Like most people these days, I spend a good half hour to hour going through my mail box, reading emails. I get an email on a regular basis from Mal Warwick, who is considered to be one of the world’s best fundraisers. Today’s email had a few great reads that you should check out if you have the time. Of interest to me were articles 1 and 2. Article 1 discusses some of the great fundraising blogs out there to check out when you have the time and 2 discusses some easy mistakes to avoid in your appeals. Great stuff.

I have a book called “Graphic Design as a Second Language” by Bob Gill. And it gives some great definitions that apply to the world of design. For example:

DESIGN: Design is a way of organizing something. There is no such thing as “good design” or “bad design” – the design is good if it does what you want it to do – bad if it doesn’t. In order to have a design, you need something to organize.

PROBLEM/SOLUTION: What has to be organized/communicated is the PROBLEM. Design is the solution. This means that DESIGN can only be evaluated (be judged good or bad), if you know what the design is supposed to organize/communicate, what it is suppose to accomplish. This goes for writing, photography and illustration as well.

That’s why there are no absolutes in design. You hear these rules and truths all the time about design, colour, balance, etc which are only valid if they help you accomplish what you wish, otherwise – forget them.

I have worked with a lot of other designers, writers, photographers, etc – and when asked to evaluate what their “solution” was to a “problem” – the first thing I ask myself is: “Does it solve the problem?” – NOT – “Do I like it?”

I ask all of my clients to evaluate the work I do the same way. Don’t let your subjective opinions get in the way of the job that you’ve hired a professional to do.

STATEMENT: I am given a project: design a logo for charity. Whatever my solution is – the logo MUST communicate SOMETHING. If the STATEMENT (which comes from “the charity” is boring, then chances are the solution will also be boring. A case in point: I was asked to help Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital to design a word mark for a event they used to run once a year called Scrappers Day. The STATEMENT was: Save your scrap metal for Joseph Brant and make our hospital stronger. My SOLUTION was:
Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

The Naked Idea.

I was reading a recent article in Wired magazine which discussed the role of the “See Through CEO” and the importance of a company being straightforward and forthcoming with its clients or customers. About baring itself – in all situations – good or bad.

My name is John Lepp and I am the principal, and currently, sole owner of Idea Design. My purpose is to help charities communicate with their donors through graphic design.

The purpose of this blog is quite simple. I want to make Idea Design a better company. But, I wish to be open about how we operate, our methods and our vision and how we help charities raise more money.

In the coming weeks and months, I will discuss how Idea Design is evolving as an “agency”, how we are doing that, how we work with our clients on their projects, discussing and critiquing current work (ours and others), who we work with and how we work with them, the role of graphic design in fundraising and many other topics. If you want to see something covered, just let me know anytime.

My door is always open.

John Lepp
Art Director and Owner
Idea Design