KD-Lounge Depot

• KD-Lounge logo designed by Bensch Lüdiger

Since 2006, there has been an ongoing lecture series KD-Lounge at the communication design department of the HTWG Konstanz. Design professionals are invited to share their work, knowledge and thoughts with the students. The lectures are organised by students and have gained an amicable following.

Now, we are compiling an archive with the talks, starting with this semester and hopefully adding previous ones sometime soon.

It’s my pleasure to introduce to you: the KD-Lounge Depot.

Posted December 22nd 2009 in Events and Miscellaneous with Comments 0

Criteria for Evaluating Projects

• A Humble Suggestion

There is this notion: A client can get a job done fast, cheap and well-made—but he can pick only two. What about designers? What are our options to pick from and what makes a project worthwhile? Please allow me to share some thoughts with the class.

In his book “How to be a graphic designer, without losing your soul” Adrian Shaughnessy establishes criteria for good work:

1. Is the client happy?
2. Is the job profitable?
3. Is the project newsworthy?

I concur with his list, but there is one downside: It’s difficult to apply these criteria to a project which is still ongoing. Listening to your heart—or gut, whichever gets more of your attention—is important. However, it’s nice to have more solid indicators. so far, these have worked very well for me:

1. Time
   How much time are you spending on the project?
   or to put it this way: How much time is left for anything else?
2. Money
   Are you getting enough compensation for your work?
   It doesn’t have to be monetary. You can get more exposure or work with interesting people for a reduced salary. Still, there should be something in it for you.
3. Interestingness
   Are you getting excited about the project or are you performing mundane tasks? (Technically, you have to rely on your heart/gut for this one.)

Of course, it’ll be great to be able to pick two out of three, as well. But at times, one prevailing factor can be enough to justify working late, earning less money or feeling under-challenged and nevertheless be satisfied.

Having said that, if you can’t check off any of those, I suggest panic.

Posted December 19th 2009 in Thoughts with Comments 0

Otl Aicher: Designer/Model

• From Thomás Gonda: A Life in Design by Philip B. Meggs

Now isn’t this the greatest designer portrait of all time? Except for Wim Crouwel’s 22nd century space suit, of course.

Posted November 26th 2009 in Seen and Found with Comments 0

Dark Side of Pink Floyd

• Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, record sleeve detail

If you are reminded of the iconic record sleeve for Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon by Hipgnosis, like I am, you’re about 30 years off target. This one was designed by Alex Steinweiss in the 1940’s while he was working for Columbia Records. One could consider it a precursor or an early inspiration.

Thanks to Holger Jost for digging this up.

Posted November 19th 2009 in Seen and Found with Comments 0

The Joys of Being an Amateur

• Peter and Johanna Biľak in an interview

Posted October 17th 2009 in Quotes with Comments 0

Making Type Dance

• Detail from a poster for a choreography workshop by Peter Biľak

I haven’t seen anything in quite a while that was so elegantly relying only on type to convey the message.

Posted October 11th 2009 in Seen and Found with Comments 0

Most Treasured Piece of Equipment

• Alan Fletcher’s reply to a question from design students,
taken from An Audience with Alan (2005), spread from Studio Culture

Posted October 10th 2009 in Quotes with Comments 0

On Treating Designers Well

• Adrian Shaughnessy in Studio Culture

Posted September 29th 2009 in Quotes with Comments 0

The Difference Between Solaris and 2001

• HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey

I’m a huge fan of both movies and their directors. They’re both visually and intellectually astounding, so I mention or reference them frequently.

Yet, there is a difference between the two I noticed recently: When talking about Solaris, I usually quote the dialogue rather than its cinematography. When talking about 2001, I “quote” the visuals — like the monolith, the bone to space ship jump cut and the waltzing space station (you probably get the picture, literally) — more often than its dialogue.

I wouldn’t say that 2001 has nothing to offer beyond its visuals, on the contrary. And I don’t think of Solaris as visually dull, quite the opposite. But for me, 2001 will always be a visual masterpiece first while I’ll always think of Solaris as a philosophical indulgence foremost. And I’m starting to wonder how these movies received their particular “branding.”

Posted September 23rd 2009 in Thoughts with Comments 0

On Understanding Science Fiction

• Gibarian in Solyaris/Solaris, still from the latter

One of my most favorite lines from any movie involving space ships.

Posted September 14th 2009 in Quotes with Comments 1