Purging

It's cool and kind of fun! Not in the eating disorder kind of way, but in the event of when you are moving and deciding what stays and what goes. I always feel really good after I let something go that has been burdening me for a long time. When the stuff begins to relieve the clutter in my home there is more space and room to breathe. Purging is great with junk food and carb filled cabinets, overfilled "storage" spaces, "friends" lists, hard drives, and you guess it design!

Sometimes due to our clients' demands or our own faults, design and layouts become cluttered and overworked. Once you start removing the extraneous "fluff", designers have more space to stand out and become more modern and sophisticated. Helping clients and ourselves see that will a little room that their/our message can really stand apart (loud and clear!)

Design Trends: Glitter

Glitter, Glitter everywhere. 

I might have said 'tis the season, but this trend has been going on for months. It is not just graphic design that is getting the sparkle effect. This past Halloween do you remember all the glitter pumpkins and decor that were filling the shelves? Glitter is big with big clunky jewelry that women are accessorizing with. The sparkle is fun trend and easy to do. Add it to your designs and too your wardrobe and sparkle this holiday season!

 

Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday  is coming up with weekend. In a effort to boost local business American Express is helping small businesses get its own day between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Small businesses provide the most jobs in the United States, so do some good business and support your favorite local shop. Wichita has a lot of great shops to support this weekend:

• Bluebird Arthouse: a LARGE selection of artist supplies that you can't get anywhere else in Wichita. 

• Avivo: delicious brick oven pizzas.

• Kanai: my favorite sushi place in Wichita.

• Coca Dolce: delicious chocolates as well as gelato.

• Wichita Art Museum gift shop: they sell art from local artists at a variety of prices  It is free to visit the museum on Saturdays, so why not look around, get inspired, and buy a gift.

•  Sedgwick County Zoo: It may be a little cool, but I love to walk through the zoo and see all the animals.

Shopping season has begun, so why not spend your dollars in the community. What are your favorite local spots?

Sketch

I knew there was a reason that my year of design fundamentals included 2 semesters of drawing and my major required another semester of developing my drawing skills. Computes are fast pace and the programs more sophisticated. Sketching is becoming less common for a starting point. It had been grilled into us at school that all projects begin with a design brief and then beginning with sketches that fit the needs outlined in the brief. I have a plethora of sketch books filled with minute sketches.

One of our early projects in Visual Communications was the task to create symbols. The first day we had to do 400 sketches and 400 more each day after that. This grilled into us that sketching was essential, because it is not always your first one that is best. As i began professional work I used to sketch more often, but as months have gone by i find I am sketching less. I am not sure why, since sketching has a lot of benefits:

• It's Fast! Faster than "computer sketching. You can quickly see if a layout will work rather than wasting time building something a computer that may not work. 

• Sketching is not biased. When you work on the computer it is to tempting to add color and make work more complicated even before the layout is realized.

• It activates a different part of the brain, and can re-inveterate your creative juices.

• Rest for your eyes. Even if you don't sketch it is a good idea to take a break from the computer screen and give your eyes rest from those little lights.

Getting Inspired

My motivation has flown out the window lately, and I have been trying to get inspired:

• Mehmet Goetlik: minimalism

• Square One Design : Joe Coffee

• Pearlfisher: Jamie Oliver

• True Fruits

• Number Logos

The Family Cookbook

So many people talk about, and many people probably have a family cookbook or notecard set that was put together by Word Art and Kinkos. Tyler has one like that. For years Tyler and I have discussed creating our own cookbook, "but not in a sucky way". It came up again, recently, and I am just churning with ideas.

Ideas for recipes, organization, and illustrations. Nothing will probably come of it, but it would be fun to have a beautiful cookbook full of our favorite recipes.

Looking Forward to Being Creative Again

Since I am trying to make my house fit to live in, most of my creative mojo after work has to be pushed aside to paint, install laminate floors, of some other necessary task. I am l poking forward to November 26 when I officially have to be moved out. Once I can settle into my new home, I will have the chance to draw on my creative roots and have fun.

I feel stifled and that my skill sets are fading, just because I don't have the time to devote to them. I want to immediately get back to improving/relearning web design as well as trying to improve illustration skills.

Students' Creativity

I follow quite a few design blogs, and I am constantly surprised how often student work is prsented. Often these design are more attractive than working professionals.

Why is that?

Are students just better at keeping their work updated? Perhaps it's the tough market that makes students aware that they need to get work constantly up-to-date to fight for a job. Those of us lucky enough to be employed might be willing to stay in the same firm or agency with the unsteady market. And since we aren't cramming into the market, there doesn't seem a need to keep up a website with time and money.

I think it is more likely that as a student we were given a lot of opportunities thay we didnt realize that would be so helpful to our body work. So while you're still a student:

1) Use your teacher's in class, but also in their office hours. You are paying these people to help you be the best you can be. Take advantage of it now, because your bosses our art directors don't have the time to give you that one on one advice on type, style, and tips. You are the one now who is being paid.

2) Use your time wisely. Typical project in school was due every four or five weeks. Now I occasionally get a couple weeks, other times I have to meet an immediate turn around. I hardly gave the chance to sketch out my layouts or develop a clear design idea. I just have to run with it, and hope for the best.

3) Enjoy the freedom and experiment. In the real world you are constantly beibg art directed eother by a boss or a client. In school you have the great opportunity to create whatever you want. This is a great chance to experience different mediums. They can give you a great new idea or texture to your designs.

4) Take the advantage of working with your fellow students. I work at a small agency where client work is divided between me and the other designer. There is no chance for collaboration. I never realized how important my fellow classmates were for developing my designs and pushing me to be better.
There are great things about my life now that beat school (such as: not taking my work home with me, printing and cutting at all hours of the night, and being completely broke). Even with all of that, I still miss school and wish I could go back and take another class.

Goal Check-In

• I thought I would let you all know how I am doing on my goals. I did get out of Wichita; I went to Cheney Lake. That counts right? 

• My second goal, because of some personal and financial matters my website is down at the moment. I hope in a couple months I can have it back up and running. 

• I have been have at least 1 cooking adventure in the kitchen every month. In October I made eyeball cake pops. It was pretty exciting. 

• Some days I struggle but I have been able to post often. 

• Doing something engaging everyday? EPIC FAIL! I also have not been doing as well as I would like to actively observing everything around me.

Crowdsourcing: The Effect on Design

The act of crowdsourcing has increased with expanding digital social networking. It has caused outrage with many on the design community. Some say that there is a time and a place for crowdsourcing. Ehat defines this moment? Certainly not when it is large corporations or groups with large funds, but there are many with deep pockets trying get creatives to work for free:

• Obama 2012 Jobs Poster Contest: There are funds available that could hire designers, instead of having creatives working for free. Jobs are needed in all sectors, and with this type of promotion I would think creating jobs would be a priority!

• Nike's Logo: It was quite a steal for $35.

•  U.S. Department of Interiors: They gave a systems of awards to a select few who submitted ideas.

•  AIGA has a few ideas about crowd sourcing and spec work. This is how designers should work with clients to provide the best work possible.

AIGA is committed to supporting the interests of professional designers and strives to play an authoritative role in promoting and communicating standards for ethical conduct and professional practice in the design community.

I Need a Vacation

VACATION: A period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday. I need a vacation or at least a break. With a day-in and day-out grind from work to working on a house i have had little chance to recharge from my day. My creative juices have been tapped and I feel completely drained of the essence that makes me--me. I need a vacation from work and from my personal time. I am incapable of having a break from work because my personal time is devoted to something so consuming with physical labor. I can't possible take a break from the house because I have to move out soon and I have to make this new location fit to live in.


Any spare time that I find I try to spend working on this blog or taking the time to veg with TV to ebb part of my anxiety from work and personal pressures. So how do I gain the necessary break I need? Really, do you know a good way for me to relax when my days are so full? Or do I just need to sleep less?


Until then I am dreaming of visiting....TWO RIVERS, WISCONSIN

 

Recent Happenings

My time away from work is more exhausting than my 8 to 5 job. I have not been able to spend the time that I would like on my blog lately, so i wanted to share with you what was stealing all my time form you. I have done things I never thought I would be able to do. (like using a table saw).

Taking more time and more money than is we planned of course, but slowly but surely our house is coming together.

DIY Links

I have been getting inspired to create my house more into a home, so I have been taking a look at links to help me to make my home beautiful for cheap! Plus it gets me away from the computer:

• Custom Cutting Boards: as long as you own these tools or has a friend who does these make an affordable addition to your home or as a gift.

•  Lighting Up Your Kitchen: I like this idea for giving my kitchen a little more light. My kitchen has no windows and no direct lighting.

• A Bookshelf with Style: an easy way to give a bookshelf a style and personality.

•  Design Sponge at Home: I have almost enough money saved up to buy this book, and I can't wait to devour all the DIY projects inside.

• Granny Chic turned Sinister: This would be great for Halloween.