I'll update with pictures when the workload allows.
12.22.2011
Rebranding the Home of the Indiana Pacers & Fever
It was announced this morning that Conseco Fieldhouse would change its name to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, reflecting the affiliation with the subsidiary of CNO Financial. Seeing as how I now work next door to this NBA/WNBA facility, concert venue, and city land mark, I thought it would be really interesting to peek behind the curtain of the rebranding in progress. My coworker and I hopped over and took some pictures just as some local event graphics shops were installing banners and the light boards and screens were being tested. While the name doesn't roll of the tounge as easily, the graphics are far more sophisticated!
There's an interesting write up in the Indianapolis Business Journal. It includes commentary on the replacement of signage and designations at the field house. The quote CNO as saying they are spending less than $1 million on the swap out. Still a good boom in business for the local sign shops and a reason to seek out goodies on eBay later today.
I'll update with pictures when the workload allows.
I'll update with pictures when the workload allows.
12.14.2011
The Return of the Workin' Girl
After several months of unpredictable job situations, I’m back down town, working full time as a contract hire creative for an architecture firm. Let the next chapter begin.
In May, I quit my full time University marketing job, packed my bags and my family and moved 40 mins further away from my old job. I kissed my 90 min commute with daycare drop off goodbye and took to unpacking and setting up a home, caring for my 6 month old daughter, and freelancing for some really awesome clients (some of which were found with the help of my awesome reps at Artisan, a sponsor of AIGA Indy.)
Freelance project work rarely lasts long and I lucked out with a big client. But as it ran out, I started seeking a full time position. Surprise: the market sucked. Over saturated with talent and underwhelming entry level gigs, I enjoyed 2 solid months of personal boot camp. I made it my job to go to the gym daily, kick my own butt and shed the last 15 baby weight pounds. Check! Done! And all that positive endorphin driven refreshed youth kicked into my job hunt. A friend tossed out a job opportunity and a chat back and forth with some of my forwarded project materials turned into an interview and then a contract spot. Schweet.
Ahhhh, but here’s the rub. With my quickly fading will power and the holiday goodies scattered everywhere around the new office, I’ve got to find a routine solution to maintaining this smokin’ physique (well, that’s going a bit too far.) My new schedule and the new gym that bought our old gym are going to be my new nemesis. I’m ready to fight for what I’ve got though and have to get creative in making the life balance work.
For now, I’m keeping memories of my personal bootcamp alive by listening to all my crazy sweaty songs on my iPod at work. Lunch break may turn into a hunt for some stairs to climb.
Back to the long awaited grind, making beautiful designs for the downtown workin’ world.
4.14.2011
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:
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 |
10.12.2010
Working While Pregnant
Our staff meeting occurs regularly every other week. As I am currently 35 weeks pregnant, I asked if anyone was sick before committing to sitting in a small meeting room. Two of our five staff members were. I sat close to the door and on the opposite side of the room.
Boss lady pointed out that I shouldn't come to work if it's detrimental to my health. Ah... but there's the rub. She's not a fan of me working from home either so that puts me in a spot where my coworkers' courtesy in taking care of themselves dictates when I take my time off :-p My very valuable time off.
Well, at least I have my job and don't have to quit after 6 months preggo like my aunt and countless other people did "back in the day!"
Boss lady pointed out that I shouldn't come to work if it's detrimental to my health. Ah... but there's the rub. She's not a fan of me working from home either so that puts me in a spot where my coworkers' courtesy in taking care of themselves dictates when I take my time off :-p My very valuable time off.
Well, at least I have my job and don't have to quit after 6 months preggo like my aunt and countless other people did "back in the day!"
7.27.2010
The Habits of a Freelancer
Many of these habits are also the downfall of effective creatives: in-house designers, agency workers, media folks, or even the pencil pusher with an internet tendency. Wasted time that trickles away can really nag at project deadlines when you're not as motivated as usual. Be it low company/dept morale, pay cuts, hiring freezes, increased workload for less pay, or even lack of feeling valued in this harsh economy, a creative tends to seek inspiration outside of their office, including via the internet. The following 7 Bad Habits are ones that I am trying to stay on top of while battling the list of reasons to mope above.
So far I've cleared off my desk, altered my morning routine away from checking mail, promised more realistic deadlines, and I've tuned into my jazz channel on Pandora to tune out the din of coworkers. I think progress is being made! - CM
Excerpted by a blog entry of 7 Habits to Kick as a Freelancer by Samar Owais
1. Excessive Social Networking, Instant Messaging And Internet Browsing
This has been written and told so many times that you’d think it would be engraved in people’s head by now. Even if you’re super careful and watch your time, social networking and browsing have a habit of sneaking up on you and making you ignore the clock.
Stop Stumbling, Digging, or going through your RSS reader for an unscheduled period of time. If there’s work on your desk that’s being ignored in favor of it then you’re wasting time and momentum.
2. Email Obsession
Ah yes. We all have the email bug. Here’s how you ditch the habit.
1. Turn off the notification sound
2. Shut off your inbox
3. Check every two hours or any (reasonable) time period of your choice.
4. Rinse and repeat
You could also check email as a reward. Completed an article? Check email. Met a deadline? Omg, I so deserve to check my email now!
Yes you’ll go crazy, but your work will thank you for it!. Think of the happy clients and stress free pace of work as you’re free from the anxiety of having things added to your to-do list with every email.
3. The “Yes, Right Away” Attitude
A quick clarification: I’m not asking you to ditch the “Yes, I can” attitude. What kind of a freelancer would I be if I told you to ditch the secret behind your success? I’m telling you to ditch the “Yes, right away” attitude. There’s a difference.
As freelancers and web workers, we tend to think that if we don’t act immediately, we’ll lose out. That’s the wrong attitude. Not everything requires your immediate attention.
Prioritize:
Make the distinction between clients who’ll appreciate and reward the quick response and those to whom it wouldn’t make a difference if you replied a few hours later or the next day.
If you’re replying to emails as they come in your inbox, you’ll spend your entire day dealing with them and get no work done. Ever wondered where your day went when you haven’t taken a break all morning?
Nine times out of ten, your day went to your inbox.
4. Information Overload
Sometimes I think ‘freelancer‘ is a synonym for ‘continuous learning‘. We read or at least scan everything that comes in front of our eyes, we bookmark religiously, download e-books like we’re obsessed and research is our middle name.
All this leads to information overload.
I’ll be the first to say that we never know when we’ll need something. However, short circuiting our brain trying to cram everything ruins our work. Not to mention the headache it brings on.
5. Clutter
That desk of yours? It has to be cleaned. Your papers need to be filed, pens need to be set in their holder and you need to pick up the trash. Even your desktop needs to be organized.
And no, dumping everything in your drawer is not called de-cluttering.
Very few people thrive in clutter. Organized chaos is fine but the minute you spend more than 15 seconds looking for something, it’s not organized anymore.
So ditch the clutter and organize.
6. Distractions
Distractions come in many forms. Every freelancer has their own set of distractions. It could be unnecessary phone calls, the neighbor’s noisy dog or even your own children.
Respect your work time and figure out ways to eliminate these distractions. Get a baby sitter for your kids or get them involved in extra-curricular activities. Dealing with your neighbor’s dog could be easy or you may have to be a little uhh… innovative.
Whatever your distractions, they can be eliminated. Turn the force of your “can do” attitude on your distractions and watch them melt away.
7. Extremes
Moderation is the name of the game. Don’t waste your time getting distracted or procrastinating but don’t become obsessed with productivity either.
Set goals and meet them. That’s the definition of a successful and productive day. If you don’t meet them every now and then, it’s ok. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to fail.
So far I've cleared off my desk, altered my morning routine away from checking mail, promised more realistic deadlines, and I've tuned into my jazz channel on Pandora to tune out the din of coworkers. I think progress is being made! - CM
Excerpted by a blog entry of 7 Habits to Kick as a Freelancer by Samar Owais
1. Excessive Social Networking, Instant Messaging And Internet Browsing
This has been written and told so many times that you’d think it would be engraved in people’s head by now. Even if you’re super careful and watch your time, social networking and browsing have a habit of sneaking up on you and making you ignore the clock.
Stop Stumbling, Digging, or going through your RSS reader for an unscheduled period of time. If there’s work on your desk that’s being ignored in favor of it then you’re wasting time and momentum.
2. Email Obsession
Ah yes. We all have the email bug. Here’s how you ditch the habit.
1. Turn off the notification sound
2. Shut off your inbox
3. Check every two hours or any (reasonable) time period of your choice.
4. Rinse and repeat
You could also check email as a reward. Completed an article? Check email. Met a deadline? Omg, I so deserve to check my email now!
Yes you’ll go crazy, but your work will thank you for it!. Think of the happy clients and stress free pace of work as you’re free from the anxiety of having things added to your to-do list with every email.
3. The “Yes, Right Away” Attitude
A quick clarification: I’m not asking you to ditch the “Yes, I can” attitude. What kind of a freelancer would I be if I told you to ditch the secret behind your success? I’m telling you to ditch the “Yes, right away” attitude. There’s a difference.
As freelancers and web workers, we tend to think that if we don’t act immediately, we’ll lose out. That’s the wrong attitude. Not everything requires your immediate attention.
Prioritize:
Make the distinction between clients who’ll appreciate and reward the quick response and those to whom it wouldn’t make a difference if you replied a few hours later or the next day.
If you’re replying to emails as they come in your inbox, you’ll spend your entire day dealing with them and get no work done. Ever wondered where your day went when you haven’t taken a break all morning?
Nine times out of ten, your day went to your inbox.
4. Information Overload
Sometimes I think ‘freelancer‘ is a synonym for ‘continuous learning‘. We read or at least scan everything that comes in front of our eyes, we bookmark religiously, download e-books like we’re obsessed and research is our middle name.
All this leads to information overload.
I’ll be the first to say that we never know when we’ll need something. However, short circuiting our brain trying to cram everything ruins our work. Not to mention the headache it brings on.
5. Clutter
That desk of yours? It has to be cleaned. Your papers need to be filed, pens need to be set in their holder and you need to pick up the trash. Even your desktop needs to be organized.
And no, dumping everything in your drawer is not called de-cluttering.
Very few people thrive in clutter. Organized chaos is fine but the minute you spend more than 15 seconds looking for something, it’s not organized anymore.
So ditch the clutter and organize.
6. Distractions
Distractions come in many forms. Every freelancer has their own set of distractions. It could be unnecessary phone calls, the neighbor’s noisy dog or even your own children.
Respect your work time and figure out ways to eliminate these distractions. Get a baby sitter for your kids or get them involved in extra-curricular activities. Dealing with your neighbor’s dog could be easy or you may have to be a little uhh… innovative.
Whatever your distractions, they can be eliminated. Turn the force of your “can do” attitude on your distractions and watch them melt away.
7. Extremes
Moderation is the name of the game. Don’t waste your time getting distracted or procrastinating but don’t become obsessed with productivity either.
Set goals and meet them. That’s the definition of a successful and productive day. If you don’t meet them every now and then, it’s ok. It doesn’t mean that you’re going to fail.
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