Safety Cop

I went for a run after work today, and noticed a crew taking down a tree on Spadina. Shortly before I got to them there was a loud pop followed by a bright burst of sparks. The people felling the tree must have miscalculated and accidentally hit the hydro wire. This accident took out a block or two of power including the lights at Spadina and Dupont.

Half an hour later nearing the end of my run I came upon the powerless lights again and noticed two civilians standing in the middle of the road directing traffic. I love when people take time out of their day to help strangers, a big thanks to the two gentleman making sure everyone made it through the intersection safely.

(A nice reminder of the area from December 9, 1922)

The New and Improved

I've always found the phrase new and improved a bit odd, should it not be either new or improved? Regardless, I realized on Friday how much I take for granted with the design software I use. In my first year of college I was blissfully unaware of the capabilities of the Adobe Suite as I did everything, including typography, by hand. In second year I learned how to use Adobe CS3 and then in my final year transitioned to Adobe CS5.

Keeping up to date with all of the software upgrades is very expensive and many companies skip a version or two to save on costs. At my new job they mentioned in the interview that they use CS3, which I thought was no big deal. I originally learned using CS3 and figured there couldn't be much difference between that and the updated software. I have been happily working at my new job for a month now, and finally came upon an upgrade I am sad to live without. In Photoshop you can use the "stamp" tool to clone parts of an image and paste it over other areas, an incredibly diverse and useful tool. I hadn't done any photo manipulation until Friday but when I did I thought I had forgotten how to use the tool. In CS4 and newer the tool provides a preview so that you know exactly what the tool is cloning and how it will look in the new area you are placing it. After I checked with my co-worker I realized that older software didn't provide this handy preview and that I would have to guess how it would look. It seems like such a simple little thing, but software developers clearly understand what people want and work hard to make our lives easier.

I don't mind working with CS3 at all, but every once in a while you realize how good you have it with all of the new technology we have available to us.

Design School Didn't Tell You

Design Edge's new blog Design School Didn't Tell You is a blunt and humourous blog for newcomers to the graphic design industry. While I disagree with some of the things author Mark Busse writes, it is a fun, light read that reminds you others are in the same boat.

This week's article was about the importance of joining design associations, it offered great reasons to join and equally valid reasons to stay out. Busse urges young designers to join if they are committed to the industry, are looking for a mentor or inspiration, want to stand out against the crowd, or if they want to demonstrate their belief in the value of design. His reasons for not joining, stated with just a touch of sarcasm, include not being willing to place importance on your career and make time, as well as believing you have already learned everything you need to know. Busse wisely concludes that, "If being employed as a designer is all you seek, then you may never need to join an association. If you wish to achieve significance in your design career, you’ll need to understand we never stop learning. Those who engage fully in their community with the humble attitude of the perpetual student will benefit the most."

The Basics

The talk I went to last week at the Design Exchange reminded me of my start in art and graphic design for a few reasons. First, I ran into a classmate who I sat beside for the entirety of my first year. Next the speaker talked about using a grid to enlarge a drawing or painting and finally they brought up the odd things you learn when you become a designer or artist.

I enjoyed sitting beside this classmate during first year, he asked a lot of questions but was also incredibly supportive and creative. I remember him being the one to pick me up for class when I was sick, the one driving me crazy when he asked for the third time when a project was due, and also the one driving me home after a late night working at the school. Our first year of college was very stressful, but looking back, I can't believe how much we learned. At the talk we reminisced about how our teacher Vince used that Karate Kid method of teaching. You never knew why you were assigned the project until you had finished and started using the methods on other projects. I will never forget our first project, we had to cut up photos and splice them together, if any white showed on the edges of the photos you had to start over. While this seemed incredibly tedious at the time, I learned how to properly use an Exacto knife and continue to use that basic skill today.

I often think about how far I have come, from grade nine art, to working at an architectural firm as a graphic designer. Then I realize how much further I can go, it's hard to start new jobs but I am learning so much and enjoying the process of getting comfortable again.

Expanding My Circle

Last night at the DX I was shocked when I ran into a friend from college. I was even more shocked when I recognized someone from my new work at the event. To top it off, this morning I rode past my boss on my bike ride to work. I often tell my friends that its hard to meet people in Toronto, that there are so many people that its actually worse than when you live in a small town. All of this is turned on its head when I happen to run into one of the 20 people I know out of the 2.5 million sharing Toronto with me.

This morning when I recapped the events of the past 24 hours with my co-worker he said that it must be that my circle is expanding and I agree. As much as I hated my bike ride home from work this evening (a 20 minute ride became a two and a half hour work out with my superb navigation skills), with each new place I go, I discover more of Toronto and am given to opportunity to meet more people. My biggest fear about getting a new job was leaving my work friends, but I guess I needn't worry, I still have them as friends and am broadening my circle with new co-workers.

Funnies

I realize it is only Tuesday, but it has been a crazy week. I recently accepted a new job and have been working very hard to try to finish things up at my current employer. To make light of the situation I have collected a few of my favourite 'Funnies' sites, enjoy!

Tall Girl Problems – a website chronicling my (not really, but I've thought about many of these things) thoughts about the humourosly tough realities of being tall

Toronto Strife – top quality GIFs about the lives of twenty-somethings living in Toronto

35 Greatest Animal Photobombs – general cuteness and hilarity ensues

The Future of Retail Packaging Design

During my lunch today I attended Robert Smith's webinar about retail packaging design. Unfortunately my work pulled me away from it a few times so I wasn't able to fully enjoy the webinar, but even without hearing the whole talk, I thought that it was interesting, pertinent and that he offered some great sources for inspiration. When I joined the webinar (oops five minutes late), Smith was telling a story about his parents reaction to one of his projects. He started by saying that his parents like to see his work in the stores and that they had ventured out to find some of his latest projects. When Smith's parents told him about their excursion they also sheepishly admitted that they didn't like the wrestlers on his chip packaging and that they much preferred his more sophisticated work for a different brand. Smith explained to his parents that they didn't need to feel bad since the product was not intended for them. This line of chips was marketed specifically to 20 to 40 year olds and fittingly the packaging his parents liked was targeted to their age demographic. All of this clearly illustrated the importance of knowing your target market to produce the most effective product possible.

Shortly after Smith finished telling this story I was called away to proof a book (the black printed grey again, guess who is looking for a discount!). When I returned he had moved on to how to implement the information you have once you have chosen and researched a demographic. Smith went over a number of different considerations, but one of the things that I had never thought much about was the way that QR codes change the demographic of a product. By putting a QR code onto a package you are assuming that the consumer has a smart phone, has a program to read the codes and that they know how to use both of these technologies. Smith pointed out that because of this necessary knowledge, many consumers will be turned off and will not purchase the product. After all of this, he mentioned that to the target demographic this can be a great feature as easy to read ingredient lists, suggested recipes, and other added bonuses can be linked using the QR code.

At the end of the talk Smith reminded us of a few of his favourite websites (lovelypackage.com and thedieline.com are favourites of mine as well) and gave a list of suggested reading. Embarrassingly I had only heard of one of the books. Following is a list (i.e. my new reading list) of the books he suggested: Box Bottle Bag, Packaging Essentials, I Miss My Pencil, The Art of Packaging Design and Not a Box. I always enjoy these sorts of design talks and will be sure to continue documenting them for your enjoyment and my own future reference.