Bruce Mau Incomplete Manifesto

1. Allow events to change you.You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you.You produce it.You live it.The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.
12. Keep moving. The market and its operations have a tendency to reinforce success.Resist it.Allow failure and migration to be part of your practice.

Bruce Mau is a Canadian designer who from 1985-2010 was the creative director for Bruce Mau Design and is the founder of the institute without boundaries. Mau studied at the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto but joined the Fifty Fingers design group before graduation. He helped found Public Good Design and Communications then later established Zone ½. Throughout his career he has been a cullinan professor, an advisor, a visiting scholar, and honorary fellow of the Ontario college of Art & Design and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, among many other things. Bruce Mau applies to our class today with his produced 43 point program called an Incomplete Manifesto for Growth that attemps to help designers and other creative to reflect on their design process.

I personally connected the most with “Allow events to change you” and “keep moving” . I found these to be particularly inspirational because I like the idea of change and growth, especially as I become more established as a designer. I like the idea to keep in mind the openness needed to experience the events that will change me and help me grow further into what I am capable of. “Keep moving” spoke to me because there can just be so much on my plate and sometimes I just need to remind myself not be frozen with overwhelment. The overwhelmed feeling will pass I just have to stay motivated and keep moving.

Chip Kidd Reflections

Chip Kidd on Designing Books

            I found this Ted Talk very entertaining and informational on how the professional design process works. I actually really appreciated the fact he used a book design example that ended up being rejected. I thought the talk itself was wrapped up in a hilarious way by showing the alternate book cover, not designed by him that ultimately gets chosen. It was somewhat inspirational hearing a rejection story from such a well known and respected designer

“Designing Books is no Laughing matter. Ok, it is”

            I found this talk very inspiring and perfect for starting this book project. I loved hearing about his approach to solving the visual problem of the book cover. He talked about the value of intrigue and salesmanship when it came to designing a cover as well as the importance of insight to the story itself and making sure every decision is relevant to the story and the genre of book. I also enjoyed how he encorporates the entire book jacket into his design and thinks how the spine and back are effected just as much as the front. He takes on a responsibility when designing a jacket and understands the aspect of reading a book by it’s cover and getting the book the attention it deserves.

Plot Summary : Lord of the Flies

During a time of war, a plane crashes on an island with the only survivors being a group of preadolescent boys. One of the boys, Ralph, is quickly elected as their chief as they attempt to survive as a unit until rescues. Ralph sets up some ground rules including, whoever has the conch has the turn to speak, to keep a fire lit at all times, and to have fun.

The group natural splits into a hunting group and a shelter building group. The order of the boys society start to deteriorate when little attention is paid to survival and more is paid to the rumored beast on the island. One day a ship passes near the island but does not see the boys' existence because they have let the fire go out. Ralph is angered and almost retreats his position but is talked out of it by his friend piggy. 

Shortly after, a fighter pilot's body is washed up to shore after an arial battle. Mistaken for the beast, Ralph, Jack - the up and coming leader against Ralph -, and Roger decide to go looking for it. When Ralph turns back before the others, Jack attempts to turn the group against Ralph. When they refuse he starts his own "tribe" on the other side of the island where they start to paint their faces and take part in bizarre rituals. While the boys were partaking one of these rituals they mistake another boy coming to tell them the "beast" was really the pilot, as the beast itself and is killed. 

When the tribe decides to possess piggys glasses for a fire and are confronted by Piggy, Ralph, Sam and Eric, Sam and Eric are taken captive, piggy is killed with a dropped boulder and a man hunt is set out for Ralph. During the hunt the island is set in flames and after a long close chase Ralph stumbles upon a rescue crew worker who's team had noticed the flames. Reassuming their innocence and assessing what they had been through the boys burst into tears. 

About the Author : William Golding

Lord of the Flies
Author - William Golding

Golding was born September 19th, 1911 and died June 19th 1993. He was an english novelist, playwright, and poet. He is best known for "Lord of the Flies" where he has won the Nobel Prize in Literature and also awarded the booker Prize for literature in 1980.  He has also been responsible for the release of many other novels like, The Inheritors, Freefall, The Spire, The Pyramid, The Scorpion God, Darkness Visible, The Paper Man, and To the Ends of the Earth.
He spend his childhood growing up in Marlborough, Wiltshire. He went to Oxford in 1930 to study Natural Sciences for two years before transferring to English Literature. In September 1954, after being once rejected for his last book, Lord of the Flies was published. Golding won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1979, among the Booker and Nobel. In 1988 he was appointed as a Knight Bachelor.

inspiring book covers

Type Based 

Non - computer Based

Image based

Thinking Form

Paul Rand

One of the most famous graphic designers. His corporate identity  is well known as IBM, EF, and ABC. He went to Parson school of Design after Harren High school and was highly influenced by Cassandre and Moholy Nagy. By 23 he was an art director for the Esquire’s fashion pages. He also inspires through his writing.

I chose these works because I was drawn to them the most. I was drawn to the simplicity of the ups logo and the uniqueness of the 80's poster. I was also drawn to the colorful cropped composition of the second poster. My favorite, however, would have to be the simplified hierarchy treatment in the last poster for "direction". It's simple yet very communicative. 

Bruno Monguzzi 

Bruno was born on August 21, 1941 and studied graphic design at Ecole des arts decoratifs in Geneva. He received a scholarship to study photography and typography as well as gestalt psychology. His career began at Studio Boggeri in milan in 1961. I find the contrast of his work very inspiring. I love how all of his stuff can have completely different feels and messages to them. His work can very from simple and strong, to three dimensionally mesmerizing, to even bazar and impressive artwork. 

Dan Friedman

He was born on August 5, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology from 1963-1967. He then pursued his education at the Ulm School of design for a year. He studied under Wolfgang Weigngart and Armin Hofmann. After he finished his education he returned to the US to teach at Yale university. I find his work to be a nice contrast of heavy and lighter elements. I enjoy the lightness and simplicity of his work along with the bolder statements and composition of others.

Jan Tschicchold was born on April 2nd, 1902 in Leipzig, Germany. HE studied at the Akademie fur Graphiwche Kunste und Buchgewerbe in Leipzip and the Kunstgewerbeschule in Dresen. Tschichold taught typography and lettering. He's made many lettering books with his depth of knowledge on typography. The works I chose of his stood out to me for their simple and bold layouts which show strong and dramatic uses of white space to a communicative advantage. His use of color is minimal yet dramatic and use of line and shape aids the message instead of distract from it. 

Matthew Carter

Carter was born on October 1, 1937 in London, United Kingdom. At 20 he went to the Netherlands to study punch cutting under P.H. Raedisch, and Jan Van Krimpen the assistant. He soon became a type designer with the help of his father Harry Carter. In 1965 he moved to the US to take position at Mergenthaler Linotype in New York. I found his different studies of type interesting and they made me really appreciate the science behind constructing different typefaces and what it means to be successful at it.  

Alan Fletcher

Fletcher was born on Sept. 27, 1931 in Narobi, kenya. Fletcher returned to England in 1936. He studied at the Hammersmith School of Art and then continued at the central School of Art where he studied under Anthony Froshaug. He moved to the USA for his scholarship to study at the School of Architecture and Design at Yale University under ALvin Esenman, Norman Ives, Herber Matter, and Paul Rand. Alan Fletchers work interests me because of the interesting range of styles he explores through his work. From his simple elegant logo design to his loud and visually communicative posters. I personally have a soft spot for his beautiful logo design. 

™ reasearch archive

1960 issue 3

The cover designer is unidentified. The type faces used are Akzindenz Grotesk and Monotype Grotesque. The layout of this poster is what attracted me to it the most. I love the contrast of the horizontal versus vertical stress. I have also always been attracted to black and read together. I just really appreciate the use of space and how the photograph and content are treated.

1963 issue 10

I actually found all of 1963 to be quite amusing and inspiring. I found them all to be a very unique approach. This one, however, I found to be the most unique. It was designed by Felix Berman using the Universe type face. Berman is a Swiss typographer and graphic designer who studied at the Schule fur Gestaltung Basel. I was drawn to this design in particular because of the unique way the text was treated. With both columns aligned against each other creating a centered alignment look with the horizontal pull of the rules. I found it very interesting and inspiring to study.

1970 issue 12

The cover design is by Jan Tschichold. Tschichold was a highly rewarded german typographer who studied in Leipzig. He was a design historian as well as critic for contemporary typography. The strong simple geometrics of this poster is what attracted me to it most. I love the contrast in shapes and balance of space in this composition. Its fun for me to look at something like this and imagine what my own geometric design of shapes would be in my own composition of choice. A poster like this inspires me in the way that it gets me thinking in a more abstract and unique way of approaching visual problems

1978 Issue 2

These issues were designed by Gregory Vines with the type face Akzidenz Grotesk. Vines is an American designer who first studied at the Massachusettes College of Art under Muriel Cooper. I have great interest and appreciation for all of these issues for 1978. I find the similarities in composition and contrast in contents to be very mesmorizing and inspiring. I am drawn to this concentration overall.

1980 issue 6

The designer of this cover is Dora Wespi who is a Swiss graphic designer who studied at the Schule fur Gestaltung Luzern and later free-lanced. She used Gill Sans and Times new Roman for her typefaces. I was just really attracted to the layout of this piece. I really like how the title breaks up the body of text. Its unique and something I don’t think I would have attempted without seeing it done before.

1982 issue 3

This issue was designed by Hans Rudolf Bosshard. He was a Swiss Graphic designer and artist involved in the concrete movement who studied at the Schule fur Gestaltung Zurich. He used Syntax for his typeface of choice. I was really drawn to this cover for multiple reasons. I love the simplistic use of the photograph and how the darker value of the figure was used as an alignment tool for the vertical text. Its very beautiful and effective.

1985 issue 5

The cover designer for this issue is Jost Hochuli. He was a Swiss designer who studied in St. Gallen, Zurich, and Paris before making a reputation. He used lettering and Universe for his typefaces. I was really attracted to this design not only for the vibrant color but for the simplicity and consistency of the design. I love the visual connection between the shape and text. The eye mainly views the black as a vertical style which is why the black text is remained untouched and left traditional. However, the white text is tilted slightly to match the angle of white the M makes in the design above. I find the visual connection amusing.

1989 issue 5

The designer of this cover is Max Caflisch. He was a swiss type designer and teacher who was head of the graphics department at the Schule fur Gestaltung Zurich. He used the Charter typeface for this poster. I was drawn to this poster by its color and by its strong display of hierarchy and repetition. I was attracted to the use of negative space and organization of information.