they can dance and sing with one another.
- [If a tree falls](https://retinart.net/creativity/treefalls/) - Oh overnight success, why do we long for thee with such desperation? Why does ignorance plague us as we cry a thousand tears in search of receiving something for nothing? To us fools, the kings of the wise bestow upon us an illuminating guide of words to save us from ourselves -- 'Snap out of it. It isn't going to happen'. Instant success is a scary idea. For starters, if you were to gain a louder voice than you currently have, you wouldn't know how to use it properly. Imagine going from an audience of ten to one of 10,000. Without knowing how to talk to 10,000 people your audience will dwindle back to ten fairly quickly. Any one who has been struck by an arrow shot by the archer that is on the team of the social networks knows this. How often can you sustain the numbers you get from a social network spike? Yeah, exactly. When you start a creative endeavor, be it illustration, design or blogging, it isn't going to be a case of instant popularity -- it takes months and years to build a base which will lead to 'overnight success'. It's this base that you build that will lead to recognition---not being 'discovered'. This is a great time to learn and explore that which you are passionately starting. This is a phase which should be embraced, not ignored or rushed through. This is a phase which should be embraced, not ignored or rushed through
- [An Interview with David Airey](https://retinart.net/interviews/davidairey/) - Chances are, if you've been following the design wing of the blogosphere, you know the name of logo designer David Airey. He's been writing inspiring content for just over two years and has developed quite a following, inspiring many to start their own blogs. He's also the person behind one of the web's best logo blogs -- Logo Design Love. David was kind enough to answer a few questions about his home, his process, blogging and thoughts. AC: Hi David, thanks for taking the time to have a chat. Let's start with your home of Scotland. You've said before that you find inspiration in the Scottish outdoors---can you provide any photos or describe some of your favorite spots? What is it that you love about it and how do you find it stimulates your creativity? DA: Hi Alex, you're more than welcome for my time. Thanks for asking me to contribute to your website. I did find great inspiration in the Scottish outdoors, though for the past couple of months I've been living in Northern Ireland, my birthplace. There's an equal amount of beauty in the Irish countryside though, so I spend a fair amount of time in the fresh air. My creativity is stimulated by everything around me. Nature, architecture, people. There's no one source that's greater than others. A photo of Dunluce Castle from the North coast of Ireland AC: When you think about your first job as a designer, is it a fond memory or a terrifying one? How would you have done the job differently now? DA: My first employed design position was one I greatly enjoyed. I was responsible for the branding and marketing material for a small Scottish cancer charity, and I learnt a great deal about the print industry by being thrown in at the deep end. If I was to take on the task again, I'd be more confident in expressing ideas, although back then I knew a lot less than I do now (still a long way to go, however). By treating my clients with respect from the outset,I find they're much more likely to do the same
- [The Hallways of Adobe.com](https://retinart.net/miscellaneous/hallwaysofadobe/) - Isn't it funny? You spend hours upon hours staring at the software of Adobe, yet how often do you think to yourself that it might be worth exploring the Adobe website? Yeah, me either. Their software hides many passages often left unexplored, only to be discovered one lazy afternoon, leaving you wondering how you didn't know you could do whatever it is you just found. The website isn't much different, so I thought I might provide a few shortcuts. Video Workshop The video workshop is a great place to learn a thing or two or five about the most common Adobe programs. From how to prepare files for output in InDesign to how to use the Vanishing Point in Photoshop, it's a great spot to learn. The videos are provided by online-education super-power Lynda, so they're of the high quality you'd expect from the pairing of the two companies. Design Center Think of the Design Center portion of the Adobe website as a hub for all that which is worth looking at. Split into four parts, the Design Center is really a starting off point. A starting off point that would do well to have an RSS feed. Starting with the Gallery, which showcases the work of creatives from around the world (spoken about more in depth below), there is also Think Tank, Dialogue and Tutorials. Think Tank is the thinking-creatives section. Providing meaty articles on creatives and how they use technology to develop their art, it works well as a trigger-presser for the senses. It'll get you thinking, it'll inspire, stun and leave you mumbling "... why didn't I think of that?" Then there is the Dialogue section which for the last few months has mostly been resupplying articles from the now defunct Adobe Magazine (a PDF magazine with past issues still available) and if you go a little further back in the archives is more of a "hey, this is cool, check it out" type posts either showing tutorials, the always great HillmanCurtis videos, almost-random notes or articles ranging in lengths from 150 words to 500. And lastly, there is the Tutorials section which is disturbingly lack-luster and to be honest, not worth the trip. Design Center - Gallery
- [The Windmill Turneth](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/thewindmillturneth/) - Having been cleansed through cleaning and learned through study, my kingdom of a press was without an army. A mighty force it appeared, but with no energy coursing through its muscles of steel, it proved to be nothing more than a farce. What is a press without a motor if it is not a kingdom without an army or a man without a heart? The winds have changed and now the sweet fruit that my lettepress bares I have tasted. After a few weeks breathing in the bitter fumes of turpentine and going through reams of sandpaper, my Heidelberg Windmill letterpress finally got the heart transplant it sorely needed---a new motor was installed. Going from the industrial setting it use to be in to our garage was something I've written about before. I mentioned previously that the power requirements weren't something we were able to provided in our house, so a new motor which we could handle had to be ordered. A birthday passed and I was lucky enough to receive a new motor as a present from my wife's family. What follows is a series of photos showing what was done to pull out the old motor and replace it with a shiny new one. A few roadblocks were hit along the way, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. Motor The new motor, right out of the box awaiting to be installed, heavier than one might think. This is the old motor, with the large band that wraps around a large wheel. When the wheel spins, everything is in motion and the press is usable. Only electricity to get the motor going is needed, not for the actual press - which means you can run the press without a motor. Not a great idea, as the vacuum wouldn't work and pressure probably wouldn't be an easy thing to work with. The two large discs on either side of the band come off and will be applied to the new motor. A dial on the front of the press controls the speed by moving the motor back and forth, loosening and tightening the belt. You can see that it's about in the middle here. Clearly I didn't get to the discs to give them a clean. The old motor and discs. The spring on the left of the shaft push the two discs together, to ensure they are always tight on both sides of the belt so the belt doesn't vibrate back and forth too severely. The problem with the spring is that it closes the discs closed when a belt isn't present, making it harder to get to a pair of screws that needed to be undone to slip the disc, spring and shaft off the old motor. Nothing a little prying didn't fix.
- [The Typographic Commandments](https://retinart.net/book-reviews/tencommandments/) - "Understand the rules before you break them." A mantra we become all too familiar with when studying. Something many of us found bothersome as it implied subjecting ourselves to a rigid framework---and what creative wants that? Then we learn the rules, realise that they actually do work and start to use them well. The rules make it easier to play the game. The Ten Commandments of Typography serves as a reminder of these safe, warm guides. The second half of Paul Felton's fun little book reminds us why performing Type Heresy is so devilishly satisfying. Paul Felton's The Ten Commandments of Typography/Type Heresy weighs in at a quaint 80-pages and is one of those books that makes you smirk and return to. It's also one of those books you get excited about introducing to your typography-loving friends because of its wit and easy-to-digest size. As the title suggests, this is a book of ten rules and why they should be obeyed and why they should be broken. For most, it'll serve as a reminder of school days past, something Felton seems to have kept in mind. More than a guide book on typographic basics, Felton gives us something fun and enjoyable. It takes something which we love (typography) and something we've all grappled with ('the rules') and pushes them to extreme ends of the spectrum. Ten Ten Commandments of Typography The rules of typography serve as guides to ensure legibility for the audience. They help messages be heard and 'prevent mistakes'. The first 37 pages is a good reminder of what they are and gives straight forward examples of each. It would have been easy to make the book bigger by the nth degree, employing piles of examples to show the rules in use in the wild. An easy way to make the content superficially prettier when flicking through and a easy way to pad out the page count. Easy, but stupid. There is a commandment and a justification or expansion on the left page, example on the right. An elegant and restrained design becomes the ideal vessel for the enjoyable content to travel in. An elegant and restrained design becomes the ideal vessel for the enjoyable content to travel in The writing is quirky and fun and is where the real power of this book comes from---rather than those piles of images left on the cutting room floor. The quirkiness of the content is strong enough that the text does all the heavy lifting and the design mostly fades into the background - the way it often should.
- [50 Movie Poster Remakes (S-Z)](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/50remakes-sz/) - Here we are, the last stretch, the last eleven, the last show-downs. In this final part of the series on movie poster remakes, we get a look at Harrison Ford being creepy, Al Pacino acting the bad-ass, Chrispin Glover looking freakish and as always, Audrey Hepburn looking glamorous. What else could you ask for? This is a good batch for balance. The split between which works better, the original or the remake, is almost divided straight down the middle. As what seems to be the norm, horror movies were remade over and over and so we have a few good comparisons, with the newer ones winning through simplicity and light splashes of colour. We also have a great example of a remake that is so laughable compared to the original you could weep---I'll let you figure out which one that is, but I'll warn you, it's damn easy. Sabrina (1954 & 1995) The epitome of grace and elegance within the film world, Audrey Hepburn, stands playfully and is clearly the attraction to this movie. Yes, there is too much type, bizarre floating heads and someone either being punched or stretching out their back while a friend rubs their shoulder, but it all works so well.. even though it's hard to tell what the movie is called. Then we have Harrison Ford looking as creepy as possible with a "... dance for me and call me daddy" expression on his face. You pick which is better. Scarface (1932 & 1983) "Why you! I'll show you boy-o, put your dukes up, it's time to rumble! Time for a farce!" vs "Say hello to my little friend!" You can decide this one, too. Anyway, now that obligatory Scarface line is out of the way, let's get to the meat. The 1983 version is so iconic I don't even know what to say. Tony lies between the light and dark, between being a peasant and a drug-lord, between life and death. A look of distaste for what he sees before him and gun in hand, the black/white/rad imagery is so fantastic that you look past the reams of type.
- [How do you feel about advertising?](https://retinart.net/critique/howdoyoufeelaboutadvertising/) - Some of the best and brightest creatives are in advertising. It is an area where most of the content is witty, beautiful, inspiring and memorable. But there is a darker side to advertising which often leaves a foul taste in the mouths of those who experience it at a constant level. Meaning pretty much all of us. I go into how I feel about advertising, but what I'm really interested in is how do you feel about advertising? Love It's all about a good idea It's all about a good idea. Advertisers have a second to get your attention, elicit some sort of emotion, to become memorable and hopefully persuade you to purchase something. One second. Probably less. So at the core of this second is a good idea, an elegant idea. An elegant idea that needs to be wrapped in something beautiful, be it an illustration, photograph or typography. This is what I love about advertising. Good, clever, elegant ideas. Brilliantly designed, illustrated, photographed or typeset pieces. Of the above two, what is there to not love? A good example of a great idea, simply executed with powerful, witty photography. Given the fraction of time given to get attention, the design needs to be fantastically simple, illustrating elegant ideas. Ideas that aren't always all-bad. Ideas like donating to charities, or making a change in your life to make yourself feel better about yourself and more confident. Perhaps it'll alert you to a product you've been waiting months for and is bound to improve your way of life. Not all awful things, no? And besides, if you don't want to purchase something, you don't! You just say to yourself 'what a clever ad, time to keep moving' and ignore it.
- [50 Movie Poster Remakes (M-R)](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/50remakes-mr/) - It is a good day to come to the races ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to witness something beautiful. Something elegant! These ponies are going to fly through their air for your amusement! We have the unforgettable Oceans 11 looking far stronger and faster than its older brother, Eddie Murphy ruining yet another piece of creative output, several horses of horror that'll knock your socks off and a 44 year old backed by Alfred Hitchcock that'll knock the pizazz off it's competitor. The remake of The Manchurian Candidate sports a better poster than its original. A good sense of hierarchy, you don't get the feeling the names of the actors is more important than the title of the movie. Even though in the original this may have been the case. The typography is strong and the layout is nicely balanced. All except the tag line that Mr. Washington is crying. Mighty Joe Young (1949 & 1998) Survival is an instinct. Red is a colour. Water is wet. Thank-you for the advice. This one line pushes me to prefer the original, even though we're being spoken to for no apparent reason. I'm really starting to dislike taglines. Bitterness aside, the newer version isn't awful design-wise at all. The type is nice and simple and they didn't just use a roughed up font which most do, so no repeating textures in multiple letters. All the darkness with splashes of bright lights works well, and light through dust/smoke/clouds is always interesting to look at. The Mummy (1932 & 1999) The Mummy cops an eye-full in the original. Clearly, over 60 years later, there aren't as many women for the Mummy to be looking at, so he's having a good ol' yawn.
- [50 Movie Poster Remakes (H-L)](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/50remakes-hl/) - In part two of this four part series of analyzing the differences between movie posters---originals vs remakes---we have some great comparisons. This meal's main ingredient is a fleshy base of horror/thriller, with a twist of romance, a dash of comedy and a sprinkle of absurdity. It will serve 13 couples. This is a great batch because it showcases how far posters have come in the horror genre. From horrible beginnings of tacky facial expressions, it's now possible to say that posters showcasing death, blood and gore are in fact beautiful. Delicate textures and soft browns & yellows with dashes of red, it's easy to see that the designers behind these posters love what they do. Crafted with care, there is just something stunning about these pieces of macabre. And horror isn't alone in growth. With the couple of examples below, you'll notice that the posters for action films has improved greatly also even though their begging weren't spawned from such beginnings of that of horror. The Hills Have Eyes (1977 & 2006) GLADIATORS, ARE YOU READY?! As almost always, the new adaption of this horror flick is far superior to it's predecessor. Although, the type has me a little perplexed as it feels as if the H/i hasn't been kerned properly. The girl in the shot looks more bored than scared, but the textures in the background, the dirty hand in a glove and the required text in the bottom left is so nicely done I hardly even noticed her vacancy. The Hitcher (1986 & 2007) I love the simplicity of the 1986 version of The Hitcher's poster, and the logo makes me smirk in it's originality when compared to the 2007 version. But everything else is almost laughable about this original. It does feel right for the time, but hasn't aged well. Not to mention the colours, texture and shot of the car in the 2007 version make me swoon. Somehow the designer was able to make the required squished-to-hell text work in a way that makes it obvious the poster was designed with it in mind, not at the last moment when it had to be shoved in somewhere. House On Haunted Hill (1959 & 1999) The poster for the 1959 version of House On Haunted Hill wins the 'Badass of this post' award. A skeleton hanging a women, some guy with unexplainable hair carrying around a head, and fantastic type makes up the winner. The 1999 version feels like it was designed with a marketing rep sitting behind the designer. Not that the four (I count four, not counting the credits text) fonts aren't enough, but the paragraph of text at the top is a little too much. Which is a shame, because if the text at the top and faces in the hand weren't there, this would be a fantastically intriguing poster.
- [The Creative Blogger ~ Jacob Cass](https://retinart.net/interviews/jacobcass/) - Blogging has become the platform for many people to voice their opinions, give advice, inspire and teach. Some of the people in the 'blogosphere' have become celebrities within their niche, while most stay shrouded in obscurity, no matter how much effort and love they pour into their little space of the web. A lot of those who succeed seem to be able to do it in a manner which appears effortless, and do so amazingly quickly. Jacob Cass is one of those people. He was kind enough to answer a few questions about blogging, university and design. From 0 to 6,000 (and counting) subscribers in less than a year, Jacob Cass has propelled Just Creative Design to some amazing places. In that time, his name has been on many sites listening him as either one of the most successful bloggers under 21 or in Australia, mentioned in an episode of LayersTV and has written guest articles for Daily Blog Tips, Creative Curio, David Airey and Freelance Switch. A decent list for someone under the legal drinking age in the United States. But the most impressive thing about Jacob? Given his rapid popularity, he is still an easy going, approachable and nice guy. Alex Charchar: Let's start off by talking about your blog, Just Creative Design. You've been blogging for less than 12 months, yet you've built up a considerable audience. When you were starting, did you expect it to be the success that it has been so quickly? Why do you think you've been able to grow the audience so rapidly? Jacob Cass: I never expected to grow so quickly, in fact when I first started blogging my goal was to have 1,000 subscribers by the end of 12 months which is a bit of a laugh now, considering. It hasn't been easy growing the audience so rapidly, I did and do put a lot of work into the blog writing quality articles, replying to comments, reading, promoting and commenting on other blogs along with researching SEO techniques and keywords constantly. I started off back in November not knowing one thing about SEO, Blogging or Social Media... In fact I didn't even have a friend online. I guess it just shows that building a blog from nothing can be done. I started off back in November not knowing one thing about SEO, Blogging or Social Media
- [50 Movie Poster Remakes (A-G)](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/50remakes-ag/) - Let's get ready to ruuummmbllleee!! In the red trunks we have the movie posters of the originals, coming equipped with some highs and lows in their career, and at certain angles, unflatteringly showing their age. In the blue trunks we have the younger, the newer, the remakes! They can sometimes be all flash-bang with their photoshopped, oversized faces, but are fully capable of delivering a masterful punch. Ahem... now that's out of the way, let's have a look at 50 movie posters and how they've been designed for movies that have been remade ... round one! Remaking a movie, or anything really, is an odd thing to do. Essentially those involved are saying either "it was done wrong the first time, we can do it better" or "it worked before, so let's repackage this and make some money". So what about the designers behind the marketing material? They can either reinterpret the poster in the same way the director might reinterpret the movie, or they could go right off centre and doing something altogether different. In this four part series, I pit the originals against the remakes for 50 movies; totalling in 100 posters. One thing to note: in all but one or two cases, these are the posters that Wikipedia provides as the theatrical versions. With pretty much any movie there are many, many posters, depending on the country they were released in, budget, the cast involved and a million other things. So for these posts, I'm only talking about the two posters shown. Alfie (1966 & 2004) Let's start with getting one thing straight - Michael Caine is awesome. This poster however, is not. The huge amount of quotes thrown all over the poster where ever they can fit just makes Mr. Caine's floating head suffocate.. which would explain why this modern day Casanova looks so unhappy, which brings up the question of if this can really be considered the original theatrical poster?. The newer version of the poster shows some lovely constraints, hasn't got the stars face half the size of the poster and uses a lovely ligature! A ligature people! You don't see that everyday in movies posters. The strip that captures Jude Law is a little thick for the font used (but only barely) and the "what's it all about?" with it's sinking question mark reeks of the marketing department. Overall, 2004 Alfie is the clear winner, especially as the stray head of the 2004 version is a great nod to the original (be it coincidence or not). The Amityville Horror (1979 & 2005) While putting this list together I realised that a lot of the posters for the horror movie remakes are far superior to the originals. That being said, I'm not sure this one falls into that category. I'm a big fan of massive, strong typography and the "For God's sake, get out!" quote makes me smirk every time. That being said, I do love the logotype for the 2005 version, and it does direct the eye better, especially with the far more interesting imagery. But the 1979 version is so killer (hah, get it?) because of that quote. Bad News Bears (1976 / 2005) The thing that I can appreciate the most about the 2005 version of the Bad News Bears poster is the fact that the designers behind it decided to directly recreate the original with the new cast in tow. While the illustrations of the original are slightly better because of the strong shading, the layout is not. The 2005 version doesn't hide the title of the movie, which is now filled with colour and a lovely and ever-so-slight gradient and, best of all, the star's name doesn't come first.
- [To Infinity and Beyond!](https://retinart.net/book-reviews/toinfinityandbeyond/) - Pixar is a company we all know, with most of us having a soft-spot for their films and lively characters. Pixar have proven themselves as maestros of pixels, bringing them together in a way that is best described as symphonic. To Infinity and Beyond! The Story of Pixar Animation Studios, written and pieced together by Karen Paik, is a beautiful and well designed book that very few won't be able to find some point of interest in. Telling the story of Pixar from their early beginnings through to the merger with Disney, Paik has brought us something hard to put down. A shot of the fabric cover, featuring a glossy sticker of Buzz. The title is printed on a removable wrap-around. More than a book about an animation company, To Infinity and Beyond! is about an idea had and a non-stop drive to not only to have it realised, but to realise it over and over without repeat. If you have an interest in Pixar that is only slight, you'll find something enjoyable in this book. Be it the beautiful artwork and film stills, or the development of technology that goes on, to become standards industry-wide, or perhaps the stories of the process gone through for each film will capture your interest. And if you're already a big Pixar fan, well, you'll wet your self. A close up shot of the Pixar logo in it's two varieties - the bottom version featuring the Luxo Jr. lamp from one of the first shorts, c. 1986 A pastel illustration by John Lasseter of Wally, a character from the first short created by the team that would go on to become Pixar Animation Studios. Created while at Lucasfilm. c. 1984 A still from the first animated commercial created by Pixar in their early days after first going independent. Directed and animated by John Lasseter. To Infinity and Beyond! is 300 pages of beauty. Found between the lime-green hard covers are illustrations for each film in a range of mediums, interviews with dozens of people at Pixar---from the founders through to the new(er) generation of directors, writers and tech people---run downs of each of their films, ranging in subject from the genesis of the stories, goals they set for each film, fears had and problems found. And the best (visual) part of all? Pages and pages of beautiful rendered stills from the films.
- [Home Office, Sweet Home Office ~ Two](https://retinart.net/interviews/sweethomeofficetwo/) - What would be the point in having a home office, if it didn't feel like a home? If the first part of this two-part article was about the office in home office, or perhaps a simple introduction to the needs of a freelancer, then this second one is about the home. A home should feel comfortable and inviting. A place of refuge, inspiration and relaxation, a place worth spending your time and a place that should be yours---a true reflection of who you are. It goes without saying that this is especially true of the home office. It should be a space that you can be in for long hours and never feel uncomfortable or out of place. A space that lets your creative juices flow, without stifling or restricting your imagination. I was lucky enough to speak to the editor of Design*Sponge, Grace Bonney, as well as Amsterdam based creative, talented and all round good guy, Martin Pyper about these types of places. We all know the feeling of coming home after a rough day. Our homes give us safety and warmth and love. We feel comfortable in our homes. We put that which will make us smile on the walls and the books that make us think on the shelves. Our collections are scattered everywhere and, more often than not, we somehow turn our mountain of possessions into the foundations of our home. Brick and timber may build our houses, but it's the heart and soul that strengthen our homes. So if you were to have an office that is a part of your home, why not pour your heart and soul into it? Make it yours as best you can and make it an inspiring and beautiful place and your well of inspiration shall never run dry. Grace Bonney For the editor of Design*Sponge, the name Grace is rather fitting. She and the other writers she works with on D*S manage to bring their audience beauty several times a day. Design*Sponge is one of the sites that make me smile when it pops up in my RSS reader. From the work of illustrators and product and interior designers to beautiful furniture, lovely textiles and all the bits and pieces you'd need to make your home feel like home. The content they provide gives so much inspiration that you'll want to start making additions to your own home as soon as you load the homepage up. Go and visit it, visit it often, I gurantee you won't be disapointed. It is such a thrill for me to have had my questions answered by Grace, as I've been following D*S for quite a while and always wanted to reach out and have a quick chat. She was kind enough to make time in her busy schedule to give us a few tips on how to make an office a home. What do you think is one of the easiest ways someone can make a home office more comfortable, especially on a tight budget? Are there any must haves? Absolutely - the easiest things to change out are lighting, floors (with the addition of rugs or carpet tiles) and desk accessories. I always suggest to readers that they soften things up by adding interior lamps rather than 'office' lamps, or try something dramatic and adding in a chandelier or bold pendant lamp above their desk. If you don't have a home office or permission to change hardwired lighting stick to colorful table lamps found at inexpensive stores like cb2.com and Target (Target AU). Soften things up by adding interior lamps rather than 'office' lamps, or try something dramatic and add in a chandelier or bold pendant lamp
- [Home Office, Sweet Home Office ~ One](https://retinart.net/interviews/sweethomeofficeone/) - Ahhh, working from home. When it comes to being a freelancer, there is a myriad of reasons why it's a good idea. The strongest one of which, for most of us anyway, is that you can work from home. But there is no point working from home, if you haven't got a home office worth working out of. You might be free to roam, but you need a good base, a home office that functions just like an office should, but is as comfortable as a home should be at the same time. So let's have a look at what makes working from home possible and how it can be done. In this article, the first of two, I speak to Skellie, a writer from a plethora of well known freelance blogs, as well as a creative designer with an incredibly beautiful home, Traci Yau. So go grab a coffee and a biscuit and get ready for some great advice! Looking at the home offices of others seems to settle a voyeuristic need in some of us. It gives us insight into the minds and processes of others. The frames and posters on the walls, the piles and shelves of books, the nick-knacks on the desks and the big, shiny gadgets are rather inspiring. Seeing what makes people comfortable in their environments reminds us of what makes ourselves comfortable in our own spaces. Creative minds need creative spaces, something doubly important for the freelancer, for whom the luxury of bouncing ideas off the person at the next desk is rarely an option. Skellie When it comes to freelancing and blogs, Skellie has a resume second to none. A rather obvious choice really - writing one of my favorite blogs, Skilliewag, being a staff writer for ProBlogger.net, Daily Blog Tips, Freelance Switch and many more, the depth of her knowledge is astounding and her writing style easy to understand and enjoyable to read. The latest online adventure for Skellie comes in the form of Anywired.com; helping those who want to work-on-the-go in their quest to achieve their dream, as well as giving great and practical tips on blogging and freelance life. It comes as no surprise to anyone that has read any of the mentioned sites that Skellie is a number one choice to answer a few questions about how to put the freelance into a freelancers home office. Luckily she was able to put aside a little bit of time from her busy schedule of writing and studying to answer a few questions. And in true Skellie fashion there is much wisdom in the answers given. Freelancers could share rental space with other freelancers, or always work on the move - what do you think makes the idea of having an office at home so appealing? What do you think is the best part of that type of lifestyle? I think the allure of the home office is multi-faceted. You don't have to spend time in traffic or on crowded public transport to get to work. You can control your environment, set it up as you like, decorate it as you like. You can do the 'working in my Pyjamas' thing if that appeals to you. You can structure your day freely. But nothing is perfect, and working at home is no exception. Freelancers do sometimes complain about feeling isolated, and that working at home breeds procrastination and distraction to an extent. That's something we all have to keep an eye on. You can do the 'working in my Pyjamas' thing if that appeals to you
- [The Windmill in My Garage](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/windmill/) - There is something special about the printing method that is letterpress. Brief affairs between the very real metal type and beautiful uncoated stock produce children of tangibility, each slightly different, but always of the same family. A thinly veiled process that gives any piece of design extra warmth and comfort, metal type was the norm from Gutenberg through to only a few decades past. Through a stroke of good luck I've managed to get a 1930s designed Heidelberg into my garage. Friday Oh, by the way, you're getting your press tomorrow. This simple email from my wife was by far one of the best I've ever received. I now knew for certain that the following day I would have a large track backing into the drive way, to deliver something I'd fallen in love with; a piece of engineered beauty---a Heidelberg Flywheel Platen Press. Naturally, I was so excited that I shared this little piece of information with the whole studio and spent the rest of the afternoon thinking of what my plans were for my new toy, while working through changes to jobs and anxiously drinking copious amounts of coffee and water, waiting for the day to come to its end. How it Happened I didn't go looking for this press. I wasn't looking for any type of press really. The 2 tonne machine just fell into my lap. I married into a family of printers. My wife and her family run a printing business---something that made introductions easier. To make a long story short, in the pursuit of expanding their business, they've recently bought out another printing business and effectively doubled their list of equipment. In their list of machinery was now two of these presses, when they only need one (mostly for die cutting and numbering), so instead of it taking up space in their shed, we gave it a home in the garage. The Heidelberg "Windmill" Platen Press The moniker Windmill comes from the way the paper-gripper rotates when moving paper through the press. Two arms rotate as they pick up a sheet of paper on the left, drop it in the middle to be impressed by the inked type, to be picked up again and dropped off on the right. Heidelberg built around 250,000 of these machines over a 30-odd year span, ending in the 70s. Going by a serial number on the front of the press, this was was manufactured towards the end of the run, in 1967. Unlike most mechanical things you buy, a Heidelberg press isn't one you need to worry about. As long as they are kept well oiled and fairly clean they'll keep on going, making impression after impression. Saturday Saturday morning rolls around and I'm reminded that my wife's father, the truck/crane and the press will be arriving sometime soon. We clean up the garage, have some breakfast, move the car and wait while watching some awful Saturday morning television. Around 11, things start to happen. We get a phone call to let us know they are on their way. Not long after this, a truck wider than our house shows up and the fun starts. Doug (the truck & crane guy) steps out of his truck and introductions and pleasantries are exchanged. A few moments later, he hops back into his truck and backs it into our driveway, right up to within a couple of meters of our garage. A few moments later and the press is unchained and floating through the air---I don't know why, but 2 tonnes of flying metal is a rather intimidating sight. Ten minutes after it initially goes airborne off the back of the truck, it finds its feet back on the ground. Now the tricky bit - getting it into the garage.
- [The Garden of the Mind ~ Part Two](https://retinart.net/creativity/g-inspiration/) - In part one we looked at how intuition isn't something that we are born with, but it is something that we develop. We plant the seeds to our creativity almost constantly---tending to the shoots that grow if we are drawn to what is planted and defining what it is that makes up the weeds of our garden. It is how we determine what is good and what is bad, sometimes without being able to verbally express it, just feeling it. However, a problem may arise in that we sometimes have trouble finding our ways back to the right plants when we need to. We need a map of our gardens. Let's call it inspiration. One of the earlier paragraphs in part one stated that if our imagination were a garden, then all the marks we see is the life that grows from the soil that is our memory. What these seeds are, is every manifestation of creativity we see, from posters to magazines, or music and movies. Some of these plants are beautiful and some ugly, but both are important. The ugly helps us know what the beautiful is, while the beautiful lets us know what the ugly doesn't have. Intuition is our subconscious roaming this garden We also established that intuition is our subconscious roaming this garden. When we are working, or see a creative piece, our mind references everything that is in our garden to figure out if we conceive it as being good or bad - if it is worth spending time looking at and absorbing, or just glossing over. While we do this subconsciously more often than not, when we are under stress, be it of a deadline, demanding client or high expectations, we run around our garden like a child on too much sugar and forget what direction north is. So what we need is a compass to guide us home. Inspiration I think for a lot of people inspiration is something that is seeked out to give a direct solution to a problem. My issue with this is that the solution is found in the inspiring---the ideas found are copied, rather than the inspiration being used as a trigger for further exploration and a variety of solutions. Nobody likes copy-cat work, nor do they like solutions wrapped in inappropriate clothes - the creative, the artist or designer succumbs to what is fashionable, what is in style. Inspiration is a guide - a key to unlocking the places worth visiting on our mental landscape For me, inspiration is a guide - a key to unlocking the places worth visiting on our mental landscape. All our memories are part of a tangled web, lightly connected to one another. When we have strong memories, a strong understanding of something, the tracks between relevant memories are well trodden. For example, the idea of a home cooked meal evokes memories of my family, my childhood home, all of my favorite meals and a thousand other tangents. These memories are important to me because the nightly, home cooked meal eaten around the table, was and is an important thing for me. It's a memory of safety, comfort and love. I don't just remember the name of a meal I liked, but use it as a starting off point to all of that listed. The tracks between all of these are deep. The same is true of all the marks in your garden that are special. Some of the tracks between our memories are weak, while others are vibrantly strong
- [The Garden of the Mind ~ Part One](https://retinart.net/creativity/g-intuition/) - In the garden of the mind, creativity is something that needs to be tended to with constant love and care. The ability to come up with an idea out of thin air is a myth --- it just never happens. The ideas come from somewhere in our minds as a mix of past experiences, opinions and all that which is creative that has been planted in the soil of our memories, dance and play and mix together. In the first part of this two part piece, we'll explore intuition and where it stems from. The development of your intuition can be broken down into two parts: A constant longing to absorb knowledge, be it visual, audible or written. The first, for me and I'm willing to bet most of you, being the most important. Asking questions and making as many marks as you can. Of these marks, it is the wrong ones you'll learn from the most, so we can't be afraid of doing wrong over and over - as long as we do not make the same mistake twice. Let's visualise our creativity and intuition as something akin to a garden or landscape. The earth is our minds and all that lays upon it are our memories. Before this land is worth roaming, we need to fill it with as much life as possible, otherwise it'll be a rather fruitless trip. Luckily, the seeds we need are easy to find and plant. Seeds of Creative Thinking These seeds hide in everything around us, so make sure you see as much as possible, not letting anything get by without a second glance, under a different light and from another angle. From a poster that stops you dead in your tracks to the pattern on the sweater of the person in front of you, the seeds to your garden are every where. Try to find that something special in everything and you'll have a beautiful garden of the mind to venture within. Every song, every book, every movie. Every vain on a leaf, every spot on an animal and every swirl of dust dancing in the wind holds something special for someone. Every swirl of dust dancing in the wind holds something special for someone
- [Process, Not Product](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/process/) - The finished product is the manifestation of all the thought, development and care you put into a project. It is not, however, what you should jump to instantly. It shouldn't be your immediate goal. It is the process you go through---the thought, development and care---that you should concern yourself with the most. The difference between an amateur and a professional designer is thought. An amateur is someone whom the client's words are gospel. They will produce what a client asks for in the brief, using layout, font, colour and imagery suggestions without hesitation, giving them exactly what they were asked of. A professional will give a client what they need. They will view the brief as what a client understands their needs as being and will see the suggestions given as a starting point to get an idea of what said client is after in feeling and thought. An amateur will leave a meeting and begin to act. A professional will leave a meeting and begin to think. Always ask questions 'Always ask questions' is something I found my self scrawling in my notebooks while studying. I wanted to remind my self that there are no stupid questions and that sometimes acting the fool, never taking anything for granted, can strongly work in your favor. And there are so many questions to be asked; of your client, of fellow designers, of the audience and, most importantly, of yourself. Why am I using this photo? Why these colours, these fonts, this layout, this paper, this look? Should it be simple, complex or more elegant or this or that? Should it be bigger, smaller, should I use a photo or an illustration? Or purely type? Is this the best I can possibly do? The best that can be done for this problem? Does the client even need to say this and show that? These types of questions are the crux of the design process. Through asking questions, you push your ideas through evolutionary steps---you push them to the next plateau of your creativity---helping you get a better understanding of what will work, what is obvious and most importantly, what the core goals you should be aiming for actually are. You'll find yourself considering outcomes you wouldn't haveunless you sat down and let your curiosity blossom
- [The Beauty of Minimalism](https://retinart.net/graphic-design/minimalism/) - Most poorly designed pieces have something in common; they're too complicated and too busy. Too many fonts, too many photos, too many logos, too many colours. Just too much. Have a look at the majority of the award winning work that's floating around---there are few fonts, few photos, few logo, few colours. Even the busy looking designs can be broken down into simple elements. Design is about being able to convey a message, which is more often than not bundled with an emotion, in an effort to evoke a reaction in an audience. One of the truest maxims I've ever known is; if the message is interesting, if it has power and strength, then wrap it in a simple design---let the message do the heavy lifting, not your design. Let the audience discover the emotion or thoughts or connections themselves, let them fill in the gaps, rather than forcing something onto them. Before we get too far into this, I'll offer you a brief explanation as to how I came to the genesis of this article. While working on a piece about realism in illustration, I found something much more interesting. Recently, the team behind Family Guy put together a 40 minute retelling of the first Star Wars epic - A New Hope. While comparing the shots of the original film with their illustrated counterparts I realised there was a different kind of article burried in the 240+ stills from the movies I had put together - Blue Harvest, the Family Guy homage, was a well designed take on the original that with or without intention, demonstrated minimalism in an awfully fun way. Why simple is good More often than not, the reaction we are trying to provide, be it an emotion, thought or action, is complex and powerful. To make someone laugh, you wouldn't have a routine that rivals Who's on First? in length in your layout, would you? Instead, you'd use a single image, with a single tag line, that when combined will generate the reaction you are after - a smirk, giggle or hopefully, a fit of hysterical laughter. The audience will see the image and the line of text and relate it to an idea or experience they hold locked away in their memory, waiting to rise to the surface when triggered. The less there is on the page, the fewer of these memories there are trying to be remembered. A simple combination can deliver powerful results. A simple combination, a simple solution, means there is less to absorb and understand, that is, the easier it is to 'get it' now and the easier it is to remember down the track. Recreating a mood Take a look at the following shots. The opening to A New Hope is something that everyone vividly remembers experiencing for the first time. An enormous, technological marvel passes over the audience, belittling a moon and surface of a planet as it menacingly chases it's victim. This mammoth ship is light-years ahead of anything that we can fathom---it's awe inspiring. It is this that the illustrators of Blue Harvest wanted to recapture. This feeling of awe and of shock. When it was first seen back in the day, it's complexity was phenomenal, it was like nothing seen before. However as time has gone on, it has became less phenomenal in the world of Science Fiction. So the artists of Blue Harvest had to do what they could, to recreate that initial feeling of awe. So they added detail, more detail than the original. More lights, more compartments, more gidgets, more gadgets. Each one simple in its self, adding up to a more complicated whole.
- [The Bird: The Redesign of Retinart](https://retinart.net/retinart/thebird/) - Retinart has existed in one form or another for a few years now. Most of the changes made, existing solely in my own mind, didn't actually turn into much. It is now that I feel that I have taken the right first step. This domain has been the address for a slew of folios, a self-centered blog or two and mostly empty, in promise and content, 'coming soon...' place-holders. Then I designed the previous version of Retinart and started to write. While I was, and still am, comfortable with my writing looking like that of one who is new in the arena, the amateurish design I employed was sub-par. And what do we do with sub-par work? We kill it. Build it better, bigger and stronger. So welcome to version two of Retinart---I do hope that it pleases. I mostly find my self wondering why it's so necessaryto try and force so much content into my field of vision Blog design is an interesting branch of the tree. Being a primarily print-based designer, web design is often a little odd to me. I mostly find my self wondering why the designers of most sites find it so necessary to try and force so much content into my field of vision. When it comes to blogs, it seems like the people behind them want to push a whole lot of content as well as their most popular articles, their latest articles, their featured articles, their Flickr steam, Twitter stream, favorite YouTube links, links to their friends blogs, feeds of their friends' blogs, the blogs that have linked them and the blogs they hope will link to them once a referral list is looked at, and don't forget links to add each article to Digg, Delicious and who-knows-what-other-social-network. You would be forgiven for thinking that these sites consider hits to be the main focus, with the ends justifying the means, rather than good content, that is actually worth linking too. All of this superficiality is what I want to avoid like a plague. A page out of my notebook as well as an early Photoshop composition
- [Clarity in Quality](https://retinart.net/creativity/quality/) - Why is one movie better than another? Why do we prefer the writings of this author over that one? Why do some pieces of art make our hearts sing while others make us flatline? Quality is personal taste not owned by anyone else, not always describable but, without a doubt, felt. So why don't we put more thought into how we define quality? Quality helps us to grade something. The problem a lot of us face is that our value of quality isn't something we actively try to develop. We have an idea of what is 'good' and what is 'bad' and whatever is 'bad' we try to eliminate from our scope. So what happens when we remove all the bad, or low, quality things from our lives and we're only left with the good, or high, quality stuff? What we should be doing is removing all the low quality things from our lives and then looking at what is left. Then adding to the high quality end of the spectrum and continually removing from the low quality end. In other words, what you consider is good now, needs to be replaced with what's great, pushing the good, down into the bad and then being removed completely. What can happen if we don't do this is that we'll float from one piece of creative output (books, movies, albums) that we think are pretty good, to something else that we think is pretty good, somewhat grading the next on the previous, but not really considering how they might affect our own creative output, not really looking elsewhere for inspiration or ideas. Variety is a good thing, a really good thing, if you're a creative person. It's important that we look for new inputs, we need to look for a new experience we are fairly sure will be bad, but have a slight chance of being great. If it is bad, then no harm dealt, you'll be less likely to give something like it a shot in the future, but at least you gave it a go. But what if it's great? What if it's something that changes your life for the better and introduces you to a whole new world? When we're young, most things are new and it doesn't take long for us to realise we'll love something or hate it. As we get older, we throw a fence around what we like, never letting anything new in, or old out, because it might not be worth it and will be a waste of our valuable time, right? The problem is that it's harder to grow in any meaningful way if we constantly receive the same experiences over and over. they should be tentative guides at best
- [The Grammar Cheat Sheet](https://retinart.net/miscellaneous/grammar/) - When you know the correct way to structure a sentence, the world becomes a scary place -- you start to notice how many people get it painfully wrong. The ease of content creation that the web now affords us is making the problem worse, so why not get a basic understanding to help make your text a little more professional? Before we get into this, let's establish two things. A lot of these 'rules' are different country to country, decade to decade. The way a proof reader or typesetter might lay out a page in Britain is different to how it might be done in America. How it's done in 1985 is different than how it might be done in 2005. The styles of typesetting can change over time and throughout different regions. Always be consistent, even if it might not be 'correct'. Some companies will have certain ways they layout text, even if it might be considered wrong for their geographic location. But they are consistent with how they lay their text out and that is the most important thing. You don't want your audience to get half way through a piece of text and get confused because you changed the way you laid something out. Double Spaces Never use them. Ever. Your high-school teacher was wrong, don't ever use them. Apostrophes An apostrophe is inserted when letters are removed. Let's go to the race. (Let us go to the race.) It's going to be a great day. (It is going to be a great day.) The other use of the apostrophe is to show ownership. The runner's shoes. Mayor Swanks' opening speech. Tip: If the last letter of the owners name ends in s, place the apostrophe on the end without adding the extra s.
- [For the Love of a Notebook](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/notebook/) - An illustrated school of ghosts, engraved skin and utopias for the dystopians---the Moleskine has developed quite the following. Not too long ago I wrote about the Moleskine Notebooks in a general way - going into what they are, where they came from and expressed my overly romantic feelings for the little books---the word lust was used. While writing, I began to realise that the article was starting to get long, far too long for one article from an online source, so I decided to split it into two. This first article was an introduction to the notebooks. This second article is a look at how they can be used and what fantastic things are being done with them. The Moleskine range has been used for some great things. From being used as the canvas of illustrators sharpening their skills whenever they get a chance, no matter where they are, to people ditching their PDAs for an analogue system with a pocket Moleskine at its centre, to creatives filling a book with whatever came into their minds for exhibitions. Ghost School is a blog I started following a couple of months ago; it is the online journal of the work of illustrator Wil Freeborn, detailing the sketches he does in his Moleskine when he's out and about. It is a good example of how versatile the notebook is for illustrating (and writing) on the go, as the scenes he illustrates are ones he encounters on a daily basis when out and about. His use of delicate colours works well with the yellow stock, with illustrations that are soft, gentle and look at home in a Moleskine. So why is this his book of choice? He was kind enough to answer a few questions. Alex Charchar: Is there any particular reason you chose to use a Moleskine for your illustrations? Wil Freeborn: Yes, they sit really flat. I like using both pages at once. I rarely draw on one page at a time. I've tried other books but they tend to favour the right side, so you end up drawing in portrait. The paper is also slightly smoother which makes the experience of drawing that much better. On a more personal angle I started drawing again as I wanted to think visually to hopefully improve my design. The only way I knew I could get better at drawing was trying to draw as much as possible and I try to do small things to incorporate drawing into a routine, such as in the train, my work environment. I'm trying almost to explain to myself what my world looks like in a very matter of fact manner. I think for a time I was starting to forget.
- [Typography 8: 1987](https://retinart.net/typography/typography8/) - Oh man! Has he done it now! Neither rain, nor snow, nor death of the night, can keep him from his duty. Hogwash! Welcome to the horribly late review of the Type Directors Clubs' Typography 8, 1987. Obviously any talk of how relevant and cutting edge this modern design is can be thrown out the window because of my delivery custodian, so don't get on my case about it---actually, please do. It'll be 20 years before my mailman gets your letters to me anyway, so do your worst, world! Do. Your. Worst. *** Alright, now that I've had my iced-tea and a light snack, I feel a little better. A little calmer. So it was a little late, what's the big deal? Not as if it was a kidney, and I can still do a nice little write up on this gem, can't I? When flipping through the pages of any publication from this time, especially an annual, I get an odd feeling of nostalgia. The work that fills the pages reminds of me of the television shows I watched as a kid. When you compare the work found in this book to, say, Typography 27, it's easy to see whats changed, what's the same and what was obviously done in a fit of the-kids-will-love-it.The most comforting thing I found was, what was well crafted design then has held up amazingly well now. Which gives one the hope that if you put the right amount of effort, thought and enough of your soul into a piece of work you do now, you and others will still look at it and smile in two-decades time. Oohhh the colour! Let us start with the colour. Oohhh the colour! Such calming colour! Looking at some of the work in this book, you'll be easily forgiven for thinking there was a colour prohibition recently lifted on pastels. Soft blues, soft pinks, soft yellows and soft purples all come out to play, and what a night they have! They drunkenly dance upon the skin of type and shapes across the dance floor that is the page, in an uncommon display of divergence among brothers of letters and shapes. A single world may contain three to four colours, one per letter. Or a sentence may have each of its words a different colour, which I'm sure was all in an attempt (marketing? finance? client?) to make the job really pop.
- [My Lovely Moleskine (Nice Notebook)](https://retinart.net/beautiful-things/nicenotebook/) - Blessed be the notebooks of Modo & Modo, draped in cloth of oil, born in Tours of France. Standing tall of 14 by wide of 9, split through mark of cloth and strapped by rubber and cotton with corners curved. Thy name is Moleskine. I can't lie, I love these books. I adore these books. These books do things to me that no book should do, especially a book whose pages are empty. The allure of these little books is quite enigmatic, there are countless alternatives, most of which are significantly cheaper. Yet the quality of these beautiful books have won the love of many, the world over. Note: I'm going to be writing in general about the Moleskine range, however, for the most part will be talking of the Basic Ruled (Pocket) version in mind. If you've ever purchased one of the notebooks in the Moleskine range, you'll most likely be familiar with the history behind them. In the little pocket in the back of most editions, there comes a small folded booklet explaining their history and origin. "...used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin" boasts the marketers at Modo & Modo. It is Chatwins name which holds the most significance, as he is the one whose notebooks are the basis for the current line of Moleskines. He ordered a hundred books to ensure a healthy supply He loved the books so, that when the manufacturer of the books he was purchasing closed up shop, he ordered a hundred books to ensure a healthy supply. The death of the owner of the business whom manufactured these books died in 1986 and his family decided to close down the business. Just over a decade later, Modo & Modo trademarked the brand Moleskine and started to produce a notebook, which is basically identical to that owned by Chatwin, as described in his novel The Songlines; "I pulled from my pocket a black, oil cloth-covered notebook, Its pages held in place with an elastic band ... ... I wrote my name and address on the front page, offering a reward to the finder" It is mostly due to marketing that the names of Van Gogh, Picaso and Hemingway appear in the history of the Moleskine. Van Goghs' notebooks probably come the closest to the current design. His books had a cloth ribbon to keep it shut, as well as what appears to be a small pocket at the back of the book---it's hard to tell if the cover is as study or of a similiar material as the current line of Moleskine notebooks, but it comes pretty close. Picassos' book is also more or less the same, but it is Hemingways association that seems to be the loosest. His mention of a notebook small enough to fit into his coats' inside pocket is all that was needed for it to be proclamined a moleskineeque design. But really, they are all just pocket notebooks with a dark, durable cover. You notice it because it is unnoticable
- [That Which Drives Us (Motivation)](https://retinart.net/creativity/motivation/) - To be the best you can be, to be the best there is, to eat, to eat the finest. To grow your talents, to be highly regarded and to be respected. For the love of your craft. Motivation is what drives us. Motivation to be the best you can be, to be the best there is, to eat, to eat the finest. To grow your talents, to be highly regarded and to be respected. For the love of your craft. Unfortunately, you can run out of fuel from time to time and this is a resource that's a lot harder to come by than the stuff that gets your car moving. Even worse - it can be debilitation if the engine that is your creativity goes boom. So how do you avoid and get out of the slump that this can cause? The first and easiest solution is pretty simple - just let it happen. Ride it out. There isn't always a quick fix solution if you find yourself in the middle of a slump. In my, albeit, rather short thus far, creative life, I've had two major slumps worth remembering. These things would last a week or two and I'd have no interesting in doing my work, didn't worry about what the results might be and simply - just didn't care. Luckily i was studying both times, so it didn't really affect things a great deal. The reason they lasted so long was because I kept trying to break through it. I thought that if I kept doing my assignments, that eventually I would just explode and be flooded with amazing ideas. Turns out, this isn't quite how it works. Ideas have to be nurtured and loved
- [Style & Voice](https://retinart.net/creativity/stylevoice/) - As we grow and develop as creatives, certain traits in our work become our trademarks. Our personal tastes become badges and identifiers. These visual footprints can develop in two different ways---one is organic and the other is almost artificial. One is voice, the other style. Both of these help push along a career in different ways. A designer who works at the forefront of style, relies on what's currently in.This can be a more versatile way of working as you'd adapt to your environment whenever it changes, which means you could almost always deliver what might be considered cutting edge at the time. On the other hand, the designer who doesn't rely on a style, which is focused by the changing of the winds, develops a folio of work which is morep ersonal---a folio in which they can see themselves. What you are delivering is good, quality design, because that is what the environment is saying The beauty of working with style is that it's a lot easier to make work look good. Because your font of choice is currently in vogue, your end product's quality goes up a couple of notches in your clients mind. A client might feel that what you are delivering is good, quality design,because that is what their environment is telling them through print ads, media ads, the internet and all other mediums they are hit with on a daily basis. All a designer has to do is look at all of these things for a period of time and they will develop an eye for what is moving out of fashion (because it's being used by many) and where things are moving (because it's successfully being used by a few). As long as they can stay within that small group of designers employing the latest thing, they will continue to look good, in the lifespan of the finished product. Not a bad deal, huh? Keep your eyes open, adapt, cash the cheques. Before you know it you won't even have to consciously keep an eye out, it'll become natural.
- [The In-House](https://retinart.net/working-life/inhouse/) - It doesn't seem that long ago that my biggest worry wasn't making sure a job was finished on-time, under-budget and looking good. My biggest worry was that I had enough change for a coffee and a pencil to sketch with. Then I began to work at an in-house studio and things changed a little. The turn off the luscious path that is study and onto the straight and narrow road of full-time work was a sharp one for me. A very sharp one. It was a Friday night when my fellow recent graduates and I gathered to salute farewell to the end of our (then) current course of study and hello to the next step in our lives. While we ate, drank, talked and laughed, we spoke about what was on our horizons with joyful flee at the idea of doing what we'd been enjoying for the last couple of years and actually getting paid for it. The following Monday I nervously stepping onto a whole new platform. A platform, I quickly realised, I might not be ready for. Welcome to the world of the in-house studio. For most of you reading this, the words that follow is going to hold no new truths. But for a lot of you, the working world is still on the other side of a piece of paper, and the in-house is probably something you haven't given a lot of thought to. Before I proceed, however, let me just get this out - I don't mind where I work. In fact, I quite like it, so lets not think I'm a bitter man, ok? Ok. Factor in the extra layer of the business that we are part of and the swamp gets a little thicker The first thing that was a real shock was the systems. Chances are, most of the studios you'll work in will have different ways of organising everything and a different process of working through a job. Factor in the extra layer of the business that we are part of and the swamp gets a little thicker. Work requests/time sheets are interesting things the first time you lay your eyes on one. Really interesting things when you're in-house. Do you charge the client A-Rate or B-Rate? Oh, C-Rate, ok. Is it for TREST or ROM? Both? What do you mean? They changed their names? Merged? Rearranged their resources? When? The job is now twice as long? Since when? Oh, after the merge, got ya, so now it's C-Rate for sure? They didn't get approval from their supervisor for the finances? Ok, ok, I got it, we're all good ... We no longer charge for internal jobs? Unless they have external funding?

## Pages

- [Front Page](https://retinart.net/) - Shape Your Craft You already have the skills to be a good designer. What about the skills to be a great designer? Shape Your Craft You already have the skills to be a good designer. What about the skills to be a great designer? transform your work into your craftTake the best ideas and methods
- [Reading List](https://retinart.net/reading-list/) - Show all Must Have Creativity Craftsmanship Performance A room without books is like a body without a soul.
- [It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be](https://retinart.net/reading-list/its-not-how-good-you-are-its-how-good-you-want-to-be/) - It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be Paul Arden It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be is a handbook of how to succeed in the world: a pocket bible for the talented and timid alike to help make the unthinkable thinkable and the
- [The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-creative-habit-learn-it-and-use-it-for-life/) - The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life Twyla Tharp Creativity is not a gift from the gods, says Twyla Tharp, bestowed by some divine and mystical spark. It is the product of preparation and effort, and it’s within reach of everyone who wants to achieve it. All it takes is the willingness
- [Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative](https://retinart.net/reading-list/steal-like-an-artist-10-things-nobody-told-you-about-being-creative/) - Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative Austin Kleon You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. 160 Pages • ISBN 0761169253 “If you ever
- [The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-war-of-art-break-through-the-blocks-win-your-inner-creative-battles/) - The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles Steven Pressfield A succinct, engaging, and practical guide for succeeding in any creative sphere, The War of Art is nothing less than Sun-Tzu for the soul. 190 Pages • ISBN 1936891026 “If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), ‘Am I
- [The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-talent-code/) - The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else Daniel Coyle What is the secret of talent? How do we unlock it? In this groundbreaking work, journalist and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Coyle provides parents, teachers, coaches, businesspeople—and everyone else—with tools they can use
- [Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World](https://retinart.net/reading-list/deep-work-rules-for-focused-success-in-a-distracted-world/) - Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World Cal Newport One of the most valuable skills in our economy is becoming increasingly rare. If you master this skill, you’ll achieve extraordinary results. 304 Pages • ISBN 1455586692 “If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive—no matter how skilled or talented you are.” – Cal
- [So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love](https://retinart.net/reading-list/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you-why-skills-trump-passion-in-the-quest-for-work-you-love/) - So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love Cal Newport In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that “follow your passion” is good advice. Not only is the cliché flawed-preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end
- [Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action](https://retinart.net/reading-list/start-with-why-how-great-leaders-inspire-everyone-to-take-action/) - Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action Simon Sinek Why do you do what you do? Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able
- [Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step](https://retinart.net/reading-list/lateral-thinking-creativity-step-by-step/) - Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step Edward De Bono The first practical explanation of how creativity works, this results-oriented bestseller trains listeners to move beyond a “vertical” mode of thought to tap the potential of lateral thinking. 300 Pages • ISBN 0060903252 “A problem is simply the difference between what one has and what one wants.”
- [Daily Rituals: How Artists Work](https://retinart.net/reading-list/daily-rituals-how-artists-work/) - Daily Rituals: How Artists Work Mason Currey Brilliantly compiled and edited, and filled with detail and anecdote, Daily Rituals is irresistible, addictive, magically inspiring. 304 Pages • ISBN 0307273601 “A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove for one’s mental energies and helps stave off the tyranny of moods.” – Mason Currey, Daily Rituals: How Artists
- [The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-checklist-manifesto-how-to-get-things-right/) - The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right Atul Gawande Atul Gawande shows what the simple idea of the checklist reveals about the complexity of our lives and how we can deal with it. 240 Pages • ISBN 0312430000 “One essential characteristic of modern life is that we all depend on systems—on assemblages of people or
- [The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-compound-effect-jumpstart-your-income-your-life-your-success/) - The Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success Darren Hardy No gimmicks. No Hyperbole. No Magic Bullet. The Compound Effect is based on the principle that decisions shape your destiny. Little, everyday decisions will either take you to the life you desire or to disaster by default. 192 Pages • ISBN 159315724X “You will
- [The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-8020-principle-the-secret-to-achieving-more-with-less/) - The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less Richard Koch How anyone can be more effective with less effort by learning how to identify and leverage the 80/20 principle–the well-known, unpublicized secret that 80 percent of all our results in business and in life stem from a mere 20 percent of our efforts.
- [Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success](https://retinart.net/reading-list/insanely-simple-the-obsession-that-drives-apples-success/) - Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success Ken Segall To Steve Jobs, Simplicity was a religion. It was also a weapon. 256 Pages • ISBN 1591846218 “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Ken Segall, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success Simplicity isn’t just a design principle at Apple—it’s a value that permeates every
- [Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity](https://retinart.net/reading-list/getting-things-done-the-art-of-stress-free-productivity/) - Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity David Allen Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen’s Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. 352 Pages • ISBN 0143126563 “If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what
- [Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind](https://retinart.net/reading-list/manage-your-day-to-day-build-your-routine-find-your-focus-and-sharpen-your-creative-mind/) - Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind Edited by Jocelyn K. Glei Are you over-extended, over-distracted, and overwhelmed? Do you work at a breakneck pace all day, only to find that you haven’t accomplished the most important things on your agenda when you leave the office? 253 Pages •
- [Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life](https://retinart.net/reading-list/born-standing-up-a-comics-life/) - Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life Steve Martin In the midseventies, Steve Martin exploded onto the comedy scene. By 1978 he was the biggest concert draw in the history of stand-up. In 1981 he quit forever. This book is, in his own words, the story of “why I did stand-up and why I walked away.”
- [Steve Jobs](https://retinart.net/reading-list/steve-jobs/) - Steve Job Walter Isaacson From best-selling author Walter Isaacson comes the landmark biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. 656 Pages • ISBN 1451648537 “One way to remember who you are is to remember who your heroes are.” – Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as
- [The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-accidental-creative-how-to-be-brilliant-at-a-moments-notice/) - The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice Todd Henry Have better ideas, faster, without the stress and burnout. 240 Pages • ISBN 1591846242 “A lifetime of mediocrity is a high price to pay for safety.” – Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice It isn’t enough
- [To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios](https://retinart.net/reading-list/to-infinity-and-beyond-the-story-of-pixar-animation-studios/) - To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios Karen Paik In 1986, gifted animator John Lasseter, technology guru Ed Catmull, and visionary Steve Jobs founded Pixar Animation Studios. Their goal: create a computer animated feature, despite predictions that it could never be done. 320 Pages • ISBN 0811850129 An unprecedented catalog of blockbuster films
- [Ways of Seeing](https://retinart.net/reading-list/ways-of-seeing/) - Ways of Seeing John Berger John Berger’s Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the (London) Sunday Times critic commented: “This is an eye-opener in more ways than one:
- [Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good](https://retinart.net/reading-list/tough-shit-life-advice-from-a-fat-lazy-slob-who-did-good/) - Tough Shit: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good Kevin Smith Profane, honest, and totally real advice from comedian and director Kevin Smith – one of America’s most original voices. 272 Pages • ISBN 9781592407446 “In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at
- [Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered](https://retinart.net/reading-list/show-your-work-10-ways-to-share-your-creativity-and-get-discovered/) - Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered Austin Kleon In his New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon showed readers how to unlock their creativity by “stealing” from the community of other movers and shakers. Now, in an even more forward-thinking and necessary book, he shows how
- [Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite](https://retinart.net/reading-list/whatever-you-think-think-the-opposite/) - Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite Paul Arden Filled with fun anecdotes, quirky photos, and off-the-wall business advice, the provocative sequel to “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How good You Want to Be” reveals the surprising power of bad decisions. 144 Pages • ISBN 1591841216 “It’s better to regret what you have done than
- [How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day](https://retinart.net/reading-list/how-to-think-like-leonardo-da-vinci-seven-steps-to-genius-every-day/) - How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day Michael J. Gelb Genius is made, not born. And human beings are gifted with an almost unlimited potential for learning and creativity. Now you can uncover your own hidden abilities, sharpen your senses, and liberate your unique intelligence—by following the example of
- [How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character](https://retinart.net/reading-list/how-children-succeed-grit-curiosity-and-the-hidden-power-of-character/) - How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character Paul Tough Why do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul
- [Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age](https://retinart.net/reading-list/hackers-painters-big-ideas-from-the-computer-age/) - Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age Paul Graham We are living in the computer age, in a world increasingly designed and engineered by computer programmers and software designers, by people who call themselves hackers. Who are these people, what motivates them, and why should you care? 272 Pages • ISBN 1449389554 “If you
- [Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life's Work](https://retinart.net/reading-list/turning-pro-tap-your-inner-power-and-create-your-lifes-work/) - Turning Pro: Tap Your Inner Power and Create Your Life’s Work Steven Pressfield The follow up to the War of Art. In the War of Art Pressfield identifies the enemy to living an authentic life – resistance. In Turning Pro, Pressfield teaches you how to defeat it. 146 Pages • ISBN 1936891034 “The sure sign of
- [Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All](https://retinart.net/reading-list/creative-confidence-unleashing-the-creative-potential-within-us-all/) - Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All David Kelley and Tom Kelley IDEO founder and Stanford d.school creator David Kelley and his brother Tom Kelley, IDEO partner and the author of the bestselling The Art of Innovation, have written a powerful and compelling book on unleashing the creativity that lies within each and
- [Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration](https://retinart.net/reading-list/creativity-inc-overcoming-the-unseen-forces-that-stand-in-the-way-of-true-inspiration/) - Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration Ed Catmull From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, the Academy Award–winning studio behind Inside Out and Toy Story, comes an incisive book about creativity in business and leadership. 368 Pages • ISBN 0812993012 “You
- [Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader](https://retinart.net/reading-list/becoming-steve-jobs-the-evolution-of-a-reckless-upstart-into-a-visionary-leader/) - Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader Brent Schlender, Rick Tetzeli Becoming Steve Jobs takes on and breaks down the existing myth and stereotypes about Steve Jobs. The conventional, one-dimensional view of Jobs is that he was half-genius, half-jerk from youth, an irascible and selfish leader who slighted friends
- [Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers](https://retinart.net/reading-list/tools-of-titans-the-tactics-routines-and-habits-of-billionaires-icons-and-world-class-performers/) - Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers Timothy Ferriss Tim Ferriss, on his hugely popular podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, has interviewed top performers of every type. Here, in the ultimate self-help book, he distills and tests the key insights from these elite athletes and adventurers, entrepreneurs and executives,
- [The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything...Fast](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-first-20-hours-how-to-learn-anything-fast/) - The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything…Fast Josh Kaufman Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? 288 Pages • ISBN 1591846943 “If you rely on finding time to do something, it will never be done. If you want to find
- [The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance](https://retinart.net/reading-list/the-art-of-learning-an-inner-journey-to-optimal-performance/) - The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance Josh Waitzkin In this riveting book, Waitzkin tells his remarkable story of personal achievement and shares the principles of learning and performance that have propelled him to the top—twice. 288 Pages • ISBN 0743277465 “Growth comes at the point of resistance. We learn by pushing ourselves
- [Zen in the Art of Archery](https://retinart.net/reading-list/zen-in-the-art-of-archery/) - Zen in the Art of Archery Eugen Herrigel A classic work on Eastern philosophy, Zen in the Art of Archery is a charming and deeply illuminating story of one man’s experience with Zen. 81 Pages • ISBN 0375705090 “You worry yourself unnecessarily. Put the thought of hitting right out of your mind!” – Eugen Herrigel, Zen in the
- [Outliers: The Story of Success](https://retinart.net/reading-list/outliers-the-story-of-success/) - Outliers: The Story of Success Malcolm Gladwell Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of “outliers”–the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? 336 Pages • ISBN 0316017930 “Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the
- [Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else](https://retinart.net/reading-list/talent-is-overrated-what-really-separates-world-class-performers-from-everybody-else/) - Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else Geoff Colvin One of the most popular Fortune articles in many years was a cover story called: “What It Takes to Be Great.” Geoff Colvin offered new evidence that top performers in any field — from Tiger Woods and Winston Churchill to Warren Buffett
- [eBooks](https://retinart.net/theeffectivedesigner/) - The Effective Designer Beat doubt, embrace failure, avoid burnout, and silence that nasty little voice that says “you can’t”. 13,000 Words Seven Chapters $0 Free! Become An Effective Designer I have a look at what it might take to be an effective designer. The essays are almost completely original to the book, except for one or two
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- [Creativity](https://retinart.net/creativity/) - What a fickle thing creative thinking can be. It seems endless when we’re in a good flow, and lost forever when we’re running empty. But creativity is a skill, and like any other skill it just needs to be practiced, respected, and above all, understood. Articles Tomorrow’s Cool Going to the Next Level Use Rituals
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