Drew Myler » Design

Thoughts on Logos by Paul Rand

Drew — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:34:50 +0000

Should a logo be self-explanatory? It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning. It derives its meaning and usefulness from the quality of that which it symbolizes.

[...]

The role of the logo is to point, to designate-in as simple a manner as possible. A design that is complex, like a fussy illustration or an arcane abstraction, harbors a self-destruct mechanism. Simple ideas, as well as simple designs are, ironically, the products of circuitous mental purposes. Simplicity is difficult to achieve, yet worth the effort.
— Logos, Flags and Escutcheons, Paul Rand

I love that last sentence (emphasis mine). There’s so much in that article that relates to design in general, but that one held my attention for awhile.

Graphic Design Is…

Drew — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:42:05 +0000

From Linda.

(click to view larger)

Goran’s Beach

Drew — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 22:31:27 +0000

The nephew explored the lakefront at Oak Street beach last July, and we took a million pictures to document the event. We have pictures of Goran playing in the tide, Goran dumping water out of a coca-cola bottle, Goran eating flavor-ice popsicles.

I wanted to frame one of the photos in which he’s setting about with his coke bottle and a plucky expression on his face, but some of the surrounding scenery made the idea less appealing:

Love the skyline backdrop.

Not loving the sunbathing dude at 3 o’clock.

Fortunately, I took a photoshop course a few months back and I am now a photo retouching powerhouse.

It took me about 20 minutes to eliminate the sunbathing dude. Once he was gone, I couldn’t stop myself:

If only the real beach was this empty on a summer day…

Larger, uncropped versions of the photos are here:
A Crowded Beach / Goranâ€™s Beach