Slidedeck from my presentation at LessConf 2011 in Atlanta, GA on 4/29/2011

1. The fleeting myth of
Universal
Appeal Jason Beaird

3. I aspire to:
Create things
that most (at least some)
people think
f re akin’
are okay! awesome!

5. http://scbtonline.com/

6. http://www.flickr.com/photos/cabron/160319179/

7. “Great ” Design
…solicits strong emotional response
…justifies its creation
…inspires other designers
-Cameron Moll

8. http://www.flickr.com/photos/id-iom/4929552170/

9. Design Principles
1. Layout
2. Color
3. Texture
4. Type
5. Imagery

10. 1 Layout: Balance
ASYMMETRICAL
SYMMETRICAL

11. 1 Layout: Unity
PROXIMITY
REPETITION

12. 1 Layout: Emphasis
PLACEMENT
CONTRAST
ISOLATION
CONTINUANCE
PROPORTION

13. 1 Gather Elements
Lo go Primary Navigatio
Footer Navigation Block
n Block
Hom
epa
geC
ont
e nt Copyrigh
t Widget 2
Widge
t3
Widget 1

14. 1 Establish Structure
Logo
Homepage Content
Primary Navigation Block
Widget 1 Widget 2 Widget 3
Footer Navigation Block
Copyright

15. 1 Establish Structure
Logo
Homepage Content
Primary Navigation Block
Widget 1 Widget 2 Widget 3
Footer Navigation Block
Copyright

16. 2 Color
MONCHROMATIC
ONE COLOR + BLACK/WHITE
ANALOGOUS
ADJACENT, 1/3 OF THE “PIE”
COMPLIMENTARY
OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WHEEL
OTHERS:SPLIT-COMPLIMENTARY,
TRIADIC, TETRADIC, ETC…

17. 3 Texture

18. http://younghouselove.com

19. http://decor8blog.com

20. http://designspongeonline.com

21. 4 Typography
As with design principles,
there are a lot of
vocabulary terms to digest
when first learning about
1. BASELINE 6. BOWL 11. TERMINAL the nuances of typography.
2. CAP HEIGHT 7. DESCENDED 12. ASCENDER
Getting to know the 5 basic
3. CROSSBAR 8. COUNTER 13. LEG
4. SERIF 9. STEM 14. LIGATURE categories of fonts is a
5. MEANLINE 10. TITTLE 15. X-HEIGHT good foundation.

22. 5 Imagery

23. http://demo.customtheme.com/?wptheme=Blogwave

24. @bakecaker & mom...

25. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Lasagna/

26. Piss on
the principles
Individuality
Inspiration
Expression
Reaction
Creativity
Artistic Value

27. Nude Descending a Staircase, Marcel Duchamp, 1912

28. http://GeneratorX.no

29. http://jstraining.de

30. http://2011.beercamp.com

31. "Formal training always creates certain
formulas and certain kinds of solutions
that you learn in school. And what I've
always tried to do is to get people to
unlearn what they learned in school."
-Tibor Kalman

35. Painful Inspiring

36. “Design depends
largely on constraints.”
-Charles Eames

38. “Creation is a patient search.”
-Le Corbusier

40. http://www.flickr.com/photos/freddievonchimp/4689054707

41. MailChimp before...

42. MailChimp after...

43. MailChimp application before...

44. MailChimp application after...

45. MailChimp application after...plus cobranding!

46. Cons traints
Design Principles
1. Layout
2. Color
3. Texture
4. Type
5. Imagery

47. “Design is thinking made visual.”
-Saul Bass

48. Stephan Sagmeister, 2008

49. Self-Confidence Produces Fine Results, Stephan Sagmeister, 2008

50. “You can have an art experience in
front of Rembrant... or in front of
a piece of graphic design.”
-Stephan Sagmeister

51. “We are the
music makers
and we are the
dreamers of
the dreams.”
-Willy Wonka

52. Questions?
Thanks!