Designers Who Blog: Design, Illustration, Photography, Web, Advertising, Branding …

Pawel Grabowski

Margins And Columns

Here’s a real design treat for you this December, Margins And Columns.

Margins and columns is run by Pawel Grabowski from Think Two, a web development studio from Ireland.

It’s not often I see a one column design blog these days, and Pawel’s is simply gorgeous. No ads. No banners. No nothing. Nice. I was going to go on and on about just how nice. But, why, when I can cut to the chase with simply fine.

Just this week I did my being nice bit in Bangkok (anyone been watching the news lately?) and helped out my Thai hairdresser. As slim and sleek was all that was needed, I used the one column WordPress theme, PocketT, as a cms (yes, it’s that “Schwing!”)

Looking at the two side by side, I’m now coveting Pawel’s crisp black, greys, and lime greens… how very fine they are.

Enjoy…

Divya Manian

Nimbupani Designs

Ahhh… the storm is almost over (but not quite). Past time to get back in the saddle with Nimbupani Design.

Nimbupani is a freelance portfolio with attached blog. If you check out the portfolio, you’ll see that the clean design reflects her overall style. Nice.

I honestly thought this would be over already…

Six months ago, I thought all doings PAD would fizzle out and be gone.

And the less it impacted my life, the less I thought about it.

Then came the march on Parliament, followed by the take over of Suvarnabhumi airport, followed by the just announced takeover of our only other airport in Bangkok, Don Muang.

The Thai military is calling for a dissolution of parliament and new elections, but there’s a problem…

The BBC just announced a stalemate (yes, even those of us in Thailand depend on the BBC).

So now I’m waiting to hear the latest news on the announced meeting to resolve this problem… I’m waiting while watching the BBC…

I’m waiting and wondering if I too will be joining the ranks of those done out of their off-station holidays…

Designer as Author

I’ve taken serious thought on how to break my hiatus from DWB.

Who. Or what. Or what for.

Do I go off topic with my personal opinions about the new President of the United States? The outgoing President of the United States? Or even the loser?

Or (tempting) break back in with the Life and Death Masks posted from the Graphic Arts Division of Princeton University?

But while the subject of the new President is hot hot hot, and the death masks fascinating, a google alert arriving five minutes ago settled it for me.

A special thanks goes to Dracula Vs. Eisenstein for the MFA Designer as Author SVA Podcast Series.

The SVA Podcast series has an impressive guest list, from Ellen Lupton to Milton Glaser to Rick Poynor and more (be sure to check out the individual catalogs).

About the MFA Designer as Author program:

In recent years, new media have changed the role of graphic design in various ways. Graphic designers are more in demand to develop a client’s branding, identity, and packaging programs.

But with the means of production on their desktops, designers are also becoming glorified production “artists.” The danger, of course, is that graphic designers will be edged out of the creation process, relegated to only the mechanical follow-through.

The “MFA Designer As Author” is predicated on the growing need for content providers throughout the visual media. Drawing on ones’ fluency with the graphic design language of type and image, this program is the first designed exclusively to encourage authorship and entrepreneurship in a broad range of media.

The purpose is to create products of value that are both responsible to the needs and wants of the society; the goal is to contribute objects of worth that integrate the best design in the smartest product.

Again, if you are interested, grab the MFA Designer as Author SVA Podcast Series.

And does the the School of Visual Arts Graphic Design have a blog?

It sure does. It’s the :: ( CRIT ) :: DESIGN BLOG ::

Enjoy…

In 2006 I made the long trek to Seattle to meet up with the staff of Creative Latitude and others.

In 2007 we did Seattle again. Only bigger.

I’m now on the back end of the Seattle 2008 trip, which was brilliant btw. To save money, we leased a double decker Penthouse condo overlooking the Sounds. And although we did a lot of running around, I could have easily sat there and stared at the ships going by. And done nothing.

So here I am, recovering from the latest Seattle trip. I’m also recovering from my traditional lookie I’m in the US so must have a cold, cold. Lovely.

Early next week I’ll be heading back to Thailand to warm. I like warm…

See you on the other side…

Amit and Kelly sans Susan

Photojojo

Photojojo is just, well, darn good. Even when I’m not in the mood to take snaps, I’m in the mood for their newsletters coming into my inbox.

About: We publish an insanely great newsletter on photography.

More specifically, we scour the internets, rip pages out of magazines, ransack our friends’ closets, and go through dumpsters to find the very best Photo tips, DIY projects, and Gear.

And then they send it all on to us. Nice!

Psst.. if you are a huge Photojojo fan, then follow them on twitter. I do.

Chris Hopkins

Design Forte

Chris has some knockout photography at his blog, Design Forte. One of my favourite photographs is the one of the dragonfly that he used in his banner (above). Since seeing his blog, I’ve taken more time to snap the wee bugs in my life (coming later…)

About: Chris Hopkins graphic designer Harrogate, Yorkshire. My design blog is a collection of my ramblings about photography and design.

You can see more of Chris’s work at the British Shakespeare Company, Countryman magazine, and Finer Catering.

Sunny and Ashleigh

A couple of days ago I received an email from Sunny, saying, “Hey! Are you like, still alive???!”

Hah! Kidding, honest. But Sunny did drop me a line to make sure I was ok and to wish me well. And here I am. Back. So I guess I just needed time to recover from being recovered? And a nudge by Sunny?

And being recovered, I’m TOTALLY chuffed to bring you Think Motto, by Sunny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger.

Think Motto

Think Motto is a blog about living from your core. Core is all about power - it’s knowing who you are and telling people about it without deception or apology. For brands, living from the core is essential. It’s about having something to say, rather than just something to sell. We write about the things move us both personally and professionally like branding, design, core values, culture, politics, entrepreneurship and the big world around us.

I wasn’t exactly sure which category to put them in… decisions… decisions… Graphic designer… Writers… Branders… as they fit in all three (but only one will do). So… Graphic Designers, it is.

But no matter what tag Think Motto is under, it’s a fabulous blog. Well written (all original at that), informative and fun. Please check it out (and when you do, send my thanks to Sunny :-)

10 Most Influential Bloggers

Last year, Home Rejuvenation held a 10 Most Influential Bloggers push.

The winners were…

First place: Design*Sponge
Second place: Apartment Therapy
Third place: MoCo Loco
Fourth place: Decor8
Fifth place: Desire To Inspire
Sixth place: Oh Joy!
Seventh place: Swiss Miss
Eighth place: NotCot
Ninth place: Sfgirlbybay
Tenth place: Bloesem

As you can see from the winners, it’s more of an interior, product design focus rather than communication design. No matter, it’s always fun to watch how these things pan out.

The cast for this year (below) has a great bunch included. There’s some noticeable no shows dotted around, so, maybe give Home Rejuvenation suggestions for 2009? Like, who to add and who to cut?

And maybe they could even separate the focus a bit? Product design, Interior design, Communication design… or something similar…

(not that I’d place even then, but, hey…)

Vote for your favs of 2008…

2Modern Design Talk
30 gms
Absolutely Beautiful Things
An Indian Summer
Another Shade Of Grey
Apartment Therapy
Beach Bungalow 8
Behind The Curtains
Better Living Through Design
Bloesem
Blue Ant Studio
Brilliant Asylum
Casapinka
Charles And Marie
Contemporist
Cool Hunting
Core 77
Cube Me
David Report
Decor8
Design Boner
Design Boom
Design East
Design Milk
Design Observer
Design*Sponge
Design Spotter
Designers’ Block UK
Designers Who Blog
Desire To Inspire
Dezain
Dezeen
Dezona
Fabulously Green
Freshome
Grijs
Happy Mundane
Hemfeber
Home Rejuvenation
Ikea Hacker
Imedagoze
Inhabitat
It’s (K)not Wood
Josh Spear
K-Fresh Designs
Karin’s Style Blog
Katiedid
Laissezfaire
Land+Living
Lena Corwin
Made By Girl
Materialicious
MocoLoco
Mod Mom
Modern Roost
Modish
Notcot
Oh Joy!
Pan Dan
Patricia Gray
Poppy Talk
Print & Pattern
Product Dose
Sensory Impact
Sfgirlbybay
Shelterrific
Style Court
Swissmiss
The Cool Hunter
The Design Files
The Peak Of Chic
The SCOOP
The Style Files
Treehugger
Trend Hunter
Trendir
Uncrate
Yanko Design
Yatzer

Who to add: David Airey and Logo Design Love, both by David. They are two of my favourite blogs this past year, bar none.

And if there’s ever a blog voting what’s it for designers with language blogs, I’d put mine forward: Women Learn Thai

(perhaps a better name would be See the Expat Women Struggle to Learn the Thai Language from the Comfort of Her Own Sofa…)

Note: As mentioned, I’ve been absent from DWB with crazy health problems. With a lot of work to get it sussed, and more than a lot of bitching, I’m coming out of it. Slowly. So please look out for regular features on fabulous bloggers.

Ok, I’ll continue to kick up a fuss… but I’ll be back for sure.

Enjoy…

Vote for Jeff Fisher

So here I am. Going on the third month of being under the weather. Going on goodness how long of my adopted country heading for another… political party in power? coup?… or… some such. Right now it’s a toss up on what happens today, so, who knows for sure what’s going to happen tomorrow. Or next week…

So, in the meantime, what’s a blogger to do?

Decisions, decisions… as whatever it is, it needs to be short and sweet and easy and… you know… easy.

Well, if you are a designer (as I am). And there’s a home-based 100 competition (as there is). And all it takes is pushing one button a day, well, who do you vote for to win?

It’s not exactly rocket science from where I’m sitting, as it’d have to be author and design advocate Jeff Fisher of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

Website: Jeff Fisher LogoMotives
Blog: bLog-oMotives
Book #1: The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success
Book #2: Identity Crisis

There’s more, but let’s catch our breath and get on to what we need to do…

… which is to keep on clicking a button. Daily.

I can do that much. How about you?

Please join in by celebrating America’s most outstanding home-based businesses and the people behind them.

Vote for Jeff, or whoever else you believe has busted their butt to make good.

Because they certainly deserve a bit of recognition for their continued hard work. Yes?

Tip: When you decide who it is you want to support, temporarily set their page as your start up page on your browser of choice. Then, viola! You won’t even have to remember to remember.

Simple. Short. Easy. Yeah. I like.