Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Egads!

I ran across this blog today and am absolutely flabbergasted as to why I haven't been reading it for years. Not only do these people have a great blog devoted to graphic design, they give away stuff—on a regular basis. Honestly. Go to grain edit. Now!

p.s. Marvel at the loveliness of their blog... but please don't stop reading mine :-)

Monday, March 30, 2009

Bookish.

It's library day... usually. But we made our trip a bit early this week. I came back with all sorts of picture books that I'm sure we'll be reading non-stop for the rest of the month. While my daughter's choices usually involve ballerinas, princesses, and all matter of frilly silliness, my selections for her are based purely on the type and illustration of the cover. This week, I picked up a BEAUTIFUL book—Sergio Makes a Splash! by Edel Rodriguez. The book is printed in only three Pantones, which complement the bold, poster-like spreads. I love it!

And, while we're on the topic of books... I was sadly forced to return my copy of Printing By Hand by Lena Corwin, as it seems to be quite popular at the local library (and it should be.) I'll just have to put it on hold again for that magical time when inspiration, motivation, and free time coincide.

p.s. I received my t-shirt (see Wednesday's post) from Wonder Thunder and it is fabulous!

Friday, March 27, 2009

Have a lovely weekend.

And, it's Friday... again. If it's nice where you are, get outside already!

National Parks Service
Find a park in your area—discover something new!

Green Festivals
The Green Festival is going on this weekend in Seattle. I went a couple of years ago to the one DC... and while it was fun, it seemed a little strange to attend a "green" festival inside a huge convention center. I'll let you be the judge.

Tea towel by Skinny Laminx

skinny laminx
Beautiful, graphic prints... are we seeing a trend here? :-)

New cookbook... hoping my library will have a copy when it comes out.

BabyCakes nyc
I had to include this because I love the name (and their site), and if I lived in NYC, I'd be walking in right now to eat as many cupcakes as I could stomach.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

covet: detailed prints

It's quite possible I would write more often if I had cool note cards like these from The Paper Apartment.

Poster by Mike Perry, author of Hand Job: A Catalog of Type

This poster by my longtime favorite, Nikki McClure hangs directly in front of my desk as a reminder to just take a moment... and breathe.

It will be a miracle if I haven't purchased this shirt from wonderthunder by the end of the day.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Remembering Victoria.

Sadly, my short vacation is over. I'm back to work, sorting through more emails than I would have ever gotten had I just been home in the first place. Why is it that the number of requests seems to increase exponentially when I'm away? I should not complain—it's not a bad thing these days...

We had a wonderful time. Victoria, or what we saw of it, is a cute little city—and we will most definitely return. But I should begin with a very important point: traveling with a toddler cannot, in any way, be compared to travel among adults. Instead of planning our itinerary around cultural activities and sightseeing, we found that our schedule revolved around mealtimes. All outings were based on the proximity to our hotel and the availability of a cafĂ© offering child-friendly fare. Lucky for us, Victoria is small and easy to navigate and there are many great sights and restaurants all within walking distance to the harbor. We were able to take in one "museum"—Miniature World, which I highly recommend. It may be cheesy (it is cheesy), but the detailed dioramas are amazing and I have always been fond of taking normal sized objects and making them tiny (like my design comps in school.) And my daughter, two and a half, found it fascinating.

I even had a chance to wander Victoria alone as my little one (and husband) napped at the hotel. I used my hour wisely, heading directly to Chinatown and Market Square, both crowded with charming boutiques that were great for browsing. There were two standouts: Silk Road and Smoking Lily.

Silk Road is a lovely tea/aromatherapy shop. Everything—from the displays to the packaging of each product to the knowledgeable staff—was so thoughtful, that I couldn't help but wonder if it was a chain store. But it's not. It's local and full of wonderful products. I came home with some tea and bath salts, and wish I would have purchased more.

Smoking Lily is a tiny shop, known mostly for its diminutive storefront. But I went there for its lovely screenprinted clothing. It was so hard to choose, as I wanted one of each, but I left with a simple sleeveless top—eggplant, printed with a green peacock feather.

Next time we go, we'll bring a babysitter (grandma?)

Monday, March 23, 2009

Vacation is over.

I'm back from Victoria... and will have lots to report in the next few days. Stay tuned—really!

Friday, March 20, 2009

F.U.N.

Teacups Fabric by Hannah Raeside, from Spoonflower

I realize that "fun" is subjective. Just to be safe, we'll say these links are not lame.

MOMA Color Chart Exhibit (2008)
The site may be old news (the exhibit ended nearly a year ago), but it's nice and, well, colorful.

Spoonflower
Design your own fabric—I have to try this out!

The Onion
If you haven't been to their site yet, go! You need a good laugh.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

lovely blog, lovely designer

Design Connoisseur by Louise Fili

A Designer's Guide to Italy by Louise Fili (I just so happen to have a copy!)

If you haven't heard of Louise Fili, where have you been? Kidding. I just happen to really love her book design. And when I saw that she had updated her site (via The Daily Heller), I had to share. Prior to my journey to Italy in 2005, I emailed her about her book, A Designer's Guide to Italy... and she wrote back—almost immediately. So, not only is she a great designer in my book, she's also a very nice person. Check out her blog, eh?

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

The States

I am currently reading State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys quirky short stories. It's a great compilation that really gives a face to each state, sometimes confirming stereotypes, and other times just providing interesting facts that could prove useful in boring conversations. But it got me to thinking about the lines that divide us, real and imaginary, and how our environments really shape perceptions, beliefs, and more relevantly (to this blog, anyway), our aesthetics.

Reading State by State made me wonder what it would be like if there were a similar publication that included designers' interpretations of their individual states. How could each one's characteristics, culture, and history be visually represented in a way that would be relevant for a broader audience? Sounds like an assignment to me...

Louisiana print by Frank Chimero

Coincidentally, I recently ran across a link to the work of Frank Chimero, a designer based in Missouri. His series, The States, is a lovely, illustrative interpretation of each state, using it's silhouette as the basis.

Other historical examples can be seen in the posters commissioned by the WPA in the 1930s and 1940s. I chose my home state of Montana :-)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Destination: Victoria BC

Painting by Leela Ford


Photo of Miniature World by MEOMI

This weekend, we're off to Victoria, BC for a short family vacation. Before I travel to new places, I like to do a little research... beyond the usual guidebook. So, below are a few links to cool things going on up north. Stay tuned for photos (and recommendations)!

Leela Ford

The Smoking Lily

The Metropolitan

Plenty Epicurean Pantry

Miniature World

Monday, March 16, 2009

When I'm not working...


I can be found chasing around a curly-haired little girl. I rarely work on Mondays, so we use it as our day to go to the library. Today, I ran across a book that I decided to check out just for the illustrations. Take a peek. More of Oliver Jeffers' work can be found here.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Friday Fun

I've decided to devote my Friday posts to fun links, things to do, etc.—diversions. I started it last week, so why not just continue? You weren't really serious about working today, anyway.


Venus Zine's Washington DC City Guide
Another guide to DC, the city that was my home for over seven years. Ah, sometimes I miss it :-) Note: like all guides to DC, Venus has included Ben's Chili Bowl... but they also included my favorite restaurant, Java Green (on another side note, what happened to their once-lovely website?)

Burda Style
I love this site, but alas, I do not sew. Maybe one day.



Flavor Paper
Not your grandma's wallpaper. I'm not entirely sure where I'd put it, but I love it!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

This is where the magic happens.

This is my room. MY room, my office. I have a room to contain the mess of lino shavings, cut paper and exacto blades that I have been known to create. I can shut the door to keep out curious 2-year-olds. It gets great light (which is why I decided it would be ok to paint it Bittersweet Chocolate) and is, most importantly, a filled with things I love.

I still work from the desk my dad made me over twenty years ago, which sits on top of a beautiful Tibetan rug that was so graciously given to me in exchange for a website design. In front of me are two frames that remind me of my travels. One contains a silk blouse I purchased on my honeymoon in Paris nearly nine years ago. The other has a lovely piece of letterpressed paper from my trip to Italy in 2005. I could go on. But the point is that I feel so lucky to have a space to call my own, one that fosters creativity, and reminds me of where I've been and where I still want to go. It may be a little messy, but that's just what makes it mine. If there was a couch in here, I'd never leave.

Publish it.

I love making books. There's just something about having a tangible object to represent all of the hard work I've put into a project. It's great to be able to visit a website I've designed, but my true love is print, which is probably evident by now, if you've read any of this blog. While I take so much satisfaction in creating books by hand, bookbinding is time-consuming. And... I have lots of ideas I'd like to try. And... I have a toddler. You get the picture.

Lucky for me (and you), there are many companies that make this process a bit easier. Here are just a few:

Lulu
I'm not saving the best one for last... this is the one service I can't wait to try. Finally—a company to print small run publications that doesn't require the use of one of their templates. Just send them a PDF, your $$, and voila—your very own book! They'll even send out copies to your "subscribers", aka friends.

Blurb
These books look nice. Really nice. The only downside—you have to use their software to put it together. I'm seriously considering using this for portfolio, as it's very well-priced. Oh, and it works with your Flickr account... even better!

Hazel Mail
Not a book, but so great, I had to include it. I sent a postcard via Hazel Mail earlier today and I have to tell you... it was SO easy. Just upload a photo (or perhaps design?), write a little something, and it generates a postcard that you can send anywhere for only $1.50. Can't beat that.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Tried and true.

When asked to choose my favorite era in design history, I would have a difficult time trying to pick just one. I adore the simplicity of Mid-century Modern, the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and the organic lines of Art Nouveau. But the style of Art Deco seems to have my heart. When I read The Daily Heller last week on a summer Master's program in Italy (Oh, how I'd love to go), and an Italian Deco design exhibit that just happens to coincide, I just felt the need to write about it. Italy and Art Deco. I love it.

When I had the chance to venture to that lovely country four years ago, I fell in love. Though it was a chilly February journey, we all had a fabulous time. And while the food was excellent, and the proximity to so much history left me humbled, I really found the the design of everyday objects—signs, packaging, clothing—to be overwhelmingly beautiful. And that is what made the most lasting impression on me.

Art Deco was still in full-force, especially in the signs scattered around Rome. And it made me wonder, "Why don't we do this back home?" The truth is, we're a young country—one that is still trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up. Italy, on the other hand, has several thousand years under its belt. They've been around a while.

Though I know I won't make it in time for the exhibit, it's definitely time to return—time to remind myself why I loved it so much in the first place. But in the meantime, I'll just have to look at the photos once again, and treat myself to a few unnecessary products, purchased only for their packaging :-)

Friday, March 6, 2009

Finally Friday!

It's been a longish week, so I'm going to try to focus on fun for today. Here are a few diversions for the end of the work week:

Layer Tennis
Maybe this is only fascinating to all of us PhotoShop nerds—watch it live today, or check out the archives.

CraftStylish
Make something fun this weekend—without the computer! This site has LOTS of ideas... if you're a craftster.

Hulu
Not at all design-related, but always fun to catch up on episodes of The Office and Arrested Development as a 20-minute break.

poppytalk

Read this blog. I do—every day—and wish I was this cool.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

I Love Letterpress!

Oh, how I long to take a letterpress class. Back in my days at the Corcoran, we had one available to us in our screenprinting/bookbinding lab—and I never took advantage. How foolish of me! Now I'm nearly 3,000 miles away and yearning to print... but with no tools. In the meantime, I drool over others' letterpress lovelies and remind myself that soon, very soon, I will find a class and the time to learn.

Images, from top to bottom:
Tree prints from Yee Haw Industries
Triumph card from Egg Press
Alphabet poster from Sycamore Street Press

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

type like you mean it.

I saw this poster on Creattica Daily last week and it made me chuckle. Perhaps it's just an inside joke for for us type freaks, but it illustrates what I consider to be one of the most important dilemmas designers face today—misused type!

With hundreds of sites devoted to providing free font downloads, it takes only a few minutes to expand your library with typefaces that ought not to EVER be used (or perhaps only used in the most perfect of circumstances). The fonts listed in the poster are another story, as they (or similar knockoffs) are available to anyone with a computer. And what's happened, is that your average computer user has decided that instead of using the default Times New Roman (that may require another post entirely), they can spice things up a bit and add a few display fonts—and always in inappropriate places. And in turn, they have become "designers."

The most obvious offender (in all of my years doing this) has got to be Papyrus. I am definitely guilty of using it in my early days (it was the 90's and I didn't know any better), but honestly... what does this typeface actually say about its user? And what makes it the go-to font for businesses these days? I recently drove through a small town and counted at least five businesses with signage (large signage!) set in Papyrus. This makes me wonder, who was responsible for the town's "official" font? I'm guessing it was the designer, which is even more shameful. I know many clients like Papyrus, but I find it's best not to even include it as an option. Next time you even consider using Papyrus, stop yourself. You are making a big mistake. And if you feel you need to use it just one more time, don't be surprised if one of those posters ends up at your door.

Using Budgets Wisely, or Rise of the Freelancer!

By now, the downturn of this economy has hit most of us... in some way or another. Perhaps we're dining out less, foregoing a vacation, or simply ignoring it all in the hope it will just go away. But more specifically, our economy seems to have provided an interesting environment for designers, especially freelancers.

When budgets are cut, creative departments are some of the first to go. Perhaps it's easier to justify holding off on that website redesign, rather than to neglect something a little more urgent—like increasing productivity (a.k.a: taking your executives on a retreat.) But then again, companies still paid $3 million for 30 seconds of Super Bowl advertising last month. It's just more evidence that corporate America is still willing to waste its money to look cool. One highly publicized example comes to mind—Tropicana's impersonal brand redesign (and subsequent return to its original design). This is probably the most appalling example in recent history of how a highly-recognizable brand attempted to completely abandon their customer base to "reinvent" itself as something it never was in the first place. It would be one thing if Tropicana succeeded, but their fan base raised their voices and the $35 million ($35 MILLION!) advertising budget seems to have been wasted—as Tropicana is now going back to their original "straw in the orange" design (thank goodness!). READ THE NY TIMES ARTICLE HERE

Such an example provokes so many questions. What were they thinking? How is it possible that companies still have $35 million to throw away on rebranding? But more importantly, why on earth should it cost so much?

I digress... the real reason I bring all of this up, is that in tough times, we all have to use what money we do have wisely. That's why good freelance designers are now in high demand. We're often less expensive than our counterparts, as we don't require as much overhead to stay in business (at least it's the case for my business, as I operate as a sole proprietor.) We can also offer something even more valuable—personal service. Having a direct line of communication between client and designer, without having to go through layers of project managers, strategists, art directors, etc. is worth a lot. Not only does this enable a project to be completed on a much shorter timeline, it often means a lot less frustration for both parties, as it's much easier to communicate one's vision directly, rather than have it distilled through several channels before finally ending up on a designer's desk.

So, what I'm getting at is this: it's a great time to be a freelancer—not just any freelancer, but a good one—responsible and reliable, with a little creativity mixed in for good measure.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

And... I'm back.

What seemed like just a few weeks, was nearly a two-month hiatus from writing. How did that happen? The answer: I have been busy, busy, busy... which is great, great, great! While not blogging, I have actually put my long-awaited printing supplies to good use. My first print went out as a very limited edition of Valentine's Day postcards–each one unique. Cutting linoleum is much more tedious than I remember, or perhaps it's just that my designs are a bit too intricate and/or ambitious for the medium. Next time, I'll remember to simplify! Up next is another set of prints with a spring theme (ambiguous, I know), as it seems appropriate now that it's March—yikes! More on that soon (hopefully)!
Related Posts with Thumbnails