Monday, February 28, 2011

Intelligent Design - Graphics; Web and Print

This is the second in a series on the importance of good design. While it is a very general term, most forms of design do share similar principles and objectives and simply use different tools to accomplish them. Sharon sat down for an interview with her friend and graphic designer, Corti Cooper to learn more about her field and consider the similarities it shares with landscape design. Corti is Principal & Creative Director of Dot Think Design (http://dotthinkdesign.com) as well as a Yoga Instructor for Yoga Out of Bounds (http://yogaoutofbounds.com).



(Corti, pictured above in her studio with dog, Ella)

Like many of us, her career path has taken sudden and sometimes unplanned turns. Corti was originally enrolled in the Design Technology, Theatre program at Purchase College. When she decided painting fake walls wasn't for her, Corti went to the Dean of the visual arts department at the college, showed him her theatre portfolio and was told, "You're going to be a graphic designer!" After working around the world for a large corporate hotel company where she was involved in the graphic design and marketing of several successful brands, Corti went out on her own. While it was natural for her to continue in the field of graphic design, it was a desire to improve her own yoga practice that lead Corti to take a certification course and discover the love of teaching that created her second career as a yogi. In addition to leading classes, Corti has now created the website for her yoga studio, continues to design for the hospitality industry among others, has begun fundraising for a charity to benefit relief in Haiti and continues to travel the world. She finds inspiration for each of her fields in the other and here, discusses how good design improves life.

What mediums do you use, which is your favorite?

I mostly use the computer to create, it's a job and a passion. I get excited about crawling out of bed to get a cup of coffee and head to my living room for another beautiful day of web banners, concepts and colors.

What do you seek to achieve with your designs?

Clarity, I seek to take the message that is given to me by my client or collaborator and transform that into words and pictures that are easily understood by anyone. Ideally, the design itself should be transparent. There is only the business, the person, the idea.

How do you accomplish that objective?

Research, research, research. I look at what other people are doing in that category. I read about ideas in that school of thought. I follow the direction of others. I may read a book on yoga, come up with a metaphor and use it as a design direction for whichever client I am working for. Truthfully, it is a game of chance. True clarity can arrive in this moment, but delusion and bad design happen too. Through research, communication and quantity, both designer and client can usually come to a consensus on some design that is acceptable to both.

In your opinion, what makes a good design?

Good content and good ideas. In commercial design, thoughtful brand positioning or clear product definition and well thought connections between that and the design, are crucial to accomplishing an objective.

In interactive design (movement, websites, digital campaigns), user experience is king. Websites have to inform the user within seconds, what the product is, what they can do on that site and multiple options for how they can do it. This is a new art that continues to evolve as our culture becomes more and more web centric. My personal preference is for clarity; Simple sites with white space and freedom to find the few things that interest you and a simple path to those interests.

In artistic design, good design is in the eye of the artist and then secondarily in the eye of the viewer. Each artist has a vision and a desire or passion to create.

What considerations do you use in design? (color, balance, theme...?) How do they create a good design?

I was professionally trained at an art school to consider all of these things in each piece, on each separate page, on every logo and every web banner. Of the main elements, I am most interested in composition. What is the whole picture and how can I direct the viewers eye and therefore tell a story.

Beyond the basic tenets of art is typography. I am passionate about typography. The shape, space, height, size, weight and case play into how the viewer perceives the word that it is written in that font. With the goal of making the actual font invisible, I choose fonts that, in my perception are in line with the basic brand positioning, the idea of the piece and any history associated with the brand or product.

White space. In order to breath, we need space in our lungs and body. In order to move, we need space in our muscles and bones. Our body is a fine tuned balance between matter and space, between stability and movement. All art, including design, mimics life. Good design depends on copying this idea. There has to be a balance of ideas and space for those ideas to move and breathe. Literal white space on the page allows the viewer to consume the concepts and understand the product or services. Without this space, the viewer is suffocated and blasted with too much information which causes a thought process that could result in moving away from said design or struggling through it. Either way, the simple communication of the idea is lost. There is a simple success in giving the viewer the independence to appreciate the ideas in their own terms

How does good design improve life (yours, others, sales/productivity)

Good design communicates and participates in the conversation that we as a human family are constantly evolving. With good communication, we are able to understand each other and our options better and therefore make better decisions. Design is a part of the product or service, seamlessly interweaving so it is not visable but working as part of the greater whole. Good design can make our lives easier by giving us something we need (rubber gripping on kitchen utensils, originally Ozo) or by facilitating communication and creating change (Facebook Groups - Egyptian young people organized their protests by utilizing the design of social media).

Name something else you think is well designed; product, art, ad campaign...etc.

One of the best example for the good design is the Apple IPod. It is clean, easy to use and never gets in the way of letting the owner listen to music. One of the keys here is iTunes, a program that not only allows you to organize your music but also gives you access within the program to purchase music. The design is not in the frills but the transparency, the access directly to the music.

What inspires you? What are your creative outlets?

Love and passion inspire me. Color, typography and space inspire me.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Winter 2011 Newsletter

Winter 2011 Newsletter

(You can always find the latest Newsletter on our site)

Feeding Feathered Friends

By Brendan Banaszak/NPR

Bill Thompson, the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest who wrote the new book Identifying and Feeding Birds, recently came by my urban backyard in Washington, D.C., to make it more bird friendly. "It's the time of year most folks start feeding actively, 'cause we get a lot of the northern birds coming down for the winter, to what they feel is our milder climate," Thompson says. "So it's a great time to ramp up your feeder operation. I think that's what we need to do here in your backyard."

My backyard is actually less than 1/100 of an acre. I have one bird feeder there — a tube feeder, mounted on a pole. Thompson notices a dark coating of black gunk at the bottom. "You wouldn't want to eat something out there, right?" he says. "We often forget that, really, bird feeding, we're doing it for us. We're not responsible for the birds' utter survival. So we need to do it the right way, and the right way is to really give your feeders a regular cleaning." That means a good scrubbing every few weeks to get rid of mold and dirt: You don't want to make the birds sick.

As we chat, two red-tailed hawks circle high above, cruising for a squirrel. And they should have easy pickings: This is prime squirrel country. "It's really hard to squirrel-proof a bird feeder because squirrels are like The Flying Wallendas of the mammal kingdom," Thompson says. We do have a baffle on our feeder pole to keep the squirrels away. We've got gray ones, black ones, hungry, aggressive urban ones. "I mean, literally, I've seen them practically giving each other boosts up," Thompson says. "And one will knock the feeder and flip some seed out, and then they'll switch places."

Thompson pours the seed into the feeder: It's mostly black oil sunflower seed. It has a thin shell, with lots of nutmeat inside. And he's brought a smorgasbord of other bird treats. The key is to put out a mix of bird feed — including black oil sunflower seed — that will attract a variety of birds. He pours peanuts into a wire mesh tube feeder. "Peanuts are a great high-energy, high-fat food for the winter," he says. He's also brought a mix of tiny thistle and Nyjer seeds, which he pours into a long mesh sock.

"This'll be the favorite food and feeder for the gold finches and pine siskins. It's a huge year for pine siskins. We've had 20 at our feeders already," he says. "They're very rowdy and noisy at the feeders. So if you see a bird that's the disruptive kid in the class at the feeders, that's gonna be a pine siskin." He scatters some mixed seed, cracked corn and millet for the ground feeders. Up on the railing of our deck, Thompson sprinkles a crumbly concoction he's mixed up: suet dough made from lard, peanut butter, cornmeal, flour and quick oats. "This is super high-energy food for birds in winter. They love it," he says.

Here are some more bird-friendly suggestions from Thompson: First, don't overtidy your yard. Also, ditch the lawn-care company if you're trying to protect birds. "If they're down in your beautifully dew-covered and also chemically treated lawn grabbing an insect and taking it back to the featherless nestlings to feed them, sometimes those chemicals can transfer right to the young and they can't handle it," he says. "It can be pretty toxic."

One last thing: Keep Fluffy indoors. "Cats kill millions if not billions of birds every year. Cats are this superpredator that we've put in artificially in our backyards," he says. "And they roam around and create havoc." We don't want havoc. We want birds.

The sad truth is that it took less than two hours for the squirrels to rip the thistle feeder out of the tree and gnaw a hole in the sack. It took two days for them to knock the peanut feeder off its hook. They chewed the green plastic base beyond recognition. But we have had a steady flurry of bird visitors: chickadees, juncos, titmice, cardinals, song sparrows — and my favorite, Carolina wrens. I'm still waiting for the pine siskins that Thompson promised.

Favorite Recipe:

Suet Dough Bird Feed Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup melted lard

1 cup peanut butter

2 cups quick oats

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions: Melt lard and peanut butter together in the microwave or on a low burner. Remove from heat and combine with dry ingredients. When cool, store in jars; no refrigeration needed. Offer crumbled in an open dish or packed into a suet log.

Winter is a great time to enjoy watching birds at the feeder

Seasonal Tasks - Tips To Attract Birds

  • Provide cover, seed and suet to attract a variety of birds.
  • Place your christmas tree near the birdfeeders to provide cover from predators.
  • Fill onion bags with chuncks of suet and hang outdoors for insectivores.
  • Thread raisins or cranberrries onto waxed dental floss and hang for birds.
  • Hang bundles of dried corn, sunflowers, wheat and millet for an attractive feeder.
  • Additional information can be found on Our Blog and weekly tips on Facebook
  • Wednesday, February 9, 2011

    2011 Bucks Beautiful Garden & Home Show

    Join Sharon Shaw of Martin Shaw LLC as Chairperson of the
    2001 Bucks Beautiful Garden & Home Show at Delaware
    Valley College in Doylestown, PA. Kent Russell and
    Mike McGrath are featured speakers at this years show!
    Garden & Home Show

    Register

    Friday, March 18th: Special Preview Night
    5:00PM TO 8:00PM
    Wine & Hors D’oeuvres; $20 ticket

    • Beautiful displays!
    • Over 70 exhibitors featuring the latest products and services for gardeners and home!
    • All your gardening questions answered at the Penn State Cooperative Extension booth.

    SEMINAR SERIES
    Saturday, March 19th

    11:00AM TO NOON: KENT RUSSELL – CANDY IN THE GARDEN
    Kent Russell will share many stories about his recent garden adventures, as well as preview a wide assortment of new, unusual and interesting plant specimens sure to provide eye-catching drama in any garden setting. His plant selection will include an array of annuals, perennials, tropical plants, and shrubs.

    Kent Russell, former host of the Lehigh Valley PBS garden segment, “The Garden Guru,” is a Bucks County native. He is a well sought after speaker and named “Preferred Speaker by The Garden Club of America.”

    1:00PM TO 2:00PM: JOSEPH PHILLIPS AIA – IMPROVE YOUR HOME'S EFFICIENCY
    You are probably paying more than you should to operate your home. Over 40% of our national energy consumption comes from our homes and offices. If you think of your home as an energy-saving, eco-friendly organism and not just an object to live in, you can identify ways to save energy and reduce your impact on the environment. “A Home Efficiency Checkup” will help you to save money, save the environment and save your family’s health.

    H. Joseph Phillips AIA is a partner in the architectural firm of George J. Donovan AIA & Associates. Mr. Phillips has been practicing architecture for 25 years. In addition to being an architect, he is a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Accredited Professional, Certified Sustainable Building Advisor and a Home Efficiency Consultant.

    Sunday, March 20th
    11:00AM TO NOON: ED MOLESKY – BACKYARD PONDS - SIX SIMPLE STEPS TO SUCCESS
    Embarrassed to show anyone your pond? Too many sleepless nights pondering over pond problems? Thoughts of backfilling your pond? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions—this talk is for you! Learn about pond ecology and how to improve the appearance and ecological health of your pond. Talk includes information about water testing, water fountains, pond aerators, use of aquatic pesticides, fish stockings, and much, much more.

    Ed Molesky received his B.S Degree in Biology and M.S. Degree in Environmental Pollution Control from The Pennsylvania State University and is the President of Aqua Link, Inc. and Hydro Logic Products.

    1:00PM TO 2:00PM: MIKE MCGRATH – SEVEN SECRETS OF ORGANIC GARDENERS
    Want to grow twice as much in half the space—in half the time? It’s easy when you learn the time-saving and pest-controlling secrets that successful organic gardeners have developed over many years. These techniques will greatly increase your chance of success while dramatically decreasing the amount of work you have to do.

    Former long-time Editor-in-Chief of ORGANIC GARDENING magazine, Mike McGrath is host of the nationally syndicated Public Radio show, “You Bet Your Garden,” heard locally Saturday mornings at 11 on WHYY-FM.

    SUNDAY, MARCH 20TH
    11:00AM TO 2:00PM: BUCKS COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS –
    GARDENING WITH KIDS FREE WORKSHOP
    This popular hands-on workshop encourages children between the ages of four to ten to ‘drop-in’ and join the Bucks County Master Gardeners as they experience a variety of gardening activities. Workstations will be set up encouraging children to learn the fun of gardening. Each child will be able to take home their finished project! The Gardening with Kids workshop is free and located in the Bucks Mont Party Rental Tent.


    REGISTER TODAY—SPACE IS LIMITED!
    CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM
    All this and more will be awaiting you at the 20th Annual
    Bucks Beautiful Garden & Home Show.

    The cost to view the exhibit area is $10 per person,
    children 12 and under are free. The cost for each seminar is $10 pre-sale;
    $15 at the door per person; includes ticket to exhibit area.
    Pre-sale seminar ticket price valid by mail until March 11, 2011.
    For more information, please contact the Bucks Beautiful
    Program Administrator at 215-348-3913 ext. 114
    or email: debbie@centralbuckschamber.com

    Bucks Beautiful is a 501(c)(3) program of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce.
    Any proceeds from this event will benefit the Bucks Beautiful Scholarship and Garden Grant programs.


    Sponsors
    Addison Wolfe Real Estate
    Bucks-Mont Party Centre, Inc.
    PECO Energy Co.
    Penn Color, Inc.

    Donors
    Carter van Dyke & Associates
    Silverman Family Partnerships, Inc.

    Benefactors of the Bucks Beautiful program are:
    Founders: Robert & Joyce Byers
    Founding Patrons: Byers’ Choice Ltd. • John & Carol McCaughan
    Major Patron: National Penn
    Web Site Sponsor: Voicenet, Inc. Web Site Design Sponsor: Crazyfish Designs

    BUCKS BEAUTIFUL
    Bailiwick, Suite 23
    252 W. Swamp Road (Rt. 313) Doylestown, PA 18901

    215.348.3913 • bucksbeautiful.com