Fellow young designers- did you catch this in HOW?

January's issue of HOW Magazine published an article by Doug Bartow (29 Things that All Young Designers Need to Know), which I found very useful. I was reading the magazine in B&N and had to copy down a few notes in my sketchbook. I've thought of it several times over the past couple months since reading it.

Here's a few great suggestions for example, but there are so many others (I also like 9, 12, and 23).

3. Don't fear type; become its master.

Often, being a good typographer means not making the simple mistakes. To accomplish this, you’ll need a working knowledge of classical typography. Go get one. “The Elements of Typographic Style” by Robert Bringhurst, “Thinking With Type” by Ellen Lupton and “Grid Systems in Graphic Design” by Josef Müller-Brockmann are cover-to-cover must-reads. Repeat after me: “Free fonts from the internet are crap, I will not use them.” Keep saying that.

4. Define your audience.

Who are you speaking to and what is the objective? If you can’t definitively answer both of these questions about a project you’re about to start working on, go back to the drawing board. Graphic design is simply a plan that visually articulates a message. Make sure you have the message and its intended viewer sorted out before you start making. Communicate with purpose—don’t just make eye candy.

15. Content is still king.

Technically, Elvis is still the king, but for the sake of this argument, let’s put an emphasis on the message, and consider design as a plan for delivering it. The most effective and memorable visual communication almost always has the right mix of form and content, regardless of medium. Good design can engage a viewer, but interesting content will keep them reading, and thinking, past the headline.

27. Remember that your Mac is a tool.

Twenty years ago, many people in our industry were sure that desktop publishing would mark the end of professional graphic design as we knew it. They confused the convenience of new technology with the skill and passion required to design with it. Take a good look at your design methodology and the role technology plays in your work. Can you select “Shut Down” and still be an effective visual communicator? Practice that.

Really though, it's a great article that will remind you of a few things and teach you a few more, so go read it!