The Second Rule of RGD

Responsibilities to the Profession and Other Members/Designers

Moving forward through the list of rules, part two focuses on the profession of design as a whole. Designers often find themselves collaborating and outsourcing and freelancing to achieve their goals. It is important to maintain relationships with people working in the industry, even when they are not members of RGD.

The rule specifically requires everyone to be honest about their abilities, as well as the abilities of colleagues. It is immature to disparage the abilities of other designers. It is also unhelpful to make untrue claims about your own skills. This would be unethical.

As graphic designers, we could easily fake credentials or steal work in order to gain clients. This practice is not sustainable despite the immediate potential gains.

Clients will ignorantly seek to undercut designers in an effort to save a buck. It is important to actively ensure you are not being used to complete the work another designer has begun. Conversely, designers should not attempt to steal existing jobs by offering cheaper work.

Lastly, and probably most importantly, designers should remain up to date on current software and trends. Design tools are constantly being updated and improved. Part of being a graphic designer means remaining aware of changes in the industry. Clients must have confidence in the designer, and dismissing new trends makes the designer seem out of touch. The designer must put their own opinions aside on things like smartphones or operating systems or they risk becoming an unemployable dinosaur.

The First Rule of RGD

Thinking outside of the box is overrated.

Obviously this is a deliberately provocative statement, but I have often felt that too many people are encouraged to break out of the ordinary in all projects. Imagination and creative thinking should be self-evident requirements to even call yourself a designer. What would be helpful would be some clear and obvious rules to follow.

The Registered Graphic Designers of Canada have established a set of well-considered rules to live by. By adhering to the spirit of these rules we can not only grow our design career, but we can also avoid being sued.

Responsibilities to the Organization

The first rule of Design Club™ is to keep the Design Club™ alive and respected. This rule asks the members of RGD to act with maturity and legality always. It asks we remember that together we all achieve more by reminding the unenlightened of our skills. One way to do this is by remaining knowledgeable of the laws both within Canada as well as any other country in which we may work.

This rule also asks RGD members to always be truthful about their status in the organization. As a member, we should always display our affiliation wherever appropriate. We promise to pay our dues on time, and we will only display our credentials when we are a member in good standing. We also must disclose if our business is in bankruptcy.

As graphic designers, we are privy to client information. We must take every precaution to preserve their privacy, but we must also be prepared to share this information with an RGD inquiry. We trust that the RGD can ensure privacy for our clients and would only request the info if it is necessary.

Purple Carrots

The harvest season is upon us right now. Orange, yellow, and brown are the acceptable colours. Jokes about pumpkin spice are plentiful. Canada has a delightful fall. The distinct division between autumn and winter helps prevent the march of holiday madness into October. Christmas means freezing temperatures and the chance of snow. Fall means Orange.

Apparently fall can mean purple as well. Last April, my partner and I were expanding our vegetable garden by buying seeds from a local homesteader. I was petting a farm cat when she asked me what colour carrots we should get. Thinking this was a joke, I said I preferred the orange ones. What other colours could there even be? Well, purple yellow and white are three of several colour options. It turns out that carrots come in a wide variety. So why aren’t they ever seen in the grocery store or on a salad?

The cynical answer is that consumers are too stupid to recognize a carrot if its not orange. Alternatively, maybe food suppliers just assume we are, and never stock non-orange carrots. The real reason is probably just rampant ignorance. There is not much difference between colours of carrot, so there isn’t really any motivation to push the variety. White carrot vendors are not suffering.

A pile of orange root vegetables says “carrots”. The same pile randomly coloured says “what the hell is this?”

Language evolves to fit the users. Every year, Websters Dictionary adds new words to its lexicon, with annual displeasure from pedantic people. Is ‘yo’ a word? Is ‘selfie’ worthy of the dictionary? How do you spell ‘through’ (thru)? People are quick to forget the slow change they participate in. The word ‘describe’ used to be written ‘descrive’. Over time that ‘V’ sound was replaced by a ‘B’, and now that IS the word. In Shakespeare’s time, people didn’t even have participial words, so they had to say “what do you read?” not “what are you reading?”

So carrots: grocery store owners and customers gradually demonstrated a familiarity with orange varieties, and now that is what a carrot looks like.

Also, the inside of the purple carrots was as orange as ever.

Rosetta Stone

I have been thinking a lot about the Rosetta Stone as it pertains to a typography project. It was an accidental artifact that began life as a beautiful piece of granite. It  became a work of Egyptian propaganda, before it was repurposed as a building material. It sat unrecognized in the desert for almost two-thousand years, then was discovered by chance and became the most important relic of Pharaonic Egypt, then plundered for safekeeping. It represents human communication and the challenges we face as separate cultures.

Napoleon was an interesting guy. He led an army to the ends of the known world and exhausted a generation of French fighting men only to return home and raise another army to his cause. He created an empire that fractured almost immediately after his departure. While France did not become the masters of Europe, the Napoleonic era did give us two of the most important advancements in modern human history.

While on tour in Egypt, Napoleon brought with him over a hundred scientists and naturalists to study the foreign land while the army pillaged and occupied. While systematically destroying an ancient wall, a group of these researchers overturned a large black granite stone whose underside was inscribed with writing. The words spelled out a decree dating from Ptolemeic Egypt in 150 BCE. This was fairly interesting to begin with, but it was the fact that the text appeared three times in different languages that made the discovery monumental.

At that time, it was thought that Egyptian hieroglyphs would likely never be fully understood. Interest in the strange world of Ancient Egypt was high, and artifacts unearthed by grave-robbers were a big commodity. The mystery of the pictographs was tantalizing. The Rosetta stone presented a key to finally understanding them.

The edict from the ruler of Egypt at the time was not particularly profound, but the normality was a benefit to its utility. The edict was written in Greek (which was still a living language), Demotic (an archaic language which was vaguely understood), and Ancient hieroglyphics (which were not understood at all). The stone had numerous plaster casts and tracings made, which were spread to universities and individual scholars across Europe to begin the work.

The stone itself became a bit of a bargaining chip. Napoleon had attacked Egypt in the first place to disrupt British trade through the region. The British Navy attacked back and defeated Napoleon with their superior sea power. The Crown collected the Rosetta Stone and many enticing Egyptian artifacts and brought them to the British Museum for safekeeping where they remain today.

The other Napoleonic advancement was canned goods. An army marches on its stomach, as it has been said. The invention of preservable rations enabled the Empire to spread quickly across Europe without relying on pillaging the locals. The locals were still pillaged, they just didn’t have to ONLY eat pillaged food.

Helicopters

My old helicopter and some hand painted canopies

Before I became a student of Graphic Design, I had a number of hobbies that almost satisfied my creative mind during my non-foodservice hours. One of these pursuits was radio-controlled helicopters.

An RC helicopter is not a new invention, but advancements in nickel-cadmium batteries have pushed the hobby into the next level in the past decade. Previous models ran on kerosene fuel or even actual jet fuel. They were loud, expensive, and dangerous. Modern choppers can be much smaller and lighter. The batteries only last between ten and twenty minutes, but they are stable, and you can swap them out easily. The ultra-light helicopters can be flown indoors and are unlikely to cause any damage. Gyro stabilizer units can be made extremely small and cheaply, so the newest choppers can self-level with ease, making flight less of a learning curve. After a few weeks of flight experience, I quickly outgrew my entry-level chopper and wanted to get something more expensive.

The helicopter is a remarkable invention. An airplane has a natural stability. Fold a halfway decent paper airplane and it will glide gently to a sliding stop on a smooth floor. Air travelers can take comfort in knowing that an airplane wants to stay flying. A helicopter is another thing entirely. The chopper is completely dependent on its engine. Lose power and the vehicle falls like a rock. Helicopters are profoundly dangerous. It is a testament to their usefulness that anyone ever boards one. The ability to take off straight up or to stop midair makes the most dangerous craft viable.

My entry level helicopter lacked a collective pitch elevator. What is that? Well, before I began my heli-obsession, I assumed that the main rotor created lift by spinning faster. Like a desk fan, I figured a helicopter blade would rotate faster to blow more air downward, thus sending the craft up. Ultra-light RC helicopters and basic toys work in this way, but a real helicopter uses what is called a collective pitch elevator. The helicopter starts its engine and the main rotor begins to spin. As the engine warms up, the rotors spin faster until they reach the optimal RPM, but the helicopter does not lift off. This is because the rotors are not angled at all but are flat parallel to the ground. There is an additional mechanism that controls the pitch of the rotors while they spin at severe speeds. The pilot lifts with their left hand a lever called a manifold, which is similar to a parking brake in a car. This causes the rotors to change their “angle of attack” and lift is created. The rotors’ RPM does not change.

In order to accomplish this trick, the blades require an elaborate mechanism of rods to push and pull the rotors as they spin at high speeds. The parts are subject to immense forces and they are the most obvious point of failure for an already delicate system. A model helicopter obeys a different set of physical properties. A push rod three centimeters long made of aluminum is vastly more effective that its full-size counterpart. An RC helicopter can rapidly change its angle of attack, accelerating and braking at rates that would shatter a real helicopter. An RC chopper can also change its thrust in the extreme negative, creating a situation where the vehicle can actually fly inverted. YouTube is loaded with videos of the aerobatic performances these RC pilots have recorded. There are competitive events, of course.

So, my own heli-adventure led me to buy an intermediate level chopper with a collective pitch and the power to go upside down. My toy grade chopper had a main rotor diameter of about one foot, but this new one was closer to two and a quarter. The first time I fired up the engine I had no intention of lifting off, but the power was honestly intimidating. The spinning rotor stirred the air in my spacious living room. I spent days checking all the various control surfaces and made sure I had setup my craft correctly.

The first liftoff was outside. I rose about three feet off the ground and felt comfortably stable. I pitched forward just a bit, but the chopper leaned forward like and started towards my neighbor’s yard like a dog chasing a tennis ball. I was not expecting such eagerness, so I pulled back and now the vehicle was heading towards me with its main rotor coming at my face. I overcorrected forwards, and the rear rotor lifted up fast, and the chopper leaned into my lawn, bit into the dirt and whipped its tail around so hard it bent the aluminum boom shaft. I realized the controls needed to be much less sensitive.

My second attempt was much calmer. I took off vertically, rotated 360º slowly, and set it back down smoothly. I was confident, so I took off again. I tried moving forward a bit, but again the craft wanted to go faster than I was ready. I overcorrected backwards, but it was too much. When learning my light toy-heli, I often deliberately flew it into my pant-leg. The blades have hinges that allow them to retract when they encounter an obstacle, so they do not break with every collision. The new chopper had a similar hinge, but the blades were composed of thicker plastic, and the engine was much more powerful.

The heli came towards my left thigh, and I rose it to catch the rotor, but WOW that thing was rotating quickly. The blade hit my thigh so hard that I was not sure if I needed to get to the hospital or call an ambulance. I quickly examined my thigh and saw that my jeans had not been sliced although they were clearly scarred. I dropped my pants a bit and looked at my thigh which had two remarkably brutal bruises. The blades were moving so fast and hard that I broke a gear connecting them to the engine by impeding their rotation. Despite this, the second blade was still able to rotate around and strike me just as hard as the first. Both white blades were notably blue at their tips where they whipped my jeans.

Once the fear wore off, I was in an impressive amount of pain. I am not an outdoor kid or a sports player, so I can only assume this is a common occurrence to anyone who plays hockey. My leg turned all sorts of interesting colors as it healed. I repaired my chopper, but never flew it again. The year was 2015, and shortly after my accident, there was a story out of New York City where a hobbyist killed himself by accident when he flew a much larger RC chopper into himself. This gas-powered model is capable of speeds up to 90mph. When it collided with the pilot, he was effectively decapitated. After several months of consideration, I decided I would never fly it again, and sold my heli on ebay.

Casting a Blockbuster

This was a group exercise to “produce” a movie. My input was to present ideas for the main cast based on the synopsis.

After an accident in the high school chemistry lab, a high school senior, Chip (Elijah Woods), discovers that he has gained the power of x-ray vision.  He tries to keep his new “sense” secret, but he is soon discovered by two identical twin cheerleaders (Lindsay Lohan) when he helps them find a lost family heirloom. 

The two young women begin competing for his attention.  At the same time the “evil” chemistry teacher, Mr. Fowler (James Woods) discovers Chip’s secret and tries to persuade him to use his new-found powers for financial gain. 

When Chip refuses, Fowler hires Brutus (Vin Diesel) to kidnap the twins and use them to force Chip to change his mind.  Chip turns to his parents - Gordon, a failed stand-up comic (Steve Martin) and Sylvia, a ditzy commercial jingle singer (Goldie Hawn), and his nerdy best friend, Reggie (Jason Biggs) for help.  Much hilarity ensues. 

Chip – Josh Hutcherson.

Josh Hutcherson is probably most known for playing Peeta in The Hunger Games. He is currently in his mid-20s, which makes him a little older than the character Chip, but his youthful face and short stature make him look younger. He has a slight build and could easily play a classic highschool aged ‘everyman’ who is not the popular jock but also not a hopeless nerd.

Reggie – Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

He is well known for a number of child-star roles including episodes of Dr. Who and the film Love Actually. As a young adult, he is famous for being the character Jojen Reed on Game of Thrones. He is very small and skinny and could easily play a bookish character. I picture this character as a serious nerd not a goofy nerd. Jason Biggs would be very awkward and clumsy. Thomas Brodie-Sangster would play a sharp and confident nerd who is just not interested in highschool social drama.

Twin Cheerleaders – Abigail Breslin

She became famous as the middle-school aged girl in Little Miss Sunshine. She is blonde and plays bubbly exuberant characters often. She would be ideal for the double-role of split screen twins in the tradition of The Patty Duke Show and The Parent Trap.

Mr. Fowler – Mark Sheppard

He is a highly prolific actor who has played a number of side characters in several TV shows including Battlestar Galactica and Supernatural. He is slightly shorter than average height and has a classic male pattern baldness hairstyle and a wide frame. He has a gruff voice and could easily play an intimidating school teacher drunk on power. His appearance makes him look much older than he actually and could play an older professor type.

Brutus – Kevin ‘Dot Com’ Brown

Dot Com is known for being a consistent side-character in the show 30 Rock. He plays one of the two buddies of Tracy Morgan on the show. He has an intimidating appearance as a bald Black man over six feet tall and certainly close to 300lbs. On the show he looks intimidating, but he is very gentle and kind in his demeanor. On occasion he chooses to act like a tough guy, and it is very effective, but also hilariously out of character. For this role, I believe he would fill a similar purpose. He could be shown to be harmless and good-hearted but forced to do this kidnapping because he owes Fowler a favour. The audience would enjoy seeing him trying to maintain a façade in front of the kidnapped twins.

Gordon – Jimmi Simpson

He rose to prominence playing the revolting Liam McPoyle on Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He further demonstrated his acting ability on Westworld. He is a good age for the father role. He has a physicality that is similar to Josh Hutcherson. He is very good at playing sleazy losers, and I could see him as an overconfident failure of a comedian.

Sylvia – Alison Becker

She plays a reoccurring side character on Parks and Recreation. She plays a reporter for a small-town newspaper. Her character is not particularly ditsy or incapable, but she is very self-centered and uncompassionate. She is shown to have loose morals and very little loyalty to anyone. For this role, she is the right age and has a certain aging beauty about her. With some extra makeup and inappropriate clothing for her age she could portray a somewhat immature mother of the main character.