November 2009 Archives

The Real World: Designer Edition

Sorry, this isn't an audition call for the next installment of the MTV hit. But it's even better:

MyDesignShop.com (a sister site to HOW, Print and I.D.'s sites) is hosting a live DesignCast seminar on Thursday, December 3. Led by 2 sorta-recent grads who've already had great success (with clients including the aforementioned MTV), you'll get a first-hand account of what the school-to-real world transition is like and how you can best prepare for it. Titled Everything We Didn't Know When We Left School, it should be an enlightening hour. Register here.

Vocab Lesson: Turkey

Okay, so, uh, turkey doesn't really mean anything different in publishing than it does in the rest of life ... it's just our way of saying we're taking a break today and tomorrow* in honor of Turkey Day. Although, if you work for a food magazine, you can bet turkey will be a very large part of your vocabulary (see above). 

Student Design Competition Categories Announced!

So it's Thanksgiving on Thursday, meaning 2 whole days or more without classes. What to do with all that free time? Why not get started on your SPD Student Design Competition entries! The official rules and entry form will be available for download in the next week or two, but for now, all the info you need to get started is below.
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Smart Quote #11: Not Art

"For me, the mix of what we deal with as designers -- the mix of words, images and messages -- this is what I was meant to do. I like the fact that design is audience-related. I like the fact that it's not "art" and that you're typically collaborating with other people."

Congrats to our Survey Raffle Winner!

Lucky student Maria Papaleo, a 4th year graphic design major at Rochester Institute of Technology, is the winner of our SPD Student Blog Survey Raffle. As such, she is the proud recipient of a starter set of SPD Annuals (that's Pubs 40-44) and our Solid Gold book. Congrats Maria!

And thanks to ALL of you who took our survey. We were blown away by the wonderful responses. You guys have some terrific ideas and we're excited to start implementing them as we plan the future of the Student Blog.

But as always, you don't need a survey to tell us what you think: email us anytime at spdstudentoutreach@gmail.com with any suggestions, complaints, questions, etc. and we'll do our best to address them.

Thanks again to everyone who responded!
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Vocab Lesson 11: Body Copy

You may have to make a copy or two (or 300) with the copy machine in your internship, but in publishing terms, copy actually refers to the text. It is the writing. And body copy refers to a certain piece of writing. It is what truly separates editorial design from the rest ... … MORE

Smart Quote #10: Technology

"I'm not afraid of technology. Being a photographer, I always have to deal with technology, but I think technology makes people lazy and slow. ... The other day the electricity went off in the office, and all together they [the staff] got up. They stood up, with their hands in their pockets, and said, 'What do we do! We've got no electricity.' I was so mad. 'What do you mean you've got no electricity? You've got a brain!'"
--Oliviero Toscani, in conversation with Terry Jones in i-D magazine

Oliviero Toscani is a fashion photographer and creative director who was the mastermind behind Benetton's controversial advertising campaigns in the '80s and '90s. In the early 90s, he also cofounded the magazine Colors with graphic designer Tibor Kalman (check out many of their issues on the Colors Archive page).

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Thanks to the design blog UnBeige for this quote.

"Smart Quote" is a recurring feature on the SPD Student Blog ... look for more wise words every Monday. Got an inspiring or motivating quote to share? Email us at spdstudentoutreach@gmail.com.

Vocab Lesson 10: Trade/B2B magazine

So as a design or advertising student, you've probably heard of Advertising Age. If you're into fashion, you also probably know WWD (Women's Wear Daily). And if you're into architecture, you're likely aware of Metropolis, maybe even Interior Design and arcCA magazines. But what about Institutional Investor, Dairy Today or IEEE Spectrum?


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Smart Quote #9: Details Count

"You can do a good ad without good typography, but you can't do a great ad without good typography." --Herb Lubalin

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Raffle Deadline: Nov. 15

If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to fill out our survey about our blog.

Remember the questions are about this STUDENT BLOG section specifically, not the main GRIDS blog or other sections of the SPD site. Your answers will be a huge help in our efforts to make this part of the SPD site cooler and better than ever.

And don't forget ... you can be entered in our drawing to win a starter set of SPD books just by submitting the survey (be sure you enter your name and email at the end of the survey). Just be sure to submit yours by midnight on Sunday, Nov. 15.

And for those who've already entered, thank you so much for your wonderful thought-out answers!

Vocab Lesson 9: Dummy Copy aka "Lorem Ipsum"

No, it's not a journalism version of those how-to "for dummies" books ... dummy copy, or dummy text, is fake text that designers use as a placeholder for the real story. It is also referred to as filler copy, placeholder text, greeking and lorem ipsum (more details on that term later). Does your publication staff or professor call it something else? Tell us what in the comments section below.

But why wouldn't you use the real thing, you ask?

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Smart Quote #8: the Art of Magazine-Making

"There are many different views on what constitutes the perfect sequence of subjects or the rhythm of a magazine... The classic form is quite like that of a grand opera. You whet the appetite with the overture... Next the opera may introduce us to shorter passages and fragments of melodies, building up to the climax of a great aria... .
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