Ahhhh, can you smell it? No, not the stale champagne still sitting on the coffee table from New Year’s Eve. No, I’m talking about the bright-shiny-and-new aroma of a new year. Full of promise and possibility. It’s exhilarating.

Seeing as it is “that time of the year,” there’s no time like the present for making resolutions, and that includes making better design decisions. Well, pull out some Post-its, ‘cause I’ve got some suggestions for you.

Without further ado, I present to you my list of design resolutions for 2010:

Get out of your comfort zone. We all get into ruts. After all, if something has been successful before, why wouldn’t it work again? Well, consider this a dare to expand your horizons. Whether it’s finding some new typefaces to substitute in for your old standbys, or exploring new color combinations, don’t just settle for the familiar. Sure, some of your experiments won’t work, but you’re bound to be inspired in the process.

Go back to school. Okay, I don’t mean literally re-enroll in college, but try to set aside some time to catch yourself up on the programs and software you use frequently. Even if you consider yourself an expert, there are constantly new releases, editions, and updates being released, which usually come with some cool new tricks and shortcuts. For nearly every program in existence, there are solutions that can help make your daily tasks much easier and more efficient.

Learn a new language. Again, I’m not talking about taking up Italian. With each passing year, the excuses are dwindling for a designer to not have at least a basic knowledge of web programming. In fact, I can’t think of a single one. So in 2010, make it a priority to “get with the program(ming)” (excuse the pun). Total beginner? Start with HTML and CSS. It’ll help you seriously understand how a web design goes from paper (or Photoshop) to a fully functioning website. If you’ve already got some knowledge under your belt, I’m sure you can easily identify an area you would like to understand more. Don’t get frustrated if it seems overwhelming (and it is), every little bit helps.

Easy, right? Remember, you’re much more likely to be successful if you take baby steps towards change. This can, and should, be a slow process. Don’t feel pressure to totally change the way you work overnight. In fact, as with all resolutions, these things are meant to help make a better you, so don’t forget to stay true to yourself. If you can’t imagine giving up your favorite font, don’t. Just try to add in others here and there.

As for me? I’ll be attempting to learn the basics of PHP and expanding my typeface repertoire. And working in some WordPress tutorials. Just don’t expect me to give up Avenir, ‘cause that ain’t happening.

When I meet new friends and tell them I work in a creative field, they often respond with a frightened look and say something like, “Oh, I could never do what you do. I’m just not creative.”

Sometimes our clients seem intimidated by the design process as well. They often say things like, “Have your designers work their magic on this.” More often than not, these good folks are a little misinformed about what we do. But we designers are partly to blame for the misinformation. We’ve allowed a kind of mythology to enshroud our profession, implying that what we do is akin to graphic design alchemy.

Here’s how the mythological perception about designers might present itself:

Client: (sheepishly) “I want a website. Here is my entire budget.”

Designer:  “Yes, this will do…give me two months.”

Immediately the designer (in reality..a prophet) retires to his fortress of contemplative solitude for an undetermined period of time. After consulting with his muse (i.e. two mojitos), he sacrifices a small animal and receives a vision or “thumbnail sketch” from the ancestors. He then summons fire from on high in the form of html code and forges a home page from his own sweat and the tears of children everywhere. Behold, a new website is born.

In reality our approach is much less dramatic, and much more strategic. First, we determine to whom we’re speaking and what we need to say. Then we simplify the message and find a way to speak it clearly. This all comes from listening to the goals and objectives our client outlined at the outset of the project.

Now, we do want to make our design stand out from the competition, and I’ll allow that some inspiration comes into play at this point. Simply by observing, analyzing and learning over time, the graphic designer has amassed a cerebral library of fonts, compositional techniques, photographic and textural treatments, and other such devices which he/she will employ to make the site visually unique and completely functional. Once the design is complete, it’s translated into code and brought to life. The content and the functionality support each other, resulting in a successful, effective website.

A successful, effective website…and not once did we use pixie dust.

It’s a tricky thing, being a designer.

It’s glamorous at first: your friends brag about your talents, and everyone wants you to design something for them, from websites to Christmas cards to designing the invitations for your second cousin’s nephew’s third birthday party. At first, you’re more than happy to help. After all, you consider it your duty to rid the world of as many uses of Comic Sans as possible.

But after a while, the glitter and sequins start to fall off. You begin to realize that you’re spending more time doing “favors” (which let’s admit it, “favor” equals “free”) and less time doing things you really need to do, like mowing the lawn or doing the laundry. And you start to resent your friends and family for cornering you into another full time job because you just can’t say no.

And here is where it gets tricky: A big part of you wants to institute a “no design for free” policy, but then your best friend spends four hours toiling away in …Microsoft Publisher… (shudder) trying to make a newsletter for her church because she doesn’t want to inconvenience you.

That’s when the guilt sets in. The little birdie on your shoulder tells you that you really should help them out, since you have the tools, it would only take you 30 minutes, and then you and your friend could go out for a drink with all the time you’ve helped save. You start to wonder if you’re acting selfish by saying no?

Like I said, it’s tricky.

Now I don’t mean to sound as if I don’t appreciate my friends or my design knowledge. I love what I do, and I enjoy creating beautiful things for my loved ones. I realize not everyone has the ability to do what I do, and I am happy to lend my “talent” to those who might benefit. I only wish more people would recognize that graphic design is a valuable skill, just like being a plumber or a pest-control specialist. And just like you would offer something small in return to a neighbor who fixes your sink or a sister’s boyfriend who gets rid of the moles in your yard, maybe, just maybe, you could offer a token of thanks to your friend the designer as well.

Or, even better, you could use your designer friend’s employer for your design project and make the whole thing legit. You’ll benefit from having a whole team of people thinking about your project, and you’ll get your designer’s clear, focused attention (trust me, I do much better design at my desk, surrounded by fellow creatives, than at 11:30 at night in front of Conan.) Yes, this option involves a little more moolah, but your designer friend will love you forever. Yes, for-ev-errrrr (bonus points for anyone that gets that reference!)

Either way, everyone loves homemade cookies. Just sayin’.

How about a little inspiration?

Try this site: http://design-milk.com

It’s a wonderful reminder of just how far and wide the world of design stretches.  From paintings to pillows and houses to housewares, thoughtful, interesting and intriguing design can touch every aspect of our lives.

Enjoy.

Trend alert: Recycling is the new black. Our consumer culture has finally latched onto the idea that reusing things is just as cool as starting from scratch. Besides the obvious applications of recycling goods and natural resources, the mindset of reuse can be seen throughout popular culture, from the popularity of vintage resale shops to movie remakes. It’s even becoming popular in branding.

Earlier this year, Julie, who sits across the room from me, started stalking grocery stores after she found out that Pepsi was coming out with a “throwback” edition, made with real sugar, just like it was 50 years ago. (FYI, Julie and high-fructose corn syrup are not friends.)

Not only is the formula a blast from the past, Pepsi dug up an old version of their logo from the 1940s to use in the packaging.

A few months ago, while wandering through the grocery store, I came across a whole shelf full of cereal that looked like Doc brought it back in the Delorean from 1955. Through extensive scientific investigation (a.k.a. Google), I found out that General Mills recently rolled out the vintage-style boxes for their major brands, in stores like Target and Walmart.

It’s not just food either. At the end of June, the Philadelphia 76ers took the trend even further, announcing that they were permanently getting rid of their current logo in favor of an old-school version from the 1970s. All signs point to this move being long term, as hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise with the “new” old logo have been produced.

So what the heck is going on?  Why are companies suddenly stopping the forward progress of their brands in favor of bringing back the old?

The biggest part of this throwback trend seems to be about nostalgia. To older generations, seeing brand imagery from the past takes them back to the “glory days” and can easily reignite a waning love for an old favorite brand. In reference to the trend, Los Angeles-based marketing consultant Dennis Keene recently said, “Old logos can engender a brand’s story and history, and spark or rekindle an emotional bond.”

But it works for younger generations too, who don’t necessarily remember seeing that same Lucky Charms box on the shelf 40 years ago. Ana Maria Irazabal, Pepsi’s U.S. brand marketing director, said, “We know Millennials are craving this content. What happened in the past is not old, it’s considered new because they haven’t seen it before.” Undoubtedly, some of the appeal to the younger crowd is also due to the fact that vintage often equals trendy. As evidenced by tweens craving tees featuring 60s bands they’ve never heard of, vintage branding works on them, too.

Finally, it probably has to do with timing. As news about the global economy continues to suffer, there is definite appeal in foregoing the present for the past. When you really think about it, it makes a lot of sense to go retro right now – brands get a “new” image, without investing time and money to get a new brand, and consumers respond because it’s easier to reminisce on the good ole days instead of focusing on the present doom and gloom.

Ultimately, I think we’ll see this trend start to fade over the next several months, as the economy rebounds and companies have more dollars to invest in flashy rebranding strategies. But it’s definitely going to be fun while it lasts! For some more retro eye candy, check out the following links: mayonnaise, candy, sports teams, more cereal, even Good Housekeeping!

I’ll leave you with a glimpse into our own brand history. Which logo is your favorite?