The Value of Hands on Making in Design
I first became a designer because I loved art and being creative, while also being good with technology. However, as time as gone on I have enjoyed using hands on methods of collage and typography a lot, sometimes even more than digital methods. There is a lot of value in this for my process as well as for the end result. There is something so effective of having a table covered in cut up imagery, words, and colors that you can then mix and match in any way. I usually set my items out and collage them informally in numerous ways taking photos along the way so that I can revisit any combination later. I also use different types of tape, label makers, and other found objects within each collage. Sometimes I work mostly digitally as well, but I will still scan in my hand done type on a crumpled piece of tape, or a certain image ripped up to use each piece separately to then put in whichever Adobe program I am using. The spontaneity and organic flow of this method of visualization gives my design a unique DIY feel .
I also think it is important to not let design and art be overtaken by digital methods. I love being able to work digitally, but sometimes I miss the wildly different feeling of making things by hand. Whenever design is released that was clearly not solely digital it has a different almost more accessible and familiar vibe in my opinion and that is why I value this in my personal work.
