Coloring is not just for kids.

Last month, I asked for a coloring book for my birthday. Why? Some studies show that coloring can be calming. Similar to meditation, coloring allows us to switch off our brains from other thoughts and focus on the moment. Distracting the brain can provide a sense of clarity, reduce anxiety and can be used as a relaxation technique.

“We can use it to enter into a more creative, freer state,” says Psychologist Antoni Martínez. “We can also use it to connect with how we feel, since depending on our mood we choose different colors or intensity. I recommend it in a quiet environment, even with chill music. Let the color and the lines flow.”

Try it! Grab some crayons or pencils and get ready to enter a freer state of being.

Hillary, I've redesigned your logo. You are welcome.

This is not a political post. This is a post about a logo that has been designed for Hillary Clinton, who officially announced she's running for office. The official logo is above. It bugged me when I first saw it and I wasn't sure why. After thinking about it all day, I have formulated a critique and also some new design options for her consideration. 

1) It looks like a hospital sign merged with the FedEx logo. While there's nothing wrong with simple, this looks too similar to things I've seen.

2) Why in the world is that huge bulbous arrow pointing to the RIGHT? 

3) It looks as though it is going to fall over to the RIGHT.

Hillary, I'm sure you were advised that you need to go with a strong logo. It needs to show movement and progress (to the right??). It needs to be strong and assertive and red white and blue. I agree with all of these statements but this logo just isn't working. 

Here are a few ideas I have for you:

With just a minor tweak of reducing the size of that arrow, this option is not off balance yet retains the feel of your original logo.

If you were willing to depart from the RIGHT arrow (why to the RIGHT, Hillary??) then you might want to consider something like this. Progress. Moving up. Upward movement. Less obnoxious arrow.

What about this? Bodoni is a strong typeface. If your designer only showed you sans serif options, they did you a disservice. Serifs are strong Hillary! They even look like columns. Justice. Fairness. With a little more style and flair. 

Anyway, Hillary, I'll be crossing my fingers that your logo is a work in progress. In the meantime, feel free to let me know if you'd like to use any of these concepts instead of the logo you unveiled today.

Catalogs are Making a Comeback

This is certainly good news! Felix Carbullido, an executive from Williams Sonoma Brands says, "Years ago, catalogs were a selling tool. Now it has become an inspirational source."

Click here for the link to the New York Times article.

Design Something New-10

A little graphic design joke on a Friday.

Design Something New-9

Black and white abstract pattern.

Design Something New-8

Yep.

Design Something New-7

A simple pattern. If I had more time, I would look at different color palettes. But, that would be defeating the purpose of this exercise.

Design Something New-6

Just a little pattern for today's design.

Design Something New-5

A design of a quote from my most favorite quotable person.

Design Something New-4

Day four.

Design Something New-3

A face made with symbols. 

Design Something New-Day 2

I have a large wall in my home that is begging for art. This is a sketch I created for a painting/collage I thought I could do.   

Design Something New Every Day

I came across an article that featured designers who challenged themselves to design something new every day. The rules are simple. It should only take 15-20 minutes and it should be something not work-related. The designers felt that this simple challenged forced them to think creatively and opened them to generating new ideas on a regular basis, thus making them better designers. I'm not going to pretend I can maintain this every day. But, I am going to take on the challenge to try to design something new regularly. It will be a doodle, a photo, a pattern….it can be anything.  So, starting off with day one, here's my design.

Fun on a Saturday afternoon

I remember endless hours playing with a Spirograph. Nathan Friend created an online replica of an old Spirograph. You can check it out here: http://nathanfriend.io/inspirograph/

And here's my creation:

Do You Need a New Logo?

Does your current logo adapt well to modern media? Does your logo work in black and white, two colors, and for web use? Businesses are using logos in so many more ways than they were five years ago. In the olden days (ok, maybe the 80's) graphic designers like myself were trained to think about the logo in black and white and two Pantone colors. Rarely was a logo designed in four color process because it was too expensive to print a business card and letterhead that way. Fast forward to today, we find that digital printing makes 4-color printing affordable. Still, the basics have not changed. If your logo isn't working in black and white, it isn't going to work in four-color process. If your logo isn't working well across all media, it might be time for a redesign or an update.

Color of the Year

The color of the year has been announced by Pantone: Marsala. According to Pantone, "Marsala is deep and warm, making it ideal for pairing with other colors." Like? or Dislike?