Design: underwear and books and the missing link

“The grid is the underwear of the book.” 

Here is a great short film of Massimo Vignelli giving some insight into his book design process. I've mentioned the Design Matters podcast here before, but if you'd like to hear more from Vignelli, check out his 2010 interview with host Debbie Millman.

While on the the subject of grids, I have to mention that I'm a fan of the system Penguin defined to create their book covers. In the hands of different designers over the years, Penguin has built a recognizable brand based on this pretty brilliant grid. You can read more about the history here, and check out the book (that I own and love) Penguin By Design which goes into more of the history and development and creativity behind the brand. 

The Fibonacci Sequence (also known as the golden ration or golden section) found in nature is yet another grid type and composition aid when it comes to design. Read the details in an online excerpt from (another book I own and love) Thinking With Type. 

My starting point for design is too often a throw-ideas-onto-the-white-space-and-hope-for-something-elegant, which generally leads to 50% tweaking until it's right and 50% giving up and starting over. Maybe physically drawing out the grid instead of envisioning one is where it's at? Maybe the structure is what's missing? Could it be that simple? The grid has my vote.

via / HT

Design: san francisco wedding (part 1 of 3)

I'm really happy to finally share this project. I started designing this save the date last fall and here is part one of the photos! 

The color palette consists of deep brown, dark purple, and lavender on thick, off-white paper. I sourced a paper for the envelope liner that incorporated the dark purple and added gold for an extra special touch. The lavender motif hints at the art deco wedding venue, but the typography and color palette keep everything very feminine and classic.