Samantha Warren's Badass Ideas

“Close your eyes and feel their presence; channel their emotions” is how my figure drawing instructor would kick off many mornings of our 3.5 hour long studio session. It took me several semesters of softly shading tummy pooches and abstracting rounded shoulders to learn that the most engaging depictions of the human form weren’t clear representations of what was in front of me, but deep abstractions of lines and light.

People all react to visual elements differently, as designers we try and create compositions that communicate the intended message to the widest audience of people, while also appeasing our clients. It’s our responsibility to balance the parameters and opinions of  our clients with the overall communication goals of a design. While there are lots of tactics for doing this I am convinced that understanding the psychology of visual perception (the “why”s) carve a faster path to quality end results more-so than the “hows”.
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Design is a way of life, a point of view. It involves the whole complex of visual communications: talent, creative ability, manual skill, and technical knowledge. Aesthetics and economics, technology and psychology are intrinsically related to the process.”

- Paul Rand Graphis, 1981

Happy Cog posted a link to the most fantastic document; a compilation of Paul Rand quotes assembled by Steven Heller. There are so many nuggets of wisdom, go download it at once!

I have been very fortunate to find and get involved with the web design community since attending SXSW in 2006, but more recently I have been meeting a lot of wonderful folks in the Drupal community. In 2009 I started working at Phase2 Technology, an Alexandria Virginia web agency that specializes in open source development and is known for working with Drupal. Phase2 is passionate about the community; being involved and giving back is an integral part of our daily work lives. Community involvement is something I value a lot, so working with a group of people who honestly share that vision is a real treat. The Drupal community has greeted me with open arms and I am starting to understand the challenges they have when promoting visual design amongst those looking to use the platform.

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It was a little over five years ago when I met Jim Jones. He was setting up his camera equipment to shoot an enormous trade-show booth in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that he had designed. He was wearing all black and looked exceedingly dapper, standing out from the majority of the conference attendees who were dressed in camouflage uniforms. I will spare you all of the ironic details, but it was clear after spending the weekend chatting with Mr Jones that he would be the designer I marry. That is not an exaggeration, I IMed my coworker from the conference with “I just met the guy I am going to marry”. Sometimes you just know.

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This article was originally published May 2009 in issue 188 of .Net Magazine. Check out .Net Magazine online.

Giving clear, appropriate website critiques helps you communicate with clients and colleagues, but there’s another benefit: the process of analyzing design helps you grow as a designer. While it is easy to jump straight to a conclusion on the success of a site, breaking down the analysis into steps can assist in justifying design decisions

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A few years ago, Jim and I attended an open house at an architecture and interior design studio near our home in Alexandria, Virginia. We wanted to get some design inspiration for our new place, and the owner (who happened to be Jim’s cousin) encouraged us to check out their space. So, we did.

While touring the beautiful studio, we came to a marvelous room covered with samples and swatches. Everywhere we looked was lined with elements like blinds, tiles, fabrics, and wall coverings — it was a giant style library all within this one room. It was spectacular.

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