What happens when you take 20 designers out of their element and place them in the woods to work on a project without Wacom tablets, computers or cellphones? Such was the experience this past weekend when I joined AIGA-CT for the LOTION/Roughin’ It event in the Berkshires where some of the best designers in Connecticut met up to collaborate for a cause.
Read More...
Creating graphic design for the arts is a bit like tightrope walking. Like designers, artists are creative too and they usually have some very specific ideas. This can be good. Sometimes not so much. In addition to being a designer, you will also find yourself in the role of consultant. This can also be good. Sometimes not so much!
Regardless, the designer must always remember the #1 rule: Do not overshadow the art. The art and the design must sing together much like a canvas in its complimentary frame. When I designed the website for artist, Daryl Zang, we kept the presentation very minimal and clean. The website palette was selected from the artist’s own palette and I designed the navigation buttons using Daryl’s artwork. Artist websites and promotional materials don’t have to be boring for sure and the designer need not feel like they must abandon creativity for the sake of the client, but the focus is on the client’s artwork… not your design, not flashy elements. One little caveat here… this rule might be broken when designing posters and CDs for music clients. Music is a different genre from the visual arts and an edgy complicated design is often just what the project entails to promote rock n’roll or heavy metal artists.
Just like any other business or corporation, all business collateral should be consistent. Business cards, brochures, web site, letterhead and letters of authenticity should all have a similar look and feel. Consistent use of fonts, color palettes and paper selection are all considerations. This establishes visual recognition. But again… never should the branding be so loud that it competes with the artwork. Simple, creative and relevant gets the job done. Branding creates a signature for the artist much like a signature piece of art work but in a ‘business kind of way’. The main mission in creating design for an artist (or sculptor, photographer etc) is to showcase the art and to create business collateral for distribution… usually to make a portfolio, brochure of works, hard copy artist statements and resumes etc. This mission is a bit different when designing for a gallery or art organization.
While galleries also display and focus on the artworks of it’s stable, galleries are art market oriented. For this reason, the designers frame of reference will differ from that of creating design work for individuals. First and foremost, the difference here is commercial. SEO and advertising on a website will hold a major focus in the information architecture and design work. The designer must also keep in mind the genre of the artworks being sold. If a gallery is selling 19th century American Art, a European styled font and contemporary design may not be the best choice. Graphic design for galleries and organizations will focus on the work of all its represented artists and no one artist is treated differently (better or worse) than the others. The idea is to create unity. Palette selection and fonts are the identity of the gallery, not taken from any one artist’s oeuvre, and the gallery’s presentation materials should allow the artwork of its members to shine.
Graphic design for an exhibition or installation is again a different type of animal then the two examples above. Exhibitions always have themes and the successful translation of that theme into the design work can promote the show in a very creative and unique way. For instance, graphic designer Peter Good, of Cummings & Good, created 20 posters over 20 years for the Manchester String Quartet. Incorporating scanned textiles, a hand embellished violin and musically referenced illustrations into his poster design, Peter was able to keep the design fresh and punctuate the yearly event with style and class. The website for Cummings & Good displays many fine examples of incorporating a theme in great design work.
In addition to the design of the project, some other things to keep in mind are color accuracy and photographic content. Artists who spend considerable amounts of time mixing the exact perfect color deserve to have that color displayed as accurately as possible in both web presentation and in print. This means color optimization across platforms and browsers and an accurate color representation in CMYK as well. Not always an easy trick.
Photographic content is another consideration. Sculptures are 3 dimensional objects and the proper photograph taken from the right angle can really speak volumes and capture the attention of a buyer or curator in a second. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? I’ve actually seen photographs of sculpture that were more impressive then the actual sculpture. Photography of painting should be accurate and clean enough so that brushstrokes and details can be detected and used successfully in ‘detail’ presentations. In all cases, photographs should be taken at high resolution for print purposes. These same high resolution photos can be dumbed down for display online at 72 dpi but always start with the highest resolution possible.
So in closing, my advice for designers and artists who are looking at promotional graphic design is:
Like this article? Please share it with others.
