Interesting design and business related tidbits. Enjoy! DESIGN 1. Fan of the typeface Gotham? Check out some alternatives via imjustcreative.com 2. Finger Painting on the Apple iPad from the live model by David Kassan 3. Star Wars meets High Fashion - Illustrations by John Woo 4. 40 Creative 404 Error Pages to Inspire You via webdesignledger.com 5. Periodic Table of Typefaces! BUSINESS 1. Self-employment Advice for designers via davidairey.com 2. Recognizing the Red Flag Client via The Freelance Rant
There are days where my plate is 100% full with projects and I've got a great flow going with my schedule. But what happens when you happen upon a little lull in business? It's expected and happens from time-to-time in a solo-designer's career which is why it's important to plan ahead and be mindful of income and business costs. Aside from the financial planning, what should you be doing to keep the flow of your business going during a lull? You may find yourself in a bit of a rut when business is a bit slow, but here are some things you can do to stay focused on your business while enjoying a bit of it and refreshing your creativity: 1) Take a day trip! Get out of the office for a day and bring your camera along. If you have friends who also run their own business, it may be a good
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Why is email preferred when discussing your design job? We do 99% of our business via email. Why? Simply because there are many details to consider for each job. Email provides a great reference point when putting together your estimate, proposal, and contract terms. To better assist clients, it's important that all items are laid out at the beginning of all jobs so each party is on the same page from square one. It's understandable that some clients are used to working via phone communications, but we find email to be the superior communication resource when serving our clients. We aren't saying we don't appreciate phone calls, but the initial quote, proposal and contract are best laid out in writing. Email is best suited for those communications. Here's a scenario: Someone contacts us for a possible job. We're very interested in the initial description and reply with a few basic questions to see if
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One of the things I like to do on this blog, once in a while, is post about my creative process. I find it gives clients an inside look on what to expect when working with a designer as well as opening up conversation between my design peers and myself. I always enjoy seeing how others work so why not share a bit of my approach. And hey, you never know if someone may have some worthwhile suggestions or criticism to offer. So feel free to comment on what you see. I'm always open to conversation regarding creative process! For this project, I was very lucky to work with the lovely Dolly Dahl of www.dollydahl.com (website is coming soon). I find that the client's general outlook on work and life accounts for about 50% of how enjoyable their design projects can be. When working with someone who is open to the
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Image by Nicola Black Design, L.L.C. — My attempt at recreating the LOST title logo. Whew! It's been a while, but I'm back. We were having some issues with our web hosting, but all seems to be back to normal (crossing fingers). Gotta love that crazy world of gadgets, gizmos, and tech! It's funny when you realize just how much depend on something once it's down. Now that I'm back on, I figure why not start back with a fun, non-work related post. This past Tuesday, the second to last episode of LOST premiered, and I think I'm officially in mourning. I absolutely love this show. I'm not sure if you understand the severity of it. A friend on facebook suggested that there may be a help group for people like me. Maybe I should look into that. I'm not going to get into any theories — there are
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Hello, everyone! We've got great news! We've updated our site to include a new shop! The goal is to roll out a new line of designed goods by Fall/Winter 2010. So stay tuned for more information regarding those items. In the meantime, we have 3 pieces available for purchase immediately! Check them out: 1) Dr. Sketchy's Old-Timey Dirty Ditties CD: Package design by Nicola Black Design, L.L.C. and illustration by Molly Crabapple. This compilation was conceptualized by Mr. Joe Wos of Dr. Sketchy's Pittsburgh for SketchyCon '09. The CDs were created for Dr. Sketchy's branch directors who met in 2009 for SketchyCon as part of their swag bags. Today, you can grab your own as I now have a limited quantity available for purchase! Get yours before they are gone! 2) Desert Wind poster: 10 x 21 full-color, matte, limited edition art print illustrating Neil Gaiman's dark mirage of a tale Desert Wind.
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What a great week! The sun finally came out and I was loving it! A little chilly today on the East Coast, but still bright outside. Some good news, links, and other tidbits to share: I've created a new logo piece I'll be adding to the portfolio section of my site that I designed for the lovely Miss Dolly Dahl. It takes a lot for me to add work to that section as I'm my own worst critic, but when the job involves complete creative freedom and exploration, the process is just as rewarding as the final product itself. I'll break down my approach as I did with the Neil Gaiman / Molly Crabapple piece I finished last week. I had a great time working on the logo. Look for it in the portfolio section in the next of couple weeks — can't wait to see it in use! Plans are finally underway
Read MoreHere we go! It’s time for another Friday Tidbit. Here are a few links I’ve enjoyed this week I’d like to share with you: • Evian Live Young Campaign – This ad campaign is a lot of fun! Evian and their Paris agency, BETC Euro RSCG, worked with fashion photographer Nathaniel Goldberg to shoot these images. The photos speak for themselves. Have a look! READ MORE HERE. • Collection of horror movie poster designs via Design Reviver. I have designed a few movie posters in my time and the genre horror makes for serious creativity. Good stuff here! • AIGA Philly: Pencil to Pixel Event: Just a little something I'm looking forward to that some of my other designer friends may be interested in. If you're a designer in the Philly area and are interested in making the transition from print to web, this may be something to add to your calendar. • Inspiration: AIGA
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This past weekend I attended the new installment of Dr. Sketchy's Philly and I must say it was a great experience! Some of you may know that I was director of the Philadelphia branch for the past 2 years (along with Midwives Collective for the first year and then solo for the last year) and just recently handed it over to Steve and Tricia Cleff. For the past couple of months, I've been having Sketchy's prep withdrawal. In addition to the work required on day of the event, the effort on the back end during the rest of the month involves quite a bit. Corresponding with the models, the venue, artists, press and sponsors, maintaining social networking sites as well as regular site upkeep, and the prime part of the gig for me — marketing and designing promotions for the event. Pulling all of these things together, while a lot
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All images © respective owners. All images via FPO, Metal Mother, Adam Ramerth. Click on images below for original posts. My fiancé and I are planning our wedding and have begun the process of visiting potential venues. I didn't realize how much fun this was going to be! I'm not your traditional bride who's got a plan, but I am shocking myself with my excitement regarding all of the details. I may finally have to admit it... I'm girlier than I anticipated. Through my exploration, I've been relating everything to design in one way or another. I can't help it! It's the designer in me. The way the bar is laid out, the style of the ballroom, the ease of entrance for guests, the invitations, the cake, the style of the event, flower arrangements, centerpieces and of course the dress all intrigue me in one way or another. For this entry, I'll be
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