Lost in Translation

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University of Maryland’s New Uniforms


Since I was born in Baltimore I have a strong love for the Maryland flag. As an elementary school student, I wrote a report on the state flag (with an elaborate full-color drawing, of course). The Maryland flag is striking and memorable. The design is derived from the shield in the coat of arms of George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore. The shield features a yellow-and-black checkerboard pattern and a red-and-white cross representing Calvert’s mother’s family (the Crosslands).

While watching college football a few weekends ago, I was truly shocked to see the flag decorating the uniforms of the University of Maryland Terrapins (or Terps). The yellow and black checkerboard pattern is placed on the right side of the uniform, including the right sleeve, arm warmers, gloves, and the right half of the helmet. The red and white cross design is placed on the left side, in a similar fashion. And the shoes! Oh my goodness, the SHOES! They leave me speechless.Maryland uniform

I’m not much of a fashion expert, but these uniforms are visually jarring. Perhaps the goal is to distract the other team! Maryland won their first game of the season—maybe there’s something to this strategy.

Lord Baltimore must surely be rolling over in his grave.

Giving Birth to Design

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It’s back-to-school time, and I am reflecting on this seasonal change in my life. It got me thinking about the parallels between raising children and the creative work that I do.

Before your child are even born, you have dreams and aspirations for them. You even have an idea of how they might look and what type of personality they might have. You begin making plans for them, even before they have arrived.Baby fingerpainting

    When beginning a design, I think about the client, the purpose of the design, and how to accomplish the goal. I think about whether the item will be mailed or printed, and where it will appear on the internet. I consider what colors or images would best suit the design. I envision the end product.

    I start designing. I often get input from my brother and fellow graphic designer, Ed Gumnick. I research and sketch, on paper or electronically, to get a better idea of what solution might work best. Ed helps me decide which direction my design should take and the best way to “get there.”

Similarly, as a parent, I often turn to friends who have children the same age as mine. We discuss, compare, complain, and often find that we are encountering the same type of child-rearing challenges. By collaborating, we are better able to see the many possible solutions and approaches.

    When the document/design is finalized we send it off to the printer. We do this by preparing the files and uploading them to an FTP server remotely. This is always a leap of faith—that the files we have carefully prepared arrive safely and translate into the intended design. Seldom, but occasionally, we will get a call that there is a problem with our file. There might be a missing font, or perhaps we have neglected to attach an image. Or maybe the printer is having a technical problem and the process is delayed.

And…as all parents know, we do occasionally get a call. A call from the school nurse, a call from the teacher, a call from jail (okay, we haven’t had this one yet.) Then, we spring into action, doing everything we can to make sure we do what is best for our child (and we also know this sometimes means doing nothing and living with that decision.)

    When the design is complete (printed or posted or mailed), we send it out into the world, hoping that it serves its purpose and doesn’t end up in the recycling bin too soon! We know it is attractive (after all, it is OUR child) and are confident that it will be successful. But we have to eventually let go, knowing that we did our best to create something beautiful and meaningful.

I think you know where this is going…in the same way, we send our children out into the world, to succeed and make a difference in this world. We launch them and know we have done our best to help them be happy and succeed. And when they do succeed we know that all the planning, all the work, all the struggles were worth it—our life’s work is rich and fulfilling.

The Three Little Pigs—A Graphic Tail

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Once upon a time, there were three little pigs.…

The first little pig decided to design his brochure using Microsoft Word, since he already knew how to use it. He would save money by doing it himself. Maybe it didn’t matter that when you folded it, the margins were a little off. And everyone loves Comic Sans. No one would care that he had used multipurpose paper and printed it on his little desktop printer. People really don’t notice those things anyway, do they?Bricks and trowel

The second little pig had a nephew who agreed to design his brochure for free. It doesn’t get any cheaper than that! So the second little pig sent him the copy and he waited, and he waited, and he waited. But the nephew, who was SO artistic, had better things to do than design a brochure for his demanding uncle. He had sows to meet and fields to rut. He never got around to doing that brochure.

Now, the third little pig, who was quite the entrepreneur, knew that he needed help promoting his brick business. So he contacted the town’s graphic designer. With years of experience in graphic design, she was well suited to handle his project. He supplied her with the text, they picked out some eye-catching images, and in no time at all, the brochure was designed and printed. His brick sales sky-rocketed!

With all the new business that poured in, he needed extra help. Since Pig #1 and Pig #2 never got their businesses off the ground, he hired them to run the store while he played golf at the Pork Links Golf Club.

If you want to make a great impression, invest in design. Brick by brick, you will build a strong business that can weather the storms…and even an occasional huffing, puffing wolf.

If you have a project that could use a designer’s touch, please send me an email or call 713-398-1912.