Recently debated here at Banapana and elsewhere was the question: is graphic design art? As I stated before, I think that graphic design is a craft and that it can achieve art when it is practiced with mastery. ¹ One example of that sort of mastery can be found on Andy Mangold’s site where he has re-designed the monopoly game packaging. It is a stunning as well as functional re-design. It is, in short, a mastery of the craft. The aesthetic changes would increase the perceived value of the game, and the re-organization of the game pieces simply makes it easier to take care of and play. Brilliant.

And for those of you who have been looking for a good Monopoly strategy, I suggest you take a look at this simple instructive video.

source: Daring Fireball

Thank Goodness that someone else has come out to say it. Jakob Nielson is not the guru he’s cracked up to be. Hank Williams has pointed out in a post at Why Does Everything Suck?[^1] that this particular bit of triteness is “unreadable.” And it is. Do you notice how there are no paragraph indentations? Do you notice how the leading is not adjusted to the height of the font? All the man does is try to dictate conventions and yet he literally dismisses print conventions that have been around for hundreds of years. Read more…