Hubert's Lemonade

It is probably no secret that I would buy objects just to collect the packaging. It is just fascinating to me to keep a physical reminder of designs  and interesting packing. This package hording has expanded its disease to my husband he come home from work on a warm day with a bottle of lemonade and said he had to buy it just because he knew I would like it (he liked it too but it is easier to blame me for this condition)

Hurbert's Lemonade. The lemonade is natural and tasty, and they invested in interesting to design to help you engage with their product. The cute lemon design is also given the extra detail of texture. Modern printing techniques have given designers and printers the ability to add texture and depth to our print designs, but most companies do not want to invest the extra cost to add this physical stimulation. Any fruit that is printed on the bottle is given the additional texture, emphasizing that the fruit and flavor is essential to this brand.

This company also embraced typography that is fitting to a nostalgic lemonade stand. Some will be offended by the use Helvetica as the simple accompaniment. I think it is a nice break from the exuberant energy of the "lemonade stand" font. The package is completed by the simple glass bottle with the clear labels letting the lemonade to show through.

Be Square

Social media is making an impact on how we design and how our future logos and identities will look. Most social platforms have  adopted the square image (for years) as your profile image overall and as the signature image when you leave a post. Adapting to this need designers and companies are looking to make logos less horizontal and more likely to fit in a square or circular shape. Even when the full logo is long (horizontally) usually there is a snippet that can become the company's main logo/identity.

All of these logos are creative of Meghan Hageman

Going forward I think designers need to account for this "profile stamp" and companies will be requesting it so that they can maintain their identity across platforms. Having a square logo not only helps you interact on social media, but on your own website as well. Ever notice the little icon to the left of your website address in the browser? This image is also a square used to identify your company. It is typically a simplified version of the logo since it is so small and complex gradients and colors are hard to reproduce in that size.

Not only do we as designers need to keep squares in mind, but your client's needs across different platforms and mediums. Companies are looking for full color flashy logo for websites and business cards, and  a simplified version of one or two color for applications, such as the little on icon to the left of your website address. People still send faxes and/or will need a black and white document printed so a simple black logo will be necessary as well.

Logo sites worth looking at:

• Logo Lounge
• Mashable
• Logo Blog
  
  

Busy is Good

Busy can be a good thing, especially that it translate to work and work means money, but without taking time to nuture our networks it could mean future money lost. Even when we are expecitionally busy at owrk or at home it is important to keep online portfolios and professional sites up-to-date. Potential employers or clients can see wheather you can keep pace.

Networking person-to-person is still essential in promoting and gathering new business, but most professionals use online tools to help network in less awkward situations: blogs, LinkedIn,personal website, and other sites particular to your job field [for designers this means behance, dribble, cargocollective, krop, and others.] These sites also enable users to list jobs or actively search out jobs for hire.

Keeping updated at least keeps you showing up in recent activity feeds. Your image or logo will pop-up with these notification which helps keep you in-mind. Yes it can take time out of a busy schedule to update, but it should help you keep a constant traffic so that you do not have huge lulls in work because you neglected your online network.

Educational Links

Design, Social Media, and Food. Do you really need anything else? Here are a few links with marvelous tips:

• AIGA // Beyond Craft and Tools: The Skills Design Students Must Master
• CookingLight // The Most Common Cooking Mistakes (with solutions)
• Ethics for the Starving Designer
• 7 New Facebook Changes Impacting Business
• Smashing Magazine // Symptoms of an Epidemic Web Design Trend

Double Trouble

The last couple days I have been dealing with some double trouble, that has me completely distracted. Sometimes some unexpected arrivals leave piles of dishes and other chores undone. And today, that is okay.

Next Generation: Part 2

I received another email from a local student here in Wichita wanting to know more about graphic design and what to expect when she graduates. 

Communication in the workplace:

Since we are a small ad agency, everyone helps to answer the phones here. I am regularly directing phone calls and sometimes making small talk with callers if they need to hold for a short time. I will also make presentations with clients, about projects we are working with them and what changes need to be made. It is important to be able to discuss your work and why it looks the way it does. Creating a design usually means work with intentional input from color, type, and image; and you should be able to explain why you used those. Everyone develops his or her own presentation style, but the presentation is one of the best ways to "sell" your work. Most of my communication is oral between my boss and my fellow employers. Since we have graphic designers, web developer, and media buyers here; we all work on different parts of the projects such as buy the ad space, schedule the ad, and then development. Keeping up -to-date with what coworkers need me to do is essential to projects being done on time.

Essential Skills:

Time management is the most important skill you can learn. There are usually many client jobs that are due, and being  able to prioritize is essential to getting things done. Taking good notes is always appreciated. I take notes during clients meetings and will usually send a word document to my boss so she can keep track of everything that has been discussed, and she really appreciates it. The marketing profession is increasingly becoming about staying on the cutting edge or at least up-to-speed which can mean some self-teaching once you are out of school. Trying to keep the mentality of a student/constant learner is a good mind-frame to have.

Preferred communication:

I prefer my visual communication. I became a graphic designer because I like to see rather than speak. Even mundane tasks, such as, making a an excel sheet of all the ads we worked on in 2011. I color coded the emails, print, billboards, and organized them based on their subject matter or I will make a graph for a client to use in an annual report. I sometimes will use quick sketches in initial meetings with clients to show them a possible options, because images can speak louder than words. Using visual cues helps me organize information, which can make that info easier to comprehend for me and others.

Sandwich Art

I am and admitted food porn addict. I could look through food blogs and cookbooks all day and never cure my lust for food. Jon Chonko has made a blog, videos, and book about the sandwiches he eats for lunch.The art of the sandwich, as well as, the complexity in color and texture raises this from a mundane lunch to coffee table art book.



Scanwiches: The B.L.T. from powerHouse Books on Vimeo.