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Most Graphic Designers think they know logo design, until they see how the legends did it.While the internet's flooded with trend-chasing tips and lazy logo lists, the truth is: there are laws. Rules. Principles. And the greats like Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Massimo Vignelli lived by them. That's why their work still hits decades later, while most logos today barely survive a rebrand cycle.In this episode of The Angry Designer podcast, we dig deep into the 18 Irrefutable Laws of Legendary Logo Design. Not recycled advice, but timeless lessons pulled straight from the icons of our industry such as Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Massimo Vignelli, Josef Müller-Brockmann, Milton Glaser, Herb Lubalin, Cipe Pineles, Sylvia Harris, Lella Vignelli, James Barnard, Scott Fuller & Allan Peters.If you're tired of generic design fluff and want to level up your thinking, craft, and confidence, this episode will give you the firepower. These aren't just logo tips — they're the rules that turn good designers into great ones.In this episode, you'll discover:The foundational truths behind logos that lastWhy most designers unknowingly sabotage their own workAnd what it actually takes to earn the title of "Logo Designer"Whether you're designing for clients, building your portfolio, or trying to future-proof your Graphic Design career, this episode will help you ditch the guesswork and design with purpose.Stay Angry our Friends –––––––––––Join Anger Management for Designers Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/mr4bb4j3Want to see more? See uncut episodes on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/theangrydesigner Read our blog posts on our website TheAngryDesigner.comJoin in the conversation on our Instagram Instagram.com/TheAngryDesignerPodcast
Explore the illustrious career of design icon Louise Fili and her impact on typography, with insights and anecdotes from guest Kevin Cantrell, renowned typographer._______Join the Patreon community for bonus features and video versions: patreon.com/womendesignersyoushouldknowSponsored by Design Studio: Nice PeopleBook a 1:1 mentor call with me to learn how to run a successful design business: intro.co/amberasay_______Sources:AIGA Medalist: Louise FiliLouise Fili LtdGrafica della Strada: The Signs of ItalyElegantissima: The Design and Typography of Louise Fili About Louise Fili:Louise Fili is a true titan of the design world, known for her impeccable taste, unrivaled craftsmanship, and deep-rooted passion for typography. She has revolutionized the landscape of graphic design with her elegant, vintage-inspired aesthetic. Her career spans decades of groundbreaking work, from her iconic book covers at Pantheon Books to the founding of her own studio, Louise Fili Ltd., where she has created stunning branding for top-tier clients like Sarabeth's and Bella Cucina.Fili's work is a symphony of intricate lettering and timeless design, influenced by her love for Italian art and architecture. Her contributions to design have earned her the prestigious AIGA Medal and a place in the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. Beyond her professional achievements, Fili is a dedicated educator at the School of Visual Arts, nurturing the next generation of designers.Louise Fili continues to inspire and captivate with every project, embodying the perfect blend of historical reverence and modern sophistication. Her legacy is one of beauty, precision, and enduring impact on the world of design. About Kevin Cantrell:Adam Vicarel is a brand designer, lettering artist and mural painter who is obsessed with merging the worlds of fine art and strategic design. In his personal work Adam infuses his love for travel and the outdoors into his typography, illustration and storytelling to create visceral experiences for his audience. That's visceral, not Vicarel.His graph design studio, Vicarel Studios works on visual identity systems, packaging art installations, and more, and they've created for brands like NBC, Twitter, Lululemon, United Airlines and Sharpie. Their unique process of combining fine art with design allows them to craft provocative brands and artful experiences unbound by industry or medium. ____View all the visually rich 1-min reels of each woman on IG below:Instagram: Amber AsayInstagram: Women Designers Pod
Our guest is Joseph Michael Essex, someone who has played a pivotal role in the history of Chicago graphic design for the last five decades. Joseph has spent his career asking questions and finding meaning and reason throughout the process. In the 1970s, he started his career as an art director for the station that produced Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and the National Geographic Specials. Today, he leads J.M.Essex, where he consults corporations, institutions, associations, and independent creative offices and agencies — helping others implement plans personalized for their creative leadership goals. In this episode, Essex speaks with host Christian Solorzano about his childhood, learning from Paul Rand, Herb Lubalin, and John Massey design competitions, the value of learning, writing, leadership, and more. Music by the band Eighties Slang.
A Arquímedes se le encendió la bombilla dándose un baño y Newton desarrolló su teoría de la gravedad después de que una manzana perturbara su descanso. De las cosas cotidianas pueden surgir principios, teoremas y, por supuesto, ideas que acaben siendo revolucionarias. Es el caso de Asics, una de las marcas de ropa deportiva más influyentes del mundo, que es lo que es porque un día un hombre con visión de negocio tuvo una revelación comiendo pulpo.Quizás pocos saben que Asics es el acrónimo de 'Anima Sana In Corpore Sano', pero para llegar aquí primero hay que hacer un repaso a una evolución empresarial de vértigo.Kihachiro Onitsuka es el primer responsable de lo que acabaría siendo un imperio. Veterano de guerra, se reinventó en empresario del sector del calzado, un ámbito nada extraño para él ya que desde pequeño había trabajado como zapatero. Tras el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Onitsuka quiso impulsar Japón como cuna de grandes deportistas, y promulgar, además, estilos de vida saludables, para contribuir a reflotar un país al que las bombas dejaron muy tocado. Con esta premisa y cuatro empleados fundó en 1949 Onitsuka Shôkai.El baloncesto y en el running han sido las principales guías del negocio desde sus orígenes, y las que mayores éxitos han reportado a la marca. Como consecuencia de analizar carreras, Onitsuka inventó unas zapatillas para correr que ayudaran a evitar las ampollas: las Onitsuka Tiger Marathon Tabi, inspiradas en el tradicional calcetín japonés, que separa el dedo gordo del resto, y que además incluían agujeros de ventilación en el empeine, para hacerlas transpirables y ayudar a los maratonianos a mejorar su rendimiento. La idea funcionó y fueron las que en 1951 llevaba puestas el superviviente del ataque a Hiroshima, Shigeki Tanaka, cuando ganó el Maratón de Boston.Sin embargo, el mayor invento asociado al japonés es otro. En medio de una búsqueda infructuosa de nuevos modelos de zapatillas llegaría la gran revolución, aunque casi más llamativo que la idea, fue cómo surgió. Un tentáculo 'rebelde' pegado al plato de la ensalada de pulpo que comía Onitsuka despejó la mente del empresario: tenía que trasladar ese 'efecto ventosa' a su producto para dar a los jugadores más tracción al pivotar.Y del plato... a la suela, concretamente a la goma de las deportivas. Bajo el sello de Onitsuka Tiger, el nuevo modelo vistió por los pies a la selección japonesa de baloncesto, que las eligió para participar en los Juegos Olímpicos de 1952. Aunque había nacido pocos años atrás, la empresa ya coleccionaba glorias y fama.Los logros se sucedieron y la pequeña empresa fue cogiendo envergadura. Para expandirse fuera de Japón se alió con Blue Ribbon Sports, durante años el único distribuidor de su producto en Estados Unidos. Las vueltas de la vida hicieron que aquella empresa -cuyo propietario, Phil Knight, quedó prendado de las ideas del japonés- acabara llamándose Nike y que se convertiría en su principal competidor.La reputación de Onitsuka crecía a pasos agigantados. En 1967 consiguió el primer puesto de la recién estrenada guía Runner's World con su modelo de entrenamiento Tiger Road Runner, y acabó convirtiéndose en la favorita de los atletas de élite. El corredor de fondo finlandés, Lasse Viren, calzaba unas Onitsuka Tiger cuando en 1976 ganó su cuarta medalla de oro en unos Juegos Olímpicos.La nueva era para la marca japonesa se abriría en 1977 con el nacimiento de Asics Corporation tras la fusión de Onitsuka con otras dos empresas de equipamiento y vestimenta deportiva. Incluye el estreno del nuevo logo, diseñado por la leyenda de la tipografía Herb Lubalin. El emblema es una representación gráfica redondeada suave en minúscula 'A'. Es un símbolo de dinamismo y movimiento, mente progresiva y deporte. Es un diseño atemporal y moderno, que de hecho estuvo vigente sin cambios hasta el año 2003.Para entonces, la relación con Nike ya estaba muerta. El choque de trenes de dos gigantes se hizo inevitable y acabó en los tribunales por la autoría del emblemático modelo Nike Cortez (las de Forest Gump), que registró Knight mientras en Japón se producían las Onitsuka Cortez. De la batalla derivaron dos zapatillas con bastante parecido y dos caminos paralelos.No queda un fleco suelto en esta historia. El acrónimo, que responde a una adaptación del la célebre expresión del autor romano Décimo Junio Juvenal ('mens sana in corpore sano'), esconde la filosofía de empresa con la que aquel veterano de guerra inició su negocio.Bajo el nuevo nombre y con nuevo logo, la marca también cosechó varios números uno, tanto a nivel profesional como de superventas con algunos modelos. La maratonista portuguesa Rosa Mota se erigió durante los años de patrocinio de Asics como campeona de Europa en 1986, de Roma en 1987 y como la primera mujer portuguesa en conseguir un oro en 1988.De la etapa moderna, la tecnología GEL alumbrada en los a finales de los 80 pero cuyo auge ocurrió en los 90 ha destacado como uno de los mayores avances acuñados por Asics. La amortiguación se implantó tanto en el calzado deportivo como en el día a día y fue 'copiada' por otras grandes marcas.La marca, en ningún momento dejó de contar con el patrocinio de grandes deportistas. En los Juegos Olímpicos de Atenas, en 2004, los dos campeones de maratón, el italiano Stefano Baldini y la japonesa Mizuki Noguchi, calzaban zapatillas de Asics. Uno de los últimos mayores referentes del deporte actual que ha lucido el patrocinio de Asics ha sido el tenista Novak Djokovic, que incluso ha colaborado en el diseño de unas zapatillas con su nombre. La marca también patrocina al Vissel Kobe, el equipo japonés en el que está terminando su carrera deportiva la leyenda del fútbol Andrés Iniesta.El fundador de la compañía, Onitsuka, fallecía en 2007, a los 89 años, de un fallo cardiaco. La frase "si fracasas, sigue adelante hasta que tengas éxito", es una forma de describir cómo vivió el japonés su extraordinaria vida.Hoy, poco queda de aquella empresa de cuatro empleados más allá de la esencia con la que se creó. Actualmente, la compañía cuenta con más de 5.000 trabajadores en todo el mundo, tiene filiales en nueve países y una facturación de 3.090 millones de euros. Un imperio construido a base de observar lo cotidiano.
Sasha Tochilovsky is a graphic designer, typographer, curator, teacher and head of the Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography at the Cooper Union in New York City. We talk here about one of the greatest creative teams in magazine history: author, editor, publisher and photo-journalist Ralph Ginzburg and graphic designer and typographer Herb Lubalin. We rustle around in the work these two produced together in Eros, Fact and Avant Garde magazines during the 1960s, discussing magazine design, sex, risk, censorship, advertising, typography and the shape of language, U&lc (Upper & Lower Case) Magazine, lettering, aesthetics, humour, Marilyn Monroe, Bert Stern, JFK, Grace Kelly, and the vindictiveness of Robert Kennedy.
Lynda Decker is a multidisciplinary designer whose work encompasses brand strategy and identity, interactive communication, publications, information graphics and design criticism. A native New Yorker, Lynda studied at Syracuse University and School of Visual Arts and holds multiple graduate degrees in design. She was fortunate to land her dream job after college working on U&lc for the typographic design legend Herb Lubalin and was mentored by Herb's partner, Tony DiSpigna. Her love of typography has never waned.Before founding Decker Design in 1996, she spent years in advertising at McCaffrey and McCall, Backer Spielvogel Bates and Wells, Rich Greene where she won every major advertising award including the Clio, the Art Director's Club, the One Show, Graphis, AIGA, and the Print Regional Annual. Decker Design continues to receive recognition from its peers.Decker Design's clients are varied and have included Blackstone, the Clinton Foundation, Hueston Hennigan, Goldman Sachs, and International Paper.She has served as vice president of the AIGA New York Chapter and most recently as national co-chair of AIGA Women Lead where she helped form a coalition of design agencies supporting gender equity in the workplace.HOLOCENE Magazine + StoreLynda Decker IGRob Auchincloss IGSHOW NOTESsee more Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's 1967 and your train from Sandusky, Ohio, just rolled into Grand Central. You've got a suitcase in one hand and your portfolio in the other. You exit the station and take a right, uptown, before realizing it's the wrong way. (It's ok, you're not from around here). So you turn around, and head down to 223 East 31st Street, the studio of the celebrated designer Herb Lubalin, who was about to give you your first assignment in the big city. And so begins the career of legendary illustrator Brad Holland — a 50-plus year career that put him on the Mt Rushmore of contemporary American Illustration alongside Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, Ralph Steadman, Seymour Chwast, and the recently-departed Marshall Arisman. When you begin your career in the Summer of Love, at some point the conversation is gonna turn to sex. After turning in his first piece to Lubalin's Avant Garde, a magazine with mild sexual themes, Holland's next few assignments came from magazines who liked it a little rougher: Screw Magazine and The New York Review of Sex, before finally landing a steady gig at Hugh Hefner's Playboy. As Playboy's legendary art director Art Paul would soon find out, Holland wasn't like other illustrators. Inspired by Gary Cooper's Howard Roark in the movie The Fountainhead, who battled against conventional standards and refused to compromise with the establishment, Holland was not willing to execute the spoon-fed instructions given by magazine art directors. He revolutionized the illustrator-for-hire dynamic. It changed everything. In this episode, Holland talks with our editor-at-large and esteemed design critic, Steven Heller, the co-chair of the MFA Design Department at the School of Visual Arts in New York, an Art Directors Club Hall of Famer and AIGA Medalist, who also calls Holland one of his oldest friends and mentors. They talk about their early days together, what it's like to tell your mother that you've finally sold a cover illustration—to Screw Magazine (!), how to say NO to a creative director, how to crop an Ayatollah, and—spoiler alert—how to avoid getting mugged in Alphabet City.
'Sode #3, COMIN' AT'CHA!In this episode, I talk with graphic designer & friend Emily Stout about how college makes you broke, what corporate life is like as a graphic designer, the importance of selling your work in the modern-day world, how growing up in a small, rural town can affect your art, how wonderful & useful wireframes are, the incredible tool that is Pinterest, how rough Comic Sans is, dreams of getting degrees in ceramics, that time someone got stabbed for a Popeyes chicken sandwich, and at least 2 - 12 other things. Go check out her website at emcsde.com to see some of her hyper-aesthetic work & potentially have her create all of your design needs!Emily's Recommended Works Include (but are not limited to):Morbid, Crime Junkie, Time Suck with Dan Cummins, Call Her Daddy (but don't listen to it), people watching, product packaging, TJ Maxx, Pinterest, wireframing, Paula Sher, Mad Men / Milton Glaser, Herb Lubalin, Allan Peters, Craig Ward, Jessica Hische, Broad City / Mike Perry, IKEA, Abstract (Netflix), Grid Systems for Graphic Design by Josef Muller-Brockmann, How To by Michael Bierut, Two-Dimensional Man by Paul Sahre, and Design is Storytelling by Ellen Lupton. Like what you hear and want to support the show while getting some cool stuff in return? Become a patron on my Patreon today! www.patreon.com/jordanlaweStay in touch with all things TAT on our socials!Facebook: www.facebook.com/thievesamongthievespodInstagram: @thievesamongthievespod
On my way to record this interview a weird thought popped into my head. Weird, because I’ve been reading books on designers for thirty odd years and I’d never spotted it. Also weird, because it’s the opposite of the received wisdom. The thought was this ‘Good designers can work in many styles, great designers have a distinctive style’. As Art Directors and Designers we're taught to put our skills at the service of the brand. Let’s say you’re designing for IBM on Monday and Kleenex Toilet Tissue on Tuesday, your output should be as diverse as the products. You should leave your personal preferences at home. Be led by the problem. You should be a chameleon. Ask anyone, everyone knows this is true. But it’s not. Take my, and any civilised person’s favourite designer; Paul Rand; you can spot his work a mile off, the hand-writing, playful cut-outs and use of space. Herb Lubalin, few use or could use type the way he did, so it’s easy to pick his work out of a line-up. Brownjohn, Vignelli, Fletcher, Gill, Kalman, Scher, you name them, if they are great they’ll have their own style. Their own aesthetic world made up with favourite fonts, colours and techniques. I went to hear Paul Rand talk once, I thought he'd be all precious and delicate, talking about abstract concepts. I couldn't have been more wrong, he was blunt, grouchy and straight-talking, more like a New York cabbie than an Artiste. Anyway, someone asked him if he was worried that he had a style. "NO? WHY THE HELL WOULD I BE? I like what I like, other people like what they like, so our work comes out different. My work's unique to Me, their work's unique to them. It’s a good thing." Out taste is shaped by the culture we take in and gravitate towards as we grow up. But when we try to copy it we can't help but add a few dollops of ourselves, which warps it into a new shape. I read an interview with Bryan Ferry where he talked about how much he regretted giving away his influences, he said it made it easier for people to copy him. (I think he was referring to David Sylvian at the time, shows you how long ago it was.) But it's odd, Bryan Ferry copied Smokey Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and a whole bunch of other folks and it came out Bryan Ferry. I've been trying to think of someone whose work is like Mark Denton's. I couldn’t and still can’t. He once described the issue like this ‘People look at my work and put me in this little box, the thing is, I like it in here.’ We had a great chat about Mark’s new book and all the ingredients that make up the fruit cake that is Mark’s brain. Enjoy. p.s. It's on sale here https://www.coy-com.com/shop It'll make a great Christmas present. Particularly for kids (If you rip out page 292). Also parents and grandparents alike (again, probably best rip out page 292). And anyone interested in design. Or puerilty. p.p.s. If none of that appeals to you, maybe you have a damp patch on the wall that you need to cover? https://www.jealousgallery.com/artists/mark-denton-esq?
This week on the Creative South Podcast, I’m talking with designer and author of “Brand Intervention,” David Brier. David and I chat about studying under Ed Benguiat and working for Herb Lubalin and the level of crafter he learned from them, how he defines brand and how he simplifies the concept of brand, helping clients take ownership of and tell their stories, and more.
Mindy Seu is a designer, educator, and researcher. She is currently a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and was previously a designer at 2x4 and MoMA. She's also designed and produced archival sites for Ralph Ginzburg and Herb Lubalin’s Eros and Avant Garde magazines. In this episode, Mindy and I talk about her early career and why she decided to go to graduate school, the role of research and archives in her work, and how graphic design is just one pillar of her practice.
Adrian Shaughnessy is a designer, writer, and publisher. Along with Tony Brook, he co-founded Unit Editions, an independent publishing company that specializes in design books and monographs for people like Paula Scher and Herb Lubalin. He's written for publications like Eye and Design Observer and his collected essays were published as a book, also called Scratching the Surface, in 2013. In this episode, Adrian and I talk about his transition from designing to writing, how the design discourse has changed over the course of his career, and the value of a strong design criticism. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.
Jovica Veljović, born in Serbia in 1954, has been designing typefaces for URW, ITC, Adobe and Linotype since 1980. He received his master’s degree in calligraphy and lettering at the Art Academy in Belgrade, where he also taught Typography until 1992. Since 1992 he lives in Germany and has been a Professor in Type Design and Typography at Hamburg University. Jovica Veljović talks about how he got interested in typography and type design by encountering a marvelous book about alphabets by Hermann Zapf. He also refers to his first awareness of letterforms as a small kid looking at the beautiful handwriting of his grandfather, who was always showing him his special letter ‘k’. We wonder how Jovica started working for ITC were he met Herb Lubalin, just two weeks before his death. Looking back Jovica is aware that he had the chance to meet the right people. People who really cared about what they’re doing. And this mentality or way of living is exactly what he would like to pass on to the younger generation. Recorded at the Klingspor Museum Symposium – on the occasion of their 60th birthday – in Offenbach Germany. Linotype interview :: Veljović on his Agmena typeface :: Hamburg HAW :: File Download (20:41 min / 28 MB)