The (Graphic) World is Flat

I went on a graphic design job interview back in 2008…maybe 2009.  I met in a conference room with four people, all roughly 10 years younger than me. After answering a barrage of their questions, reviewing my portfolio, and asking a few questions of my own (always a good idea), they gave me some homework to do. They described one of the company’s software products to me, and asked me to come up with branding for it…a test, if you will. We scheduled a meeting a few days later to review my branding idea, and off I went. 

When I returned, I had what I felt was one of the best logo/branding ideas I’d ever done. During my presentation, I explained my design philosophy…how I designed in black and white to show the strength of the design itself without being dependent on color. Then I showed them how the design can be enhanced by color.  

The group then showed me some of the other branding and design they currently use for other products. It was all very photo rich, and used a lot of 3D looking things. They explained to me that my flat design style wasn’t what they were looking for.

Those 3D gizmos were nicely done, and very popular at the time…but they were trendy. However, most of it never had any purpose to me.  It was almost as if a given company was saying, “Look - we have the wherewithal to hire the very best photoshop talent.” Sadly, as cool as many of those designs were - they didn’t mean anything, or say anything about the product or service they represented. No message. They were just….cool.

Spring forward to 2016, and shortly 2017, and let’s look at hot design trends. The glassy looking buttons - passé. The horizon in the background with the reflection in the front - old shoe. The glassy 3D rendered gizmos - obsolete. 

That's nice, Jay - but what does all that mean besides you need to update your website? What’s hot?  

Flat.

That same design style I was trying to push years ago - is now officially in. The latest design trends are that of modern-retro and minimalism. Nothing needs to be transparent, or dimensional, or have a drop shadow. I’ve also noticed quite a bit of design that has a simplistic hand-drawn vibe.  

Not sure?  Let’s make an example out of one of the world’s biggest brands: Google.  Remember not all that long ago, Google’s wordmark had letters with a dimensional look and a drop shadow? Guess what? Flat. Google rebranded about a year ago, and now it’s all flat. Still multi-colored letters…but flat - like my holiday card design.

The world is flat! So, embrace it - or your brand will look dated…and you don’t want your brand to look like the world has passed it by. Talk to a graphic designer about it. Chances are you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but rather just tweak things a little. In addition, if it’s simplified a little and flat - it’s easier to make it responsive…but responsive logos are a separate discussion. In the mean time, evaluate you brand, and don’t be so…2010.

John Stabb's Legacy

I went to a punk show at the Masquerade – a live music venue in Atlanta.  The headlining act was called “Flag”, and was the original members of the punk rock band Black Flag playing Black Flag tunes, but they have to roll under the name “Flag” for some kind of legal reason – probably an absurd one.  Flag put on a great show.  I love Keith Morris, and he was in his normal stellar form. 

There were a few opening acts, but War on Women from Baltimore was the band that played just prior to Flag.  I’d seen War on Women before, and made sure to arrive at the show in time to catch them.  I’d seen them in that same building a few months before, opening for Government Issue on what would be the final G.I. tour.  A few months after that tour, G.I. singer John Stabb was taken from us by cancer.  War on Women singer Shawna Potter introduced a song about half-way through their set by talking about that tour with Government Issue, and about the death of Stabb.  Then they broke into one of my favorite Government Issue songs, “They Know”.

As the band tore through a very well-executed cover of the classic DC hardcore tune, I started to get kinda choked up.  I’m not sure if it was because of Stabb’s passing, or the fact that I’ll never get to hear him sing that song again, or maybe it was because I was witnessing something I’d not seen first hand before; the influence of Stabb and Government Issue on punk rock moving forward…carrying on his legacy.

One thing was clear to me in that moment: Stabb’s passing had a much more profound effect on me than I figured.  I hope to see other performers give tribute to Government Issue…but it’s evident to me that Stabb’s absence is substantial.  There’s a hole in the scene, where Stabb used to be.

Photo from Stabb's Facebook page.

The Green Crack

A friend of mine posted a picture of a restaurant menu page showing a description of a sauce they called Green Crack.  With curiosity, I began to search the internet for answers.

The first recipe I found was basically a cilantro puree.  It had some vinegar, salt, mayo, and olive oil.  We found this recipe delicious - but I later found out the original sauce posted by my friend had avocado...so I went back to the drawing board.

I like to think of sauce recipes as living documents...but here's where I am with the Green Crack today:

1 bunch Cilantro - washed, patted dry
1 avocado - diced
2 garlic cloves - minced
2 tbs cider vinegar
3 tbs mayo
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cajun seasoning
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend smooth.

Dip grilled chicken in it, dip veggies in it, schmear it on steak, spoon into tacos...enjoy!

That Smell

Driving to work this morning, I found myself at a traffic light behind a (probably) 20-year old Jeep Cherokee.

As I'm waiting for the light to change, I started to look over the old girl.  She's got one of those off-road roof rack baskets with a full-size spare in it, and a big red fuel tank.  The body is dark green, and the paint has been applied via rattle can - and applied whimsically in places. I can see overspray on the license plate and a few other places. There's a cargo strap wrapped around the tailgate, and it's attached to the rear set of side door handles - presumably holding the tailgate closed.  The wheels are a bit oversized, and the suspension's been lifted a few inches.

All that said - it's idling nicely...has a good exhaust note.

When the light changes, a pretty good amount of smoke emerges from the vehicle.  My first thought is; well - it's an old Jeep...probably has some formidable ring wear and is burning some oil.  But then the smell of the smoke makes it's way through the vents of my trusty Crown Vic, and I realize it's running rich - because I also smell the distinctive odor of excessive fuel burning.  The amount of smoke producing this combination smell isn't overwhelming - but certainly noticeable...especially when trying to make it up a large hill and the driver gives it more throttle.

But that's when the truth hits me: I like that smell.