Book Review: Design is a Job

Co-founder of Mule Design and raconteur, Mike Monteiro wants to help you do your job better. From writing contracts to selling yourself, to collaborating on client projects, this brief book is packed with nuggets of knowledge.

Mike frequently blogs about the craft and business of design and, in early 2011, gave a Creative Mornings talk entitled, “F— You, Pay Me” that uplifted the downtrodden. He can also be heard weekly as the co-host of Let’s Make Mistakes with Katie Gillum. Mike’s knowledge and sense of humor makes just about everything better. This is a must read for designers both established and starting out.

April 12, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

The Art of Fabric Printing & Design

Although we haven’t yet had a chance to get our hands on Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design, from what we’re reading, it sounds like a wonderful and well- rounded resource. Inside are step-by-step tutorials for designing patterns (both digitally and by hand), a comprehensive section on printing techniques—including digital printing, screen printing, stenciling, block printing, and resist dyeing— as well as insider tips for developing a collection and bringing it to the marketplace.

Beautifully illustrated with exquisite swatches, hundreds of photos, and interviews featuring established designers such as Skinny laMinx, Ink & Spindle, and Julia Rothman, Mastering the Art of Fabric Printing and Design is a key resource for anyone looking to learn the basics, expand their skill set, or find design inspiration.

Photos via PapernStitch Blog

April 5, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: Fashion Futures

Nowadays, the fashion engine is moving forward at a faster pace than ever before, with advancing technologies and new materials reinventing clothing as we know it. You may not realize, but the technology that goes into the design process – from textiles to construction – has been steadily evolving at impressive rates so that the “future” we envisioned has arrived – and it’s only getting more inventive.

Fashion Futures explores the surprising sources that inspire futuristic garment design such as: biological science, climate change, space suits, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and nanotechnology. Offering up a fascinating survey of these new directions, Fashion Futures charts the transformational products, design processes, maverick materials and groundbreaking practitioners that are revolutionizing the industry.

Design expert and author Bradley Quinn also explores radical retail operations, forecasting and its relationship with other disciplines. Featuring inspirational interviews, design illustrations and prototypes, this read’s educational and thought-provoking for any fashion enthusiast.

Cover image via Colette

March 29, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Doppelganger: Images of the Human Being

It’s no secret that the rise of the digital age has fundamentally adjusted traditional notions of who we are and how we wish to be perceived. We carefully curate our photos, choose our words and play with our history until it’s a more successful depiction of the self we want others to see. While the trend has been duly noted and analyzed in a variety of media, Doppelganger looks at the current trends in the depiction of human beings in art and design.

In the images and sculptures today, personal identities are being intensified, altered or created through the use of techniques such as deformation and construction and deconstruction as well as the obliteration of classical proportions, visual traditions and what is generally considered beautiful and fashionable. Each of Doppelganger’s seven chapters explores a different creative approach: Embody, Dissolve, Appeal, Reshape, Perform, Deform, and Escape. A compelling collection of groundbreaking permutations of the human form, this book is an eye-catching pick for your bookshelf.

March 22, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: Draw It with Your Eyes Closed

For those of us who’ve been out of (art and/or design) school for a while, living and working in our modern world where we’re confronted with constant image and info overload, it’s not hard to miss the days when we were encouraged to step away from our best judgement and stretch our creativity to the limit. Draw It with Your Eyes Closed: The Art of the Art Assignment presents 100+ art assignments, anti-assignments and artworks from both teachers and students from a broad range of institutions. The book is sure to get your creative juices flowing, inspiring original thought processes and work, as well as serve as an archive and record of the evolving oral tradition of the art assignment. Not just for artists and designers, this is a great book to give any and everyone’s brain a little creative push.

Get going with this excerpt from the book!

Color Walk

Take a color walk. Give yourself at least one hour of uninterrupted time. Do not plan your walk in advance or combine it with other activities (commuting, shopping, etc.). Try not to talk or interact with other people during this time. You will not need to bring a cell phone, journal, camera, or iPod. You will not be graded or evaluated on your color walk.

You can begin your color walk anywhere. Let color be your guide. Allow yourself to become sensitized to the color in your surroundings. As you walk try to construct a color story or a narrative based on color you observe. What are the colors that you become aware of first? What are the colors that reveal themselves more slowly? What colors do you observe that you did not expect? What color relationships do you notice? Do colors appear to change over time? We will discuss the color walks in our next class.

—Munro Galloway

March 15, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Pricing & Ethical Guidelines for Graphic Artists

For years, The Graphic Artists Guild Handbook: Pricing & Ethical Guidelines has been the industry bible for graphic designers and illustrators. The 13th edition, continues the tradition with new information, listings and pricing based on surveys of working designers. It addresses legal rights and issues such as how copyright laws affect the income and work of graphic artists. It also provides tips on how to negotiate the best deals, what to charge for work, and includes sample contracts. For design and illustration professionals or those looking to start freelancing, this is a comprehensive and informative resource to have handy.

tabletop image via Simple Street Blog.

March 8, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik