Lecture | Jack Gernsheimer

I never imagined logo design to be such an intricate process until hearing Mr. Gernsheimer speak on behalf of his own creations. To have something as basic as a circle manifest into a company's identity is quite stunning. You would never of thought how much work is put behind that Pepsi Logo, or even something as simple as the Target bullseye. The designer, on the other hand works through countless sketches, conceptualizing and re conceptualizing before an ultimate identity is born. In his lecture, Mr. Gernsheimer spoke of ten key elements to a successful logo -- of those which include: distinction, relevance, versatility, and sophistication. As a beginning designer, I find those four elements very crucial in my own process of design. I ask myself every time I look at my sketches-- "How original is this idea"? "How far can it expand-- will it last in different mediums, with a diversity of audiences?" And lastly, how clean, and polished is it?" Although there are numerous of other important components to design, I find these very pertinent to me.

Looking back at the resume and poster projects (not so far in history, I know), I remember going through quite a few misfits before settling with my own idea. It is often hard to come up with something so raw and originally brilliant. I mean, look around. The 21st century has been inundated with various assortments of iconic images, deviant art, and other creative lavishings that fall in-between. Now, where does my work stand (or how can it, is the better question). After encountering many brick walls with this question, I realized that no one miraculously wakes up with an one of a kind idea. Originality is what you make it-- whether by looking at other great designs, piecing together what you know and what you learned, or simply expounding on the ideas of others, it in itself is a work in progress. The process, of course, is a long one that requires much patience not to mention willingness to accept whats already been found. In Mr. Gernsheimer's speech, we saw various logos that resonated works of previous designers and yet were very effective with or without it predecessor (the two German agencies with the dolphin icons, and "CN/ CNN"). Personally, I am quite fearful of "authenticity", I love it and hate it at the same time. I want my work to be untraceable and uniquely overt but then again who doesn't?!

Other areas of struggles I find myself having is the ability to be flexible in my designs. Can I produce something that appeals to not only a niche, but a variety of audiences at multiple mediums? Sometimes, I even have to ask myself-- who is the audience I'm making this design for. Often times I get carried away at the sole purpose of designing, I forget to think about the relevancy to whatever it is I am doing. Mr. Gernsheimer showed multiple layouts of his logos, some of which the client's opinion favored over his own. Many of his earlier sketches changed over time as he revisited the company's ultimate proposal (what they do and who they are targeting). I understand right now, my work is limited to specific groups (professors, peers, classmates) for critique, however I believe for something to suffice, it needs to appeal to not only a university-bound setting, where everyone has (hopefully) been trained to appreciate good design, but to multiple venues outside of the Newhouse community. I believe the only way to make that happen is to be involved in projects outside the academic setting and have my work seen by the everyday layman so to speak. With that said, does anyone need a designer? :)