In an ever changing design environment of trends, apps, and platforms, I came across a list of 25 Graphic Designers you should take note of:
You are currently browsing the archive for the Resources category.
Many of you may be wondering how to find work or an internship. Well this young designer had an interesting approach.
I hope you enjoy his article and I hope it inspires you.
Check out this amazing optical illusion typeface. Within each letter is an optical illusion. It’s kinda mesmerizing. 
This post was a great resource for those wanting to have a deeper understanding of Characters and what pieces make up letter and number forms.
Check it out here: TypeTalk: The Anatomy of a Character
I wanted to share a few links that show some examples of some great portfolios.
Enjoy.
1. 15 RIDICULOUSLY GOOD GRAPHIC DESIGN PORTFOLIOS (PLUS 1 BONUS)
2. Graphic Design Portfolios
3. 38 Impressive Graphic Designer Portfolios – Wanna have an Ideal Portfolio??
The end of the semester is quickly approaching and we are preparing to have our Portfolio Presentation on Saturday, Dec. 3. In preparation for this I wanted to share a link with some helpful information regarding developing a print portfolio.
7 Tips For Creating a Print-Based Design Portfolio
Here are a few resources when searching for the a portfolio book to show off your work.
Not an exhaustive list by any means but a starting place to go investigate and hopefully begin your journey.
I have attended these Parallel events in the past and have found them very interesting. Just thought I would provide the link so if anyone was interested they could go check it out.
An alumni sent me this link to some very good basic Photoshop tutorials.
I hope you enjoy them and find them as helpful as we have.
Just finished watching the previews for a couple of new Wacom products that seem pretty exciting. I hope to get my hands on them soon to really try them out
Here is the newest model of the ever popular Cintiq.
Love Thy Logo: Charlatan, Huckster, Moron, Thief! – RockPaperInk.com.
Something to be aware of as you are working to enter this profession.
The art of the perfect subway ad is an interesting article and creative poster produced in photoshop.
Here is an interesting article on the importance of Political campaigns.
Also be interesting to see what this effect is like in other countries. Do you think some of the same principles would apply?
Some other Blogs with tutorials I thought I should share.
185 Informative Illustrator Tutorials to make You a Better Designer – tripwire magazine.
Thanks Emily for sharing this link
This is a post a student turned me on to that I thought was fun & I would share:
50 Fantastically Clever Logos
I love how design can be so innovative. People come up with new ideas everyday. The possibilities are always endless. It’s so interesting how you can give a group of people all the same materials and assignment and all of them create a different and unique design. While “stumbling”, I found this site showing students ideas for the future. They were asked to predict how people will prepare and store food, wash clothes, and do dishes, etc.
www.yankodesign.com/2010/06/14/the-top-25-entries-of-electrolux-design-lab-2010
enjoy!
This is an interesting list about what every Graphic Designer should know, and the list maker is looking for feedback so join the conversation and leave your comment.
Recently we had the privilege of having Steve Tadlock from the Broderick Agency speak to our Graphic Design majors. He walked them through some of his experiences and showed them some of his work as he has worked on a number of different projects over the years incorporating many forms and kinds of media.
I asked Steve to give us a list of some of the designers, resources, and books that he felt Graphic Design majors should be familiar with and this the result:
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My pleasure, Kris. (This is by no means an exhaustive list).
Each student should make their own list of inspirational websites. My short-list includes:
aiga.com
graphic-exchange.com
grainedit.com
ilovetypography.com
commarts.com
printmag.com
Books to read; these are on advertising, not design so much. It’s important to understand the difference.
GUTS: Advertising From the Inside Out, by John Lyons. (haven’t read this in a while but I remember it was good)
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. by Luke Sullivan. (if you’re serious about advertising, this is a must-read).
Memorize CA.
Google the credits in work you like.
Some designers you should know:
Saul Bass
Lucian Bernhard
Michael Bierut
Ivan Chermayeff and Thomas Geismar
Seymour Chwast
Steven Heller
Kit Hinrichs
Woody Pirtle
Herb Lubalin
Clement Mok
Walter Landor
Steve Frykholm
Margo Chase
More good stuff for your blog (or just reading)
So You Want To Be A Rock Star …
I like this paragraph in particular:
“After all these years, and after learning a little bit about what it takes to do great work, I’ve come to realize that talent isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Instead, it’s desire that often separates the best from the rest.”
ST
Here’s a great new site for you creatives to get inspired and showcase your work through Facebook. The more “likes” your work receives the more chances it has to be promoted on the Spotlight page, becoming a permanent fixture. It looks to have great features like a learning lab, current trends, new product promotions and campaigns.
The original article & link are below.
Facebook Courts Ad Agencies With New Site
by Todd Wasserman
In an attempt to build relationships in the advertising industry, Facebook revealed Facebook Studio, a “place to celebrate innovation, creativity and effectiveness” on the platform.
“We’ve heard from agencies, brands and the marketing community that you want examples and thought-starters for creativity and innovation on Facebook,” reads an introduction to the site. “We’ve built this site to provide a place where you can come to be inspired and showcase your work.”
In practice, the site is a place to introduce recent work. The more “Likes” the work receives, the more likely it is to be promoted in Facebook’s Spotlight, a permanent collection. Facebook also plans to give awards for the best work awards.
Other features of the site include a learning lab, an agency directory and a “what’s new” section that details new product launches, trends and resources.
The effort comes as Facebook’s relationship with agencies has been somewhat strained by the platform’s arcane system for buying ads. A handful of firms, including Blinq Media and AdParlor, have acted as intermediaries to smooth out the process.
Facebook reps could not be reached for comment on Facebook Studio; however, we have a feeling this outreach may have something to do with Facebook’s new Director of Global Creative Solutions, Mark D’Arcy. A lauded creative powerhouse, D’Arcy was nabbed last month and tasked with finding interesting and valuable ways for interactive advertisers and marketers to use Facebook.
I know a number of our majors just finished up with their Indesign class and a typography class so I thought they and everyone else might enjoy these links:
Adobe InDesign CS5, Advanced Typography and Special Characters
A Crash Course in Typography: The Basics of Type
A Crash Course in Typography: Paragraphs and Special Characters
A Crash Course in Typography: Principles for Combining Typefaces
Illustrator Must-Know Text Effects
A Crash Course in Typography: Pulling It All Together
I hope you enjoy these and keep your fingers on the keys and the type emerging!
From AIGA:
On April 13, 2011,
add your voice to an open, digital dialogue on design. One Day For Design brings together a global community of designers and design enthusiasts to exchange ideas, challenge viewpoints and push boundaries—collaborating in real time on the future of our profession and the organizations behind it. Spread the word. Join the conversation. Right here at onedayfordesign.org or viaTwitter.
Moderators include: Alex Bogusky, Doug Bowman, Liz Danzico, Debbie Millman, Erik Spiekermann, Armin Vit, Alissa Walker and Katherine Walker.
AIGA, the professional association for design
164 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 www.aiga.org
An App Full of Ads: You can now download an app provided by Apple that allows you to view all the iAds in one place. The app is called iAd Gallery and so far only runs natively on the iPhone. The iAd Gallery is a celebration of advertising, featuring iAd campaigns from some of the world’s best brands and their advertising agencies. The iAd Gallery gives you easy access to a selection of the fun and informative ads that have run in some of your favorite apps. Use the Browse feature to discover ads you haven’t seen, or to find those you want to see again.
One of the best classes (besides my computer graphics class) that I have taken since being at Belhaven is Survey of the New Testament. Even though New Testament is a required class I enjoyed it and looked forward to going to class every day. One of the reasons I loved the class so much was because of my teacher Mrs. Martin. She is a very sweet lady who spent most of her life working as a missionary in Brazil. Her greatest concern while teaching was making sure that we know and understood each book of the New Testament. In her class, I learned more about the Bible than I expected to learn; because, she taught and lectured on more than just the content of each book. She taught us about the different authors, the audiences of each book, and the purpose of each book.
Always remember when picking classes, especially required classes, to pick teachers that have good reputations, and teachers who will make you excited to go to class. A good way to do this is to talk to upper classman who have already taken that class. Mrs. Martin is an excellent teacher and I am very glad I was in her New Testament class, and I recommend her to every student who still has to take New Testament.
One of the best experiences I have had this past year as a freshman at Belhaven, was attending the Capital Gains conference in January. It was an extremely challenging experience. I was not quite sure what to expect when I walked in and received my schedule for the day. At first I was slightly disappointed that they had put me in a session that did not look like it would be as helpful to me as another. I remember making small talk with others around me wondering if they felt as anxious as I. After pouring myself a nice hot cup of free coffee, I walked into the first session and was positively surprised by how much I learned from the speaker. She spoke of networking and many different ways we can use that in our graphic design career—a concept I had always heard about, but not fully understood. I still do not understand it completely, but because of the information I learned in that session I am an on my way to mastering the concept! The conference challenged me to overcome my insecurities and to try and do better with social networking and overall designing. I still struggle with wondering if I will ever master the art, but then I have to remind myself to not give up and realize that this is my first year at Belhaven. I have time. God is control of my life and will help me grow. I know he as placed a passion for this art in me for a reason, and I have to keep trying and pushing forward towards my goals. We have to learn to trust Him to give us strength and courage to continue pursuing our dreams.
Once again the Belhaven Campus was set upon by many Graphic Design students and professionals from all around the State in order that they could attend the Capital Gains conference hosted by Karen Johnson & the AAF – Jackson
This one-day event is a unique opportunity to have working Professionals critique & review student’s portfolios as well as give presentations on current trends & topics facing working Graphic Designers today.
We were honoured to host the event and hope everyone who came left enlightened and encouraged.
I love design, I love designing, & I love seeing Great Design. However, I really get excited when I see Design being used for the greater good, and benefiting all of us out there.
When design is used to create a better world it fulfills what I believe the area of Design should…….. so I enjoyed reading this post about the Design Revolution Roadshow where there was an attempt to expose and educate people to the world of design done for the greater good.
Ran across this and thought I would share. Google has a new website called – Google Art Project
Google’s concept is simple, explore museums from around the world, discover and view hundreds of artworks at incredible zoom levels, and even create and share your own collection of masterpieces. Visitors may take a virtual walk through the museums, making the site a sort of street-view for art.
This cool site will provide a wealth of knowledge to any art lover by offering the chance to view the world’s greatest collections without the travel or hiking with backpacks strapped to yourself. Enjoy.
Greg Gilliland
VP, Director of Interactive Design
The Cirlot Agency
If you’re like me, before I sit down and get the creative wheels turning I must have a cup o’ joe. O.k., two or three cups to be exact. Not to be partial to any particular brand but this post is about Starbucks. They are in transition of separating the words from the mark to accommodate their expanding business model. I found a couple great articles on their logo redesign for their 40th anniversary. Terry Davenport, SVP of Marketing gives great insight on their upcoming creative & promotions. Sit back, sip and enjoy!
Steve Erickson
Executive Art Director
The Cirlot Agency
So we are offering our Digital Imaging class for the first time this Spring and it is going to be an exciting and interesting class, I am not sure they will have an assignment like this one, but I saw these and thought of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. :-)
What Do You Do When You’re “BLOCKED”?
I hate when it happens. And, even after “forever” in this business, it still happens to me … regularly.
The ole creative juices just won’t flow. Some call it a “block.” I call it “AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!” Well, that’s what I say, anyway.
I do have some rituals that I go through to try to unlock the creative dam. Like taking a walk to clear my head, or even a quick drive around the block (or to the ice cream shop … Yum!). And I’m never without something to write on and with. You never know where you’ll be when the ideas start to come to you. Just a pocket-sized notebook and pencil will do. Scribble down your ideas, then flesh them out when you are able.
Take a nap. Yep. That’s right. Take a nap. It’s amazing what a little shut-eye can do.
Listen to some upbeat music. Mind you, I said “upbeat,” not “headbanger.” Keep it on a positive note!
That’s it for me. What about y’all? What do you do to help unblock your creative blockage?
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
– Scott Adams, creator of “Dilbert”
Lynda Lesley
VP, Creative Director
The Cirlot Agency
Someone once said, “Fonts are the clothes that words wear,” and it has always stuck with me because it is so true. Type design and font selection are areas that I feel are often overlooked in the classroom, but they are crucial parts of good commercial art and design. Something as simple as changing the font can completely change the the meaning that you are trying to convey. Here are some good places to start if you want to begin looking at type more in-depth:
http://www.typies.blogspot.com/
http://www.istockphoto.com/article_view.php?ID=153
http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=5497
David Hobart
Executive Art Director
The Cirlot Agency
I was recently made aware of this article which talks about the state of Design education.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662634/american-design-schools-are-a-mess-and-produce-weak-graduates?partner=co_newsletter
What do you think of this article and the state of Design Education?
I came across this blog post about the logo creation process for a non-profit group and thought it was a good one to share.
The landscape of the photography industry has changed drastically in the last decade. No longer does pure technical know-how qualify you to succeed or have a place in the industry. In the midst of all the change Dane Sanders has had a significant impact on the wedding and portrait industry with his book FastTrack Photographer as well as the conversations he regularly engages in on his weekly podcast ‘Ask Dane’ and his FastTrack Roadshow Workshops.
We are really excited to have Dane here in Jackson for one of his workshops and just as excited to have him offering a free talk Thursday evening on Belhaven campus. This is an event that you don’t want to miss. You will leave challenged and inspired!
Blessings,
Erin Fults
601.291.3761
Adobe has now made a designer’s job that much easier by providing us with an amazing new feature in CS5. The content-aware healing feature within Photoshop, allows the Photoshop application to examine your image as it tries to figure out the best way to remove or repair the damaged or unwanted area you’ve selected. How’s that for making it easy? The Spot Healing Brush is still best suited for smaller areas that you can easily click on or paint over. However, the content-aware fill, lets you repair or replace larger, more complex areas, and even multiple areas at once, simply by drawing selections around them and letting Photoshop do the rest! How about that for saving time?
Using the Content Aware Healing brush is easy. Simply open your image, select the “Spot Healing Brush” from the tool menu on the left, then make sure the “Content-Aware” button is toggled on the “Applications Bar” up top. Using the “Spot Healing Brush” begin drawing over the area you wish to remove, the content-aware will begin filling in the area you wish to remove. Finish up with the spot healing brush.
For a simple tutorial, I have linked a sample video to show the process. Enjoy!
I recently came across this site that showed some Ambigrams……… What is an ambigram? Good question because until I saw these I did not know…..
An ambigram as defined by Wikipedia, “is a typographical design or artform that may be read as one or more words not only in its form as presented, but also from another viewpoint, direction, or orientation.” To simply put, an ambigram is a typographical creation where the word reads the same when upside down, or flips to create a whole new word. Ambigrams are often very sophisticated and very imaginative typographical style of visual design.
After perusing the blog last Friday and having a few good laughs over the “unfortunate logos” post I thought, … Hhhmmmm, this would be a great segue!
You gotta love logo design – the stories behind them, the untold hours in research, creative brainstorming, taking your friends’ subjective opinions with a grain of salt and your clients’ opinions to heart. There’s just one little thing that this little bundle of words and images has to do and that is to communicate effectively.
Whenever I’m tasked to create one of these I always look for quick inspiration, especially under a tight turnaround – is there any other kind? Whether it’s a four color job with all the bells and whistles or a one color, type only job, I usually hit the site called:
Kinda starting to sound like a PSA isn’t it? If you haven’t already checked it out it will definitely get your creative juices flowing. It’ s nice to see how they present their marks on complimentary colored backgrounds. Who needs white space anyway?
You can view the site by Top Uploaders, Most Favorites, Most Floats and Most Favorite Logos.
Enjoy!
The Odd Happy Family
This work is designed to illustrate an odd but happy family, why is so odd? let’s find out.
The Odd Happy Family Portrait
The family portrait is designed to be arranged in the 3-planes-style. The front, the middle, and the back. Intentionally, I placed the odd elements, such as the kooky grandpa, the devil-like brother as well as the haunting angelic hogs, on both the back ground and the foreground. As a creative way in which it has huge contract with the more refined, sophisticate and civilized figures in the middle ground, such as the more reserved grandma, the good house-keeping mother, the stressed and worried father, as well as the little cute sister.
The Theme
A typical multicultural family consists of members of different nationality, American and Korean, and various interesting personalities. The family is odd, not just because it has some crazy members, but it chose an angelic hog as their pet which is proved to be a disaster to them all.
The design
The family portrait is designed to be arranged in a 3-planes-style. The front, the middle, and the back. Intentionally, I placed the odd elements, such as the kooky grandpa, the devil-like brother on the foreground, as well as the haunting angelic hogs, on both the back ground. As a creative way in which huge it creates huge contract with the more refined, sophisticate and civilized figures in the middle ground, such as the more reserved grandma, the good cook and house-keeping mother, the stressed and worried father, as well as the little cute sister. Furthermore, the hogs on the background have a light gray hue which serve as a visual buffer to offset some attention from the black solid figures in the middle and the front, thereby to create a pull and push effect that would strengthen the spatial dynamism of the design.
Now, let me introduce the family members
Grandpa
Grandpa is a kooky fellow, a crazy-on-purpose-type of person who is the major inspiration to his 3 years old devil grandson and is never at rest from making unexpected events for the family. Such as ruining the kitchen or destroying the backyard.
Grandma
Grandma is a Korean American. I intentionally made her looked more reserved, by arranging her eyes and mouth in a way that would reflect a sense of passiveness and negativeness, so that she would appear more suitable to deal with her unexpected crazy husband and her adorable, but naughty grand-daughter. If you pay close attention to the patterns of the design, you will spot a few english letters, this implies that she speaks only a little English.
- Father
The father
He is a terribly stressed out, tired, and much worrying person. He works as an entry level graphic designer, who is the main economic source for the family. What he needs is a good night sleep and a long period of vacation which he could only get from his day dreaming.
Mother
The Mother is a typical asian american house wife who speaks excellent English. She enjoys cooking and house keeping for the family and she is carrying and loving and serves as a harmonious element to sustain this confused and odd family.
Sister
The little sister is a cute but naughty little girl who is so expecting to visit the disneyland, she even puts on the outfit and act as if she were the Micky Mouse. She does not have peace with her little brother and that is the reason why she is separate from the brother in the family portrait.
Brother
The little brother is a rapscallion and shares a devil-like personality which he inherit from his grandpa, this is why he loves to make a lot of troubles for the family and he is particularly a headache to his father.
The Angelic Hog
This is the family’s pet, which appears as multi-haunting angels in the background of the family portrait, is designed to add more confusing and lostness to the already very odd family.
The Original Picture
Original Picture
This typographical design is based on a cartoon picture I downloaded from the internet.
The Fonts of the design
The following 2 tables contain the different types I used to design this project.
Fonts table 1
Font table 2
Thank you for viewing this post, the following is the gallery of the whole design portfolio.
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- The Odd Happy Family Portrait
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- Grandpa
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- Grandma
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- Mother
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- Father
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- Sister
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- The Angelic Hog
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- Brother
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- Original Picture
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- Original Picture
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- Font table 2
I wanted to say Thank you to a Heidi Flynn Barnett of Flynn Design. Heidi was kind enough to come over and talk to our students about being a free lance Graphic Design and some of the joys & pit falls of working for oneself.
Flynn Design
So go check out her stuff online! http://www.groovinby.com
Thanks again Heidi, we all enjoyed seeing and hearing about your journey.
So we were discussing one of the agitations with using our trackpads for our design work and one of the reoccurring themes was this trouble with rotating, & zooming unexpectantly….well here is the official page from Adobe with the fix for that in CS5 and CS4.
This is a cool post about the Art of Film Title Design Throughout Cinema History.
Funny how Fonts, Text, & Design intersect to help share our common cultural experiences.
I was made aware of this cool little post from the Indesign page on Facebook.
THRIVE
Navigate Turbulent Waters of a Challenging Economy
Presented by the American Society of Training and Development
and Belhaven University’s Aspire Program
When: Thursday, October 14, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Where: Belhaven University Student Center – Second Floor Theatre
Registration: Free of Charge; RSVP Required at 601-968-8880 or degreedevelopment@belhaven.edu
Bullet-proof your career and learn how to make the most of challenging economic times by starting your own business or through exercising some “best practices” to maintain your current position.
Speakers include:
· Rob Benson – President of First Steps Training and Development with offices in Georgia and Kentucky. Rob has achieved prominence in the field of Training and Development with classifications as a Certified Professional Facilitator <http://www.iaf-world.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3672> , Charter member of the Society for Advancement of Consulting <http://www.consultingsociety.com/> , Certified Master Trainer of the Best-in-Class Trouble Shooting Logic <http://www.firststepstraining.com/services/corporate/ps_workshop.htm> methodologies, Inscape Certified DISC Trainer, and a University of Southern Mississippi Certified Training Professional. He received a Bachelor’s degree from Oral Roberts University and a Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Tulsa.
· John Brandon, Manager for the Entrepreneur Center with the Mississippi Development Authority.
With over 30 years experience in a variety of retail-oriented business environments, John has expertise in corporate and store management, buying, consulting, and university-level teaching. He received the 1992 President’s Award from the Cleveland-Bolivar Chamber of Commerce and the 1996 Award from the National Association of Small Business Development. He serves as an adjunct faculty member for Mississippi College.
· Dr. Margie Culbertson, Consultant Coordinator of the MS Center for Nonprofits in Jackson.
She is the author of three books and the editor of six. Margie has been a management consultant, corporate trainer and keynote speaker, as well as a college instructor, photographer, artist, and writer. Her work has taken her across the U.S. and Europe with offices based out of California, Texas, and Washington State. She received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Organizational Psychology from San Diego State University and a Ph.D. in Speech Communication from the University of Texas at Austin.
· Karlos Taylor, Specialty Instructor of Graphic Design at Belhaven University.
With background as a freelance Graphic Designer, he has served as Art Director for M3A Architecture in Jackson. He received a scholarship from Mississippi College where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and has completed a Master of Fine Arts in Computer from Memphis College of Art. He has taught over 7 years at the university level as both a full-time and adjunct professor.
The following seminar THRIVE, hosted by Aspire and the local Association for Training and Development, will focus on “Bullet-Proofing Your Career” in tough, economic times. The workshop is free of charge, open to the public, and students/faculty are encouraged to attend. RSVP is needed as seating is limited (601-968-8880/degreedevelopment@belhaven.edu).
Coroflot is one of my favorite sites to visit regularly because it offers a ton of insight and inspiration to emerging designers. I would call it the “Facebook of the Design World.” The site allows you to create a profile page, post a resume, share your latest work and receive monthly reports allowing you to know what designs are receiving the most views per month. It’s a great networking tool. Coroflot allows you to create and join existing groups to connect to other designers from around the world that share your same interests. If you’re looking for work, Coroflot even has a job posting section where you can view and send you Coroflot page directly to the companies in your field that are looking to hire. I found this site extremely helpful when I was a student because I didn’t have the time to build a personal website and keep it updated with my latest work all the time. Updating work on Coroflot is as easy as uploading photos to facebook. Anyone can do it, and in my opinion, it’s the quickest way to get discovered as a designer. Check it out: www.coroflot.com
Trey Vann
Art Director
The Cirlot Agency
So I asked two of our returning students to give me some advice they would have liked to have when they first came to Belhaven that they had not gotten…… and this is what they came up with
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Greetings from Colorado and no Humidity,
College Advice, What’s Happening this Summer, and Tidbits
My name is Lindsay Downs. I’ll be a junior (a 15th grader! 
graphic designer at Belhaven this upcoming year. I came in last year as a transfer student. It was almost unreal that a jewel of a school is right here in Jackson, MS. My first year here was challenging, uplifting, and an experience I won’t forget. Being a transfer my biggest concern was:
“Crud. I have to do this all over again?”
Mostly, this came from memories of orientation and settling in. My orientation was a class at my former school, not a one week ordeal. Either I passed or failed at being admitted into a new phase in my life: college. Well, whatever. There’s 5 things that work to pass. It doesn’t whether you’re a freshmen, senior, transfer, or someone in-between.
- A maturing personal relationship with The Lord
- Dedication and Passion:
- Hard Work: Utilize what God has given you to the best of your abilities
- Family and friends that will encourage, guide, and influence you in the ways of Christ
- The people God leads into your life for a reason, good or bad. That annoying kid brother or counter lady at Piggly Wiggly with the mobile mole? Yep. They count! Every person that I’ve come to know or meet in passing has impacted me in some way. There’s always something to learn from your life experiences and none are dumb or worthless!
My personal challenge in college (and in general) would be time management. Sometimes too much is going on at once and it’s hard to make the necessary time and focus to do what needs to be done. My biggest mistake when I was a freshmen was I was involved in too much. It distracted me! I need to remember to keep The Lord in sight at all times. Then will things will be clear and in focus. The Holy Spirit is like the lens of your soul. He adjusts what needs to be captured.
Advice as a designer:
Some of our best ideas as designers and artists come from lazy, spontaneous, and unexplainable moments. A mantra from a former professor of mine:
K.I.S.S: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
And it works!
And of course God’s Word:
“Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God… is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you…”
1 Chronicles 28:20
What’s happening this summer:
I am working as a receptionist and as a freelance graphic designer for Pierret Designs (a jewelry company) in downtown Denver as well as a legal assistant and file clerk at The Hopp Law Firm, LLC in downtown Denver.
My duties at Pierret consist of making sure orders are tracked, shipped/delivered, photos are taken, and on the side updating their business cards and creating a brochure for their services (I hope my photos uploaded)
The law firm consists of doing legal processing like bankruptcies, filing (lots of filing), and managing given projects like creating presentations for upcoming meetings. Grunt work basically.
These opportunities have been a blessing in learning how a small business runs, staying organized, and conducting myself as a professional but most importantly as woman of God. Anything I do should be for his glory and not my own dreams and ambitions.
Lastly, led God lead, my plans reach epic levels of stupidity and human limitations, so the wisest (and painless) way life works is when He’s in charge. And He is!
Lindsay's Summer Work
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Ok here are my ideas…
The old adage is true, you get out what you put in. If you aren’t very interested in a class, still put forth an effort. You’ll respect yourself in the end.
It’s not enough to care. You have to SHOW that you care.
The people around you are your biggest asset. Surround yourself with people that you can trust, but also make you laugh.
If you aren’t making an effort in a class you may feel that your professors are out to get you.
Your professors don’t hate you. In fact, they want to see you do well more than you do.
Dr. Martin might be a pool shark.
1 hour of Chapel is better than 2 hours of Community Service. It’s not worth the nap to miss it.
If the sprinklers are on, it’s probably also raining. 
The food in the Dining Commons probably won’t kill you…(at least not until you are 50 with a coronary)
If you play in the fountain late at night, watch for security and be ready to run into the shadows!
Emily Mabry
Sparrow Ink Design
emily@sparrowinkdesign.com
www.sparrowinkdesign.com <http://www.sparrowinkdesign.com>
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Thanks you two for fearlessly sharing, there is some pretty good advice up there. Have a good Friday and we are looking forward to the first Monday of the semester!
I enjoy reading a few blogs by different Artists and Craftsman and I think I have pointed out David Duchemin‘s blog before, but I read a post from the other day (and in turn another person’s blog ) on Inspiration, it’s usage, and what is becoming of creativity. So continuing the string that has been started here I really want to encourage you to read 2 blog posts:
First this one by Owen Shifflett entitled:
Consumption: How Inspiration Killed, Then Ate, Creativity
Now read this post by David Duchemin:
In Defence of Inspiration
So what do you think. Is inspiration a bad deal? Is creativity dead? & Why?
So I hear all you new Belhaven University freshmen have to shell out a large wad of cash for a shiny new MacBook Pro! I love my MBP and I assure you, you will too and it’s worth every penny!
Now, how can you make the most of your investment? Being a good steward of your assets is a Biblical principle that we need to take note of. Macs are expensive (I like to think it’s because they have the pretty factor inside and out), but they are very upgradable and if you take good care of it, you can keep it around and kicking way past your Apple Care 3 year warranty!
“Skin Deep”
The first part of Mac maintenance is “skin” deep. Your new mac is so shiny and pretty and you should do what you can to keep it that way! I clean mine with the microfiber cloth that came with it at least weekly. Dirt and oils from your skin and fingers can take a toll on the Mac’s keyboard, trackpad, screen and outer case so regular cleaning of your mac will help extend the life of your hardware and keep it looking new which increases resell value should you want to upgrade later. Also investing in a good case/bag to carry it in is a good idea. If you feel the need, you can get one of those snap on hard cases. I personally don’t like them as they add bulk and reduce the “pretty” factor of my mac. Incase and Speck are good lines to start with as they are made for Mac! If you are a notorious drinker/eater while you work and are nervous about the possibility of a spill on your keyboard, you can get a keyboard protector. I keep one around for when I’m with my 2 year old niece, or when I’m doing more eating and drinking around my laptop.
Battery Maintenance
Another part of your computer that is important to maintain is your battery. They loose capacity over time are expensive to replace and if you properly calibrate it about every 30 days you can extend the life and a higher capacity. The process is simple and basically involves draining your battery down until it goes to sleep and then letting it sit uncharged for several hours (overnight works well) to completely deplete the battery. Then you plug it in and charge it completely and let it rest for a couple hours in a fully charged state. A nifty little app you can use to help you go through this process and keep more accurate tabs on your battery called Watts. Learn more about it here.
A Clean Mac is a Happy Mac
It’s also important to periodically clean out your cashes, repair permissions, check for extra languages taking up space on your hard drive. Periodically doing these things will keep your mac fast and peppy! You can do these things for free by running scripts in the terminal, but I like handy little apps that make my life easier. One is Cocktail and another that includes many, MANY more features is MacKeeper. Another way to keep your mac happy and your sanity is to limit the number of files you keep on your desktop and to have a file management system. I keep 2-3 folders on the desktop and use a simple, but organized file system. Every file has it’s place and gets put in a folder somewhere. Folders are your friends! This is especially important for designers who have many versions of the same file. It will make your life easier if you name them properly. Also, it’s a good idea to NOT use spaces in file names as it can cause problems (not usually, but better be safe than sorry). Rather use an underscore and capitals like this: VictoryLogo_01.ai.
Backup, Backup, Backup
I can’t stress the importance of backups enough. It’s important to backup, and have redundant backups and update them at least weekly. It’s also a good idea to have a backup drive that’s not in the same place where you keep your computer and update that monthly because you never know… I’ll be writing more on this subject in another post later on!
If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to ask! This isn’t a comprehensive post, but just a few of the things I do on a regular basis to keep my mac pretty, happy and clean.
Wow what a summer.
Life has a funny way of working doesn’t it? And there comes a time when you just give in to a greater purpose and plug along.
Many of you have wondered what I’ve been up to and why I am not teaching this semester, and I must say that it has been a lot.
Upon the end of last semester I was incredibly proud of the students I had taught and felt the amazing energy that the department contained. I had found another area of graphic design I was passionate about. Don’t fear, I have other great ideas for future projects and semesters, but for now, that will have to wait.
This is my summary of my own events and where I am presently.
I have been working directly with Mississippi Public Broadcasting this summer and am enjoying yet another expansion to my portfolio. It is more of a back-to-the-grind pace, but just as we have discussed in my classes, I am having to call upon my skill for organizing many facets of projects, some quick design problem-solving as well as concepting of many projects for various arms of the agency. This all is very gratifying.
I was anticipating teaching the upper level classes this semester but by time limitation I am not. Maybe my blog posts can lend you some interesting feedback and inspiration.
For MPB this summer alone I have created several logos, Art directed a new television show pilot episode (including dressing the set), designed a web site for a new children’s puppet who promotes healthy eating, along with many different press kits and promotional items for that project alone, and designed a look for a Regional education summit. MPB also has revamped their mission which in turn created a project for a Large corporate display unit that was taken offsite for an event on the coast. whew!
No wonder I’m sweating. Wait… I think that’s the 110+ heat index we’ve been living with also.
Now what does this all mean? That I am an abundance of wound up energy? Maybe… but right now it means I am feeling Blessed. Blessed to put the bread on the table while providing other things for my family, and Blessed to be getting all these creative juices flowing again.
Its also amazing how when you are creative in one part of your life you can continue to thrive in others. My personal design business is doing well also. Opportunity knocks and sometimes you have to welcome it for reasons other than your own personal selfishness. Did I want to go back to the grind and not teach at BU? Uh, No. But One thing is for sure, those of you who know me know that my opinion of being complacent is not so good.
I am not and neither should you be. Work hard, and good things will happen, This field is amazing, constantly recreating itself in new ways for each of us. Now check out this logo I created for a radio show at MPB. Most of this is hand drawn.
Well our good friend Andrew over at Paragon again has shared a post I think is very exciting and cool regarding their involvement with the Weather Channel and one of it’s new HD shows.
So please check the post out here.
Here is a another question pertaining to inspiration……
Where do you get Inspired?
– In cities! There is so much happening visually in urban areas that it can become overwhelming. I love it. I also get inspiration from more natural environments but it is different, more of a refreshing inspiration.
– Anywhere within or around the community
– Inspiration can happen anywhere. To prepare for a project its a process involving several different steps. First it involves going out and experiencing life, jotting down or snapping a picture of anything that remotely catches my eye (even if it doesn’t seem to be relevant at the time). I’ve taken a picture with my phone of a piece of trash in the parking lot at work and after playing around with the image, it turned into a main theme for a front article page on beauty products.
– Anywhere
– When i get the most inspired is when I am driving by myself. I think I get inspired because i have time to just listen to the music and think. No one else is there to bother me.
– I get inspiration: outside looking at nature, in church, in my car, hanging with my friends, in class, really almost anywhere that I am present if that’s where inspiration decides to hit.
– Where best to get inspiration from than in a crowd?
So over the next 5 days I am going to share with you some responses to 5 questions about design I asked our students.
Enjoy. One of the great thing is the diversity of the answers which just goes to show how God has uniquely wired all of us to view life from our own unique angles.
1. Who inspires you (or whose work)?
– My Uncle Josh is a layout designer for the nytimes and he is such an inspiration to me. He is so aggressive about pursuing new interests and creative ideas. I love tossing around ideas with him, we always learn from each other. I also get a lot of inspiration from the work of the photographer arnold newman; his portraits really capture the personality of the subject. I also love the work of the photographer Joyce Ravid; she really bends the rules and creates a whimsical, dreamlike world.
– Mr. Vince Gordon
– I find most inspiration in the work of Jackson Pollock (abstract expressionism)
– So many artists… and I really don’t think you want me to list all of them. Everything from artists from the past to contempory ones, graphic designers, photographers, and people who don’t create, but write and form opinions on creations. One place I always love to go to is children’s book illustrations. Something about the purity and technical skill, but with an appropriate amount of whimsy, that has the ability to tell and a story and transport gullible minds to another place. Anyone who can incite imagination.
– My family, friends, and TV stars
– I don’t have a specific person that inspires me because I dont really look at anyones work more then others. The work that inspires me the most is the ones that use photography because I love taking pictures and incorporating them into anything that i do. I love work that uses dark/deep colors.
– Honestly, I probably don’t immerse myself in the art of others enough. So mostly, my peers inspire me. I see their work most as we are struggling through this journey of artistic exploration together. I also really love some of Nate Theisen’s, our sculpture professor’s, work; especially the pieces he currently has up in the Faculty Exhibit in the Gallery. While I was working on my own sculpture assignments last semester, I could see him working on some of those pieces. It’s really cool getting to see that process from one of our professors.
As I work to recover from the quick paced start to this semester I wanted to get back to Guest blog Thursdays…… so in that regard …..
A great Designer and friend of our Program – = – from Paragon -=- Andrew Davies who recently wrote about his encounter with Lee Hunt and Lee’s presentation to a group at SCAD regarding Media and Branding. It is a very worthwhile read and I encourage you to head on over to his blog and check it out.
Thank you Dr. Parrott for that insightful and wonderful post! It is not hard to see why we here at Belhaven are excited to have this new major, and all the possibilties this major can open up for the students.
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A friend of mine who works for a very cool and hip design firm had this Design Inspiration Starter List posted on his blog that I thought was fantastic.
So check it out!
Thanks Andrew & the Paragon crew for posting these resources!
Headlines to brochures, Headlines to editorial spreads, Headlines to Web pages, and more… Headlines can become more than just the biggest piece of text on the page. The way you set the type can become a defining element of your layout or even the entire campaign. Here are different headline styles you may want to explore or build upon in your next design.
http://www.designerstoolbox.com/
So one my my favorite sites, is called Designers Toolbox
I am linking you to a great page about Headlines and thinking about headlines within your layout…
Bookmark this site to help you tweak your graphic design skills
