Olly Moss

I just love the way his works not over complicated, and concentrates on core aspects of the area he's focusing on, which makes the designs communication so effective.

Manifesto's

The following task was to; produce a 5 point manifesto with influence from 5 published manifestos related to Design & the practice of art. My personal manifesto should be a reflection of the designer I want to be...

The definition of a Manifesto...'a public declaration of intent, policy, aims, etc'

5 Published Manifestos.

Bauhaus Manifesto 

• The Bauhaus strives to bring together all creative efforts into one whole.
• To reunify all the disciplines of practical art (sculpture, painting, handicrafts, and the crafts) as inseparable components of a new architecture.
• The unified work of art in which there is no distinction between monumental and decorative art.
• To educate architects, painters, and sculptors of all levels, according to their capabilities, to become competent craftsmen or independent creative artists and to form a working community of leading and future artist-craftsmen.
• Art rises above all methods; in itself it cannot be taught, but the crafts certainly can be.

Big Potatoes - The London Manifesto for Innovation

• THINK BIG
• GO BEYOND THE POST-WAR LEGACY OF INNOVATION
• PRINCIPLES, NOT MODELS
• INNOVATION IS HARD WORK
• FOR SUCCESS, EXPECT LOTS OF FAILURES
• TAKE RISKS
• INNOVATION DEMANDS LEADERSHIP

A Manifesto for Sustainability in Design

• Stop Making Crap  

And that means that we have to stop making crap. It's really as simple as that. We are suffocating, drowning, and poisoning ourselves with the stuff we produce, abrading, out-gassing, and seeping into our air, our water, our land, our food—and basically those are the only things we have to look after before there's no we in that sentence. It gets into our bodies, of course, and it certainly gets into our minds. And designers are feeding and feeding this cycle, helping to turn everyone and everything into either a consumer or a consumable. And when you think about it, this is kind of grotesque. "Consumer" isn't a dirty word exactly, but it probably ought a be.

• Teach Sustainability Early

Design education is at a crossroads, with many schools understanding the potentials, opportunities, and obligations of design, while others continue to teach students how to churn out pretty pieces of garbage. Institutions that stress sustainability, social responsibility, cultural adaptation, ethnography, and systems thinking are leading the way. But soon they will come to define what industrial design means. (A relief to those constantly trying to define the discipline today!) This doesn't mean no aesthetics. It just means a keener eye on costs and benefits.

• Balance Before Talents

The proportion of a solution needs to balance with its problem: we don't need a battery-powered pooper scooper to pick up dog poop, and we don't need a car that gets 17 MPG to, well, we don't need that car, period. We have to start balancing our ability to be clever with our ability to be smart. They're two different things.

• Context Before Absolutely Everything

Understanding that all design happens within a context is the first (and arguably the only) stop to make on your way to becoming a good designer. You can be a bad designer after that, of course, but you don't stand a chance of being a good one if you don't first consider context. It's everything: In graphics, communication, interaction, architecture, product, service, you name it—if it doesn't take context into account, it's crap. And you already promised not to make any more of that.

• Systems Before Artifacts

Before we design anything new, we should examine how we can use what already exists to better ends. We need to think systems before artifacts, services before products, adopting Thackara's use/not own principles at every step. And when new products are needed, they'll be obvious and appropriate, and then can we conscientiously pump up fossil fuels and start polymerizing them. Product design should be part of a set of tools we have for solving problems and celebrating life. It is a means, not an end.

The Manifesto for the Cloud Appreciation Society

WE BELIEVE that clouds are unjustly maligned

and that life would be immeasurably poorer without them.

We think that they are Nature’s poetry, 

and the most egalitarian of her displays, since 

everyone can have a fantastic view of them.

We pledge to fight ‘blue-sky thinking’ wherever we find it. 

Life would be dull if we had to look up at 

cloudless monotony day after day.

We seek to remind people that clouds are expressions of the 

atmosphere’s moods, and can be read like those of 

a person’s countenance.

Clouds are so commonplace that their beauty is often overlooked. 

They are for dreamers and their contemplation benefits the soul. 

Indeed, all who consider the shapes they see in them will save 

on psychoanalysis bills.

And so we say to all who’ll listen:

Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and live life with your head in the clouds!

Apple's manifesto

• We believe that we're on the face of the earth to make great products.
• We're constantly focusing on innovating.
• We believe in the simple, not the complex.
• We believe we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution.
• We believe in saying no to thousands of projects so that we can focus on the few that are meaningful to us. 
• We believe in deep collaboration and cross pollination in order to innovate in a way others cannot. 
• We don't settle for anything other than excellence in any group in the company.
• We have the self-honesty to admit when we're wrong and the courage to change.

A visual Manifesto.

PERSONAL MANIFESTO - STEPHEN MAHER.

1..I need to understand that all design happens within a context, otherwise there wouldn't be relevant communication. If it doesn't take context into account. it's useless.

2..Balance my solutions with the problems. This means I need to take into account my ability to be clever with the ability to be smart.

3..My mistakes aren't useless, they're a reminder of what not to do next time.

4..Never think the future's going to be better, act now.

5..Examine how I can use what already exists to better ends.

6..Accept that change will happen.

Identify, Summarize & Illustrate

As an Individual I've learnt...
1) That in the past teachers have taught us too churn out pretty pieces of garbage ignoring the potentials and opportunities of design. At the beginning of the year I was more concerned about the final result and its aesthetics rather than it's context and communication. For example the design below was created for Students yet a vintage/antique colour scheme was used.

2) Effort always shines through, I'm becoming more engaged in the course as it progresses, I'm more interested in working hard than going out to socialise. Initially I thought I knew a lot more than I did, but the sessions concerning Colour theory, Medium Specificity & Anatomy of type show the broadness of design and that there's still a lot to learn in terms of becoming a better designer. The fact that I'm learning new things has highlighted my interest in Graphic Design and spur to carry on.

3) Turning up with time to spare isn't for the tutors benefit but our own, life isn't an easy ride & nothings given to you on a plate, I've had to reach a new level of working, and I'm sure as time goes on I'll be moving up this hierarchy of levels with the aid of caffeine and sugary treats.
4) I need to stop worrying and stressing so much, as this doesn't cause anything but further problems. For example; During the Alphabet Soup I had to create an Alphabet that represented my partner through its characteristics. However I was too concerned with the remaining time frame that my preferences took control and the end result was an industrial typeface that was too bold and blocky to represent a female. I shouldn't be dis-heartened if I make mistakes, After-all if your not learning anything in this first year...what are you doing?

5) To Prioritise my activities more effectively, doing work sooner than later avoids; confusion and a heap of work I don't fully understand as the concepts aren't fresh in my mind. I've realised I am quite an organised person, I keep my space clear, along with my notes up to date. The only thing left to do is network myself more effectively.
6) University isn't what I expected, and I mean this in a positive sense, I had this pre-conceived idea that University was the best time of your life and you'd be wasted pretty much every night, yet In another sense it sort of is the best time of your life, it's the time when I discover myself as a designer and as an Individual that shapes the rest of my life.

7) I've become dependent on Music, During the day I intend to do my work but I'm often disturbed by general conversation, which at the time doesn't seem too damaging but I've learnt that it builds up through the day and sometimes means leaving college premises with more work than you bargained for. Putting my headphones in allows me to concentrate on the task at hand and crack on, ignoring the distractions around me.
8) The whole process of Blogging was a totally new thing to me, however its now became a crucial part of my design process for analysing, reviewing and evaluating my work. It also allows me too review the works of others, allowing a constant review of progress for the whole year. I think the next step would be too create my own personal blog and begin Networking.

9) My independance has definitely improved for the better as I've had too manage my money more effectively and take into account external factors that I may need to account for. I can't rely on my mum to come banging on my door to wake me up, this has highlighted the fact that I need sleep. I can't expect the cold bitter slap of wind in the morning to freshen me up. It looks as if Long days and early nights are approaching.
10) My skills as a public speaker aren't the best, I need to drastically improve on this if I want the communication of my ideas to be visible. I tend to over think what I'm going to say and lose my track of thought due to nerves, resulting in a fast paced blurt of information leaving the audience confused.

As a Designer I've learnt...
1) The proportion of a solution needs to balance with its problem, I need to balance my ability to be clever with my ability to be smart. For example I chose to use the idea of pixels to create imagery aimed at a younger generation, I thought the outcome was quite clever as they were visually appealing but in context I should've spent more time developing the; layout, colour scheme and typefaces.

2) Don't be afraid of simplicity, sometimes the simpler speaks the loudest.
3) How my style in design is changing, I've had to make the transition from Foundation which focused on every aspect of Art & Design, to solely concentrating on Graphic Design and its fundamentals.
4) The importance of using grids and its components; Tracking, Leading, Kerning etc. I'm keen to learn anything new that'll better myself as a designer. I'm a perfectionist and learning all these new techniques has helped me arrange my work, making it more symmetrical and free from pointless distractions.

5) Time and preparation give you a clearer design direction, I used to jump into the process of designing and think the aesthetics of my idea will make the design process irrelevant, however it needs to communicate a message in context, effectively. Otherwise it's simply a good looking piece of garbage.
6) There's always someone better, but that doesn't mean you can't become better than them. I'm on a course with such a good reputation that I'm constantly surrounded by good designers, and I think being in this environment has made Graphics become a part of my lifestyle.
7) During Lectures, I've learnt numerous new things surrounding the history of Art & Design and it's disciplines. Which has helped the practical side of designing as my understanding of certain aspects has been beneficial for e.g. the History of Advertising.
8) You can't polish a turd, if it's rubbish, scrap the idea and start again, this can often be avoided by continuously Investigating, Influence is everywhere, even in the places I'd least expect.
9) My software skills are continuously improving, Initially I was only familiar with the programme Photoshop, but my recent designs have been Illustrator based, As the course progresses I'll start using other programmes broadening my understanding of what programmes to use for different purposes & functions.
10) I'm starting to visualise how I could improve my designs, usually I'd do a few layout and color transitions and think I'd done enough, however I've started to alter each component of my designs to see what combination works best.