Creative Process and Peer Critique

The Creative Process

It’s worthwhile exploring every creative process you come across that interests you. By trying
different ways of working through a creative problem you can take the
parts that work for you best and, in turn, construct a reliable
creative process of your own--one that will give you consistent results
on a daily basis. This is something, by the way, that every employer
and client will expect from you.

The creative process varies for every designer, of course. Presented
in this module is a process that offers something for everybody. This
process differs from that of “soak/rinse/spin” idea from Tolleson
Design.

This process consists instead of 7 steps:

• Step 1: Gather the Material
• Step 2: Define the Problem
• Step 3: Attempt to Solve the Problem/First Ideas
• Step 4: Get Away!
• Step 5: Let the Ideas Flow
• Step 6: Select and Refine the Best Ideas
• Step 7: Produce to the Appropriate Level

Step 1: Gather the Materials

Let's say you have a client and they call you up and say:

"We have a new project for you. We need you to design a poster for us."

You answer, "Great! I love designing posters."

They say: "Do you think you could work up some rough ideas by next week?"

"Sure," you say. "No problem!"

"OK, we'll see you next Wednesday afternoon. Good-bye." And they hang up.

Do you have any idea what to do? What is the poster about? How can you design something without knowing what it is?

You need to gather as much information as possible. You have to ask
lots of questions, do lots of research, take lots of notes, make
sketches, take photographs, whatever works best for you. This is not
the time to be shy—don’t be afraid to ask for what you need in the way
of information, advice or assistance.

It also helps to know as much as you can about your client: who they are, what they do,
and how their market or audience perceives them. Check out what the
competition is doing. Be aware of any trends or attitudes that might be
important.

You still need to know what you are going to do. Step 2 is where we set goals for the project.

Step 2: Define the Problem

If you don't define the problem, you're faced with an infinite number of directions, so it

Work by hand in this phase.

These are your first ideas, sketches and thumbnails. You are not going to solve the problem yet.
You do need to play with ideas, and let your creativity have a safe and
open place to pollinate. You should do this for every project you ever
work on.

Step 3 is about really letting go. Some of the greatest and most creative campaigns started with unrealistic and crazy ideas.

If you only let yourself think average thoughts, then your work will turn
out will be average. If you want to be a top designer, a trendsetter,
then it is absolutely essential that you allow your mind to think wild
and crazy thoughts!

Stay alert to whether you are limiting yourself with any of the following:

• By habitual behavior: telling yourself you can’t, or won’t, do the work
• By limiting your time or energy
• By not providing yourself with an environment in which you can work productively
• With attitude(s) that get in your way
• With a need to reach an instant solution
• Because you are missing information
• A fear of criticism or failure
• Difficulty in recognizing problems

Put down everything that comes to mind—everything!
This could be thumbnails, sketches, words, whatever works for you.
Brainstorm, alone or with others. Originality results from being
adventurous and taking the risk of saying or putting down whatever idea
enters your mind, no matter how wild or silly it seems.

Few people take the time for Step 4. However, that doesn’t stop it from being a critical step in the creative process.

It is important to set goals for any project you work on this early in the
process. Defining the problem gives you a focus and allows you to see a
workable solution.

We use the word problem (rather than project) so you will look at this as something to solve. As graphic
designers we always have to produce good-looking compositions, but we
also have to communicate to the market, the audience and the client.
This means we don't always get to produce the designs we want to
produce. Rather we have to make sure that what we design addresses the
issue it is meant to be about. Seeing what you are trying to do as a
problem to be solved makes it more interesting, the results become more
rewarding and it is easier to work through the visual issues and
communication issues.

You need to establish what is to be produced: a specific item or service, a new approach to something, a
specific art/design/product/item etc. You need to define all the other
important elements such as time schedules, budgets, and more.

These two steps are interactive. You need to get information to begin, but
often when you start to define your goals you find you need more
information, and when you get more information it may change the way
you define your goals, starting the process over.

Make sure you are confident in your information from Step 2 before proceeding to Step 3.

Step 3: Attempt to Solve the Problem/First Ideas

Work by hand in this phase.

These are your first ideas, sketches and thumbnails. You are not going to solve the problem yet.
You do need to play with ideas, and let your creativity have a safe and
open place to pollinate. You should do this for every project you ever
work on.

Step 3 is about really letting go. Some of the greatest and most creative campaigns started with unrealistic and crazy ideas.

If you only let yourself think average thoughts, then your work will turn
out will be average. If you want to be a top designer, a trendsetter,
then it is absolutely essential that you allow your mind to think wild
and crazy thoughts!

Stay alert to whether you are limiting yourself with any of the following:

• By habitual behavior: telling yourself you can’t, or won’t, do the work
• By limiting your time or energy
• By not providing yourself with an environment in which you can work productively
• With attitude(s) that get in your way
• With a need to reach an instant solution
• Because you are missing information
• A fear of criticism or failure
• Difficulty in recognizing problems

Put down everything that comes to mind—everything!
This could be thumbnails, sketches, words, whatever works for you.
Brainstorm, alone or with others. Originality results from being
adventurous and taking the risk of saying or putting down whatever idea
enters your mind, no matter how wild or silly it seems.

Few people take the time for Step 4. However, that doesn’t stop it from being a critical step in the creative process.

Step 4: Get Away!

At some point you need to get away from your work so your
subconscious can take over. This is when the real creative ideas will
begin to show up, and they will appear when you least expect them.

Have you ever gotten a great idea in a dream, or while you were thinking
about or doing something entirely different? You need to trust your
subconscious mind, let it come up with answers for you.

It is essential that you get away for a while, if only for a few moments.
In a classroom or work environment this often means about ten or
fifteen minutes. So here is the secret.

Do not think about the problem or project while you are away from it. No matter how long or short the break is. Talk to someone. Listen to music. Read a book. Go for a cup of coffee. Do anything to take your mind off of what you were doing.

After you return from your time away, you are ready for Step 5.

Step 5: Let the Ideas Flow

With a clear mind, just record what bubbles up from your
subconscious. The creative process uses all the parts of your mind. You
have analyzed the problem in the first steps. Now it is time to let
your imaginative mind provide solutions.

This could be an extension of a previous idea, or a completely new idea.

No Ideas?

What happens if you come back and you look at what you have and you don't
like anything? What if you have no new ideas? What do you do? Are you
blocked? Is something unresolved?

Look at the steps you have taken so far:

• Step 1: Gather the Material
• Step 2: Define the Problem
• Step 3: Attempt to Solve the Problem/First Ideas
• Step 4: Get Away!
• Step 5: Let the Ideas Flow

Here are some suggestions if you are stuck:

• Maybe you need more information. Sometimes asking just one more question brings up a while bunch of new ideas: Go back to Step 1.
• Maybe you need to look at how you defined the situation. Maybe your goals are not working: Go back to Step 2.
• Maybe you need to go back into the free and open areas of step three and simply let your mind play with more ideas: Go back to Step 3.
• If you do this then don't forget to take a break before you move on . . . Step 4!

You may have to start over, or go back and retrace all your steps from your
initial research. You can go back as many times as you need to. In
fact, this is a dynamic process which allows you to use whatever step
you need, as many times as you need to use it.

Once you have many ideas, layouts or designs, you come to the point where you have to
look at everything and decide which ones are the best. In Step 6 we’ll look at how to make this selection.

Step 6: Select and Refine the Best Ideas

Now is the time to take on the role of editor and eliminate the
ideas and designs that do not meet your standards, are not realistic or
practical to produce, do not communicate the message(s) or do not
provide workable solutions to the problem.

The more concepts and designs you have, the more you have to choose from.
Students always ask me "How many thumbnails should I do?" The answer is
(unless specified otherwise within a project): "As many as you need to!"

Step 7: Produce to the Appropriate Level

Step 7 now becomes a production issue. You are no longer creating in
the sense we have discussed in the Creative Process until now. You may
be taking your thumbnails and preparing them on the computer in a tight
and precise form to present; you may be preparing, outputting and
mounting your final comps for presentation; or you may be preparing
your files for the printer who is going to produce your work in
quantity to be distributed.

So there you have it. I think you will be surprised at how much easier a project can go from start to
finish when you take it step by step and have the option of repeating
any step(s) that you need to.

Right and Left Brain Thinking

At this point it’s helpful for us to look at how the human brain works. You may be familiar with
the concept of right- and left-brain thinking. In this theory, it has
been determined that:

Given this, we can look at the creative process from an additional
viewpoint. Here’s how the two sides of your brain use the creative
process we have been examining:

• Step 1: (Left Brain) Gather the Material
• Step 2: (Left Brain) Define the Problem
• Step 3: (Right Brain) Attempt to Solve The Problem/First Ideas
• Step 4: (Right and Left Brains) Get Away!
• Step 5: (Right Brain) Let the Ideas Flow
• Step 6: (Left Brain) Select and Refine the Best Ideas
• Step 7: (Left Brain) Produce to the Appropriate Level

Here’s how:

• When you are gathering information, doing research and asking questions you are using your Left Brain.
• When you are defining the problem, setting goals, working out schedules and contents, you are using your Left Brain.
• But what happens when you begin to think opening and freely--to be creative? You are then using your Right Brain.
• What you do on your break is up to you--it can be either. Both. Nothing even!
• But when you come back you still need to stay in a Right Brain mode. Let the ideas flow freely, without censoring.
• When
  you finally move to Step 6 and begin to evaluate your work you need to
  use your Left Brain. But you don't want to stop using your right-brain
  either. You need to use all of yourself here.
• Then we
  come full circle back to the Left Brain in Step 7. When you are in the
  production phase you should no longer be creating. This step calls for
  you to be precise, correct, and careful. You need to pay strict
  attention to what you are doing.
• If at any point
  during production (whether of tight thumbnails, comps or final files)
  you find yourself revising anything, you have moved back up to step 6.

Creative people often like to say they are “right brain people.” But just
breaking down the creative process in this way shows us that to be a
full throttle designer you have to use both sides of your brain.

The Creative Process: Archetypes

There is always one more way to describe a process. Roger Von Oechs, the author of A Whack on the Side of the Head and A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, two books on basic creative thinking, likens each step in any creative process to the following archetypes:

• The Explorer
• The Imaginative
• The Judge
• The Warrior

By his definition, the creative phases we have discussed so far in this module would break down like this:

• Step 1: Gather the Material = Explorer
• Step 2: Define the Problem = Explorer

In Steps 1 and 2 you need to be an Explorer. You need to seek out what you need and decide what to do--what your goal is.

• Step 3: Attempt to Solve/First Ideas = Imaginative
• Step 4: Get Away!
• Step 5: Let the Ideas Flow = Imaginative

In Steps 3 and 5 you need to use your Imagination. These are the creative phases.

• Step 6: Select and Refine the Best Ideas = The Judge

In Step 6 you need to become the Judge. You need to carefully look at what you have and decide what works best.

• Step 7: Produce to the Appropriate Level = The Warrior

And
in Step 7 you need to be a warrior. This means you need to be strong
enough to sell your ideas, to stand up for what you need and want, make
bold presentations, make sure all the parts of a project are being
produced correctly.

It might help you while you are working on a creative project to be aware of, or even to assume these mindsets.

Design Critique Method

Now we come to the second topic of this module: building your design critique skills.

Why learn how to talk (and write) about design instead of just doing it?

“This is not a writing class" is a common remark from students. But talking
about, writing about, and presenting your own design work is a critical
skill. Especially for an MFA graduate who will be expected to take
these skills to a higher level than your average BFA holder. Part of
building those skills is learning how to evaluate design, and to
articulate what makes it work, and what doesn’t.

The Design Critique Method we are about to learn is a method of organizing
the facts and your thoughts about a particular work of design. It’s
broken down into four steps:

1. Description
2. Analysis
3. Interpretation
4. Judgment

Each step must be taken in order. This helps you to organize your thoughts
and make intelligent and educated statements. It is very important that
you are familiar with the Elements and the Principles Design as they
will provide you with the vocabulary and knowledge necessary to
critique design intelligently. (You can revisit these concepts in
modules 2 and 3 if you are unclear about any of them.)

Notall people are going to agree with everything you may say. People bring
their own set of stored knowledge and experiences into a critique and
it is therefore to some extent always subjective. That said,
understanding what you are talking about and organizing your critique
along a determined and rational process will go a long way towards
objectivity.

Step One: Description

Often the first thing you do when you look at a work of design is to
say “I like it” or “I think that is a terrible piece of design.” It is
difficult not to jump to your opinions first. However, in order to make
intelligent statements and educated guesses, it’s best to begin with
the first step: Description.

Description simply means to describe the design. Describe what you see in as straightforward a
manner as possible. Talk about the subject, the medium and any
information you have gained from reading the designer’s statement (if
there is one), and the details like client, date, etc. This is not the
place to add your opinions. You must be objective, like a detective who
is surveying the scene of a crime and writing down only what s/he sees.
Try not to make inferences or express opinions. List only the (visual)
facts of what you see.

This is a design from Nancy Skolos. There are many cutout
letterforms, and three-dimensional objects sprinkled throughout the
poster. Objects in the poster appear photographic. The color palette of
this poster is almost monochromatic with some usage of reds here and
there. There aren’t any human elements in the poster, only geometric
shapes and collage-like items. We get a sense of depth from the shapes
and shadows used in this poster.

Would you necessarily put this description in a posting to a fellow student? Perhaps not.
However this important step slows down the process and forces you to
really study a design before you analyze it.

Step Two: Analysis

Analysis is the second step of the design critiquing process. Your
analysis relies on knowledge of the elements of design and principles
of design to articulate in an intelligent manner the information you
see in the design. Through your analysis, you will express your
thoughts about the goals and purpose of the design by answering to the
following question: How does this design communicate its message?

To answer, you must understand how the designer used (or failed to use)
the elements and principals of design. Use this design elements and
principals checklist while doing your analysis:

How has the designer used the following elements?

• Line
• Shape
• Texture
• Color
• Type
• Image

How have they applied the following principles to these elements?

• Balance
• Space
• Emphasis
• Movement
• Contrast
• Alignment and Unity

Step Three: Interpretation

With Interpretation you must now express your opinions about the
design. It is here that you will ask yourself “What does this design
communicate to me?”

You must be able to articulate, or express yourself intelligently by providing insightful comments.
Interpretation is subjective—just as people are different, so are our
interpretations. You can make guesses and inferences. However, these
should be educated guesses and not just random guesses.

Step Four: Judgment

Here you can express your opinion on the success of the work.
Judgment is not so much about the work as about you. What do you think
about this piece of work? Is it successful? Do you like it?

Everyone is going to have reasons for liking or disliking a work of design.
Saying “I think this is good design” is not enough. You must be able to
give reasons as to why you like or do not like a design. If you
followed the four steps of the design critiquing process, you should be
able to articulate this pretty easily.

Critiquing Your Own Design

Just as you would critique somebody else’s work by using the
critiquing process to give greater insight than just your opinion, the
same method can give you a detached review of your own work. First,
take a step back from your work and rest your eyes for a spell, or even
take a jog to clear your mind. Once your mind is fresh and clear, try
the following exercises:

Describe your own design to yourself mentally.

Jot your description down on a piece of paper so you can refer to it later.
Can you express your design easily in clear and effective language? Can
you find distinct words to explain your designs? As you’re describing
your work to yourself, it can trigger new ideas, help you refine your
work or if you’re extremely content with your own description of your
design, you probably have a good design solution.

Analyze the elements in your designs.

What is your overall aim in this design? Is it to strongly convey a certain
message or to subtly represent your underlying objective? What design
elements did you choose to attain this goal? How did you apply the
principles to the elements? Did they work or not?

Interpret your work.

Express your true feelings about your design. Do you think the design is
successful? Return to first principles of design and the objectives for
the project. Be honest with yourself. Do you think somebody else
looking at your design will be able to understand what you are trying
to communicate? Or will your message be lost in translation?

Be judgmental.

This is where you bring in another designer, or friend, (or instructor!)
whom you trust to express their opinion of your work. Ask them all the
questions you have posed to yourself: Do they like it? Do they
understand it? What was their first reaction looking at your design?
With every input and suggestion, take it with heed. It is important to
digest somebody else’s opinion and compare and contrast them with
other’s input, especially somebody educated and aware of the process of
graphic design. And sometimes, it is just as crucial to digest the
opinion of someone who doesn’t know anything about your project or
indeed about graphic design—as a typical audience member is likely to
be.

Building a Thoughtful Response

Here’s a helpful format that you can use when responding to your
fellow students in a group critique. By answering these questions, you
should be able to build a thoughtful response to a given project:

1. Assignment Requirements

Does this piece follow the basic rules/instructions of the original assignment? In what way/s?

2. Positive Attributes

In what way/s has this piece correctly captured/addressed the nature/spirit of the assignment?

3. Negative Attributes

In what way/s has this piece not captured the nature of the assignment? What suggestions can you offer? (i.e. How would you apply constructive criticism?).

4. Conceptual Attributes

Is this piece an appropriate conceptual vehicle for the assignment? Describe why or why not.

5. Formal Attributes

Does this piece display exemplary design craft? Cite specific instances of good/bad craft.

6. Other Attributes

Does this piece go beyond the boundaries of the assignment? If so, how?
If not, what are some ways in which it might have done so? Speculate on
the unexplored potential of this piece.

Creative Visualization

Visualization Techniques

For our purposes we are going to divide visualization into four categories:

• Thought Visualization
• Concept Visualization
• Create Concept Boards
• Final Visualization

1. Thought Visualization

How do we first put our thoughts to paper? This can be done through words, diagrams, sketches and found materials.

Some of the techniques we can use are:

1. Mind Mapping
2. Brain Storming
3. Others

2. Concept Visualization

At this point we have developed some ideas and concepts that we would like
to explore and we want to utilize different techniques to develop our
ideas and find the best way to express them. There are many techniques
we can use both by hand and on the computer.

It is always better to start by visualizing ideas by hand. The results are more
instant, fluid and will often lead us towards other areas of
exploration not previously conceived. The computer is better utilized
when a more concrete concept has been established and we can then use
the advanced tools the computer provides.

Here are some ideas of hand techniques:

• Collage
• Photo Montage
• Sketching
• Painting

3. Create Concept Boards

Similar to mind mapping, concept boards collect imagery and other found items
that are associated with your concepts. Place this material all on one
board. Examine how they affect each other; look for commonality and
contrast.

This technique will often help to identify styles for imagery, type, composition and an overall look and feel for
the design concept.

4. Final Visualization

These are the techniques or styles of visualization we use to present our final design.

Some of the questions we will ask ourselves include:

• Shall we use a photographic image?
• What kind of line or shape will we use?
• Shall we use color and what color?

The questions are almost limitless and a lot will be determined by how your
ideas have developed and the final message you wish to communicate.

Media

Almost as important as the elements and principles of design are the media.
These are the materials chosen to execute the design. In today's highly
technological world this usually means using the computer. However the
computer is still just a tool, and great concepts still come from you,
the designer. No tool can supplant the process of creation; you must
use your mind to develop ideas. Therefore you still want to begin any
project on paper, with something as simple as a pen or colored pencils.

Some of the design exercises for this class will be executed by hand
using simple materials: black, white and colored papers, glue or rubber
cement, and felt tip pens or markers. You will finish most of your
homework assignments on your computer. However, you will be required to
do all your preliminary thinking (thumbnails) by hand--and you will be
required to scan in and post all of this initial handwork for each
assignment.

Tools for Thumbnails

Pencil: Try sketching with a sharp pencil and now a
dull one. Try sketching with a soft one, and now a big pencil or a
chiseled pencil. Your ideas will change as you change your pencil.

Brush: Few designers take advantage of the
conventional painting and drawing tools from our training years. We
forget how we think differently with a brush in our hands. Fluid
strokes beget interesting form. Liquid color always begets happy
accidents.

Color media: A suggestion of color can change the spin
on a sketch. In a finished piece of designed communication, broad
strokes of color or spot color can change the emphasis, meaning and
impact of the message. Color sketching will help you see these shifts
early in the process.

Cut and paste: Remember the feeling you had when you
were a kid creating with crude tools? Crayons, blunt-ended scissors,
tape, white paste. We did anything we could to get what was in our head
onto the piece of paper.

Dimensional sketching: Your choices of paper, format,
materials and folds are all influenced by the content and, in turn,
affect the concept. The feel, sound and smell of the sketch will
enhance the concept.

Thumbnails represent a starting point for developing ideas and
concepts. When you begin a project, you have to put into visual form
the ideas you come up with in your head. You have to be able to see
your ideas yourself in a variety of forms so you can select the best
layout for your concept. You need to have a way to show these ideas to
a client (or an instructor.)

Thumbnails are the fastest, most flexible way to do this. Thumbnails are visual representations of
what you are thinking; of the ideas and compositions that come to mind
in solving a design problem. The more you develop ideas through small
preliminary sketches, thumbnails, the wider the range of solutions you
will have to choose from for your final design.

Types of Thumbnails

The two recommended types or levels of thumbnails are:

• Rough (or preliminary)
• Tight

Rough thumbnails involve thinking, experimentation and growth. Rough thumbnails should be done quickly and without censoring.

Tight thumbnails are refined versions that are done neatly and carefully to a
presentation quality, and may be shown to a client (or instructor.)

Do not censor your mind with rough thumbnails; put down anything that comes and don’t worry about flow or organization.

Why should rough thumbnails be done by hand?

Because all final work in today’s world is completed on the computer, you may
think that you should also begin on the computer. Not true!

When you are developing ideas, you need to be completely free from the needs and constraints the computer places on you.

Think of it this way: if all you know how to do on the computer is draw cats
and dogs, and you only use the computer to generate ideas, then all
your ideas will end up being about cats and dogs.

Furthermore, since the computer always draws cats and dogs perfectly, you’ll end up
being a perfectionist—too controlled a mindset for brainstorming.

If you sit down with a pen or pencil and start to doodle, or if you do a series of quick sketches to visualize the ideas you have in your head, then anything is possible.

You will always find a way to produce your ideas, but if you never give
yourself the chance to think of them because you are so controlled by
your computer, you may never do anything unusual or creative.

And, believe it or not, in the preliminary stage of ideation (when you are thinking quickly and without censoring), it is actually a lot faster to work by hand!

Working By Hand

When you work by hand, there is nothing to mark and move. There is
nothing to save. It is easy to work on several ideas at the same time
and, possibly most importantly, you will have a direct link between
your brain and your hand without the need to understand anything but
the ideas that are coming up.

Doodling and thumbnail sketching is by far the best way to generate
a lot of unique visual concepts quickly. Doodling is therapeutic.
Doodling is done while your mind is meandering in other directions,
while you are on the phone, for instance.

The beauty behind doodling or thumbnail sketching is that a thought is
captured as a pure and raw idea, not as a stylistic solution. When you
look back over several pages of miniature sketches, you’ll begin to see
things you didn’t intend to do while you were sketching. More
importantly, when someone else looks at these same sketches, that
person adds a whole new point of view to your raw ideas. As more people
look at the sketches, more ideas are created. This is because sketching
is not a precise technique. It leaves room for interpretation.

The computer is both a blessing and a curse rolled into one expensive tool.
And that’s just what it is: a tool. It is the pencil of the late
twentieth century [and now the twenty-first century], nothing more. It
is not the brain. It is not a designer, a photographer or an
illustrator. Designers have a responsibility to do what we are paid to
do: design. Although the computer can be a great tool for making
visions reality, too many designers use it as their only tool, or
worse, as a substitute for thinking. These designers use the computer
as a sketching tool, thinking tool, writing tool, typesetting and
illustration tool, and production tool. All this is well and good,
until you can’t tell where one starts and another ends. Then the tool
has mastered the designer, not the other way around, and the designer
may have begun abdicating his responsibility to the computer.

Rough Thumbnails

These preliminary thumbnails should be done quickly and roughly.
They do not have to be neat. However, you do need to know what you are
trying to accomplish. In other words: what is your goal? You also need
to have enough information so you can guide your mind in the right
direction. Keep in mind that you are just beginning to think about
concepts and develop your ideas, so it is absolutely essential that you
not censor yourself at this stage.

Understanding the meaning of the word censorship may help you to avoid the activity:

[To] censor: to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable or not acceptable.

Do a series of quick, rough sketches first. Put down everything you can
think of. Then pick the best of these to develop further into tighter
thumbnails that really explain your concept and show what your final
layout(s) will look like.

These quick sketches usually work best when they are messy and rough.

The other important aspect of doing rough thumbnails is that if you know
you don’t have to show them to anybody, you are more apt to put down
unusual, funny, quirky, silly, outrageous, or crazy ideas. This keeps
your mind loose and relaxed. Some of the very best designs have
originated from far-out ideas.

You don’t want to evaluate ideas during your preliminary thinking, brainstorming and thumbnail
sessions. This means that you need to keep your mind and your
imagination wide open so that you do not say no to anything that pops
into your head. Put it all down! Everything!

Here are some tips for doing rough, preliminary thumbnails:

• Know where you are going. Have a goal; have enough information to direct your thinking.
• Work
  within the same dimensional page shape you want for your final layouts.
  If your finished design will be square, do your thumbnails in squares.
  If your final compositions will be rectangular, approximate the shape
  of the page when you do your thumbnails.
• If your final design is to use solid shapes, do your rough thumbnails with
  solid shapes by filling them in. You cannot see what solid shapes will
  look like if all you use are outlines. The balance and weight of solid
  shapes is different than outlines. Even though you are working quickly
  in this stage it is important to slant your mind in the right direction.
• If your final design is to be in color, use color right from the start.
  Use colored pencils or felt tip pens, but allow your mind to think in
  Technicolor. You’ll be more creative, and it is a lot more exciting to
  work with color.
• Carry a small sketchpad with you.
  You can jot down ideas at any time and anywhere. Many a great idea was
  first put down on a paper napkin.
• Experiment with a variety of media. Try felt-tip pens, colored pencils, collage, paints, pencils, ink, etc.

Sometimes when ideas fail to surface through sketches, a designer may
encourage a breakthrough by cutting and arranging his images. In any
event it is a worthwhile exercise that may expand a designer’s
perception. There are two levels of chance that can influence concept
formation. One is the pure accident of vision and events and the other
is the controlled accident, where the designer sets the stage for
chance. An advantage of working with collage or cutouts is the
opportunity that these techniques offer to produce and take advantage
of the accidental effect. Both random and controlled chance can be
effective if the designer is alert.

Tight Thumbnails

Once you have a number of ideas in rough form, you will need to look
at what you have and select the best ideas to develop. Remember that if
you look at what you have and don’t like anything you have come up
with, you can go back through the creative process again as many times
as you need to. You may need to go all the way back to the idea
generation stage.

When it comes time to present your ideas they need to be in tight thumbnail form and of professional
quality. Although you may be working smaller than the final size, your
thumbnails must be in the same relative proportions as your finished
layout will be.

Tight thumbnails should be in the correct
proportions as the finished piece and show all the major elements. At
this stage, in final roughs and certainly in tight thumbnails, a
computer is generally used.

You need to take the following steps for all (or tight) thumbnails:

• Develop your concept and layouts into a visual form that can be clearly understood.
• If typography is included, you need to look at the actual font and
  duplicate it in hand lettering that resembles the font. This means that
  if it is a serif font, the serifs must be included.
• If you are using colored pencil or pens, you need to apply the color smoothly and evenly.
• Your layouts must be in the same dimensional form as the finals will be.
  This means you need to figure out the reduced dimensions exactly. In
  other words if your final page will be 6 inches x 9 inches, your
  presentation thumbnails might be 50% of the full size or 3 x 4.5. They
  should be large enough to be clearly visible, but small enough so that
  they don’t take you hours to produce.
• How you present tight thumbnails depends on whom you are presenting them to. If there
  are specifications to a class project that tell you how to present your
  concepts in thumbnail form, follow them. If there are no instructions,
  find a way to present them in a professional manner. You might mount
  them on a single board. You might have all of them on a single sheet of
  paper. You might have each one mounted individually.

“Know where you are going. Have a goal; have enough information to direct your thinking.” What we’re talking about here is a concept. Thumbnails are a good way of getting to a solid concept

Mind Mapping

A mind map is a drawing of a concept or idea and those ideas related
to it. A mind map is a way to organize a subject using visual tools.
Often used by artists, mind maps are also used by information
professionals of all kinds to sort and make sense of a complex subject.

Mind maps use graphics, words, images, symbols and color
to create a 2-dimensional representation of a 3-dimensional knowledge
set. Basically you start with a concept and then create links and lines
relating other concepts to your starting point. Eventually you have a
map of how your own mind thinks about the subject and that can lead to
a lot of idea generation and spark creative thinking. The elements are
arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts in
your mind and they are organized into groupings, branches, or areas.

Academics use similar devices called semantic networks, cognitive
maps and others that carry complex formal rules in order to solve
problems in engineering and computer science. A mind map is a
simplified version for everyday people where the interrelationships
between concepts are not structured but rather the choice of the “mind
mapper” (you!).

Mind maps increase the quality of thinking. They assist in systems thinking, allowing a visual
representation of an overview, showing connections and facilitating the
synthesis of ideas. They are helpful for creative thinking, allowing
you to access multiple intelligences and generate new ideas. Mind maps
help you to organize ideas, both your own and those of other people.
They help you organize information from books, workshops and meetings.
Creating mind maps increases memory and learning.

How to create a mind map

Although there are rules for creating a useful mind map, the process is intended to spark new
relationships and fresh ideas, so do not get stuck or bogged down in
the rules and details. That said, here are some basic instructions for
how to create successful mind maps. A mind map is an organization of
your own internal metaphoric connections surrounding a subject, so
there are never right or wrong answers to put on your mind map.

• Start with a clean large sheet of paper.
• Always begin in the center and work your way out.
• Feel free to use words, images, symbols, codes, pasted material, dimensions or anything else you find useful on your mind map.
• If you do use letters, try to print them rather than use a scrolling hand, the finished map will be much easier to read.
• Make the center strong and clear and (probably) visual in order to clearly identify the theme of your map.
• Make sure every element has a line.
• Lines can be arrows, black and white, in color or any other kind of connector
  that makes sense to you. Lines between elements connote relationships
  of various kinds. Use different lines for different kinds of
  relationships. Use colors as a personal code in your map.
• All lines must be connected, starting from the central image. Lines
  typically start thick in the center and become thinner and freer
  flowing as they grow out.

Try to develop your own visual style of mind mapping, as this is likely to be easier for
you to create and read in the future. If you get stuck, don’t stop;
simply move to another branch of the map. If you run out of paper,
don’t start over; paste more paper onto your work surface.

Design Elements and Principles

The Design Elements and Principles

Designing is the act of arranging things to create a single effect. To learn about design you must learn about:

• Design Elements—its parts and how they work
• Design Principles—the techniques we use to present the elements.

Elements and principles work together in compelling designs. Although we study
each of the elements and principles separately, none of them stands
alone. Each composition you create, be it based around a particular
element or principle, will nevertheless relate to many (or all) of the
other elements and principles at the same time.

The Design Elements

These are the things we work with:

• Line
• Shape
• Texture
• Color
• Type
• Image

These are descriptions of the visual tools we have at our disposal to visualize an idea on a two-dimensional surface.

Line

Lines come in many different guises: they can be long or short, thin or
thick, solid or dashed, horizontal, vertical or diagonal. They can be
used to create patterns, to divide or unite other elements. They can
indicate direction, act as an anchor or simply decorate a design.

Shape

Shape, like line, is all around us. Our visual cortex is trained to recognize
shape and apply meaning or symbolism to shapes. Interestingly these
meanings are not connected with cultural or societal references but
appear to be a universal human trait.

Designers can use the power of shape in multiple ways. Shape helps organize and guide the
eye around a design. The endless possible interrelations of shapes
continually fascinate us, with each shape holding an emotional
intelligence. Shapes can even lead a viewer into a story, one shape to
the next. Savvy designers use the emotional power of shapes to their
advantage. As designers, it is important to understand the power of
shape, how it can bring its own meaning to a composition, or simply
strengthen other design elements on the page.

Texture

Everything around us has texture and as such is
a fundamental element of all design. Texture can be both tactile and
visual. An example of a tactile texture may be the feel of the
expensive paper used for a brochure. Visual texture describes the use
of line, shape, type and image to create different moods in a design.

In the two dimensions of graphic design we are somewhat limited in how we
can affect the tactile qualities of our design. However, there are a
number of techniques, including embossing, die cutting, the application
of varnish and many others. We can lend a tactile quality to our
designs that will have a direct impact on the message we communicate.

As we gain greater control, we have limitless ways to create visual texture in our designs:

• Photography of actual 3D textures
• Photographic texture through the manipulation of color and tone
• Illustration and artistic rendering
• Use of line and shape to create pattern and texture
• Use of type
• Dot and tone

Color

Like the other elements of graphic design color can be found in nature and
our environment, once your eye is trained to see. Designers use color
for a variety of tasks including drawing attention, creating balance
and much more. Some color combinations are used to create specific
identities, for example the colors used in a recognizable corporate
logo, and other times color is combined with texture to simulate the
look of other objects: the look of a plain paper carton tied with
string or bright lights, for instance.

Color can be found in the paper, the text, or the graphic elements and photos. A
monochromatic color scheme uses a single color, while other layouts
utilize combination's of two, three, or more colors. A monochrome (black
and white) design scheme still uses color, a single color, perhaps in
various tints.

Like shape, we naturally attach emotional meanings to colors although, unlike shape, these meanings are affectedby society and context. For example, in the west red is an
attention-grabbing color, usually considered warm. In the east this
perception may be quite different. By contrast, blues are cool colors,
calming and conveying stability.

One aspect of color that is important to understand is the value of the color. The value is the
relative lightness or darkness of a color area compared with the
surrounding areas. Tints of gray or red are different values of the
same color. Changing the value of the colors you use can create
contrast, movement and emphasis.

Type

Thoughtful typography plays an important role in
effective communication. Using the correct typeface will help to
reinforce an idea. By exploring composition and scale, type can be used
to create visually dynamic and appropriate designs.

Type is much more than a tool we use to communicate written
language; we make judgments about the message by seeing the style of
text.

Image

The use of imagery is an effective way to communicate an idea and message.

Like all of the other graphic elements, an image’s primary function is to
convey information or evoke a distinct emotion. The message conveyed is
strongly influenced by the style of image used. For example, for a book
on botany you would expect floral illustrations or photography to be as
accurate and descriptive as possible, without distracting distortions.
If you were using floral imagery in a more evocative setting (say to
evoke a feeling of the peace and beauty in nature), you would probably
use imagery that was more mood-focused than scientifically descriptive.

It is important, therefore, for designers to consider not just the content of an image, but the techniques used to express it.

The Design Principles

This is what we do with them:

1. Balance

The stability applied to opposing visual elements or forces

• Symmetrical Balance
• Asymmetrical Balance
• Radial Balance

2. Space

The area that surrounds an element

• Positive Space
• Negative Space

3. Emphasis

The creation of visual importance through the use of selective stress

4. Movement

The path the eyes follow when looking at a design or piece of art\

• Implied Action or Time
• Rhythm

5. Contrast

Elements standing in opposition to one another

6. Alignment and Unity

The placement of the elements to organize or unify an area or object; all the elements working together harmoniously

Balance

Balance is always a part of design. A design needs enough balance
for unity, and enough variation to be interesting. There are three
forms of balance: Symmetrical Balance, Asymmetrical Balance, and Radial
Balance.

1. Symmetrical Balance

A composition divided in half, so that one side is exactly (or almost
exactly) the same as the other, creates a mirror image and is
considered symmetrically balanced.

There are four types of symmetrical balance:

Complex Symmetry:
The page can be divided in half vertically, horizontally, and
diagonally. To accomplish this the page (or space) must be a square.

Horizontal Symmetry:
The space (or page) can be divided in half horizontally so that the top
and bottom will mirror each other. Horizontal symmetry is most commonly
seen in visuals that have a reflection.

Vertical Symmetry:
The most commonly used form of symmetry where the page (or space) is
divided in half vertically so that both sides match. When the two sides
match exactly it is called perfect symmetry. However, as soon as
typography is added to the page, the symmetry is no longer perfect.

Approximate Symmetry:
A layout that is based upon symmetry but with minor variations that do
not follow exactly. The overall balance must still be symmetrical to
qualify as approximate symmetry. A visual element might be added to
break the severity of the symmetry, to add visual interest, or to
attract attention. This is the type of symmetry most often used by a
graphic designer.

2. Asymmetrical Balance

A design or composition where a center line or point is ignored and the design
elements are balanced visually. Asymmetry is a sensed balance. The
designer manipulates images within a given space until the feeling
of balance is achieved within the parameters set for the completed
design. There are no rules for reaching this sense of balance. This
form of balance is subjective and open to an infinite number of
interpretations.

3. Radial Balance

A design where the elements radiate from a central point and calls for
repetition. Radial balance is often found in nature, as well as in many
designed objects.

Space

Shapes and forms have substance and occupy space. Space is identified in two ways:

1. Positive Space

This is occupied space. The item(s) or element(s) put on a page is positive space.

2. Negative Space

This is the unoccupied or empty space. The empty area(s) or background is negative space.

Emphasis

Emphasis creates one or more focal points in a design and thus
directs the eye to the most important element(s) in any design, and to
the other details in their order of importance. The element that
attracts the viewer first is the focal point of the design. The
designer must decide how to achieve focal point, what to emphasize, and
where to place the emphasis.

Emphasis can be created with:

• contrast
• a simplified background
• isolation of subject matter
• use of the unusual or unexpected
• proportion, size, repetition and number
• movement and lines
• the creation of a path

Visual Hierarchy

Hierarchy stands for the placement of the members of a group according to the importance of each.

When we apply hierarchy to graphic design, we are working with the elements
(or parts) of a composition, and the placement has to do with the order
in which we want an audience to become aware of each. What should they
perceive first? Second? Third? Visual hierarchy becomes essential so
that the message is perceived in the intended order and is easy to
understand.

Movement

The path of the viewer’s eye
as it follows a work of design is known as movement. Attention can be
drawn to areas of greatest interest. Movement can attract and hold
attention beyond a momentary glance. If the composition has a rhythmic
flow, the eyes are easily led from one place to another. The placement
of images and objects cues the eyes to follow.

Movement and time are closely associated. The amount of time a design holds the
attention can be controlled to some degree by the arrangement of the
elements and the amount of movement they offer. This might be as simple
an experience as an awareness of the seconds it takes for the eye to
travel across the page. Movement can also give the experience of real
time passing — from seconds to days to weeks to years to even ages.

There are several types of movement:

• Vertical
• Horizontal
• Diagonal
• Radial
• Line and Shape
• Value
• Color

1. Vertical Movement

When the eye sweeps up or down on the page or image, vertical movement is achieved.

2. Horizontal Movement

Horizontal movement can convey
many moods, from tranquility and peace to speed and energy. It is
strengthened by its position in relationship to the top and bottom
borders of a frame, space or page. Many horizontal compositions move
from left to right, but the movement can also be from right to left
depending on the desired implication. The horizon line and eye levels
are both common experiences for everyone and cause an automatic
experience of horizontal movement.

3. Diagonal Movement

Diagonal movement usually creates a sense of unrest, stress or imbalance and reinforces action.

4. Radial Movement

Rotating panels and spinning devices are often used in three-dimensional displays to attract attention. This
effect can also be used in the two-dimensional format to indicate
rotation (such as a wheel) or to draw the eye into a center point (such
as a bull’s-eye). Spiral configurations can draw the eye either inward
or outward.

5. Line and Shape Movement

Lines invite the eye to follow
a path. Shape can also invite the eye to follow along if it is longer
than it is wide or pointed at one end. An elongated shape will produce
eye movement along its axis, or might be experienced as a bold line.
Several shapes can also be arranged in a way that implies there is a
line set up between them. This imaginary line directs the eye in a
particular direction. The eye will follow the outline or edges of
shapes, or the path taken by the shapes and images.

6. Value Movement

Value can be used to generate movement in three ways:

1. By passage through similar values that touch each other.
2. By transition from dark to light or light to dark.
3. By skipping from one place to another that is of similar value.

7. Color Movement

Color moves. Warm colors advance. Cool colors recede. Bright colors seem
closer. Pale or muted colors seem farther away. Colors repeated in a
design pull the eye to each repetition. Similar colors will also pull
the eye: the related hue in each of them will create a path.

Contrast

Elements with strong contrast stand in opposition to one another: light against dark, large against
small, round against square, smooth against rough, and more. For
example, color contrast might mean warm colors against cool colors, or
light colors against darks.

Contrast is used to create emphasis. Contrast creates order and visual
hierarchy. Contrast is also a tool to highlight differences between
elements. Most designs require this contrast in one form or another.

Some types of Contrast are:

• Positive/Negative
• Line Contrasts
• Shape and Form
• Color Contrasts
• Texture Contrasts
• Contrast with Identical or Similar Shapes
• Dark and Light
• Contrast in Imagery
• Contrast in Typography
• Complex vs. Simple
• Large vs. Small
• Organic vs. Geometric
• Many vs. Few
• Bold vs. Delicate
• Straight vs. Curved
• Smooth vs. Rough
• Order vs. Chaos

Alignment and Unity

Good alignment is invisible.
Most readers won't consciously notice that everything is lined up
neatly on the page, but they will feel it when things are out of
alignment. On the other hand, deliberately misaligning elements can
also be used effectively to create a feeling of movement, anxiety and
emotion. Designers will use one or more of the kinds of alignments to
create a pleasing layout.

Alignment is the placement of text and graphics so they line up on the page. Alignment can:

• Create order
• Organize page elements
• Group items
• Create visual connections

There are several types of alignment:

• Horizontal
• Center
• Vertical
• Edge
• Visual or Optical
• Strong
• None

1. Horizontal Alignment

In horizontal alignment the left and right margins are exactly (or
visually) equal, however horizontal alignment does not necessarily mean
center alignment. Horizontal alignment can be across the page or within
columns. For example, a block of flush left/ragged-right text can be
aligned horizontally. Though individual lines of text are not perfectly
aligned on each side, careful attention to the amount of rag (white
space at the end of the line) can result in a visually balanced margin
on each side of the block of text.

2. Center Alignment

Center alignment may be horizontally or vertically aligned, or both.

3. Vertical Alignment

In vertical alignment the top and bottom margins are exactly or visually equal.

4. Edge Alignment

Edge alignment puts text or objects along their top, bottom, left, or right edges.

5. Visual or Optical Alignment

Visual or optical alignment fixes some of the problems that can occur with
other types of alignment due to the varying shapes of letters and
graphics. In visual alignment, the objects may not be precisely
aligned, but to the eye they appear lined up.

6. Strong Alignment

This
is when the strength of alignment is central to the design of the
communication. This is especially evident in newspaper design.

7. No Alignment

This is when the design deliberately uses no alignment to express an idea or mood.

Graphic Design/Creative Thinking

What is Graphic Design?

The objective of this class is to make you better graphic designers by helping you master the art of visualization. To reach this goal we must first understand how graphic design is defined and how it differs or resembles other art forms. Graphic design is an applied art, rather than a fine art; meaning that it’s purpose is not solely to provide intellectual stimulation, as in a fine art like painting, but rather to apply the techniques of art to everyday objects, often with communication and/or commercial goals. In its simplest form, graphic design is the arrangement of image and text to communicate a message.

What is Creative Thinking?

There may be as many definitions of creative thinking as there are philosophers considering the subject. However, there is general agreement that creative thinking--the process by which our mind collates information and comes up with novel solutions-- combines two aspects of the brain: analytical thought and imaginative thought. Analytical thought is concerned with conclusions while imaginative thought produces ideas.
Creative thinking uses the entire mind. Imaginative thought is used to generate ideas of all kinds using techniques like brainstorming, while analytical thinking then sorts, evaluates and selects ideas best suited to the problem at hand. The process of creative thinking means allowing our minds to slip back and forth between these two methods of problem solving.
Before we look at the process of creative thinking, it may be worthwhile to ask ourselves: What is creativity anyway? Naturally, there is more than one answer. Creativity can be defined as ability, an attitude, and a process.

An Ability
Many of us understand creativity, especially when we see it in others, as a unique ability that some people are born with and others are not. In this definition creativity is akin to prowess at sports or a natural ability to play chess.
However, research suggests that this is not the case, rather all individuals are born with the ability to be creative, through education and training we sometimes lose touch with this ability. Often all it takes to find your creativity is to stick with it. Persistence is essential.
With that good news firmly in hand, the view that creativity is an ability inherent in every human implies that creativity is the ability to imagine or invent something new.
This may well be so but, more often than not, creativity is not the ability to create something out of nothing, but rather the process of generating ideas by combining, changing, or reapplying existing ideas.

An Attitude
Creativity is also an attitude: the ability to accept change and newness, a willingness to play with ideas and possibilities, a flexibility of outlook, the habit of enjoying the good, while looking for ways to improve it. We are socialized into accepting only a small number of permitted or normal things, like chocolate-covered strawberries, for example. The creative person realizes that there are other possibilities, like peanut butter and banana sandwiches, or chocolate-covered prunes.

A Process
Through a process of gradual changes and refinements, creative people continually improve their solutions. Contrary to popular beliefs regarding creativity, almost no works of brilliance are produced spontaneously in a rabid melee of activity. Most inventors must be dragged away kicking and screaming from their works as they will always keep on tweaking and refining it in order to make it a little better. The creative person knows that there is always room for improvement.

The Creative Process
There are many approaches to the creative process. One of the best comes from Tolleson Design’s book Soak Wash Rinse Spin. They break the creative process for any project down into four key phases:
Research
Analyze
Explore
Finalize

Research

This is the phase in which the designer has to submerge oneself in information of all kinds, information of “just about anything it takes to get our hands around the client’s business.” Typically a graphic design project will have a specific goal or subject since the discipline is rooted in communication or commercial requirements. Researching the problem to be solved is an essential first step in creating a foundation upon which to build ideas. Research can take many forms and is a kind of brainstorming. There are no limits to the research phase of finding a good idea. Follow your nose. Research can and will take many forms depending on the project requirements at hand.
For example, you may wish to schedule interviews with product developers or clients, do desk research into visual brands or a visual history surrounding projects of the type you have been assigned, or consult magazines and books related to the subject area.
During this phase you will be generating many ideas in reaction to the materials you are gathering. Document them. These ideas will form a platform for the analyzing and editing phases to come.

Analyze

In the “soak” phase of researching your visual input, you have obtained “more information than can possibly fit into the end product.” The next step is to begin thinking about all of the collected material. Thinking starts with generating ideas.

The sorting out process is nothing more than going from the initial phase of visual research, taking the many ideas and thoughts towards a single concept. This final concept is the one that will be evaluated, designed and refined before it is taken to the production phase

Explore

In this phase the designer starts exploring visual concepts to create a design.
The process of creating a design is more than the production of a single idea. Rather, a strong design piece begins with many ideas, which the designer must analyze and then extract the most successful idea to develop further. Through small thumbnails, a designer can rapidly visualize all ideas that come to mind when considering the client project. Thumbnails allow a designer to formulate several ideas without cumbersome details and wasting time. In this way, all attention is focused on the essential parts of a layout. As the thumbnails are refined and the best ideas become more obvious, details can be worked in and the thumbnails increased in size. Now that the idea is in place, details such as images, type, text and color can be examined for the final concept.

Finalize

In the final phase the selected concept is now realized and communicated in whatever medium is chosen.Now you will have to take into consideration all the practical issues in the realization of the final design. These issues include but may not be limited to:

• Where and how will the work be presented?
  
• Is it being presented via digital media?
• Is it to be printed?
  
• Will it be presented in a box?
  
• Will it be displayed on a truck?
  

Our objective as designers in this phase is, in the words of Tolleson, to create a “final piece [that] works in as effective and efficient manner as possible for the client.”

To Do by 3/2

50 Ways of Seeing a Tree Final: Format is 2 separate A3 pages. page 1, title and descriptive text, page 2 is 50 images.
3 spreads of Visual Concept Book
Joseph Campbell discussion
Typface research dione, slab serif
Grids
Character Set Font Final
Great design for mass market (Google)
Historical Example 1801-1920
Making Ideas Visible Quiz
Type Forms Quiz
History of Graphic Design Quiz

Poetry Submission

Illustration #1: Typed Poem in Standard Format


[1-inch margins top, bottom of page, left & right of page]

Michael J. Bugeja
E. W. Scripps Hall
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio 45701
(614) 555-3737

[6 lines of white space between name/address & title of poem]



The Carpe Diem Blues

The lover’s complaint yodel-lady-hoos
in the Alps. He would like to clear the air
but has a case of the carpè diem blues.

He envisions his Lorelie in lederhose,
oblivious of clothes that sirens wear.
The lover’s complaint yodel-lady-hoos.

Amid vast mountaintops of spruce and snow,
hardly an oracle to lament an affair:
He has a case of carpè diem blues.

This alarms him like a roost of cuckoos
in the shops and chalets tolling the hour.
The lover’s complaint yodel-lady-hoos

And cracks the ice the way Valkyries do
in Valhalla, warbling arias there.
He has a case of carpè diem blues.

Voices come back to him, haunting the hollows
of his hickory-dickory heart, beyond repair.
the lover’s complaint yodel-lady-hoos.
He has a case of carpè diem blues.


Illustration #2: Brief Cover Letter

Michael J. Bugeja
E. W. Scripps Hall
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio 45701


[5 lines of white space between your address & date]


January 5, 2008

[2 lines of white space between date and editor's address]

Hilda Raz, Editor-in-Chief
Prairie Schooner
201 Andrews Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0334

[1 line of white space between address & salutation]
Dear Ms. Raz:

[1 line of white space between salutation & first paragraph]
I read the Fall 2007 special poetry issue of Prairie Schooner and particularly enjoyed the poems of Ted Kooser, Marnie Bullock, and Rafael Campo. I thought I would send you a submission of five poems from a book-length manuscript in progress entitled Talk.

My work has previously appeared in The Kenyon Review, Poetry, Triquarterly, and The Georgia Review, among others. I teach writing and ethics at Ohio University and once worked in Lincoln as a reporter for United Press International. So I know your city well.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[1 line of white space between last paragraph & closing]
Sincerely,



[4 lines of white space between closing & name]
Michael J. Bugeja
(614) 555-3737

Key Words
Enclosed are.....
Thank You for considering my manuscript. I look forward to hearing from you.

1 poem per page
Right hand corner: name, address, phone number, email and # of lines.
Continuing page: name, title, page number, continuing stanza or new stanza

Goals

Brother- Publish a book of brother's writing: poems and stories for his b-day. (July 12, 2009)
- Go to bookstores and figure out publishers that are most likely to publish his work.
- Selection of work, Manuscript and Editing

Mother- Buy a property for mom close to San Francisco.
- Get in contact with a Realtor there and do research and find a good motel. Try to get all this figured out before moving and starting school in San Francisco.

Roseanne
(408) 321-0100
roseanna@ix.netcom.com

Agenda
Jury Duty Clearance
Voreal Business Prices
R Application AAU
Seattle/Boise Hospital Clearance
Clean Car
Organize
Replan
Graphic Design Meetup Feb. 26
Amazon Book (Adobe Typeface)
Gym Membership- Call Physical Therapist for exercise list

Honor Your Past

Every second you dwell on the past you steal your future. Every minute you spend focusing on your problems you take away from finding a solutions. And thinking about all those things you wished never happened to you is actually blocking all the things you want to happen from entering your life. Given the timeless truth that holds that you become what you think about all day long, it makes no sense to worry about past events or mistakes unless you want to experience them for the second time. Instead, use the lessons you have learned from your past to rise to a whole new level of awareness and enlightenment.
Life's greatest setbacks reveal life's biggest opportunity. As the ancient thinker Euripides noted, "There is in the worst of fortune the best chances for a happy change." If you have suffered more than your fair share of difficulties in life, perhaps you are being prepared to serve some greater purpose that will require you to be equipped with the wisdom you have acquired through your trials. Use the life lessons to fuel your future growth. Remember, happy people have often experienced as much adversity as those who are unhappy. What sets them apart is that the good sense to manage their memories in a way that enriches their lives.
And understand that if you have failed more than others, there is a very good chance you are living more completely than others. Those who take more chances and dare to be more and do more than other will naturally experience more failure. But personally, I would rather have the bravery to try something and then fail than never to have tried it at all. I would prefer spending the rest of my days expanding my human frontiers and trying to make the seemingly impossible probable than live of comfort, security and mediocrity. That's the essence of true life success. As Herodotus noted so sagely, "It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness of fear of what may happen." Or as Booker T. Washington said, "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has overcome while trying to succeed."

- Robin Sharma
Who Will Cry When You Die?

Keep Your Cool- Anger

"Anyone can become angry that's easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way- that is not easy," taught Aristotle. With all the stress and pressure in our lives, it is easy to loose our cool at the slightest irritation. While we are rushing home from work at the end of another exhausting day, we scream at the slow driver in front of us who apparently has all the time in the world. While we stop at the grocery store, we get annoyed with the the stock clerk who sends us to the wrong aisle when we are in search of the ingredients for tonight's lasagna. And while we are eating dinner, we yell at the telemarketer who has the nerves to interrupts is in an attempt to sell us their latest wares.
The problem with loosing your temper on daily basis is that is becomes a habit. And like most habits, a time arrives when it becomes second nature. Personal relationships start unraveling, business partnerships begin to fall apart and your credibility decreases as you become known as "a loose cannon." Effective people are consistent and, in many way, predictable. Tough times call for cool people and they are always cool and calm when the pressure is on. Keeping your cool in a moment of crisis can save you years of pain and anguish. Hurtful words unleashed in a single minute of anger have led to many broken relationships. Words are like arrows: once released, they are impossible to retrieve. So choose yours with care.
An excellent way to control your temper is simply to count to 100 before you respond to someone who has irritated you. Another strategy to use is what I call the Three Gate Test. The ancient sages would only speak if the words they were about to utter passed three gates. At the first gate, they asked themselves, Are these words truthful? If so, the words could then pass on the second gate. At the second gate, the sages asked, Are these words necessary? If so, they would pass on the third gate, where they would ask, Are these words kind? If so, then only would they leave their lips and be sent out into the world. "Treat people as they were what they ought to be and help them become what they are capable of being," said the German poet Johann Wolfgang van Goethe. These are wise words to live by.

- Robin Sharma
Who Will Cry When You Die?

To Do

Due Feb 23, TO DO's

Artist Series
Poster Process Book
3 concept posters- 15 thumbnails
Photography + Photoshop discussion
Historical Example 1501-1800
Typeface Research
Exploration 3
Character Set Computer Refinements
Typography Quiz
History in GD Quiz
Making Ideas Visible Quiz

To Do's

Due 2/16
50 images presentation
Evaluation of 50 images of 3 posts
Workbook Visual Research
Evaluation Visual Research
Magazine Layout and Evaluation
Character Set Computer Roughs
Evaluation Computer Roughs
Exploration 2
Type Foundries
McLuhan and Movable Type
Leonardo as designer
Evaluation historical projects
Type Forms Quiz
History Graphic Design Quiz

The Alchemist

I just finished reading "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho.
This story is about a boy who gets two dreams that there is treasure hidden under the pyramid in Egypt. He is a Sheppard, and is not exactly sure whether to follow that intuition. He goes to a fortune teller, and she says he should go for it. But again, he is discouraged. He sits on a bench and reads, and a king disguised as hobo comes to him and gives him the chance, hope and encouragement to follow his dream/intuition. The boy starts his journey, but half way there is discouraged because of reality, but after another year of cleaning/selling crystals, he continues his journey. He falls in love in an Arab country and that encourages him to stay back and settle down as a family man, but his love encourages him to go after his personal legend. Again he goes off to his personal legend, and again finds few struggles, but has learned the power and strength to resolve them. He meets an Alchemist on the way, in the desert, and the Alchemist guides him through everything.


Quotes from Story
"What is the world's greatest lie?"...."It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie." (18)

"And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it." (22)

"..If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work toward getting it" (25)

"....But now I am sad and alone. I'm going to become bitter and distrustful of people because one person betrayed me. I'm going to hate those who have found their treasure because I never found mine. And I am going to hold on to little I have, because I'm too insignificant to conquer the world." (39)

"I'm like everyone else- I see the world in terms of what I would like to see happen, not what actually does." (40)

"He realized: If I can learn to understand this language without words, I can learn to understand the world." (44)

"He still had some doubts about the decision he had made. But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will take him places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision." (68)

"People need not fear the unknown if they are capable of achieving what they need or want."

"...that is was a good thing for the boy to clean the crystal pieces, so that he could free himself from negative thoughts. The boy was becoming more and more convinced that alchemy could be learned in one's daily life." (81)

"And when two people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun had been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning." (93)

"If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise. If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur." (102)

"All of us know that whoever believes in dreams also knows how to interpret them." (107)

"Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World." (111)

"Its not what enters men's mouth that's evil..it's what comes out of their mouth that is." (115)

"....One is loved because one if loved. No reason is needed for loving." (122)

"My heart is a traitor...It doesn't want me to go on.....That makes sense...naturally it's afraid that, in pursuing your dreams, you might loose everything you won...Well then why should I listen to my heart....because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you're thinking about life about the world...You mean I should listen, even if it's treasonous...Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you'll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them. You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen what it has to say. That way you will never have to fear an unexpected blow." (129)

"Most people see the world as a threatening place, and because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place." (131)

"Your eyes show the strength of your soul." (136)

"....Because they understood that when something evolves, everything around that thing evolves as well." (137)

"But don't worry, the alchemist continued, Usually the threat of a death makes people a lot more aware of their lives." (142)

"And look how many things the wind already knew how to do! It created deserts, sank ships, felled entire forests, and blew cities filled with music and strange noises. It felt it had no limits..."(147)

"That's what alchemist do. They show that, when we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too." (150)

"Everything that happens once, can never happen again. But everything that happens twice will surely happen a third time." (156)

Graphic Design

I love school.
My graphic design masters.
Its amazing! Keeps me very busy, I love the work and I really feel like this "professional" designers.
Its a lot of work and very knit picky..
Every inch, or pics in the graphic design world, counts.
Typography to font, to content, to color, to design, to everything communicative and visual!
The course load is too much, but worth it.
I will post work, assignments, information, etc.. as I get it together and learn....
Honey is happy and busy!!!

Things To Do Before I die

1. Make a movie.
2. Publish a book.
3. Change someone's life.
4. Make a difference in the world.
5. Swim with a dolphin.
6. Learn to speak a foreign language.
7. Tell someone story of my life, in detail.
8. Accept compliments and insults.
9. Sleep under stars.
10. Learn how to complain efficiently.
11. Forgive?!
12. Overcome fear of failure.
13. Watch the sun set and sun rise in same day.
14. Write a letter to editor.
15. Travel (India, Australia, Europe (atleast)