Inspiration for Good Design

Yesterday was AIGA's One Day For Design and all the conversations led me to discover some really cool folks in the design industry.

Nuggets, tidbits, good s#it.
I'd like to share my findings.

"This is a dangerous idea, but this is how we learn. It's okay to bite another style, as long as you don't swallow the whole thing. Use it as a jumping-off point and don’t emulate it. Nobody is simply conjuring ideas out of ether and pixie dust. Be aware of your influences and use them to your advantage. If you have talent, intelligence and integrity then your unique style will show through. I truly believe that."

Links I like:
jessicahische.is/awesome
       theinternetsendsmecake.com
       dailydropcap.com
       momthisishowtwitterworks.com
       shouldiworkforfree.com

dribbble.com

goodf___ingdesignadvice.com

youngjerks.com
       10 Design Tips
On the idea to COPY work/themes/ideas: "This is a dangerous idea, but this is how we learn. It's okay to bite another style, as long as you don't swallow the whole thing. Use it as a jumping-off point and don’t emulate it. Nobody is simply conjuring ideas out of ether and pixie dust. Be aware of your influences and use them to your advantage. If you have talent, intelligence and integrity then your unique style will show through. I truly believe that. - Dan Cassaro"
On the idea to EDIT EVERYTHING: "Sometimes saying goodbye is the hardest part. Making something you love isn't nearly as difficult as letting it go. An argument could be made that the real talent in design is to see and realize why something is ugly, not pretty. Designers, like the rest of the creative world, have a tendency to over think and over design. A more effective tactic is to find out whats not working and get rid of that. It's rough, but your mom never liked that one anyway. - Dan Cassaro"


pof.tdcsecure.org


crankypressman.com


poolga.com

http://geek-art.tumblr.com/post/4373723194/yummy-they-are

Quick Video of Silk Screening a Poster

Non-Design Related (sorta)
Super Brownie Recipe

Stuff I'm working on:

Designing lettering for interior spaces

Calling out locations on a map

Breaking down a university meal plan in a way that explains customers aren't getting ripped off

Raising an adorable 5 month old

Fresh Start

I got a call at the beginning of February.
My response..."Sure, I'd love to set up an interview."
I cleaned up my portfolio and dropped a few spotless samples in the pockets. Off I went, scared out of my mind over what might happen if my current part time job found out I went to an interview AND if I didn't get the job where I interviewed. I'd never been in a spot like that before. I'd only left jobs due to graduation or because of a lay off. Never had I felt I was in such control.

Laughing as we wrapped up, I felt great about the position and the people I could be working with. It was also nice to know that while I graduated from the school that was this employing location's rival, it wouldn't completely be held against me...

A week and a half later, after my references had been verified and contacted, I got the call with an offer. I pondered it for a few days with my husband.
Factors and questions that weighed in most heavily were:
- unknown status of a potential graduate assistant position and its funding at another university that would eventually provide tuition reimbursement for an MBA
- unknown job location of soon-to-be graduated husband as he begins his career
- relative emptiness of savings account + bills coming due
- potential to remain on the board of my local AIGA chapter
- deeply rooted school rivalry
- potential to commute within a 45 min radius if husband finds job

All of that was dissected and analyzed, and my husband and I decided that this was an opportunity not to be missed. The economy said so. An available job, with included benefits, that I was specifically qualified for would have been a blessing in normal economic times... right now it was nothing short of a miracle.

The job is in the city that I currently reside, unlike my past 2 jobs where I commuted up to 2 hours one way daily. I can gain close to 16 hours of my life back every week. I can't wait for my start date of March 2 to come. Applying for tons of positions in November and not really hearing back from any was difficult, and common from what I hear. But it all seems to fade into necessary white noise after accepting the new job.

I'll be working at a University in the department dealing with student housing and dining services. Serving as graphic design specialist, I hear I'll get to hit the ground running.

I courteously let my part time employer know that this job opportunity had arisen and a decision had been made. They let me know that they didn't need me the rest of the two weeks. Only 5 days later, I was done... with a week and a half between employers.

In the mean time, I'm updating my LinkedIn, Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, AIGA, Twitter and Facebook accounts to reflect that I'm no longer readily available for full time employment opportunities. I'm still open, just not immediately available. That's the one thing I learned from this process. ALWAYS seek employment, whether you can take it or not. You never know when you may need an option or several.

Wrapping up freelance work I'm currently under contract for, and launching my own website for design services and goodies related to weddings and new babies, ten days should evaporate quickly.

More to come as design gears shift!
CM