Where good ideas come from

Back when a lot of money did not determine living a rich, full life, every day was an adventure, a discovery of something new which I’d write or sketch in a journal. Art school – Emily Carr College of Art as it was known then, opened me up to a new way of seeing my world. Now grateful I took the art school route before before entering academia to study art and architecture history at UBC. The university experience was a different learning experience. Learning to write papers was a good skill and learning how to memorize chapters in one’s textbooks and notes from class in order to ace the exam became a learned skill. However, the best thing I got with a BA was learning how little I knew. So between these two houses of learning, I’ve learned to use my curiosity as GPS to learn more. A couple of years after university graduation, I took a three year graphic design program in Ontario to fulfill a need for a marketable skill. The culmination of the art school and university education provided the rich textured knowledge base to feed the design process.

I’m now a graphic designer and am passionate about what I do. The word “synthesis” comes to mind to describe why I love this work:

synthesis (from the ancient Greek σύνθεσις, σύν “with” and θέσις “placing”) refers to a combination of two or more entities that together form something new.

There’s a process of coming up with riveting solutions to a design issue. It starts with a need – for a logo, a website, a rebrand, etc… then quickly unravels into an unknown place led by the designer’s creative process once all the needs and parameters are understood. Here’s an overview of the five steps involved in the design process:

Five Steps in the Design Process.

To continue that last conversation about the coffee shop as a point of inspiration – Steven Johnson’s TED Talks delves into the history of innovation. It’s my current read and I can’t put the book down. His TED talk link below will let you decide if it’s a rabbit hole  you want to spend some time in:

Where Good Ideas Come From: A History of Innovation

Stay open to the possible. Then stay open and enjoy what comes up.

Laurie Kingdon  |  CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Outside the Box Graphics  |  T: 778.839.3755  |   www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

The Coffee Shop as Theatre Stage.

The Coffee Shop is a great stage for the creative process. During my art school days, I would sketch the people around me at Szasz, a Hungarian Deli/Coffee Room located on Granville Street in Vancouver. Those random thoughts that “meander like a restless wind inside a letter box” can be better observed in a social setting and can lead to those euphoric, aha moments, your own hidden treasure.

The coffee shop is a rich place is teeming with colour, noise, texture, steam + pattern. People are coming and going with barristas yelling out names when their work of art is ready. Plus, there’s something about sitting down over a great coffee and allowing yourself to simply be that invites the imagination to want to come out to play. I recently watched a great TED talk on this very subject. How the coffee shop was instrumental to innovation and great ideas. They were a healthier social meeting place than the usual pub hangout.

1. Find the right fit. Find a coffee shop you like, even if it’s because of the anonymity. While meeting someone socially at a coffee shop has merit, sitting there alone allows you to observe more and listen. And to get in touch with what’s going on inside your head.

2. Start a journal and jot down those ideas and observations. When you start, don’t be paralyzed by the  initial blank page. Take the “whatever comes up” approach to get over the initial stage fright of  feeling pressure to write something significant. The genius usually comes later. So be messy about it. Begin with a doodle if that helps start your creative engine. Find the right pen to write things down. Introduce different colored pens or markers if you are so inclined, like SARK, the transformational creativity diva. The variety of tools can invite a sense of play and invite divergent thinking.  Sketching your ideas is a great warm up, even if it’s in the crudest, stick figure way. Some of the best sketches I’ve seen are drawn by people who don’t know how to draw because there’s no effort to try to make it special.

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics
778.839.3755

Use Curiosity as Your GPS.

With a full moon on January 19th, I was compelled to follow an impulse to stop at Jericho Beach on my way home on my motorcycle in spite of it being a cold, damp, grey day. When these impulses hit me and pull me off track, I have learned to listen, with curiosity as my GPS. I now keep my compact digital camera with me at all times in case something comes up that I need to document. A photograph can take you down other rabbit holes and lead you to other creative ventures.
What came out of this diversion was, as diversions often do, insight about time and place. In the past, I’ve hibernated in January and February while waiting for the first signs of Spring in order to minimize the depressing effect of these two dark, cold, wet and dismal months. But this photo diversion has enabled me to extend my passion for photography and “see” January just for what it is. To experience January. Who knew that a slight turn off the beaten track would result in seeing another side of these cold, damp, grey days. There is a quiet desolation in at least two of the photos that capture the essence of what I wanted to avoid. The empty bench in the moonlight. The lack of people. The moodiness of the light in the late afternoon with elongated shadows. Now looking forward what February will unfold.

Jericho Beach in January, Vancouver, BC

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Curiosity Stokes Creativity.

“A good photographer captures the feeling through the lens of what he sees.”

One of the easiest ways to tap into your creativity is by taking pictures. You are creative and the starting point is just listening to your gut. Use your curiosity as your GPS to explore, seek out and discover. This journey will ignite a spark and inspire you to uncover ideas you never thought you had. It’s about listening with your inner ear and accepting what you hear with no filter. It can be an act of courage.  Photography is easy medium to root out whimsy, musings and ideas which often lead to the aha! moment.

1. Start with what you’ve got.
I plan on buying a high end digital SLR when I am ready, but not a minute before. You’ll want a camera that provides shutter speed and aperture control. Start with something you are not intimidated with which you can learn from in a short time frame. Start with HOW – find out what your camera can and cannot do before you move to WHERE and WHAT. You will be better prepared to buy the right camera after you know what you want and don’t have.

2. Take one photo a day.
Take the picture, then ask questions later, like why do I like that. What setting did I use to get that effect. Use your intuition as your GPS to take you to unexpected, interesting places within and without. Or find a place you love like a favorite park, garden or event as a starting point.

3. Plan the adventure.
Weather is a factor, but don’t let the rain dampen the creative spirit; in fact, it can enhance it.
For example, looking at the moody reflection of neon from store fronts hitting a dark, rainy street can be mind blowing. And possibly even more mind blowing in black + white.

4. Pay attention to light.
Light is one of the most important factors when shooting. Photos taken in the early morning or late afternoon create contrast because of the shadows which create a mood and add drama. Consider elongated shadows, fog and glistening dew as nature’s props. Noon is a good time to shoot subjects you simply want to document due to the lack of shadow.

5. Stoke the creative fire.
Take pictures of your subject from different angles, and if your camera can do it, from different apertures and shutter speeds. Experiment and make mistakes in order to learn about the how of the camera so you can control what you say and how you say it. If you use a digital camera, view how the picture was taken – from aperture to shutter speed using photo software on your computer.

6. View.
Digital Cameras: after the shoot, download your pictures. Look, learn and listen to what your inner critic is saying. Look at the photo from different vantage points before deciding to keep it or toss it. Can the photo be saved using software to crop, straighten or  cut out  “dead space?” A useful tool is the histogram which allows you to adjust the light and dark fields. Use photo software to check the shutter speed and aperture. This software is available for free with most digital cameras and is invaluable to educating you to taking better pictures.
For point + shoot and SLR cameras: get your film processed and transferred to a CD using the highest resolution possible. You may have to request this as not all film processing sites do this. Then look at the shots on your computer and follow the same steps as with the digital camera above.

7. Add fuel to the creative fire.
Read. Research topics on photography that excite you. Start by using the catalogue at your public library to order your book or DVD online. There is a lot of information online as well. Bookmark the best resources.
Take a course. Assess your photography level before taking a course. The private schools are great as they can quickly ask you a few questions over the phone to discern what level you are at and what course to take. To begin, I recommend taking a course through continuing education before moving to a private school. They are affordable and less intimidating. The private schools are best when you want to push your knowledge even further.

Join a photography club. Once you have a basic understanding of photography and have a collection of photos, join a photography group. Clubs offer group discussion which is invaluable to see your work more objectively as well as to learn from the work of other members.

8. Go deeper.
Photography is an exciting, easily accessible rabbit hole to enter when discovering your authentic voice in the creative process. Learn to keep a camera with you wherever you go. For the instant pics you want to take on the fly, point + shoot cameras are best as they are easy to carry.
With time, the operative words – play, fun, explore and discover – will evolve into the aha moment, the wow factor, surprise, joy and glee as you traverse deeper. Enjoy – the journey IS the destination.

A great link to get you started + stoked:
http://digitalphotographysecrets.com

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics | Branding for Your Business.
“Minimal yet direct. Reach for the pulse. Go for the jugular.”
778-839-3755

The Anatomy of a Logo.

The logo is the keystone and foundation of your business – the magnet that attracts your target market – your tribe. The more you know your tribe, the more successful the result. The logo is your visual voice that speaks on your behalf when you’re not there and solidifies your position when you are. The best logos cleverly position your business in the marketplace and differentiate you from your competition. The design approach is dependent on the client and the specific parameters of the project. Here is an example of the steps involved in a logo I recently designed.

Project: A logo design for a busy upscale furniture consignment store, Upscale Resale Consignment, located in the tony neighborhood of Dunbar in Vancouver, BC.

I received an urgent call from the owner, Abbey Prebushewski requesting my help to add the finishing touches to some images that she and her associate Catherine Kimpton had collected. They had done some smart preliminary work by picking out images that best typified what they sold. They had a strong idea of the image she wanted for her logo – a chandelier or a chair, but needed help pulling the elements together. After a 45 minute  brainstorm session with three women around a table for sale in their shop, I left with a clear sense of direction to take to the studio. Below are some of the images I received from the client. This gave me an clear idea of what they were after.

Images supplied by the client helped determine the design direction.

SIX STEPS TO A LOGO DESIGN.

1. EXPLORE. Watch & Listen.
A brainstorming session between client + designer defines the parameters of the project. This is the time when the designer is open to ideas that will come during dialogue with the client. Ideas, impressions and intuition come into play for both parties and all is written down. After the meeting, a design brief is emailed to the client to outline time frame and cost of project. A contract is then signed between the two parties.

2. BRAINSTORM. Visualize.
This is the juice of the project. Collected information is weighed against online market research. Ideas are now sketched out as thumbnails through words, symbols + colours then translated onto the computer. This is the time to be open to the unexpected and the a-ha! moment. For this project, the brainstorm session was highly productive as it gave me information about what the client was looking for, her target market and what her store was about.

3. PAUSE. Stop + Detach.
The designer distances himself so he can view the project objectively, while continuing to process that information and jot down sudden insights – aha! moments – that come up.  The project is now planted and the subconscious takes over. Ideas begin to gel. If there is a time constraint, this step is sacrificed, but at a high price. Fonts and colors are defined. Concepts are further mulled + refined with an eye on the client’s unique business vision.

4. EMBRACE. Present Ideas.
A minimum of 3 ideas are presented to the client in person or online. Intuition plays a predominant role as the client uses 1st impressions to discern the strongest concepts. The design direction is further refined through discussion. Below are the first concepts presented.  The client wanted the chandelier as the main image, but when she saw these initial concepts, she realized the chandelier alone in the logo did not reflect the other things in the store and that the passerby might think it was a lighting store.

The first set of concept roughs.

5. REVISE. Refine the idea.
Style, color and font changes are made once the general design is decided in order to take the project to completion. The designer presents a fewer number of variations from the concept roughs using different fonts and colors. Below is the second presentation of concept roughs.

The second round of concept roughs.

When the client saw concept #2, she remarked that she thought I’d taken the idea right “out of her head.” This is what the designer works to hear. The design direction is now firmly established. The next challenge was to find the right images to design the logo.

We agreed on a chandelier, a table and a chair, but the search was on to find the right images. Catherine Kimpton sent me a number of good photos to choose from.

Chair + table Images supplied by the client. Vectorized image is on the right.

I vectorized the best of these images in Adobe Illustrator. Vectorization is a must in the design of a logo as it allows the image to be enlarged without the fuzziness of a raster graphic program such as Photoshop.
The chandelier image was the most challenging. Not only was it the most complicated image to vectorize – after 8 hours of vectorizing the image, which is based on a photo – the client decided on another chandelier image! So another 8 hours was spent vectorizing the 2nd photo.

Chandelier images - the photo on the left was vectorized, then replaced by the 2nd image.

Another issue was framing the images. The frames around the images adds a “preciousness” and value to the images, an important selling feature for a furniture store.

6. LIFE. Celebrate + Sell.
The final touches take the logo to completion. The design is now ready to be applied to print media, such as retail signage, business cards, letterhead and social media, such as web banners.
I spoke to Abbey recently since this logo was designed a year ago. She attributes the logo and it’s placement on their storefront awning as the major reason why her business has quadrupled in one year. That’s what I work to hear. Bull’s eye!

The resulting logo and storefront.

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer
Outside-the-Box Graphics

Skydiving and The Aha Moment!

I’m learning about the power of grace and love, especially in small things. Cool thing is, while this state is constantly renewed, it is like a cup that constantly overflows – it is always there when one needs it – that place of recognizing one’s aliveness in the present moment. Gives one a real rush anytime you think of it.

The pivotal day in my summer was skydiving on August 14th, 2010. I had met 25 year Master Tandem jumper, Bobby Magee, a year ago during a motorcycle trip. Through the course of that year, he knew I was always going to jump… it was just a matter of when. I’ve wondered what made him think that, because I sure didn’t. But he was right. Almost a year later, I booked an appointment. That action immediately prompted good old-fashioned hardcore fear and a knee-jerk reaction to cancel. Fear was the predominant emotion even though it was mixed with moments of excitement. But cancel I did. However, I was moved to rebook the appointment after feeling a sense of loss and looking up to the sky on the day I would’ve jumped. So I rebooked even though the drama between fear and joy continued after that call.  It was also my daughter’s 25th birthday on the day of the scheduled jump and I wanted to dedicate the jump to her. To show both of us to face fear and not be controlled by it.

The day of the jump was a day of reckoning. I called two people who witnessed my fear and encouraged me to cancel. Hearing their pleas not to go helped me decide I could. When push comes to shove, it’s YOUR fear you are facing. You reach the precipice of your own comfort zone then inch your way beyond it to a place where you have no control. There were pensive moments on the way up to 10,000 feet, for example, when the butterflies in my stomach forced me to grab the tandem master’s legs, while thinking, “This is it!” with the thought that I could still opt to ride down with the pilot.

The moment finally arrived when the doors of the airplane opened. I heard the loud rushing of wind wildly blowing into the plane as Jesse, the cameraman, jumped out effortlessly. Then I was up to bat. The tandem master motioned me to twirl my feet around to the opening. I then caught a peek of the green patchwork called earth below. I was now facing the moment I rehearsed in my mind a million times before. A good tandem master knows this moment well. He moved my head up which reminded me to focus on what I was taught – hold onto your straps, arch your back, see yourself as a badminton birdie. He gently nudged us forward. This is THE pivotal moment – facing one’s fear – THAT second before the jump. In that suspended moment, we jumped. Seconds after the jump, I opened my eyes and felt an overwhelming sense of release, followed by joy and elation, with “I done did it!” Moments later, Jesse caught up to us and gave us a high five while videotaping us before being whisked up into the vastness of blue sky when the tandem master pulled the rip cord. Then we floated like Moon Jellyfish.  This truly is a time of surrender. The view is breathtaking as one is surrounded by the beautiful landscape around us – Mount Baker, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the vast mountain ranges, and the Fraser River, gleaming and winding through the green patchwork quilt below. It’s about a 5 minute descent, but it felt more like 20. It was as close to heaven as I’ve ever felt.

I’ve been asked since the jump whether I would do it again and the answer is yes. I passed the hardest test… that moment when you look down from 10,000 feet and see the patchwork quilt of the earth below… when you feel the riveting fear within… and jump anyway. Letting go to trust in your tandem master into the vast blueness of sky.

Do it. Just trust and know you can. If you can face this, you can face just about anything. Not only survive to tell your story, but tell that story, knowing that somehow your life has radically shifted for the better.

The A-ha! Continuum: Summer Reading

So how the hell do you start igniting your divine spark? So asks Ms. Beak on page two of her book,
“The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark.”
Lick your chops with good reading as she valiantly tries to unravel some of the mysteries behind the magic of the Universe. Start by setting your intention, which is, as she puts it, “a bit like offering an invocation to the universe. When your inner desire aligns with your outer experience, that is where magic, mystery and coincidence
are found.

She claims to have the match to light your divine spark and reading it has certainly lit mine. She writes: “Becoming responsible for my self, for the vibe I give off, feels, well, downright heroic.” That stance is an act of courage, particularly during times when one’s vibe is on fire, or when you are witnessing your own shooting psychic bullets at anything around you when in fear. Being the witness to it ALL is the only way through. By recognizing what IS versus the illusion of what is can set you free. And recognizing that existential moment when you realize how powerful living your life in the present moment really is. It’s that point of power of realizing you have choice. Make time for this read as you may not want to put this book down.

Happy Summer Reading!

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Brand, Print + Web Media   778.839.3755
“Use my creative spark in order to ignite yours.”
www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

A-ha! A worthy read on inspiration…

Watch your light bulb go off when you read this visual definition on the a-ha moment:

http://bit.ly/98WNKb

… and a worthy read on the definition of inspiration:  http://bit.ly/crpcbd

Here’s my response to this post:

Following that spark of insight – that seed of an idea that forces us to take notice, then take action – is what separates great from mediocre design. While designers look outward at other designer’s gardens through a plethora of media, the actual design process should come from one’s gut / intuition as starting point. Great design follows those initial sparks of inspiration which can lead to places of wonder + wow, through discovery and innovation. It takes courage as it can take you into unchartered territory, but… what a trip. If you get lost, then look outward, but get back on course using using your intuition as your GPS.

My latest A-ha! moment…

My latest A-ha! moment – rant: here’s why you want to pay for good graphic design. I was tweeted this morning by someone who linked me to his blog on tips to design a “professional” logo. We live in transparent times, thanks to social media. Just google “logo design” and a number of blog posts will tell you how. But here’s the thing – while I find it exciting to read about and share stories and learn different perspectives in order to find greater clarity, there’s a consensus among experienced graphic designers who have been in the industry for a while that good design is going down the tubes. It’s true. You see it everywhere on the internet. I recently attended a WordPress meetup where the facilitator told the audience we didn’t need graphic designers to design websites because WP creates templates. OK. Hey.. I’m open-minded, tell me more! But when he showed us his website, he couldn’t see what everyone else did – his website sucked! His logo came from an online stock photography company, that anyone can use. To top it off, he promoted himself as a personal branding expert! Truth be told – it’s easy enough to give non-designers a step-by-step approach to design. Take a couple of weeks to learn how to use a vector graphics program to design a logo, or better yet, copy something you like then change it just enough to make it your own. Or find an online store that can sell you a logo for $200. But good luck getting it to reflect your uniqueness against your competition. THAT’S why you hire a professional designer.

Here’s the essence of what I bring to the table – to know the rules and maybe even break a few of them – to find that spark, that solution, that answer – that clicks and transcends the ordinary in order to distill it’s essence. THAT’S why you hire a trained designer as opposed to using a paint by number “how to” approach to design. Hard to distill YOUR voice or YOUR vision even if you designed it yourself. The right designer will pull those disparate elements together, extract what makes you unique, then Distill. Simplify. Entice. Thrill. To find that element in the design that stops you for a moment to take a better look. Then experience the magic.

Laurie
778.839.3755
www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

A Fresh Approach to Design

Design is evolutionary. Current trends shift with media, political and environmental influences. There is now a greater acceptance for transparent self-expression, even in the corporate world. We are so overwhelmed by the barrage of information out there that we learn to block out most of it. There is now a fresher, less scripted approach in communication. Only information that is relevant to us gets noticed. That touches us deeper and stirs the soul. With communication, some of the rules still apply: keep your message simple enough to remember but with enough impact so people will want to repeat it. The established jargon of rules, regulations and protocol are being replaced with authenticity, clarity and continuity.

1. Authenticity  2. Clarity  3. Continuity

1. Authenticity: When you speak your truth, you will be heard more clearly as it comes from a place of personal conviction. This invites authentic dialogue. Personalizing your message to sound less corporate and more human will attract a more attentive audience. Take away the script, speak one’s truth and don’t follow a corporate mandate or protocol. So that what you say and who you are is the same.

2. Clarity: Your message is clear, concise + easily understood. Clever use of white space to set the stage for the message to be heard. Minimizing the distractions of visual “noise”and making all the elements come together. Matching the voice with the appropriate font.

3. Continuity: Your message is the same on whatever platform you are on. Using the same font across platforms. Positioning your nav bars on the same place on your website.

Coming from a less scripted, more authentic place will bode well to stimulate better communication, inspire personal connectivity through heartfelt rapport and ultimately create credibility + trust with an involved audience.

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Print + Web Media | Outside-the-Box Graphics | 778.839.3755

www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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