Kevin Hughes Design

Water Conservation

As the summer grows hotter here in Denver and water shortage becomes a concern across the Western United States, there has been a series of guerilla installations around town aimed at remind people to conserve their water.

Additive Design vs Subtractive Design

Through the years there have been many different schools of thought when it comes to design—there was the Bauhaus movement, the Art Deco style of design, and many more than I can list here.

Lately though, I’ve been noticing two distinct kinds of design that I like to call additive and subtractive design. These aren’t new movements or trains of thought by any means, but concepts that have been around just as long as design has.

Additive design is what I call the process of continually building onto your design—be it adding more colors, textures or any other superfluous bells and whistles in an attempt to make something stand out by way of being shiny, new and seemingly cutting edge. Sometimes, this could be what you want; if the ultimate goal is in fact to look trendy according to what’s popular at any given time. More often than not, however, your design will be looking pretty cool now—but at the expense of looking outdated and amateurish within a short time frame. It’s something you see often in low-end crowdsourced logo design—take a general shape, then throw gradients, reflections and everything else at it to mask a lack of concept.

Swoosh people? Check. Reflections? Sure thing! Gradients? But of course! Original concept? MIA.

Conversely, there is the concept of subtractive design where the idea is that less is more. Removing un-needed elements to bring the design concept to its simplest form is the best way to get a good look at the root of the design solution and strengthen the core concept.

This concept is especially prevalent in web design where simplicity is key: a cluttered website puts strain on your user’s eyes while increasing load times and making information harder to find; ultimately resulting in a higher bounce rate.

Take a look at the George Hutchens for Congress website. Granted, it’s a pretty extreme example and there’s a lot more than the layout that needs fixing, but compare it with the design and functionality of the PostMachina website:

Clearly labeled, easy to find navigation coupled with a clean layout makes for an elegant design, putting the content front-and-center offering little chance for confusion and making it easy for viewers to find exactly what they’re looking for. No unnecessary bells and whistles here.

Sometimes as designers, it is easy to get caught up in the visual appeal of your work—and while that is an important aspect that shouldn’t be ignored, putting all your focus into it can result in an over-designed experience. The fact remains that while many designers are artists; and some artists are also designers on occasion, design is design and art is art—more important than the look of your design is the usability.

Remember: Something beautiful is not always well designed; but good design is inevitably beautiful by its nature of simplicity and ease of use.

What do you think? Do heavy visual effects make for the best work, or does simplicity reign king supreme?

Is design art?

“So… you do, like, art and stuff?”

This is just about the most common response I’m met with when people find out I’m a designer—and because it’s something that I’ve found to be a commonly asked question, I wanted to take the time to sit down and explore the idea: design as art. Can design be art? Can art be design? Sure, some design is downright artsy; and for that matter, some art has clearly been designed to be beautiful. The line, if there is one at all has become increasingly blurred over recent years.

Design as Science?

By definition, art is created with the intent to evoke a response or emotion in the viewer, and while the same is true for much of design, there is more to it than that: where art aims to evoke response and discussion, design aims to evoke an end result—to sell a product, to brand a company as the best in the field. Where art occasionally exists solely for the sake of being art, design has a purpose behind it.

The obvious connection is that both are creative callings—but does that really make them one and the same? Behind the scenes, as creative as design is, it is almost as much science as it is art. A huge part of effective design is quality research—but it doesn’t end there. Aside from that,  there are a huge variety of different things to keep track of that can impact design—everything from color psychology to typeface choices can completely unravel an otherwise quality design—and ultimately, drive consumers away.

The great Paul Rand said it best:

The designer does not, as a rule, begin with a preconceived idea. His idea is the result of subjective and objective thought, and the design a product of the idea. In order, therefore, to achieve an honest and effective solution he necessarily passes thought some sort of mental process … Consciously or not, he analyzes, interprets, translates … He improvises, invents new techniques and combinations. He coordinates and integrates his material so that he may restate his problem in terms of ideas, pictures, forms, and shapes. He unifies, simplifies, eliminates superfluities. He symbolizes … abstract from his material by association and analogy. He intensifies and reinforces his symbol with appropriate accessories to achieve clarity and interest. He draws upon instinct and intuition. He considers the spectator, his feelings and predilections.”

Take this example: this is a design I’ve recently done. On the left, you will find the finalized brandmark—the image and typeface work together to present a fun, bubbly and friendly image. On the right, the image remains the same—but the text distracts entirely: not only is it nearly illegible, but the grungy, dirty type simply does not present the same feeling of friendly, safe environment.

The Golden Ratio

But beyond just the typeface selection and Rand’s mention of simplicity, there is a further element of the sciences, and even math in much of design—more than you would likely expect. You’ve probably heard of the Golden Ratio, also commonly known as the Golden Section, or Divine Proportion.

The ‘Golden Section’ is defined as a line divided into two parts, in such a way that “a + b is to a, as a is to b.” This ratio has been found throughout nature, in the vein systems of plans, to the skeletal structure of many animals—all the way down to the atomic level. So, it is no surprise that at least since the renaissance artists, architects, and even musicians have used this “magic” ratio in their work. However, I’ve talked to a few fellow designers that haven’t even considered the possibility of its applications in the design world. It’s even apparent in the Hearts and Homes design—can you see it?

Now, I won’t say I’m the first designer ever to use the ratio in his work—that would be incredibly arrogant of me. After all, it’s been in use since long before my time. What I do find interesting is that the designers I’d talked to hadn’t thought of the possibility of using it, instead opting to eyeball their work as they go. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that—but understanding the ratio, grids and other ‘scientific’ methods of design, whether or not you decide to use them, increases the size of your toolbox and gives you a better understanding of how the eye relates to your design work and the visual hierarchy of your piece.

Eye Movement

One of the most important aspects of keeping a solid visual hierarchy in design is an understanding of eye movement. The eye tends to move in a left to right, top to bottom path that can be exploited in design work to direct the viewer to the more important aspects of the piece in question, and hold the flow of your page together. This is something that translates from quite effectively into the world of web design as well.

Take this example from WebDesignTuts, showcasing the BBC’s website.

Note the image of the fighter in the top left, and the little girl below that—both are facing outwards, leading your eye off the page and away from the main content. This serves to disrupt the natural movement your eye would take throughout the page, and ultimately making it more difficult for your eye to keep track of the headlines on the page, and paying less attention to the main story. Of course, you would eventually see everything if you were intent on reading it all—but in a fast paced world where attention spans are dropping it is increasingly important to put emphasis where it is due; this subtle, but important aspect could easily affect overall readership.

Once the pictures are changed to look inward, your human tendency to follow the gaze of another person takes over, and in conjunction with our left to right, top to bottom method of reading everything from faces to pages, your eye is led throughout the page, and you are much more likely to see and comprehend the headlines.

Eye movement is even an important aspect of logo design. Take a look at this design for Here and There: Again, noting that the default eye movement is top left to bottom right, the placement of the arrows direct your eye from “here” through “there,” and finally ending with the clarifier of  ’On Etsy.’  Your eye then tries to complete the circuit, going back to the first arrow, and through the cycle again, adding a wink to both the name, and their tagline of “Here and there and back again.” The arrows are of course a less-than-subtle approach, but appropriate for this use.

Color Psychology

Now consider the use of color in the same design: the the pastel gives it a friendly and fun air, and the brown denotes professionalism, earthiness and a reliable nature. But, take a look at the same logo in a different color; and you get a different feeling altogether.

In the pink, Here and There takes an exclusively feminine feel, with no associations tied to an earthy, handmade nature that the shop has. In fact, just the opposite—almost bringing to mind a clothing and accessories store catered to preteen girls.Color, and how it is perceived can be a tricky thing—too many colors, and your design looks slapped together; and if you choose the wrong color, it can throw off the personality of your logo entirely.

In much of the Western world, color relationships go something like this:

Red: aggressiveness, passion, strength and vitality

Pink: femininity, innocence, softness and health.

Orange: fun, cheeriness and warm exuberance.

Yellow: positivity, sunshine and cowardice.

Green: tranquility, health and freshness.

Blue: authority, dignity, security and faithfulness.

Purple: sophistication, spirituality, costliness, royalty and mystery.

Brown: utility, earthiness, woodsy-ness and subtle richness.

White: purity, truthfulness, being contemporary and refined.

Gray: somberness, authority, practicality and a corporate mentality.

Black: seriousness, distinctiveness, boldness and being classic.

These color associations don’t hold true worldwide, however, and that is an important thing to note if you’re working for an international audience. For instance; in India, red is linked with purity, while whiterepresents loss and mourning. With these different cultural associations, color can be a powerful tool—or something that can tear your design apart: not something to take lightly.

Now, we’ve seen aspects of math, base understanding of human eye tracking, and the psychology of color—the science of design. But what about the other side of the argument—can design be art?

Design as Art?

Art is a purely creative thing: where design often has a clearly defined goal, and steps can be outlined to achieve that end result—art has no ‘rules,’ and is limited only by the creativity of the artist. The disciplines cross over, definitely—many designers are artists, and vice versa—but do they remain separate? Does an artist really need to have a reason behind their work in the same way that each design decision needs to be made with care?

The line can be hard to distinguish—for instance, take the concert posters from the 1960’s. Artists such as Stanley Mouse and Wes Wilson, among others lended their unique psychedelic art to bands like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.

These posters have become iconic of the era, combining beautiful hand-drawn illustration with the new, unique “warped” type and bright colors that represent the free spirited lifestyle that was growing in the nation. Designed to express a feeling that was surging in the youth culture—but at the same time, intricate and beautiful enough to be called a work of art. I’ve even seen posters from this era displayed in museum galleries!

Fast forward to the punk rock and grunge explosion of the late 80’s and early 90’s and you will find the work of Art Chantry everywhere—whether you know it or not. If you grew up with this scene (and even if you didn’t) you have likely seen his work without knowing it. His work has been featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Seattle Art Museum—and if that’s not enough, the Smithsonian and the Lourve as well.

Art’s mixture of well-placed type and knowledge of eye movement—note the Cramps poster above—combined with his gritty and confrontational style of illustration work together to create concert posters that are arguably works of art—just ask the Lourve if they think so!

Merriam-Webster defines art as both

A skill acquired by experience, study, or observation;

The conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects.

Under these definitions, design most definitely falls under the category of  ’art.’ But, art is there to be visually pleasing, to spark thought, conversation and emotion where design is the process of making something work effectively—whether it’s Apple designing  a shiny new toy, or a designer making sure the appropriate information on a page is found easily.

As Robin Mathew said,

“Design is where art and science break even.”

I don’t think there is a better way to put it: in conception, design is indeed art—creative, free-flowing thought put to paper. But in execution, design becomes more of a science—knowing how to direct the viewer through the piece, knowing how to properly choose type that fits the overall design and how to mix and match your color schemes to convey the right emotion.

What do you think? Is graphic design an art, a science, or is it whatever you make it to be?

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