Irish Innovation Centre
Jul 14, 2010 - by Dave
Scapegoat Design is sponsoring a new initiative - The Irish Innovation Centre and we aim to provide out of the box design solutions initially with many more ideas in the pipeline once The Centre has launched. So what is the IIC all about?
We don't want to give too much away at this stage but we will soon be inviting people to 'come and play'. If you have an idea and you think it can be built in three months, let's give it a go. Collective expertise and networks will get this economy moving again. Who's behind the IIC? An eclectic mix of personalities from many different industries, all of whom are giving their time for free to this project.
IIC will be launching soon and
You will be invited to get involved. In the meantime here's the first draft of the logo posted above. Certain elements may be subject to change but we'd like your feedback. Love it? Hate it? Let us know. The design rationale is creativity, thinking with heart as well as the head, all directions are possible and it's inspired by the wonderful Joan Miro and Cesar Manrique.
Posted in Scapegoat Design, Logo, Irish Innovation Centre, Graphic Design agencies, Graphic Design, design, creativity, branding
Going Cheap?
Jun 18, 2010 - by Dave
Every cloud has a silver lining and one positive of the recent tough economic situation is increased value for the consumer and businesses. Prices have definitely come down and the buyer now has all the power. I'm all for this and for too long we haven't been getting good value for goods and services in Ireland. But when is cheap too cheap and why is the cheapest option sometimes more expensive?
In my opinion we have now reached the bottom and businesses have reduced their prices as much as possible. Graphic Design is no exception and studios are running on very, very tight margins with little or no room for further reduction or sustaining slow paying clients.
What we do in general is come up with a fair price and quote on this basis but some businesses are going for the cheapest possible option. Yes, there will always be someone cheaper but do you really want 'Fred in the Shed' designing your corporate logo? You're going to be stuck with it for a long time. And is it really a good idea to get that guy doing work experience who knows a bit of HTML to put together your company website?
For me this is a false economy. You might get it done very cheap but how much is it going to cost you if you have to get the work done again in 2-3 months because your site doesn't work properly or your logo looks shoddy and embarrassing? Are you missing business opportunities because your website isn't attracting new customers and is it in effect costing you money? How many potential clients have dismissed your business due to poor and ineffective brand positioning?
All these skills take time and effort to acquire. They require investment in training, software, equipment and ongoing learning on the part of properly run graphic design companies. If a quote seems way too cheap there's probably a very good reason for it - don't forget the maxim: "Pay Cheap, Pay Twice!"
Posted in Small Business, Scapegoat Design, print design, Marketing, creativity, Client, branding
Hi, here's my card...
Feb 10, 2010 - by Dave
What's the first thing you do when you meet someone in a business situation? Say hello? Shake hands? The next thing is most probably going to be the exchange of business cards. I have been going to a lot of networking events lately - they seem to be growing in popularity - and plenty of business cards are always exchanged.
Frequently the standard isn't good at all. You get business cards that are a mess, hard to read contact details, details crossed out and scrawled in with biro. Sometimes the paper stock isn't great and the card is flimsy and crumpled. It doesn't really add up to a great business impression and a lot of the time the suspicion is that these cards go into the pocket and from there to the bin!
Price is obviously a sensitive issue at the moment but a lot of the time the cheapest deal isn't the best one. When shopping around for your business card it is important to make sure that you are comparing like with like. Will the card be printed on good stock? Will it be a quality job? Have you seen a portfolio or any other design work? All points worth bearing in mind if you want a business card that will ensure you make the right impression!
Posted in Scapegoat Design, Printing, print design, Print, Networking, Graphic Design, creativity, Business Card, branding
Bigger isn't always better.
May 19, 2009 - by Dave
As all seasoned designers will know, the client will usually like to see their logo as big as possible on any piece of promotional material, whether that's an ad, a sign or a brochure. Perfectly understandable of course. It's their brand and they're proud of it. More importantly perhaps, they are paying for the work in question so frequently a designer is well advised to bear this in mind when politely 'suggesting' that it might look better at half the size and stuck down in the bottom corner.
All of which makes the rumours about Fianna Fail's recent election posters all the more intriguing. See the picture below? See the logo on it? No? Me neither. For those of you without a magnifying glass the Fianna Fail logo is to the right of the candidate Idowu Olafimihan's head (apologies to www.politics.ie for nabbing this picture from their discussion!).
To a more cynical observer it might seem like they were trying to keep the attention away from the party that the candidates are representing. In fact, the logo is so small you'd have to wonder why they bothered putting it on the posters in the first place!
Several graphic designers & printers also texted or emailed Today FM's Ray Darcy anonymously to say that they had been specifically instructed to keep the logo small - surely a first!
Incidentally, anybody find a lot of the election posters fairly amusing in their sheer tackiness? If you see an election poster that made you stop and stare (but not for the right reasons) email it here to me - info@scapegoatdesign.com I'll publish the best picture on the Scapology blog and also donate a lovely prize to the winner!
Posted in Today FM, scapology, Ray Darcy, print design, politics, Logo, Idowu Olafimihan, Fingal, Fianna Fail, Election Posters, design, branding, advertising
Saving designers from damnation.
May 1, 2009 - by Dave
How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul by Adrian Shaughnessy is a book that every graphic designer and would-be graphic designer should read. The tongue-in-cheek title alludes to the main theme of this book; how to work professionally as a graphic designer while at the same time staying creative and enjoying yourself.
The author was himself a designer for many years and set up the very successful Intro agency. This experience leaves him in a prime position to outline the trials, tribulations and triumphs of modern designers. The advice is always practical and even when Shaughnessy delves into some of the more esoteric questions involving modern design he still relates it to real life experience.
There are plenty of interviews with some of the biggest names in the industry John Warwicker, Rudy VanderLans, Neville Brody) and they frequently offer a different, and often unexpected perspective on this career. The book is one to dip into time and again - as you can tell from our well-worn copy in the photo!
Posted in scapology, design, creativity, branding
