Graphic design proposal up for review

Associate Professor of Media Arts Mike Geraci submitted a proposal for a major in graphic design.
“I’ve gotten positive feedback from Dean John Hayes,” said Geraci.
Things are still in the early stages and Geraci is waiting to hear more from the university, but if the major is allowed to move forward, the department will to form a committee to ensure the curriculum adequately prepares students. Then it will to go through a curriculum committee to gain further approval.
The proposed curriculum would combine existing art and media art courses with several new ones. Some of the existing courses that would be required are art history, digital imaging, web design and introduction to photography. Also included are two revised courses in publication and identity design.
New to the curriculum would be an introductory course on visual communications, project management and professional practices, portfolio design and self-promotion and a specific senior capstone class. Other new courses include color theory and typographic design, which deal with how to communicate with colors and words, and a sustainable design course, which teaches how to limit waste as a designer.
According to the proposal written by Geraci, the graphic design curriculum has three primary goals:
1) An appreciation and understanding of historical, creative and social contexts of the arts,
2) Technical proficiency beyond specific toolsets but in strategic thinking, ideation and graphical production and
3) Preparation for careers after college and professional growth into the future.
Geraci estimated the new major would cost the university more than $100,000. Pacific would need a graphic design classroom, a few new computers, cameras, scanners and even a few iPads. The university would also need to hire one full-time professor to teach the new courses.
There is a growing interest in graphic design; including this major should draw the interest of students that normally would not consider Pacific. Geraci said, “No other school in Pacific’s conference offers a graphic design major.” By offering the major, Pacific would provide a niche for students interesting in graphic design. The art and media arts departments would benefit by having more students fill those classes.
Geraci estimated if Pacific recruits roughly five new students to enroll and major in graphic design, the investment could pay off in three years.

Graphic Design Forum Reaches 5000 Members – Come Join In!!

Roughly a year ago on 29th September 2010, Graphic Design Blog launched its very own Graphic Design Forum. In this brief yet adventurous time, our forum has achieved a milestone of 5000 active members. This signifies the level of usefulness and entertainment that we provide to our readers and members on the forum. Our 5000 members include professionals like graphic designers, web designers, logo designers and other graphic design fanatics and fun lovers. Sighting the immense response from our esteemed visitors, we decided to launch a new “Infographics section”, where you can learn how to make interesting infographics by watching, reviewing and submitting your own creations.

• Interesting Discussions:

We have a lot of healthy discussions going on at Graphic Design Forum that you would enjoy participating in. The most recent topic on Steve Jobs (Late) will let you know amazing and unknown facts about this Apple mastermind. Although I did an obituary post on Steve Jobs revealing some unknown facts and pictures, but I have been learning even more through contributions of members on Graphic Design Forum.

Here, for my readers, who are really inspired by Steve Jobs and his amazing achievements, should check this quick video on YouTube channel of Graphic Design Blog. I created it to display the not-much-seen aspects of Steves life.

• Useful Tips and Tricks:

Over at the learning sections, you will greatly benefit from all the tips and tricks submitted on the forum. If you have some questions about graphic design, then you can find the answers on our forum. There are a lot of popular tutorial in our Tutorial section that will help you in your graphic designing.

Graphic Design Companies Supply High quality Final results

In our globally related, higher velocity world, huge and little companies alike rely on business image as component of effective advertising. Technology delivers firms a variety of ways to get the brand name and communication to the client.
Big companies, however, have the benefit of becoming more substantial and getting entry to more funds for marketing assignments. For tiny organizations, a lot of occasions it falls to the owners to do the career on their own.
Do-it-yourself employment have sure positive aspects, supplying the operator a lot more management of the projects route and spending budget, but they are also time consuming. For hectic owners, the added function of creating a firm picture can be tense. Of program, that is why graphic design corporations are so popular.
When you contract with a graphic design and style group, you spend them to do the concerned work of developing your company picture. You give them your ideas and they generate a visual campaign to match your requirements.
The firm handles all of the information, from deciding on an appropriate color scheme to laying out a presentation that conveys your message in an attractive way. If you are centered on working your company, all individuals points can be tiring. Additionally, graphic layout corporations are skilled serving the requirements of their consumers.
Constructing your business picture contains producing browsing cards, a site, stationary, and other advertising products. Do you have the time for that leg function when you have a business to run? Most would response no. Of class, which is 1 of the significant reasons that any organization, significant or tiny, hires a graphic style firm.
In our extremely visual world, visibility can help or hinder good results. Graphic style corporations provide their clientele a wealth of specific expertise. They can rapidly establish what fits your requirements. In addition, they have the profit of their individual past successes and failures. Turning that to your edge is surely a savvy company move.
Assume of hiring a graphic design and style agency as delegation. Most proprietors have sufficient on the agenda to preserve them active 20-4 hours a day. Handing off your marketing and advertising concepts to a organization focused to that sort of manufacturing alleviates some stress on you. It can be a win your tips are regarded as and presented in a way that reveals your companys best facets.
As the stating goes, “time is income.” If you decide to function with a graphic style agency, remember that you get what you spend for. You perform hard for your money and throwing away it could harm your business as effectively as your livelihood. Check out the organization you happen to be thinking about and do not basically emphasis on cost. How significantly income have you genuinely saved if the finished venture isnt what you want?
Also, retain in thoughts that these graphic design and style corporations concentrate on extended-term associations. They want you to be as pleased with their function as your buyers are with yours. For you, that implies the business you pick really should have a vested interest in bringing you the outcomes you inquire for.
Even though do-it-your self advertising and marketing tasks are value effective, they arent constantly time efficient. If you locate by yourself in this predicament, and firm picture is crucial to your good results, think about a graphic design agency to assist you meet your advertising demands.

10 Benefits of Good Graphic Design

Every single company, from the small business owner in his street-side stall to the largest multi-national conglomerate, takes plenty of pain to create a brand they believe in. This brand becomes the reason for their existence and also the reason why they spend sleepless nights thinking about ways to make it better. When you spare no expense to make your product/service as customer-oriented as possible, then why shy away from using quality design?

The fact is, good design can mean the difference between a flourishing business and a shut-up shop. Here’s ten reasons why you need to pay attention to the effort and quality going into your designs!

a)     Grabs Attention: A well-designed shoe or computer will not only grab attention because of its features, but also because of its looks. In a shoe store, the first thing that determines whether a person will try a shoe or not is its design. If it looks ugly, it will stay on the shelf unless the customer has come in, specifically, with that model or price-range in mind. So make sure your products look good to grab the eye of your potential customers. This is also what makes them stand out against the run-of-the-mill competition.

b)    Creates Recall: When you buy anything, like hair shampoo, you might think that it is the product inside the bottle that matters. Fact is, the product matters only once the customer has bought the bottle and tried it on. To get them to pick your product, your packaging (in this case the bottle), needs to make them want to pick it. There are thousands of products lined up on store-shelves and if you don’t take the effort to create an experience from the moment someone receives a box to the time they start using the product, they won’t have anything to remember you by.

c)     Builds your Image: British Petroleum created a surge by changing their logo colours to Green and Yellow. While their logo remained the same, the message was simple – “We care about the environment.” Whether the company goes on to do something about it or not is something different. The fact is, in the eyes of the target audience, this shift in design leads to a shift in perception.

d)    Increases Sales: As people start looking at your company and brand differently, they start appreciating it more. If two companies create the same quality of product (equal in every aspect), it is a guarantee that almost every single customer will pick the one they remember the most. Design helps them remember and, therefore, the next time they go to a store, they will pick out what they remember. Make your brand more memorable with some innovative thinking that touches your customers and watch them line-up outside.

e)     Improves Market Standings: This is a direct off-shoot from a rise in sales figures. If you start selling more products, chances are that you are outshining your competition. That means, you are toppling them in the popularity charts as well as in the charts that matter the most – the financial charts.

f)     A Strategic Investment: As the world is being driven by more visual content, standing out in the crowd is getting harder. Using good design to create your own space, before anything covers your presence, is a great way to set things up for the future.

g)    Creates Goodwill: As companies are struggling to compete in the battle of price, recession and severely damaged economies, the ones that will survive are the brands that are trusted by customers. When you create a design, be it for a product, an advertisement or just a hoarding on the street, and connect with the customer, that is what they are looking for. Everyone wants to know that you are thinking about them and nothing says that better than meaningful design.

h)    Improves Staff Loyalty: Designing a brand isn’t just about getting customers and increasing sales. It is also about taking care of the people on the inside. When these people sit at their workstations or desks and start their day, they need to have your best interests in their mind. From office interiors to memos to the environment that you create, everything needs to be designed with their welfare in mind. Keep them happy and you’ll guarantee a successful organization that is run by the people – happy people, i.e.

i)      Reduce Time to Market: Are you forced to stay fresh in people’s mind with new launches? Are you afraid of slipping out of their sights as they go, everyday, to spend their money? Changing the brand image of your company or simply creating fresh design can stop that enforced product launch. An absolutely brand new product package can change the way people have been looking at the same old thing. No one will care that what is inside is what they have been using all along. What they care about is that there is something new about the product they love. Keep them interested and they’ll keep coming back for more of the same. So you can spend your time in developing something better for the next launch.

j)      Create a Better World: We live in a world where quality is an idea that is preached more than it is practiced. By creating a better product, you’ve already breached through the barriers of being average, and moved into the superlatives. Now comes the time when you need to carry that image through all other aspects of your business. By creating good designs, you emphasise on a better planet through fresh designs and thoughts. Your ideas will be the starting point for many others, and the cycle will continue with you at the forefront.

Whether you are looking at making a difference or simply making a profit, you need to realise that running a business is a long-term commitment. If you’ve taken the leap on all other fronts, then you’d better start looking at design as an investment for the future. After all, who doesn’t like to believe in love at first sight?

Mariner Resorts, The Bahamas – Logo Design

We were hired to be the logo designer for Mariner Resorts, a resort management and marketing company dedicated to waterfront destination properties in the Bahamas.  They are looking to offer their brand to existing properties who need a more efficient way of operating and bringing guests to their properties.

Mariner Resorts also incorporate a service program and on-line branding for each property, the destinations are considered high end and guests expect a high standard of quality and service this had to be reflected in the logo.

The Value of Education in Design

I’m all for determined do-it-yourself careers. There is something almost awe inspiring about strapping on your boots and thrusting yourself into a competitive career with only your experiences and the world as your teacher. It really takes courage to take a passion and simply say, “I am going to do this for a living.”

We have software! Who needs skills?

Unfortunately, far too many aspiring designers get caught up in the dreamy ideals of do-it-yourself career building and try to throw themselves into the design world. They spend thousands of dollars on high-end design software and equipment, thinking that only these tools and their determination (and perhaps a little help from blogs and other internet educational resources) will allow them to stand toe to toe with the design giants of the internet.
Then you try your hand at designing. You hit a few brick walls. And then a few more brick walls. And soon you start to wonder, after having spent thousands of dollars on equipment, whether designing is really your innate passion or life skill. Trust me, it takes longer to come to this realization than the period in which you can return all your expensive gear at full price.

Why Education Is the Better Investment

Rather than spending all of your time and money on figuring out how to use your gear or even determining if design is right for you, I recommend putting that time and money into design education. This will help you in so many ways:

• Opens options, gives advice and direction

While there are a good number of online resources out there for designers, finding and knowing how to use them is another thing. Design courses will save you countless potential hours that you would have spent researching online. More importantly, design courses assure you that you’re researching something that would actually be helpful and practical to your design career.

• Networks you with other designers

An design educator is a valuable reference for finding work, especially straight after soon. Not to mention, you’ll be attending classes with plenty of other designers who could possibly use your skills for their own projects or network you with some of their previous clients.

• Finds you more design work

In addition to the networking, taking classes in design will also help you land design jobs, freelance or in a firm. Of course a degree will help you even further, but even just a few courses can go a long way.

• Helps you decide what equipment you need

It’s definitely possible to buy some design equipment or software that you ultimately don’t need. Design classes will give you an idea of which design tools are most effective for your design style.

• Qualifies you for discounts on equipment

You only need to be enrolled in a single class at a higher institution of learning to qualify for a great number of education discounts on both design software and hardware. Some discounts cut prices in half, which is huge for equipment ranging in the thousands of dollars. Do be careful of licensing restrictions as many do not allow you to work commercially.

• Qualifies you for work & Visas abroad
  

If you love traveling and have the income to support it, you can take design classes abroad with a student visa. Better yet, once you take enough courses to earn a degree, you can qualify for a work visa in countries such as the US, Japan, or the UK.

• Doesn’t have to break the bank

While you can spend a lot of money for an education in design, you don’t necessarily have to. You can take courses online or at a community college and still receive valuable information about the career. Not to mention you will still be eligible for educational discounts. Some countries are much cheaper than others so do your research to find out what’s best for you.
With all of these benefits, there is no excuse to at least take one or two design courses, so you can at least find out if your heart really is in the skill. If you find out that design is not your life’s calling, at least you didn’t waste any more time and money than you had to.