My sense of visual design still feels out-of-whack. After spending 6+ hours working on a corporate America brochure that the client requested look “clean, modern, and utilize space well,” with a “dynamic” front page and “some BIG pictures,” I feel in need of fresh inspiration. Maybe that’s not actually very long to spend on a brochure for design firm billing hours, and I’m just accustomed to the production artist mentality: emphasis on production, decrescendo on the art factor. Maybe I should re-subscribe to HOW after letting it lapse for about 3-4 years. There’s tons of good print design to cull inspiration (and yes, directly copy) from on the web, but much of the cooler, truly exciting stuff is way too “out-there” for daily corporate use, and that seems to be what you mainly find online. In a tactile sense, it feels better to be reading a print magazine about print design, vs. scanning and scrolling on a computer screen. I’ve found HOW to match creativity with realistic expectations of what the client — who may not necessarily be completely dull and drab but nonetheless unable to articulate a defined direction, much less craft it visually —  will actually like. I think that’s why I get so excited any time I have the opportunity (and time and energy) to design something for an art organization or show, because it’s all about vision. Does anyone out there have recommendations of other good graphic design mags to use as reference/inspiration for corporate design?