Overview

From Ray Gun and Transworld Skateboarding magazines to surfboards and potato chip bags, David Carson changed the trajectory of graphic design by never following the rules or sticking to the grid. Now the pioneering designer is sharing his intuitive approach so you can send a message with boundary-breaking work. Explore typography, photography, logo design, and more as you learn how to make an impact and trust your gut.

Syllabus

Meet Your Instructor: David Carson

David Carson is a groundbreaking, award-winning graphic designer. In his first lesson, you’ll get to know David’s creative, prolific work and how this class aims to challenge predictable design.

An Intuitive Approach to Design

David introduces some of his guiding principles. He encourages you to rely on intuition, push yourself to take risks, and develop a mentality that keeps you attuned to unpredictable moments that can make your work better.

Send a Message With Typography

David shows you how he uses innovative typography to reinforce the message he wants to send. He shares why he believes that every decision about font choice, spacing, color, and layout has the potential to deepen the impression a layout makes.

Using Photography in Design

David is best known for his typography, but his bold photography treatments are essential to his designs. He explains how his approach to photography was forged at Transworld Skateboarding magazine, where he got creative with amateur photos.

Put Yourself Into Your Work: Assignment 1

In the first of three sessions he holds with a small group of designers, David reviews work from the first assignment: using only the letters of your first name and black and white to communicate your personality.

Developing a Logo

David talks through what makes logos successful and demonstrates how he iterates on different logo directions from his home studio.

Life as a Working Designer

David offers big-picture advice for designers, ranging from where to base yourself to the merits of working for free.

Tap Into the Power of Color: Assignment 2

In the second group session, David reviews the next assignment: introducing color into your work and creating a design that reflects how your week is going.

Collage Art for Designers

David often incorporates found materials into dynamic collages. In this lesson, he creates several collages in real time, talking through his source materials, design decisions, and how to follow your gut.

Working With Clients

While David’s best-known work is often his most irreverent, he also works with more traditional clients. He shares his process, starting with reading the brief through collaborating with clients to achieve the most compelling results possible.

Designing Impactful Magazines

David breaks down the editorial work he pioneered at different magazines that established him as an unpredictable and polarizing figure in the field of graphic design.

Designing Your Future: Assignment 3

David reviews the last assignment, which allowed participants to break free of any constraints to show what kind of future they imagine for themselves.

Make It Happen

In his closing lesson, David shares a simple yet powerful exercise to inspire you to think about your future, what you want to accomplish, and what you are doing to make that happen.