Creative minimalism in Welt Kompakt ads

Check out these great ads for German daily newspaper, Welt Kompakt. They combine a great sense of minimalism with Facebook-isms that everyone knows. Very great execution of the theme "short. different. printed." Click for detail.

What young designers need to know:

"Focus on your portfolio, not your grades, that’s the thing that will get you your dream job. Learn your practice. No matter how much you think you know about design there’s always more to know. Know your typography in and out, and upside-down, it's the building block to any good design. Learn how to use your computer programs properly but before that, learn how to design without them. Spend all of your free time looking for inspiration but dont expect to find any because it always blindsides you when you least expect it. Take any design related jobs you can and do every single one to the best of your ability. Even if it’s just a birthday card for a friend, who knows it might end up as a portfolio piece."

This advice is from designersof.tumblr.com, a place where designers can share their work with the blog's 22,000+ followers, get tips, advice, network, etc. I agree with all of this, especially the bits about typography, learning how to design without computer programs, and always looking for inspiration. I am a huge fanboy of typography and type design and far too often I see great designs that would be even better if they didn't lack typographic quality. Kerning is my biggest obsession. I could kern for days so when I see designs with sloppy kerning I just want to scream. Having a vast knowledge of typefaces is essential as well. Helvetica is great but everyone and their sister knows that, branch out.

Designing without computer programs is something that I think is becoming an afterthought more and more with young designers (myself included). I'm guilty of jumping right into Illustrator, inDesign, whatever program it may be, and tinkering with a project from beginning to end without spending much time on sketching or processing outside of the computer. It's something I need to work on and I know a lot of my peers need to work on it as well. We are the digital generation so it's easy to go straight to the computer and plug away but your ideation process will lead to stronger results if some sketches and other non-digital drafts are a part of it.

Inspiration is key and finding as much inspiration as possible always helps with creativity. I try to find inspiration in anything and everything around me, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Like the quote said, look for it often but it will always blind side you. I find that driving is a great time to think of ideas and work things out in my head. Some of the best ideas have come to me out of nowhere during my commute. Always surround yourself with as much inspiration as you can but don't be discouraged if it doesn't come to you right away.

If you're on Tumblr I recommend following designersof.tumblr.com. It's a great outlet for displaying your work, getting feedback, and seeing what other people are creating all in a less formal setting.

I just finished watching Rubber.

I waited over a year to see it and it was finally released exclusively on-demand today. Thank you Mr. Oizo/Quentin Dupieux, thank you Gaspard Auge (for your cameo and contributions to the amazing soundtrack), thank you Busy P (for your cameo and running the label that introduced me to Oizo). I absolutely loved this film. So many of my friends won’t understand my appreciation for it but I don’t even care. I’m already watching it a second time. I am totally ok with being a fanboy about it too. Mr. Oizo is such an inspiration to me. His style of producing, film-making, and DJing is so refreshing and unique. Much respect.

Words to consider

Some phrases I live by and chose to stylize:

As a designer I think these phrases are vital. You truly must create and create often to challenge yourself and grow. You must also remain authentic and set goals as well as reach those goals. If you are not authentic you are not harnessing your full potential. Without goals, where is your work going? It's one thing to make something that just looks cool or aesthetically pleasing but if you don't have a goal in mind or a reason for what you're doing then it has no real value. These phrases apply to any number of disciplines, not just art or design, they can benefit all of us.

Things I'm enjoying at the moment

Spring break is 1 week away which means I have a plethora of things to accomplish this weekend (studying for 2 exams, finalizing 2 design projects, and preparing a presentation). To prevent stress overload, I have been taking some time this afternoon to entertain myself. Let me share with you what I am enjoying right this moment.

Tame Impala - Why Don't You Make Up Your Mind (Erol Alkan Rework).
Great song, really loving the nice balance of indie and dance vibes going on here. The guitar distortion reminds me of songs by Ratatat.

Gucci Vump - Shashtilism.
This is a funky tech house song that makes me feel like I'm back in Europe catching a train through Switzerland or rubbing elbows with locals in Amsterdam. I have been really getting into these minimal techy songs lately.

Let the Children Techno (Compiled and mixed by Busy P and DJ Mehdi)
My favorite French electronic label, Ed Banger Records, just released a compilation. If you have been reading my blog over the years you know how much I love Ed Banger and all of the associated artists. This compilation is fantastic and offers contributions from a lot of DJs/producers outside of the Ed Banger collective as well. Plenty of funky weirdness going on here.

Rubber, a film by Quentin Dupieux (Mr. Oizo from Ed Banger Records).

I have been covering this film for over a year just waiting with anticipation and it's finally available on-demand tonight. Quentin Dupieux is one of my favorite Ed Banger artists. He's a visionary and has a very unique style of music and film. This movie is about a tire that gains powers and goes on a murderous rampage. It may sound ridiculous to most but the film is really more of a commentary about the whole movie-going experience.

Aside from the above, I'm enjoying the adage.com re-design, my new obsession with Tumblr, browsing friendsoftype.com for inspiration, and scratching things off of my to-do list. I have also been extremely entertained by listening to music while looking at dancing .gif images like this one:

How are you enjoying your Friday afternoon/evening? Anything exciting going on in your world at the moment? Any cool finds? Let me know. I hope you enjoyed the randomness of this post. I often have moments where I'm so entertained by a number of things that I just have to share them with people.

Ciao

A little late on this...

But this is a mix that you all need to hear. I loved Luvstep 1 and this is even better. A very solid collection of mellow and heavy dubstep.

Tracklist:

1. Allie
2. Claire Maguire – Ain’t Nobody (Breakage Remix) [UMG]
3. Starkey – Cockroach [Civil Music]
4. Hooray For Earth – True Loves (Rx Remix) [Dovecote]
5. Skream ft. Sam Frank – Where You Should Be [Tempa]
6. Magnetic Man ft. Katy B – Crossover [Sony]
7. Freestylers ft. Belle Humble – Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix) [Circus]
8. Gemini – Blue [Inspector Dubplates]
9. Yasmin – On My Own (Stench Man Remix) [Data]
10. Afrojack ft. Eva Simons – Take Over Control (Adam F Remix) [Spinnin]
11. Blue Foundation – Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix) [White Label]
12. Kito & Reija Lee – Sweet Talk [Mad Decent]
13. Blu Mar Ten – Nobody Here (Kastle Remix) [BMT]
14. Starkey ft. Anneka – Paradise [Civil Music]
15. Koreless – Maria [White Label]
16. boyChild ft. Soundmouse – Counting What Ifs [boyChild]
17. Summer
18. dBridge – Rendezvous [Exit]
19. dBridge – City of Lonely Runaways [Disfigured Dubz]
20. Intra:mental – Watching You [Nonplus]
21. Two Inch Punch – Love You Up [White Label]
22. Pearson Sound – Down With You [Darkestral]
23. Gladkill – Eastbound [White Label]
24. Phaseone – Being With You [Lefse]
25. Caspa ft. Mr. Hudson – Love Never Dies [Sub Soldiers]
26. Derek Allen & Top Billin – Suspiria [Mad Decent]
27. Fenech-Soler – Lies (Doctor P Remix) [B-Unique]
28. Cassius – I <3 U So (Trowa Remix) [White Label]
29. DJ Fresh & Sigma - Lassitude (Dillon Francis Remix) [Breakbeat Kaos]
30. Claire Hux - Grab On (Flufftronix Remix) [Unruly]
31. Submerse - Hold It Down [Well Rounded]
32. Psychonaught - One Wish [White Label]
33. Submerse - Downcast [Maltine]
34. Clementine