Design Pump No. 1: Graphic Design
Jan 28th, 2008 by Boulder Design Festival 2009
Design Pump is a series of forums held the third Thursday of each month, created to bring facets of the design community together to unite and share personal experience and insight. With so many talented designers in our community, it is time we come together and bridge the gap that exists in such an independent profession.
Workshop #1: Impacting Elements of Graphic Design
This workshop will provide the opportunity to critique a design of your choice and/or a local design in Boulder. Through open discussion we will analyze all aspects of the design process and the elements that make a design successful. In the effort to support the Boulder Design Festival, we will also introduce future projects open to collaboration
Participants (20 person maximum) are encouraged to please send a .pdf or photograph to hs@boulderdesignfestival.com by Noon on February 26th to be included in the discussion. So bring yourself, a design that intrigues you and we’ll bring the snacks.
For questions or thought provoking ideas related to this event, please leave a comment or reply to Heather.
Design Pump - Impacting Elements of Graphic Design
When: Thursday; February 28, 2008 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Where: Cafe Zesta at 820 Pearl St with appetizers and drinks
Contact: Heather - hs [at] boulderdesignfestival [dot] com; 303.883.0673
** Please RSVP by Friday, February 22**
I was wondering if you could give me an example of what you are looking for, and more specific, a design in boulder?
How complex do you want it to be. Does it have to be detailed?
Sure, one that I’m thinking about at the moment is JoyEngine’s logo. You might have seen their stickers and magnets around town (they’re highly influenced by graffiti artists) - a cylinder shaped C with a small full circle next to it. This is a perfect example because initially I didn’t understand the shape but then I looked closer and their logo was extracted from their word mark. It’s a backwards “j” from Joyengine. Next I ask, why this design? What was the original concept and how did it evolve? Who is their market? Is their logo effective? What influenced their decision to settle on this final design and shape? These are the kinds of questions we hope to answer at the workshop, and more than anything, to hear the thought process from the designer him/herself.
As for how complex or detailed? Bring a piece that you love or something you loathe. Simple, detailed, overwhelming? No matter. More than anything, this workshop is an opportunity to tap into the designer’s mind (you) and share with one another your challenges and experiences. It would be interesting to learn that a logo that is color X was chosen because it was less expensive to print or that you had to change the color from it’s original design because the client’s daughter loves purple and not green. It’s all about fun and geeking out. I hope that answers your question.
Another take on how this type of workshop can perhaps be fruitful may be the encouragement of application to something real in Boulder. Perhaps beyond talking about why as a designer, we/one may have gone in a particular direction on a client-related project, we could pick someTHING or somePLACE we have always wanted to readdress/redesign/reappropriate - perhaps designed and built by designers we are unaquainted with; someTHING or place that we have always been aggrivated by, frustrated with, disappointed in, etc. for its lack of inventiveness, functionality, practicality, etc. The issues that would emerge from this type of discussion, IMO, could be really revealing and productive …
I think that’s a great idea. I’m open to suggestions… anyone?
[…] by 820 Pearl Street and check it out this Thursday night for special event, Design Pump No. 1: Graphic Design. We will be discussing impacting elements of graphic design through open discussion and a sample […]