This document discusses how comics can help make people better designers. It argues that comics involve many of the same skills as design, such as storytelling, writing, illustrations, composition, and working with clients. It also highlights specific techniques from comics that can be applied to design, such as using panels, word and image choice, closure between panels, and limiting elements for more focus. Additionally, it suggests that comics can teach design practices like working within constraints, increasing contrast and simplicity, and having a limited color palette. Finally, it notes some less practical but still useful skills from comics like using art as a form of exercise and maintaining a secret identity.

1. How Comics
Can Make Us
Better Designers
Refresh Baltimore
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
@Rosscott #RefreshBmore

4. @SuperArtFight

6. @FriendlyDC

8. 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.

10. 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

11. Why Comics / Design?

14. Storytelling
Editing
Composition
Writing Illustrations Clients
Butts Words / Visuals Helvetica
Adobe
“Web Stuff”
Creative Promotion

16. Comic Makers Graphic Deisgners Visual Communication

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

25. The Dangers of Specificity

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

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

31. Someone Anyone
(Me?)

32. Mario Someone
Someone’s Trash A Trash

35. http://alistapart.com/article/see-what-i-mean

36. Section 2:
The Art of Panels

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

49. Panel Length

51. 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.

55. Panel Choice

57. Diagram from Helen
Word Choice

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

63. Section 3:
Storytelling

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

66. “Less.”
—Ross

67. 3eanuts Garfield Minus Garfield

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

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

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

73. Art as Exercise

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

79. THE JAMIE NOGUCHI SYSTEM TM
DID YOU DO IT?
NO YES
FUCKIN’ DO IT! WWW.YPCOMIC.COM

80. Have a Bag of Tricks

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

83. Have a Secret Identity

91. That’s it.
www.systemcomic.com
www.friendlydesign.co
@Rosscott
@FriendlyDC
@SystemComic
@SuperArtFight