A Glimpse Inside The Mind of a Graphic Designer

Why I Love Paper

The name paper derives from papyrus, the material used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. For thousands of years, hand-made methods dominated and then, during the 19th century, paper production became industrialized.

I remember the first time I found myself lost in the tactile experience of “feeling” paper. As a junior in High School I attended a summer program at Parsons School of Art and Design, one of our trips was touring the Mohawk Paper Mills, I had no idea how involved the paper making process was, I was in awe. Later as a graphic design student at Pratt I spent countless hours at the local art store Jake's choosing the paper my next assignment would be created on, considering the texture and color to reflect my ideas.

When I began in this field designers’ tools were the visual ideas in our heads both waking and dreaming. The skill was using the tools you had at your disposal to make the concept come to life. I owned hundreds of colored markers in ultra fine to bold tipped, the smell of which gave anyone within a 500-foot vicinity a nice little high. And my studio shelves was filled with paper stock sample books.

Even today whenever I pass a great paper store in Manhattan I feel giddy and have to check it out. I promise my husband I will just be 5 minutes and somehow an hour later I’m still mesmerized feeling the paper stock and inspired by all the papermaking and printing techniques, both old and new.

And now, we stare at a computer we think inside a box, we have no tactile experience that comes with our concepts. I’m the first to admit that my apple is an amazing and invaluable tool and no I wouldn’t go back, but what have we all lost! According to an article from Mohawk Paper titled Print as Urban Legend “Print gives us what all too often electronic media lacks – that feeling of the human spirit, permanence, honesty and quality”

Now more than ever a beautifully designed and professionally printed piece, with its tactile characteristics makes a positive impact on whoever receives it.

So what do you think?

Ann Byne, Principal/Creative Director

The Magic of Powerful Branding:

What we can all learn from Walt Disney

In this economy we could all use a little bit of magic. And who better to teach us than the master of successful branding, Walt Disney.

I often talk about the importance of finding and then telling one story from many in order to inspire and engage clients. Walt Disney intuitively understood this. He was a master story teller who touched old and young and knew how to coordinate the Disney brand across all mediums; tv, movies, books, and ultimately theme parks.

I remember the first time our family visited Disneyworld over 30 years ago. Our son was 5 and it was our first real family vacation. All you have to know about a powerful brand was revealed as we first walked into the park and saw “The Castle” ahead of us. It was a transforming experience that become a happy obsession for our son. He now shares it with his 22 month old daughter who points to a picture on her sippy cup and gleefully and loudly announces “Mick Mou” as if she is seeing a favorite friend.

In an article in Harvard Business publishing, John Sviokla writes “As companies try to get their voice "out" in the overcrowded, fragmented, 24x7, blog-filled, multi-dialog, Mad Money Cramer kind of world of 2009, executives need to think carefully about their core stories to customers…..We can draw wisdom from Walt Disney, who understood the multi-media, multi-channel, multi-experience world four score years before the rest of us”

Some of the core branding principles John shares in his article:
1. Know the story is king.
Humans like to read about humans and whether you are selling CAT scanners, or auto insurance, every message must have a story that resonates with the human condition at its core.
2. Coordinate the message across the media.
In today's fragmented world, executives must reinforce key messages by having multiple, consistent, coordinated touch points for the same idea.
3. Have the courage to innovate.
Walt Disney initially funded portions of Disneyland out of his own pocket, and then sold them back to the corporation because they did not want to take the first risks. Be braver.
4. Stay on message.
With Disney, you only had to see the Castle to conjure up the entire set of thoughts and dreams.

Ann Byne, Creative Director/Principal
The Byne Group