48 of 365 - bibliophile custom typography by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
48 of 365 – bibliophile custom typography by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Tonight, I just wanted to play a bit with a word: bibliophile. It’s such a beautifully rhythmic word, and while I tend to read more screens than physical pages, I feel like I can align myself with the word.
In Inkscape, I found a good hefty font in Chunk Five, typed out the letters, and converted the word into a path. I ungrouped it, as text to path always groups the letters. Then, using the node tool, I extended the serifs to the left and right wherever they had room to move. Originally, I did not cross over the dots for the i’s but after playing with the serifs going through the dots, I decided I liked it. I hope you did too. 🙂
41 of 365 - teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
41 of 365 – teach a man to fish design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Teach a Man to Fish
Give a man a fish, he eats today. Teach a man to fish, he eats forever. This rather common phrase is a core part of my philosophy in consulting. This is sort of a stretch as a design principle, and the first time in this series that I am straying away from my sources for design principles, but I use this one in every consulting situation.
Also notable was that this is the earliest known appearance of the analogy, written by Anne Ritchie in Mrs. Dymond in the 1800s. “He certainly doesn’t practise his precepts, but I supposed the Patron meant that if you give a man a fish  he is hungry again in an hour. If you teach him to catch a fish you do him a good turn.” ~ Give a Man a Fish Phrase – Proverb Meaning and Saying Origins – https://knowyourphrase.com/give-a-man-a-fish
As I said, I use it in my work. For example, if you have consulted with me, we might have started with you asking me to have a seat at (drive) your computer. I likely gently declined. The two positions (driving and guiding) define the difference between repair and teaching. I’d far rather teach, even when repair is involved. By having my clients go through the motions of the issue, research along with me, and act on our findings, they can learn the ways to resolve their own issues at that level. The benefit for me, aside from an enlightened client, is that the next problem we work on will probably be far more interesting for both of us. Also, if we consult over video chat with screen sharing, I will likely ask you to share your screen and guide you. From time to time, I might jump on my browser to resolve an issue, but most of the time, it’s all you, with my help.Â
It also, strangely, is a big part of why I love open source, the software equivalent of getting a great dish with the recipe, as opposed to just the great dish. So, chances are when we work together, we both work. Unless you just want it taken care of, in which I’m pretty happy to do that too. 🙂
Libraries, the original co-working space cc-by lemasney
An important distinction (Photo credit: lemasney)
Today, I’m presenting on behalf of Library Link NJ on the topics of eBook borrowing and the Basics of Graphic Design.
In this session, we are going to look at using Overdrive to borrow eBooks, a very common method in libraries today. We will spend the rest of the time looking at the basics of Graphic Design concepts, like inspiration, font choice, layout and visual branding. The materials that I am distributing are below.
34 of 365 - entry point design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
34 of 365 – entry point design principle by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
The entry point design principle is about making your entry point a place for your user to get past, then enter the deeper space of your place, product, or site. There are a few things to keep in mind in designing a good entry point: Low barriers to entry, incentives to drive users past the entry point, and strong clues about intended navigation or navigation options. A prime example of a great physical entry point is a store that does not interrupt your entry with any sensory interruption, like high traffic between users and the space, or lemonade-stand style interruptions as you enter. Navigation cues should be especially easy to figure out in a store or web site, and should not compete with advertisements or other distractions. There should be incentives for the user to go deeper, such as reminders of popular products or services, and invitations to use them.
In my illustration, I decided to show how entry point theory is applied at lemasney.com.
on the space between art and design cc-by lemasney
on the space between art and design cc-by lemasney
It may interest you to know that I have worked in the field of Instructional Technology and Design for 14 years, but that I have an undergraduate degree in Sculpture. This is the point at which people usually crinkle up their face and say “How did that happen?” I sometimes mention that I followed it up with a MA in organizational leadership, and I can see their hand twitch, ready to scratch their head.
A man with roots, firmly planted by John LeMasney via 365sketches.org #creativecommons #design #cc-by #tree #roots
The answer is that I love technology, especially in organizational use. I am passionate about it. I adore the ways in which technology is an extension, a tool set, a solution to problems. My undergrad sculpture degree taught me about creative problem solving, visual structure and communication, and things like space, color, texture, planning, and their intersection between the arts, including graphic design. I started off studying drafting and architecture in high school, and through a series of events that will be its own post later, I went into the fine arts, but continued to use electives and other channels to learn about computers, design, printmaking, food, business, and networking. Those skills have made it possible to go in lots of different directions in my career, including graphic design, as much of a passion for me as technology itself.
A primary color study by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
I thought it would be interesting to look at the ways in which my workflow, choices, methods and outcomes change when I’m either working in the fine arts or graphic design. Others may have their own differences, and may even disagree with my divisions, but these are mine.
Graphic design is typically digital, the fine arts is typically analog.
I do most of my work in Inkscape and GIMP for graphic design. I create most of my fine arts work on paper. This fact informs the rest of these points pretty directly.Â
Graphic design is precise by nature, the fine arts are typically more chaotic.
I have always colored outside the lines. My sister used to tease me about it. My painting and drawing teachers encouraged it. My graphic design work allowed me to make choices about precision in my work.
Ampersand by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Graphic design is typically more direct and less ambiguous, the fine arts may create more questions than it answers.
Usually if I am working on a graphic design project there is a clear deliverable point that I am trying to get across, such as “Our name is Spacely Sprockets, and we make great gadgets”. When I work in the fine arts, I am typically looking to answer more fundamental questions about humanity, the act of living, or the experience of a moment. There is sometimes an overlap of these kinds of ideas between the two disciplines, but even then, the design work has less ambiguity.
Glasses off by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Graphic design work is highly portable, the fine arts typically create a storage issue.
All of my graphic design work is sitting in its original state on various hard drives, cloud storage services, and other portable media. Except for a show or two of my graphic work in which pieces were printed, framed, and sold, and a paper portfolio of some of my best graphic work, and excluding the prints, fliers, signs and other versions of client work, the work exists online. Most of my original fine arts work sits hidden in portfolios, discarded in moves, or only in photos where the work does not exist anymore. The photo is typically a sad facsimile of the work itself, and hardly ever captures anything of the experience.
A fiery line by John LeMasney via lemasney.com
Graphic design work is easily shared in its original form, and represented well in copies. Fine art is best taken in with all the senses.
My design portfolio shows you the work in both its original and final forms. There is no need, in my opinion, to see it printed to see the work. My fine arts work, as well as most art, really should be felt in the way that a sculpture affects the air, tasted and smelled in the way that oil paint can activate the back of your tongue, heard in the sense of the way the sound of the space changes with the work in it, and seen in such a way that you can sense the texture of brushstrokes, the bend of a piece of metal in space, the thousand points of view in a site specific piece.
In this YouTube video below, you can watch me use the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) in order to bring a texture and a photo together with very little effort using layer modes in GIMP. If you look closely at the image above, you can see the finished effect, a picture of my father interspersed with a subtle flowery texture.
Let’s do something great together! Interested in doing something like this with your company? You can reach me at 609 553 9498, john@lemasney.com, or as lemasney on various social networks.
I would love the opportunity to help you, wherever you are, whenever you are ready. I always enjoy talking with groups and individuals on topics like technology, training, open source, and design. If there is some way that I can help you with these and related topics, please contact lemasney at lemasney@gmail.com, 609 553 9498 or Let’s do something great together! This content is released under a creative commons attribution license, some rights reserved. cc-by lemasney
