http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress Robert's Blog Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:35:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 en hourly 1 http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=75 http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=75#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:42:59 +0000 admin http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=75 Social Networking: The broadsheet morphs into the Dick Tracy Watch September 24th, 2009 When I was a kid, the newspapers (see below, “A Ritual of Pleasure” for an explanation of what a newspaper is) had a full-color section filled with comics. One particularly quaint strip, Dick Tracy, was created way back in the 1930s when my dad probably read it in his father’s paper each weekend. Mr. Tracy had a very cool watch that was actually a two-way radio. This watch allowed him to communicate with others at a moment’s notice and played a crucial role in solving heaps of crimes. It’s hard to imagine now, but at the time the strip was created, the “magic watch” was as far-out a sci-fi concept as time travel still is today. Speaking of time travel, fast-forward a couple of decades to the “top-secret development labs” at America Online in the early 21st century. ]]> http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=75 1 http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=59 http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=59#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:33:31 +0000 admin http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=59 Is graphic design a craft or is it art? July 10th, 2009 The distinction between "art" and "craft" is a huge topic – and has been endlessly argued - but I’m thinking in particular about graphic design here, and more specifically, commercial graphic design: Is the work that designers, illustrators, photographers, and art directors create for Web and print craft, or is it art? I’ve worked in many art departments, and with dozens of talented graphic designers. In my experience, some designers can cross over into a mindset where they begin to look upon their work as art – not as craft-work in support of a story or promotion. This leads to friction (to put it mildly) between the designer and the editor and/or marketing person when modifications are requested. ]]> http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=59 0 http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=37 http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=37#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:10:55 +0000 admin http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?p=37 Gauguin, “Noa Noa”, and the art bolg April 30th, 2009 Upon arrival in Papeete Tahiti in June 1891, the artist Paul Gauguin began a modest diary. His original intention was simply to record a personal memento of his impressions and experiences while on the tropical paradise. Soon the diary grew into a commentary on the process and meaning of his art – a manifesto of the primitive vs. the bourgeois, and an opportunity to promote himself and his work back in Europe. ]]> http://www.rrcreative.com/wordpress/?feed=rss2&p=37 4