Flip Design

Patterns

2011-11-24T18:00:00.001-08:00

Patterns have always been used in design and the visual arts in general. Whether they are used to add visual appeal or detail, balance out the layout, express a brand, add order and organization or a hand-created element, patterns enhance the beauty and individuality to any piece. I see them in graphic design more and more as time passes, especially in ways that have been hand-created or that use the logo as the pattern element. They are shown as standing out or subtle, depending on the use and brand.

Patterns are a smart way to add punch to the second side of a piece or to an element that might otherwise be overlooked, like the belly band, wrapper or packaging. Patterns show that all parts of the design should be taken into account.

The idea of using them in a space for branding, rather than just on traditional identity elements, is also something I am seeing as a trend.

Below are some examples of ones I have collected recently.

Retro Advertising and Concert Posters

2011-11-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

While working on an ongoing personal project involving some retro graphics, I came across some really inspiring examples. Some were what would be associated with retro advertising immediately. With script typefaces and divided space between the image and the copy, they were kind of what I was expecting to find.

They moved me in one direction with the idea to recreate graphics and a style that depended more on hand-drawn illustrations and fonts. Then I came across these examples from 1950s concert posters. I had of course seen examples before, but I never quite appreciated them in terms of being retro but still very different from the typical take on the design.

Most focused around early rock and roll and the African American movement of music into the mainstream. I love the bright colors (yellow, pink, lime green) in combination with black and white photography. The use of block sans serifs also struck me as fairly modern. In combination they make for an interesting grouping of information in a layout while still being dynamic and lively. The additional bursts and lines in some was also very expressive.

I was excited to find an old retro design aesthetic that I do not often seen replicated. With the advent of Mad Men, retro chic is back. Retro furniture, fashion and design are in groove right now and I find it refreshing to find an example that has not been replicated in popular culture with as much saturation. It keeps me thinking and passionate to find new inspiration!

Scripts and Slab Serifs

2011-10-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

I used to feel like good design had to have a sans-serif or better yet, a condensed, bold sans-serif. It looked modern, clean but also strong and filled up the page with a lovely dark element to contrast the white space. Now, the wonderful trend has been towards a small touch of a script typeface in combination with a slab-serif. Sometimes they are used together and sometimes individually, but either way, the design trend is refreshing.

Script typefaces (I happen to be a sucker for anything hand-drawn as well) can be sophisticated, modern, smooth and adds a touch of individuality to a design.

Script typefaces also remind modern designs of something traditional which I love to see as a designer. As technology becomes more and more prevalent, these small touches of curves and flourishes keep the communication pieces special and more targeted in their approach.

Slab-serifs have a completely different feel. They are stronger, bolder and offer a lot of structure to a design. They also are great to use to stack and line up elements. The right ones can have a very indie vibe to them and seem to work in combination with script and light typefaces. Overall, they are a versatile choice for an identity design or headline.

One thing is for certain, typefaces go through trends and the minute you pick up on one, another one becomes popular. Scripts and slab-serifs are very popular now, but in my design heart, they will always have their perfect use and place in the right communication piece.

Branding Beyond the Business Card

2011-08-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

While researching new designs, I love to see examples of branding used on materials besides the business card and letterhead. Especially when it can be used on packaging, on a large scale or in interior spaces, the identity can really come to life. The branding can incorporate more illustration, typography and overlapping of information.

I also studied architecture at one point and so am very interested in logos and branding being used to enhance an exterior or interior space. From corporate office to trendy restaurant, the vibrant use of a company's brand can make the character unique and reach more people. It is the challenge and great joy of the designer to understand the needs and audience of a brand outside of just the logo. Here are some collected examples that I have found of identity developed outside of the usual print materials.

New Typography and Illustration Treasures

2011-08-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I went about an hour south of Minneapolis to Oronoco to attend Gold Rush Days. It was a huge flea market in the center of the town with items ranging from antique furniture, toys, clothes, jewelry to tin packaging and lawn ornaments. It was an amazing experience not only to just wander and take some unique photographs, but also to seek out some great keepsakes.

For $1 a piece, I landed two booklets with some beautiful typography examples that I could not pass up. One was a Kerr booklet with recipes for canning from the 1950s and a Palmer Handwriting book from the late 19th century.

They also had some wonderful, vintage photography and illustrations. Here are some samples from the booklets.

So often my students ask where I find my examples or inspiration for design projects. My answer is always to just keep your eyes open all the time. Pull examples from places that are not familiar or where you might not think. Good typography and references for future work is all over the place if you take the time to look carefully and do not pass by things that may seem ordinary at first glance. You may use the style later on for a design that you are stuck on. Magazines and websites have a lot of good references but sometimes the most authentic and textured are ones that have a real world use.

Animals in Design

2011-08-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

I am currently working on a personal side project with a friend and former student of mine and was in the process of looking for some good animal, illustration inspiration. I looked through past samples I have collected, mainly for teaching, and realized how many amazing examples I have.

I have found that in general, most animal usage in design is still silhouette based. This is the most immediate way to recognize a shape, and especially for logos, you want that immediate, visual impact.

Now, an etching or distressed look is really popular too and I love to see the progression.

Birds in logos and other graphics still seem to be all the rage as well. Everyone loves animals and they have an immediate association with either very cute, emotional or creepy. They are a great visual to use that have so many creative possibilities.

Paper Toy II

2011-06-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, I attended the second paper craft, toy show at the Pink Hobo gallery in Northeast Minneapolis. Paper Toy II featured a small collection of amazingly intricate and very cool paper craft toys from national and international artists.

The show featured work from such artists and studios as Aesthetic Apparatus, Ocular Invasion, Puny Entertainment and Mark Zubak.

Minneapolis never fails to disappoint in terms of really cool, indie design and art shows. People who do not live here often think it is too small a city to have a rich culture. Having lived here all my life, I love to show examples like this. Granted, it might be for a niche group of people, but small shows with great craft and individuality are what make the art community here so special and unique.

The absolute most hilarious and ones I was more interested in were the interactive pieces. Shown above, the disemboweling monster and redneck hick who pulled down his pants at your command were worth testing again and again.

The simple paper craft toys also had amazing color and were recognizable from the great show Yo Gabba Gabba. Overall, a great show and worth checking out if you are Nordeast anytime soon.

Working Designer Mommy: Harder but Not Impossible

2011-06-07T12:42:00.001-07:00

When my daughter was born last October, I was already freelancing at that point. Her birth was part of the reason for freelancing instead of being tied to a fulltime job for someone else. I was able to set my own hours and schedule which meant I could maximize my time with her.

When I was in college, non of my professors had children and I always wondered why. Then I became a mother and I saw why some people maybe chose one or the other. But, it was not a choice for me. I wanted to be both an artist/designer and a parent. Some of my friends who are also artists, have asked me how I manage my time and pursue my career when I have a baby.

For one clarification, I do freelance, but I freelance fulltime. I am working pretty much as many hours of the day as possible, usually 40-50 a week. I also have my daughter home with me whenever possible, depending on my schedule. These are times that I have specifically set up to be only our time together. I do not work when I have my daughter, but that also means I have to really be efficient when I am working.

This is my list of the things I have learned about being a working mother, designer, artist, teacher and professional.

1. Have a good support - I could never do any of this without my husband. He also works fulltime as a designer/creative director but we approach everything as a team.

2. Be organized - I have to make a list of what I need to get done every day or every week and I need a really organized filing, invoicing and portfolio system on my laptop.

3. Don't give up creative growth - I try and do a drawing every week, keep updating my portfolio, pursue my own projects and photography and view new artwork and design. This is the most tough right now with the time I have available because it is the easiest to let go of when other things are the priority.

4. Multitask - I cannot emphasize this enough. I have had to learn to be really good at doing 2-3 things at a time and staying organized with it all in my mind.

5. Relax and let go what can be let go - I am overwhelmed somedays but I try and remember that some weeks I will get a lot done and some weeks, it will be a struggle. Some things need to be let go. This is also very hard for me since I can be very anxious when things are not just so.

6. Work hard - Make all of your time worth it and work hard when you can.

7. Work outside of the house when possible - I find I am much more productive when I can interact with others and can have a new perspective out of the house.

8. Make choices that will positively affect my child and family - Almost every choice I make in terms of work, money, time and effort is related to what is good for them.

9. Do for yourself - I have also learned that with all the changes, taking a break now and then to draw, take a jog or read can revitalize me for the week.

Life has really changed since we added to our family. But, overall this is only a positive. Priorities and timing have changed, but with planning, organization and a look towards what you want from the future, you can go for it will all of your effort and energy.

Blogs/Sites I Follow

2011-05-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

I have been asked by students and other designers alike which sites and blogs I follow. I have a few that I am devoted to and check on a regular basis for great articles, design inspiration, news and just general fun photographs and imagery. During a day when I feel stuck on a project, these great sites are sure to get some new ideas flowing!

Design Sponge
I love this blog because it features other creative designs, arts and crafts like interior design, furniture, clothing, accessories and fun ideas for the home and office. It keeps my mind fresh with new ideas that are not centered around only print or web design.

AIGA
The tried and true AIGA (American Institute for Graphic Arts). A staple of most designers, I often find interesting articles and sometimes, job postings. It also keeps me up to date on new designers to follow in the United States and trends that may be happening in other areas.

Twitter
This is the site I use to keep people up to date on my blog posts, new projects and general work-related thoughts for the day. I also get a ton of information on who is looking for a freelancer, the work of other designers I know, friends and events in the area. It often how I find out about a great poster show, new photographer or piece of news in my area.

Typographica
Being a lover of good and new typography, this site is great for new information, books and trends in that area of design.

The Dieline
I absolutely cannot live without this site. I check it almost every day and what I love is that it is completely devoted to one format of design: packaging. From student work, redesigns and professional firms, the work is wonderful, diverse and so inspirational for any ideas you might need for any format of design.

Graphic Exchange
This site is updated almost daily and has beautiful design examples from all over the world in various formats: print, packaging, photography, objects, identity and web. The work is submitted by the designers and has great color, type and texture. I think the web examples are the smallest of the bunch in terms of the variety, but I always get ideas for me designs.

Hard Lessons I Have Learned in a Year of Freelancing

2011-04-20T13:22:00.001-07:00

It was almost one year ago that I said "good-bye" to my bi-monthly paycheck and a 9-5 working for someone else life. I have never been happier with the choice I made to pursue my own business. It was a scary leap but one I am so grateful for every day. It has given me freedom, the ability to pursue a wider range of work, the chance to work with so many new people and finally, I can take advantage of my type-A personality and control my own working life.

It has also come with some pretty harsh lessons I guess you can never be quite prepared for. Some of them, people warned me about ahead of time, but until you go through it for yourself, it really does not make a dent in your choices. I was lucky enough to have someone there to back me up every step of the way, emotionally and financially. This has made such a huge difference, but so many of the lessons I was going to learn the hard way to make better decisions the next time. This are true for me, but are not necessarily true for all freelancers or people with their own businesses.

1. You cannot hang your hat on any work you have currently
In the beginning, I thought that when someone said they had a project coming in that they wanted me to work on, it was a guarantee. I also thought that work I had now was going to stay for a while. This has almost never turned out to be the case. I am hunting down new work all the time. I would say more than 50% of the time, potential projects never happen or they are on hold until a later time. If I waited for all of those, I would never be working. I have had to learn to be in contact with people all the time to keep stirring the pot of future work.

2. Take out 30% or more of every check you get and put it into an account you never touch to pay for taxes
It is tempting to think that the money you get you can spend right away. Come tax season, you could be in a for a huge shock when you suddenly owe and you have already spent that money. In a regular job, all that is taken out for you so you never notice it is gone. Like all of your accounting and paperwork, taxes are up to you as the freelancer.

3. Workflow has its extreme ups and downs
You have to be prepared to have time when you can barely keep up and you work early in the morning and late at night. This can last for weeks at a time. Being that busy is great sometimes because you are making more money and you are staying busy. There are also extreme times where you literally have no work coming in at all. This can be hard because you have no money coming in, it can be long and boring and also creatively and emotionally straining. This can also last a long time with no real knowledge of when it might end.

4. You might be doing more production than design work This has its ups and downs as well. It is expensive for company's to hire a freelancer and what they might need is someone to do the down and dirty work. It is up to you to decide if you want to do this or not. This also may mean doing your own creative work on the side to keep doing projects you enjoy.

5. You have to make money to freelance. This was also a very hard lesson for me. It comes with a lot of freedom but at the end of the day, you still need to make money. It is not all about doing what you want to do when you want to do it. Pick and choose but do not be too picky if you want to keep afloat.

6. Some clients are more trouble than they are worth. I don't know of another freelancer who would not agree with me on this. It may be that you have to hound them to get paid. It might be that the amount of work versus the compensation is unbalanced. It may be that their approach and personality is hard to deal with. Or it may be that the work is not satisfying. In each case, you have to decide where you are and what are your priorities. Each week, this changes for me based on workload, scope and style of the project, the client and money flow. You have to do work you like and keep incoming work as well.

7. You have to say "NO" to work sometimes.
This is very hard as a freelancer because you never know where the work is going to come from. This means it is very tempting to say "YES" to everything just in case you have a dry spell. This works sometimes, but it also can mean you have way more than you can handle and you will get burned out. Listen to your instincts. If it feels wrong, it might not be for you.

8. Take a break sometimes.When I started, I had the feeling that I really had to prove myself. I worked all the time and never took a break during the day. Then someone told me that if you worked a regular job, you would talk to co-workers and walk around once in a while. Now, I take advantage when I have some downtime to work out of the house, work a different schedule or go to the gym during lunch.

9. Find other occasions to socialize and network. This has been the hardest for me. I have a quiet personality and so do not notice much being alone during the day. Eventually though, it can get to you. Try and work outside of the house with other people, see friends on the weekends and network to make some new connections. Network as much as you want to to seek out that next piece of work, but also, just to talk to other people. I also like to work on-site sometimes just to have connections with people during the work day.

Overall, freelancing has been great to me so far. Harsh lessons sometimes, but never regrets.

What Have I Learned From Teaching?

2011-04-13T14:40:00.001-07:00

When I originally decided to take on design teaching as part of my freelance life, there were two main reasons. One obvious one was to have some income during lean times in freelancing. The other was to try and impart some important things I hold near and dear that I learned when I attended art school and that I acquired in my professional life. How could I express to people and have them be as passionate as I am about good typography, the fundamentals of design and having a strong concepts behind every design?

I went into teaching with, I think, very uptight attitude about the whole thing. I went through hell in art school with the workload, tough critiques and other challenges. I think the whole experience made me a stronger designer, and so I wanted to teach the way I was taught. Tight structure, controlled syllabus and constructive critiques was the way I started. OK, sounds reasonable, right? Well, easier said than done. I quickly realized that teaching outside of my immediate experience was going to need constant tweaking and adjusting based on the students and their skills.

My fourth teaching experience was at MCAD with students in a partnership with a local high-school. This was the experience that immediately had me learning so much more than I think I have taught them.

1. Sometimes, approaching students gently rather than harshly yields better results.
As hard as this is for me to admit, because I am a total no-nonsense type of person, I cannot expect all students to be like me in their approach and focus.
2. Encourage as much as possible
Especially with my high school students, I want them to keep coming to class and finish school, so small victories may lead to something bigger.
3. Keep critiques as interactive as possible, but do not push it further than it can go.
Some people are not going to be good at this and I cannot only push the class so far to be constructive in terms of comments. It seems that most people think critiques are only for positive comments and have a hard time making suggestions. This is a skill that gets better with time as people get to know each other.
4. Adjust assignments based on comments.
I reuse assignments that work well and that I think have great lessons in them, but will change in the next class after seeing the results. Sometimes, students don't get as much out of them as I did.
5. Hands-on exercises work well sometimes, but have to be adjusted sometimes as the attention span and technology changes.
This has been the hardest lesson for me to learn. I learned almost all design by hand which I still think is amazingly valuable to understand the fundamentals, especially typography. It teaches you to train your eyes and I still think the computer is a tool, not the design. That comes from your ideas. But, I have had to adjust to get an assignment at all because younger students will push back to use the computer. Sometimes, it is the lesser of two evils.

All in all, depending on the age group and the class, teaching adjusts every week. I am surprised and challenged all the time. Good lessons for me and hopefully my students.

Baby Announcements

2011-02-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I was going to design the baby announcements for our daughter. I had the design completed months in advance, with the coordinating pink and brown colors chosen to match our nursery theme. The only thing left to do with the design was to await the birth to have all the information to include on the cards.

On October 21, at 5:49 pm, our daughter Charlotte Kristine Craig was born at 5lbs. 13oz. and 19.25 inches long. After some necessary days of recuperation, I completed the design.

My husband and the very proud father decided he also wanted to participate by silkscreening the cards. He took the designs to Northwest Graphic Supply Company, a great screen printing supply company in South Minneapolis. They did a beautiful job of creating highly detailed screens for printing.

After some ups and downs, experimentation with some really detailed illustrations and typography and getting just the right ink consistency, the printing commenced. Jason did a beautiful job, even with no drying racks. The sheets had to be dried on the basement floor.

He then spent the next several days trimming each card by hand. This was often done with a small baby crying for attention on the work table. We then spent an evening doing all of the assembly for approximately 60 announcements.

In the end, we could not be more proud of the result. The announcements and the beautiful baby girl!

Gotham: The Most Overused, Best Font in the World?

2011-01-30T19:49:00.001-08:00

I think it was during the presidential campaign for Barack Obama that I started to notice a beautiful font called Gotham.

It was simple. It was clean. It was clear. It was perfect. For the campaign, it was the typographic embodiment of everything the new president was trying to accomplish. A clear, simple message of hope and modern change.

Gotham was designed by the Hoefler Frere-Jones foundry in 2000. This is an excerpt of their description of this font.

"Every designer has admired the no-nonsense lettering of the American vernacular, those letters of paint, plaster, neon, glass and steel that figure so prominently in the urban landscape. From these humble beginnings comes Gotham, a hard-working typeface for the ages."

It is simple and classic like Helvetica but rounded and more architectural. It is also perfectly modern and a great combination with almost any other typeface. It comes in a great array of styles.

As a designer, when this font became more popular, I was in love. Suddenly, it became the "go to" font for almost every layout. Unfortunately, I guess almost every other designer had the same idea as me.

Suddenly, I saw it everywhere. This was not always a bad thing. It brought beautiful layouts to life and made good typography better.

Coca Cola used Gotham for their "Open Happiness" campaign. It also is used in their overall brand.

I also saw it used in some Target packaging.

It has also made appearances on several movie posters, in fairly nice layouts.

Then, I saw it on larger advertising and some unusual places that I was not expecting.

But, like Helvetica, I feel that Gotham has become so overused, that it has lost its sparkle and allure. It is no secret anymore to be used by only the very careful designer with a concern for good typography. I now see it in banner ads, websites and in TV shows.

Is it time for Gotham to be transitioned out? This is in the eye of the beholder and user. For me, I see it so much in so many situations that its uniqueness has worn off. It is still just as amazing as the first time I saw it, but I am less inclined to use it simply because I want to approach each design in a fresh way.

I don't think Gotham has run its course yet. And once a font has been put out there, no designer can control its use. This is part of the joy of fonts and cannot ever be owned by one person or by an ideal of design. All we can do as designers is to respect each layout as unique and approach it with a different set of eyes each time. Maybe seeing Gotham on the Maury show is enough to throw people off of its use?

In reality, most audiences would not even notice its use over something else. And look at Helvetica. It is also used almost everywhere but is still a classic. A strong enough font can stand the test of time and overuse. Gotham may follow this direction.

The most important question is, did Gotham help elect President Obama? Well, I guess it did not hurt!

Colman's Mustard and Penguin Books

2010-11-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

Every year, corporate logos and their applications are changed, revised and completely redesigned. Sometimes, these changes are necessary and welcome to the consumer. They can also present a rude awakening that make you wonder why it was ever decided that they should be changed.

As a consumer and a designer, I can see both sides. I enjoy seeing the design world always changing and developing. I also hate when brands I recognize change just when I was starting to recognize them without effort.

Two brands that have a recognizable logo and style but have not made major changes for the consumer are Colman's Mustard and Penguin Books. Both also have beautiful packaging.

I love the details and bold colors used on the tin package. The typography and illustrations are also amazing! They are very decorative and yet this package stands out as being very simple and classic when comparing it to others on the shelf. The design was added to the bottles and tins in 1855 and it has remained the same ever since.

Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935. The logo has undergone some minor changes over the years, but without completely confusing the consumer. The orange has remained and the publisher has always had a host of great designers, turning out some amazing covers.

There is even a great book called "Penguin by Design: A Cover Story, 1935-2005." It features some of the amazing book covers over the years.

Logos and identity systems will inevitably change as the world around them changes. As a designer, it is a great lesson to keep in mind. How do you create a design that is classic and can withstand minimal changes? Is something modern or traditional the best approach for longevity? There is no right answer for these questions. Look around and appreciate the identities that have remained the same for the most part. Why are they successful?

Beer Bottles

2010-11-09T16:18:00.001-08:00

A couple of Christmas celebrations ago, I created a special gift for my older brother. Inspired by a project from work, I hunted down and packed a wooden crate with beers from around the world. Each one was chosen based on its original location and its interesting packaging. It was called, "Mark travels around the world in 20 beers." Needless to say, it was a big hit! All of the beers were found at the great Surdyk's Liquor in Northeast Minneapolis. It was such a fun experience to go through all of the bottles and choose the most interesting and tasty.

After that experience, I became even more aware of the amazing packaging out there for beer bottles. I began to compile images of some of my favorites and wanted to share them here. Of course, the packaging does not always make the beer. Some of the best beers do not have the best designed bottles and visa versa. As a designer, I am biased towards what looks good, but for someone like my brother, the taste of the beer is what is worth buying.

Creative gift ideas can sometimes provide the best ideas for other creative inspiration that you can use in your design work later.

Design in Black and White

2010-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Often when I am teaching students, I have them work on a design in only black and white. This is mostly based on my belief that this technique helps you focus on your typography, layout and concept without relying on color tricks to help you distract the eye. It is also because it is amazing what beautiful results you can create with this simple combination.

Black and white emphasizes the negative space and the sharp edges of shape and form. I think it is a technique that designers often overlook as a potential solution to some design problems. It really can create more opportunities than may be obvious at first. I have attached some samples of designs I have found in black and white. They are inspiring and just as amazing as color examples. In some cases, they are more powerful, especially in packaging, where black and white is rare.

Typography is especially strong in black and white. It helps emphasize all the details and negative space in between.

Because black and white is so rarely seen in design, it can be hard to approach your own designs that way. If time permits and the brand will allow it, at least for initial concepts, I try and start some of my designs in black and white. I have always felt that if the layout is strong without color, than color can be used for branding purposes and details. I have attached some of my designs that I began in black and white before adding color.

Coca-Cola Company concept anniversary card

Coca-Cola Enterprises concept poster

Coca-Cola Enterprises concept awards album spread

Coca-Cola Enterprises concept banner

Qwest concept poster

I almost always start logos this way as well from practical purposes (possible faxing, copying, etc.) Some stay black and white because of their strength without color.

iRoam logo concept

MillerCoors Beer Garden logo concept

Black and white in graphic design can be an amazing exercise and can offer potential opportunities for unique marketing and visuals.

Typographic Posters

2010-10-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

While teaching typography at both Brainco and the Miami Ad School, I always include a class on typography on a large scale. While I do refer to exterior signage and other huge size graphics, the assignment I hand out is usually a large-scale poster. It is great way for students to understand how to design and then refer to their work as they go. It may seem like typography on the computer is working, but until you stand back and refer to it and adjust, you could be missing great opportunities. I usually throw in some limitations like it needs to be in black and white and only typography can be used. I am always amazed by how many different examples the students come up with and how creative the solutions can be.

I have compiled some great examples of typographic posters from around the world as part of my teaching research. I refer to them myself all the time for some inspiration and to remember that typography can be as interesting and effective for graphics as any photograph or illustration. Especially some hand-drawn letterforms can be amazing in their details and overall form.

Please leave comments about which typographic posters have inspired you!

What is in the Works?

2010-10-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

In the past several weeks, I have been amazingly busy working on freelance projects and internal projects that I have wanted to pursue for a long time. I have been lucky enough to have several ongoing identity projects, which are some of my favorites to work on. I have also kept up with my sketching and some yet to be posted updates on a website project I have in the works. Several of these are just snippets of posts yet to come, with more details!

As it seems to be with many freelance clients, a few have gone one for months as they are redefined and refined. The first logo concepts are for a product that I worked on while at a contract position for a children's production/animation company.

These needed to reflect a carefree/playful attitude mixed with some 1960s colors and themes. An interesting mix of concepts and imagery to work with.

The next set of logos are also concepts for a new product that is still on the down-low at this point. Many of these represent several rounds of concepts as the theme was changed and redefined as something visual came into the works. There ended up being a wide range of approaches on this one. A huge thank you is due to my friend and fellow designer/art director Fred Le Bail for sitting with me and running through some great ideas, styles and concepts.

I have also been working on my One Piece One Week concept which has ended up being for a realty company I named "3-Step Realty" in Providence Rhode Island. I am really excited about this one and will post more designs as I have them completed. I have the logo, letterhead and business cards well under way! Stay tuned for more details.

As busy as my days can be, I try to keep up with my personal sketchbook. I managed to do a drawing at Split Rock Lighthouse during a family vacation up north.

I also made it to a session of the figure drawing Co-op at CVA. It is open to anyone for $10 on Saturdays from 1:00-3:30 and is a great way to draw various poses of live models. It was great to return to the art school mentality and expand another part of my creative mind. I will say that figure drawing has never been my strong point but I love the challenge and the quiet retrospective the time offers.

Finally, through some illustration and careful typeface choices, I have been working on a very special piece for my family. I am only including some details at this point as the final will have to wait to be seen until our new family member arrives sometime in November.

I am keeping busy as the weeks tick away and have a few things in the works. I am excited by all of the new work and chances to create some new designs and illustrations. I also keep up on my photography and will be starting my own photo blog in the next couple of weeks. Stay posted on my work and progress on some of these pieces!

Circus Inspiration

2010-09-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

This week, just a quick post with some graphic eye candy. In doing some research for an ongoing project inspired by circus graphics, I have compiled a huge cache of examples of historic circus posters. They have some great colors, photography, illustrations, layouts and typography. Hope this inspires another designer as well!

Things I Depend on When Running My Business

2010-09-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

When I decided to run my own design business full-time, there were certain tools I used that I kept using all the time and new ones that definitely have come in handy. Some of them were no brainers and ones that have always helped contribute to my creative process. No matter how much ready and planning I did ahead of time, there were some things, very practical things, that no one told me about that I have needed to rely on when trying to keep organized on this venture. I am hoping that this list will ring true for other freelance designers and will also help those who consider the path.

1. Reference Materials

I have always been a book fiend and that has not changed. I am still looking for inspiration through some of my tried and true sources but when I started freelancing, some new sources have really changed my perspective and idea about new trends and tools. I have to remain in touch, sharpen my skills and gain new directions as the design world constantly changes. One of the main ones I love to refer to is Computer Arts and Arts Projects magazines. They are from the UK and have great tutorials and artists from around the world. They also, often feature articles for self-employed artists and students.

I would highly recommend these magazines for designers and other creatives alike.

2. Sketchbook and Day Planner

I have always used a sketchbook and still do sketches every day for layout and concept ideas. I also have a couple of others that I use exclusively for my pencil sketches and carry around pencils, eraser and pencil sharpener all the time.

One thing that is kind of glossed over when people give advice about freelancing is the amount of organization you will need to have to get everything done and fulfill your obligations. When working full-time for a company, the business development, paychecks, scheduling, etc are handled by several people. When you run your own business, all of these things are up to you and sometimes this can seem overwhelming. One whole day can be spent looking for the next project, setting up meetings, writing articles, answering emails, daily inspiration, staying in touch with local art and the community, paperwork and accounting or brand management. There can also be lapses in work where you need to keep working on business development. Somewhere in there, design needs to happen as well. The only I way I have found to get all of this done is to prioritize and really be organized. I would be lost without my sketchbook and day planner for keeping my head on straight! My sketchbook also is great for drawing at a museum show and taking notes. It gets easier the longer you do it and learn your own tricks but it can be a sharp learning curve. The only way I made it work for me was to create an organized system and stick to that. I adjust when necessary, but I have my files and accounting organized in a way that makes sense to me.

I also have found a system of archiving that I can stay on top of, and trust me, this will become very necessary when all the work and files are your responsibility. Sometimes, learning this the hard way will set up a system for you.

3. Camera

For me, this is one of my greatest assets. I may be different than most in that I also pursue my photography development fairly seriously so my camera goes with me almost everywhere. This is to shoot reference materials, keep track of my blog posts, photographing ongoing projects and to keep records of various inspirational pieces. It can be bulky to carry around sometimes but it is one of my greatest joys as an artist.

4. Making Connections and Staying in Touch

Writing for my blog and also keeping in touch via Twitter (just a small list) are two ways that I keep people up to date on what I am working on. There are also great resources to stay motivated and to keep producing new work. I am always excited to see people's comments and to connect with other designers and artists in the area.

5. Looking for the Next Project

FreelanceSwitch.com and CreativeHotlist.com are just two of the places I check on a regular basis for possible freelance work. I am also always in touch with other people I know and using recruiters when necessary to find the next contract or freelance project. There are so many resources out there to tap into! Knowing your community and getting to know people sometimes is the best way to find the next piece of work. Always keep in mind when freelancing that no matter how much work you have or how hard you work, there are going to be ups and downs in workflow and income. This can sometimes seem like an unfair situation but those are the times to work on business development and pursuing other creative endeavors.

6. Supplemental Income
As much as the goal is to have continuous, ongoing work, I have found that having small projects that make some money and are creative are a good way to stay well rounded as a designer and keep supporting yourself.

In addition to my design work, I also write weekly articles for a photography blog (photoble.com) that offers tutorials, tips and inspirational writings. It is a good way for me to stay in touch with my photography and support my other endeavors. It has greatly improved my shots and it definitely gets me out of the house and into the community.

7. Taxes and Accounting
No one really told me how much accounting I would be responsible for with every penny I make. It seems like every month, there is a new piece of information I have to be on top of. This aspect of running my own business is definitely one I wish I had more of a grasp on before I started.

But, I am not sure you can tackle it until you start. I would guess most designers are not thinking with this side of their brain. Find someone you trust to run through some of this with you.

8. A Place to Work
This last one has completely saved me from being gloomy and disorganized when running my design business.

We converted our upstairs space into a quiet, inspirational and open studio space. It has two locations to work since my husband and I need to design there at the same time. We included a comfortable chair for sketching and a production desk for my photography projects and mock-ups. We also included a lot of lighting and all of our supplies and inspirational materials. When I work on-site somewhere, I always miss working in my space. It is calming and set up in a way that is familiar but also flexible.

I also work out of the house on my laptop several times a week. This helps me with client meetings but also to not feel isolated when I work alone. It is great to go to locations that are frequented by other people who are self-employed and further affirms my love for my community.

This is just a small list of things I use and have to think about when running my design business. It is not always easy and many things I have had to learn as I go. But, I love the design freedom and the ability to pursue multiple directions of creativity. It is all worth it in the end when you are working on something you love!

New Sketchbook Pages

2010-08-25T19:47:00.000-07:00

I have been very behind with my design blog postings, but rest assured I am still working on a lot of projects and will be posting updates soon! In the meantime, I have had some requests to place some more images of my sketchbook. When I was in Washington visiting Chandler O'Leary, I did a sketch every day and it was wonderful. The two of us sat in various locations and did drawings while we made each other laugh with mindless talking. The weather was perfect for sitting outside and catching some inspiration.

The locations are located in the lower right hand side of each sketch.

I always feel that my desire to become a designer stemmed from my love of drawing. I am amazed at all of my artistic friends and their wide range of styles when sketching. Each person brings their own background and technique to the medium. Almost universally though, they carry a sketchbook and use it all the time. I have a couple that I use for different purposes. One is for my work notes and layout thoughts for freelance work. The other one is strictly for my own design endeavors and internal concepts. The one shown here is just for pencil sketches of various places I am traveling to or visit during my day.

Even though our field has been changed and adapted by technology, drawing is still such a vital skill for staying fresh creatively and also learning to express your ideas in a quick, visual format. The ideas in design and art cannot be replaced by the computer, which is an extension tool after the concepts have been explored.

My strong feelings about staying fresh through other mediums, like sketching, most likely come from my father who is an architect in the city and still draws all of his renderings and plans by hand, with minimal tools (besides pens, a straight edge, markers and colored pencils). He was always told in college that architects need to know how to draw. Through his example, I was exposed to some great techniques and I think some of my own drawing style is influenced by him. Here are some examples of his work.

I also was influenced again when I went to the Rhode Island School of Design and my graphic design teachers pushed learning by hand before relying on the computer. Having a strong eye and exceptional technique came before execution of the final product. Strong concepts and messaging were the foundation of good design, not necessarily personal visual aesthetics.

While my sketches are not always design related, I always keep these lessons in mind. It can be extremely refreshing to return to simple expressions of visual understanding.

My Trip to Washington

2010-08-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, I flew out of Minneapolis to visit my best friend, Chandler O'Leary, in Tacoma, Washington. She is a fabulous book artist running her own business, Anagram Press, and we try and get together for several days at least once a year. This summer, we traveled all over Washington (thanks to Chandler's driving) and took hundreds of photographs and did dozens of drawings together.

One of the first stops was to look at the beautiful blooming flowers in Tacoma's Point Defiance State Park.

This included hydrangeas and other flowers that are already completely out of season in Minneapolis. I used my zoom lens, manual focus and careful exposure to capture all the textures and highly saturated colors in each flower.

We also took the ferry over to Vashon Island and did some sketching and watched some little kids playing and throwing rocks on the beach. It was a beautiful day and it was so lovely to feel the breeze coming from the water.

We also could not let my visit go by without eating some Pacific Ocean seafood, and in true, typical goofiness, dressing him up and photographing it.

Come on, the googly eyes were hard to pass up!

We also made a stop in Olympia, Washington for the day and had a great time searching down fruit at the farmer's market, listening to some bluegrass music, eating some fantastic pizza at a great, hole in the wall place with amazing poster collages and checking out the architecture at the state capitol.

I love Prince and could not pass up the chance to immortalize him in the photograph. When I saw it, my heart skipped a beat!

The next day, we headed out nice and early and drove to Yakima in Central Washington. Along the way, we passed through the beautiful mountain ranges and stopped to take some photographs. The fog was beautiful that morning hanging in the trees and in the cool air, the colors were extraordinary.

I also found this fantastic abandoned sign in the park and had to stop to capture the typography and weathered surface.

In Yakima and the outlying farms, we drove through the orchards. There were some great, stacked apple crates and old farm equipment.

It was an amazing trip that day, including but not photographed, the dozen or so fruit stands we stopped at to buy peaches and apricots, but at their peak cheapness and ripeness since canning was coming in the following days. I also missed photographing the 6am blueberry picking one morning. It was an interesting and fun experience!

On my last day in Washington, Chandler and I checked out the zoo in Tacoma. It was a small zoo but with some great animals. The tiger and puffins especially lent themselves to being captured with my camera.

I had such a great time and it is always so amazing to catch up and sketch and photograph with Chandler. It rejuvenates my creative side that is not consumed with costs and client demands. It is purely to enjoy mindless conversation while you share your love of art with someone who shares your passion. It will be a while before I am able to visit again so I was so grateful for this trip!

Photographs from New York City

2010-07-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Souvenir Stand in Chinatown

My next "One Piece-One Week" is upcoming but it will have to wait until I return from my trip to Seattle/Tacoma next Tuesday. In the meantime, I wanted to post some of the photographs I took on my weekend trip to New York City with my husband and our friend.

Having been to New York City many times (my husband's home town), one of my favorite things to photograph, since I have outgrown shooting the landmarks, is the every day life of the city. I try to blend in and sometimes just sit quietly until a unique moment presents itself.

Lamps in Chinatown

Masts on the Ships at Pier 17

Delicatessen Sign in Greenwich Village

Stack of Bowls at Pearl River in Soho

Benches After the Rain in Washington Square Park

It happened to be almost 100 degrees in New York on this weekend which made it a little harder to get around and enjoy being outside for extended periods of time. But, I did shoot what I could when the air would cool off slightly, or when we would check out some of our favorite air conditioned shops in Chinatown and Soho.

Stack of Tea at Pearl River in Soho

Schnippers in Midtown

Fruit Bowl and Bread Basket at Pain in Soho

Cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village

Aprons at Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village

We enjoyed cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village and a lovely breakfast of bread, cheese, jam and fruit at Pain in Soho. We also always bring home a few Asian wares from Pearl River in Soho. This year it included a little Chinese outfit for the arrival of our daughter in November. We also met up with our best buddy Dan Hertzberg for lunch at Schnipper's in Midtown, in the New York Tomes building. Really good macaroni and cheese!

Sisters Playing in the Fountain at Washington Square Park

Little Boy at Washington Square Park

I also love to catch the children playing in Washington Square Park, especially the ones who get right into the fountain to play in the water.

Overall, my favorite kind of photo shooting is the kind that chronicles the everyday movements and locations of the places right around you. For me, it captures a timelessness and simplicity that can only be seen through the eye of the observer.

One Piece, One Week - Bean & Cup

2010-07-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

In my determination and quest to start and run my own design business, one of the major factors I had to consider was how to keep my work fresh and keep learning as a business owner and creative individual. This had to be done with self-motivation and a constant string of projects I provided to myself.

Work from clients comes in spurts and between those projects, I decided to create my own design initiatives. Mainly, I want to focus on identity and branding design as I search for new clients and pursue new creative endeavors.

I decided to create a "fake" company with a name, location, mission statement and business goal that I created ahead of time. With these parts in mind, I would then create a brand and apply the style to several appropriate elements. The other restriction would be that each brand and its applications had to be created and designed within one week.

Each week, the company would have a different style, goal, market, consumer and business theme. The main goal of this exercise for me was to challenge my working routine, keep a steady flow of work, pursue interesting solutions for branding and to learn from the timing and design restrictions. The main goal was also more for exploration and genuine "client" relations and solutions than the number of pieces included in the series. I felt what I could learn from this exercise, and how I could grow in each week, was more important than waiting for the perfect client or inspiration.

For week one, I chose to create a name and branding for a Minneapolis based, local coffee shop and bakery. This was done because I frequent them often during my working day and I often felt the branding could be stronger in many of the locations, despite their friendly atmosphere. The mission of this company was a green, fair-trade coffee shop and bakery that focused on local ingredients, with a unique, strongly branded space. The other important factor was for this coffee shop to become attractive to a younger group of people working from the location in Minneapolis. Simplicity, freshness and a young, bright attitude were key.

After a lot of research on the history and process of growing and brewing coffee, I chose the name, Bean & Cup. This came from the idea of each step of the coffee process, from beginning (bean) to the end (cup). I also chose a two color logo that would reduce the amount of ink being used on the printing. Each application also took into account the green materials being used.

The logo was an interesting exploration through sketching and research of typefaces, green standards and the mission of the company. I chose a fresh, retro style for the main text and the secondary being a strong small caps approach. I also chose a dark brown color to represent the coffee and the green for the environmentally friendly materials. I also designed a pattern to add depth and playfulness to the pieces. Below are my applications to each element. The ampersand was also used as an element to add interest to the space and size.

Menu

T-shirts and Apron

Hybrid Car for Delivery

Business Cards and Stationary

Possible Interior Applications

Packaging

Coffee Cups

Interior and Exterior Signage

Posters

Web Site

In one week, I learned an amazing amount about branding this type of location and what I would complete or alter for next time. Perhaps a more architectural approach to representing the branding might be more straightforward and clean. I would also be more thorough in my creation of the company and the mission itself.

But overall, the exercise for this week was a fantastic opportunity to grow as a designer and explore how I would approach projects in my own business.

I would love to hear your comments on this weekly exercise and this specific application!

Movie Posters

2010-07-12T20:50:00.000-07:00

While designing and creating a new assignment for my Typography class at the Miami Ad School, I became intrigued by movie posters and movie opening credit sequences. I began to think about which movie posters I have always loved in terms of their typography, concept, approach and design. I have always felt that older movie posters relied more on a clever idea and hinting at the theme of the movie. Now, because of such strong advertising and the trends, the posters rely on showing the major movie stars or a clip from the movie with strong lighting. This often cuts off good and interesting typography and also the ability to be compelled by the movie before you see it.

I found some examples of movie posters that strike me. Some are just concepts and some are the final product.

The Great Dictator by Charles Chaplin, 1940

Metropolis by Fritz Lang, 1927

The Man with a Camera by Dziga Vertov, 1929

The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock, 1963

Anatomy of a Murder by Otto Preminger, 1959

Each of these posters alludes to the content of the movie but also its style and approach. The clever messaging and hand drawn graphics and typography catches the eye and shows the craft of the designer.

The Gangs of New York by Martin Scorsese, 2002

Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese, 1976

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Terry Gilliam, 1998

Vacancy by Nimród Antal, 2007

Ocean's Twelve by Steven Soderbergh, 2004

Ocean's Eleven by Steven Soderbergh, 2001

The Spirit by Frank Miller, 2008

The Dark Knight by Christopher Nolan, 2008

Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino, 1992

Burn After Reading by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, 2008

Blindness by Fernando Meirelles, 2008

28 Weeks Later by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007

The Shining by Stanley Kubrick, 1980

Movie posters can be an amazing showing of graphic design and advertising. With clever messaging and creative concepts, they can excited and intrigue the viewer. The examples above did more in their approach than to show a clip from the movie. They are either an homage to a graphic style, use creative typography and interesting colors, hand drawn illustrations or a carefully planned and executed layout. The combination can make them also pieces of art as well as functional and promotional.

I Love Packaging Design

2010-07-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Of all the pieces I have designed since I became a graphic designer, the ones I found the most challenging but the most fulfilling have been in packaging. I find them challenging because of their three-dimensional shape, which requires consideration of all angles. They also need to be carefully considered for their audience and where they will be seen and sold. This can greatly change the typography, form and color. I also find them the most fulfilling because of all their constraints, they can be appreciated for their form and their two-dimensional qualities. They can be touched and experienced and well as looked at and compared to others around them.

I have spoken of packaging many times when teaching design classes and have shown examples of which ones exemplify good design in many ways. Either through their typography, materials, color, concept or a combination, the packaging has been well considered and stands out from others in the same category. I have assembled only a small example of the packaging I am struck by and who or which company designed them.

This green packaging for Puma was created by Yves Behar and the Green Products Innovation Initiative. It displays the Puma brand while using innovative materials and industrial design to create a flexible, earth friendly solution. This link from the Dieline explains in detail how the pieces came together to create this package.

This simple, PANTONE Home Paint Concept was designed by Samy Halim. The design is straightforward and aesthetically pleasing in its concept.

Coca Cola has always been known for their ever constant brand colors, logo and even bottle shape. This fresh approach to the aluminum bottle packaging, design by Turner Duckworth is original, simple graphically, smooth in its shape and yet still recognizable as Coca Cola.

This milk packaging for Schroeder was designed by Capsule here in Minneapolis. The colors stay within the ever present conventions that most people recognize but the main design is experienced through the typography, which I highly appreciate. The typography is also unique because it hugs the edge of the form, creating just the right amount of tension.

The Pangea Organics were designed by IDEO. The look is striking and yet organically minded. The color theme also adds a touch of sophistication to the bottles.

The Thymes packaging always amazes me with its variety but constant softness and freshness. The details and colors are always unique. This Red Cherie version, designed by Minneapolis Duffy & Partners is beautiful in its simple yet sophisticated approach. I especially love the green and red color combination with the stripe for typography.

For an almost completely typographic approach, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products designed by Werner Design Werks is bold and contemporary. It also can be seen at a wide range of stores.

This design is absolutely one of my favorites. It is a concept design created by Anchalee Chambundabongse while she was at BBDO. I cannot say enough about keeping sketches and concept designs. Often through the approval process, the original idea and collaboration can become muddled and lost. Some of the most open and unique design solutions that are created are worth keeping in the beginning of the process. This is an example of Splenda packaging that had a wonderful subdued color palette and retro approach. While the form of the box is not altogether unique, the attention to detail and fine touch make the graphics themselves very compelling.

Good Design is Everywhere

2010-06-15T14:39:00.001-07:00

Paper samples at Paper Source in Uptown Minneapolis

In an increasingly digital world, many types of design are mostly noticed on a mobile phone or on the computer. Especially as a designer, most days can be spent without going out into the everyday world and noticing the good design that you encounter on an every day basis. It requires a sharper eye and an appreciation for typography, color choice and design on a large scale or in a three-dimensional applications.

Paper Notebooks at the Seward Co-op

Letter press cards and envelopes at Paper Source

Metal Bottles at Patina

It means noticing graphic design as environmental graphics, packaging, exhibits, wayfinding and information design, paper, printing, books and goods that you consume and throw away every day.

yum! Kitchen and Bakery in St. Louis Park

Writing Kit at Patina

How to Make Books by Esther K. Smith

Seward Coop environmental graphics

One part of design that has always been incredible interesting to me is packaging design. To me, it is the smart application of a brand that needs to address several elements. It has to be recognizable and stand out on a shelf, convey brand standards that attract new and loyal customers, market to its environment, be understood and well designed from all angles and stand up physically through all kinds of usage. You can find all kinds of great examples of packaging design in the grocery store. It might take more time to find good samples in a sea of highly marketed and advertised materials. Simply sharpen your eyes and watch for the things that stand out from the others. It may be because of the color choice, their simplicity, package format or typography.

Simple Source Honey

Schroeder Milk Products

Schroeder Orange Juice

When you walk by your everyday environment on a normal day, you might be surprised how good design can change your perception of your own design and the city where you live.

Promotional Posters at Magers and Quinn in Uptown

These design examples show graphics at their most engineered and completed. In the next section I will show examples of distressed, worn or old graphics. These examples have a character all their own. Their relationship to their environment and the way they have become part of the landscape speak to their history and unique aesthetics.

Photo Exhibition at the Anodyne Coffeehouse

2010-06-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

Starting tomorrow, June 5 through July 3, 12 of my photographs will be shown at the Anodyne Coffeehouse on 43rd and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Each one is also for sale for $50. If you want to take advantage of some fantastic shots, stop by and take a look! Here are some of the photos that will be hanging and for sale.

Jennifer, October 2009

Farm Road, July 2009

Freak Show, September 2009

Donald, November 2008

Christopher, May 2010

Milling, April 2010

Pointing, October 2009

Found Typography

2010-05-31T19:45:00.000-07:00

Minnesota State Fair side show banner typography, September 2009

Found typography on a Wisconsin farm corn crib, July 2009

As many designers will tell you, especially ones who love typography, one of the joys or maybe obsessions is to find and photograph found typography. This can happen anytime and anywhere. I collect typography examples, either terrible or fantastic. Because I take photographs all the time, most of the typography I find ends up being shot rather than taken home with me.

Both of the above photographs were taken at Bob's Java, one of the menu board and one of numbers painted on the ceiling, July 2009

A bridge sign in eastern Wisconsin, July 2009

A "Food" sign on top of an abandoned outdoor food stand in Wisconsin, May 2010

A worn sign in Northern Hibbing, Minnesota, May 2010

An old sewer cover in North Hibbing, Minnesota, May 2010

Many times, this typography is found on my travels to other areas or especially other countries. This lends itself to amazing opportunities because it usually means new styles and new languages of type.

The above three photographs were taken in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 2008

Signage typography at the Minnesota State Fair, September 2009

The market sign in Seattle Washington, November 2008

So, why is that I and many other get joys out of finding and collecting typography? For me, it is seeing through another designer's or manufacturer's eyes. What was it about this style or this material that made this seem attractive or appropriate? Was it purely aesthetic or were there other choices? I find these questions fascinating. I can think about them but also appreciate the piece as a piece of art on its own.

It is also purely a collection of all the endless typography that is out there that sometimes goes unnoticed or has decayed. Many times, it deserves another look and some attention. It also makes you take a closer look at the details and objects in your immediate surrounding that you may miss. For me, it keeps my vision sharp and gives me new ideas for my own design and photography.

10 Reasons I Love Minneapolis - #10 Midori's Floating World Cafe

2010-05-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have decided in no particular order to list the top ten things I love about living in Minneapolis. This is going to include places to eat, shop, hang out and locations for fun activities in the city. Some are maybe less well known but are always worth the time and for people who love Minneapolis, they are a must.

The first one I am listing is the amazing Japanese restaurant on East Lake Street called Midori's Floating World Cafe. I happened upon this restaurant several years ago and it has since become Jason and my number one location for Japanese food. Since my husband is half Japanese and was raised eating a lot of his mother's cooking, I hold his opinion of his native food in high regard. The owner is a Japanese native who also happens to be the sushi chef. The food also consists mainly of vegetarian and seafood entrees and is amazing for having authentic choices. We have been impressed with the menu being real Japanese food and high-quality sushi fish.

There are many other Japanese restaurants in the area but this location is definitely for locals who appreciate the food more than the night-life atmosphere. It is small with great customer service and completely friendly people. You can sit at a table or by the sushi bar and watch your food being prepared. They also have a great selection of green and herbal teas.

I think many people are perhaps thrown off by the neighborhood if they are not from the area. But, if you embrace the culture of the city and the great mix of people, Midori's is right up your alley.

This photograph shows the outside of the restaurant which is right down the street from the Town Talk Diner.

Some of the yummy gyozas we ordered. Usually they are vegetable but this was a special beef gyoza with a spicy dipping sauce.

This is the vegetable tempura I ordered as an appetizer. It includes battered and fried kabocha squash, broccoli, carrots, onion and green peppers. I have found many places over batter the vegetables but Midori's are light and crispy.

Their sushi is also delicious. Being pregnant, there are some fish I have to avoid for right now, but there are still many choices I can order. I got a Dragon Roll (shrimp tempura, cucumber, unagi and unagi sauce) and a cucumber roll. Jason always gets their special white tuna, tamago (egg) and also ordered a salmon skin roll. The presentation, as always, was beautiful.

We always leave feeling on a high and like we have eaten healthy, quality food.

More to come on my picks for why Minneapolis is the best place to live.

Museum Exhibits

2010-05-13T11:19:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits, I have found, from working at home fulltime is the ability to do more research and during down times in freelance work, to go out and check out things around the city. These have mainly turned out to be exhibits I never had the chance to go see when I worked in an office all day. When I studied graphic design, my original dream was to become an exhibit designer and I still am amazingly interested in the lighting, information, space and content that exhibits hold. I am most interested in how multiple pieces of information in an open space can be organized, convey content to a wide audience, create a narrative and the strategy involved in creating an emotion or overall theme.

Today, I decided to go to the Minnesota History Museum in Saint Paul. Being a huge history fan, and specifically revolutionary way and civil war history, I went to see the Benjamin Franklin exhibit that is showing through July.

It was a beautiful exhibit with lots of real artifacts and interactive components. But, the real jewel of the day for me was seeing a permanent exhibit in the museum called Minnesota's Greatest Generation. This exhibit focuses on the generation of Minnesotans who were born in the 1910s and 1920s, fought and worked during WWII and started the baby boom generation. I was amazed by the organization and flow of the content, the real artifacts with real stories told by the owners, the interest in the space with interactive and large and small elements and the amount of detail taken into each aspect.

I would highly recommend this exhibit to anyone. The flow is really interesting and even though there is a lot of content to read and take in, you will be drawn to artifacts or objects that are of most interest to you.

A few people have asked me and I decided to write a quick list of some of the favorite exhibits I have ever seen (besides the one I saw today and mentioned above). I do not have photographs of most of them, so check out the sites I have linked.

1. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museumin Washington D.C. designed by Ralph Applebaum Associates I saw this exhibit when I was in the 7th grade and it had a profound effect on me. I went through the space and left feeling incredibly uncomfortable, moved and sobered by the real artifacts (including shoes and human hair). The whole space and the way you are moved through makes you feel a sense of darkness and confinement, without actually physically touching you.

2. U-505 Submarine
at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I love history, so this exhibit was amazing, but it also had so many interactive content and very well designed typographic information and photographs. You can also get inside of the U-Boat!

3. The Hall of Biodiversity at American Museum of Natural History in New York City. This was recently reopened a few years ago after heavy duty renovation. I did not see it until a trip with my husband in 2007. The sky-high walls of different biological information and then the room with the life-sized whale hanging from the ceiling are both amazing! I was most impressed with the darkness and coolness of the space overall, which gives an underwater sense to the exhibit.

4. The New Bedford Whaling Museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts. I saw this museum in 1999 when I was visiting the Rhode Island School of Design before I began attending as a student. This museum has a whaling ship inside its space and also does an amazing job through the typography and real artifacts of creating general interest in pretty specific groups of information. The museum also is very lucky to be in a typical New England town, right by the ocean, which help adds to the timeless feeling. That included the cobblestone streets and smell of sea water.

Negative and Positive Space in Relation to Composition

2010-05-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

I began teaching another course at Brainco last week. This quarter, I am teaching the Principles of Design and Layout. Even more than my previous Type 1 class, I find this general subject matter very difficult to fit into a 12 week course.

I ended up dividing my weeks into categories of understanding design when creating my syllabus. This was a great way I found to keep the information organized while still trying to incorporate the elements in design that come into almost every situation. They include but are not limited to: grid systems, form and shape, color theory, inconography and concepting.

For my second class on Thursday, I decided to start out with some general understanding and experimenting with form and shape in relation to negative and positive space. How does this simple idea translate itself into interesting and narrative compositions? Understanding design and layout is about more than the complex elements (typographic content, photography, etc.), which can sometimes overshadow the overall color and flow of the composition.

One trick I was taught while I was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design was to squint at a composition in its beginning layout phase to see its color. The color was not literally its color, but more how the white space and content were interacting with each other. I was also trained to turn a composition on its side or upside down to see the piece from a different perspective? Was it really balanced?

One of the most influential assignments, even if simple, I ever had was to create abstract compositions out of a single letterform. These were created out of only black and white and it took hours of Xeroxing and tracing paper experimentation to create a piece that used the letterform, but without being able to recognize what letterform it was. Does the composition become more or less effective when you add another element?

This assignment really helped me to understand not only that the right composition of positive and negative shape is not always the most obvious or the one you think of first. It always helped me to visualize the different elements in a layout as shapes that would clutter or clear the space.

I decided to assign this to my class on Thursday and worked on recreating the assignment with some example compositions. I chose a Bodoni S letterform and played with white on black and black on white. It is always a great refresher to take design back to its basic form and understand the roots of all the elements we use every day. Below are a continuation of some of the compositions I created.

Maybe as a bonus at some point, I will photograph my original paintings from that past assignment. I still have all the gouache compositions!

A New Future Ahead

2010-04-25T16:48:00.000-07:00

After many months of planning and research, it was finally time to give my notice at the full-time job I had been working at for 2.5 years and to go out on my own. I had made some really close friendships and had gained some very valuable skills as a designer. I had many positives in a full-time job, but I also had learned after several years in the field, what kind of designer and professional I want to be and what kind of projects I want to pursue. It means a lot of changes and a major directions change, but also so many positives and long term goals for my career that I can have control over.

This change was the major reason for the office remodeling. I plan to network and make some new professional connections and a lot of this will be done in various locations. It is great in the meantime, to have a home base and a great office space to work in.

I also plan to take several months to make contact with new clients, but also to develop new web skills that I have not been able to cultivate in my full-time position. I also plan to keep working on my photography and to get back into sketching and going on day long trips for new design inspiration.

Here are some images from one of my sketchbooks that shows some of my research and business planning.

This list shows some of my brainstorming on a business name, before deciding on Flip Design. I should do another post on the development and thinking behind that name as well.

These two photographs shows some examples and notes on logos that I found interesting.

These show layout development for the Web site and also some thoughts on marketing materials.

I have one more week at work and then I will begin my new career adventure. I am excited to get started and see what new skills and creative endeavors I can take on! A big thank you to my husband for all of his support and to my best friend Chandler O'Leary for her inspiration on taking on this new path.

ARTCRANK 2010

2010-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

On Saturday April 10, Jason, Paul, Allison, Josh and I attended the opening of the annual ARTCRANK Poster Show in Minneapolis.

We have been to every one since it started in 2006. The show is a fantastic showcase of local artists visual take on biking and specifically, biking in Minneapolis through posters. This year, the event was held at Shelter Studios on Broadway in Northeast.

These images are views from outside the studio and the bike parking provided by Full Cycle, a non-profit group in Minneapolis.

The venue was a huge improvement in space over the previous years where it had been held at the One On One Bicycle Studio in downtown Minneapolis. I had always loved the previous venue because of its central location and its great style and atmosphere. But, the new location was great since this event seems to get larger every year.

This event has always been such a great mix of the local creative community and the Minneapolis community as a whole. I am always amazed at the posters I end up loving and then purchasing and then the ones I see others leave with that I did not really notice. Many are silkscreened, sometimes in only editions of 30.

We see posters from artists we have seen every year, like Adam Turman and Studio on Fire.

But every year, we also see new artists and each year has surprisingly different styles and an overall feel.

Despite having to stand in line for a while to pay and pick up your posters, it is all worth it, every time. We love this show and will attend every year, even if we run out of room with the number of posters we have acquired. It is a great chance to mingle with creatives and Minneapolis enthusiasts alike. Thanks Minneapolis, for another great reason to live in your city.

Redesigning the Office/Attic Part 2

2010-04-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on the office remodeling process. Last weekend, Jason spent most of the weekend painting and we are so thrilled with the new color. The walls went from a sage green to a clear blue; very light and fresh!

Next weekend will be furniture buying and assembling. I will keep posting as we make progress!

I Heart Minnesota Rollergirls

2010-04-07T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Jason and a couple of our friends went to the Championship Bout Minnesota Rollergirls Derby at Roy Wilkins Auditorium in Saint Paul. This was my second time attending the awesome, totally aggressive and woman powered series of jams and the last one for the season. We happened this time to be lucky enough to have scored some on the floor seats from a friend of ours who could not attend that night. While I loved seeing it on the balcony last time, on the floor and close to the action was was more fun and entertaining. It also gave me a great chance to take some awesome photographs! The battles between the Dagger Dolls and the Garda Belts in two different halves were amazing with some good, high-scoring jams and some aggressive falls.

I cheer for the Garda Belts because I absolutely love Suzie Smashbox who is a fast jammer and also a good weaver between some good blockers.

I picked up the rules pretty quickly but rather than spend this blog writing them all out, check out the Rollergirls site for more details.

The main bout was between the Atomic Bombshells and the Rockits. I cheer for the Bombshells with my favorite skater, L'exi Cuter.

There was a full house on Saturday and tons of loud cheering, swearing, standing and shouting and whole-hearted enthusiasm when the Atomic Bombshells won the Golden Skate.

OK, so why do I love the Minnesota Rollergirls?
1. It is all women competing.
2. Each skater is their own independent personality with a unique take on their uniform.
3. The crowd is a great mix of people with no pretentious personalities.
4. The semi-punk look and style.
5. The rules are easy to follow and it is fast paced but easy to watch.
6. It is a sport both my husband and I love to watch together.
7. The poster art for the bouts are designed well and are often silkscreened.
8. The competitors are average women who happen to love the sport and have a lot of enthusiasm for the fans.

It is yet another reason I love living in Minnesota and a great addition to my year!

Redesigning the Office/Attic

2010-03-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

When Jason and I moved into our house in September of 2005, we fell in love with it right away. We love living in Minneapolis and found a perfect house in the Standish-Ericsson neighborhood. It was built in 1922 and has all the charm and quirks of an old house. We have had to make some changes and buy some new appliances, but that seems to be true of new houses too.

One of the best features of the house is its second floor which is technically a half floor. We have for the past several years had it is a semi-studio. But mainly, it has been used as storage and a location for other household items that we cannot seem to find a place for anywhere else in our 1400 sq/ft house.

I decided a few months ago that I wanted to convert that second floor space into an office with shelving for all of our books, an open workspace and a nicely lit space for our computer. Jason is helping me turn that space into something really creative and conducive to design and research. The hope is soon it will be my full-time workspace and graphic design studio.

Below are some of the images taken as we clean it out and decide what is staying and what is going.

One of the major things we will work on is providing more light since there really is only the two windows on either end. We are also going to paint the space to add some warmth and light.

The view of the backyard from the window upstairs.

One round of trash and recyclables that I took out on Sunday afternoon. Notice Jason's Light Saber box which he agreed did not necessarily need to be kept forever. Also, the forms Jason used to design and build my Stewie head which can be seen in an earlier photo.

The photos show the long, narrow closet up in the attic that we have organized to place old school work, portfolio and a lot of art supplies. I would like to eventually have some more organized boxes or drawers to put everything in, but it is working like this right now.

I will post more images as we keep working on this several week plan. Once everything is cleared out, we will know that new elements we need to buy to make this a better office space. Hopefully in May, the office will be ready to go!

Disruptive Effects Symposium

2010-03-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Whenever possible, I try and attend design lectures, discussion panels and creative shows to see new trends and ideas and also to get in touch with other professionals in the area. Today, my father and I attended a design Symposium called Disruptive Effects: Design Intersections. It was a half day series of lectures given by various professionals in unique creative fields. It was held at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota campus.

The speakers were wonderful in their approach, concepts and professional experience. The keynote speaker was Jane McGonigal, Ph.D with her lecture EPIC WIN – How Games Can Help Us Solve the World's Biggest Problems. It was an interesting set of ideas and approaches to tapping into the gamer mentality to solve word problems like hunger, global warming and disease prevention. I did not feel I subscribed to the same beliefs and was troubled by the idea of lack of human interaction and physical activity as a means of world collaboration and problem-solving. But, it was a different point of view, for sure and I appreciated her enthusiasm and new ideas for complex problems.

The second speaker was Tom Erickson with his lecture Designing Smarter Cities: Digital Infrastructures for Social Intelligence. His lecture focused around social media and the possibilities for creating "smart" communities, neighborhoods and cities. The idea was centered around how social interaction, through technology and problem solving, can create environments that inspire and change our everyday lives. It was also an interesting concept, one that I thought would have been interesting to add to with city planning, architecture and product design. Since those are fields I am also interested in, I was interested in how those aspects without technology and new social media could impact the way people live.

The last speaker of the day was Nora Paul with her lecture titled Designing for Multiple Media News Delivery: Beyond Column Inches.
I found this lecture the most relevant to me in my profession and also the most entertaining in the speaker's casual delivery. It was also very strong in its research and statistics, which I found fascinating. Through testing, this group of designers and journalists were able to point to trends and usability issues in online media and specifically news consumption online. She also spoke about digital storytelling which I found very interesting since I believe in the strength of the idea and narrative, sometimes over pure aesthetics. What is effective for usability? How do people use online news media? How can this change and evolve to better inform and excite people.

Overall, this was a really productive and informative day of learning and trends not only in design, but in consumer and media trends. I took several pieces of information which will stay with me as I keep designing and developing as a professional.

Typography Collages

2010-03-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I had my students do an in-class exercise. It involved cutting and tearing pieces of typography in various publications to collage and create abstract compositions. This was to help understand typography as shapes and graphic forms, not just as carriers of information. This exercise was then used as a jumping off point for an assignment where a visual composition or story could be told through abstract typographic forms. The most important requirements were to use only typography and the multi-panel piece had to be in black and white.

I also decided to create some graphic compositions during class, simply based on overlapping, negative space and contrast. I decided if a letterform or series of words became to legible, I would tear them or cover them to create a more abstract layout. Below are my various compositions.

I was happy overall with the collages created in an hour, so I decided to play more with the possible compositions. By rotating, zooming in and changing the contrast, I came up with several different pieces.

There seemed to be endless, really extraordinary possibilities for abstract compositions or possible elements in other layouts. It really was a fun exercise that I hope to use as a technique or a possible concept for posters with other typography or just aesthetic pieces in and of themselves.

The Smell of Wood Smoke

2010-03-02T20:03:00.001-08:00

This year, my husband and I were lucky enough to be asked by my parents to go with them on a vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado.

My mother is a family physician and as part of her continuing education, she periodically attends conferences around the country. This was often how we went on vacation as children. It was a wonderful opportunity for my parents, my older brother and I to travel all over the country. Often this was in Colorado because since I was three and my brother was six, we have been skiing. It was something that brought us very close as a family and was a sport we loved, especially my brother who skied and raced all through high school.

I sadly had to give it up when I attended college in Providence, Rhode Island and never got back into it. This year, my mother had another conference and I almost jumped out of my skin with excitement when the opportunity came back up for us all to go together. I was especially excited to ski again with my father, who I photographed below.

I was also thrilled to show my husband Jason a location that had been a big part of my life and to get him on skis for the first time in his life.

The skiing is not the only thing I wanted to see again in Colorado. So many of the things that are nostalgic in my life and that I hold dear in my memories are not the things I paid any money for and seem very small and insignificant. My favorite smell to this day is wood smoke, which I remember so vividly from the wood burning chimneys and outdoor firepits in Colorado. I also wanted to go back to the same candy shop we used to go to with my mother and fill up a paper bag with Jelly Belly jellybeans in Vail and then eat for the remainder of the trip.

It is amazing how many of my deepest memories come from our vacation days in Colorado. I also took the opportunity to shoot the many children on their first ski expeditions down the slopes of the Rockies. They have such joy and endurance for the heavy equipment and long walks to the chair lift. They smiled as big at the beginning of the day and at the end, with no complaints and great determination.

I also love to people watch in the different towns and catch them in their interesting ski ensembles and relaxing outside with their pets. They do not seem to change, even after 20 years of visiting.

I can't remember every detail about every trip, but I love feeling familiar emotions when I recognize a particular slope we have skied down before, the passing of a particular restaurant on the street or the sounds of boots walking over the same covered, wooden bridge over the same small creek.

Ohanami

2010-02-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

In the spring of 2007, I worked with another designer on a project for a fundraiser at Saint Mary's Basilica. We got the project through some mutual friends and it was a great chance to do some unique design on a very tight budget. While sometimes for a designer, this seems very limiting, sometimes it can bring out your best work. The creative and strong concepts come from strong ideas and are not dependent on the expensive paper or printing.

The theme for this spring event was Ohanami which is the word for the Japanese cherry blossom festival. The only limitations were the budget and the desire of the event planners, for us not to use pink. The challenge would be to create a design that looked sophisticated for the audience, captured a sense of spring and expressed the meaning of Ohanami without sub-text.

Ohanami save the date card

After doing research and investigating some illustrations, I decided on a simple, beautiful and sophisticated approach. I used a light blue to white gradient and overlapping, somewhat silhouetted cherry blossoms that would express an evening event and also the name of the fundraiser. The brown highlights were used to bring in the eye but not distract from the softness of the overall piece. The falling petals were used to draw the eye across the piece from top to bottom and from left to right.

Ohanami Poster

We were asked to design a save the date card, letterhead, invitation, RSVP card, poster and program. A light, serif face was used in conjunction with a condensed, sans-serif that complemented the piece's airy, open style.

Ohanami letterhead

The printing was done at very low cost, so the design and typography needed to hold up to less expensive paper and inks. We also chose to place in the Japanese characters to add a small, but important link to the heritage of the words themselves. They also helped to draw the eye into the center of the piece, where the main content was held.

Ohanami program cover

The pieces were very well received and the project was a really great exercise in several design and production challenges. The design was translated successfully over several pieces, conveyed the mood and theme and also reproduced very well in a very small budget.

Pond Hockey 2010

2010-02-12T07:17:00.001-08:00

This post is long overdue, but it took me a while to go through all of my photographs from the day. Like every other year, one of my favorite events during the Minnesota winter is the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships on Lake Nokomis. I don't follow any particular hockey team during the season, but love the game as any good Minnesotan should. I also have the good luck to have the championship right in my neighborhood in South Minneapolis.

This year, the championship was from January 22-24. My husband Jason and our friend Paul and I decided to go on Saturday the 23rd. The idea was to spend a couple of hours on the lake, watching some good old fashioned hockey competitions. Well, this year, the Minnesota weather decided to throw us a curve ball. Instead of the usual, coldest week of the year (well below zero), we got a few degrees above freezing and rain!!!!

Our friend Paul came over to pick us up with an umbrella and plastic bags in his shoes. I still wanted to tough it out and go. So I put on my Minnesota Northstars hat (thanks to our friend Dan Hertzberg) and we made the trek down to the lake.

It was a total mess. For one, usually this event is completely packed with spectators, and this time is was mainly just the players on the ice. They were literally playing in about 2-3 inches of water on top of the ice. Many of them were not playing with a puck, but a small ball that was easier to control… kind of.

I was soaked from head to toe in about 10 minutes and Jason and Paul indulged my love for hockey for about 30 minutes before deciding it was maybe not going to get any drier.

I did see a few kids out there, still having a good time! Children seem to be resilient through these kinds of things.

We only stuck around 30 minutes or so before heading out through the puddles, back home. I am not sure if it even continued into Sunday with the rain still coming down. Hopefully, we have better luck next year. If you ever want to see some heart-warming stories about the joys of pond hockey, check out the movie Pond Hockey: A Documentary Film.

Foot in the Door 4

2010-02-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my husband Jason and I stood in line yesterday (for an hour or so) at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to submit our work to the Foot in the Door Exhibition.

It is an open exhibition to any Minnesota resident and is a great opportunity to show some of your work. It is open to any medium (as long as it is not alive or growing). It is limited to one piece per artist and as long as it fits inside of a 12"x12" box, it will be shown at the exhibition.

Jason submitted his framed illustration Burger Cat. It is his take on a very hungry kitty being taunted with his greatest desire, a juicy burger, that is just outside of his grasp.

I submitted a framed black and white photograph I took of a singer in New York City last October. I was really happy with how this shot turned out. It captured a perfect moment during his performance, but also showed the uniqueness of his face.

The show is on view from February 19 through June 13, 2010 in the MAEP galleries. With thousands of submissions, it should be an eclectic, fantastic show!

Grid Systems

2010-02-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

Grid systems are such an important part of design, but often one that in the busyness of multiple deadlines, get overlooked or not done at all. I am of the opinion that they are not necessary in every case when the designer is using a more organic approach or is very comfortable with the layout. I think they are viewed sometimes as being too restricting. But, in a lot of cases, a strong underlying grid can expand the design possibilities and add structure and organization. I think this is especially important when text is being used so that the legibility is fully considered.

I was recommended the book Grid Systems by Josef Muller-Brockmann.

Aside from being written in both German and English, the book is very clear and thorough. It takes a fairly traditional and structured approach to the subject matter. But, it breaks down all the information and gives may examples of how they can be used.

You can tell instantly by the imagery and typography that the ideas in the book are taken from the 1960s, but the content really has never gone out of style.

It is a great reference if you are ever stuck with a layout or need ideas on how to organize complex or a multitude of information. I am a solid believer in classic information and approaches to modern design being respected and understood. Once you have these good foundations on basic elements and structure, breaking the rules is easier and more effective.

I would recommend this book on the shelf of any designer. If you know where to look for the information, it can help make sense out of some of your text and visual elements.

Book Covers

2010-01-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

For those who know me well, they know one of my great loves is for books. I read an average of a book a week and this has been true since I was little. Aside from books I want to read for their content, I often choose a book based on its cover. Book design now has changed our understanding of literature so much. Not only is it art, but in many cases, if well designed, the book cover can help convey the meaning or spirit of the story itself. The old saying, "You can't judge a book by its cover." is not always the case, it seems.

In all fairness I must say that some of my favorite books, like A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez do not have the most interesting covers I have ever seen, but are literary masterpieces none the less.

Some books, even if they were mediocre, I will keep because of their cover designs. I have compiled a couple of my favorites here. These are, for the most part, great novels as well. I did not include any of my art books because that is a whole other realm of discussion.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Leaf Storm and Other Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
In the Woods by Tana French
Innocent Erendira and Other Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Half Life by Shelley Jackson

On a side note, all the books in this series by Stieg Larsson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and the upcoming The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, are excellent. I would highly recommend reading them.

Photography

2010-01-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share some of my photographs from the past year. I made the switch to digital about a year ago, mostly because finding the materials I used to take and develop my film by hand, became harder and harder. I also had been a member of the Minneapolis Center for Photography (MCP) in Northeast Minneapolis where I used to do all of my developing. It was a great Co-op that unfortunately went the direction of so many old fashioned photography labs. I was heart-broken when it closed, but decided it was time to quit photography all together, or stop being so stubborn and venture into the world of digital. I bought my Nikon D90 and fell in love with it as much as my Nikon F100. I can even use my many lenses, provided I do not need to light monitor. The camera, along with my sketchbooks, seem to go most places I do.

This photo was taken over the summer in my work home-away-from-home, Bob's Java Hut on Lyndale in Minneapolis. It has such a great mix of people and their coconut, chocolate cookies are amazing.

Minnesota farmland, one of my favorite subjects to shoot.

Two of our best friends, Jenn and Dan got married on Long Island in October of 2009. It was one of the best times and abundant amounts of food we ever had.

My father and I drove to Lutsen, in Northern Minnesota in September of 2009 so I could take photographs and he could paint on the shores of Lake Superior.

Walking around New York City with Chandler and Jason in October of 2009.

The Minnesota State Fair in August of 2009. Still one of the best times and a must if you live in Minnesota.

And of course, my niece Laura. She manages to get on my camera every time I see her.

Sketchbooks

2010-01-15T06:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life gets very busy with working full-time, doing freelance work, taking care of a house, book club and spending time with my family. I do pursue my photography on a regular basis, with whole days spent driving to new locations on a shoot. But, a year or so ago I decided I really missed drawing. When I was young, it was my love for drawing that helped me decide I wanted to attend art school when I graduated from high school. I sketched all through college and then for some reason stopped for several years once I graduated. In late 2008, my husband and I started looking into every coffee shop we could find in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. At each location, I would do a sketch and Jason would try their mocha. I began to compile a great sketchbook and decided to take it wherever I went, which included some trips to Chicago and our 3 week venture to Thailand in March of 2009.

It was an amazing discovery to see that I loved drawing as much as I remembered. It also is an amazing record, not only of where we have been around the city, but also the conversations and little memories we have of each location when I look back at all of them.

I have since added another sketchbook. Some weeks go by when I have too much going on to get out much and sketch, but eventually, I do miss it and Jason and I go on another round of trying to find a new location to drink tea and coffee and do some drawings.

Type 1+2 Teaching Begins!

2010-01-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

I started teaching Type 1 and 2 at Brainco last night. I have 13 students with a wide range of experiences in design and other creative fields. Some are writers, some with communication degrees, some have no training in the design field at all. It is going to be a fantastic challenge to create assignments that are both challenging but also relevant as they build their portfolios.

Since this class is combining Type 1 and 2 for the first time, my first class was focused around understanding where each student was in their knowledge of typography. I attended the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island and was trained in typography over the course of 2 years in the Graphic Design department. Since the class I am teaching is compressed into 13 weeks, the biggest challenge is to create classes and assignments that give enough information but also don't become too technical.

I have assigned two required texts and three recommended ones. Because of the time constraints, I am placing a lot of trust in my students to read and take notes on some of the more technical information involved in understanding typography. The two books I am having them read are The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst and The Complete Manual of Typography by James Felici. There are hundreds of books on typography and these are the two I have found that are the most straight forward and clear in their information. While their focus is on fundamentals and clean typography, I find some of the other books too "fun" in their approach. I want the assignments to be exciting and fun, but I think for good books that you can refer to anytime for terms or information, these two are great!

I intend to read and take notes on all the assigned reading I give to the students as well. For their first assignment, I asked them to do an oral report on 5 historical facts, good rules of thumb or conventions of good typography use. This is just a basic starting off point before I go back to my RISD roots and start handing out assignments that take one week to complete and 4 hours to critique. Well, maybe not that far… But, as my husband Jason Craig, who is also a designer/art director, said to me, "You are going to be a hard teacher."

I really just want my students to find the love for typography that I have and see it as an integral part of the visual communication process.