The Smashing Truth

Written by: Kaleb Carrasco

As I am in my final year being prepared for the big, bad world next year, I am constantly reminded of my skill set (or lack thereof) as I work through my projects. To put this on someone else is rather than be accountable myself would be ambiguous and pathetic as it is not what a designer has or has not been taught, but what they have not explored that has provided a potential handicap. In my work experience last year I discovered that the designers in the team didn’t go to a specialised school for design, and the Creative Director didn’t even study design academically. The owner of the agency didn’t even go to tertiary school! And much to my relief hearing this, it still didn’t satisfy my question of how prepared will I be at the end of the course? I mean, I have learnt a lot during my time at Avondale College, but will I be adequate enough to be a qualified designer? Two months ago I probably wouldn’t have seen any hope, but after the past several weeks I have come to the realisation that this uncertainty is normal, and part of the process. During my work experience I learnt that technical skills can be taught during your lifetime, at various agencies, through practice and mentoring, but the real key to being a designer is to be a conceptual thinker.

For many aspiring designers, it can be difficult to think of where to find help for many aspects. Luckily we live in a communicative world, and the brilliant minds at Smashing Magazine have provided amateurs and gurus alike with some exceptional knowledge that is easily accessible and digested. At smashingmagazine.com, you are able to find all bits of wisdom from know-how typographic rules to grids and beautiful fonts that will move you. There you will find many tutorials for the main platforms of the Adobe Creative Suite including Photoshop and Illustrator, and discussions and articles around the world of graphic design. It is an underrated and invaluable source for all designers and I believe it can help almost anyone who is stuck with a project, even Web designers.

Here are some snapshots of smashingmagazine.com

agIdeas

Written by: Peck Flamenco

We at That Design are going to Melbourne, for the agIdeas conference held from Wednesday the 23rd of May to Friday the 25th of May. agIdeas is an annual design festival that is a celebration of the best in design and creativity. Some of the speakers that I am looking forward to see and hear, are: Shaun Tan, Poras Chaudhary and Stormie Mills. If you don't know who they are, here is a bit about them and their work. 

Shaun Tan 

Grew up in Perth WA. He is an illustrator. He writes books and uses his illustrations in them. Most of his books are aimed at children. Tan describes himself as a slow worker who revises his work many times along the way. He is interested in loss and alienation, and believes that children in particular react well to issues of natural justice. He feels that he is "like a translator" of ideas, and is happy and flattered to see his work adapted and interpreted in film and music. I first heard of him when I watched a film called "the lost thing". The film is about a boy who finds a strange creature on a beach, and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are far more important things to pay attention to. I recommend you watch the film if you like animation and fantasy and, you have a great imagination.

 

 

Poras Chaudhary

Poras is a freelance photo-journalist and a documentary photographer. He is from India. Ever since he was a child, Poras has been intrigued by the visually striking moments, may they be special for their color, composition or just the moment’s rarity in time. His passion for photography began in 2005 when he started looking for a good camera and came across the work of Magnum photographers. Poras is a completely self-taught photographer. He is best known for his color work and unique compositions.

 

 

Stormie Mills

Stormie is a street/visual artist. He is based in WA. Stormie started painting in 1984, when on a dark, wet night he ventured out to make his first mark on the world. More than twenty-five years later, Stormie has carved a distinctive niche that sees him sited in a global context as a highly collectable contemporary artist.