Mailout for Loyola University by 160/90

As the designer at a university I'm always interested to see how other schools represent themselves in their printed materials. This two-part mailout for Loyola University is by far the awesomest example I've seen yet.

For more info and images go here.

And, as an added bonus, my good pal and former classmate Justin Lafontaine is about to join the 160/90 team. Looking forward to the inevitable radness that ensues.

Old School

Ah, Gigposters, my first love. My very first freelance job was a gigposter, and I ended up doing a fair number while in school. Unfortunately, after leaving Edmonton I've never had the space/time/money to rebuild my screenprinting shop, and I've gradually become less and less involved in live music. That being said, I still plan to get back in the game at some point, when the aforementioned constraints allow me to. For the time being, here's a load of old stuff that lives on Gigposters.com, but which I've never posted here. Enjoy!

Back to my roots

I've seen this pop up in a couple places recently, but I'm of the opinion that this craft can use all the exposure possible. This kind of work has a very personal connection for me, as I spent countless hours watching my father paint signs and pinstripe trucks. I still have childhood flashbacks every time I smell turpentine or catch a whiff of One Shot. Like John Downer, my dad was a traditionalist. He claimed to be the last person left in Alberta that could apply gold leaf, and took pride in the fact that he still knew how to create reflective signs with glass beads. Not to mention the fact that he could render Antique Olive Bold from memory at pretty much any size.

It seems pretty obvious that this background influenced my choice to become a graphic designer, and informed my love of type. The fact that I've been examining sign lettering for over 20 years probably helps too. I have a not-so-secret plan to someday learn all this stuff (thanks to my heirloom copy of Atkinson) and combine my design skills with some old-school craft. That day can not come soon enough.

 

via @H_FJ

Designers can't write.

Being unable to write well also shows a lack of understanding about the way corporate culture works. CEOs write. CFOs write. Marketing directors write. You can draw on a napkin all you want, but napkin-drawing is not the native problem-solving tool of most CEOs: Writing is. It is the stuff of which convincing arguments are made. It is the natural language of the boardroom. No matter how brilliant you are, if you don't know how to write well you will never be perceived by the rest of that table as anything but a window dresser wearing Prada.

 

Interesting post by Natalia Ilyin. Although I wasn't a huge fan of Chasing the Perfect, I have to agree with this.