Everything that isn’t part of nature was designed by someone -- and people can all learn to appreciate the world of design around us, according to a famed graphic artist.
Designer Chip Kidd said after years of experience, he's now looking to share the wisdom that he has gleaned as the creator of hundreds of book covers. Kidd, who is slated to speak later this month at the Wisconsin Library Association convention, said he's trying to open people's eyes to the thought process behind the things that people see around us: store signs, product logos, traffic signals and beyond.
"You have to consider that somebody has to figure everything out, and there's no reason to take it for granted," he said.
He said people all have the capacity to be designers, and should give it a try.
Kidd said whether people are working on a website, a PTA flyer, or a "for sale" sign, there are a lot of quick and easy tips to make our designs stand out.
"One thing you have to think about is clarity," he said. "What do you want your audience to see first when they see this PTA flier? Do they want to see what day and time it is first? Do they want to see where it's being held first?"
He said for something conveying a simple, basic message, it's good to avoid the temptation to make it complicated. He gives the example of an exit sign.
"You don't need something like that to be elaborate or decorative or even extravagantly colored. What you need for that to be is very immediate and very recognizable and very understandable about where and how to leave a building," he said.
Kidd said if a person is designing something with a lot of text to be read, use dark text on a white or an off-white background. But for presenting small amounts of important text -- think of a highway signs or movie credits -- white text on a dark background can be more effective.
He said he hopes to inspire children, as well as adults, to experiment with graphic design. As an opening exercise, he suggests taking an important cause and making a flyer to convey that message.
Kidd will be a keynote speaker at the Library Association convention, which will be held in Green Bay on Oct. 23.
