Tom’s Graphic Design Journal

I can't wait until graphic design is no longer something "trendy" to do. It will help weed out the misguided and untalented individuals with big mouths who confuse the market place. If you are good at spinning bullshit and are good at looking "cool" you should be a salesperson or something - not a graphic designer...or a rapper (I'm sure some people in the music industry feel the same pain).

I think lately for lack of a mature society, we have turned everything we possibly can into a popularity contest. Graphic design among the younger generation is all about being a rockstar and being trendy. At least I think so lately. These pretentious sorry excuses for designers don't understand anything about technical skill, layout, or quality.

I also think people get their signals crossed up when learning or trying to mimic what they see. Some people who think it's trendy and cool to smash same color letters together bastardizing the skill of typography is just one example. OK playing with type is fun. Yes, we can use what is called "negative leading" or have very tight tracking and make capital letters touch. Yes, that's fine. It's not an excuse to use it everyday, but it's ok. HOWEVER, what isn't ok is making all those letters the same color without using a tint or any kind of device (like an outline) to distinguish the letter forms. This is a clear attempt to deliberately lose half of your readers. Senior citizens, people with vision problems, and people quickly glancing over the text will be really annoyed. ...but these young kids these days...they just don't get it. HA. I am a younger person myself! Is it just me? Or do I sound like an old person?

I don't mean to come down on someone like their grandfather, but boy it pisses me off to no extent when people carrying iPods, drinking Star Bucks, dressing like a cross dresser, and listening to suicide music comes and says, "Look at this pile of shit I gave birth to! All hail this pile of shit because I created it while wearing designer clothing, listening to my iPod and drinking Star Bucks."  ... but it's a pile of shit! No one gets it, or no one can read it, or it's been done before by someone else with no talent...

But I digress... It's Wednesday, hmm I though it was Tuesday for a minute. Back to work.

   

I can't wait until graphic design is no longer something "trendy" to do. It will help weed out the misguided and untalented individuals with big mouths who confuse the market place. If you are good at spinning bullshit and are good at looking "cool" you should be a salesperson or something - not a graphic designer...or a rapper (I'm sure some people in the music industry feel the same pain).

I think lately for lack of a mature society, we have turned everything we possibly can into a popularity contest. Graphic design among the younger generation is all about being a rockstar and being trendy. At least I think so lately. These pretentious sorry excuses for designers don't understand anything about technical skill, layout, or quality.

I also think people get their signals crossed up when learning or trying to mimic what they see. Some people who think it's trendy and cool to smash same color letters together bastardizing the skill of typography is just one example. OK playing with type is fun. Yes, we can use what is called "negative leading" or have very tight tracking and make capital letters touch. Yes, that's fine. It's not an excuse to use it everyday, but it's ok. HOWEVER, what isn't ok is making all those letters the same color without using a tint or any kind of device (like an outline) to distinguish the letter forms. This is a clear attempt to deliberately lose half of your readers. Senior citizens, people with vision problems, and people quickly glancing over the text will be really annoyed. ...but these young kids these days...they just don't get it. HA. I am a younger person myself! Is it just me? Or do I sound like an old person?

I don't mean to come down on someone like their grandfather, but boy it pisses me off to no extent when people carrying iPods, drinking Star Bucks, dressing like a cross dresser, and listening to suicide music comes and says, "Look at this pile of shit I gave birth to! All hail this pile of shit because I created it while wearing designer clothing, listening to my iPod and drinking Star Bucks."  ... but it's a pile of shit! No one gets it, or no one can read it, or it's been done before by someone else with no talent...

But I digress... It's Wednesday, hmm I though it was Tuesday for a minute. Back to work.