Newsletter 104
Hola.
This week on Instagram, I saw a post from Michael Stipe, the lead singer of the band R.E.M. (who I was lucky enough to see live on the Monster tour on February 17, 1995) and I thought, what will he live on now? Let's see, the answer is clear. R.E.M. it has been a band that has sold millions of records, has done several tours and therefore I do not think that you have to worry excessively about paying his mortgage or his rent in New York.
Surely his accounts are quite healthy and it is no longer necessary for him to continue releasing more music albums and focus on other activities that surely now bring him more benefits on an intellectual level but less money. You've already earned enough not to worry about something as disgusting as money. And the checks keep coming in every month.
And then I thought of designers whose work has transcended the world, who are cultural icons and are part of our society. Professionals like Milton Glaser, Otl Aicher, Alberto Corazón, Massimo Vignelli or the great Pepe Cruz Novillo.
Surely thanks to their magnificent work at the time they had a professional success that in many cases resulted in a considerable increase in their fees, but I doubt very much that they could earn enough to decide to retire at an early age and live on the income. Copyright in the field of music and design seems to have differences.
I would like to think that just like a musician, an actor, a film director or other creative professions you can, if your work is exceptional or has a lot of repercussion, you can live peacefully on copyright, in design it seems that does not happen the same.
Perhaps Michael Stipe dedicated himself to music so that he could later live as a designer.
— W.
The links
Client Red Flags: How to spot the warning signs of a toxic creative relationship
We’ve all been there. You get a call or email from a potential client interested in working with you. Yes! You’re excited. You’re already thinking of the relevant ideas you can bring to life and the team you might work with. You’re eyeing up the Q2 budget hole the fee would fill or the long term contract the work might lead to. The first meeting goes well; everyone is on their best behaviour, you’re all on a high and kind of in love with each other and then… something happens.Using data from Morgane Laouenan et al., the map is showing birthplaces of the most "notable people" around the world. Data has been processed to show only one person for each unique geographic location with the highest notability rank.
Burned out? Take a creative sabbatical
For many, taking an entire year off may not be practical. But there are less extreme ways to work big-think time off into any schedule. Sagmeister draws a parallel between his “seven-year itch” sabbatical and Google’s famous “20% time,” when engineers can work on whatever they want. Bill Gates took a twice-yearly “Think Week” to read technical papers. His successor, Ray Ozzie, takes time off not to read but to “dream” — and comes back to the office filled with new ideas.Blending Modes
Do you just click different blending modes until it sort of looks right? Well, that probably won't change after you read this but at least you probably won't use Lighten or Darken again.The Graphic Design Archive (GDA) at Rochester Institute of Technology documents and preserves the work of significant American graphic designers active from the 1920s to the 1960s, as well as selected contemporary designers working in the modernist traditions.
Breakbot: "By Your Side" Anniversary Mixtape
Contagious interviews R/GA’s global CEO about how the agency has transformed itself amid the pandemic and how it has organized itself behind a new purpose.Create Video
No-code video automation and creation tool for everyone.The Invention of ‘Jaywalking’
This is the story of how, in the 1920s, the auto industry chased people off the streets of America — by waging a brilliant psychological campaign.They convinced the public that if you got run over by a car, it was your fault.
Pedestrians were to blame. People didn’t belong in the streets; cars did.
Design Everywhere
Design Everywhere is a blog focused on showcasing carefully selected graphic design works and beyond around the world.Ben Crick on what it takes to land a commercial gig
“I love branding because it’s kind of like the gateway drug to design,” says Ben Crick, creative director at COLLINS. Working with companies like Spotify, vitaminwater, smartwater, and Mailchimp, Ben is constantly talking with clients about the design decisions that can help meet their business goals.“Designing systems for companies that have 2,000 to 5,000 to 10,000 people, or create an extreme amount of work each day, you have to build something for other people to execute against or build from, which is a totally different form of design than a small studio that designs all of the artifacts for a problem,” he says.
Here Ben shares how to shift your mindset to design better commercial work.
Orna
Orna falls in the realm of display typefaces influenced by Art Nouveau and Blackletter Calligraphy, all while emphasized under a contemporary light. The condensed letterforms, wedged latin serifs and star-shaped tittles act as contrasting modern elements to traditional design practices. The blend of rich Rotunda influences and intense Art Nouveau curvatures allows the strokes to pour into their distinctive spaces. The fluid strokes compliment the firm letterforms, like ornaments — allowing Orna to lead with intensity and whisper allure. Orna not only visually acknowledges the history of Typography, but also pushes the boundaries of what typographic conventions can be.Enzo Mari, the conscience of design
Enzo Mari is defined as “one of the most combative and hopeful designers that exist”. Discover his projects and thinking since his first works in the sixties.