That may sound funny to a lot of people, but it’s true. Before I ever get on my computer to “design” something, I always start by jotting down ideas on a piece of paper.

The great thing about pencil and paper is that it’s a visual extension of the brain, and it can capture ideas just about as fast as I can think of them. Contrary to belief, most designers (should) spend most of their time thinking and concepting.

It is great to be able to write down a word list really fast, or scribble out a quick drawing of whatever it is I am designing could look like. It is a great way for me to get all of my bad ideas out of my head. In fact, I carry a Moleskine that I have affectionately called my Fail Book. Almost everything I put in it is a failed attempt or idea pertaining to a project. But, all it takes is one idea, one simple sketch to make everything click.

My Fail Book is where I sketch out scads of images for logo ideas, or draw countless sitemaps and wireframes. It’s where I take notes on things I like and don’t like. It’s where I can look at something fast, make a decision on it and then move on. Projects always start off rough, but it is cool to see through simple sketching a thought process take shape. Ideas become more thought-out, sketches look cleaner and more refined. Everything comes together.

Adobe products are great, and my new 17″ MacBook Pro is amazing to look at. In the end, they make my projects look great, but it’s not where they take shape.

Things get too meticulous on the computer. It is too easy to get hung-up on little details such as pixel size and exact angles. It is a waste of time to design on the computer only to realize after all the effort of making it “perfect” that the idea or concept doesn’t work.

I heard a song one time, can’t remember it for the life of me, but the lyrics were “you don’t know where your going ’til you get there.” While that may be true in life, it is a very dangerous path to take when working on a design. I love knowing where I am going when I get on the computer.

Design is process. There are many steps that must be taken to make the end product look good and work to perfection. It is nice to have a solid place to start every time.

Cheers!

Kyle

Before you hit up the comments section and start a debate over which one of you hates ME more, please hear me out. I am not trying to be a rogue designer that just wants to be different (and tick people off in the process). And it’s not that I didn’t pay attention during Typography 210 (or something like that), where we were told which fonts were good, which were bad and which was the greatest (Helvetica, supposedly).

I also understand that Helvetica is arguably over-used, but that doesn’t even bother me. Honestly, it is a nice typeface; it has great, safe characteristics which make it viable for a lot of applications and mediums.

But…I can’t stand the capital ‘R’. The descender is awkward to say the least. For a typeface with such little connotative character, where did this rolling leg come from? The rest of the family is so sterile, so defined, so geometric, but the ‘R’ is so, so confusing.

To me, it looks likes Max Miedinger played “Pin the Tail on the P.” Sure, he put it in the right place (impressive for having been blind-folded), but that is to be expected from such letterforms displayed in the rest of the  family.

Or maybe his hand slipped when finishing out the letter. Many long nights have been put into his work, the accidental yawn / slip could be expected.

Whatever the case may be, I can’t stand it. Now, I realize that I have been praising the rest of what Helvetica has to offer, so I guess I have to retract my previous statement a bit. I actually hate 1/26th (not counting numbers or punctuation, who needs those anyway?) of the entire family (from 27 to 93).

And I thought I was the only one that had this growing internal irritation with Helvetica. I mean, it’s so universally loved that there was a movie made because of the impact and popularity of the typeface. But I have 2 “R’s” in my last name, and seeing it set all caps in Helvetica makes my left eye twitch a little.  Luckily, in my research (to prove I am not crazy) I found this guy. It’s comforting to know I am not alone.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I will ever like the capital ‘R’ in Helvetica. I don’t change my appetite much, considering I still don’t like grapes, bananas or many other forms of fruit.

I want to hear from you though. Let me know whether your a lover or a hater (of Helvetica that is, not me).

Cheers!

Kyle