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Ways To Stay Creative The Fresh & Steezy Way- [ volume 1 ]

2012-01-07T19:58:00.001-08:00

ALWAYS CARRY A MOLESKINE.

Now I know it really can be any sketchbook, but this is my first time investing in a Moleskine. Not a rip-off, not any other kind, but a line/grid-less Moleskin. Make sure it's 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" size and I preferred having a black one, but definitely go with a soft-cover and smaller sized book so it can fit in your pocket or purse.

[Photo from http://alidavies.com/]

TAKE RISKS.

No matter what the situation is, whether it's quitting the job you hate, falling in love, or financing into something you've never had before, do it. Remember that taking risks will allow you to see a strength in yourself you have never thought was there before. Go ahead, jump!

[Photo from smashingmagazine.com]

SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE, SUBSCRIBE!

I'm sure you've seen these type of icons all over the internet on a lot of blogs that you appreciate. Well, it wasn't until I started blogging for MaterialKillers nearly 2 years ago when I figured out why RSS is so necessary. Basically these allow you to have the feed of a blog come to you, rather than you having to go and get them. I know you can probably use the email subscription, but having constant emails from all the blogs you love can really get hectic, especially if emails come straight to your phone. Two awesome and simple ways to get feeds are already things that are accessible to most of you, you just had no idea: Google Reader and Apple Mail. I started using Google Reader but recently I have been using Apple Mail instead to feed me RSS from different inspiration blogs. Ones that I love to follow are:

1stwebdesigner (http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/)
Awwwards (http://www.awwwards.com/)
DesignModo (http://designmodo.com/)

Maybe I'll do another post on how to actually subscribe to RSS feeds [for dummies]. But basically, use other people's work to inspire you. Remember there is no such thing as originality, so get inspiration from others to spark your fire.

[Photo from http://dreamsoffrippery.blogspot.com]

ALWAYS BE CAMERA-READY.

It's pretty obvious. Just as you should have a Moleskin in your pocket or purse, it is important to always be able to take photos. It could be your phone, a disposable, digital, whatever... Just make sure you can take photos. Why? There are opportunities everywhere for absorbing proper inspiration.

[Snapshot from Google Images search results]

APPRECIATE ALL MEDIUMS OF ART.

Inspiration will come from everywhere and especially in other forms of art, not just one. Design is in everything. The same elements are parallel in all mediums. Music, painting, architecture, design, photography, etc.

Any other ways that you stay creative? Comment and share!

Freelance Graphic/Web Designer Contracts

2011-11-14T22:32:00.000-08:00

A friend who is in school for graphic design gave me an interview the other day. I'm sure it gave her insight on my line of work, but more importantly, it revealed my pet peeves, loves, and all sorts of thoughts on freelance work and building a business, to myself. One of the things that I realized over the past years when dealing with freelance work is how difficult it becomes to collect money. This is when contracts become your best friend.

When I was in college, my teacher gave me a Graphic Artist's Guild book called Business and Legal Forms for Graphic Designers. I have held onto it for good measure, figuring I'd probably, someday, need it. But of course, I've never used it and instead, have referred mostly to resources online. I've tried some templates and reworked them to fit my needs. But today, I ran across this blog entry that I have fallen in love with. It definitely takes the cake.

"Contract Killer" on 24ways.org... What makes it different? Well, it basically cuts down the jargon of your typical contract and makes it a bit more fun and entertaining to read. I am all about having fun while working, but I never thought to use this same mentality with contracts. The website gives an example of a "killer contract" and allows you to use it freely, so long as you refer works back to the site, but a word of caution: Make sure you modify it to your needs. Each company, client, designer, contractor, etc., is going to be different. And please, please, please, proofread! In fact, ask someone else to read through and double-check for grammatical and spelling errors.

Now, you're probably wondering how to get them to sign it. Either you need to email it to them so they can fax or scan it back in, right? Sure, if you're in the stone age. There is a site I use to get signatures over the web.

docusign.net... Another free resource. Docusign allows you 5 "envelopes" to send each month. If you're going to send out more than 5 documents a month to be signed, there is an option to upgrade to the Pro or Business plans.

This site has been very helpful and I'm glad that it exists. In combination with the tricks and tips from the "contract killer" blog information, you will have easily given yourself the security you need to make sure you get paid, and in turn, your client gets the job that they are promised.

Different platforms, different lingo, similar functions.

2011-10-28T01:15:00.000-07:00

These are the differences between Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Google+ in lingo. Click image for higher res.

Facebook Event Invites

2011-10-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

I am so tired of these things. It's bad enough I hear people say, "Did you see my new album?" or, "Have you seen my latest updates?" But THESE DAMNED event invites keep piling and I honestly don't even give two shits for them.

If you have an event that means SO much to you, why don't you send a formal invite through the mail like they used to? I mean, there are so many ways to invite people to events.

Formal snail mail invitations
Email invites
Custom Website RSVPs
Calling or texting someone to personally invite

And now, for SOME reason, the Facebook invite has somehow become a legit way to invite people?

Look. I hardly even check everyone's updates or pictures, but now you want me to make sure I get through the 50 invites I get a week? And now I have people upset with me because I haven't RSVP'd to their Facebook invitation?

My suggestion is this: If you have a VERY important occasion and it is special, don't look to using Facebook as a way to give out invitations. Throwing a club, an art function, or anything not so exclusive, then YES, but for a bridal shower, a baby shower, or a birthday, that you want people to take seriously into consideration? Don't fucking post it on Facebook, ass.

Notes from 2011's Pub Expo

2011-10-20T00:35:00.001-07:00

So I finally had the gumption to gather all the notes from April 2011's Publisher's Expo and Convention in New York and took the time to read through them. I felt it was important to share this knowledge.

Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. -Dalai Lama

So with that, here are some of my notes. Please bear with the short-handedness of them.

From David Granger, Editor-in-Chief of Esquire Magazine:

Everything is possible.
Use your resources in people. Some of the best ideas came to him when he would have dinner with the smartest people he knew. He recommended always asking questions, opinions, criticism.
Rethink everything you assume.
Sometimes you have to start from scratch.
It's the basic, tangible things that make a magazine memorable.
At one point, Esquire needed a change. David thought, "If we're going to continue to be printed, why not use the margins?" With this idea, Esquire started printing fictional story lines throughout the bottom of the pages. This helped to engage the readers and to encourage them to keep flipping pages.
Over time, the layout changed, but the content stayed the same.
iPad changed the game.
Co-ops with men's apparel allowed for shopping through iPad.

From Steve Hannah, CEO of The Onion:

No matter what medium you're in, content is KEY.

Honestly didn't learn much from this guy except about the evolution of The Onion and showed us some of their work. It almost seemed like a plug for the publication.

From Steve Aldea, Strategic Digital Consultant:

More than 70% of world population has mobile phones or equal to 5 billion subscribers.
In the US, 9 out of 10 people have mobile phones.
In the US, 87% of the people with eReaders have incomes greater than 100k/year.
111% of eReader users have Bachelor degrees or postgraduate degree.
(Sidenote: I researched further and found these stats regarding eReader users:)

Have accessed the Internet outside the home via WiFi or wireless connection (in last 30 days): 199%
Have household income of $100,000 or more annually: 87%
Have accessed the Internet with a cell phone or other mobile device (in last 30 days): 154%
Be a Heavy Internet User: 116%
Have a Bachelor’s or Post-Graduate Degree: 111%
Be between the ages of 35-54: 20%
Be male: 16%
(Source: http://floridaresearchgroup.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/demographics-of-kindle-and-other-ereader-users/)

The market for eReaders in 2010 was $46 million. They are predicting for it to jump to $10 billion by 2014.
Teenagers are becoming a stronger demographic.
Piracy is too common. All our work is being digitized. So what can we do to keep our product in demand? Continue to create conversation. Write letters to individuals to keep our work off of their site. "Embed code 'phone zone'." Reviews are very useful in manipulation of consumers. Hosting or curating your own work is the highest ground for keeping piracy away.
Suggests creating a website and establishing a following for publication before printing.
Host the conversation, allow engagement with participants who are well-prepared and opinionated.
Twitter/Facebook- Communicate messages carefully! Create connections based on notions and not personal connections.
New players have a change to make it CRACK! Large publishers with deep pockets are no longer the "only gamers in town."
Just because you have left the conversation doesn't mean your critics have as well.
Final quote was from Andy Warhol: "They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."

Rex Hammock of "Rex Blog"/ rex.tumblr.com / @R on Twitter:

Suggested reading: http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/time-dives-digi-mags/118739/
When you have to explain how to use it, it offers more obstacles. Keep it simple for the consumers. (ie Instructions on how to use a mag application.)
What year #1 taught him: The magazine industry's future is in screen publishing.
Mag apps are like replicants of print mags.

The rest of the forums I went to were roundtable discussions and I took very messy notes from. Notes from this were also very specific to certain aspects of print and digital publishing.

Looking forward to next year's Pub Expo.

Carmax's Logo

2011-10-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Since I moved to Buena Park at the beginning of the month, I have had the opportunity to see this logo every time that I drive on the 5 freeway.

Something about it always bothered me. I couldn't figure out what it was. I suppose I never took the time to analyze it. Then I realized what the hell was wrong with it. The "A"s are different. In fact, the "CAR" is all caps, and the "MAX" is all lower case. If the "A"s were the same, I could forgive the lower case "M". But that isn't the only thing that bothered me.

The negative space between the top "arms" of the "X" is smaller than the bottom space.

The crossbar of the capital "A" doesn't fall on the same gridline of the junction of the "R", while the junction of the lowercase "a" falls on the same one as the "R".

And that kerning. Don't get me started.

Those colors. I guess they work, but they're fucking ugly. It seems like everyone likes to use those colors and they wanted to copy them... Best Buy, Ikea... Hell, even WalMart uses that same blue.

To the designer of this logo: I would have fired you... But honestly I can't even blame you. As a fellow designer I know that the final say is with the client. So sadly, when I decide to get a car, I would refuse going to CarMax, based merely on the logo itself. Yes, I am that much of a design hipster, elitist, what-have-you. I just can't trust a company who decides on such a shitty design for their brand's logo.

First blog post

2011-10-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

So, this is my first entry for this blog. I have had many blogs and so this is nothing new really. I've been blogging since Myspace (WTF is Myspace?) and I am currently using tumblr (which doesn't really feel like a real blog to me).

I have had this blog for a while and never used it. I never really knew what to put on it. Now that I have outlets for my creativity (freshnsteezy.com), my microblogging on Twitter, the Material Killers blog for all the trends I like, and of course the Facebook and Google+ stuff. But I never really have a place for my opinions. Sure I can post it on my tumblr, but really, no one gives a fuck.

Anyway, this is where my thoughts will go. I'm not sure how often I will actually use this, but I may as well start here and see how it goes.

Hope you enjoy and do follow me. And I have to disclaim this: I have a potty mouth.