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Have a Happy (Stylish) Halloween

October 31, 2009 10:27 AM | filed in: inspiration, just for fun, los angeles design

Who doesn't like Heidi Klum? She sure has plenty to be jealous of. Her modeling-cum-hosting career and body-that-bounces-back-from-pregnancy-like-no-one's-business are enviable enough that most people (women, at least) could easily relegate her to the "bitch" bin... but then she talks about her family or does an interview and once again reveals herself as a kind and good-humored person. Her nature is amplified every year at Halloween, when she steps out in well-executed (usually nerdy... I mean, this year, she was Eve's apple to Seal's Eve) costumes for her annual bash--and acts like a total geek on the red carpet, knowing full...

Are You a Label-Lover?

October 28, 2009 7:36 AM | filed in: business

I recently mentioned having watched Schmatta: Rags to Riches, a documentary about NYC's Garment District. One segment of the movie focused on high-end designers who shot to fame in the '80s--namely, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren--and created a consumer frenzy for any products labeled with their brands. Through advertising, while Ralph Lauren drove his New England fantasyland down the throats of buyers, Hilfiger relied on his red-white-and-blue graphics to make his mark. (And geez, who doesn't remember when Hilfiger was everywhere... until it saturated the market and became a cheaper brand?)Anyway, AIGA has an interesting--albeit poorly titled--web article ("Naming Names...

No Time for a Real Post...

October 25, 2009 3:53 PM | filed in: just for fun, photography

Not today. Instead, enjoy this trip inside the photo booth of a Hawaiian wedding we recently attended. Classy Photo Booths (P.S. great name... boo) can provide this fun, crowd-pleasing service at your event.

A Funny Stat...

October 23, 2009 3:35 PM | filed in: just for fun, web development

One of the search phrases that sends sent traffic to my site is "chubby wonder woman." (Awhile ago, I wrote a post about how much I don't like Charm City Cakes--and their 50%-floral-foam creations--and I think one of the images I included was a Wonder Woman cake.) Anyway, that's amusing.

A Good Way to Get Traffic

October 22, 2009 4:07 PM | filed in: art, business, graphic design & business, just for fun, web development

So, for probably about a year, I've been seeing people using post images they created with the "Mad Men Yourself" feature at AE.com. Since its inception, the avatar generator has been improved with added features, and some of the most recent images I've seen include new backgrounds and larger sizes. I thought I'd check it out--and I'm not even a Mad Men-watcher. I've never even seen the show, but I have heard from many people that it's a great one.A+E has made a good decision in developing this lightweight app, because it's fun and allows people to easily make something...

Five Signs a Client May Be Driving Your Project Down the Toilet

October 21, 2009 6:58 AM | filed in: business, graphic design & business, gripes

Designers and other creatives are often stereotyped as lazy slackers with diva attitudes .There's a new commercial (for Intuit's build-your-own-website service) that shows one dissatisfied customer saying, "I hired a designer to build my website... five months ago..." with a been-there-I-can-relate overtone. Strangely, though, it's been my experience that many times, clients have a hard time doing their part to finish the project. I don't know if it's a mental block, laziness, or lack of real need to complete the work (underlying satisfaction/familiarity with the status quo), but it's clear that some clients are driven to complete a project with...

Sometimes It's Best Just to Walk Away

October 20, 2009 9:11 PM | filed in: gripes, hopes & dreams

This week, I had a regrettable experience with a short-term client. There was a disagreement about whether the work I performed merited getting paid. My ultimate response was to tell the client that while I thought their non-payment was incorrect, I wasn't going to pursue the matter. [I mean, have you ever been to small claims court? It's not very complicated, but it's kind of a waste of a day. You have to get dressed up to go to the courthouse, where you're felt up by security, then corralled in the most non-stimulating room known to man, then rustled into...

Adjusting to Market Changes

October 20, 2009 3:19 PM | filed in: business, hopes & dreams

We all know that change is the only constant. This law applies to our relationships, bodies, and business lives: Friendships (and loveships) wax and wane, our health fluctuates, and industries come and go. We can keep relationships happy by improving our communication skills and working to establish friendship "rules" and try to satisfy the needs of others. We can learn more about our physical selves to keep our bodies strong and vibrant, and in times of illness, outside influences (doctors, medicines) can help fix things. In the same way, we can evolve to survive tight financial markets, downsizing, and the extinction...

Have a Question about Design? Call for Submissions

October 18, 2009 8:57 PM | filed in: art, business

I am about to spruce up my blog with some video segments I've been working on for awhile. So far, I have some that provide tips for working with a creative supplier... and some that discuss what drives designers crazy--in an effort to make communications between clients and service providers smoother (and not as a blowing-steam therapy session, I swear!). If you have any questions about working with a freelancer, design firm, or in-house team, let me know. (Or, if you're a fellow designer, illustrator, or web developer, send your questions too!) Maybe you're wondering: - How a project works...

The "What Not to Wear" Method

October 17, 2009 11:21 AM | filed in: art, just for fun, web development

On TLC's What Not to Wear, the hosts show chronic sweatpants-wearers how bad their wardrobes are by making them parade in front of full-view mirrors (while slinging insult after insult, of course), then try on ensembles that flatter their bodies and styles. This before-and-after approach allows people to see for themselves what crap they've become accustomed to and how it compares to good stuff. By now, Etsy.com is a big player in web marketplaces. DIYers can make crafts, clothing, candy, arts, anything--as long as it's handmade or hand-finished--and sell them to others through the site. Opening such a community to...

Considering Spec Work? Do This Exercise

October 16, 2009 10:05 AM | filed in: business, graphic design & business

If you're tempted by the prospect of requesting free work from someone or participating in a spec relationship, take a moment to fill in the blanks of this paragraph and read it back to yourself. _________ is a gifted _________. He/She is good at what he/she does, so skilled at the work it seems effortless. His/her work improves _________, but it comes to him/her so easily. Why should he/she be compensated for this natural or learned talent?Here are some examples. (For best results, mix famous with non-famous and creative with non-creative combinations.)Business owner: Meryl Streep is a gifted actress. She...

The Problem with Spec Work... Again, for Those Who Didn't Hear

October 16, 2009 7:59 AM | filed in: business, graphic design & business, gripes, los angeles design

What is "spec work" and why is it bad? "Spec" stands for "speculative." Spec work is "work done prior to engagement with a client in anticipation of [possibly] being paid," according to AIGA. (Boiled down: Spec is knowingly working without a guarantee of compensation.) Spec work can be disguised as: • Pro bono/volunteer work - This is work usually performed for not-for-profit or struggling organizations. Companies tout the good feelings associated with voluntarism.• Contests - People submit their designs to a judging panel on the chance of winning a (usually small) prize. Even large companies pull this one. We've all...

Three Movies with Really Nice Palettes

October 15, 2009 9:18 PM | filed in: art, graphic design & business, inspiration, los angeles design

Some movies are visually memorable because the director uses a limited palette (or applies a filter to mute colors). Here are three favorites: Swept Away: Yes, everyone knows what a crapfest this movie was, but no one can confidently deny the beauty of the cinematography. And when it comes to the palette... Look! Even when they were in a lifeboat drifting toward a vacant island, the male star happened to be wearing some navy blue. Palette: tan, brown, gold, cream, navy blue, blackSky Captain & the World of Tomorrow: This was a so-so movie, but the overall look was remarkable...

10 Great Logos (and an Exercise for Yours)

October 13, 2009 8:23 PM | filed in: business, graphic design & business

What makes a great logo? It's hard to say, since there's such variety to successful logos. Nike's swoop is recognized worldwide, but it doesn't exactly represent the name--and the glut of logos that have used a nondescript "swoosh" since are fodder for mockery among designers. Some companies use an icon most of the time, and others exclusively stick with unadorned text. (Either can be striking.) Still others include emblems or detailed illustrations... so it's fair to say that there is no magic "formula" for a successful logo design. However, you can judge logos for some common traps--weak typefaces, too much...

The Internet Isn't Perfect...

October 12, 2009 8:30 PM | filed in: gripes, web development

For instance, why is it that when you believe you have a singular username, you eventually find that other people are using it too? This isn't me. Neither is this. Neither is this. Not this one either. And so on and so forth... It makes me wonder whether someone saw my username and decided to use it... or if we had the idea at the same time... or if it wasn't so singular after all. In other news, why are Whois records always so outdated? (And do you think ICANN will get mad if I haven't updated all 64 of...

Career Advancement Through Lying: OK or Not?

October 12, 2009 12:47 PM | filed in: business

CNN has a story today about a man who, since 2001, has been falsely claiming to have survived the 9/11 Pentagon attack and a couple of tours in Iraq as a Marine. Before being caught, Richard Strandlof formed the Colorado Veterans Alliance to bolster his lies. He also toured as a motivational speaker and spoke on behalf of veterans at the Colorado Capitol.In 1998, Riley Weston (née Kimberlee Kramer) made headlines when it was revealed that she was 33 years old, not the 19 she claimed--making her one-episode stint as a writer on Felicity and subsequent big-money deal with Disney...

Disgustingly Beautiful

October 11, 2009 2:06 PM | filed in: just for fun

An episode of Planet Earth ("Caves," March 2006) re-running today has a short focus on the glowworm, whose phosphorescent silk threads hang from cave ceilings. The threads are "decorated" with perfectly spaced globules of sticky mucus that glow to attract and ensnare prey. (Moths and other small insects get stuck in the goo, then the glowworm reels the thread in like a fishing line.) It's pretty gross... but really cool-looking. Check it out.

Crazy Bad Photoshop

October 10, 2009 1:03 PM | filed in: business, graphic design & business, photography

I just saw the new issue of In Style at the grocery: It immediately looked weird to me, but I asked Dan, and he didn't see the strangeness of the image. So I quickly roughed in what SHOULD show for comparison: Someone hacked off half of poor Drew's body! Help.

How Long Should We Archive Things?

October 10, 2009 11:53 AM | filed in: business, graphic design & business

I am currently working on a project that uses tons of huge images... the raw source files alone take up about 40GB of hard drive space. I plan to purge the files immediately after finishing the project, which is out of line with my usual practice: Generally, I keep everything--all versions of drafts, all source files, correspondence--and keep it forever. This latest job got me thinking: How long should a designer (or any project manager) keep things, and should extended archiving be a (billable) service to clients?It's not exactly easy to keep everything. For instance, even years after being finished...

Balancing Gratitude with Horse Sense

October 9, 2009 11:32 AM | filed in: business

A friend of mine is having a problem at work. In the past few months, he has helped his firm secure a new client and has worked directly with the client on a few successful projects. In fact, the success of this ongoing work has created the opportunity for his firm to secure more prestigious work and receive a monetary bonus. Through the office grapevine, my friend found out that his colleague not only plans to publicly take credit for the work (nothing new there), but also attribute the success to another creative team and divert the monetary gain to...

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