An interview with Michael Bierut (Pentagram, DesignObserver.com).
Author Archives: lfranz
Professional Brand Books
Here are two brand books (pdfs) you can use as examples when designing your own brand books.
They’re very different from each other (in terms of size, language, grid, fonts, images, color), but cover a lot of the same information. I’m not naming them in this post, nor in their file names. I want to prevent them from being found easily by google. The files ultimately belong to the organizations.
Example 1 BrMu-Brand-Book
Example 2 ReCr-Brand-Book
Also, here is the DRAFT of the CVPA Brand Book (mini version).
Less comprehensive than the two above, it’s a good starting place,
and would be appropriate to use for this class. Marketing Small Brandbook DRAFT
Brand Identity Essentials
A companion site to the book 100 Principles for Designing Logos and Building Brands, this site groups principles into three categories: Graphic Identity, Identity Programs, Brand Identity.
First, think critically while reading anything that uses the term “essentials.” The essentials in this world are things like oxygen. And water. And sunshine. And sleep. And maybe cats. This book lists something things as “essential” that aren’t. That’s OK. It’s still a good resource.
Second, be wary of anything that provides a nice, round number of principles. 100. They may have only had 94 and needed to break things up (or slightly repeat things) in order to meet the goal. They may have actually had 103 and cut a couple. That’s OK. It’s still a good resource.
Flexible Identities
A flexible (or fluid) identity is one that works off a system… but allows for changes within the system. Sometimes an image changes, a word, a material, size, combination, and so forth. The possibilities for change are endless. The trick is to keep change within a structured, defined perameter.
Two Resources for examples of Flexible identities are:
BP&O: Branding, Packaging, and Opinion
Pinterest Logo Redesign
Read about the Pinterest Logo Redesign on the Pinterest Blog.
Responsive Web Design Resources
mediaqueri.es
Media Queries showcases some lovely responsive web sites, showing at a glance what they would look like at four different sizes (smart phone, tablet, laptop, desktop).
liquidapsive.com
Liquidapsive (Liqui-dap-sive) shows how the same web page responds to a changing browser size when produced using Adaptive. Liquid, Responsive, and Static layout. We’ll be building responsive web sites (layouts) in this class. We can’t cover all the UX issues.
Site Map & Wire Frame Resources
A Simple Site Map
Mari Pfeiffer, a freelance writer and web designer based in Southern California, shows how simply you can approach a site map. You don’t need fancy software. You can do a final version in Illustrator or InDesign if you want to, but it’s not required.
Creating a Site Map: What it is, How to Do It.
This slideshare is a comprehensive explanation of what a site map is. Slides 12-14 (out of 30) especially pertain to what we are doing in this class! Also, in order to create a good site map, you should be able to answer all of the questions on slide 26 (below). This is a great resource.
18 Great Examples of Sketched UI Wireframes and Mockups
“…it’s always a good idea to start with a wireframe. It can be a big time saver if you’re able to nail down the placement of major layout elements early on in a project. …”
Concerning Fidelity in Design
This is an informative, yet easy to read article on design methods. Tyler Tate writes that design methods are not mutually exclusive. Each method is well-suited for a particular phase of the design process, with one level of fidelity (low to high technology) often leading into the next. He backs this up with loads of examples. Read this to get a sense of where wire frames fit into the overall design process!
Packaging Resources
Template Maker
What makes template maker so special is that the templates are all dynamic: you can customize almost all dimensions. All templates are free, no login is required.
Creative Packaging
When done right, a good packaging design can be as good as or even better than the product it’s for. In this list, we’ve gathered some of the best packaging designs we’ve ever seen, and we invite you to add your favorites, too!
And some more good packaging design to take a look at.
Excerpts from Really Good Packaging Explained
Online excerpts from a book include the views of professional packaging designers. Sections include: 10 Mistakes Designers Make, personal thoughts on packaging design, and a Q & A with each designer.
Aaron Draplin Logo Challenge
Don’t let the picture of the computer monitors fool you. This is not a tutorial on how to use Illustrator. This guy will show you what a real, professional graphic designer thinks about when designing a logo for a client.
Mood Boards
When developing a branding system, it helps to do a mood board. A mood board gets you collecting and thinking about things like color, texture, images, fonts. It also helps you communicate to others (Art Director, client, team members) what you’re thinking, and get feedback.
Examples of Mood Board
