Shem Law's Profile

Comment Threads

• Joseph Caserto commented on Just Add Water
  Well said, Mitch. We all know that good templates can save designers who know how to use them a lot of time, but whenever a new technical innovation comes out—the Mac itself, QPS, K4—publishing companies want to know if investing in it will allow them to cut budgets and jobs. My concern is that companies will try to use these pre-fab pubs as a way to hire less-experienced professionals and pay them less, in an attempt to make more money, and may only realize how misguided this strategy is once the quality suffers. The truth is that technology used efficiently...
• Scott commented on Just Add Water
  Many interesting points - and assumptions, presented here in response to Black's venture. While templates, "FiftyDollarLogos.com"-style websites and the like are on the rise, it's true that these resources will generally be used to fulfill only a certain portion of the market. Worth noting that this market share is all these resources need to justify their existence in a capitalist economy. As someone mentioned above, demand gives rise to supply. So, yes, these publication templates will yield cookie-cutter airline magazine results - but if there's a market for that, then it's fair game (hey, we need something to read on...
• grace commented on Just Add Water
  Very interesting responses everyone! I believe the “standardization” of everything creative including innovative thinking at the university level (now run by big business), is an attack on the creative, independent spirit of humanity. It reminds me of the years I used to give tins of homemade cookies to everyone for Christmas. Did they remember the other manufactured presents I gave them? NO! It was always about the homemade cookies made with love they remembered. That’s the analogy I am making with the templates…someone will always want to buy the boxed cookies because they won’t want to take the time to...
• grace commented on Just Add Water
  Correction...I meant “soul” not “sole...:-)...
• gl241788q commented on Just Add Water
  Thanks Ready-Media, you just set us all back about 10 years. How many of us have fought hard throughout our careers to have beautiful design work shine in mainstream commercial magazines? Or try to explain to prospective clients during a tough pitch why the typography should be a certain way, finessed just so to give a magazine that perfect typographic personality that will make it stand out from all the others? Not anymore. This cookie-cutter approach is absolute anti-design and will kill any exciting magazine design innovation left out there (which is already fast becoming extinct). What a joke, and...