ON A LIGHTER NOTE...SARAH PALIN BABY NAME GENERATOR

Pure genius.

jennifer, if you were born to Sarah Palin, your name would be: Rust Mustang Palin

BAILOUT FOR US ECONOMY

This isn't a design post, but it does affect the industry of design that I support-it affects the health and stability of an economy that I depend on to compensate me for my design services.

We are living in some scary times right now. If you feel as strongly as I do about economy and what the half trillion bailout will mean to the average Americans contact your state reps. My stomach hurts for the feeling of even darker/harder times that are coming our way.

Details of the bill will mean with the exception of government officials and mega-billionaires like Warren Buffet...you,me and the other American tax payers of the world will never see a cent repaid to us. This is different than a tax cut, this is bankrolling a system that will most likely take the money and run, their is no assurance to the tax payers that we will ever see a boost in our incomes, decrease in taxes or be able to fix the escalating list of problems (gas, foreclosure, health care and retirement funding) that we are facing right now.. Pay attention closely to how this bill is worded, there may not be golden parachutes spelled out, but the list does not accurately show what compensation will be given the ceos and executives that screwed things up in the first place. It just lists tax penalties for those who make over $500,000.

If you feel the way I do, contact your local state rep and senators and ask them to vote against this bill, if this bill gets passed we are just pouring money into a black hole that will give safety nets to already financially secure executives and their government supporters/shareholders.

SOCIAL MEDIA INTERFACE DESIGN AND ONLINE SHOPPING

This Sunday I decided I would spend most of the day catching up on my online feeds and read a New York Times. In between blog posts and the NYT style magazine (I'm not a fashionista, I'm more of a voyeour).I checked in on some of my favorite online clothing sites-like Urban Outfitter. I found a bow strap top that is similiar to the style I recently saw in this month's Vogue. As I was about to add it to my cart, I noticed that there is now an option to add what I purchase from UO as a feed on the profiles off all the major social media networks and delicious. I don't find this surprising, and it's probably been around for a while with interface design nowadays. The idea of a feed posting all of one's shopping endeavors is a two-fold marketing gift to online shopping.

One-everyone feels like a trend setter/celebrity when all of their myspace/facebook/social media friends see what they are buying online.

Two-brands/online services get an awareness boost in consumer referrals when all of those sm friends see what you have been buying online and it tweaks their consumer desires and needs.

Amazon has already been doing this with product recommendations showing what people are buying in addition to the same music, books. kitchen utensils, etc you just bought. The use of social media network feeds is the evolutionary next step.

I don't know if this is a completely positive move by allowing retailers to harvest consumer data about their products and their competitors products. In addition several marketing firms will be planning the next big campaign for new product launches based on this data. My hope is that it gets people further away from the celebrity endorsements of commercials and allows people to purchase products that have improved someone's quality of life or just made it easier for someone like myself to find the right article of clothing to complete an outfit.

There are several blogs out there right now that are feasting on the free products that are coming their way from retail brands just so these bloggers can give the product a thumbs up or thumbs down (the idea is that the hand picked bloggers will give it a thumbs up). Then all of their subscribers can view their product reviews before deciding to make a purchase.

If the freebies are taken away, I predict the next level of these blogger tastemakers are going to have the field leveled by everyday purchases feeding into the profiles of sm users. The market for consumer goods/services referral is going to get even more saturated than it already is.

So much is in the air right now with consumer goods and marketing. I'm going to grab the proverbial bowl of popcorn and see how this all plots out.

THANK YOU ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY MAGAZINE

A nation that can laugh at it's self can solve any problem. Ahhh, visual communication at it's best.

THEY'RE HERE

Well looks like good ole stonehenge, I mean CS4 is about to be released on Sept. 23.

I'll need to upgrade my laptop to one of the intel chip laptops soon-cause 64 bit Photoshop is so 2006.

CUTS LIKE A KNIFE

Here is the second draft of the Sybris poster. It's not what I originally intended the design to look like, but the booker keeps adding more sponsorship logos. This should be the final design, otherwise I'm putting my foot down before the this poster starts to look like a NASCAR promotion.

AND HERE'S SOMETHING MORE FOR THE POSTER ENTHUSIAST

Hurricane Gustav was more of an inconvenience than a catastrophe-lets just hope the levees keep holding up and the return home for the Louisiana evacuees is a safe and easy one.

In the mean time how about those poster contests?
If you are interested in another one here's the working family poster contest. It's an interesting strategy-I'm starting to feel as though the Obama campaign is getting a little too poster happy.

Alas, visibility can't hurt anyone's chances at the presidency.

RELIEF FOR GULF COAST DESIGNERS

AIGA is reactivating the web site they created back in 05 for Katrina Relief. Displaceddesigner.com will be the hosting site for Gulf designers that may need assistance in finding support, equipment, work and relocation in the design community. Once they get the help section up and running, check the site periodically to find out how you can help.

Nobody knows how much coastal damage will occur and how much will affect the communities evacuated on the wake of Hurricane Gustav, but it looks like there's going to be some damage/flooding as some of the levees around New Orleans are close to breeching. Let's hope Ike (the next storm on the radar) takes a drastically different course and simmers down to a light (very light) depression.

If you would like to help in another way there are several web sites that are being activated. If you are looking to locate evacuated family and friends, check the Red Cross list.

THAT'S SYBRIS NOT SYBARIS-DRAFT #1

WOXY.COM is promoting this show, chances are it's going to be good. I haven't heard of Sybris before, but they have a $100 fine if you misspell their name on any printed materials. I'm going through the first draft stages. My original idea was a knife and have it reflected so that there will be be two versions cut to size and when placed next to each other there will be a mirror reflection. Now I'm not sure where I'm going with it. Sometimes lightning strikes and sometimes it doesn't, which means I'm not completely happy with this version.

In the meantime, keep your calendars open for Sept. 30 at Birdy's Live. The speed talent of The Coke Dares will also be there, so it promises to be a good night.

I'll post my final draft later this week after I "finesse" the creative process a little more. And I'm still waiting on a hi-res logo from Woxy.

SAVE THE ARTS IN INDIANAPOLIS: AUG. 21st MEETING

Please come and support the Indy Arts Council today at the city county building. The more supporters that show up and voice their opinions, the harder it will be for the city and Mayor Ballard to cut the arts budget.

Thursday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m.
Location: Room 260 at the City County Building
200 E. Washington Street

If you want to stay on top of the outcome and can't make it to the meeting today-subscribe to the Save Public Funding for the Arts blog.

CROWDSOURCING: DESIGNER KICKS

Another example of community driven design.
Just like Threadless, designers can now design their own sneakers on RYZ. The start up began as a project with two heavy weights from Adidas and Nike.

I had heard about it on WFYI/NPR this during my morning commute downtown to Carmel. The sneakers pictured above were designed specifically for NPR.

Designers Download a template for the shoe dimensions/layout and post the designs on the site. Then the consumer votes on the winning design. For the winning sneakers, Oregon based RYZ is offering a purse of $1000 for the design (plus 1% royalties). Not to mention the retail pricing is good- $90.00 compared to the designer Nike shoe which is around $200.

When companies utilize "crowdsourcing" there's constantly a conversation, or a VOC (voice of the customer or consumer). This is good news for those of us that are tired of being told by "the man" what we should like in our products and services. You design your own high-top sneakers or atleast you get to choose what designs you want to wear.

My only suggestion is that they will open the "high top sneaker design" to other types of shoe designs-I'm a slipper shoe/high-heeled shoe type of gal. It would rock my world if Urban Outfitters took the same model as RYZ.

BLOGGERS BANQUET

This past weekend was exhausting but informative. Blogging has come a long way-beyond the guerrila reporting from remote locations or exposing big business, or just as a means to post your vacation pics. Now blogs are the gateways to making/breaking the latest products/services, allowing the masses immediate access to reviews of food, wine, entertainment, and celebrating the connections of socio-political networking in cultural/lifestyle communities.

Overall it was a really good experience.

Only three downfalls:
1. I was surprised that the panels focused on Google Analytics as the main measuring tool out there. I guess since Google owns the the US internet market, that's the most accessible one. I would have like to learn of others as well.

2. Monetization on blogs. None of the speakers addressed exactly how to strategize partnerships, product sponsorships, or anything other than where to place a banner ad and join my advertising community and you can find out how it works. I think the info emphasised the realistic world of "not everyone will make money on blogs." Which I was already aware of, but I hoped it would go a little farther.

3. My only other downer was how little was put on design for mutliple reader/web/mobile devices-but I'm biased and I only have myself to blame for going to another presentation over the blog visual critique session. I would be too focused on the web appearance and not on function/organization of content. I'd prolly sound like an a-hole anyway.

As for the upside:

My favorite topic/speaker: corporate blogs. The golden rule learned is that corporate blogs to be TRANSPARENT.

Let your commentors have a discussion with you on whatever you have posted on your blog. Don't shy away from negative feedback. Acknowledge when your company has made a major mistake. A great example of this was brought up by Doug Karr's discussion on what makes a great corporate blog. The company blog Karr exemplified was a West Coast server host company that had a major malfunction with it's switching over of several data centers. I'm not a system's administrator or a server/hosting guru, so some of the jargon mentioned is over my head.

Dreamhost's Anatomy of an Ongoing Disaster, explains how DreamHost eff'ed up and what they did to fix it. If you check out the comments you will find there's more positive feedback on the situation for the company being "transparent." The companies I've worked for in the past, would never compare themselves to the exploding Hindenberg or peering into the eye of a hurricane, while announcing that they have lost their clients data.

The rest of the experience was fantastic since I met some kewl bloggers out there. Check out intellagirl, indy theatre habit, moosh in indy , or photrade when you get a chance.

I have a feeling next year the conference will double in participation. It has a great foundation to start with. And if you have a Indiana based blog sign up for the blog Indiana census.

BAND AIDS ARE HAWT

When did accessorizing your wardrobe to your wounds become the "must have" of the fashionistas? I could understand if you actually hurt yourself/like having a mild flesh wound, that the less conspicuous and camouflaging of the bandage the better-but these people don't even have a single papercut.

It's a little weird.

Whats next? Amputee fashion?
But you will have to cut your leg off first-sans cancer or any other physical reason. Only so you could hop around on some SWAROVSKI crystals and use your VERSACE leg kick stand.

THEY SAY THIS CAT SHAFT IS A BAD MOTHER-SHUT YOUR MOUTH

Isaac Hayes died today. First Tim Russert-now one of the beloved sons of Stax. 2008 really bites right now on the bucket list.

I don't care if Hayes was a Scientologist-he lived the biggest gangsta/pimp life, complete with a peacock blue/solid gold trim caddy that you can see at the Rock and Soul Museum which is located at the original site of Stax Records in Memphis. It's a crying shame, so much of soul music that was recorded in the sixties and seventies was nurtured from the great gift that was Isaac Hayes.

Snoop Dog, Lil'jon, Jay-Z, P-Diddy (or whatever your name is now) and Ludicrus-step aside, because one of the real souls of RB/hip hop just took a solid gold private jet into the sky.

I'M REALLY DIGGING BRAINSTORM

These cats have some great ideas and have done their homework on industrial design and consumer messaging. Check out their XM packaging post. I love finding an agency that bring intelligence and innovation to branding. And well, I'm a sucker for beautiful package design.

THIS MAGIC MOMENT

Another poster-and another night of music "magic". Sam's Saloon will be hosting a great night of rock on Aug. 22nd. The likes of Chicago's Detholz, with a mix of out of town and local (Shelby Kelly, The Wisebloods and Scotty Lust--great name) will be rocking the rafters of the saloon on Prospect Street/Fountain Square.

Hopefully I'll see ya round the hood.

OBABMA-VISION

Looks like there's a new political poster contest in the works. You can now enter the Obama poster design contest. Deadline and details are here.

May the best political draw win.

DESIGN A MAGAZINE BACK PAGE...for real.

This is why I love Layers Magazine. They also have their ongoing Design Makeover submissions, taking on the scary of the scary in bad design. Check out the layers web site for more info.

But if the mood strikes you and you wanna get crazy with the photoshop, you should enter the bi-monthly contest-you could win some moola ($300).

I TOOK THE EASY WAY OUT...THE TYPICAL POSTER DIAGRAM

It's amazing how much I depend on the internet. I spent last week in a branding meeting for a global manufacturer, and with limited internet-I about went crazy. My IT department really needs to update their loaner equipment to wireless access latitude laptops. I had to plug into a phone jack to actually get online. This of course was the solution as my laptop died in Carmel, IN (the Dell precision is still no match for my big-ass graphic files) and I was given a "loaner"-which translates to a machine that I can just play solitaire on or write a rough draft of my suicide note before dying from lack of internet and adobe software in Davidson, NC.

Well, I made the best of it.

If you want to check out some local and regional music head out Birdy's on Aug. 16--Detholz, Red Light Drive, Beta Male and Thunders will be "sashaying" all night long.

ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY?

This came out last week...Getty's is now using Flickr as a new means of finding fresh images. So when you post those shots of Grandma's eightieth birthday, the Grand Canyon or cousin Seth's bar mitzvah--you could be contacted to use your photos to populate it's many clients stock libraries.

WARNING: Getty's has to pick you, so more than likely if a rep contacts you, be sure you know what to ask for in rates and read the fine print about the rights of the client and how they will use your photos. Royalty free is great for a client, but if you want to keep a rights managed license (a fee is payed to you for each time-or number of times, the image is utilized in a visual medium or project) you may not want to give up your photos. You'd be wise to check with an intellectual property lawyer to make sure you know what you should be getting for your work.

I'm sure there's a fee that's already in the minds of Yahoo(Yahoo owns Flickr) and Getty but it doesn't hurt to see what negotiating room you have.

On one last note--it looks like someone else has already tried to sell photos from Flickr on istockphoto--ILLEGAL PHOTOS. What a nightmare.

TEMPLATE DESIGNER FOR HIRE

I've been toying with an idea my marketing/photographer friend, Kristen Leep, had suggested a few months ago: creating templates for people to purchase.

I've always been a staunch believer in original form verses manufactured facsimiles. If you can make it yourself and improvise with your imagination, you will always have a one-of-kind piece of work to offer a client/friend or anyone who wants something different from what all their other peers have.

I know templates make it easier for people (and me) to execute projects and ideas in the visual medium without the pain of creating everything from scratch--i.e. web pages and literature. What becomes heart-breaking is when everything starts to look alike because everyone has the same look and feel for their web sites or their personal/business promotional materials based on pre-created templates. That's where my job get's interesting.

I'd be willing to start a contest in August where I create a different type of template every week, and see who really would be interested in purchasing it. And it would be a one of kind available to only to that person-for a reasonable price (I'm not out here to get rich-so depending on the template it might be a couple of bones or less than forty dollars for a template.)

I'm not sure really how much activity I get on this blog, because I can only see the metrics on who views my profile without unique ip addresses being counted (and really it could just be me logging on and checking my vitals every day.) So if I try this for a month (creating four templates -one per week) and I get a few bites, then maybe I'm getting more interest than I think, and I'd be willing to expand to more offerings.

We'll see what happens in August...I'm a busy little worker bee right now and my day job is royally kicking my butt on the time-clock until August.

Feel free to post/comment your thoughts or suggestions. I'll post more later-and remember to keep on keeping it real.

Is it a Z-Fold or a W-Fold?

Well here is my first draft of the baby announcements for my baby nephew. I'm thinking the centerfold might need to get a little more fluid, with the wrapping of the blanket across all three photos to give more a sequential effect.. I prolly spend way too much time on this project, but it makes me happy and it will make my brother and sis-in-law very happy too!

I'm going to the gym and if the obsessive compulsive in me doesn't get tired out, I may have to do a second version.

Adios!

COULD IT BE.......MURDER?

I found this crazy book cover of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines and I had to play with it. The stories in the book are full of wild detective tales (including one that is fictionally written by Abe Lincoln).

As for the book cover image-- Murder by Death is coming to town late next month to Birdy's. They never disappoint, so it will be a good show.

MY BABY LOVE

My little nephew is here, and I had to take some baby photos for his announcement. William Richard Hughes is a whopping 22 inches long and weighing in at 9 lbs 4 oz. If he were a boxer, I'm sure he'd weigh in as a heavy weight contender.

I'm currently designing the announcements-so they'll be a related posting soon. I'm not usually baby-crazy but he's quite an adorable little guy.

You Suck at Photoshop!

On June 27 Donnie Hoyle and his bitter Photoshop tutorials will return to YouTube with new tutorials. I tried to get my students to use the tutorials (with tongue in cheek)--because I am that sardonic, nice and sweet on the outside but devilishly cruel teacher on the inside. One of my students said the techniques were too hard and he didn't get the humor. Well, not everyone can embrace genius...and these tutorials are genius...MAD-TWISTED GENIUS.

The co-creators, Matt Bledsoe and Troy Hitch also have a uber-sweet,pimpin' ad agency that I would love to work for or just have a smaltzy cocktail with them. Check out Big Fat Institute Ad Agency.

Here is a taste:

IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR

Every June my family has a reunion of it's stubborn, proud and loving Slovenian members. The Turks and the Zores. This was my mother, Evelyn's idea and well, I had to help out the woman who gave me life by turning it into a marketing campaign. It's a labor of love really...

I've started a blog (which has very little activity), I've mailed out postcards and I've had t-shirts made. Even if it's only for my Slovenian family, I'm proud to make this happen. I'm in my third year of helping my mother motivate the 100 or so Slovenian American family members to come and join us every year at the NASH picnic grounds. If you want to know more about the NASH check it out here.

The NASH plays host to Slovenefest or "Sausagefest" every year...and well all I can say is I'm a vege-quarian(only vegetables and fish) and the homemade sausage that my godmother and her husband (and the rest of the Jaggers men's club) make from real venison, beef and pork make me and any other vegetarian-friendly person salivate with lust and a hunger that cannot die. I digress...

Well, I've been working on my family's reunion for the last six months and I believe the word is getting out. We have Turks and Zore's coming in from Michigan, Florida, California and Ohio--as well as the hoosiers who live locally around these parts.

I love doing the advertising for this cause I get to use photos like this one:



This photo is of my hot Slovenian number of a grandma, Louise Zore Collins. My Irish grandpa was not kidding when he said he would only marry the prettiest girl in his Haughville neighborhood. Can you believe their marriage in 1947 caused a scandal because it was thought that an Irishman marrying a Slovene was considered interracial by my grandparent's Catholic archdioceses?

My grandfather was a member of St.Anthony's parish (mainly Irish and Italian) and grandma was a member of Holy Trinity (mainly Slovenian), and well even my grandmother's parents almost boycotted the ceremony. It's crazy how times have changed but still society has some weird hang-ups about marriage--like now with same sex marriage--if two people love each other, leave them alone and let them be happy.

Well the reunion is next Saturday (6.21.08) and if my brother/sista in law have their baby by then it will be a very interesting and rejoiceful event!

Na Zdravje! (may god give you life!)

TIM RUSSERT DEAD AT 58....

Why must the good anchormen be the ones to go before someone like Nancy Grace or Wolf Blitzer?

I'm pouring my forty on the floor right now as I type this. My Sunday mornings will be sad and empty without Mr. Russert to fire away intelligent, ballsy and beautifully crafted questions to politicians and media moguls.

His shoes will be incredibly hard to fill.

ART DIRECTION-DAILY CANDY STYLE

Yesterday it was Twenty minutes of art direction and creating an InDesign rebate postcard template for a co-worker to use for the assemblage and now Philedelphia Daily Candy subscribers get to enjoy the perks of possibly owning a keypad deadbolt or keypad lever (kpd or kpl as we lock linquists call them.) Fast, branding affective and ON TIME.

THE WORLD'S TINIEST VIOLIN

I've been pretty depressed and restless lately due to the focus of my recent work. It's not bad work...I'm proud of the recent corporate collateral and merchandise materials I've been creating, my only regret has been the lack of time or the lack of energy to focus on my own business.

So I inadvertently enlisted signed up for the help of the Franklin Covey people. When the representative for the time management seminar I registered for mentioned that I can also sign up for other FC services, I signed up for one of those life coach-7 habits of highly effective people programs. I didn't realized that I signed up for several awkward phone calls that keep occurring in front of my bosses and inappropriate times of work.

Twice today I've had the Franklin Covey lady -"Linda" call and ask me to right down on paper some rather personal answers about, "my weaknesses,""my in-ability to say no to work requests" and "difficulty in compromising my personal priorities with the constant requests from others." Supposedly, the answers I submit to "Linda" will determine if whether or not I make the admission to this "life coach" program thru Franklin Covey.

So far I feel like I might be exposing myself to some sort of Scientology cult for time management and leadership skills. The pessimist in my thinks I'll wind up with Tom Cruise as my life coach.

Harold Lee Miller and tales of the County Fair.

This guy just rawks. Back in January, I was having trouble lighting some brushed metal for a product photography shoot and he was the only photographer who responded to my e-mail, gave me some encouraging words and made my day. If I could have a mentor I'd seek out this guy. He's all class and he has a book coming out later this year about County Fair culture.

Keep an eye on this guy, he may wind up taking over the world of photography.

VOTE FOR HILLARY'S T-SHIRT

Now here's your chance to vote for Hillary's t-shirt. The designs aren't quite the edgey or "hope" feeling I was imagining. But it's a t-shirt my mom would probably wear in public with pride or as she waded in the family swimming pool on a hot summer day.

My favorite is the one with the woman's business suit on it--I think I'll make my husband wear a tuxedo shirt alongside me when I rawk the town in my Hillary t-shirt.

CS4 Already?

I'm two months behind the leaks on the web but it looks like the beta versions of Dreamweaver CS4 and the talk of 64 bit process speed for Photoshop are already in the works.

And STONEHENGE? Couldn't Adobe's marketing department come up with a better name?
That really sounds clumsy and bulky, not svelte and fast. It's an image based program not a tank.

We'll see come Oct08 or Early Spring09..

SPRING CLEANING-SORT OF

I did a strange thing this week, I cleaned my office at home. I actually organized the million paper samples or so and threw away countless remnants of my past (the items I had no sentimental attachement to ). I can see the floor of my office and I've begun shopping around for a sign to be welded and created to put in the grassy dirt of my front yard. I have to go back to free-lancing soon. I have to start planning for the emotional well-being of my soul. I don't think there is anything wrong with working for the man, but I just wish I could figure out a way to keep the man out of my work space so I can create some amazing work without him and all his sales guys hunched over my shoulder.

I'm listening to Baxter Dury's Floorshow and working at my desk which hasn't been cleaned off in about two years. It feels good. so I'll leave you with this:

NOT WORK SAFE--

HOW TO TREAT OTHERS...

I found this fan at Midland Antiques on Saturday. What attracted me to it was that first it was a fan and second, it was from a mortuary. I thought it was going to be something Pentecostal related (like fire, speaking in tongues and snakes).

As I looked closer, I realized it included tips on how to act around others and carry yourself in rude situations. If you haven't figured out by now I'm a nice person with a rather cantankerous personality. I could probably learn a thing or to about how to interact with others by putting these tips to memory. I plan on taking this to work and hanging next to my monitor--I can use it as my St. Francis/Serenity prayer when I am working with others.

I'll still have my moments when I say the wrong thing, like when the Menards Account manager sneaks up behind me and just stands there with me hearing only his mouth-breathing, I shouldn't respond to him with "what's up darth vader?" I'm trying to be good, but sometimes it's a lot more entertaining being bad. I need to follow rule number one "keep skid chains on my tongue."

Awww well, I've had a fantastic three day weekend. I should be able to spring back to work with a new attitude, I'm going to try my hardest to follow the "fan."

MONSTER MASH

The Pink Spiders are coming to town and if you want to know what they sound like check them out here.

They also have a great song called "My Tennessee" on the Denver Dalley, Intramural (This is a Landslide) project -released back in October of last year.

TALKING BOOK

I am in love again with the world because of this album. Stevie-Mother F#$%ing-Wonder has the songs that I want to hear all the time. If I was hit by a bus and died with any one of the songs of this album playing in my head, I would be at peace with the world.

This has been my saving grace the last five days, because it's hell working in a cube next to the break room/coffee room and everyone and their mother wants to chat me up while they are waiting for the microwave to finish warming up lunch or the next pot of coffee to finish brewing. With Stevie on my side, I can keep my back to the distraction and jam non-stop with the ear plugs knocking out the world---oh and my usually handmade sign that I tape on the back of my chair: PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB, SEND AN EMAIL. THANKS, THE MANAGEMENT.

So far it's worked...I'm going to go this weekend and buy a velvet afghan, some Indian beads and a bunch of corn rows--it worked for Alicia Keyes back in 05!

SOMETIMES BEING A TEACHER FEELS GOOD

I had a rough semester this past spring-I wasn't sure if I was getting through to any of my students (presently and in the past three semesters of my fledgeling teaching career). Then one of my students from last fall, Jeremy Weddle sent me an e-mail last week, giddy with pride--he'd been chosen as a semi-finalist in the Adobe Design Achievement Awards with the submission of the following photo:




Jeremy spent most of the time in my class surfing the net and playing around in Second Life, but in a huff of my wearied patience I told him to work on the following photo he had taken from a downtown, Indianapolis graffiti spot. I don't take any credit for this happening, I just couldn't get him to focus on my lectures in class unless I encouraged him to use the techniques in class on his own images/digital photos imported from his camera.

I'm happy for him, and after receiving his thank you e-mail it made feel real warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe this teaching thing isn't so bad.

HILLARY NEEDS A T-SHIRT

I'm glad Mrs. Clinton has finally asked for some assistance in the design area (regardless if it's for t-shirts). She's needed some help in the graphics department for a while. I've been confusing her promotional materials and logos with just about everyone else out there running for office-except for Barack Obama's materials (thank you Shepard Fairey and your beautiful posters). --READ EXCERPT BELOW for more info.

Hillary Clinton asks for D.I.Y. T-shirts

Unlike Barack Obama's campaign, which has inspired a ton of independent street art and t-shirts (just check out our Flickr pool of 2008 Election Graphics), Hillary Clinton's and John McCain's campaigns have had few grassroots graphics. The Clinton campaign's new project, Project T-Shirt (with a logo ripped off of Project Runway) is hoping to inspire designers, promising that the winning T-shirt design will be sold in the official campaign online store. As Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work."

I've always wondered how this phenomen got started-now here is PRINT Magazine to explain it. It's almost like being harassed by the 50ft woman from the b-movie of the same name.

NIGHT OF THE COMET OR HOW I ACTUALLY COMPLETED MY WORK

Remember this movie?

Well the head honcho of my day job's sector is in town and everybody who has a sparkle of ambition to be the next manager or already is one is sitting in on corporate initiatives speech and eating donuts. With everyone gone it's a ghost town and I actually am able to complete my projects without an interjection/question or comment about why I get the "purty 27 inch monitor." I only hope no one comes back to the office looking like this:

I MISS NEW ORLEANS

I am very sad, I painted my hallway Nola Saint's gold. I miss my friend Gloria and the sweet brass sound of the city. I've begun a shameless love affair with a city I just can't quit.

I will return to the Big Easy, just you wait!

IT'S NOT A BIRD...IT'S NOT A PLANE...IT'S A FLOGO




Just when you thought it was safe to market your brand with cute little die-cut signs and matching paper napkins served on etched corning ware--flying soap/faux snow shaped logos are floating above you as you enjoy the clean air and soft green grass at your company's product launch or employee picnic.

Now to wait and see if the Eco-conscientious find any ozone or toxic side effects from Flogos.

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER

I teach people Photoshop at a local community college. Yes, I'm that teacher that sets adults and teens off on the whimisical journey of making all your photos look stupendous or really bad (depending on how good the student is).

Today is the last day with my students, they survived, I survived and well some of them actually will become quite skilled and talented in the field of visual communications.

With exception of a couple of crazy moments, like the student who cracked under the reverse mask selection portion of his final practical and had to go out in the hall and hyperventilate into a paper bag for a few minutes--I assured him not knowing how to inverse his selection would not cause him to fail the course. Or the student that decided to turn the model for his retouch-face exercise into a dirty coal faced, Kentucky child bride.




As well as the crazy cousin of mine who found out where I was teaching and began crying in fits of hysteria at the doorway of my class room and he didn't seem to understand why his parents had changed the locks on him and kicked him out on his 23 year old keister the week before. He's got a history of drug addiction and well with the help of campus security he is gone to Chicago to live and hopefully rehabilitate with grand parents. Ah, family don't they just make your job so much more pleasant!

Anyway I am ready to hunker down to the nearest Mexican restuarant, order up a pitcher of margaritas and let the semester file away into the annals of the past.

Can't wait to see what is instore for me in the Fall.

BLOG-ERIFIC!

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/your-photos-here/


The New York Times chose my photo(see previous voting/polling station photo below from May 6,2008) to link their polling site photo example for the AIGA/NYT caucus blog.

If you click on the hyperlink for polling sites in the first paragraph, it takes you to the Fountain Square, Palmer Street Polling Site photo I took.

MAN BABIES!

Just when you thought it was safe to post your baby photos online....

Internal Dominant Personality

Yesterday, after realizing I had not marked on my calendar the four hour department meeting I was not prepared for yesterday, I was then asked by my favorite marketing account rep to add an "emergency" color correct/door knob image to the list of tasks for the day. This was on top of the full day's work load and deadlines I had scheduled for the day. Granted the task requested was not an overwhelming time-burden it just added kindling to an already burning fire of anxiety and stress.

Well, I'll be blunt, I was pissed. The first order of business from my department meeting was that all ten of us had to take a disc test. It's a personality test to see how you communicate, react and interact with others at your job. I would advise anyone taking this test, don't take it "angry."

Of course I did and and my answers all pointed to "dominant" personality category. Of course the rest of peers did not believe my answers could be pointing to a dominant personality, because normally I'm a ever-patient, over-accommodating graphic designer who uses her "MAC boom stick" and creates visual magic for their every need. Well, I blew a gasket (a lite, tiny gasket-cause I don't think I've ever gone completely bonkers on anyone before) and began explaining how I was an "internal dominant."

While I'm fulfilling all of the departments needs and graphic emergencies, inside I'm screaming at each person just to tell me exactly what they want, approve the design proof and let me move on to the next task. Then of course my wrath (internal dominant wrath that was being expressed with the fast jibberish to explain all of this) was directed to the earlier mentioned marketing account rep.

I went on to explain how I juggling a great deal of items and I can't prioritize them all efficiently if I have one individual constantly throwing a new item into the task list that has to get done right away. Anyway, I put internal dominant on the disc map--I'm sure passive aggressive designers of the world will rejoice that I have claimed a title that only those that have had to create the same damn logo over and over again and found that the only change the client gives you is to show it to them at a slightly different variation of an orange pms color or make the size of the sub brand logo being supported visually of course by the main brand logo "a little bigger," would understand. My list could go on and on...

My next concern is where in the corporate leadership chain will my internal dominant personality exist?

I've said my piece--so now I'm ready to let it go and move on.

Indiana, god, basketball and voting.

So I posted this on the polling place photo project. The polling place my husband and I visited was pretty dead in Fountain Square. They thought I was pretty weird for taking a photo of the place--but it fit the dead, dated feeling of the experience. I originally thought the experience of voting during this year's primary would be like having someone jump out of cake after you submited your optic/scanner vote--alas instead I had elderly people fearing my digital camera and where I was pointing it.

Now we wait and see who wins the Indiana democratic primary!

OBAMA-MANIA

So000, maybe it's the sugar from the cake I ate today but I'm bursting out of my body-cause tonight's the night for a major Obama appearance at the Indianapolis American Legion Mall. If you can make it, you should be there! A little bird has told me that Stevie Wonder may be throwing a few songs out there for the Obama love.

If you don't go tonight-please vote in the Indiana primary tomorrow (regardless who you support).

Design--Southern style is a wonderful smash up with old school hand lettered signs/mural-wall advertisement and the 21st century mesh ads that hangs over it's most popular downtown city-haunts.

I just returned from a weekend trip to Memphis, TN and the juxtaposition of the downtown scenes of Jim Jarmusch's "Mystery Train" and the slick advertising of the main shopping/tourist destination of Peabody Place work well together as the city experiences a gentrification.

"Emerge Memphis" is the message plastered on the bombed out/abandoned warehouse buildings along Main Street remind me of the industrial and older looking areas of Indianapolis. Currently, downtown Indy has several old fashion hand painted wall murals ads around downtown--you can see remnants of these murals on College (from 11th street to 16th).

I just wonder what will become of some of the older structures and graffiti/murals around town. Will they be re-used for current branding messages or one day be covered over completely?

I live in the Fountain Square Area of Indy, the square (or really peninsula) supports mural projects on it's buildings and tries to include the art community in every aspect of it's promotion (the Fountain Square Arts Festival, Masterpiece in a Day, etc.) but I would love to see how the rest of downtown Indianapolis develops with a similar "emerge."

Just a thought....

This takes the cake, the icing, the cherry and whip cream with sprinkles.

My favorite album covers have been Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life, Michael Jackson's Thriller, Billy Joel's the Stranger, Jackson Five's Dancing Machine, Willie Nelson's Stardust, the album art of Peter Saville-especially New Order's Substance and The Twilight Singers' She Loves You. There is a clear talent in designing for albums, but album art is already taken over by Cd inserts created for plastic jewel cases, and it's not the same. In a short time from now, the jpeg/pdf layout for itunes download purchases will completely take the cd insert's place.

Still, if anyone want's to put out some vinyl and let me design the album art, give me a holler.

In the meantime, take a load off and enjoy the freak show.

Jim's collection of the Worst Album Covers of all Time.
(I don't know Jim, but he is a gracious man for posting this collection of LP covers, thank you kindly, Jim.)

Rock for Riley--March 1st, 2008
This flier is for the Full Blown Productions Showcase at Birdy's to benefit Riley Hospital for Children. No boob, but it's for the children and well maybe I could have gotten away with breastfeeding in the poster--I opted to keep it clean.

Check out the bands:
The Redwalls
Catfish Haven
Modoc

Come out to Birdy's to see some fantastic bands and help out Riley Hospital.

The Father of Album covers:

Alan Steinweiss
Exhibit

I am envious of the city of L.A. right now, I wish I could get there before February 12 but alas I am cash strapped and tied to the job until spring. If I had a million dollars, I would blow it all on traveling and museum exhibits.

If anyone happens to live in L.A. and gets a chance to go, please let me know if it is as cool as I imagine, or if it falls short of expectations.

I stole this from Design Observer--but it was just too good to be true to not post!

Branding--American Gangsta Style.

You had to have known that after the 2004 Jib Jab election parodies that this was coming.

KUNG FU Election by Atom Films is up and running. It's not quite as funny as the Jib Jab films, but this time around you can pick your candidate and fight them to the electoral death you feel they deserve. I'd advise skipping the intro it gets really annoying after the first 20 seconds.

So it looks like Mr. "aint' ever hit a bitch" had more than natural causes come up in his autopsy. What a non-surprising shame. I liked what he did for Sun Records, but I can't respect the man who tried to keep Tina down. Big river keep on turnin'....

Cocaine is a hellova drug.

My boss and I have this great knack for talking about design in all it's business oriented and evolving properties. She's a smart, sassy industrial designer who doesn't have any "pie in the sky" ideas about design...she understands that design has to have a purpose and clean function.

Our jobs in the office are often dictated by the whims of big business and we both cringe when we see how little unity, direction and vision comes across our desks as the big "it" campaigns that will supposedly sell our companies products through the roof. We both share a sadness about the way business fragments and pulls apart design. But like most designers who care about good design in business, we brush off the dust and dirt and get back on our proverbial design horses to try and educate/persuade the misdirected masses that good design is important--really good design, when aligned with solid business objectives and consistent marketing strategies can save a business from extinction. Today my boss gave me an article to read about "the business of design"--take a read if you dare. It's dated from a Fast Company issue from April 2005 but it's message is still current.