From The Beginning Manifesto.

This is my manifesto for a part of a course we were all asked to write a manifesto outlining everything that was important to us as graphic designers so this is mine as it says in the manifesto itself it isn't finished and it will grow with me so I will make sure that i keep adding to it so enjoy.

Written in 2010 the ‘from the beginning manifesto’ outlines a set of promises that I Jerome Tappins will stick to in my time as a graphic designer. This manifesto is incomplete so as I grow in my life as a graphic designer so will my manifesto. Graphic design isn’t always about the final outcome but how you can communicate an idea to your target audience. Making me not only a graphic designer but also an art director, advertiser and even a storyteller. But even with all these different rolls I have to have a common set of rules and goals.

Rules are there to keep order and stability without them there is havoc and disorder so with my manifesto I hope it can keep me on track in my graphic design life. But rules are a bit of a double-sided sward so if I stray away from my own rules slightly it will not be the end of the world and could end up with more new and interesting outcomes.

1. Where do you find it?

There are things that have been seen that are so mundane and not even linked to the subject matter but these little things can help in the biggest way. Without this an idea cannot grow into an outcome. So this means that you always have to be on the look out to find something to inspire you.

2. Childs play.

What always has to be remembered is there are know limits apart from the ones you think are there. Designing is the chance to be like a kid again imagining the most crazy out going things. Always needing to remember that more interesting designs can be made when adopting other creative practices like printmaking and photography. Creativity can also happen when you see something different from looking in a book to do with design to the feeling you get when you hear your favourite piece of music.

3. Time to go back.

Without knowing were you come from you don’t know were you are going. So this means you need to have knowledge of the graphic design past so that go can go forward. Nothing can be done without it. It is the primary building block for every graphic designer. New design cannot be made without knowing what has come before it.

4. Why should anything be the same?

Thinking independently and creatively is the gateway to new and interesting designs. With an original way of thinking designs have different methods and ideas behind them. Making them fuller and richer.

5. You got to do it yourself.

Being motivated is the best way to design if you can’t motivate yourself you start to rely on others for ideas and outcomes. Self-motivation is the key when there is know one standing over you if I can’t motivate yourself you will know longer want to do a project or sometimes even design.

6. You got to love what you do.

There is know point in investing time and energy with out the passion to drive you forward. So whenever you design something you should invest time and effort into it so that it can be the best that can be done.

7. What’s in my head?

The foundation of any design outcome is a good and interesting idea behind it. If the idea isn’t good or doesn’t work there will be know point in taking it to the development stage. Ideas can come from anywhere from researching the subject matter to walking down the street and seeing something interesting, the key is making it manifest into something new and outgoing.

8. Take it further.

The best ideas are always followed through with development. It’s a case of trial and error to get the most stunning outcomes. This is because the first idea thought of is never fully formed; undeveloped ideas are like a newborn baby that needs to be taken care of and nurtured by a parent.

9. The way you write things.

An impotent building block of graphic design is good typography. If the type isn’t set properly it can make the whole design look bad. Also when the rules of typography are sometimes broken it can make or break a design.

10. Being committed to what you do.

It is your duty as a graphic designer to be dedicated to what you do without it designs and outcomes can become stale, and you will no longer have a passion for it. So that means that you have to truly immerse myself into what you do.

11. Make it your own.

Nothing should be the same every design should be different and should have its own character and personality. But individuality can also work a designer you can’t always follow everyone else you have to have your own style to stand out.

12. What’s the point?

However big or small good design needs purpose without it there is no point in it even being created. Even if it feels as if there is no purpose behind something it maybe a case of giving it a purpose so that it can be an all rounded design.

13. It looks like there is a problem time to solve it.

Whenever you design something you find that there ends up being a problem so the key is being able to solve anything that comes your way. If you can’t solve it, It might be a sign that the reason you there is a problem is because the idea behind it and the development haven’t been fully thought through.

14. What are you saying?

There is always a certain way to get an idea across if not people may not understand the idea behind the design. This even works if the idea behind the design is that you don’t want people to know what the idea is and to make them think.

15. I need to stay up.

I find that whenever I get near to a deadline I always find that coffee is my best friend. You find it to be the best tool to help you through the hated all nighters...