Comments on: An Exercise on Bullshit

By: indi

indi — Thu, 12 May 2005 12:44:35 +0000

I would make something with a paintbrush that just finished painting the word ‘artist’. They are selling paint supplies. Splatter looks crazy.

Maybe a bloody and severed ear would be good.

By: Mahangu

Mahangu — Thu, 12 May 2005 12:53:43 +0000

The Bullshit

The logo is based on chaos. There is no end or beginning to a spiral, just a continuum. For years, the spiral has been a symbol of total, unchecked creativity that can’t be quite defined.

The non-linear format makes it very clear that there is nothing ordinary or normal about the products you offer. It’s not about sticking to rules, it’s about breaking them, right?

The type face is nice warm and free flowing, symbolising the mind of the mad artist. There is no convention here - just free thought.

The orange, as well as contrasting brilliantly with the black, shows that the mad artist is not afraid to be bold, and stand out. At the same time, the little dash of black shows that there is indeed, a slight method to the madness.

- end -

Well that’s about all I could think up. It’s been a long day and I’m sleepy. Good luck with the Design Block.

By: Lohan Gunaweera

Lohan Gunaweera — Thu, 12 May 2005 12:56:33 +0000

I like the shell. It reminds me of the snails by Henri Mattisse. It is not similar to his work because it’s a collage. Most “Mad artists” who are coming to the paint shop will definitely know the old fellow and his snail.

I like it. One of the best logos I’ve seen recently.

By: deshan

deshan — Thu, 12 May 2005 13:13:43 +0000

indi’s got a good idea there.
rotate shell through 90 degrees clockwise so it resembles ear. leave colour as is.
align so that text aligns to the left of the central whorl.
you’ve just made it look like an ear but not said anything about it.
if you space ‘mad’ and ‘artist’ you can hint at eyes.
consider changing font. your logo seems to thrive on contrast (orange/black), why not apply to type as well - maybe a sharp serif to contrast with rounded shell?
tell client you have Re-visualised. Good luck.
also remember the real reason your client hates this is becasue the shell line thickness is not uniform ; )

By: OldBoy

OldBoy — Thu, 12 May 2005 15:54:36 +0000

Noly the bulshit, right ?

The Bullshit:

Artists are people who identify madness in art & art in madness. Two spirals on logo (orange spiral & white spiral) are bound together, each spiral resembling artist & madness. Actually only an artist notices that there are two spirals on logo.

Obviously, that’s a kind of limitation. Since non-artists (in sales division) will be using this on letter heads. The designer decides to print words “MAD ARTIST”, in orange & black, in real big letters, with a clear colour contrast between “mad” and “artist”, So sales guys get it.

….. best! ;)

By: Prabhath

Prabhath — Fri, 13 May 2005 03:08:33 +0000

Wow. You guys make me feel such an amateur. Some of the bullshit above is world class.

the little dash of black shows that there is indeed, a slight method to the madness.

Those are the words of a guy who bullshits to make a living.

Maybe a bloody and severed ear would be good.

Scarey, but very, very creative.

Actually only an artist notices that there are two spirals on logo.

Dude, I drew it and I didn't see two. What are those japanese feeding you?

By: Dulan

Dulan — Fri, 13 May 2005 04:06:11 +0000

Inspiration, my friend - inspiration.

Relax. Walk around. Do something totally unrelated - it generally clears the bottleneck (or at least relocates it to some other part of your creativity).

But of course, one man’s cure is another’s poison.

So all I can say is that you need to get some fresh air. Or maybe just need to stand by the beach and be buffeted by the salty breeze… and the train, if you’re standing too close to the tracks.

Sometimes, too much focus can point you in the wrong direction…

By: Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle — Tue, 17 May 2005 17:34:29 +0000

Smoke weed dude, lots of weed. Then have a breakdown and flee to South Africa.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 18 May 2005 02:47:03 +0000

I’d get rid of the spiral altogether. Spirals like that are way too overused in logos. Take Debian’s logo, for example, which is far too similar and instantly recognisable to anybody who uses Debian:

http://www.debian.org

By: Nidahas » Flow with the Design

Nidahas » Flow with the Design — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 03:21:51 +0000

[…] sess. If only I could finish this print design. Perhaps I should put more effort in to the bullshit which I’ve already applied in […]

By: betta

betta — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:37:47 +0000

i think the concept is good. you don’t need to get rid of the spiral. everything is overused anyway so don’t worry.

maybe just make it more ‘MAD’ … get loose with it. i like the paint spatter idea. think about your art school days when you enjoyed experimenting.

the spiral is good but too contrived maybe… experiment with its depth and structure… try some negative colours as white can be too ‘clean’…

i hate artists block. your’e not alone.

good luck and thanks for sharing.

By: Prabhath

Prabhath — Fri, 22 Jul 2005 05:00:03 +0000

Wanted to mention this but forgot.

What is with the current profusion of spiral logotypes of late? Are they being derived from the constant spin control that internet speed companies have to put on their insane valuations? Or is it symbolizing the way technology drains away our time from family and the more important things in life?

Nice…