About Christoph Niemann Christoph Niemann is an illustrator, artist, and author. His work has appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Time, Wired, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration, and has won awards from AIGA, the Art Directors Club, and The Lead Awards. His corporate clients include Google, Amtrak, Herman Miller, Read more…
I had the pleasure of seeing Tad Carpenter speak at Create Upstate a few years back. His inspiration has stuck with me. Tad’s work is whimsical, playful, and highly influenced by his artistic parents, midwestern roots, and Cartoon Network. He is an entertaining, lovable, and a great teacher so if you ever get Read more…
Photo: Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times A Cup Is at the Heart of a Trademark Dispute. I was sad to read a news story in the NY Times about the State of NY harassing a small business owner even after they removed the logo in question from everything, which can be Read more…
Legal advice for creators Stephanie Cole Adams gave a informative talk at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute – see video below including the following: Copyright law Fair use What to do if you see your work copied? What happens if you are caught using protected materials, Illegal software or unlicensed fonts? Professional Read more…
Brand Basics – What’s in a name? The right name is timeless, tireless, easy to say and remember; it stands for something, and facilitates brand extensions. Its sound has rhythm. It looks great in the text of an email and in the logo. A well-chosen name is an essential brand Read more…
As promised, I have put together some links for the best Madmen advertising pitches. Ironically, I noticed that Michael Bierut has chosen three of the same Madmen moments, so I suggest you read his post from Design Observer. Click here for a good clip of Michael Bierut talking about typography. Here’s a great parody Read more…
Thank you Jessica Helfand and John Stossel for clearing up this important question.And for those of you who do not know Paul Rand…. Paul Rand Retrospective from Jeremy Cox on Vimeo. The Language of Art by Paul RandA miscellany of archeology, history, biography, geography, political science, psychology, sociology, technology, entertainment, economics, marketing, and merchandising comprises the Read more…
Brand and Logo style guides The 1977 US EPA Graphic Standards System from Standards Manual on Vimeo. NASA Graphics Standards Manual from Standards Manual on Vimeo. https://dribbble.com/stories/2020/06/16/brand-style-guide-checklist https://freedesignresources.net/free-merylin-brand-guidelines-powerpoint/ When it comes to Graphic Standards Manuals the classic example is from 1970, Unimark’s Massimo Vignelli. Here is a great resource to style guides around the world: On the topic of PBS Herb Read more…
Designed by Michael Bagnardi. I’m always pushing students into getting their work out there—it’s all about doing shit that matters. I love to promote great opportunities—NOT spec work. 99designs is a perfect example of this unscrupulous practice. The difference being that spec or speculative work is a method used by for-profit businesses use to get Read more…
