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Two’s a crowd.

Others had offered input like “Let’s make it not so boring. Let’s make it pretty. And can we add more cowbell? I mean, more colors?” Hmm, more cowbell might work, but more colors (While pretty, yes. And more interesting, yes.) now seem to be getting in the way.

I was talking with a co-worker recently, and she said we’d gotten feedback that people wanted more copy to do some explaining. “There was just not enough copy.” And I had to wonder, I don’t think people necessarily want more text. I think people want clarity.

I was also working on a project with a color system to help navigate viewers though the purchasing process. One color did the job. So why add another? For interest? That made it more interesting. But now the viewer now had to remember a combination of colors to associate with the section. It’s inefficient.

As designers/communicators I think we might need to step up and “untrain” our clients from muddling their way through our materials and train them to get used to seeing and using solid, effective ways of communication – even if it means a less “pretty” design or less “flowery” prose. I’d like to encourage us to think less about what’s exciting and pretty and focus more on the efficacy of how we communicate.

I admit, It is too small.

Wow! That's Small.

I know that some of the most dreaded words a designer can hear is, “Make it bigger!” We LOVE to play with white space which can really help a piece “breathe” and not feel cramped. So we’ll use a smaller font than the client might have initially desired. But c’mon, this is ridiculous.

Unless you’re laying out textbooks for the “The Derek Zoolander Center for Children Who Can’t Read Good”, I don’t know if you’ll ever have any reason to us a font point this small. Though maybe in CS5 Adobe might allow for this small of a font size.

“Airplane” Flight 1009

You can see the blurb to the right of the entrance.

I flew United on my way home from Knoxville this weekend. And once I stepped out onto the tarmac, I was shocked to see NO branding whatsoever on the airplane itself. Oh… there WAS the statement “Operated by Mesa Airlines” in about a 250pt font next to the stairs that I noticed once I reached the doorway.

I wondered(perhaps a silly thought) did united borrow this airplane from someone else? Or did they steal it? Maybe they have just recently bought it from another airline? Did it have something to do w/ my purchasing my tickets from Travelocity? Hmm. It wasn’t until I boarded the plane that I thought to myself, “Have NO idea what airline I’m on.” Especially since I’d seen a Delta luggage conveyor belt loading bags into the belly of the plane. I figured I was safe since I’d followed same crowd from our gate onto the plane, and it was the closest plane to us as we stepped onto the tarmac.

But it struck me as I sat there waiting to take off, “It’s probably not a good thing for a customer who’s 3/4 of the way through the customer experience to have any doubt what brand they are using, is it?”

Today’s bow-tie is brought to you by the letters “M” and “W”

A couple week ago I went to the Mens Warehouse(a tuxedo rental operatoinn) to be measured for a friend’s wedding(congrats Nate! and Megan). In my mind the Men’s Warehouse has always been a very conservative company (which I have noticed can be pretty dull) with their logo being all text. — And thier not-quite “monogram” being an “M” above a “W”. However when I went to the back corner, where I was to be measured, up on the wall I was pleasingly shocked to see a stellar logo of the (what I later found to be something of a subsidiary of the Men’s Warehouse) Men’s Warehouse formal-wear company, MW Tux. I’m not sure which I saw first — the bow-tie or the letters “M” and “W”. Probably the bow-tie. But now after seeing the “W” and “M”, I see them both simultaneously. It’s a crazy mind game! Which did you see first? What an amazing Logo!! Don’t you think? I love it!

The bow-tie is created by the letters "M" and "W".

And what an intriguing transition on the MW site.

When bad design goes good

Are there companies who need poor aesthetics?

It has been my experience in looking for a product/service, I am looking for either quality or low cost. Fortunately there are companies who cater to both of these approaches.  Some want to give their customers quality while others want to give their customer the cheapest product possible. Not that they’re out looking to rip people off, but because there will always be an audience. I wonder if it’s just as important for a company to communicate “cheap” as much as it is for another to communicate “quality”.

There’s a grocery chain out here across the west who recently revamped their image (including a cleaned up logo). Safeway. They’ve really made the effort to communicate that they sell quality foods. In the year and half since, it doesn’t seem like their competitor, King Sooper has made any effort to improve their image.

It crossed my mind a while back, if King Sooper has “let” Safeway have the quality shopper and are focusing their attention on the penny-pincher. I think they are, and I think they have the right formula. King Soopers materials look like they were designed by the owner’s nephew. I wonder if King Sooper enhanced their design to be on par with Safeway, if they might loose the miser?

As a designer, what do you do when you get a client who caters to the bargain-hunter? Do you need to hold back on your sweet design skills and make sure the designs you produce look like they were designed by an amateur? Eh. I think it works for King Sooper.

So, as much as it pains me to say it, I think there’s a time and a place for … bad design.

Thanks, David Airey, for “forcing” me to begin blogging.