Designers and comics share a long love affair that dates back pretty darn far. As two disciplines that share the integration of typography and images, there are many problems that both comickers and designers have had to solve. In this (hopefully) fun talk, Ross Nover will be reviewing the comics medium and various points of inspiration that designers can learn from their long-lost cousins the comic artists. Ross is a former (and hopefully future) professor of graphic design at American University and is the co-host of Super Art Fight, a touring action-packed art performance competition. We're excited to have him bring his unique perspective on design to this month's Refresh! This month's meeting starts promptly at 7pm, but show up early to mingle, grab a bite, and get a good seat.

1. A Dose of Design Inspiration
from Comic Strips
Refresh DC
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

2. A Dose of Design Inspiration
from Comic Strips
Refresh DC
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
@Rosscott #RefreshDC

5. @SuperArtFight

7. @FriendlyDC

9. The System www.systemcomic.com
MOORE’S LAW: MURPHY’S LAW:
Computers will get Anything that can go
exponentially faster. wrong will go wrong.
ROSSCOTT’S LAW:
What do you MEAN
The faster the computer,
“Unexpectedly Quit”?
the faster it can go wrong.

11. So you found something cool on
the Internet...
LOL BUTTZ
A helpful chart from Loldwell.com and SystemComic.com
How cool was it?
KEEP
OMG AMAZING! Pretty meh. DICKING
I need to share! cool AROUND
Is anyone around?
This is cool and Is it worth sharing?
*
I am cool for
sharing it. YES! ....No
(so alone) ‘K! Nah.
Editor’s Note:
This is known as the
TO THE INTERNET! ‘ROFL’ or repetitive
online feedback loop.
On the original
artist’s website!
I’m a BIG FAN. I dunno, I was dickin’
So, where did around on, ______
you find it? (insert procrasti-aggregator)
Of OMG Does it have
Are you going it even has a a watermark?
course! to give credit watermark!
where credit
is due?
Nope
Let’s GO!
TO THE
GOOGLES!
Who
Seriously?
cares?
Professor Someone worked
Internet sez: hard on this dude, Heck yeah, AND I
What’s the don’t be that guy. replaced the watermark
Be sure to provide appropriate point? w/ my shitty blog’s
links to the original creator SHITTIER logo!
and their website. they haz You’re
right
talent and deservz ur respeks.
Doesn’t that take
ABSOLUTELY. more effort and
make you look
like a douchebag?
loldwell.com
systemcomic.com

12. Why Comics / Design?

15. Storytelling
Editing
Composition
Writing Illustrations Clients
Poop Jokes Words / Visuals Helvetica
Adobe
“Web Stuff”
Creative Promotion

17. COMICS
Idea Sketch Ink Color
LOGO DESIGN
Idea Sketch B/W Color
WEB DESIGN
Content Wireframes Design Development

18. Section 1:
The Art in Comics

19. Characters

24. Icons

27. The System www.rosscottinc.com
What’s it like when People. Go. Apeshit.
it snows here?

29. http://www.geocities.ws/gonetomorrow00/ah_340/index.htm

30. Someone Anyone
(Me?)

31. Mario Someone
Someone’s Trash A Trash

34. Section 2:
The Art of Panels

37. Closure
“The phenomenon of observing the parts but
perceiving the whole”

43. Panel Length

45. The System www.rosscottinc.com
COFFEE LIFE CYCLE TOO HOT. Sip. Burn PERFECT COLD. Reheat.
your tongue. Repeat. for about 6 See phase 1.
seconds.

49. Panel Choice

51. Diagram from Helen
Word Choice

52. What words What images should
should go here? go under it?

57. Section 3:
Storytelling

59. “Less is more.”
— Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

60. “Less.”
—Ross

61. 3eanuts Garfield Minus Garfield

62. The System www.rosscottinc.com
“Fancy” Ketchup Nope.

64. “Less.”
—Ross
• Working within a grid
• Copy editing
• Give your work constraints
• Increase contrast / simplicity of layout
• Limited color palette
• “Boutiquing” your product

65. Patterns

68. Section 4:
Crap that didn’t really fit anywhere else
(But I learned it from comics)

69. Art as Exercise

74. I need
to work harder
to be better
at things.
systemcomic.com

75. Have a Bag of Tricks

77. NOTE: These don’t make a good designer.
They make you a faster designer who can
screw up quicker.

78. Have a Secret Identity

85. That’s it.
www.systemcomic.com
@Rosscott
@FriendlyDC
@SystemComic
@SuperArtFight