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How NOT to Design an Awesome Logo

June 13, 2011 8:10 AM | filed in: ,

I recently ran across an unfortunate web article called "How to Design an Awesome Logo" by Gary Simon. In it, Simon suggests that an "awesome" logo design is as easy as: 1. Opening Photoshop (mistake #1) 2. Typing some fonts (ugh) 3. Vector-tracing a raster image (are you kidding?) This attempt at no-talent-no-problem awesome logo design is full of design NO-NOs any legitimate designer will not use. 1. Opening Photoshop First, designers know that true logos are not created in Photoshop, even if they happen to have a photographic element... because they know the difference between vector art and raster...

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Online Resources for Idea Inspiration

June 10, 2011 8:28 PM | filed in: , , ,

I recently took a class at Writing Pad, which offers seminars and courses for all kinds of writing in a hip pad with gourmet treats. The owner, Marilyn, generously offers free writing prompts at her blog, which is a goldmine for writers who want to practice, practice, practice but don't always know where to start or hit a spot of writer's block.Here are a few additional online resources for idea inspiration: Brian Stokes' Random Logline Generator: Press a button to get a quick story synopsis with characters and plot.  Wikipedia:Random: Follow the link in the left column of Wikpedia to...

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Whistle While You Work

December 2, 2010 10:47 PM | filed in: , ,

Okay, I'm not whistling while I work... I'm downright singing out loud to some Natalie Cole while I work. On recent evening, instead of sitting on the sofa with the laptop, half-watching television while I work, I've been escaping to the office and turning up iTunes while I work. I think I've been more productive. Even though I can't listen to music without singing, this kind of multi-tasking (belting and coding) seems to work better than the TV-and-laptop combo.So anyway, I've been whistling singing quite a bit over the past couple of months (since last I updated the site). Here's...

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Seen on the 101...

September 19, 2010 2:39 PM | filed in: ,

I don't know if this will be funny to anyone else, but I recently was driving on the 101 when traffic unexpectedly slowed. The culprit was a slow-driving brand-new Honda Ridgeline truck weighed down with what must have been around 30 cases of Tapatio hot sauce. It made me wonder where that non-commercial vehicle was headed, and for what occasion. Here's a quick illustration of the truck:

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My Street at Sunset

September 18, 2010 11:41 PM | filed in: ,

One of the things I love about my street is its columns of sky-scraping palms on either boulevard, which wrap around the block. I might not like the seedlings they drop onto our patio, but the sound of fronds receiving the breeze can immediately remind me of relaxing times in the Caribbean, and I love that, way back when, someone planned for them to tower over and line the street. They are especially attractive at sunset, when the green and brown of their fronds and trunks are barely distinguishable before becoming complete silhouettes against a pink-to-purple-to-blue gradient sky. The other...

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Quick Fun Print Project

September 15, 2010 9:58 PM | filed in: ,

Recently, a good friend of mine asked if I would be interested in designing a Wizard of Oz-themed open house announcement. Most of my work these days is web design, so I jumped at the chance. Having a design change of pace with a deadline is actually fun and productive for me... a nice way to relax and flex my creative muscle without being able to procrastinate until I lose interest (which often happens when I paint or make music). My husband, Dan, is a great illustrator, so I asked him to lighten the load a bit by sketching the...

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