Graphic Design:
Learning from the Masters
New sessions coming this summer!
This 10-week online class is a combination of history and practice—a study of 10 "masters" who have influenced graphic design practice and teaching. The course is composed of high quality videos, of lectures, demos, and assignment briefs relating to the subjects. The asynchronous content is supported by optional weekly Zoom meetings dedicated to critiques and discussions.
The assignments introduce students to a variety of useful skills for doing graphic design, both digital (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign) and hand-made techniques (collage, letterform drawing). The products of the assignments include: abstract type compositions; stop-motion animations; posters for exhibitions, activism/protest, opera, and travel; experiments with logo design; grid-based page layout; catalog design.
Above: Selected work by students in the Fall 2022 class, showing the diversity of assignments.
Morgan Stanley
Color Exploration
Evolution of a corporate color system
In 2023 I was commissioned by Morgan Stanley to explore ways of updating the company’s existing color palette. The goals of this theoretical exploration: 1) expand the company’s existing color system while maintaining its essence; 2) create a standard set of color pairings to help unify the ways colors are combined; and 3) ensure ADA compliance in the use of color throughout the company’s visual communication products.
The expanded color system we developed consists of: 5-color monochromatic ramps of the original and new colors, 2- and 3-color pairings made with the primary brand color and colors from the expanded system. The colors are labeled with hex codes and WCAG values.
We delivered a deck showing the color ramps and color pairings on white and black backgrounds, along with examples of typography and information graphics shown in ADA compliant color combinations from the expanded system.
Color Workshop:
Exploration & Application
An online course at Domestika.org
Explore the captivating world of color design in this online course at domestika.org.
Students embark on a creative journey where they gain a deep understanding of color theory. They are introduced to the timeless books by Itten and Albers, setting the foundation for your exploration. Through hands-on exercises and sketches, you'll experiment with color subtraction, learn techniques to create the illusion of transparency, and uncover the power of visual compositions.
Review by a Domestika student:
This is a great course to explore the fascinating subject of the interaction of colours. Richard demonstrates fantastic ways to build out these colour studies both with paper and digitally, giving tips that will save you a lot of time and frustration. His enthusiasm is infectious and you will learn in this course!