Old signs, I love them.

hhrva:

This old service station sign was unearthed during renovations. Owen’s will become Coqui Cyclery. Located where Semmes Ave, runs into Forest Hill Ave.

immutableinscrutable:

I love the juxtaposition, the color and the self-portrait itself.

Sometimes keeping a 7 year old entertained results in creative story writing exercises! Check out Monkey A Day too, for more monkey goodness.

monkeyaday:

Monkey Story

Need to recharge your creative batteries? Whether you’re a designer, a writer or marketing person, it can really help to get out of your creative routine by taking a hands-on class like silk screening. For a graphic designer like myself, getting away from a monitor and mouse, and getting my hands dirty reminds me why I got into my field in the first place. I like having a little ink under my fingernails, and a stack of less than perfect prints and t-shirts. It’s harder to get silk screen “perfect” so I can be prouder of the results. And being creative for just myself is an unusual place to be. I’m not merely responding to a list of requirements from a client, I’m making something for myself, I’m calling all the shots, and that’s intimidating AND refreshing.

Check out the classes at the Visual Arts Center or your local art museum for classes like jewelry-making, wheel-throwing and letterpress.

I have a very soft spot for robots. And when they pop up in unexpected, otherwise mundane places, even better! Clever design can add that little spark to our everyday lives. Via uncrate but unfortunately currently out of stock at Modcloth.

What inspires me? Craftsmanship. The patience it takes to do a fastidious job making things by hand. I’m not the most patient person and I can be a bit of perfectionist which sometimes prevents me from taking on craft projects. This handmade clock from Etsy is amazing in its detail and design. It’s clear this artist is not lacking in either virtues.

You know what gets me going on a Monday morning? Coffee. Lots of coffee. And fun projects to work on. Today I am doing covers for a direct mail piece aimed at orthodontists. I know on the surface it doesn’t sound like fun, and very often I’m working with xray images of teeth and skulls, but this time I’m working with more interesting images; Chinese carryout boxes, hot sports car and a rowing team. It’s always a lot more fun to work with metaphors rather than literal images for an organization. There is a fine line to consider though, as it’s very easy to slip into ridiculous-land if the metaphor is too far a stretch or not easily interpreted or dreadfully cheesy. And a seriously good copy writer will get you far too.

Spec work. Have you heard of it? Sometimes companies, and especially public organizations will hold a contest or ask several contenders to develop creative work for free. There will be a cash prize awarded to the finalist, but not to the other contenders.

It is tempting for inexperienced writers or would-be designers to participate. They want high profile work, they want a client to list on their resume, they want money.

Established companies generally steer clear. Why? For many reasons, 1) they are busy with happy, paying clients 2) they see no point in wasting their creative energies on a project they may not be paid for and 3) they know they’re going up against the previously mentioned newbies.

American Institute of Graphic Design (AIGA)’s states very clearly why clients should avoid speculative work:

Clients risk compromised quality as little time, energy and thought can go into speculative work, which precludes the most important element of most design projects—the research, thoughtful consideration of alternatives, and development and testing of prototype designs.

My city recently ran such a contest for their newly launched tourism campaign “RVA Creates”. The campaign itself is an unusual approach to city branding. In the past we’ve had slogans such as “One City, Our City,” and “Easy to Love” but never one that really resonated.

One of many sides of Richmond is its creative communities. With the Martin Agency “The fastest-growing major agency in America according to Ad Age,” Virginia Museum of Fine Art and a host of galleries, not to mention a well-regarded art program at VCU, we can boast a large number of artsy fartsy folks (I include myself in that label). It might make sense to highlight that in a new campaign. and thus was born “RVA Creates”. Not only is creativity the basis of the program, it also provides citizens a chance to develop their own vision of Richmond, by allowing them to make their own RVA logo to highlight the aspect that they see as most important here.

Here’s where the spec work comes in. The city sponsored a contest for banner designs that will be hung around town. When you see the finalists for people’s choice, you can see that the participants were just as I described above; amateurs. Some don’t have a concept at all, and the ones that do are poorly executed. It’s always naive to believe that professionals will drop their billable work to focus on a small project that they might not get paid for.

And current design rates would say that the $500 prize might get you only 6-10 hours of a designer’s time, depending on whether they’re freelancers or in an agency. If there was a working relationship between the organization and the designer, who had experience with the message and branding of the client, it might be enough time for a banner design. 6-10 hours, though, doesn’t allow enough time for a newly hired designer to research the organization, look at banners that have been done in the past or for other cities, try several approaches and provide the client with 3-5 options to select from, let alone time to revise and then make high-resolution enough for production. It doesn’t allow for stock or custom photography which might be more appropriate for such a project.

I’ve used a designer as an example here because it’s what I know best, but it goes for any creative approach; painters, writers, photographers etc. Companies should really think long and hard before they decide to save money by holding a design contest. You’re not likely to be pleased with the results, and you’ll hear loud and clear from the local design and advertising community about their estimation of the results.

What the world needs now? More monkeys.

monkeyaday:

Captured

Some might think that technology somehow stymies creativity. I don’t think that’s true. I guess it depends on how you use it and your comfort level with its many forms. One form of technology that has really inspired me is the iPod Touch with camera I recently got. Finally I have a small camera that really does fit in my pocket and does so much more.

iPods used to be just for music, not any more! The more mundane tasks it allows me to do include email and social media interaction and games like Scrabble and Angry Birds. The creativity comes in all the little free or inexpensive apps you can download. My favorites so far are Instagram, Hypstamatic, Retro Camera and Toon FX. In a few quick moments you can metamorph your photos. I’m not kidding myself, I know that these low rez photos are pretty low-quality, but these filters hide that fact and at the same time enhance what amounts to a camera-phone photo into art.