Week 2. Now I want to expand the concept and detail of my manifesto. And produce a nicer book. I started thinking of making 10 rules, like commandments. So I am reflecting again on things I have learnt.

- Successful design grabs the audiences attention. This does not have to be bright garish slogans and such methods used in cheap advertising. But I wanted to create a bold motif for this page. thinking of a phrase I remembered Stefan Sagmeister’s book ‘MADE YOU LOOK’ it’s a great title because it reminds us of the annoying childhood chant ‘made you look, made you stare (made you lose your underwear)!’ Sometimes it is annoying that advertising has the power to make you look before you’ve even decided if you want to be confronted by it’s contents. Sometimes design carries a good message, sometimes something stupid like ‘these pills will make you thiner’. Nevertheless, to be successful in itself, it has to make the right people notice it. It also needs to HOLD attention, not just grab it. I love Stefan Sagmeister’s ethos alltogether. I had another look at his list of what he has learnt and frankly would like to copy/paste it for my own manifesto. But then that wouldn’t be personal now would it. Bad girl.

• Complaining is silly. Either act or forget.
• Thinking life will be better in the future is stupid, I have to live now.
• Being not truthful works against me.
• Helping other people helps me.
• Organizing a charity group is surprisingly easy.
• Everything I do always comes back to me.
• Drugs feel great in the beginning and become a drag later on.
• Over time I get used to everything and start taking it for granted.
• Money does not make me happy.
• Traveling alone is helpful for a new perspective on life.
• Assuming is stifling.
• Keeping a diary supports my personal development.
• Trying to look good limits my life.
• Worrying solves nothing.
• Material luxuries are best enjoyed in small doeses.
• Having guts always works out for me.

Another rule I am going to add for myself is ‘learn the rules before you break them’. I am very aware there is plenty more I can learn from other designers before I can do the ‘world domination’ manifesto. But ultimately I think the best design does bend the rules to stand out.

I like Stefan’s statements about not worrying or complaining - they are a waste of time - I try to curtail the desire!

I also read somewhere else that he says ‘think freely with the deadline far away’. That is one I’m not sure about yet. I often work better with a tight regime or nearer a deadline. I guess you need a bit of both. Plan while ideas are fresh. Give yourself a period when you can focus on just one project - and a deadline for it.

9. Change your scenery. The brain goes stagnant when it sits in one place. I like to work at home a lot because its quiet but school makes a nice change and walks, runs, bus, train and car journeys help me think too. As does a new creative pursuit like knitting or cooking! 

Much as I want to, I can’t wholly agree that money doesn’t make you happy. I think it is easier to forget money when you are secure. I do worry I will never be employed again and live with my parents for ever and ever and ever - ahhhh! For this reason, my manifesto right now is to learn some commercially useful design methods and techniques. Thinking about it too much would be weird and greedy but its something to keep in mind. My audience are intelligent adults with money who like arty/ designed things. Sounds very snobby doesn’t it…

Week 1 of this project, my first idea was to look at some of the things I’ve learnt so far. 

- to use my drawing skills - they are ok and the more I do it, the more my confidence improves. With drawing my imagination is free to roam. There are no technological limits. I also produce much more personal effects which make my work look individual. I’ve come to realise that it is important for a designer to develop a personal style.

- Not to feel too afraid of my non-design background. Inspired by interviews with Pauler Scher and David Carson I’ve learnt some of the most sucessful result come about when you go into a project a little blind and niave. The results are also more original then if you try to impose a swanky new effect on a message that does not suit it.

- I always come back to the adage - have nothing in your home you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful. It is simple and helps me remember the important balance of form and content. Its also something we say in the kitchen ‘presentation is half the battle’ well its true.

- simple rules and simple designs are often the best. I must avoid trying to be too clever or complicating things for myself.

I realised that at this stage of my design journey, my manifesto is really some rules for myself - rather than a statement of world domination. So I illustrated a few simple rules and made a mini booklet.

Design can be clever and playful. I like the surprise factor of design that solves a problem with effortless clarity. 

I am often drawn to retro design. Design from 50 years ago can now seem naive in its manufacture or function, which makes it amusing. The modern world is bubbling with new technology which sometimes means medium is put before message. It’s nice to see the thought and care put into the making of a design. I like seeing a human touch, somewhere, even if cutting edge methods are involved. I don’t think I’m alone in this, it is a natural reaction to seek reminders of handmade style after a period of technological development that has quickly changed the way we live. I think this is why nostalgia in design is comforting.

But I am not a total hippy. I love my Apple Mac, my iPhone, television etc. I am continually wowed and amazed by the fast effects achived with new technology. Some of the most exciting design finds a way to combine the new and the old. I recently saw a graphic design in which a famous old painting had been crudely Photoshopped. The point was to show how quickly computers can now change an image that once took hours of labour to paint. The work was a little taboo and that made it witty.

Everyday design can be very pleasing too, things like books, shoes and teapots that marry form and function perfectly. It is pleasing to interact with design and to be surrounded by it everyday. As William Morris said - have nothing in your home you do not know to be useful and believe to be beautiful. I believe the most sucessful design, whether its product or graphic, always has a balance of aesthetic appeal and purpose. In graphic design the purpose is the message or feeling evoked. Where fun products create physical interaction, graphic design can offer a sensory or emotional interaction.

Colour is a vital part of happiness in design, to me. A surprising harmony or contrast of colours on a surface can literally send endorphins spinning in my head. I also enjoy a good old word play. A smart pun, especially a visual one is enough to make me smile. I have a mug that says RED, in blue lettering. Its incredibly simple but it makes me stop for a split-second to think about colour perception, so its clever, and that makes me happy.