Good.is — Transparency: The Largest Bankruptcies in History

The New York Times still prints great information graphics but for online, they have stepped up their game to do some of the best interactive graphics in journalism today. You can read this profile article for more on this aspect of information graphics.

The focus of this article will be less on interactivity and more on the simpler, static information graphics.

Examples of Recent popular Information Graphics Around the Web

Mint.com — Flower Power: A Look at February’s Booming Floral Economy

Gigaom.com — Google vs. Apple

Mashable.com — Visualizing 6 Years of Facebook

Good.is — Food Assistance

You can think of every Information Graphic (IG) as an article within itself. Depending on the subject matter at hand, you may have to emphasize different aspects of the design. For instance, some may require an intro or an explanation like Economic IGs, but something very easy to understand like What Americans Eat may not require much more than a descriptive title.

Here are 7 concepts you may want to consider when designing your IG:

1. Storytelling

Never forget that your IG is telling a story about a specific topic. Like any communications design project — it’s up to you to make sure that the audience understands what you are trying to say.

It should be easy to understand and scan-able for different levels of viewer interest but also have enough detail to fully engage viewers to facilitate sharing.

You should also realize that employing clever tactics and unique concepts are valid story-telling methods, keep in mind that they should accentuate your story and not distract or sensationalize what you are trying to communicate. Viewers will see that your IG is phony and will reject your message if you go the later route.

2. Metaphors

One of the best ways to grab attention is to bind your IG design to a graphic element that properly summarizes the topic at hand. Your viewers will instantly get it without further reading and if done properly will continue to allow you to build on that initial concept.

In the example above, the IG is about the economy. The artist uses a cash register receipt rolls as the main metaphor and then builds on that concept for highlighting other data — highlighting shopping days is formatted like a typical receipt and they use ASCII art and fonts to draw illustrations.

The best websites are able to turn a IG into something worthy of printing posters of.

3. Typography

To quote Robert Bringhurst, the legendary author of The Elements of Typographic Style — “Typography exists to honor content.”

Functional and versatile choices will be most useful to you as you can apply them to different sets of images, charts and diagrams. Inspired uses of specialty fonts may be that extra kick your IG needs but beware that legibility may come into play if your IG specs have space restrictions. If that is the case, try working with the final output size and reserve the font for usages that always appear large like headlines.

Remember, less is more and consider a font with a versatile set of weights.

4. Scale

Charts and graphs are boring. They may be more accurate and have their place in TPS reports — but IG designers are telling stories and can employ more interesting techniques.

One of those tactics is scale. The juxtaposition of a large object next to a tiny object not only communicates your message but attaches a emotional response (if done correctly) to it in a way a chart cannot. It makes them care, which can be very important if you want them to understand your plight.

5. User Interaction

Clever, understated user interaction can be used as a tool for you to illustrate your point. If you are designing the layout of the IG to take advantage of height or width, you can employ the browser to help your cause.

“The Descent into Credit Card Debt” (above image) is a perfect example. As the viewer scrolls down they are slowly descending along with the story. The IG is fairly long (almost 5,000 pixels) so the viewers are understanding on a tactile level the deepness of credit card debt. This will add a further dimension of emotional depth to the message.

6.Color

Don’t be afraid to use color to help illustrate your message better. I hate to reference a FedEx Kinkos commercial but people are more responsive to charts and graphs when they are presented in a more colorful manner.

Using that same logic on your IG is a no-brainer. Keep in mind that your IG will probably communicate better the more straight-forward it is. Try choosing a reserved palette that has some connection with the topic at hand.

There is a certain value to employing contrast in your color selections as well as they tend to look more dramatic and exciting. While going overboard sometimes can make the IG look less credible (especially if images are involved), finding the right balance can be a boon to your story-telling.

7. Experiment

As IGs become more popular, the viewer’s expectations will become more sophisticated. As with any medium, you want to innovate and advance the techniques instead of being satisfied with the status quo. Try to experiment and figure out what works and doesn’t work for your specific industry.

A website called “The Oatmeal” adopted the IG format to do online comics. Some are more irrelevant and comedic than factual but I think it’s a good way to interpret the traditional comic “strip” as space limitations no longer apply in the online world.

Questions? Comments? Let us know in comments!

Today, since we all use computers, those fonts are often digitized reproductions of the original faces used in monumental Greek and Roman carvings and can now be used for headings and script-looking documents and designs. More often than not, these typefaces come in all caps and small caps.

Here are 20 great examples of Inscriptional fonts. We hope you enjoy it!

Trajan Pro and Trajan Pro Bold, from the Adobe Type Foundry, can be used for display work in magazines, books, and billboards. It’s a pretty popular Roman typeface.

The Mantinia typeface includes raised caps and very distinctive ligatures. It was designed by Matthew Carter and was inspired by letterforms engraved by Andrea Mantagna, from the Italian Renaissance.

The Pontif typeface was based on the work of Luca Horfei, a Vatican scribe who designed the inscriptions for Pope Sixtus V in the sixteenth century. This typeface is owned by LetterPerfect and was designed by Garrett Boge in 1997.

Ceres is another Roman typeface whose name is derived from Ceres, the Roman goddess. The great thing about the Ceres font is that it also comes in lowercase, unlike many Inscriptional fonts that are available only in all caps.

Arrus was first released in 1991 and was designed by Bitstream. This typeface draws inspiration from classic Inscriptional fonts and comes in all caps, small caps and lowercase formats.

Augustus is a free font inspired by Greek and Roman engravings. It comes in all caps only and is well suited for headings in books and magazines or even on the web.

The Capitalis Typoasis typeface was designed by Manfred Klein and available for free. It works very well for headings where a very legible all caps typeface is needed.

Roman Caps is a pretty popular (and free) stylish all caps and small caps typeface. It was designed by Steve Deffeyes.

Greek is a typeface designed by Pedro Muñoz Pastor. Being a very particular typeface it may not be suitable for all types of designs but it can sure be used for historical documents and brochures.

The Kartago typeface was inspired by the inscriptions in the Roman ruins in the city of Cartago in Tunisia. This typeface was created by Dino dos Santos from DSType.

Optimus Princeps is another great typeface designed by Manfred Klein. It’s a very legible all caps typeface that can be used in books or magazines and even on the web in some cases.

Caesar is not your typical Inscriptional Roman typeface. It features double-lined glyphs and is reminiscent of Rome and ancient Roman architecture.

Empiric Roman was designed by SDFonts. I particularly like the A and E characters. This is an all caps typeface that is well suited for headings and it also has a very strong Roman feel, especially because of the U and V characters, which are basically the same.

Rusticus STD, as the name may suggest, is an old-looking (but fun), typeface that is best used sparingly for headings and book or magazine designs. This typeface was designed by Denis Serikov.

Archeological Caps is a great typeface that is slightly grunge-looking. It features worn-edges and comes in all caps and small caps formats. Designed by Manfred Klein.

SPQR is a stylish all caps/small caps typeface also designed by Iconian Fonts. It may not be suitable for a lot of things, but used sparingly it can definitely make an impact.

The Cartesius typeface finds its roots in 16th and 17th century France. This typeface is very suitable for book and magazine design. It was created in 2006 by Bo Berndal and is published by T4.

Designed by Manfred Klein, the Monograms Toolbox typeface can be used for old-looking designs and headings. Very suitable for book covers and brochures.

Justinian is another friendly and fun typeface designed by Iconian Fonts. While it may not be suitable for any type of design, it can certainly be used for logo and brochure design. It has this hand-written feel to it.

Marathon is a strong typeface that features some rounded-ness and it also shares some similarities with hand-written fonts. I find it very friendly. It was designed by Dan Zadorozny of Iconian Fonts.

About The Author

Jon Phillips is a designer and Wordpress developer who also blogs for a specialist supplier of laser toner from various brands to the print industry throughout the United Kingdom.

Related:
5 Classic Sans-Serif Fonts

Like this article? Comment!

The funny thing about American Football is that the major league (NFL) has much less history than baseball does. The modern Superbowl era (where the two competing leagues joined together) happened in the 1970s so that means even though they have been around since the 1920s — their branding and marketing never had a real silver age like baseball.

However, there are some fascinating decisions teams made and of course some cities made some genius moves. In this article you expect to see a retrospective of classic NFL logos augmented by some interesting alternate logos and recent logos for comparison.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

The Kitty Cats actually just revamped this logo into the one below this year!

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Jacksonville Jaguars

Louisiana Saints

Miami Dolphins

new England Patriots

New York Giants

If I found gear for this logo, I’d snatch it up in a heartbeat. It’s one of those “it’s so bad it’s good” deals for me.

It looks dated for sure but this logo is actually used on occasion to this day.

The great organization that is the New York Giants revived this logo from their past sometime in the 1990s. Even though it has not been updated much since the 50s-60s, it stands up very well.

New York Jets

This looks like a dolphin if you squint a little.

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburg Steelers

San Diego Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

St. Louis Rams

Tampa bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Tennessee Titans / Houston Oilers

The Oilers were moved to Tennessee and left this awesome oil tower behind as well as the fanbase.

Liked this article? Check Out:

Retired Baseball Logo Showcase
10 Smashingly Dapper Brewery Websites
20 Astonishingly Intricate International Metro Maps

Did I leave your team out? Superbowl predictions? Let me know in comments!

One of my favorite all-time designers is of course Chip Kidd and I love the work he’s done over his career. If you’ve read Kidd’s books you’ll geek out reading the troubles and tribulations he’s been through designing his covers.

A book cover has to stand out at a bookstore because of the competition on the shelves. I chose books based on a combination of cleverness, aesthetics and originality. Here are Debra’s 10 and 47 of my own handpicked favorites separated into Conceptual, Typographical, Illustrative and Miscellaneous categories.

DEBRA’S PICKS

She tried to cover a range of styles in her post to show the variety of great book covers that people have done.

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Secret Lives of Great Artist by Elizabeth Lunday

Against Happiness by Eric G. Wilson

Hotheads by Steven Pinker

The Craftsman by Richard Sennett

The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon

Oil by Matthew Yeomans

Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me edited by Ben Karlin

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane SatrapiXX

Conceptual

You’ll notice a simple metaphor is all it takes to make a great conceptual book cover. The type of book doesn’t matter much either as you’ll see novels, trade-books and non-fiction.

Lovesick by Alex Wellen

The Best of Brochure Design 9 by Jason Godfrey

A Happy Marriage by Rafael Yglesias

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs

The Book of Dead Philosphers by Simon Critchley

TYPOGRAPHICAL

Is it just me or does it just seem right that a book would feature great typography on it’s cover?

Dreaming in Hindi by Katherine Rusell Rich

Gig by John Bowe, Marisa Bowe, and Sabin Streeter

1984 by George Orwell

Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Everything is Cinema by Richard Brody

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd by John Hitchinson

Vertigo by Dan Auiler

Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things by George Lakoff

I included this because it felt like it was designed in a very minimalistic style but it intensely highlighed the name of the book. I couldn’t stop looking at it so I feel it’s worth sharing.

A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert

ILLUSTRATIVE

Book covers with illustration usually work out well because the style of the art can really translate what the book’s tone is.

Summer Blonde by Adrian Tomine

Red Colored Elegy by Seiichi Hayashi

A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Paperback)

Abandon The Old in Tokyo by Yoshihiro Tatsumi

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli

Comic Book Tattoo

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Lewis Wolpert

Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine

Blankets by Craig Thompson

Sleepwalk by Adrian Tomine

Lullaby Chuck Palahniuk

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

Buddha 8 by Osamu Tezuka

The Book of Vice by Peter Sagal

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

Ice haven by Daniel Clowes

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

MISCELLANEOUS

Something Missing by Matthew Dicks

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict

In Hanuman’s Hands by Cheeni Rao

Stiff by Mary Roach

Maya Angelou

Bonk by Mary Roach

The Political Unconscious by Fedric Jameson

Let me know what I missed! Comment!

Name: Clinton Reno
Location: Ohio
Website: http://clintonreno.com/
Facebook: Facebook
Twitter: @mr_reno

How closely do you work with the bands?

Well, about 85% of the time it’s through the venue, the promoter, or through one of my wholesalers. There are those handful of times that I get to work in some way with the band- My Morning Jacket, for instance, used a poster I had done for their Cleveland show as an exclusive New Year’s Eve t-shirt for their show at the Fillmore.

And then there are times where a poster I’ve done will get the attention of the band and a working relationship, or in some cases even friendships, will come out of it- Karin & Linford (the duo at the heart of Over the Rhine) are a great example. I’ve enjoyed doing all sorts of work with them, from posters, to album covers and even t-shirts, but along the way I’ve become a friend as well.

But yeah, in either of those examples it all started with a poster that had already been created.
And even though I’m not working closely with the band in most cases I try hard to make sure the poster fits the band’s image. Whether it be lyrically, or based on their current brand, or the tone & feel of album artwork or web design. Going in that’s how I start a poster- nailing as much of that down as I can. And I generally don’t take jobs for bands with whom I’m unfamiliar, so that’s a good start right there.

I was hoping to see a John Tesh poster by you someday but I guess that’s now out of the question. What was the best creative experience you’ve had making a poster?

Well, I guess the first thing that comes to mind would be the recent series of 4 color process prints I did. I love using a few photographic elements in my prints, but never had I used an entire photograph like this. And having never really achieved a high level of transparency before in any of my previous work I was nervous and had always put off trying for fear that it would look ridiculous.

I went in knowing I wanted to make the pieces still look like I had done them stylistically, all the while having a new somewhat more photographic quality to them. So I turned up the colors, the saturation, the contrast, and brought in some heavy black shadows all in the hopes of giving these giant robots that I had illustrated a nice setting in which to live (all the while understanding/hoping that the black-lined illustration was an odd juxtaposition within these photos).

Take us back to the beginning though and tell us how you broke into poster making?

Well, after college I worked at a text book publisher. One of my co-workers was a writer for a local music publication that stopped printing either shortly before I met him or shortly after. Regardless, with the magazine no longer in business he started his own sot of thing on the ol’ world wide web (pretty new to me at the time) and he asked me to contribute by doing drawings of some of the bands he was featuring. One of these bands was a band called “Buck” and for one reason or another I never got past a sketch stage with that particular drawing. Fast forward maybe 2-3 years and my buddy emails and tells me to check out Buck’s profile at mp3.com- they were using the sketch as their profile picture.

I didn’t have as much going on back then so I fired an email their way saying I could make it so much better than a simple sketch so I did so and they loved it. That band was no longer together but the gentleman that I had contacted said he would love to have some work for his new band, bobot adrenaline. So in my spare time in the evenings I would do some web graphics, maybe a flyer here and there. I was working on a poster (to date still unfinished)* when I met a guy by the name of Robert Duffy who was starting a website called donewaiting.com.

Somehow I got involved with him and starting doing anything he could throw my way. Flyers for shows he was doing, graphics for his site- anything. With a few posters under my belt I started uploading them to gigposters, still kind of naive as to how it all worked, or to how big this poster community really was. I made my way to a show of another local poster artist, a real heavy hitter by the name of mike martin (enginehouse13.com).

When I introduced myself he said he was a little familiar with my work (not too noteworthy because if you’re on gigposters you quickly find out who else is doing work in your city) but that if I wanted to be taken seriously I needed to stop doing digital posters and start screen-printing them (though he may have said so in much more colorful language as only he could).

So with what little knowledge I had of the process from high school, and with the expertise and help of mike and a few other kind souls on gigposters, and the gigposters forums in general, I was able to relearn the process.

And that’s about where we’ve been for the last 4 years or so.

*it was all digital prints back then so I would crank them out on the computer. the poster was coming along and I was pretty excited about it, but on christmas eve the company I was working for (I was using that computer because it was so superior to my own) had a break in and all the macs were stolen. man oh man, should have backed that up huh?!

I’m guessing your experience with the web explains why you have one of the better designed websites of the studios I looked at. You seem to have embraced social media like Facebook, Twiiter and blogging as well. In what ways has your website and social media benefited you?

My buddy and I used to joke that thanks to the internet we’d claim to be “international accessible” as to sound very popular. Maybe only mildly funny, but yeah, with a huge part of what success I’ve had coming through the web in general I feel as though things like twitter, blogging and so on are just natural extensions of that- new avenues to do the things you have to do to get your work as many places as it’ll go.

I mean, some of the stories I just mentioned have me owing everything to the internet or people connected to it. And I think things like twitter can give people an opportunity to see a little more than just the finished piece- whether it’s a sketch, a link to a detailed process post or just something personal they wouldn’t otherwise know. You know, for anyone that might be interested in having that info- some are not.

And I’ll be sure to pass along your compliment to the friends that made my website happen. I had very little to do with it so I love it and unashamedly will brag on it.

Can you shed some light on what makes Flatstock so uniquely collectible?

Well, I’m sure there are different reasons for different people, but I think ultimately it’s the fact that they’re limited pieces of hand created art.

They’re ideally meant to promote a show and then get torn down (sometimes being torn down while promoting the show), but in a way that only adds to the collectibility of them- they’re little moments in time. They’re not on a gallery wall when they’re first seen so stumbling across one, especially if it’s for a favorite band, I think really makes it feel like quite the find. And there are so few- 100-200 pieces out there, so it’s not something that was mass produced that every fan of whatever band might have in their collection.

Finally, I love your newest piece — the  Decemberists robot. Can you tell me a little about the concept and where I can get me one?

I’ve had the privilege of doing every Columbus poster for the Decemberists over the years, and quickly caught on that this band was one whose fans were poster lovers. And the band has such a great visual presence both in the artwork they use and in the way they present themselves, that using similar imagery was, i thought, a great way to really connect with the band, the music and with fans as well.

So up until this point I had used either Meloy or Funk (or neither in the very first poster) as the driving image. But this time I thought it would be fun to kind of get the whole band involved in some way- and I felt telling a story of the band collectively controlling this old timey robot was an interesting way to do that, paying attention even to the placement of each band member. It’s available on my website, which you can find here: www.clintonreno.com.

Intrigued by flatstock? Check out the article:

50 Beautiful Gig Posters (Flatstock) For Your Inspiration

Like this article? Comment!

Jenny Owen Youngs

Alphabetical after this… love love love the typography on the logo badge.

Amesoeurs

Airborne Toxic Event

Art Brut

I love these guys, check them out at their website: http://www.artbrut.org.uk/

Au Revoir Simone

Bat For Lashes

Beirut

Bishop Allen

Bob Dylan

Dylan’s “indie”" in spirt…

The Breeders

Brighton Port Authority

Camera Obscura

Carolina Liar

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood

Not exactly “indie” but I like the cover as they can legitimately go retro…

Death Cab For Cutie

Deer Hunter

Not their newest album but I always loved the bold simplicity and weirdness of this cover… I had to include it.

Decemberists

Doves

Fever Ray

Ida Maria

Isis

Kind of out of character for Isis but it’s a beauty none-the-less.

Lily Allen

I immediately liked this the moment I saw it.

M.Ward

Maximo Park

Merge Records – Various Artists

Metric

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Currently my favorite band of the last few years, check them out: http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/

Peter Bjorn and John

Peter Doherty

Ray Barbee

Seeland

I like covers like this that pay homage to Pink Floyd’s abstract pseudo scientific look…

St. Vincent

It’s just a simple portrait but I love how they do it in a unique way (for a record cover). Reminds me of the 40-Year-Old-Virgin poster.

Super Furry Animals

SFA always has insanely great covers.

Swan Lake

Telekinesis

So simple, yet so cool…

The Bird and the Bee

My co-worker likes this band but I like the retro movie poster look even better.

Viva Voce

White Rabbits

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Love this cover.

Other articles you might like:

Top 30 Indie Band Websites
50 Beautiful Gig Posters (Flatstock) For Your Inspiration
30 Awesome Designerly Band T-Shirts

Agree? Disagree? What’s your favorite? Comment?

Here is a curated retrospective of some of the top retired baseball logos of the past separated by American and National Leagues respectively and concluding with the current logo at the end for contrast:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Baltimore Orioles

Current:

Boston Red Sox

Current:

Chicago White Sox

Current:

Cleveland Indians

Current:

Detroit Tigers

Current:

Kansas City Royals

Current:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Current:

Minnesota Twins

Current:

New York Yankees

Current:

Oakland Athletics

Current:

Seattle Mariners

Current:

Tampa Bay Rays

Current:

Texas Rangers

Current:

Toronto Blue Jays

Current:

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Arizona Diamondbacks

Current:

Atlanta Braves

Current:

Chicago Cubs

Current:

Cincinnati Reds

Current:

Florida Marlins

Current:

Houston Astros

Current:

Milwaukee Brewers

Current:

Philadelphia Phillies

Pittsburgh Pirates

Current:

San Diego Padres

Current:

San Francisco Giants

Current:

St. Louis Cardinals

Current:

Washington Nationals

The Nationals were formerly known as the Montreal Expos and I desperately wanted to show the great retro Expos logos.

Current:

Other articles you might like:

En Fuego! Best & Worst NBA Websites

Which Retired Logo Is Your Favorite?! Comment!

1 — Information

You can make a strong statement with what you don’t say. Depending on the type of business, you can get away with not saying much on a card. It can draw attention to what you really want them to do, such as visit the website. Conversely, you can pack a card with tons of data as long as it ties in with a concept. The business cards for my design firm have a lot of random personal information but it often leads to easily striking up conversations and getting to know clients better.

2 — Concept

Having a unique overall concept instantly captures attention. It can also be a double edged sword because since it has so much cache in the client’s mind — it should be relevant in some way. Sometimes being overly clever is akin to trying too hard. However, if you can make it work because you’re taking advantage of some sort of unique factor in your name, company, or industry… that’s fair game.

3 — Shape

I think shape is one of the most underrated ways to make your card stand out. My experience with my personal cards being slightly smaller than the norm is that it’s a detail that people always notice. Now imagine if you did some sort of die-cut or choose a shape completely divorced from what people think of in business cards… you and the card would be instantly memorable.

4 — Material

CAUTION… when leaving the realm of 100lb paper you can get into hit or miss situations because of how well the piece is produced. Other issues such as price and how annoying it becomes to carry around come into play too. On the opposite spectrum, using cheaper substrate can be just as bad because the card may require you to hand craft each one or the material may be very delicate. However, when successful — these cards are total show stoppers.

5 — Color

This may be one of the easiest ways a designer can set themselves apart while not straying too far away from the pack. Colors play such a huge role in the way people perceive things that a smart designer can use that to their advantage and design a great card without having to resort to exotic tricks and the trendy technique of the moment.

6 — Texture

This is one of the human senses that I think designers forget about sometimes for business cards. Whether it’s an emboss, varnish, substrate or special process — it’s always fun to watch people focus on just the feel of the card rather than the look (which we are more used to).

7 — Size

Risky as it may be, size can be a playful and instant attention getter. Dramatically bigger or smaller somehow always says something about the card owner as well from my experience. The challenges of this can be tough as a large card is cumbersome but a small card can easily be misplaced.

8 — Versions

Often unappreciated because people rarely see all the cards together as a set, having multiple versions can serve as a nice conversation starter if they notice that each card is unique. If you’re like Jason Santa Maria (as seen below) and participate in conferences/meetings where you might have a stack of cards out — a nice functional trick may be to lay them out so they can see the cards as a set if you designed them that way.

9 — Alternate Purpose

These type of “business cards” often generate huge buzz in design books and magazines because they’re almost like modern art. At it’s best, people will never forget you because of it but at it’s worse you might need to make a second set of cards because let’s face it — you’re not gonna carry around a box full of wooden laundry clips every where you go.

10 — Part of a Business System

A jaw dropper of a card is all well and good but if it is a total disconnect from the rest of your business system, you may have consistency issues. Alternatively, if you make your business system some sort of circus to help buoy the card’s extravagance that can make you look like you’re “trying too hard” (which can appear unprofessional at times).

Business cards at their best display some basic information while showing a bit of your personality. There is a fine line you have to look out for depending on who you are, what type of work you do and other factors but I support those who are willing to take a bit of a risk and throw some caution to the wind for the sake of innovation. If you concentrate on two of the ten listed elements, you’re well on your way to a quality card.

You may also like:

20 Astonishingly Intricate International Metro Maps
A Designer’s Guide to Copyright

Comment if you like the article!

So what’s copyrightable?

Any project you work on that is original and creative is copyrightable. While you can’t copyright things like an idea or a style because they lack a specific finished form, specific finished expressions of an idea or style can be copyrighted.

What can you do with it?

The designer who owns the copyright has exclusive rights to license, reproduce and make derivatives from it. You can ask anyone who infringes on your copyright to stop and or take legal action against them. For you to be able to collect statuary damages though, you need to have the work registered with the Copyright Office before the infringement happened.

Can I ever lose it?

You can transfer ownership of a copyright through a written agreement signed by the designer. When you die, you can transfer the ownership of the copyright to someone else and it will continue for another 70 years.

Do I need to put copyright notices on everything now?

Designers are designated the copyright owner of their work as soon as it is created. However, putting the notice on your work has advantages… legal advantages. When you put your copyright on your work it informs the public that it is owned by somebody and that they can be liable if they choose to infringe. You can weigh the pluses and minuses and decide for yourself what is and what is not worthwhile to put a copyright notice.

What is a copyright notice supposed to look like?

A copyright notice is composed of three elements:

• It begins with the alert: “Copyright”, “Copr.” or “©”
• The designer’s name (or what they are known as to the public)
• The year of publication

Fully constructed it looks like this: Copyright Joe Smith 2009

Do I need to register my work as well?

Registration is an official acknowledgment by the Copyright Office that you have an exclusive copyright. It will be most useful to you if you need to sue. Otherwise, the application fee is $30 and you’d have to make an individual decision if your work requires that type of protection.

How does Fair Use apply to designers?

There are instances when using other people’s copyrighted work is not necessarily harmful and that’s what Fair use is. When debated in court, they look at many factors like if profit was made, the amount, the nature of the work and does it have a real effect on the value of the original copyright work.

As an in-house employee for a company, do I own copyright of my work there?

Human resources will usually have you sign a work-for-hire document that specifies that the work you produce is property of the company. So unless you have a written agreement that states otherwise, the company retains the copyright exclusivity.

What if I work for a design firm?

A design firm employee is no different than any other employee, so the same rules apply unless you have been allowed to retain copyright ownership. Furthermore, design firm partners are considered employees so they too require an agreement or the same rules will apply to them.

What if I’m a freelancer?

Once again, it’s considered work-for-hire so freelancers do not retain copyright. Companies who frequently work with freelancers usually make this clear when hiring. For freelancers working with smaller businesses, they should include copyright ownership language in their service agreements to prevent miscommunication.

If you have any specific issues with copyright, you should seek professional guidance. This article is meant to be a brief guide to help quickly educate designers on the importance of their copyrights. Visit the Official Copyright Office Website for up to date documented copyright information.

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