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Jeff Barfoot is
founder and principal
of the design studio
BarfootWorldwide, and
is also Design Director
of CommerceHouse (an
advertising agency)
in Dallas. His design
and illustration work
has been recognized
by The Art Directors
Club of New York,
Communication Arts
,
Graphis
,
Print
magazine,
the
AR100
(for Annual
Report design), The
Dallas Society of Visual
Communications, The
American Institute of
Graphic Arts, and The
American Advertising
Federation. He is past
editor in chief of
Rough
Magazine
. Jeff has also
served on the board of
directors of the Dallas/
Fort Worth chapter of
AIGA. He is very proud
to be the cofounder of
the National Student
Show & Conference,
the nation’s largest
creative competition and
conference designed
for communication arts
students, now in its fifth
year.
BarfootWorldwide
www.barfootworldwide.com
BarfootWorldwide 35
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51 BRIEF > IDEAS > SKETCH. Once the creative
brief is written (which we make as short as
possible, so our goals for the project stay clear),
we read it over, and then walk away from it. After
a few days—we can’t quite describe how—we
fi nd that we’ve been thinking about it off and on
in the back of our minds. When we sit down to
sketch, we almost always fi nd that we have a few
ideas that seem to pour out of the pen.
52 S
KETCH > PAPER > PENCIL. We always,
always, always sketch fi rst. And that is a
loose term—our preliminary sketches are a
combination of words and images that we feel
can help solve the problem. At fi rst, these ideas
are not complete thoughts: we could have a
tagline we like, an illustration treatment that
feels appropriate, some image concepts. We then
put these pieces together to form larger, more
cohesive ideas. Once we have several of these
more complete ideas we critique them, removing
some, combining some, to arrive at the fewest
number of strong ideas. Whenever possible,
this is what we show to a client. Showing
pencils helps ensure that the client will choose
a direction based on the idea, and not based on
periphery considerations like “Oooh, I love that
color!”, which can be much more subjective.
Once the client approves the overall concept in
sketch form, we move to comps, and then fi nal
layout. We really try to keep the spontaneity and
freshness of the sketches alive in the comps,
tying to keep them as close to the pencils as
possible (unless we have a different, better idea
along the way).
53 L
IBRARY > BOOKS > RESEARCH. We always
do research, but not too much. We have found
that research and information can be as
dangerous as it can be helpful. We strongly
feel that there is a fi ne line between not doing
enough research and doing too much. Of course,
it is helpful to research our subject matter and
what the potential competitors for our project
will be. But doing too much research can
sometimes cause a sort of information overload,
and can cause a designer to lose sight of the
original goal for the project.
54 C
LUTTER > CHAOS > WORKING SPACE.
A chaotic, cluttered working space seems
counter-productive, but we fi nd that having a
workspace with a lot going on is healthy. Having
several projects going at once in different
stages is really good for our thought process.
For us, focusing on one project at a time isn’t
nearly as productive as jumping from project
to project. We think it keeps our brains active,
keeps us from getting too bogged down or even
stuck on one project. The other benefi t is that a
cross-pollination of ideas starts to take place,
where an aspect of one project might spark an
idea for another.
55 S
UBCONSCIOUS > INPUT > INSPIRATION.
We have a very strong opinion regarding
inspiration: we think that enjoying and
experiencing these things is where ideas
come from in the fi rst place. We have put some
thought into this, actually, and we think that
the best ideas are a combination of smaller
things (words, visuals, etc.) that are put
together in a way that is unexpected, and with
luck, are something no one has ever thought
of before. But in order to do this, a designer
must experience as many things, and as many
different things, as possible. What this does
is build an arsenal or library of sorts in your
subconscious, so when you sit down to a
concept on a project, your mind can pull all of
these parts together to form ideas. Because of
this, we strongly feel that the more input you
give your mind to work with, the greater the
output will be.
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BarfootWorldwide 37
57 CHALLENGES > REWARDS > CLIENTS. There
is no ideal client, but that’s the best thing about
what we do. If every client let you do everything
you wanted, what fun would that be? Solving
each client’s needs and challenges in the most
creative way possible is the most rewarding
thing we do. If what we come up with wins a
few design awards or appears in a few annuals,
we are all the more excited. But again, if that
happened every time, the joy of that would be
gone.
58 R
EFERRALS > AWARDS > NEW PROJECTS. Almost
every job we have worked on (so far) has come
as a referral from an existing client or friend of
the studio (printers, paper suppliers, etc.). We
try very hard to maintain our reputation of doing
strong creative and being pleasant people to work
with. Occasionally, we will get a new project from
a client who sees our work in an annual or sees
our work out in the world and takes the time to
fi nd out who was behind it. We try very hard to
give our clients both the best work and the best
experience, and the rest has taken care of itself.
59 S
TYLE > CLIENT NEEDS > TECHNIQUES. We
think that in order for each idea to be as strong
as possible, each technique used on each project
should be dictated by the needs of that project,
and support the overall goal or concept. We abhor
design studios that claim or practice a “style.”
We think this a huge disservice to clients. Each
client is unique, and has unique needs and goals;
forcing a look on them that a designer thinks is
“cool” or “our studio’s style” is just plain wrong.
60 T
EAM EFFORT > QUALITY CONTROL >
P
RODUCTION CONTROL. We try very hard to be as
collaborative as possible, so we have the most
ideas and quality control on our projects.
Although each project has a Project Lead, we try
to stay involved as a group, starting with the fi rst
conception of ideas, all the way to production,
printing, or programming.
56
M
ADNESS > DARKNESS > OPTIMISM. If there is a
leitmotif in our work, we like to think it’s optimism.
The world has enough madness and darkness in
it. We try, whenever possible, to design things that
add a little light and cheerfulness.
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61 BE SELECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE. This
tip is about being selective when you are
designing, so you don’t get stuck in a job
and that you are objective enough to admit
which designs will work and which won’t.
62 D
IVERSIFY. Try to differentiate in
style and the way you look at your work. Try
to use different techniques and typefaces,
don’t become a “one trick pony.”
63 L
EARN FROM EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE. I
think you can learn from every experience,
even if it’s negative.
64 B
E MORE THAN A DESIGNER. Broaden
your horizons. The best inspiration will
come from other fi elds than design.
65 K
EEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE BUT YOUR
CRITICS CLOSER. It’s nice that people like your
work but you can actually learn much more
from people who make valid criticism.
38 1,000 Ideas by 100 Graphic Designers
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66 NEVER MAINTAIN A STATUS QUO. This one
is about how you perceive a client or a job.
Never try to stereotype a client in a certain
kind of fi eld. Always think there is more you
can do for him or her.
67 L
OVE WHAT YOU DO. Never let the
passion go out of your work. Don’t become
a malcontent, even when its not going good
at your workplace or you have a burn out.
Just trust your work and everything will
sort itself out.
68 H
ELP YOUR FELLOW DESIGNER. This
is more about helping people out with
techniques, advice, and even with deadlines.
For me as a designer, you also have the
responsibility to help where you can, like
Spiderman.
69 A
LWAYS QUESTION PEOPLE WHO WANT TO
TEACH YOU SOMETHING. Well this one is about
killing your darlings. It’s great to learn
something from other designers, books,
lectures, but always question if the advice is
fi tting for you. Maybe you would do better in
going the totally opposite direction.
70
Y
OU ARE ONLY GOING TO DIE FROM YOUR
OWN ARROGANCE. Always try to avoid
arrogance, because the quality of
your work will come to a standstill.
And hell! Nobody will have coffee
with you anymore.
Bart Kiggen 39
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