Graphic Designers hold an important and powerful role in society. If we’re clever, we can instantly communicate ideas and information that would otherwise require many pages of text and quite a bit of time and concentration from our reader / viewer. The ideas we communicate (or refuse to communicate) change the way people think, act and interact with society.
As technologies like the web, flash and even digital printing rapidly supercede older methods that maintained their footing for decades, designers acquire new technological skills without necessarily having to become acquainted with historical and proven methods of communicating with images and text. The roots of digital typography (why would you want to know that Paul Renner created “Futura” in 1928 or what the Bauhaus was?) are unknown to many “designers” who nonchalantly grab the font du jour from a list of hundreds. The craft of leading and kerning type is so often left to the “best guess” of the software that type is being set in. Design without awareness of temporal context is like playing rock ‘n roll without awareness of the blues.
At the same time, designers of ten years ago didn’t need to learn how to code actionscript in Flash. HTML, CSS, javascript and other technologies have only recently emerged as part of the creative landscape, and designers are now pressured to learn these new skills and to apply them creatively. As the world of publishing (both on and off-line) moves rapidly towards an XML-driven data-centric production model, designers will be challenged even more to make inspiring magic with very dry technologies.
DesignBlogger is focussed on the reconciliation of technology with the underlying need to create inspiring communication. Part of this site will discuss my own explorations in that direction. I’ll share some technical “how-tos” but always with a designer’s focus. As I launch new projects, I’ll share the reactions I get (both positive and negative), and I’ll do my best to predict where all this is going. A few words on the business of design may appear here, too. Nobody (except musicians) can get themselves into a bad business relationship like a graphic designer.
As a teacher of design, I encourage my students to cultivate excellence both in their design work and in the people for whom they design (though this site is for anyone interested in graphic design). Beyond what images I make for my own clients, I hope the words and experiences shared here will inspire thinking, conversation and the uplifting of others who study and practice the very important discipline of graphic design.
Whether you’re a student or an old hand, I hope you appreciate and enjoy DesignBlogger.com
-Dave Bricker
