Some Fresh Faces

June 10, 2004 | View Comments (10) | Category: Our Thoughts

Summary: Sharing some of my favorite designers that might not be as well-known as I would like them to be.

I thought it would be nice to recognize some of the lesser known designers in our community that probably don't get as much attention as they deserve. When we speak of design we usually hear about the usual suspects (Bowman, Inman, Shea, Didier (haha, first name only my friend)...blah, blah, blah), but what about the ones who tend to go slightly unnoticed? Not everyone chooses to speak as loudly as me ;-) and therefore doesn't always get to be heard or seen. Today I share some of my little known favorites.

Sam Royama

Alright Sam, last time I talk about you this week. I promise. In any case I don't know how “popular” he is so to speak, but I never really see him mentioned anywhere. His thoughts on design are refreshing and really open your eyes for people trying to break into the field. Even though he doesn't like his liquid layout it really is one of the best I have seen.

Eris Free

If anyone was to be considered a raw talent she would be it. I have been fortunate to work on some small projects with her and the designs she spits out in only a couple of hours boggles the mind. And if you are looking for honesty and a real human voice in a blog, then look no further than her site.

Mike Rundle

You might know him as the Phark Image Replacement guy. Heh, before we teamed up that's what I called him. In any case most people haven't had the chance to witness most of his work because it is behind the scenes, but once you do, it is hard to deny the fact that he has talent. Also has a strange fascination with the color red and the typeface Interstate, but I can forgive him for that.

Jeff Croft

He is a happy color sort of guy. Also loves to play poker. Wish he would write more about design because when he does it usually is an enjoyable read.

This is by no means an exhaustive list and yes it is one of those pat the designer on the back type things. Some people earn it. If I didn't mention you, and seeing how there are only 4 people here it probably means I didn't, take no offence. These were just the ones that stuck out in my mind.

Anybody you would like to share that probably isn't that well-known (besides yourself)? What makes them special?

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Comments

#1

Thanks so much, Scrivs! I really should write more about design. Truth is, someone always seems to have already said whatever it is I have to say (and many times, it's YOU that's beaten me to the punch!). :)

I will try to feature more design writing though. I'm also working on a redesign, although it could be ages before it actually sees the light of day.

Thanks again!

Jeff

Jeff Croft (http://jeffcroft.com)

#2

Hey well Jeff i figured you deserved a nod so I ummm, nodded :-)

In any case, are we in this much trouble where some fresh faces can't even be recognized? Can no one think of some people? This is a tad bit disconcerting.

Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)

#3

Okay I didn't mean trouble, trouble, just wondering where I can find the hot new talent. Maybe this year's talent has already been recognized.

In any case another gem. Again a guy who I wish would write more often:

Kevin Davis

Scrivs (http://businesslogs.com)

#4

Andy Clarke gets my vote. Does some great work, writes about it, and freely shares some of his techniques for design and business...

feather (http://www.boxofchocolates.ca)

#5

Good choice Scrivs. I have some which are not strictly designer's sites but ...

My first ever Google for "web design" found Web Page Design for Designers and it is still one of my favourites. Great content, typography, layout, use of colour, use of animation. Superb, imho.

I only discovered The Thinking Woman's Diary last month and it has great content, great use of graphics and a very nice design.

For graphics lovers, I just found this one by Max Riffner and Sidulus is not bad, although currently very slow to load.

Peter (http://www.01010.org/)

#6

Scrivs, thanks for the heads up to these great voices. I look forward to reading there work.

dru (http://www.drusellers.com)

#7

Hey not too bad there. One guy I've enjoyed talking to about CSS and Design is Keran McKenzie - I don't know if he has a personal site that's his company one. He also runs http://www.studiowhiz.com/ a good forum that.

I just like the way he simply uses this technology without a song and dance. His latest work on High Impact is nice, clean, simple and fresh.

David (http://www.3m.com)

#8

Peter, I hope my page isn't quite as slow now... I moved the images to an "experiments" page, since I realized that all of them were more than 100,000 bytes in size! Oh, and you really shouldn't have linked me. Really.

As for other sites, I've seen three quite extraordinary onse. Solipsistic, Andy McCulloch's Branchleft, and Radley Smith's Yay for Gecko.
Solipsistic is a tad confusing; Branchleft has wonderful subtle shadows and a design that feels a little Art-Deco-ey; and Yay for Gecko is just plain clean.

Hans (http://sidulus.textdrive.com)

#9

Also worth checking out is Kevin Potts' Graphic Push. I've found that it's not updated as much as I would like, but the posts are worth reading. he has a neat way of explaining things through analogies that I enjoy.

Kevin (http://www.infinitewebdesign.com/mt/)

#10

I'd have to say that I agree with the vote for Andy Clarke. I've been enjoying his blog quite a bit, lately.

Ryan Brill (http://www.ryanbrill.com/)

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