I had never heard the term white habitus before Pastor/sociologist Oneya Okuwobi introduced me to the idea this past Sunday at church. I was telling her about my theory that company brands are modern-day receptionists. Like a receptionist, as Don Draper advises in Mad Men, a brand's job is to “manage people's expectations” (Weiner and Cleveland, 2008)…
Read MoreThat an answer I hear most from design students when they describe their target audience. The problem with that answer is that it’s incredibly vague and unhelpful. For instance, I’m a millennial, and I’m 35 years old. I’m also a professional designer, adjunct professor, and working towards a master’s degree. More than my work, I hope to be a decent husband to my wife, pay attention to what’s spiritual, and nurture lifelong friendships.
Read MoreI wanted to wrestle because I discovered that my dad was a wrestler. My dad is a bit of a black box, so when I learned that he wrestled, I joined the wrestling team. There’s probably some psychological explanation for my decision. My hunch is that I wanted to connect with my dad (especially after I quit baseball). But, this isn’t about why I started to wrestle, it’s about quitting.
Read MoreHow can I ask my students to do something (write a code of ethics) that I hadn't done myself? That question led me to my first take on a code of ethics that is written below. I decided to keep my set simple. It's three points. They're each inspired by Jesus' temptations by the Devil in the desert. Before you discount that source, think about it. It doesn't matter whether or not you believe in the carpenter.
Read MoreThis month, Katie Parker, a fellow DAAP professor, asked me to share with her Professional Practices class what it's like running an independent design business. I took the opportunity to share the practical, non-sexy, advice I wish someone gave me before I started my business.
Read MoreAs a teacher, I am grateful to play a role in preparing design students to tackle problems differently, today and in the future. I'm noticing that the biggest hindrance to that kind of creativity is an inability to design with the whole body: the head, the heart, and the gut. I know this well because I'm not so good at it either. Here's my basic understanding of each of the parts and what it means to design from each.
Read MoreJuly was full and enjoyable. It kicked off with the studio’s summer vacation in the Pacific Northwest, mostly walking in the mountains, and substantial time with family and close friends. Now we’re back in action and grateful for several things we had a hand in during July.
Read MoreI wrote the following note to someone I'm working with on a brand identity project. It feels worth sharing more broadly as it sums up Trischler Design Co.'s worldview on logo design and more generally the brand identity system.
Read MoreI intended to write a post dedicated to how much I cringe when designers use the “E” word (empathy) and argue that what we designers really need is humility. Then I was humbled and rethought my approach. Instead, I’ll talk about what I learned from being humbled.
Read MoreWhat did we learn this week?
Read MoreWhat we've been looking at this week.
Read MoreWhat we've been looking at this week.
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