Graphic Design & Lifestyle Design

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:19:04 -0800

When I created this blog, my intention was that I would offer my ideas on issues related to design and running a design business. Now, while as important as design is to my livelihood, it’s not the only thing that’s important to me in my life. I’ve started to think that the narrow focus of this blog has made it pretty dull, and academic. So, at the risk of being self-indulgent, I’ve decided to open my writing up to all the things that truly interest me. That will most likely include travel, food, wine, restaurants, and ‘lifestyle design’.

Soon, I’ll have much to talk about.

In three weeks, I’ll be taking a trip during which I’ll be running a full marathon in Antarctica, eating my weight in Argentinean grass-fed beef, riding a bus through the Andes to Santiago, and finally eating cuy (guinea pig) and drinking chicha (corn beer) in Cusco before visiting Machu Picchu. (See my travel blog at www.wanderingmarathoner.com)

In three months, I’ll be opening munsonDesign Paris. While growing business and developing European clientele, I’ll also be attending Le Cordon Bleu, and hopefully earning 1/6th of the “Grande Diplome” from one of the most revered culinary institutions in the world. In the process, I’m achieving three of my dreams: living in Europe, attending culinary school, and seeing Le Tour de France. Bless the French for making sure my classes end four days before the end of the Le Tour, so that I can see the cyclists roll down the Champs Elysées.

Oh, also in the meantime I’m starting a new e-commerce venture and getting my sailing certification.

I hate to brag, but I have a great life. I’ve realized it’s not all about graphic design, and is all about lifestyle design. I know not everybody is willing to take the risk to start their own business, and essentially liberate themselves from the physical and time constraints of the corporate world, but maybe sharing my experiences will inspire those who would like to.

Defining Success as a Designer and a Business owner

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:04:05 -0700

When I think back to my college years, and what my expectation would be of my career, I always thought it would be defined by working for a hot studio, winning awards, and having my work published in Communication Arts. Maybe even judging a design annual for said publication. Participating in panel discussions at the local museum.

Perhaps I’ve gotten more cynical about my profession as I’ve moved through my career. There was a time when my liberal arts education (and also the Bauhausian roots of my design faculty) led me to believe that good culture came from good design. As a designer, I had a mandate to create work that contributed to the social good in a meaningful way.

I guess it should come as no surprise that, like people shift from liberal ideals of their youth, to more pragmatic conservatism acquired through age and wisdom, so it is with design.

In my younger years, realizing that many things I would design would only end up in a landfill, I thought it was important that if I’m going to contribute to the detritus, that I should at least put it on a nice recycled paper stock. Now I learn that the amount of energy and associated pollution required to produce recycled papers can be worse than many virgin materials.

And likewise, I’ve become more practical when it comes to what is defined as ‘successful’ for a designer. I’ve realized that one can create a work of art and win awards, but fail to meet the business objectives for a client. One can create a beautifully produced piece, but blow the printing budget.

I think how I’ve found success (and I define that as having a profitable design studio that is producing great work for great clients) is that although I may never reach certain design ideals and solve the world’s problems with my work, my designers and myself are solving problems for our clients. We’re communicating clearly, and eloquently for our clients. We’re cognizant of our responsibility to the environment and culture at large, always looking for how we can do things better.

Why I won’t be buying an Apple iPhone (and why I still love the Palm Treo)

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:33:50 -0700

As someone who appreciates well-designed objects, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked, “So, are you getting the new iPhone?”… by friends, by the guy that sells me my daily latte, by a client whose husband manages an Apple Store.

My response is always, “No way. How am I supposed to send a text message with a touch screen interface and keep my eyes on the road while driving the streets of San Francisco?”

It’s meant to be a joke, but I have to admit, I have sent a few texts on my Treo 600 while driving.

When I watch the new television ads for the iPhone, I can’t help but be seduced. The slick, translucent graphics; the way objects zoom across the screen; the rich bold colors. And especially, the convergence of a phone, music player, and web device… it’s something that I yearned for when I bought my first Treo three years ago.

When I bought my Treo, I bought the headphone converter, the memory card, and the MP3 software. It never worked quite as well as an iPod, but it was functional. And I became hooked on how easily it integrated with my Mac’s Calendar, To Do List, and Address Book. In fact, it’s now my lifeline. In short, my Treo did, and still does, everything the iPhone claims to do. The difference is the thumb keypad.

Now, as the speed typing champ of the now-defunct Tiskilwa High School class of ‘92 (72 wpm, no mistakes), I FLY on the Treo thumbpad. In fact, I’m pretty sure I could beat Arttu Harkki, who held the world record for texting (I did read however he was also the first who tried to set the record). I’ve tried to use the Treo’s touch screen to just dial a phone number—it’s awkward and lacks the tactile response you get by pushing a button.

Imagine playing a touch screen piano. Or typing on a flat typewriter. It wouldn’t be pleasant. So, no iPhone for this Apple advocate. I’ll be getting the Treo 755p.

(Full disclosure: Palm is a client of my design firm. Apple is not.)

munsonDesign contributes to the Adobe Classroom in a Book Series

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 22:02:52 -0700

munsonDesign recently contributed to Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book, and Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Classroom in a Book. With myself acting as an art director, designers Laurel Katz and Thanh Tran, and Flash developer Andrew Chew created several lessons in each book. Andrew Faulkner of afstudio design in San Rafael, CA managed the overall project. It was an unusual challenge—developing design projects that fit the technology being highlighted—but we’re excited about the outcome. It was also exciting being part of Adobe’s beta release program and playing with the programs prior to their general release to the public.

Help! What does Web 3.0 mean?

Fri, 8 Jun 2007 21:54:56 -0700

The term “Web 2.0” has become quite an abused term the last couple years. From what I understand, it might mean a few things:

• The post-dot-bomb business model of working with smaller teams, less or no venture capital, outsourced design and engineering
• The idea of creating a smaller web idea or application with the intention of selling it to a megalith like Google or Yahoo, as opposed to trying to take over the world (or the high-end pet food market… my sympathy to the former Pets.com people) with your website
• The idea of actually having some sort of revenue-producing business, as opposed to “build it, they will come”

In a meeting yesterday with a client, I heard a client use the term “Web 3.0”. I panicked. What does THAT mean? I’m still trying to figure out 2.0! But I digress.

Getting back to 2.0. I’ve been thinking more about what the implications are for “Web Design 2.0.” Here are my thoughts.

• Incorporation of newer web technologies (such as Ajax, Flash, etc.) to create an interface that has more of an “application” experience for the user. By this I mean, if you interact with an aspect of a web interface, that resulting data is somehow presented in real-time, as opposed to a step-by-step page refresh.
• Template-driven web pages, allowing for easier initial creation of pages by web developers, and content management by the owner—without having to learn HTML
• Round corners (thanks to stylesheets, or if you’re old-school like me—tables), gradients, and the much-abused dropshadow, courtesy of the .PNG format
• Utilizing off-the-shelf applications, with some customization, instead of building everything from scratch. For example, using a 3rd party shopping cart for your site.