davidthedesigner

handy tips for getting a job #2

The laptop

When you're going for an interview there's no hard and fast rule about whether you should present your portfolio on a laptop. Just remember that design for the screen always looks best on a screen, and design for print looks best on paper.

But if you do take a laptop, chances it will be a MacBook, MacBook Pro or a PowerBook (which you either own, or you've begged or borrowed). Here's a tip: close the lid on one of these and it's asleep; open the lid and it's awake. You don't need to start it up during the middle of an interview - that's just a waste of a precious five minutes (and won't do you any favours). And don't take the power lead along either - make sure the battery's fully charged when you arrive (which means shutting down all the programs except the one needed for the presentation).

And, while you're about it, make sure the desktop is tidy and that your presentation can be activated with one click. You won't get the job on the basis of demonstrating your skills in searching the hard disk.

handy tips for getting a job #1

I've done a fair number of interviews in my time. The first 10 years of my career, mostly as an interviewee. And the remainder, mostly as an interviewer. So I've seen the process from both sides of the desk. Here's what I've learned:-

The mobile phone

TURN IT OFF*.

It doesn't make you look smart. And if it goes off in the middle of an interview, you won't get the job (and you won't deserve the job either).

*Forgetting is not an excuse.

meltdown at johnson banks

They've been pondering global warming over at Johnson Banks. As they say, for graphic designers, it’s tough to know exactly what they can do. However, they designed this melted globe icon for a design biennale a couple of years ago, but the symbol now sits unused in their archives.

And they’re offering it FREE, to anyone and everyone who wants to use it.

Just email them, explain what it’s for and they’ll email back it to you.

What a splendid gesture to start the week.

creative review catches the design disease

Many of you may already know about Noisy Decent Graphics, the graphic design blog written by Ben. But if you don't, you really ought to find out about his definition of the design disease, which has now been picked up and published in print by Creative Review.

Ben starts his description of the disease like this: "Let's say you took a trip in to town one day. First off, you'd be incredibly upset by the shocking kerning on this roadsign."

And it's brilliant (well, give or take the odd stray apostrophe here and there - but we'll forgive him that). If you're interested in design at all (and especially if you're a design student) you should get over there straight away and read the post in full (and all of the comments). You'll learn a lot.

BUT... as I always tell you when I point you to another blog, don't just read the one post. There's masses of wonderful observations stored away in those archives. Don't overlook them.

Ben was the one who inspired me to start this humble blog. And if you're thinking of starting a blog yourself (especially one related to design), then check this man out. He's a master.

maurice broomfield - ace photographer

You may well have heard of Nick Broomfield, the documentary film director (Ghosts, His Big White Self, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, Kurt and Courtney, The Leader, His Driver and the Driver's Wife), but you may not have heard of his father, Maurice.

Maurice is a photographer who worked during the 1950s documenting a period of post-war heavy industry and urban regeneration in Britain. He is recognised as one of the first industrial and architectural photographers to use his corporate commissions to make visionary photographic studies of the workers and the environments in which they worked, his motivation stemming from his curiosity in the diversity of their occupations. Employing strong lighting and form, the resulting photographs capture the drama and atmosphere of industry, whilst being fascinating historical documents and powerful social comments on the 'pre-Thatcher', 'pre-Health & Safety' Britain.

Maurice's work is currently on show (until 6 May 2007) at London's Science Museum. Do go along and have a look - it will cost you nothing (admission is free).

cow gum - the sequel

Another wonderful thing about the web: if you can't find something, just ask - and somebody is bound to come to your rescue.

Thanks Charles - you're a prince among men.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, I can now reveal the iconic red and white can in all it's glory:-

And some cracking stories from Richard and David (read the comments in the post below). And David - I think we deserve to know about that 'adding shapes to your face' thing. Does that date from the same time as the half black, half blonde hairstyle?

whatever happened to cow gum?

Illustration from the wonderful Tim Hunkin (I hope he doesn't mind).

There has been some exchange between Richard and I about the tools of the trade before we went out and bought Macs. My view is that they are all just tools of the trade and nothing to get misty eyed about.

The one possible exception, though, is Cow Gum. Because if you were a graphic designer pre computers, then you'd use Cow Gum every single day. There used to be an enormous factory just outside of Woking that made the stuff. I used to pass it on the train to work every day, so I'd get a 20-minute warning of the day ahead.

And it had lot's of other uses, as well as sticking bromides down on to backing boards. You could let it dry and roll it into balls which would have the most amazing bounce quality. My first proper design job was on the fourth floor of an office building in Wigmore Street (I'd better not tell you who for), and we used to have competitions by seeing who could drop their Cow Gum ball out of the window and get the highest bounce off the street below. Another favourite was leaving the can open on it's side on the edge of a filing cabinet before we left the studio at night. It would take several hours for the stuff to run down the side of the cabinet and reach the floor - just in time to catch out the cleaners on their 6am shift.

See, you just can't have that sort of fun with InDesign or Quark XPress.

But all those years spent using Cow Gum every day, and now it seems to have entirely disappeared into the ether. Almost as though it never existed. It doesn't have an entry in Wikipedia, and I can't find an image of the very distinctive red and white can anywhere.

Can anybody help me out with a picture that I can post up here?

hey, there goes one of mine!

It's a wonderful thing, the internet. How you can just idly be looking for something, and suddenly your attention will focus and you're off discovering something you never knew about. There's a wonderful book covers blog that Richard has just allerted us to. I'd come across it before, but I'd forgotten about it (the irony being, of course, that I forgot to 'bookmark' a blog about books).

Anyway, if you're ever stuck for inspiration, go and take a look. You can even submit your own covers.

Now I can tell you that designers are usually a bit sniffy about other designers' work - as a breed, we're usually all to ready to criticise something. I think it's because, at the end of the day, we're all competing against each other. But every so often one comes across something and you're reaction is 'I wish I'd done that'. Forget about industry awards, it's the 'I wish I'd done that' which is the most sought-after compliment.

And I wish I'd done this:-

Found on the book covers blog, of course. The book title is 'Dutch Type', which isn't too hard to figure out. But look more closely and you'll see there's also 'OIO' in there - because the book publisher is 010. Designed by Bart de Haas and Peter Verheul, it's brilliant.

As is a lot of Dutch design. Pierre Bernard recounts that Gert Dumbar once said to him "The genius of Dutch design is born from its geographic flatness". He argued that decisions are taken rationally with the deciders and that there is a necessity to design everything so as to allow the existence of social life in a landscape that is judicious, horizontal and simplified.

So a bit more digging about on the subject of Dutch design and I came across this little gem:-

Ha, daar gaat er een van mij! (Hey, there goes one of mine!). Designed by Huug Schipper of Studio Tint, it's a chronicle of graphic design in The Hague from 1945 to 2000. This took me on to Jan Middendorp, who wrote the book.

And he in turn took me on to this brilliant resource - Typebase. Anyone who's the least bit interested in typography should bookmark it straight way.

another answer to start another week

Friday's question was 'what's the connection between Ian Dury and Barney Bubbles?'

And Andrew's spot on, of course. The connection is the work that Barney did for Stiff Records, including the brilliant Blockheads logo:-

kung hei fat choi

Happy new year - and may the year of the pig bring you health, wealth and happiness.