Thoughts from the Dirty City

Friday, March 28, 2008 the commercial hunt for 275,000 baby harp seals began. I got an email from The Humane Society of The United States notifying me of the situation. I was honestly a little confused when I read the email. I distinctly remember this practice being banned in the 80’s. So I did a little bit of research and it turns out that I was right, sort of.

In 1983 the the outrage over what was happening to these animals brought the seal hunt to an end. Europe banned the trade of fur from newborn seals and much of the world stopped looking assuming the problem had been solved. The hunt continues though. Hunters have found a way around the import ban by waiting until the pups are 12 days old before clubbing them. See, there is no ban in place of seal skin, just “baby” seal skin.

In 2006 legislation began to be drafted by European Parliament banning the trade of all seal products, regardless of the age of the seal. Studies are currently being conducted to provide a foundation for such a ban. The findings of these studies are by no means surprising. Seals are often killed ineffectively, meaning that the initial blow to the head doesn’t render them unconscious, as it is suppose to. Many times these still fully conscious pups are hooked, dragged to the boat and skinned alive.

Regulations state that after “stunning” the pups (rendering them unconscious) they are to be bled on the ice before being transported to the vessel for processing. As barbaric as it sounds, this is the most humane method of hunting for pup fur. Yet this is rarely the way the kill goes down. In most cases, even the supposed “humane” scenarios, it takes several blows from the club to knock out the struggling pup. They are then transported to the boat to be processed, the lucky ones never regain consciousness. The carcass is then tossed back on to the ice to rot. There is no market for seal blubber, and the young pups offer little meat.

I know that many people are going to make the argument that these hunters need to make a living and feed their families, and I completely agree. Truth is, the boats and crews that make these trips are local fishermen. It just so happens that the seal hunt takes place in the fishing off season. The money they make off the pup pelts is a very small fraction of their annual income. Income that can be made up for with other government programs that are already in place.

The hunt is not only a tragedy for the seal pups, it is also an incredible and unnecessary risk to the humans involved. Already this year three fisherman have lost their lives to the icy waters. This truly is a no win situation for all those involved.

The commercial seal hunt is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on Earth. To learn more, and to help put an end to the hunt visit The Humane Society’s website at: www.hsus.org

Even as a design student I can remember hearing those fate full words that would follow me the rest of my career. If you are a designer you have probably already guessed what words I am referring to.* “Everyone is a designer”

As a student the phrase made me giggle. Mostly because I felt like I was being let into a secret club and this phrase was the code to get you in the door. I would laugh and agree every time it was said. How irritating that people think they can do what we do. The scoffing and hem-hawing. “You know they don’t treat medical or law degrees with such disregard” I could go on any on with the mocking things that were said, but I am sure if you haven’t already heard it you can use your imagination.

By the time I was working at a small but highly reputable non-profit I had gone from laughing at the joke to truly understanding the depths to which the sting could be felt. I remember turning red in the phase and forcing the words back down my throat as some one from the development department would request an invitation that they already laid out in Microsoft Office. Everyone was a designer, and it started to feel as though no one really appreciated how much time and effort I spent cultivating my skills to be able to do what it is that I do.

After all, I spent years at university. Pouring over text books, memorizing terms, studying history, trends, process. I soaked up all I could about the theories of color, composition & type, studied ad design and marketing principles. You name it, I studied it. If I think about the hours and hours spent in computer labs and studios it makes me want to scream. All that time spent learning to use the industry standard software so that I could use all my newly cultivated skills to the utmost efficiency. Not to mention the student loans I racked up paying for supplies, books and all the other crazy things they make you buy as a student. Just who do these people think they are to say they have the ability to lay out an invitation. I mean really.

I’ll tell you who they think they are, they think they are Designers. And you know what, sadly, they are right.

Maybe it came with age, or maybe experience. Perhaps I have to many causes that mean a great deal to me to continue fighting this particular battle. Regardless of why, I have come to the conclusion that everyone is, in fact, a designer. Yes, I have my BFA in Graphic Design, but all that means is that I have a piece of paper from a university. It doesn’t qualify me to be a designer any more than anyone else.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have dedicated my life to the study and practice of Design. And I have a collection of work and clients to show for all my efforts. Oh yah, and a degree. But the only thing that really matters is the work. Titles are arbitrary.

To all the designers out there that still get irate over this type of thing, I totally understand. My hope is that deep down “they” know the truth. But even if they don’t, you know how hard it is to survive in this industry when you know what you are doing. Those who don’t will never get past doing the flyers for the church’s Friday Fish Fry, so does it really matter?

*So if you didn’t guess right and you think you are a designer you may want to reconsider that.

Each season around the time of Fashion Week, Pantone, the undisputed Kings of Color, comes out with their fashion color report. It is the ultimate guide to the seasons runway rainbow. So if you are into fashion but feel intimidated by the onslaught of runway show after runway show, this a great guide to have on hand.

About 30 designers are highlighted with descriptions of the prominent colors used in their line, their color philosophy, inspiration, and their signature colors. The guide also includes a list of the designers must have pieces (it’s like a fashion cheat sheet). The designers top picks for paint color are also listed. But for me the most exciting part of the guide is the very last page. It takes everything in me not to skip ahead to the good part. What I am talking about is the Pantone SMART Color Systems annual pallet.

What this is is a general list of all the top picks from all the top designers. It also breaks down each color listing not only the Fashion+Home numerical reference number but also the CMYK build of each color as well as the GEO number. That’s right, a designers delight! I have always used fashion as inspiration for my graphic design work. So to have not only a list of what inspired my inspiration, but to also have a color breakdown of the colors they used is enough to melt my mascara. At the top of this list is usually Pantone’s pick for color of the year. This year that color happened to be Blue Iris.

I know what you are thinking. How can blue be the color of the year? Blue is so…well it’s blue. It is the most standard, universal color on the wheel. How could they pick blue when there are so many brilliant, exciting colors stomping down the runway? I already told you, they pick the most requested color by the designers. Whenever I see Pantone’s “Color of the Year” I feel a little let down. It isn’t ever the color that stands out, or shocks the socks off of you. Instead it is that color that runs a thread through the entire season. It’s this years neutral. The color that pairs well with all the other colors on the pallet. This year isn’t the most exciting pallet in history, but considering the state of the global economy I am tickled to see things aren’t going completely drab and dreary, and that beige isn’t even on the map.

As a designer, color is one of my greatest passions. Sometimes the amount of color combinations out there can become overwhelming. When this happens, or when I find myself in a Red-n-Blue rut I dig through the Pantone website. It is a labyrinth of inspiration. Not only do they have one of the most complete color libraries on the planet with perfectly complimenting pallets already laid out for you, they also have one of the best in-house design staffs anywhere.

Anyone interested in downloading the Fashion Color Report can find it here:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/Pantone.aspx?pg=20557&ca=4

The Winner Is: Blue Iris 18-3943
CMYK 75 58 2 0
GEO 59-1-4
Closest match in the PMS Matching System is 7455
(This number is not provided on the SMART Color System. I used the Pantone Finder located here: http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/colorfinder.aspx)

“A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

He continued, “And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.”

I have gone round and round many different times on what the first installment of this blog should focus on. Should it be about me, Akron, Dirty City Design, does it NEED to be about design, should it be introductory? I have jotted down a million and one topics, expounded on the merits of each and eventually disregarded each as being “too trite” or “not a good place to start.”

I jacked the quote off a friends blog. When I read it I realized I had been carrying this blog around for months and it had grown insanely heavy. Finding the “perfect topic,” one that could centralize everything that I am as a designer as well as everything I hope this site will be, had gotten in the way of the site being anything. For too long this site has been the resting place of Lorem Ipsum. The proverbial glass had gotten so heavy with the burdens of starting, it had anchored me to one spot, so I put it down.

That brings us to today, picking the glass back up. I stared into it, full of all the disregarded topics, I remembered why I had put it down. Where should I start. What do I have to say that anyone would want to read? Round and round we go….so for now, instead of putting the glass back down, I’m taking a nice long drink and moving on.

To conclude, I have realized that blogging is a lot like designing, if you over think it, it isn’t going to be any good, and sometimes the best place to start is where someone else left off.

Hopefully this quote will inspire you to put down your burdens and enjoy some of the first signs of spring.