It’s pretty incredible how the Unigrid is still in use today. It just goes to shows how flexible a grid system can be when properly designed.
 

 
 

Issue Journal has an in-depth article on the Unigrid and you can see the grid in action in this Flickr group. Check out this larger scale redraw of the grid.

// via AisleOne
 
 

The SDS Good Design Award honors annual achievements and/or commitment to the practice of professional graphic design, with emphasis on quality design of the highest form, function, and aesthetic—a standard beyond ordinary or typical.

The SDS Good Design Award would forward the ideals of a design process that contributes to client success and embodies excellence, endurance and strong identity.

Previous recipients include Papillon Press and the River and Sky Festival.

Click here to see the judging criteria for the award.

To nominate a candidate, email us.

At one notable moment of his presentation he revealed a personal “formula” which he believes quantifies how one might achieve a surprise effect on a particular audience. He eloquently summarized it as follows:
 

{ Surprise = (empathy + creativity) divided by expectations }

 
Mr. Wong’s presentation of this simplistic equation was both humorous and entertaining, but also surprisingly insightful and accurate once explained fully. He illustrated this with the following example:
 
Should he, as a thoughtful husband decide to give his wife a simple bouquet of flowers on a random weekday, her degree of surprise would be greater than if he would extend the same gesture on Valentines Day. The difference in each case being the degree of expectation, but the level of surprise would vary greatly.
 
He then went on to link this to the relationships and expectations that customers and user groups have with a company like Google, and how the success of a creative campaign is directly tied to the expectations held in the mind of the audience. For many in attendance, this simple equation clearly articulated what we all strive for daily in the practice of design.

Since that day, I have wondered if it was possible to extend the simplicity of Mr. Wong’s logic to other facets of the design profession. I found that once you try to break a process down to a series of basic components, the equation model is surprisingly effective at representing what we typically define as intangible or subjective. For example, what if we devised a formula that would explain why some trademarks are so much more effective in the marketplace than others? As such I would like to propose the following:
 

R=(g+q)xt

Where: Recognition = (good geometry + quality product) multiplied by time
 
As simplistic as it may seem, most effective corporate identities can be effectively summarized as such. Unfortunately, what we often under-value or miss completely is the value that time has on the ability for a design to establish itself apart from competing identities and attain classic status. Very often, companies “refresh” their identities in the hope of appearing current or trendy, even though there are significant examples that demonstrate that the opposite impression is created in the long term. Here then, are examples of identities and trademarks, all of which have a demonstrated commitment to the value of time, and its role in creating design classics.

In total these identities have remained fundamentally unchanged for over 554 years… building consistency and recognition and acting as visual cornerstones through times of economic uncertainty and change. A lesson worth considering the next time we’re asked for a “refresh”?
 
 
 

Horrible, right? It is of utmost importance that you visit that link. Since then, we’ve further developed HTML and created CSS (amongst other languages) to a point where we can create beautiful, functional websites rather effortlessly. We now have 20 additional years of knowledge than what the first web developers had. In those 20 years we’ve essentially learned how to make websites that are easy to use. This should always be our goal when creating a new website — So, why then are people disregarding what we’ve learned, and instead creating what appears to be a renaissance of bad web design? Shoddy typography, little styling, and bad images are now considered ‘cool’. All of this combined makes for a poor user-experience, but since vintage everything-else is in, why not websites, right?

I’ve compared three horriblly designed, yet popular websites, with three websites I consider to be beautiful and functional. For the purpose of not comparing apples and oranges, I’ve only selected online shopping websites.

Urban Outfitters VS Carhart

“Hmm, I think it needs another typeface.”
“Screw the Irish, let’s buy shoes!”

Sure that image looks bad, but that’s their thing. The rest of the site is beautiful.

Nasty Gal VS Fred Perry

OMG! is right. The only thing this website has going for it is the photography. Okay, so it’s not that bad, but still, why can’t the navigation line up with the image? Why is that exclamation point pink? Why aren’t the Facebook and Twitter buttons in the centre?

Ahh, a grid that is adhered to. There’s nothing fancy here, they’ve just paid attention to the alignment and spacing of the page’s elements.

Good as Gold VS Tatly

What strikes me about this site is that functionally it works great, and actually challenges the typical layout of an online store. However, poor uses of typography and vibrant colours bring the overall appearance of the site down.

Sometimes a classic approach to an online store just works best. This website still appeals to the same people frequenting the other sites, however, it is functionally sound, doesn’t incorporate any goofy graphical elements, and uses great typography to create hierarchy.

I hope what you’ve gathered from this is that you don’t need to use ugly browser defaults, overly vibrant colours, and bad typography to create a ‘cool’ website. This is just a trend which is trying to go against the grain of what we’ve worked twenty years to perfect.

SDS Director duties include:

-attending monthly board meetings
-overseeing the organization’s finances
-contributing to the organization’s long and short-term plans
-volunteering at SDS events
-positively representing SDS to the community

There will be six positions open for election at the September AGM. To qualify for nomination, you must be a member of SDS and RGD Ontario (at the Student, Provisional, or Professional level). If you do not meet both requirements but still want to help, get in touch with us. We always find ways for people to get involved!

To nominate yourself, send an email to info@sudburydesignsociety.com declaring that you intend to run at the September AGM. All nominee declarations must be received no later than July 15.

Date: December 7
Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Place: Cambrian College, Room 3503

To RSVP, email info@sudburydesignsociety.com or visit our Facebook Page.

SDS envisions a local design industry where our profession is better understood. We believe that design will play a central role in Sudbury’s development, and we seek to foster a dialogue between designers, business, and the community. Given the growing number of young designers in the city, we also plan to foster mentorship through a professional network that Sudbury has been sorely lacking.

You can download our constitution and membership form below. Please join us in building a better Sudbury for designers and design users. Change only happens when we work together.

SDS Constitution

SDS Membership Form

The evening was co-sponsored by the Cambrian College Graphic Design Program.

2010 SDS Builder Honourees

Réal Fortin, RGD Emeritus
As founder of 50 Carleton & Associates, Réal is unquestionably one of the fathers of the Greater Sudbury design industry. In fact, many of the city’s designers and firm owners got their start at “50C”. A graduate of Cambrian College, Mohawk College, and the Ontario College of Art and Design, Réal spent more than a quarter of a century building 50 Carleton into a premier northern Ontario agency. He strived to develop comprehensive bilingual communication strategies that lived up to his motto, “it’s not creative unless it creates results.” He was also one of the first Sudbury designers to hold the R.G.D. designation. Today, Réal designs and builds fine furniture for commission, and continues to mentor young designers entering the field.

Rick Cooper
Known for his sharp wit, irreverent humour, and atypically cool fashion sense, Rick touched the lives of over 9,000 students in his 31 years as an English professor at Cambrian College. For a significant portion of his time at Cambrian, Rick was a favourite of students in the Graphic Design and Fine Arts programs. Though not a designer himself, Rick was always able to find ways to inspire his students and develop their creativity. And miraculously, he was able to turn a few of them into better writers. Adding to his legacy in the Sudbury design community, Rick was instrumental in shepherding the Art and Design Fundamentals program through its first year. Today, Rick likes to spend his time sailing, and has an open offer to his former students:

“I’d be happy to accept a short essay and return it to you covered in the same indecipherable handwriting.”

For more photos, visit our Facebook page.

Excerpt:
“There’s always been a dissatisfaction with the realities of the Sudbury designer,” SDS President Mark McAllister said. “A collection of RGD Ontario members, mostly Cambrian professors and alumni, started to talk about how we could collectively work to better the industry for students coming after us. The business community still doesn’t fully appreciate our profession and young designers had absolutely no local professional development available to them post-graduation.”

Thanks to Ed & Andy for the write-up!