In “Becoming an Idea Witch Doctor,” Stefan Mumaw shows you tricks to quickly formulate ideas for your clients using comedy improv practices. Watch this video for speedy inspiration.
Meet Print’s latest Designer of the Week, Matthew Terdich, whose creative design led to a win in the 2013 Regional Design Annual.
Name: Matthew Terdich
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Website: www.matthewterdich.com
Design school attended: The Basel School of Design, University of Illinois at Chicago
Who are some of your favorite designers or artists?
Ollafur Eliasson, James Turrell, Herbert Matter, Herbert Bayer, Armin Hofmann
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in the everyday conditions that surround us that often go unnoticed: color, light, sound, etc. I also really love all kinds of music and find many parallels between the visual language of design and music.
Do you have a favorite among all the projects you’ve worked on?
John Massey Vision. It’s a project that took many years to complete and required a lot of discipline on the part of all those involved. I’m very proud of the end result.
Is there a project that stands out to you as having been the biggest challenge of your career so far?
The architectural and environmental graphics for Morningstar’s corporate headquarters at Block 37 was a challenge in terms of managing requirements and a budget that were continually in flux due to the architectural and design development occurring concurrently with construction. It was incredibly challenging to pull it off but a great learning experience at the same time.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
One of the most exciting aspects of our profession is that we are always exposed to new industries and methods of thinking that challenge us as both designers and individuals. I strive to always challenge myself to learn and to maintain a high caliber of quality in the work that I produce
Best advice for designers today:
Keep it simple. There is an inherent amount of complexity, focus and excitement in simple ideas.

Terdich’s typographic interpretations of various beer styles produced as coasters and silkscreen prints. According to Terdich’s website, letterforms are manipulated and arranged to capture the essence and unique taste profies of each style.
Thinking of entering the 2015 RDA? Here are two reasons why you should:
“Print is one of the most influential publications in our industry; having the opportunity to even be considered for inclusion in the RDA is a no-brainer.” —2e Creative
“We are proud to be able to talk about our Print RDA award on our website and in social media. We hope that it will boost our studio’s recognition within the design community. We also think potential clients view award-winning design studios as a valuable partner that can potentially produce award-winning work for them too.” —Jen Thomas, The Beauty Shop
While Matthew Terdich may be most pleased with his environmental application of Morningstar’s logo, he oddly left out that he did not design the logo he applied. Paul Rand did, back in 1991. This may be an oversight or shallow research efforts on your writer Amanda Aszman’s part, or it might be intentional, we cannot know. It is important to Print’s audience that they know if a certain work is represented in an essay, attributions such as the actual designer be accurately indicated. I now wonder how much of the work shown was really Matthew Terdich’s.