Forum Nuggets—Re-evaluating your Career

As a print designer I know too well the dire employment situation and the unrealistic expectations that potential employers often expect from candidates. Based on some of their posted expectations for filling a creative position, it seems as though our niche is destined to absorb some of the interactive or other market—those print designosaurs who don't seem Darwin-destined to be snuffed out by evolution. Or, maybe not.

It's my observation that those who seem to succeed dedicate themselves to a particular creative niche. For ex., I may decide to dedicate myself to becoming a top-notch movie poster designer, or illustrator, or logo designer, etc. In that way, instead of marking myself as a sort of jack of all trades to a general audience, I increase the probability of being recognized as a specialist in that field, particularly to those who run in those select circles. People within that industry will find it easier to recognize my unique skillset.

I recently had to once again re-ignite my business and am currently in the process of re-evaluating my own target market. At this stage of my game, I really don't desire to cast a "general" wide net by trying to be good at a little bit of everything, since I have rarely seen that it's been proven to land many "fish." Among the things I'm presently exploring are my creative strengths and how I can most productively apply them towards the success of my career, even in this drab economy.

I can drone on, but perhaps my ultimate advice is this. For those of you at a career crossroads, for those who have been forced by the economy or current circumstance to re-consider or reflect on their employment situation or goals, examine what your strengths are, and find a way to apply it to your market, either as an in-houser or an independent contractor. If your gridwork is sheer genius, consider applying for a magazine's design department. If you can retouch the pants off of images (quite literally), then consider an employer or client that revolves around fashion, photography or pre-press circles. If illustration's your thing, or if you can design a book cover like nobody's business, look towards book publications or hire an illustration agent. Have a flair for invitation design? Look towards non-profits or the wedding market.

I certainly am not aiming to bunk the pros of trying to expand your skill set, especially if you are so inclined. However there are other approaches for staying in the game, by looking inward and focusing your objectives instead.

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Forum Anecdotal Nuggets: Calling it Quits

Most, if not all of us have come close to throwing the creative towel at one point or another during our career or studies. When our dreams fail to neatly fall into place once we wake up, should we heed our inner voice and pack it all in?

In one such case, a college senior posted a project for a review, not expecting the lukewarm reception it received. Although the critiques weren't necessarily cutting, the responses were enough for the student to seriously reconsider her major.

The fact of the matter is, if you don't have a paying design gig or haven't been exposed to real work in some way (as an intern for example), it doesn't matter if you're valedictorian in your class, you're still "starting out" in this business. Even then, professionals still receive their fair share of "surprise" critiques now and again.

Designers naturally tend to put out a bit of themselves into every piece they create—it's what defines our individual style. However, those outside the field, whom we call "clients" and toil to satisfy seldom appreciate that, nor really care so long as they're happy with the end results. More often than not, their less constructive observations are partially motivated by two factors: time and getting the most out of their investment.

As unpleasant as it may be, don't become too unraveled from a negative forum critique. If you do then perhaps you should question whether this business is right for you. It won't get any easier once you enter the market. I've seen women AND men reduced to tears when their talent was openly challenged. This industry can be as merciless as it is rewarding—you need to develop some thick skin and learn to not only roll with the punches, but glean the constructive critiques from the negative to improve and grow.

That said, I still had to applaud the original poster for putting her project up for scrutiny in a public forum. Rather than be satisfied with only her school's resources, she (perhaps unwittingly) took the direction of her career into her own hands to improve upon her skills. She stepped outside of the bubble—quite admirable. Many folks are afraid to publically subject themselves to any negative feedback and become defensive when they do. That sort of trepidation will more than likely stunt their growth in the long run. I can guarantee that even though the comments were an eye opener for this student, if she doesn't give up she won't regret her decision.

University design programs not with standing, there are plenty of completely self-taught designers who's work kick ass because they took matters into their own hands, supplemented their studies by buying books on various design principles, or joined respected creative forums for guidance and improvement, among other things. They took action.

You're likely going to discover on your own, should you remain in this biz, that design is a life-long learning process. We ALL continue to be students—our goal is to always continue to improve our game, whether it's on our own or through other means. Perhaps, camaraderie aside, that's why we join forums to begin with.

Overall, I think it's safe to say that the forum critiques—whether they are curt or coddling—are generally meant in the spirit of helping one to learn, grow and improve. However the reality is that in this alpha driven industry, with so many deadlines and big money clients breathing down your neck, you will likely run into a situation where the responses will reflect the same caliber of harsh observations one is subjected to in the professional arena. The trick is to keep an open mind, read between the lines, work to apply the helpful suggestions and ditch the rest.

If, after all is said and done, you still feel like quitting after a lackluster review or three instead of re-applying yourself, then perhaps you do need to rethink your career path after all.

Tooting Your Own Horn Series—P1

As some of you might have read in my previous entry, I thought it a good idea to take a page from award winning industry leaders like Jeff Fisher of bLog-o-motives and start promoting myself here. After all, we're essentially in the business of effectively promoting others, so why do visual designers find it such an obstacle to do the same for themselves?

Designers or Businesspeople?

Designers seem to have a hard time remembering...or accepting...that they are running a design business. They conduct themselves as people who happen to be talented designers, but not as professionals who are selling design as part of their range of services.

If one doesn't see themselves as a business first and a designer second, then they won't think to shed their "student" mentality of only working on a good portfolio and start to promote their business as other entrepreneurs do. For instance, utilizing targetted marketing campaigns throughout the year and attending networking events as marketing tools largely end up being passed over. Their business likely won't grow as much as it could because they didn't think to tap into all of that promotional potential.

While a smart looking portfolio and website presence is important, it shouldn't be the "end all" of self-promotion. Truth of the matter is, for those who had a formal college education, the latter is the only thing that is often emphasized in their curriculum, and so it's the option the end up focusing on without considering alternatives.

Employees Need Promotion, Too

Just because one isn't an independent contractor or running their own firm doesn't mean that one shouldn't promote their creative accomplishments. While I'm on it, note that I didn't say, "freelancer." I don't particularly like to use that reference, because these days, potential clients seem to think that it's some sort of code for "you-can't-land-a-real-job" or that "free" means just that...work for virtually nothing.

A designer should always think about promotions because you never know where your next business opportunity will come from. You never know who's going to flip through a design annual of inhouse communications work and run across an ad campaign you did for your employer. Or perhaps see your latest illustration submission in Illustration Friday and present you an even better position at an esteemed firm. At best, it's another means to just get some positive exposure and generate interest in your work, possibly build up a referral base for the possibility that you do branch out on your own, use as leverage when vying for a promotion or a better position elsewhere, or for those who's submissions are accepted into celebrated industry design annuals or industry accolades like The Summit Awards, the chance to add "award winning designer" to your name.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly of Word of Mouth Referrals

I originally generated a good deal of business through what's called word of mouth referrals. Basically, one good design gig lead to another because the original client referred me to friends, and they referred me to other interested parties. It was a sweet deal really. I didn't have to go through the "portfolio interview" or work very hard to convince them the pros of hiring an experienced designer who can effectively develop creative solutions to communicate their promotional goals. The person who referred them to me did most of the sales for me and the deal was already pretty much in the bag before I even met them.

Life was indeed good, but "life" being what it is, it didn't last.

For one thing, 9/11 happened. Being a New Yorker and having most of my client base affected by the events of that day blindsided my business. Businesses either suffered, folded or moved away. Of those who remained, they struggled to recupperate losses, which essentially meant that they couldn't afford my services as they tightened their belts. My referral base was a pretty mess, indeed.

I had to rebuild. However I wouldn't have had to do that if I had worked to promote myself during the good times—if I had been submitting my work to annuals and erected a professional web site even if I felt it wasn't necessary at the time. If I had been sending out periodic self promotional collateral to build my business, I might've been minimally affected. I wasn't prepared because I didn't see the hard times coming. Who ever does, really.

And I feel that in part, promotions are not just a means to generate more potential clients, but also use as leverage to build a strong marketing base that can keep your business afloat long enough to weather the storm of the lean times.

Next: Part Two

The Gradient Stigma

Here's my brief personal take on gradients and why they've unjustly received such a bad break.

Ordinarily gradients were largely frowned upon by the professional community for technical reasons. They were either created in a raster based program like photoshop and then improperly refitted in print collateral, or suffered incompatibility (banding) issues with a printer or pre-press bureau's technology.

Solid color to color gradients were once often applied using a raster program like photoshop—a pretty effective medium if the design were intended to be used on the web, but not so for print. Take identity design as an example. There were plenty of creative denizens who were commissioned to somehow utilize gradient filled rastered logos with the expectation of resizing and outputting them as crisp and clean as if it were originally made in a vector program. Clients didn't understand that applying it cross platform this way was a recipe for bitmapped spew. Why would they, when they didn't even consider the stark differences between high print and low screen resolution, let alone raster pixel technology and vector's mathematical computations. For those who may want to expand your knowledge on these distinctions a bit more, try to google keywords along the lines of Raster vs. Vector for a start. As I say, the internet can be your friend.

Then there were those who did apply gradients using vector software. As I mentioned earlier, there were banding problems depending on the equipment printers used, plus somewhere along the line it sometimes had trouble translating a consistently smooth gradation in print because of the nature of the software itself. The latest technology in large part addressed these problems, but you can't guarantee that all printers are up to date because it is very expensive to upgrade. They will use what they have, for as long as they can remain a competitive force in the market.

Finally, gradients should be treated the same way as solid colors. They shouldn't be used to "carry" a design, yet more often than not that's what happens. That's why I'm a supporter of designing in black and white first when developing logos. Not only is it easier to pinpoint any design flaws, but without the added distraction of colors and gradients, a Creative can focus on the primary task at hand—developing a good strong mark.

I feel that all things considered gradients can most certainly be applied to compliment or accent a strong mark/design/what-have-you in proper context. That's why I'm not against using them. But the fact remains that there seems to be more instances where it's used to mask poor design instead.

It's About That Time

With the warming weather come the notices of all the major networking events in store for the summer. Yes, they can be pricey, particularly the major ones. However it would behoove you to attend at least one of the big industry events. Not only is it a great hobnobbing opportunity, they provide seminars and workshops with industry leaders that you couldn't find anywhere else if you paid in gold for it. It's a wonderful mecca of inspiration to immerse yourself in. So if you can sweet talk your employer into paying for the trip (work related seminar type of thing) it can double as the ultimate Creative's vacation. If you work for yourself it makes for a handy dandy write-off.

The first big one scheduled is HOW magazine's conference in Atlanta, GA in June. Do visit their website for a schedule of events. Do visit their forum, even if you aren't sure if you're attending to meet some of the creatives who will be attending or doing a workshop/seminar. Hobnob, people...hobnob.

For those of you who can't make it to the East Coast, there will be an unofficial get together in Seattle called HOW-About-CL in May. Basically formed by forum regulars who visit the respective HOW, About Graphic Design forum and Creative Latitude members. If you start frequenting those places, chances are you might also be able to gain passage and join the tidy host of industry professionals who will be getting together here as well. Unlike the HOW Conference, the HOW-About-CL is more of an informal social gathering. But hey, any opportunity for spending a good time with industry greats should never be passed by. Plus...well, I shouldn't spill, but designers always love a good time. It's in the genes.

AIGA also has their NEXT Conference lined up in October, which will be held in Denver, CO. They also have other more concentrated networking events lined up in the months ahead. Another interesting notable they're holding will be a conference that is in conjunction with Harvard Business School which targets principals from mid to large creative firms and Senior Designers who work in-house. A very worthwhile event for those who fall under this category.

There are many other local network Events during the summer that are worth the price of admission like the National Stationery Show in New York City this May. Any way you look at it, there is a conference out there to meet the needs of every professional level of designer. Its the ideal means to socialize and network with industry peers, to soak in some creative atmosphere, unwind or just cut loose with forum friends that you're finally able to meet for the first time. I've been told that the workshops, although very good, usually are forgotten when not applied. It helps to take notes, join the forums and ask questions beforehand. If you're allowed to record the session so much the better. It's also recommended to register early as many of the workshops fill up fast and space is limited.

If attending can improve or at least enlighten your personal game it's still a worthwhile step ahead and ultimately a win-win investment. If it's an event that is associated with the industry that can lead to possible business liasons, even better.

Avoiding The Daylight Savings Time Blues

Its bad enough as a New Yorker with kids in the public school system that I'm subjected to endure a completely foreign and utterly incomprehensible overhaul of an educational system that for all of it's misgivings generally wasn't absolutely backwater. I mean, I don't seem to be too deficient in the smartness category. However the Powers that Be have concluded that their latest teaching methods, which incidently practically omits conventionally teaching the multiplication tables and also opt to teach kindergardeners on a first grade level (did I mention that kindergarden isn't a mandatory grade level yet—so if your child didn't attend neither it nor pre-kindergarden they'll be hopelessly behind compared to children who did) and so on up the system. In the end, I don't think they really thought their plans through before implementing this well intended philosophy.

Enter Congress and their idea to conserve energy. Another good intention marred by poor organization and execution. As it happens they didn't take measures to ensure that electronic and computer systems were prepared with updated patches with the new three week early change in daylight savings time. Folks are once again scrambling to their ATM's with cries of Y2K revisited, but according to Business Week, we need fear not. They have in their article titled Tips for the Daylight Savings Headache links to check for updated patches for both Microsoft and Macintosh systems. You can, of course, also check directly through either Apple or Microsoft for these same updates. One can hope that it will be a seamless transition tomorrow, but be on hand to check all your gadgets the next morning to be certain that everything transitioned properly. Better safe than late.

Forum Anecdotal Nuggets—Design Startup Bloopers and Basic Upchucks

A couple of posts ago, I recounted in my forum travels how a poster wanted to "simplify the ca-ca" in the hopes of receiving a list of ten easy steps in starting a successful design firm [insert skeptical laughter here]. A bit further along in the thread another poster asked me to elaborate on this line within the body of my initial reply: "I neglected a few key business applications that I thought I could afford to skip." I thought it was worth re-opening some of the painful, torturous wounds I received during my "hard knocks" business training to retell it a second time here, if only to help another Creative Kinsman from meeting my blissfully naive fate. Learn. Enjoy. Learn. Did I mention Learn? I think I did.

For starters, I didn't see myself as a business. I saw myself as a freelance designer. There is a difference. How you see yourself is very important. I never thought of myself as a business entrepreneur in the formal sense so I never distinguished that definable distinction. You must see yourself as a businessman/woman first, designer second.

Next I didn't draft a business plan. You can google online for any number of sample plans but in a nutshell, a business plan is a descriptive outline that details your operating costs, marketing objectives, mission statement, capital, overhead and other projections. If you want to apply for any government, private grants or looking for investors into your company, you'll be required to have one of these on hand anyway. If upkept regularly it also keeps your business priorities aligned.

I had these from the beginning, but I should mention that you should always work on CONTRACT. Never work without one. GAG, AIGA, Creative Latitude and other great resources have a myriad of extremely useful templates for you to download and tailor to your needs.

Establish the proper business accounts. That includes keeping the books. If you work from home a separate phone line and address (P.O. Box for example) dedicated to your business is advisable. You don't want every Tom, Dick and Jane you give your business card to know where you live. Keep work and home separate even if they reside in the same space. Plus, by establishing a good business proposal you'll have an understanding of your overhead and the capital you'll need to maintain your day to day expenses. I didn't have a business proposal so I miscalculated my overhead capital which led to problems further down the line.

It's been said that one should ideally have about three years of overhead capital saved up. Some have done well with a year, some with less than that. What you need to calculate is, when you hit those valleys, and they will come, do you have enough reserves saved up to weather the storm until you reach your peak again? This includes your overhead for your marketing campaigns, as well as business cards and any other direct mail or physical promotional pieces you regularly replenish. So even athough you might do well enough with a few months of reserves, having about three years of overhead saved in the coffers creates a more comfortable safety net.

Even though I had the presence of mind to have one from the onset, now's a good time to add that it pays to bank on a good accountant who is familiar with all the latest tax laws. Also choose one who is available anytime throughout the year—accountants aren't only good for tax time. Turbo Tax may appear to save you a few bucks in the beginning, but you may unwittingly end up losing far more than that in the long run in unclaimed or poorly returned taxes. Invest in an accountant for the same reasons a business client should invest in your professional services over some inexpensive logo making software.

I didn't study or establish my market. A client was a client was a client to me. Not so. Clients and their businesses have different needs and thus they spend accordingly. A smaller business won't invest in design and advertising as a more modest or commercial or trade oriented business who might have a clearer appreciation or need for the power of advertising towards their market.

Also, take care not put all your eggs in one proverbial basket. I had a few really good clients—all downtown. What do you think happened after 9/11? They all were either gone or restructured or moved and I was eventually factored out of the equation as a result. And because I didn't have a formal studio near GZ I couldn't collect on any of the restitution that some of the other businesses were receiving. I was just plain screwed. And who could've honestly seen that coming? But if I had structured my business properly and planned for the future instead of living in the success of the moment, the losses I incurred would've probably been more tolerable. There were other factors as well that came into play, all at just the right time to contribute to my inevitable downfall. Kismet is something else. Recovery has been one long haul. Perhaps if my foresight were as keen as my hindsight, it might not have been so. Learn from this if anything else, kiddies.

I knew next to NOTHING of effective sales techniques. I simply lacked the confidence to apply them with success. Learn how to negotiate. Buy How To sales books. Take courses. I can't stress it enough. Designers I've found seem to lack in spades in this area for the same reasons as I. I enjoyed a good deal of word of mouth referrals and that requires no salesmanship at all by comparison. Learn to network. When the well ran low I had no networking base established and had to start over. Creatives will either accept whatever offer is on the table or walk away. A good salesman will find a way to negotiate a good deal and still somehow come out on top.

I didn't promote myself. That pretty much speaks for itself. Because I enjoyed word of mouth referrals I didn't need to do much in that area. When the well ran low I was feeling the hurt. So I essentially lived for the moment and didn't plan ahead for the future, lesson learned. By far the best and easiest form of promotions are joining the design competition circuit—that is, entering work already completed for recognized industry annuals like HOW, Print, CA, Rockport, etc. The added bonus of this is if you are selected you can add "award winning designer" to your name and a list of accolades to your site.

Most important, know the value of what you're worth. When I started out many of my blunders came by way of what I believed were discounted rates which I believed would attract more business. Not so. All I did was sell myself short. Joining design forums like About GD, HOW, About DTP, the GDF to name a few was the best decision I ever made. I learned a great deal business wise there, mostly how I don't have to sell my left arm to make a good living. This is another reason why I am oh so against spec work of any kind. That is NOT good business. It's NO business. Who works for free? I found out first hand that giving away services in the hopes that the exposure will land me some "real" business only revealed my own naivete and lack of professional experience. And it rarely works. Not good odds to bank on.

That's sort of the long and short of it. There's a LOT of work involved and no measure of guaranteed success even if you manage to avoid all of my pitfalls (there's still the little issue of supply, demand and salary demands of your region, global competition, "life," etc.) but hopefully it will lead to less startup upchucks than mine.

BoDo dee-Oh!

Designers rejoice, BoDo has arrived to render aid to your business!

Don't bother looking up in the sky, its not a new spandexed superhero, although in a sense, you can metaphorically think of it as one (spandex optional).

BoDo, which is short for Business Of Design Online, addresses the important issues of stucturing, organizing, networking, marketing and other day to dailies on running a graphic design business. It's been my experience that entreprenuers in this industry often forget that they are a business first, designers second. As a result, they make many fundamental key mistakes when starting up and striking out on their own which lead to many hard knocks along the way. BoDo is the perfect one stop resource to not only get one's design business started, but keep it running smoothly and successfully onward.

As they oh-so-aptly describe their services on their site;

BoDo is grass-roots-get-down-and-dirty-love-yo-mamma. We’ll talk about serious subjects such as “When to bring in a PITA clause,” “How to keep your clients” and “How to fire a client.” As well as lighter fare like “Working in your undies” and “How to tell when your down time is up.”

(It's) where vets (some full-time BoDo authors, some visiting), talk about their businesses experiences. Not stopping at their successes, also shared will be mistakes made, lessons learned.

An intriguing perspective that makes BoDo a potential resource hit right out the gate. Not only does it offer the prerequisite tips for success, but also offers the added treat of equally addressing some of the pitfalls design entrepreneurs have suffered as well. Moreover, any site that covers working in your undies definitely has their pulse on the work at home designer.

The lovechild of Catherine Morley of Katz i Design International, Neil Tortorella of Tortorella Design and Jeanette Wickham of Fast Coconut, BoDo’s goal is to provide designers of all walks and levels of experience with a wellspring of practical and useful information, resources and techniques for successfully managing and marketing a creative communications practice.

Take a look around, see what they have to offer. No matter what stage of the game you're in, chances are you can benefit from some aspect of what BoDo has to offer. And if for any other reason, it'll network you with other kindred spirits who work in their favorite comfy undies at home. A win-win situation for your design communications business any way you look at it.

Forum Anecdotal Nuggets—Design Startup in Ten Easy Steps?

In the pursuit of supporting my forum habit, I ran across a poster who asked if it were possible for folks to "cut the ca-ca" as it were and list ten simple steps on starting one's own design business.

First off, I don't think this approach to the question was the best. Simplify the ca-ca of opening a business? How possible is it to break down an entrepreneural process that people devote countless classes and months and years of toil in organizing, marketing, stressing, failing, restructuring and organizing once again in ten sure fire steps? If ONLY it were that easy.

Things may start out well in the beginning. You may already have a few clients and feel, "hey, I can skip a few steps, why form a business plan and market evaluation? Why develop targetted promotional campaigns and attend network functions? I've got a few clients, they'll refer me to a few more..." This is how I started. And for a while, things were great. However my house of cards came crashing down after 9/11 and I had to reorganize, regroup, restructure and start again. It wasn't pretty and definitely not simple. I think the reason why it was so hard to bounce back (among other things) was that I neglected a few basic key business applications that I thought I could afford to skip (which I'll expand on next time). However I learned a harsh lesson as an entrepreneur, in that there will always be peaks and valleys when running your own business. It's a simple fact of life for any business owner whether you own a mom or pop shop or you're an insanely well to do mogul. One of the keys to continued success is preparedness. In truth, my business wasn't prepared to handle the valleys because of it's poor foundation. In hindsight I guess I should've doodled less and stayed awake in my business and economics classes. It could've likely meant the difference between overcoming my obstacles or being trampled underfoot by them.

So instead of culling the proverbial ca-ca in ten simple startup steps, which is darn near impossible if you're a businessman/woman. I'll offer advice. All business tips considered, learn from other's mistakes. Listen to the horror stories, understand them and try not to make them yourself. Not all are unavoidable but if you plan things the right way you'll end up with few valleys that are easier and quicker to weather.

My Mad Mad Marketing Plan: First Dates

Ever play "musical dates?" Sure you have. You know, thats the game where you take a personal project, set a fairly short and sweet deadline, then as other, more important client projects and personal affairs suddenly are added to the mix, you're forced to move your personal project from new date to date, as you try to finish the other priorities. Normally the end result—quite predictably—ends in an incomplete project, forlorn and forgotton on some tenth of never completion date.

I've set my business mid-year promotional resolution. I've researched my content. Now comes one of the most important tasks of the project, setting a realistic date that I can meet. Seems easy for some, but not for me. Like my website, personal projects usually remain a twinkle in the proverbial eye for me. I'll start off strong with what I believe is plenty of time to complete my project, only to have life in all it's unpredictible glory drop a dollup of "reality" that require my immediate attention and force setbacks on it's completion. Dollups like paying work, or personal affairs that I need to focus on and so forth.

I normally used to jot down one deadline date, the date of delivery. Too vague. Conversely, I didn't want to micro-deadline the project, so I concentrated once again on the major phases, adding extra time to hopefully account for any of life's little surprises. Unlike other occassions, this time I decided rather than working forwards, I'd work backwards instead. Because of it's content, my mid-year promotion had to be delivered before the kick off of the Memmorial Day weekend. I had to calculate how long postal delivery would take, then doubled it for assurance. That was my delivery deadline. I then calculated printing and package assembly, then as with postal delivery doubled the turnaround time. That became my project deadline. The time between my research and print deadlines was more than enough time to easily execute the project—approximately three months.

So that's pretty much the method behind the madness. I tried to take care not to overdo the planning process and organize my time and effort in manageable phases to, barring any cataclysms, avoid changing my first dates and maximize success.

Until May!

My Mad Mad Marketing Plan—Phase Two: Scheduling

It's been said that timing is everything. So in my endeavor to organize a time-sensitive campaign that I have to develop, design, output, assemble and mail, it must also be scheduled in such a way that I can temporarily set aside (like last week's post which is now this week's) so that I can address any sudden, shall we say, pressing concerns.

Like any good General, I strategized a plan to divide and conquer. First, still being the web derelict that I am, I mapped the project details on paper (although a PDA or other similarly useful digital media is a fine substitute) to have a clearer understanding of what sort of beast I was up against. I then segmented it into four main phases so that I don't become overwhelmed or side tracked, which also permitted me to establish appropriate deadlines within my limit:

1. Research
2. Execution
3. Printing
4. Delivery

Research.
Essentially brainstorming, budgeting and fundamental concept development. I had to come up with an idea that kept my "eyes on the prize." Best way to do that I surmised was to create a few brief basic criteria.

• It must be "general" enough so that I can use it as a promotional item for potentially any future client.

• It must be something they would want to use or pass on to someone who could use it (never know where your next client will come from).

• It had to be small enough to be portable, or be able to "set aside" on a work desk for example. Anything that was too large that the person had to take it off the table top to make room is a promotional bust to me (there are exceptions, but I digress). If they set it aside on their desk however, it's still within their line of sight and can always be picked up again or be spotted from anyone else who spies it on their desk (again, never know where your next client will come from). Concurrently, I didn't want it to be so small that it gets lost from someone's view.

• Most importantly, the subject matter had to reinforce and associate itself with the brand, in this case, Archetype Design Studio.

It's important to specify your campaign's goals and to outline a realistic timeline to develop an effective promotional concept. For example, I had a bunch of ideas from the onset that may have met some of my criteria, but really didn't meet my most important one, the promotion of my business. They just were good reference tools that I planned to lay out nicely. However how to tie it to my brand? That needed some thought—I felt something sufficiently clever yet simple was in order. I had to set limits because, overanalytical as I am, I've often mired myself in the research phase, literally planning ideas to the ground and beyond before they even had a chance to take off.

I decided, all things considered, that a month and a half of development was ample enough time to finalize the "bones" of this little project. Any less wouldn't have been enough and could've caused setbacks down the road if I wasn't satisfied with it's direction, any more would've been overkill, endangering the fulfillment of my predetermined mid year deadline.

Execution.
It pretty much says it all, I think. This not only includes the computer design, it also includes all of the pre-drafting, scanning and assorted materials gathering as well. Not to be understated, it allows plenty of time for revisions and in the most drastic of cases, the potential to develop another creative direction altogether (also known as "back to the ol' drawing board" syndrome, but if you research well enough, this extreme back pedal is usually not as severe or even necessary). For this project, considering it's scope and that it has to constantly take a back seat to other paying projects, I've given myself three months.

Printing.
The underestimated phase. My rule of thumb is to double their projected turn around time. Quite simply it's to account for output issues that might cause a delay. It happens more often than not, so always allocate extra time if you want to meet any deadline.

Delivery.
Another phase that requires the "printing" rule of thumb, solely because it's the one phase that is totally out of your control—your campaign if it is time sensitive like this one, will be left in the hands of another who may not prioritize it's timely arrival as you would. So it pays to do a couple of things here. Double (or even triple) the estimated delivery time (even if it's next day air) and get a delivery confirmation receipt of some kind (registered, etc) so that you can track your package.

This is also a good time to briefly address packaging. After all, it's part and parcel of your presentation as well, no pun intended. Imagine the difference between a plain shipping box or envelope over something more inviting like this (click on the little arrows). As a designer it'll further reinforce your creative talent in developing appropriate, attractive promotional solutions. And as the saying goes, Style is in the Details.

There is one last consideration, and that's "Murphy's Law," Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. After all your careful plotting from your promotion's completion date on back to ensure success, things can still go so far South that it falls off the proverbial radar, "...best laid plans" and all. Hopefully by structuring a more organized attack plan from the very beginning, it will keep most of your ducks lined neatly in a row instead of splayed all over the street.

Next time: First Dates.

My Mad Mad Marketing Plan—Phase One: Organize

For those of you who have perused through my resolutions a few posts back, I mentioned a desire to ideally launch at least two major promotions, one during the normally leaner months in the summer and another at the end of year.

I thought it would be a good idea to break down my process. After all, nothing says "motivation" like potentially facing humiliation in front of a virtual crowd by not following through. Plus, highlighting a few simple, nifty aides could end up being a benefit to others in their creative quest as well.

To get from point A to B in life, it pays to organize. As I said before, a simple declaration to "do" isn't enough to get it "done." To this end I figured that starting off with the right tools by spending the extra dollar or two on a good planner was in order. No more adapted spiral notepads or partially functional planners for me—I needed something that met my demands. Something that I would want to pull out every chance I had instead of cramming it in the dark recesses of my bag, never to see the light of day until the end of the year when it was time to replace it.

Of course, not all are created equal. My ideal functional planner had to meet certain personal criteria:

1. Portable. I needed something that I can shove in any bag or roomy pocket and go-go-go. Large ring binder styled, or bulky portable planners were too cumbersome. With all the other items I usually tote around with me (like my sketchbook) I would undoubtedly end up experiencing high school heavy back pack flashbacks. The type also had to be legible enough where my eyes wouldn't burn from their sockets from all the squinting. I mean really, some of these pocket planners need a loop to be readable.

2. Space to write. I needed each of the days to have enough space for me to write multiple appointments. Some agendas dedicated an entire page for one day. Frankly I didn't need that much space. Conversely there were others that dedicated two rows if even that much. Just wasn't enough. One with a few lines dedicated to each day would do nicely.

3. Project/Goals. I often scribble "spare of the moment" notes, normally on projects, research, or random ideas that pop in my head. For this a few pages dedicated to this section where I could jot them all down was a must.

4. Extras. I like extras, don't you? Even though you might not need them all it's good to have them there anyway, just in case. I'm talking about the closure straps, the map with the international time zones, the long distance area codes, metric conversion table, that sort of thing. Hey, in this business, you never know when it'll come in handy and it pays to be a bit prepared.

5. Address book. At the bottom of my priorities, because darn near every planner comes with one. I did however hanker for one that I could move from yearly planner to yearly planner.

After a bit of desparate hunting at different locations both online and in stores, I finally found and bought the moleskine pocket weekly planner. It fulfilled all of my criteria and had a very well designed layout, bonus. Originally I thought it was a bit overrated (supposedly inspired by Hemmingway and Picasso's styled journals) but I must admit that they're not all "gimmick." It's portable, well designed, sturdy, had a closure strap and a place marker, had the right kind of bells and whistles and surprisingly enough was quite legible for it's size. I probably will buy moleskines from now on unless I discover something better further down.

Not only was it important for me to have a physical planner, I needed a virtual one as well. After all, I'm online more often than not. So to that end, I opened the iCalendar that came with my Mac OS software for the very first time.

Let me just say that I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner. For those of you who aren't familiar with this digital planner, some of the nifty features of iCal include notifications, that is, I can email a reminder of an impending appointment to myself as well as set an alarm to go off at any time or day of my choosing. It also lets you separate sections by color and leave detailed notes to yourself. Pretty nifty.

I'm already well into uploading all of my business and personal affairs. Moreover, if I for example don't want to see a calendar riddled with color coded schedules, I can hide whichever I don't want to see at the moment from view. Very easy to set up and use.

Next Time: Phase Two: Scheduling

Traversing the Critique Section and other Forum Anecdotal Nuggets

Every so often...well, more often than not, I'm participating in design forums; receiving creative wisdom or imparting my nuggets of knowledge in the interest of helping my fellow designer in some way.

Once in a while there will be that occassional post that merits a spotlight because it touches on a common issue, this is one such situation. One rather disgruntled sounding poster "barked,"

Since when did 'critique' mean: "Entirely pick the hell out of someone's piece that they spent hours upon hours to create. Tell them how bad it sucks, and sound as though you actually have ground to stand on (ignore the fact that you've never undergone any formal education in the the field because, hell, you're part of this virtual nirvana and nobody will ever know anyway!!!"

Sound like a familiar scenario? Here was my opinion on how a designer should approach a public forum full of professionals without getting their ligatures bitten off.

In fairness look at it from this perspective. While I agree that you may have put in hours of effort and are pleased with your output which may have exceeded your expectations, look at who you're presenting your work to—people who are seasoned professionals in this field. That's almost like taking a painting and presenting it to museum/gallery curators for their opinion—they're going to offer you their professional view based on the standards they are accustomed to, standards that are likely higher than the average Joe.

That's what many students and novices don't understand. Many of these people are not peers and to be a bit on the harsh side, often don't present the quality of caliber these folks consider their standard. If you want to play with the big kids you have to be ready to bring your A-game. If your A-game isn't up to their A-game, then you aren't ready to play. This game is no different from any other in life.

Now, if you introduce yourself in a manner that establishes your modest intentions to this group, in other words, not as a peer, but someone who is looking to be mentored by these professionals to elevate your own standards, the responses will likely end up a bit more welcoming. You have to show respect, to do less demonstrates an arrogant duplicity on your part, whether it's intentional or not.

For example, I'm sure you've seen plenty of folks who sign up, try to integrate themselves into the group. So far, so good. However, then they open up a critique thread with something like this:

"Hey guys, here's a logo I've been working on for Company X, tell me what you think."

[/post]

Right off the bat, this is a creative forum no-no. Number one, you've offered no background information on the project. If you want an honest critique, we have to know if it's a good fit for the client and their market. This one liner demonstrates a lack of basic design branding fundamentals. Second, it gives off an immediate feeling of trying to present yourself as an equal. If this is the case, be prepared to be met in kind. In this business, our work has been brutally scrutinized by peers, clients and employers at one time or another, it's the more merciless side of the industry. Those who understand this can read between the lines and respond accordingly, those who don't leave defeated and offended. Again, if this line is your A-game opener, you've just made a major bush league mistake.

As another example, another person posted some samples of a rock band's logo that he was designing. He opened his dialogue this way:

"I made this graphic for a local band I like...I really want to know what you guys think of this and what I can improve on...I love design and I hope to have something to do with design for a job..."

From the onset, he's establishing an important distinction that guaranteed a more sympathetic response from people, the fact that he is learning and is seeking advice on how to improve his output. There is no show of arrogance and no attempt to pass himself off as a peer here, so even though his work and presentation required more refining on his part, the responses reflected a more genuine and gentler desire to guide his creative direction. By the way, he was a fourteen year old kid. Great compositional eye for his age...or even for older folks.

Don't give up on some of these critique forums if you really want to elevate your game and play with the big kids. Although some venues offer a more "kinder and gentler" assessment, make no mistake that they also likely hold high standards as well. By making your position and intentions clear, we will have a better idea of how to respond in kind.

The "Barker," as I'll hence dub him, also had this to add:

My point: more of you 'know-it-alls' need to post your work-why not? Is it because it takes balls to do so? (don't be afraid of how someone with nothing more than a sharp opinion will cut it up, you'll survive). It does take balls to let your work undergo the scrutiny of this forum, unless you've posted your work, LEAVE YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELVES!

My reply:

Why post work for a second opinion when we don't need to? That's not what the crit section is for. It's for getting help, not showing off to others. Besides, you're saying that the only advice you'll take is from someone who's work you deem worthy? How about the value of the trained artistic eye...is there no respect there? Remember that there are many people in and around this industry who's roots lie elsewhere but who's input not only has merit, but is respected as well.

Three last parting shots:

1. If you are any kind of professional then you'll know that in this industry, everyone's work gets this sort of bare knuckles critique at some point or another, it's the nature of the business. You either roll with the blows and try to glean the best advice that will help you improve or find another line of work.

2. If you can't take criticism, then don't post on a PUBLIC FORUM. This sort of rant demonstrates to me a need to hear more praise rather than a realistic assessment of your work, which can help you improve your development process and execution. I suggest if this is the case (not saying that it is, mind you) show your work to your friends and family instead, they'll be more likely to respond more favorably to spare your feelings.

3. Opinions are like rear ends...everyone has one. Take the best advice that will help you improve and move on.

Illustrate the Basics

It's funny how some of the things I absent-mindedly enjoy end up somehow turning into a little design exercise. For example, the other day I thought it would be neat to replace the holiday avatar I used on some of the forums I participate in with an updated literal representation of my moniker, Seapony. A forum habit mascot, if you will. What started out as a little two hour (maximum) recreational activity turned into a day long obsession. Fortunately I didn't have any pending work at the time, quite frankly I shudder to imagine the implications if I had.

After one hasty (and rather ugly) comp in my spiffy new sketchbook (courtesy of my HOWie Secret Santa), I was inspired by the smooth, streamlined drawing style inherent in Disney's Sleeping Beauty to mimick a similar effect in my own little creation. My aim was to emphasize simple, clean and fluid stroke lines. At some point in my early rendering, as I was pondering the best action pose for the little critter, I noticed that with a little tweak here and there I could curl it's little tail up into a letter C, the first letter in my maiden name and the spelling of the earlier incarnation of (my now "retired" design name) Seahorse Productions. It didn't quite end up that way, but then again I'm getting ahead of myself.

As I fiddled with the stroke thickness, I began to notice that the curl of the back, along with the C letterform I was refining, started working itself into another letter, which happened to have been the first letter of my married name. I was excited at the prospect of subtly implying these two letterforms into my moniker, sort of a marriage of my past and present. What better way to infuse a bit of myself! It was beginning to form into a neat little branding package that also hinted my illustrative and typographic training. I could almost feel my blood racing to meet the demand of my fueled creative juices.

I considered adding color at some juncture, but I felt that doing so would muddle these nuances and thus harm my budding brand. There was already too much subtlety at play to complicate it with another dimension like color. However without it, the silhouette was too flat and lacked punch. After a bit of pondering while I continued to refine the angles of the lines, I concluded that the color would have to be somewhere in the webbed fins of the creature. What fins, you ask? Good question. I knew that at some point I had to make the fateful decision to possibly scrap that direction, because adding fins, colorful or not, would obscure one of the letterforms for certain. The issue of how and where was mounting.

My "simple" little design excursion turned into a complicated struggle to maintain the integrity of my symbolism. However rather than "go quietly into that good night," I continued to balance my lines and weights in the hopes that an answer would come to me. Taking a quick forum break, a reference I read in a post reminded me of the little egghead illustration I did for one of my online colleagues, Chris Tomlinson of Gon Ink, Design and Print as a drawing exercise aid. That was yet another little distraction that ended consuming more of my attention than it should have, but the end result was worth it. The rendering of the eyes would add a perfect splash of color to my seapony. Moreover, without the whites of the eyes it really looked like a fish eye of sorts, bonus. I dug it up and proceeded to consume even more time than I expected deciding on a good complimentary scheme that was also somehow reflective of my personality.

Initially I thought the answer was obvious, it simply had to be blue. Anyone who knows me is well enough acquainted with my affinity for all things azure and my "disapproval" of most things green (except in nature, where it belongs). However it was coming out too dark overall. I had to add at least a bit of a white eyeball in there for contrast. Even then, the scheme I picked just wasn't working well enough for me. So on I fussed, changing from orange to gold, even lapsing in sanity long enough to entertain the notion of just keeping it in it's original "egghead green" color. Thankfully, I managed to slap myself back to my senses. At the last possible moment I finalized a blue palette that gave me the punchy effect I was looking for. I was weary, but victorious. In hindsight I determined that if I so chose, I could always change the eye color, adding a refreshing twist to my little mascot.

Finally came the fins. At this point I was largely satisfied with the overall look of the shape and letterforms and didn't want to obstruct it with appendages of any kind. Because it was largely in silhouette, the little fin predicament was an easy remedy—just create a stencil cut out of them in it's body. Of course it wasn't enough to end there, I tweaked it just enough so that the positive and negative space implied the form of it's protruding tummy. Finally came the defining moment, the head fins. As most live seahorse breeds don't really have fins on their heads, I could've gone either way. I wanted to imply it's namesake as well as that of it's other association of a sea dragon, but wasn't quite sure how to pull it off, until I made the rather lazy decision to place the side fins on it's head. I immediately saw the potential in my judgment—it created a serpentine "bony" protrusion that complimented the overall style very well. I quickly rendered the rest using as a blueprint the vision that was already completed in my noggin.

And Voila. Amazing how a little half hearted distraction can turn into something more. Just goes to show how important understanding and communicating creative principles (as well a bit of some honed talent) can even subconsciously help fuel your design's development towards it's final end. Moreover, this is another reason why any artistic design is two parts creative development and one part execution.

There was also one other serendipitous bonus to reward my thoughtful development. It wasn't until after I was done that I noticed it subtly formed yet another extremely appropos letterform. Any guesses?


Disclaimer: Creative preferences are up to the personal discretion and perspective of the reader...athough all things considered it ended up looking pretty snappy.

It's That Time of Year Again

Resolutions. Why do we torture ourselves, making promises that we're doomed to break? What lulls us into believing that despite a 364 day streak of being unable to reform, this one day will somehow magically strengthen our resolve to persevere over our shortcomings? Perhaps humans are masochists at heart. This could explain why we gleefully place our lofty general idealist expectations on a pedestal, only to suffer as we watch them fail one after another in defeated resignation. Or perhaps we're still too hung over from all of the holiday festivities to stop ourselves from setting too many unrealistic goals.

Yet, despite these nuggets of enlightenment, hope continues to spring eternal. This year, rather than make vague general aspirations, I'm going to attempt to set more realistic and attainable goals. In addition, I've decided to outline a plan of attack to maximize their fruition. With that, I present my top five design resolutions for this year.

Increase Profit. Didn't see that one coming, did you? But it isn't enough to make a general declaration as though the intuition to accomplish this will mystically materialize. Chris Gee of Cube Interactive, LLC and ringleader of The Prepared Mind suggests arriving at a target amount you want to make in a specific time period (in my case, how much I want to earn in one year) and working backwards. Forming a plan this way seems less like an uphill struggle when strategizing a means towards your lofty objective.

Launch a Self Promotional Campaign. I've fussed and balked long enough, it's time to heed the clarion call for action. Part of the reason, well, most of the reason why I still don't have a website or a stationery system with my redesigned logo is that I'm too anal, I feel as though I can always come up with a better solution and end up changing strategies. In short, I'm my worst client—EVER.

I gave this one some serious thought, and the most effective solution I could arrive is therapy. No, really. I had to sit myself down and have a rather brutal heart to heart. "Inner Designer," I firmly yet caringly said, "You will ALWAYS come up with a better solution, doing so is the product of your years of training. However it doesn't mean that the concepts you've already developed are outmoded or inadequate. If you aren't sure of their effectiveness, create a focus group of your target market and a group of peers and study the merits of your creativity that way rather than wallow in misgivings and doubt." There were a good deal of hugs, music and chocolate after the breakthrough.

So next was a plan of action. I looked ahead to the months where I usually experienced lulls, reviewed the prime "commercial" promotional months like Christmas and New Year's, realizing they are six months apart—perfect. Ideally, two modest campaigns for this year, one in the end of May (Memmorial Weekend) to kick off the summer and one to cap the end of the year seemed the most viable promotional deadlines. From there it's a matter of estimating and marking down a deadline for prompt delivery (with an added two week allowance for any unforseen hiccups along the way), taking care to structure a researched custom mailing list of the most attractive prospects. Once that is established I can continue planning backwards by establishing a deadline for research, concept development and execution.

Get Fresh Blood. In order to reach my lofty profit goals, I need new clients. For this, as I stated in the previous resolution, I've been driving and walking around town taking down company names that are in sore need of a rebrand, visiting "noteworthy" yet poorly designed sites and developing a good promotional campaign that targets their needs. In all of these cases, I took a page from J.P. Morgan and "followed the money."

Another avenue of approach is my determination to visit more entrepreneural sites and hobnob with self starters. My preliminary research indicates that many well established designers get a good amount of business from start up companies in need of branding and promotions. To this end I also jot down the building sites of commercial businesses under construction so that I can at least send ahead a business card with an introduction. For this approach to work to my satisfaction however I have to...

Launch Website. Oy, what a headache this has been. The fact of the matter is that I wasn't really satisfied with any of my concepts. After a much needed intervention with my "Inner Designer" I came to the conclusion that a website offers a versatility that a more "final" print advertisement doesn't—the ability to evolve and grow. Cutting edge design be damned, I can start off with a nice, clean professional design and build up from there. The important thing now is to get out there. Like it or not, we are in an age where it behooves a professional in any field to erect a website promoting their range of services, very few are the exception to the rule.

The other little obstacle is that I decided last year that I wanted to teach myself DreamWeaver and use my site as my "proving grounds," so to speak. I mean, I taught myself Illustrator, how much harder can this be...and while I'm at it, let me purchase the Flash Bible and learn that too!!

Let's just say my free fall from La La Land wasn't very pretty. I will likely have to just bite the proverbial bullet on this one and find a web coder to build it. On the other hand, it offers me the opportunity to spread the love to my fellow web designing colleagues, some of whom have expressed a desire to both help me and arrange a commensurate agreement that benefits both parties. My "Inner Designer" is still resisting, but I think logic is beginning to wear her down.

Enter Industry Design Competitions. NO, not spec run "contests." Here's the major distinction between the two. A design competition, spearheaded by well established, reputable circulations and industry sites who want to showcase the work of some of the industry's finest, accepts entries both commercial and personal from services that were already rendered and compensated for. You or your clients depending on the original project agreement still retain the rights to your design. A one time release of the entry for the printing of the winning submission is all that is usually required (in the case of a design annual or other similar circulation). The benefits, other than having your talent acknowledged by your peers, is that many prospects tend to solicit design work by coming across these books. Think of it as a high profile promotional venue.

A contest that uses a speculative model solicits active work targetted towards that product. They will ALWAYS endeavor to wrest normally free creative labor and usage rights from the designer, with the promise of the possibility of compensation...that is, if you even win. Even if you don't, one usually ends up being forced to sign away all legal ownership rights of the entry to the contest holder FOREVER. That means that they can take it, change it and reintroduce it for any other future campaign if they see fit because it's now their property. And to think they got it for next to nothing. That's what makes these particular "prize" contests so unethical. The fact is that there is no valid reason for them to retain ownership rights "in perpetuity and in all the universe," as they so brazenly word their terms. Those with desires to be professionals in this industry who participate in these exploitative schemes end up whoring their wares, devaluing their creative worth and not even walking away with so much as a thank you or a future job offer...but I digress.

In a perfect world I'd love to achieve these goals and more. If I organize my work structure and curb my forum habit some of these resolutions just may have a chance.

The Holiday Swear Word

image courtesy of stencilwithstyle

Perhaps it's just me, but I miss the days when I can walk up to a person and gleefully wish them a Merry Christmas...or Hanukkah. Folks understood the message behind the greeting. It was one filled with goodwill and at least for the time being, the expectation of sharing a cup of joyful cheer with your friends, loved ones or heck, even yourself. These days the very notion of uttering a heart felt "Merry Christmas!" seems to bring immediate feelings of dread of being perceived as self absorbed and insensitive to another's beliefs.

Where did we take that wrong turn at Alberquerque? When did "Merry Christmas" become a holiday profanity? Has this society become so obsessed with being politically correct that we've forgotten why we uttered these words in the first place? In so far as can be told, they were never meant to be used as a means to peddle one's belief's on another person or to rub it in. Yet somehow that became the perception. If someone were to wish me a Happy Hanukkah I wouldn't recoil simply because I wasn't Jewish. I wouldn't turn my nose in disgust should a passerby jubilantly wish me a Happy Kwanzaa or even a Happy Lunar New Year. If anything, I'd be rather flattered that they were kind enough to wish me well, regardless if I followed the tradition or not. Because quite simply, it feels good to be considered rather than not be thought of at all.

This push for generic holiday well wishing has also evolved with how we send gifts to one another, especially clients. There was a time it was more than acceptable to send out christmas cards, or if you were a dutiful designer and did your research, send hanukkah cards with a nice personalized gift to the principals. Now the trend is to err on the side of caution and simply send generic season's greetings cards with a sizable enough gift package for the entire office.

I sort of long for the bygone days where I can send a Merry Christmas greeting. For me it epitomized all of those good intentions that I held dear. It was as though I could magically project this positivity simply by uttering them. It had to be so, the smiles and pleasant nods or replies indicated as much. Back then regardless of faith or lack thereof, folks understood the kind gesture behind those words, normally evoking a similar response in kind. Somehow in the pursuit of being "more sensitive," it's quite ironically become more impersonal. Generic greetings, like generic gifts, lack warmth because the associations with those words are lost. Branding 101.

So what's the alternative? The answer is not a simple one anymore. You can't go back to the way it was now that the associations have become convoluted. And it would appear that there is a growing number of folks who are getting tired of trading a heartfelt greeting for a staid, yet socially sensitive one. Perhaps it just means we have to work harder to evoke the warmth that was somehow snuffed out.

For example, I now find myself researching for gifts more than I used to. I ask questions, sometimes personal ones regarding color preferences and other tastes to evoke that once magical feeling I was able to do by mentioning two simple words. I may as well develop an informative brief just for the occassion. If I can't wish the office a Merry Christmas, I'll instead project my warm intentions through my gifts. I'll send along a little gift package of assorted goodies (must be assorted to satisfy everyone's palettes) and as a special touch, send the principals a thoughtfully prepared gift tailored just for them. My Merry Christmas greetings are now projected in my carefully prepared packages. And to combat the stigma of this holiday swear word, I have now begun to punctuate my card with, "Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings." Baby steps.

It's not as it used to be and perhaps it never quite will. But perhaps we can work towards a day when a heartfelt Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or Happy Kwanzaa will once again be met with magical smiles of understanding and good cheer.

Is it May Yet?

It's only "The" place for Design Industry Creatives and all Production Folks therein to be in 2007.

It's not quite the Cannes...although it's receiving much fanfare.

It's not exactly a convention...despite that there will be plenty of good ones scheduled throughout the year.

Not a velvet rope event...although with the list of Creatives attending, you'll feel like a V.I.P.

No newletters or notices were sent...however a special site was created for anyone who's interested in keeping updated or better yet, attending.

No need for tags and cards...well, except perhaps BYOTDA (that's Bring Your Own Theme Designed Accessory)

Not really an event...more like the swingingest graphic industry party you'll ever attend!

It was conceived by some members of the HOW forum, About Graphic Design forum and Creative Latitude. It was a bit too long to call it the HOW, About Graphic Design and Creative Latitude Creative Communications Industry Meet and Greet, so it was decided to name it simply, HOW-About-CL '07. Rolls off the tongue quite nicely and pretty catchy to boot.

Now gather around my design children, to hear the amazing tale of this fantastic event's origins.

It all began long long ago in an exotic land far far away. Our story's design damsel Catherine Morley from Katz-i Design had planned a somewhat spur of the moment trip in 2006 to Seattle to visit relatives. Now, Thailand isn't exactly a hop, skip and a jump away—it wasn't often she could make such a journey.

Who's Catherine Morley, you ask? For those of you who don't know, kindly stick out your hands while I pull out my trusted wooden ruler.

She was a founding member and active participant of such recognized industry organizations as Creative Latitude, NO!SPEC and Designers Who Blog; as well as a celebrated entrepreneur with Katz-i Design. Her portfolio of credentials and influence extends far longer than this, but I think you get the idea. Cat's our Creative Joan of Arc...sans martyrdom...and a right good designer.

Now where was I...? Ah yes.

After the flight plans were arranged she decided to post about her imminent arrival, with the expectation to meet some of the area's forum locals with whom she had grown to know and work with over the years. No one expected the overwhelming response Stateside from people as far as Florida who jumped at the opportunity to meet her in person. In retrospect it surprised everyone and in the blink of an eye...or a day...what started as a call for "maybe lunch" with some local designers turned into a last minute clarion call for a multi-day shindig.

In short, the humble encounter of a dozen or so visual communicators, dubbed "The Seattle Meet Up" was a raging success. So much so that many were left either wanting for more time or remorseful that they didn't attend.

To make a pretty long story short, Cat was unexpectedly presented with another opportunity to return to Seattle in 2007. The immediate flood of responses from hopeful attendees was even more astounding than the first. Before anyone could refresh their pages, names were pouring in as either "definites" or "penciled in." And unlike the last encounter, there was plenty of advance notice to budget for the trip.

Somewhere in the midst of making arrangments, the topic of "theme wear" came up. After all, many were known mainly by their screen names, how would we know who was whom? Rather than do the old "event t-shirt" using one prevailing image we thought outside the proverbial box. I mean, this is a rather casual reunion of Creatives, right? So let them contribute their own unique designs—let them print it on a cap, a mug, a badge, a shoe or what-have-you and attend donning their own signature piece instead. Brilliance.

So, for those of you who are starting to salivate at the second in a lifetime opportunity to hobnob with some of our industry's finest in the relaxed, friendly and picturesque backdrop that is Seattle, here are the details.

Event: HOW-About-CL '07
Location: Seattle
Dates: May 25-28, 2007
Accommodations: Contact via the site for arrangements

Details will be updated through their web site periodically. Banners designed by attendees will also be prominently rotated as well. Travel bar is optional. The promise of a rip-snorting good time is undeniably in the air.

Hey...Is it May Yet?

So This is What it Feels Like

My first blog. I almost feel as though I've been given the key to the virtual executive washroom. But I'm getting ahead of myself already aren't I? Steady on girl, steady.

Introductions are in order I should think.

I am a graphic designer (visual communicator, et al) by trade, who started out in the prepress production biz, by blind luck. I say that because unfortunately I managed to graduate cum laude and amazingly underqualified to enter the creative professional arena. Six months of fruitless interviews later however landed me the opportunity that would complete my training and pay me to boot.

Commence flashback...I was at a prepress bureau printing up my stationery system and some new portfolio additions. One of the owners was rather impressed with my business cards (though in retrospect I can't fathom why anymore) and invited me to the production area to show the cards around to the other owners. During our brief conversation I explained that they were a part of a promotional campaign for my next wave of interviews and bada-bing! By the end of the day I was hired as their staff designer and production technician.

Let me just say that my tenure there was an eye opener for me. Why wasn't I taught this at university? I mean—I was taught how to properly preflight a file and they did touch on the basic forms of print output, but the lectures weren't what I would call very descript. In the end I knew more about the Gutenberg Press than I did a Linotronic imagesetter. Maybe they thought there was still a chance I would end up printing a job from the former.

In any case, I learned a great deal more about production than I ever could in school or even an ad firm. I dare say that it's so essential for every designer to gain an understanding of it that an internship should've been a requirement for graduation.

During my time there I also made another interesting little discovery—many successful designers were either genuinely clueless or largely ambivalent about preflighting their work. One thing was certain, it would've minimized the total meltdowns and scape goating during "zero-hour" deadlines. The names I could drop would simply boggle the mind—I know it boggles mine to this day.

These are the very same folks who would inexplicably come in all a fluster because their deadline was imminent and their job wasn't ready. Hm...could it be that you created 89,000 vector points in your illustration, then hid some of the layers that you didn't even need in your final, expecting the RIP (Raster Image Processor) to "overlook" them just because it wasn't visible to the naked eye? Could it be that this same file "inexplicably" kept crashing the RIP servers preventing your job from outputting? And the stark "why is my freakin' job still not done" stares we received after explaining the situation over and over? Golden. Ah, good times, I say, gooood times. From this I concluded that an educated client equates to a relatively pleasant production experience. This ideology was absorbed into my design work ethic with very good results.

At some point in my career I had gained a couple of loyal clients and decided to branch out on my own. However the university failed to prepare me for yet another very important aspect of this industry, running my own business. Other than the general economics and writing class, there was little else that was available to teach me to market, negotiate and protect my work within my field. By some miracle I had the sense to get a business certificate and find a few valuable contract forms and resources through the Graphic Artists Guild. But many other entrepreneurial lessons, quite regrettably, were taught through the school of hard knocks. Let's just say I'm still recuperating from the blows.

A few years ago, blind luck struck once again when I stumbled into the wonderful world of design forums whilst browsing around for something unrelated. They opened yet another portal into a whole new world, introducing me to fellow designers from all walks and experiences. So rich was this find that they continue to enlighten me to this day. I simply can't promote them enough or with enough eloquent justice.

For those of you who seek to expand your design education as I did, you'll be warmly welcomed in such forums as

HOW Design
About Graphic Design
About Desktop Publishing
The Graphic Design Forum

...to name a few. I should also duly note that I've made many great funny and funky friends. Hopefully long enough to last a designer's lifetime.

So that's pretty much the slightly long abridged flashback to the present day, give or take. Here's to the beginning of a beautiful blogship.