Joshua Redman 11 x 14 Continuous Contour Line and Watercolor

Gage Studio Graphics launched a new website today. A Father’s Day gift to my multi-talented father, Musician and Artist, Reg Gage.

Reginald Gage is a retired mathematics teacher, an accomplished Jazz Saxophonist and Artist. Reg now devotes most of his artistic efforts toward performing with various jazz combos and producing rather unusualContinuous Contour Line and Watercolor renderings of the great jazz and smooth jazz artists. more >>

On Saturday, June 9, 2012 the Northern California Emmy Awards ceremony was held in San Francisco, California. The documentary Collision Course- Teen Addiction Epidemic was nominated and received an Emmy in the category of ‘Public/Current/Community Affairs-Program/Special. It was a great honor for the film and all involved in its creation. In addition, the film has been selected to be distributed nation-wide to all PBS stations. This recognition is fantastic because it gives this powerful film a boost which will help it reach many more teens and their parents. The sole purpose of this documentary is to help educate teens, parents, and whole communities of the risks to young people about using substances. These recent accolades will help to reach more families.
To view Collision Course – Teen Addiction Epidemic click here. To learn more about the project and the mission of Pathway to Prevention – go to www.pathwaytoprevention.org.

It may go without saying but “Measure Twice, Cut Once” is an adage that applies to more than just carpentry or sewing. It applies to your graphic design project as well. Properly planning and thinking through your copy and content before submitting it to your designer is the best way to insure an error-free process, the fastest turnaround, and keep costs low.

 It’s easier to edit content in Microsoft Word than it is to edit it once it is placed and formatted on your project.

I’m going to dispel a commonly held belief here: there is no magic design button on a computer.

Computers are an AMAZING addition to the art of graphic design, and believe me, they help to speed up the design process considerably. But they are only tools. Computers are basically the “microwave oven” of the design process. They do not create the delicious end result; they just speed up the cooking process.

For me, designing a project is a lot like working a complicated puzzle. You are given a list of requirements, the content, and asked to arrange it in a way that communicates well AND is visually appealing. So when you, the client, get your first proof, and the three pages of copy you submitted somehow fits beautifully into that 3” block of copy space, it wasn’t random. Your designer did more than just push a “design button” on their computer. A lot of time consuming tweaking and finessing occurred to make that copy fit just right. From the “back end” of your project, you’re looking at a spring loaded, hair-trigger mess waiting to happen. One small tweak and the whole layout can explode.

So the smart thing to do is “Measure Twice, Cut Once.” Make sure that the majority of your content revision occurs BEFORE you submit it to your designer. Pass that copy around to your committee for review while it’s still a Word document. Have your meetings first! Revise your text and run it through spell check (I will too!) and THEN give it to your designer. This will save you time and money and ultimately reduce the number of late in the game revisions, which, depending on HOW late in the process they come can be extremely costly.

So, to sum up, submitting finalized, error free content (and a hot cup of Peet’s coffee) to your designer at the starting gate will insure an error-free process, the fastest turnaround, and keep costs low. It will also result in a VERY happy designer.

And, as we all know, happy designer = STUNNING project for you!

Win-win!

Food for Creatives

It’s true. (At least in my case it is.) We creatives are of a different breed. I see the world on a strictly intuitive, visual and creative level. My concept of time is of my own creation and while I can bend to conform when necessary (multi-tasking on a tight deadline for example) and will not let you down, whatever it takes, if left to my own devices you will find me awake at 2 a.m. paying heed to a creative brainstorm that cannot and should not be ignored! Remember, you may think it’s weird, but when it comes to YOUR project looking amazing, my “weirdness” definitely pays in YOUR favor!

Tip Number One: Creatives LOVE Coffee!

A bribe of good coffee will go a LONG way in getting your creative to do just about anything! Coffee for your designer is a small investment with a big payoff. Especially if said designer was up at 2 a.m. acting on an all-consuming last minute inspiration regarding your project (as mentioned above!) Not to say that coffee is a requirement for good work, because you will still love your project when it’s done, HOWEVER, coffee never (EVER) hurts. I’m just sayin’. Coffee = Good. Always.

Tip Number Two: Creatives Crave Praise

We may look hip, stylish and cool, but really we are all junkies for verbal praise. No really. I may be giving up a time honored and protected secret here, but I have to be honest, praise is why were in it. Deep down, we creatives are kids, and the collection of vintage Star Trek action figures that adorn our work space is proof. And like most kids we thrive on encouragement! Again, compliments aren’t critical to a project well done. You will love what we do regardless. We are driven to create. But go ahead. A strategically timed “You’re a Genius!” will get you everywhere.

So try it. Throw out a nice, “YOU are a design GOD,” and see what happens…

But only if you mean it.

So there you have it. Coffee and Praise. It’s the graphic designer’s diet. It’s the fuel we creatives run on.

“So that’s it?” you’re asking yourself.

Well, yeah… pretty much.