It's Time to Party!...

Now here is a tricky question that I'm sure they don't address in college. For those company parties, how much is too much? We'll I'm here to offer a little advice. I may not be the best role model when it comes to living the true professionals life but I think I can shed some light on the world of social drinking/partying. That is not to say I partake in that life excessively but lets just say I had a good time in college.

So as for the upcoming party with your co-workers, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, take it easy on the booze. You don't want to be referred to as the company drunk. I've know a couple people who have had the unfortunate luck of being the company boozer and I can promise you it is not a good thing. Make sure that you stay in control and stay within your limit.

Second, remember that you are responsible for your actions. A drunken conversation with you boss is probably not going to reflect well on your overall professionalism. You are constantly being interviewed by those in power and the more you represent yourself as someone who is reliable and professional, the better your chances of taking those steps up the corporate ladder.

Third, this is not a contest. Some people you work with might have a higher tolerance that you do. This is not a bad thing. Don't feel like you have to prove to everyone that you are unaffected by alcohol. You're only human after all and everyone is influenced to some degree.

Fourth, make wise decisions. By this I mean, if you do happen to get intoxicated, don't be a fool and drive home. Be responsible and get a cab or a ride home from someone who is still able to drive. You don't want to have to call your boss the next morning and tell them you will not be coming in to work today because you are in jail. A DUI looks bad on the resume no matter how you slice it.

Fifth, parties are not a bad thing. Use your lowered inhibitions to talk to those you wouldn't normally talk with. Parties are meant to be a place where people can socialize with co-workers in an atmosphere outside of the working environment. Try to make some friends.

Ok, well these are just a few pieces of advice from yours truly. Be safe this holiday season. I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun break from the fast paced world we work in. I'll see you on the flip side!

Who Are We? (part:2) ...

Well it is time for our second installment of Who Are We. Just in case this is your first visit, this is a once a week post about a designer you should know. Last week I blogged about Peter Jaworowski. Probably a lesser-known designer from Warsaw, Poland who has a great eye for design and work that blew me away. If you haven't had the chance to see his work yet, you should really check it out.

This week I want to speak about a better-known designer that comes from the United States. Her name is Margo Chase and she currently works in L.A. She is the founder of the Chase Design Group. Her story is not a typical one that you hear about when you think of graphic designers and actually is a great inspiration to most aspiring designers out there. Her biography is on Wikipedia if you would like to know more and I would highly recommend reading it.

Margo Chase and the design group that she founded have not had huge corporations like Peter but her list of clients still is outstanding. With her location obviously working in her favor, most of the clients stem from the entertainment industry. Clients like Madonna and Cher have had her do identities for them and Networks like USA and the WB have also used her talents in creating memorable logos for the network as a whole or individual show also.

Her design approach as I see it is a simple elegance that is not only impactful but also clean crisp and well thought out. I have been using her work as inspiration from the onset of my own career and I still am deeply impressed with the quality and clarity she displays in all of her work. Not only does she focus on the basic graphical elements in all of her designs but she takes it one step further by reinventing typography to fulfill the overall design needs.

She is truly a worthy role model in the design community and I think she is a great person to highlight in this weeks edition of Who Are We. I would like to know your thoughts and comments so please do write.

Who Are We? (part:1) ...

Lately I have been scouring the internet searching for new and innovative ideas in the graphic design community. The best way to do this is to search out graphic designers themselves and see what it is they are up to. In the midst of my quest I happened upon a group of blogs who feature graphic designers, artist, photographers, etc. and I thought that my blog could also benefit from this idea. In case you hadn't noticed, I try to share my experiences, my reflections, and my knowledge with you the reader for you benefit.

So from this week on I plan to acknowledge one graphic designer that I think you should know. Sometimes you will have already hear of them, other times maybe not but the more you know about your career and the people involved in it, the better off you will be.

To start off this experiement, I would like to highlight Peter Jaworowski. Peter is currently residing in Warsaw, Poland where he holds a position at Ars Thanea. His designs will amaze you with their beauty, their creativity, and impact. When I stumbled upon his website I was taken back by the powerful elements in use in almost everyone of his designs. His list of awards and recognitions is impressive just as is his list of clients. It is not hard to understand why he has been so fortunate in dealing with big name clients like Sony, Oakley, and Nike. I think Peter is a great person to start this segment with. His work is a great place to look for inspiration when you are trying to create digital beauty. Let me know your thoughts on Peter Jaworowski.

Ho, Ho, Hoe?...

This may be a little late and I'm sure most of you have heard of this but for some unknown reason this story just popped into my head. It could be because the holiday season is closing in and that I have yet to do my Christmas shopping. Or it could be for another reason I will not mention. Anyway, I was watching the news a few days ago and the newscaster was talking about a state that has decided to make the phrase "Ho, Ho, Ho" indecent for Santa to say. It is now politically incorrect for Santa to recite his timeless phrase because someone thinks that the little kids sitting on his lap will pick this up and demoralize the nation. What??? I mean really! All of us have grown up with that phrase as an iconographic statement and I'm not so sure the nation is going to hell because of it.

Where this comes into play with graphic design, marketing, advertising, and communication in general is that if this trend continues to progress; we could be living in a society that censors all. We, the people, who not only communicate with those in our immediate presence but everyone who sees or hears our work must be extremely mindful and weary of what we are doing. Being P.C. is important but when is enough enough? We as people need to start asking ourselves this question. As people of the communication business, we need to pay particular attention to those making and answering these questions. The whole idea of being politically correct has taken control of our waking lives.

I guess this is just something to think about while you ride the elevator to your job in the morning. Happy Holidays!

The Virtue of Patience...

I think it is a common feeling for those of us who have recently graduated to have a sense of immediacy. We leave college expecting the world to welcome us with open arms. Maybe we think that we are going to land that once in a life time job because we have recently accomplished the seemingly impossible task of graduating college. But what people really never tell you as you are winding down your college experience and gearing up for the real world is that it takes time.

Your college life flies by you. Your life is moving at a million miles an hour. You're meeting new people every second, your changing classes every three months which means you have new projects and things to learn, your weekends are a blur. Everything moves so fast. When you enter the real world THINGS CHANGE! Yeah so the week still flies by but it feels different. You start to develop long term goals for you and your career. You start to go to bed earlier and wake up earlier. I mean ten a.m. used to be early!

So as you sit in your cube in the middle of the building with not even an opportunity to glance out the window, realize that those people who have the corner office have been there a while. Patience, they have put in the time. You may be better at what you do but there is something to be said about experience. You can wait just as I will have to. A six figure income and your dream job just doesn't appear over night!

I May Have the Secret!...

Sorry it has been so long since my last entry. I know i said I was going to post more often but I'm finally experiencing a job I enjoy and fortunately or unfortunately, however you see it, I just haven't really had the time. Tonight however is different and I have a little time.

So I'm sitting here, watching Dancing with the Stars on ABC, and I have got to thinking; What is it that makes these celebrities so inspiring and entertaining? What is it that makes them work so hard? Why are these four left in the semi-finals? It should be obvious that they are all working harder than humanly possible. Also, there might be a little pressure hovering over their heads because of the millions of people watching on live television. But what I think is the reason why so many people enjoy this show is because you can actually see that they are enjoying what they are doing. I think this is the secret.

The secret to success is very simple. Honesty and truly enjoy what you are doing. Be it dancing, or accounting, drawing, painting, coding, or designing. In order to become the best, you must love what you are doing. I hope that you have found something you love to do and that you continue doing what ever it is for as long as you can.

Oh Sooooooo Bored! ...

The graphic design industry can be a fast paced and extremely stressful profession with ridiculously short deadlines or gigantic projects waiting for you at every turn. But just like every other job out there, there is bound to be a little down time. I myself have found this to be terribly true because at this current moment I am experiencing some down time. Maybe you already guessed that by the unusually high amounts of postings I have been making in the past few days. You caught me. That is why there have been more postings than normal but I want to try and make posting a relatively normal habit. So check back often.

(sorry got side tracked a little bit)

So your used to this crazy work pace that keeps you moving at a hundred miles an hour but when you screech to the pace of a salted snail you find yourself going insane. I have stumbled across a few ways to entertain yourself while your waiting for things to pick up again.

1. - Try reading the news. There are all kinds of news stations out there and each one has a little different twist on each story. I've been reading CNN.com and BBC.com, just to name a couple. It is interesting to see how different countries view the same stories. It is even more interesting to see how BBC (the English) view us. I try to compare similar stories from the two networks and gauge who is being biased. I is kind of nerdy but it gives me something to do when I am fighting of boredom.

2. - Watch TV! I am sure you are all aware of this but most major television networks are now running full episodes of prime time programming. ABC.com has some really good shows on the air right now so if you think you have about forty five to sixty minutes of free time, put on those headphones and relax.

3. - Learn something. It sounds dull and boring but it can be really beneficial. I was bored a couple weeks ago so I decided I was going to take the Google Adwords online lecture. It is free and you can go at your own pace. By the time you have finished you know everything you could ever possibly want to know about the Google advertising program. It is interesting but have some coffee with you because it is defiantly not a nail biter.

4. - You can BLOG! Yes, that is what I am doing right now. Another period of down time for me so I thought it would be a good idea to speak about something. It's a great way to get some of your ideas out there and start up conversations with people. I realize I'm preaching to the choir but I thought I might as well mention it.

So these are just a few ways that entertain me while I'm drifting a way to La-La land. A couple things you don't want to do (and these are pretty self-explanatory).

1. - Sleep! Very Very Very Bad to do at work!

2. - Leave! If you are trying to piss someone off I would recommend this but otherwise ... not so much.

3. - Flirt with the Secretary! Yeah she may be hott but that doesn't mean it is ok. Save it for your lunch break.

I'm sure there are more do's and don'ts to fighting the long hours of nothingness. Just be smart about things and you should be just fine.

A Tale of a Not So Good Idea (sort-of)...

Graduation can be a daunting time for many graduates. It is a time when we enter the great wide open world and we think we know what to expect. We have been taught the ways of the world through our classes, our life experiences, and through our temporary jobs (serving, bartending, retail ... the list is endless). I, like many of you out there, was feeling rather confident about the coming future but I still thought it a good idea to read up on what other people are doing (one of my steps to better myself). A book I picked up while on vacation, entitled "Breaking into Graphic Design", by Micheal Jefferson, gave me a few ideas that I wanted to employ in hopes of landing that elusive first job.

A quick side note - If you are gearing up for graduation with a degree in Graphic Design. I would highly recommend this book. It has great interviews with professionals in our field that provides extremely useful insight to the wants and needs of those in charge of hiring. It also helps with preparing you for interviews in all manner of speaking. Barnes and Noble carries it and so does the Tattered Book Cover.

Ok, back to the story. So one of the ideas that I stole from this book was to create an introduction package. Not really a new concept but one that I had not thought about. I had also heard about such an idea from a returning graduate that came and spoke in my portfolio prep. class so I was pretty sure this was a worthy use of my time. I spent about a week dreaming up and designing this package that had multiple elements to it. I remember thinking to myself that this is going to kill everyone and I'm sure to get the job I want. Now you might be wondering to yourself, what exactly did I dream up to make myself and many others think that I should have no problem landing that perfect job? Well that’s a secret but I will tell you it involves a CD, a pair of socks, and UPS.

I sent my package out and waited for the responses to come flooding in. It turns out that they didn't. I sent out about twenty-five or so to places all over the country and got nothing back. I got a couple responses back saying that they loved the package but that they weren't hiring any entry-level positions right now. They would keep my resume on file and get back to me if they had a position that suited me. The little bit of wisdom that I am trying to impart to you is take every piece of advice with a grain of salt. Sometimes that advice will work but other times it will fail and fail miserably.

I still think that an introduction package is essential to getting a great job but what I think is even more important and much harder to come by is experience. So my advice to all you out there getting ready to grab that diploma and run. Take every design job you get no matter the pay or the hours. As you grow in experience so will you opportunities and your paycheck. Like I said, take all advice with a grain of salt!

Your Mentors and What They Mean...

This past weekend I went back to Moorhead, MN. (the town where I spent four years of college) to visit friends and family. I got to thinking over a cup of coffee that I'm not sure I would be in the positions I am today without having a couple very solid mentors to guide me along the way. It was then that I realized how much they have influenced my post college pursuits and that I should recognize them for all they have done for me.

I would like to outline a few of the characteristics that I think make up a great mentor and how my mentors have helped me and how yours might be able to help you. First and foremost, a mentor must be someone you are comfortable with. You need to be able to sit back and talk plainly with them. You know, bullshit a little. Talk about the weekend, complain about your job but also ask them serious questions that will help you make some big decisions. Secondly, they have to have your respect. This just makes sense. A mentor is only a mentor if it is someone you look up to or idolize in some fashion. Third, they need to be honest. This is a very important aspect of a good mentor. Some of the best advice that I have received from my mentors has not been what I wanted to hear but in the long run it worked out for the better. Lastly, you have to want to trust them. This notion ties in with the prior three. Trust makes the whole mentor relationship work and can make it terribly rewarding for both members involved.

Now that I have outlined a few characteristics of what a good mentor is all about, let me tell you what they might be able to do for you. Most professional mentors have been in the industry for a while and know people scattered throughout the country. So talk to your mentor, ask them if there is someone they know that they might be willing to introduce you to. This can be extremely helpful if you are moving to a new city and don't know anyone there (this also goes back to the whole idea of networking. You professors, colleges, and friends are a great place to start getting your foot in the door). Also, ask them what steps they or their colleagues have taken to get where they are. They must be doing something right if it has worked out for them. It would be important to ask what not to do as well. You don't need to make the same mistakes that they did. You can make your own and learn from them. Bouncing ideas off of your mentors is another great way to get the ball rolling in your favor. I personally had some really crazy ideas that I thought would benefit me but after talking with my mentors I decided to go approach things differently. Finally, your mentors can be a sort of living Facebook if you will. More than likely your mentor is not solely yours. Other people look up to and talk with them. Through them, you can keep a pretty good beat on what your colleagues are doing and maybe even stay connected with old friends.

So, this morning, I would like to raise my cup of Caribou Coffee to my professors David Boggs and Greg Ness. Both of you were my guide in an uncertain time. You both pushed me to refine who I am, gave me the support I needed to carry through, and taught me invaluable lessons that I will not soon forget. I am sure I am not the only person to be blessed with great mentors so let us toast with our Caribou, Starbucks, or whatever your drinking (it's early otherwise I'm sure it would be some variety of an alcohol infused drink) to our mentors. CHEERS!!

A World Without Google...

Come with me on a mystical ride to a place where Google doesn't exist. A land where search engines are still spitting out random results, offering only one service, and where online advertising is still in the dark ages. It's almost a scary thought for some. I would have to be included in the many that are frightened by the idea of an Internet age without Google. I use Google for Internet searching, email, RSS service, news, advertising, weather, driving directions, phone numbers, ski reports, and even this very blog. The list doesn't end there either! Many of us don't realize that there are other sites that Google owns or controls that we also use on a daily basis. Example: Okurt (Google's social network platform that is laying low for now). And now Google is going after Myspace!

So what is the next step for Google? I couldn't even venture a guess. They are already venturing away from the Internet in the advertising world. A couple new features in the Google Adwords program are RADIO & PRINT advertising. Yes you can run your radio and newspaper advertisements through your Google Adwords account. The one arena left for them to conquer is television advertising and to be honest with you. I bet they are working hard at getting that one figured out too.

With so much of our daily life revolving around technology, especially the Internet, it is hard to think of a world where Google didn't exist. So join me in this technological age. A proud participant in the positive progress of our information/communication based world.

I for one am proud to say that I am "Googlependant".

New Steps for Yours Truely ...

It has been a while since I have written a post for "Shades of Gray" and I am truly sorry about that. I've been terribly busy with the hustle and bustle of a workingman's life. That doesn't mean that I haven't had time to think about the events and happenings that have taken place in our surrounding world. Big news like, Apple just released a new operating system (it looks amazing!), California is on fire, the Red Sox won the World Series (Booo!! - I live in Denver now), and my roommate has finally found a job (not really, she is going to serve food for a while. A righteous job but one not worth spending four years at a private college for)! But during all of this I had a thought enter my head. A thought that I am sure has entered you minds and caused a little bit of concern. What am I doing to better myself?

I thought long and hard about this question and came up with a few questions that helped me arrive at an answer and solution.

1. What are my goals?
- A pretty broad question but I think you need to know where you are going before you can decide what you need to do to better yourself.

2. What are other people doing that have the same goals?
- Monkey see, Monkey do is not usually the best approach but if you take time to observe what other people are doing around you and then learn from them, you might avoid making a few their mistakes. Also, different people think differently. It never hurt to have a couple options open or ideas running. You never know which one will work the best.

3. What are my options?
- Keep yourself within range of what you are capable of accomplishing. You don't want to over extend yourself, wasting time and money. If you have some free time, tackle larger projects but if you are finding yourself to be busy all the time, take care of the little things first.

4. Who do I know?
- Friends and Family are the most important thing. They can open doors, teach you things, give you support, and can be there to help you celebrate when you accomplish what you set out to do!

5. What is best for me?
- This one might be the most important. After all, you are trying to better YOURSELF! You are going to want to see an outcome to all of your hard work and it is just that much sweeter when the outcome positively affects you.

These are just a few questions that I started with and helped me find avenues towards bettering myself. If you take time to reflect on what you are all about, the answers just seem to appear. If you want to know what I am currently doing to improve my professional life, feel free to email me at cjnuernb@gmail.com.

The "Magic" in Creativity

A couple of days ago, I was sitting in my apartment watching one of the new shows that are being premiered on all the national television channels. The new episodes or surprising plot twists were not what caught my attention. The commercials are what really reached out and grabbed me. Not all commercials I guess, but one inperticular stood out. It was a commercial for Hewitt-Packer laptops. It went like this:

Gwen Stephanie was walking around, Japan or some oriental country talking about all the benefits that this laptop brought to her work. She mentioned that there is a "Magic in creativity." She also said that you can't just turn it on and off but it just sort-of happens and when it does, she is able to create her wonderful masterpieces.

That little segment of the thirty-second ad really kinda struck a cord with me. As a member of the creative community, I would have to disagree with Ms. Stephanie. As a graphic designer, I am asked on a daily basis to be creative and create work that millions will deem worth purchasing or paying attention to. My whole life revolves around me being able to turn my creativity on at 8a.m. and off at 5p.m. (sometimes much later). I do understand what they were trying to say in the ad. That she takes inspiration from her surrounding world and that she doesn't know where or when something will inspire her. Still, as I sit here in my cubical with nothing to inspire me but my wandering thoughts and a brief conversation with my supervisor. I can't help but think, what if the world really knew what advertisers, marketers, and designer went through on a daily basis. Do you think that we would be idolized just like those musical performers who are "SOOO CREATIVE."

I'm not sure what we do is as glamorous or as individual. Not that most of those performers do everything on their own either but I think you get what I'm trying to say. So I would like to make a toast to those of you out there who are like me. A member of the creative community that has been over-looked by the public. We are the true creative gods that have found a way to be creative on command.

All Advertising is Fair in Politics and War

It is about that time again where we as consumers start to become overwhelmed with advertisements. With the traditional spending season approaching, we should gear ourselves for the inevitable onslaught of deals and once in a life-time offers. But corporations and businesses are not the only advertisers that will be squeezing their thirty second ads in between the ten minute segments of our favorite programming.

Politicans will be starting their campaigns soon and with expectations of their budgets running in the billions this year, expect to see and hear them the most. Yes, you did read right. Billions!! With candidates that are hungry for the public eye and who most have already been seen in the countless headlines, this years political advertising should prove to be the most ever seen. Those advertising companies that have had success with political campaigns must be licking their chops.

The candidates this year are not your common, run-of-the-mill, president to be. Each has a unique aspect which might lead to non-traditional forms of advertising. It will be interesting to see how each candidate tries to portray themselves. We could have, for the first time, an African American president or we could be addressing our commandor in chief as Madame. No matter how the election turns out, we are poised for an interesting year of debates, commercials, and accusations.

Your Network: The Life Blood of your Career...

I took many courses while I was in college and as I am a graphic design and public relations major, communication was very important. Classes like inter-cultural communications, small-group communication, public relations, advertising, and marketing plagued my college life. What I have discovered though, in the past few months after graduation, is that I was missing one very important class that was niether offered nor truly discussed. That course being Networking. There should have been courses offered dealing with networking, building, and keeping relationships; business or others. My ability to do these things is proving to be very beneficial but I can't help but wonder what I might have learned if a course was offered. Would I be communicating differently? Could I have taken different steps that might have produced and even greater oppertunity?

Now, some people are just naturally gifted at meeting people and making friends. If you happen to be one of those, be thankful and use you god given gift to advance yourself and your career. To those that may not be as outgoing as they wish or just find it hard to keep in contact with people after they have created a relationship; there is hope yet. I would like to offer a few suggestions that I have found to be very helpful.

-First, and this is pretty simple but extremely effective. Just remember their names. Most people really respond well if you can remember their name after not seeing them for a long time. Do that and that shows them that they are important to you and they will be more likely to remember your name. If they remember you, they are more likely to put in a good word with their friends who may be employed were you want to be.

-Secondly, give them a call. You don't have to call them every other day or even every week to stay in contact. Peoples lives seem to get less eventful the older they get. So call them but only when you have given enough time for something to happen that may stir up a good conversation. The worst is when you call someone and you have nothing to talk about. It makes the call pointless and all your really doing is just wasting each others time.

-Third, being friendly and finding common interest. This one is also a no-brainer and i'm sure you've heard the old addage, you only get one first impression. People remember you if your nice but they will never forget you if you are an ass. Finding common interest is the easiest way to be nice with people. You are learning more about the person you are meeting and vice versa. You'll find that if you know three different things about one person, you will probably never forget their name and how you know them. A very good thing to be able to do when you're walking in for that interview with your friends boss.

All of these are pretty simple and i'm sure most are saying "Duhh!" but some people really just need to be told how to do things. Remember that without friends and a network of people, your career is pratically dead in the water.

I know I've been MIA ...

Hello Everybody! Sorry it has taken so long for me to start writing again. I've been a little busy and now, finally, i have some time to sit down and reflect. But before i do that, maybe i should clue you in on what i have been up to.

I no longer live in Moorhead, MN. Actually I have moved far away to a small little town called Denver, CO. (just a little bit of dry sarcasm there). It has been a good move so far and I'm slowly assimilating into the busy city life. I'm currently working as a graphic designer with the Creative Group, a temp agency that is based here. The work through them has been great and I'm loving every minute of it. That's about all the news that I have. Sorry no great stories or anything. :(

I've lost my train of thought on what I was going to say. It's a pitty really, I had something profound and enlightening to say and it just escaped my brain. Well i guess you will have to check back later to see what life altering thoughts I had!

A Good Black Night...

Have you ever been sitting around late at night and not sure of what you can do with a tennis ball, some lighter fluid and a lighter? No? Well neither had we until a couple nights ago when my room mates and I we sitting around talking about random things. Tennis became the subject and then we started talking about "Fireball" from the sitcom "Friends". We thought it was a funny idea.

Now this night happened to be a little different than all the other nights where we have sat around and talked. You see, it was the fourth of July and we had just came back home from the fireworks show. We were all feeling a little adventuresome so we decided to give "Fireball" a go. It turned out to be more fun than we had ever thought! Somme of the photos turned out to be really cool. A friend and I figured out that if we gave the camera a slow shutter rate and a did a couple other adjustments to the settings we got this really cool effect.

I think the photo speaks for it's self. I'm not sure how legal it is to light a tennis ball on fire and hit it back and forth on the street but a cop drove by one time and didn't seem to care too much.

So if you are ever sitting around with a tennis ball in hand, wondering what you could do to entertain yourself. Simply find some lighter fluid and a match. It will be a good time ... I guarantee it!

These Little Black Words are Changing...

A new English is upon us. The most exciting part about this is that it is already being taught in our schools and none of us are the wiser. What is this "New English" you might ask. It has the same basic principals as the current form of English and is actually readable by those who are still using the "traditional" form. By the time children are 10, they have nearly mastered it while adults are still struggling with it.

It is the way we text!

2 much txting mks u 1 bad splr!

Everyone can look @ this n mke out wht i'm tryn 2 say. This still sounds the same when u spk it but looks entirely diff when u try 2 read it.

Now technically it is not a new language but a form of shorthand for English. I think it is going to replace the current way of spelling in some manner of speaking. It will not happen over night but as more and more generations grow up with txting as an option for communicating, the spelling of words will slowly start to drift to the most common and practiced form.

Txting may just be trend but so far it has lasted and made serious ground as a niche market option. That is the first step to changing everything.

Whats New in the World of Gray...

Hello everybody! Yes I know, it has been a long time since I have posted last but don't worry, I think now I will have the time to be able to post fairly often. So I bet all of you out there are wondering what I have been up to since graduation. Well there are a few things that I have been keeping myself busy with.

First, I have picked up a Freelance design job. Yes! I am now officially a graphic designer with a client. Not too bad for just graduating not more that a month ago. So how it happened was, I was sitting around in my room playing guitar when the art director of the Fargo-Moorhead Opera called me. He asked if I was interested in competing against other designers in the area for the chance to have them as a client for the upcoming year. I'm not sure he needed to ask because of course I was interested. I met with him the following day and he explained what they were looking for. The gave me a week to present them with my ideas. Well, I went home and that very day came up with a great layout and design approach. So instead of taking it only to the idea phase and presenting them with rough sketches, I did a complete comp and had most of the design work done. I created logos for the three performances that they were going to do, developed a unique layout, and did the necessary photography for my designs. A week came and I presented to them, they loved it and said that they would present it to the board the following mon. I got a call a couple days later and I had won the account. Lets just say I was a little excited! So for the past week I have been fine tuning the design, coordinating the printing with the print vendors here in town, and have been meeting with people to get my design to work. I think by the end of the week I should be at the printers getting the proof which is a full week ahead of the deadline they were hoping for! I'll have to keep everyone posted on that.

I know and if that isn't enough to keep someone busy for the entire day, I've been taking 4 hrs every morning to teach myself Macromedia Flash 8 professional. I was unable to take a class on Flash and I feel that if I am to be competitive in today's market, I need to know how to use Flash even if it is not going to be a part of my daily routine. It is going really well so far. I bought a book (which is 1200 pages long!) and have been working through it every morning. To be honest I thought that when I graduated I would take some time from learning and really just relax for a while but I am really enjoying learning this program on my own. I think I might be one of those people who doesn't want to stop learning new things. I plan to apply what I learn to my website so keep an eye out for changes at CN-Designs.

I think I must be crazy because I'm also working full time at a steak house here in town. I put in about 35 to 40 hours a week so my nights are pretty much shot. I do however get wed. off so I do have one night out of the week to go out with friends and have a good time.

Now I know it sounds like, I must be out of my mind but i am always looking for more design work. If more work comes in I will begin to start cutting back my hours at the steakhouse so I can accommodate my schedule (they are pretty good at giving my a fitting schedule). So don't hesitate to contact me!

There are other things I've been up to but these are the most common and everyday things that I do. So far (and I know you won't believe me) I've been having a great summer! I'm looking forward to all the new things that come my way and hope that there are more people out there that like what I do.

Black Gown for a Happy Day...

It comes twice, or maybe three times in your life. You are asked to wear a black gown to celebrate the culmination of a chapter. But what does this black celebration mean?

"At today's American colleges and universities, both students and professors wear academic garments during formal academic processions. Each gown is distinctive of the degree earned by the individual. The gown for the master's degree is more full and has oblong sleeves that open at the wrist. The gown for the doctorate degree is even more full, has bell-shaped sleeves with three velvet bars or chevrons across the upper arm. The color of the velvet is black, royal blue, or a color distinctive of the subject to which the degree pertains."

"the caps worn by professors and students evolved from the clerical pileus. The Roman Catholic Church, at the Synod of Bergamo, adopted the round clerical cap, or pileus, and required all clergy to wear it. Gradually other varieties of headdress developed in the academic community. In 1520, a square cap was worn at the University of Paris. It was known as the bonnet carre and is the predecessor of our own square cap or mortar board."

This is what the history books tell us the gown means. To me it means something else. It is a key to the door of adulthood, a bridge to life, a life vest to keep me from drowning, and a lantern to light my way.

Some people do not experience college and there is nothing wrong with that. But personally I would not give up the past four years for anything. The friends I've made, the network I have established, the knowledge I have acquired, and the passion I have developed would be non-existent had i not gone taken this step in life. If college can instill in me feelings and emotions like these, I can barely wait for what the rest of my life holds. I am anxious to see what I experience in my career. All I know is that I am ready ... Ready for it All!!

When Black Text Starts To Blur...

It is that time again for all of the college students to enter into a chaotic frenzy in hopes of finishing the 13 projects, 5 papers, 7 chapters, and 6 homework assignments. Well maybe I've exaggerated just a little bit but for myself, as a graduating senior, it feels that way. I do have many projects due and a couple papers to write ... and oh yeah ... there are all the resumes that I'm supposed to be sending out as well. So we can all easily say it is crunch time and I'm Loving It. This is the time when you see what you are made of and then in the end, there is the complete sense of gratification. That is the best part. The part when you know you have accomplished something.

So I don't know if this entry is really targeted for the masses, but I would like to make a comment to everyone who is on a deadline. Focus, put you nose to the grindstone, work hard, and everything will work out the way it should. That is what I have been telling myself for the past five weeks now and so far it hasn't let me down.

In the end, when the black text starts to blur, you'll be able to sit back and look at what you have accomplished. Then realize that it never gets easier, it never slows down, and it never gives you a break. You just have to power through it and love every second of it.

Not a Black Night Last Night...

It is amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. And it is such an incredible feeling when everything you plan out works just as you had thought it would. I guess the only way I can explain what I mean is ... you know how when you are truly happy you can't remove that ear to ear smile. That was the way I was last night.

My roommate and I were sitting around one night and I mentioned to him that I wanted to do a fundraiser for the Leukemia Foundation. I thought that we could host a party at a venue here in town, charge people a small cover charge, get a few bands to donate their time and play for us, and then all the proceeds would go to the foundation. He thought it was a great idea and so we began organizing it.

We decided to call our event "Time For A Change" because not only was it an event to help the Leukemia Foundation and show people how important it is to help a worthy cause, but we also wanted it to be a Concordia College senior farewell (I'm currently a senior at Concordia College... at least for the next 24 days!!).

We'll like I said, everything worked out. We had Lucille Black, Poitin, and Blind Joe play for us and lets just say they were absolutely amazing. Our turn out was better than we had anticipated, not that were complaining. We raise alot of money and I really do think we raised awareness to my senior class.

A notion that I'm starting to realize is that no matter who you are, you are capable of making a difference. No one should underestimate what they are capable of. Now we didn't raise millions of dollars but if what we did raise can help just one person with Leukemia, then I think what we have done has all been worth it.

So if you were able to attend "A Time For Change", I would like to thank you for coming. If you were unable to make it this year do not worry, I'm currently thinking about trying to make this a tradition at Concordia. So hopefully there will be a next year!

Television Advertising No Longer Black and White ...

I'm seeing a change happening. Maybe it has been in the works for a while and I've just started to notice it but it is sweeping the nation. Television is changing. Why is it changing, what is causing this subtle shift, where are we headed? These are some of the questions I was asking myself as I sat in front of the television one night after a very long day of test taking, designing, and studying.

These questions dawned on me when i realized that there hadn't really been a break for a commercial for a long time. As a matter of fact, there hadn't been one since the movie started. So now my attention is drawn away from the movie (not a big deal, I think I had already seen it and it wasn't that good of a movie anyway) and i begin to wait, wondering when the next ad will show. Then it happened, the ad popped up on the bottom of the screen. It was there for just a little bit and then it disappeared.

I've noticed this happening with soccer games, other big television events, and obviously movies on basic cable. I personally think this might be a form of subtle subliminal advertising. I like it but mainly because my movies and games aren't really interrupted. But I wonder if this form of advertising really works. Could this be the new way of advertising, could the super bowl someday be technically commercial free and have these little bottom screen ads instead. I'm not sure really.

I don't think that this way of advertising works for all products so the remove of traditional commercials seems a little far fetched. Still the shrinking attention span of consumers may make this the ideal way to advertise to the upcoming generations. Now I'm sure that before this happens there will be test conducted and trial shows that open the doors for the rest of the television community. I think this is what makes the advertising and marketing field so interesting. There is always change taking place and uncertainty never really goes away.

White Words, Black Secrets...

Communicating has always been important to human kind. From the very beginning we grunted to express ourselves, later we developed symbols to convey our thoughts over greater distances, recently we have moved back to the oral communication and invented ways to converse at anytime and anywhere on this planet, and now we find ourselves taking an old creation and fusing it with new technology. An new form of communication has risen and with it, even greater possibilities.

As with every invention and assimilation of ideas, there must come a test period where this new idea will be stretched in countless directions to see if whether or not it will work. Sometimes this new idea will break and crumble before us and other times it will work better than it could in our wildest dreams. We are just starting to ascend the Internet mountain. We are learning that there are bumps, holes, crevasses, and impassable points along our journey but with every obstacle we manage to find a route either around it or through it. Privacy is the relatively new obstacle that is holding us back from scaling higher into the potential of the Internet.

I think the privacy issue first surfaced with e-commerce and whether or not your money was safe when purchasing items or doing online banking. I think we have pretty much got a handle on those issues and you don't really hear about people having problems any more. Now we are our own victims. Our own self disclosure is causing us greater head aches than identity theft ever did.

Facebook, Myspace, Blogs, and other programs such as Twitter are our new concern. What we disclose now will be forever held in some obscure archive for our future employers, family members, and generations to come to look up, examine, and scrutinize. Is what we say a reflective aspect of who we are? Are our private actions really that important that all we ever do be posted, labeled, tagged, or searched? We are all slowly becoming voyeurs of private lives. Peeping toms into lives of those we hardly know in hopes to catch a glimpse of the unknown.

Obviously I am being hypocritical with this blog in itself. I am opening a passage to my own personal thoughts that will be cataloged and almost definitely searched. Yet, for some reason I am OK with this. Maybe I feel it is the responsibility of my generation and the generations to come to not only maintain multiple identities (virtual and actual) but to supply a seemingly never ending record of who we are. To update those close to us and far away about our weekly, daily, and hourly habits.

I'm not sure where I find myself on this issue. And as with every issue, there are both positive and negative elements that make the decision even harder. But for now ... my current status is "Chris is finding his way out of the difficult spot between a rock and a hard place..."

The Gray Way of Life ...

Recently, as part of an assignment for advertising class, I was required to test out the program "Second Life." I explored the virtual world trying to get accustomed to living in a digital world. With this program, you can create your character, find a job, build a house, raise a family, and go out and have fun. Basically it is a way to escape you actual life and live a "Second Life."

I got to thinking this could be a great program but it also could become an all-consuming addiction. I could see a problem where people become so intrenched with the virtual life that they start to mix reality with "digi-reality." What happens when the line between the real and the false fades away and what you start to see is your life no longer in black and white but a mix of gray?

I've heard that you can make a serious living working in Second Life. An income to the tune of six figures. Now i'm not entirely sure how you would go about that because I only spent about an hour in my false world but if your willing to invest the time, anything is possible. I can see a real potential for advertising. You have a captive audience that is willing to spend countless hours exploring a world where the restrictions of advertising are limitless. Floating billboards, clothing with ads on them, and anything imaginable.

I guess all I have to say is give it a try yourself. Be careful of the Gray way of life but enjoy the chance to create a Second Life.

Black Doesn't Belong in Paradise...

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit paradise this past week. Well maybe not paradise but pretty close since I was coming from Moorhead, MN. (where there was approximately thirty inches of snow on the ground) and going to Peurta Vallarta, Mexico.

While I was sitting on the beach in a warm bliss, I began to realize that there was something surrounding me. A saturated feeling came over me and my senses opened, letting me become absolutely lost, adrift in an ocean of beauty. What was this surrounding element? Color! Everywhere you looked a new hue of color, an new brilliance of light, a constant rainbow of color illuminating everything in a seemingly perfect way.

As the sun began to set, the colors found their strength and opened the flood gates letting blue, purple, orange, red, yellow and every shade in between out into the vastness of the ocean. Even as the darkness began to swallow the last bit of light, color found other ways to survive. The glow from the orange lamps along the walk way bounced off the perfect blue pool and created a color that can literally only be described as darkened paradise. And then it hit me. Black doesn't belong in paradise. A place where color reinvents itself on a daily basis does not need black to cover up it's beauty.

Next time you are in paradise, look around and try to find a true black that feels at home. My guess is you won't. And then look around and realize that color in paradise has created a palette for this portion of the world that seems limitless. Take time to take in one shade at a time because you never know when you will experience it again.

I Take My Coffee Black...

I started this blog in hopes that people wanted to understand how I think and what I think about. I wanted this blog to reflect my personalities, my values, and my life and so far I think it has. I've relized though that in order for those people who do want to know who I am to get to know me, they need to know other things about me as well. Other things such as how I take my coffee, what my favorite color is, what kind of music I'm listening to right now, and other little quirks about me. So today I'm going to take the time to let people know more about me.

1. Obviously I take my coffee black

2. I play guitar (Creating Self on Myspace)

3. I'm the oldest of my brothers

4. I like sunsets more than sunrises

5. Greece is the most beautiful place I have visited so far

6. Steak medium rare is the only way you should have it prepared

7. I paint when I have time

8. My favorite color is white (I know technically it isn't a color but what ever)

9. I'm 5'8" with brown hair and brown eyes

10. I have a love for art

Ok so I know this sounds like a crude online dating format but really I just thought that you, my readers, needed to know more than just my thoughts. So I'm sorry if you were hoping for a deep reflection on my life, advetising, or design. Next post will be much more like my previous posts.

White Gloves are a Nessecity

As I'm grearing up for graduation, I am recieving countless pointers as to how I should prepare myself fo the coming real world. Some are telling me to take the summer off because this is going to be your last summer vacation, others say that you'll be in disastorous debt and you should try and squirm your way out. I think the most crucial information that I have come upon is the advice to make sure that I have a clean digital image. No .. I don't mean a nicely resolved picture for my resume.

What I mean is that I should be aware of what I have on the internet. More and more employers are starting to use the internet as a reference on young applicants. It gives them a way to see the social person that they are comtmplating. Most likely you are going to be more yourself amungst your friends and what better way to see how you interact with people than to check out Facebook or Myspace.

But is this really ethical. Where do we draw the lines on our private life and our work life. Does what a person do with his or her friends on the weekend really reflect their work ethic and deteication to the job. I'm not sure. I haven't been in the position to where I have felt the two crossing paths. I'll admit that I am young and there is much out there for me to experience and I'm sure somewhere along the way I will have to deal with this question.

In a world fastly becoming digital, we need to be more globaly concious of our actions and the possible publication of pictures, quotes, actions, who knows. It is almost like we should wear white gloves to make sure our image is squeaky clean.

Your Reflection is Never Black and White

Here is something I bet not very many people have taken the time to really notice. You will never see your reflection in black and white. Take some time to really let that sink in... Kinda strange to think about that but that is how my mind has been working lately. I've been taking the most common occurences and trying to scew them, re-invent them, and view them from a completely different perspective in hopes that it will cause me to think in a few different ways.

First, I've noticed that just like everything else, you need to practice your creativity in order to get better at it. What better way to stir up the creative juices than to take the most mondain event and cause it to be something exciting. It's like areobics but for the mind.

Secondly, the world has become less dull. I'm starting to realize that my little slice of the world has so many intertwining elements that go unnoticed unless you make the effort to notice them. Take the title of this little blog; I sat and really thought about the different ways I've seen my reflection for at least forty five minutes. To be entertained by that little curious thought shows me that there are countless bits of entertainment lurking around every corner, I just need to be actively seeking it.

Lastly, I've been reminded of how much I have lived and how much I have left to live. I'm starting to really become aware of who I am and what I am surronding myself with. Your surrondings make you, create you, and define you. So take time out of your day today and look around. Find the charm in the life you live in. I garuantee you that just like your reflection, it is sitting right under your nose.

A Black Day ... for all apparently ??

Yesturday Anna Nichole Smith died. Yes death is tragic. Especially when it happens to a young woman such as her. But is it nation wide news worthy and should it be deliberated on for two whole days?

I think the media is going way overboard with this story. She was a public figure who was having trouble with legal issues but comparing her to Princess Diana (which i heard on CNN yesturday) is just too much for me. It seems to me that everyone is making her out to be some great American figure.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me remind you of who Anna Nichole Smith was. She was a stripper, an obese televsion personality with a horrible show, and plastic pinup. Do we as a nation really need to be caught up in all of the issues that surrond her and then also raise her to a platform of excellence. I don't think we do. I think that we should re-examine the comments that are being made and make them more true to life and not some false coverup to fill the newspapers and draw readers.

A Black Heart

In honor of the greatest marketing achievement in all of communications history, I would like to take time and congratulate Hallmark on successfully creating a timeless occasion where they can almost guarantee a jump in sales. Yes, I am talking about the much covenanted, respected, and hated holiday of Valentines Day.

While i was growing up i would always here my parents refer to Valentines Day as a Hallmark Holiday and yet my father would go out and buy a card and some sort of gift for my mother. It was almost expected. Even if you are only casually dating someone, Valentines day is a day where you are expected to exchange gifts and spend money you don't have on your significant other.

If you don't have some one special in your life, you wind up hating the day because you are reminded (on an almost hourly basis) that you are either lonely or socially inept (i mean this in the nicest way).

But still, I think congratulations is in order for who ever was brilliant enough to think up a day where people would show their significant other how much they loved them with a folded piece of paper that has a cute, quirky, or loving saying on it. Nothing says I love you like a $4.00 piece of paper with a a lame excuse for a pick up line and your signature on it. It makes me all tingly with excitement(sarcasm).

Don't think me bitter. Valentines day is a great idea and is a perfect time to show someone how much you care but i can't understand how a folded card got put into the mix. To me, it says - look how much i care, i drove to the nearest Walgreen's and spent 5 minutes trying to find the perfect card for you. Aren't you impressed.

Maybe I have a black heart. Or maybe I expect too much from myself and the rest of the male population (because lets face it, it is mostly the men who are scrambling to find some kind of Valentines day gift and a Hallmark card is the easiest option). To me, the expressing of your feelings to the ones that you care the most about shouldn't be some sort of mass produced, cheap cop out but instead it should be creative and deliberate. Your present should show them that they are important to you and that you spend hours think about them.

I don't think that i am the only one with a Blackened Valentines day heart and for Hallmark to realize, convert, and capitalize off of people like us, they deserve a round of applause. So cheers to you Hallmark for helping our nation cheapen our love for others to the point it is worth $5.00+tax.

Staying in the Black

Recently I was watching the television and it occured to me during one of the comercials that I was witnessing a new era of Advertising. It was something so suble that had I not just been talking about advertising with a couple friends, it would have most likely remained aware to me only in my subconcious.

I'm not sure how to refer to is so I'm going to give it the name of "2X Advertising." It is still the traditional advertising but with a little twist. An Ad within an Ad.

It happened while i was watching TBS and an ad came on for the television show Monk. Nothing out of the ordinary took place in this commercial but i noticed the purposeful positioning of Windex throughout the 30 sec span. It seemed like TBS or whom ever was responsible for the making of the commercial went out and got Windex to pay for product placement with in their own ad.

If this is the case, then i think this could really affect the way we approach commericals. With the ever rising price of the Superbowl Commercial slot and television commericals in their own right, smaller businesses need to find a way to make tv commercials more affordable. This could be the answer. Business might not have to break the bank and stay in the black for the quater.

Soon we could be watching a commercial and not have any idea who they are advertising for. Only time will tell.

The Brighter Side of White

It's a common occurence during the winter months up here in Moorhead, MN. The wind is blowing and the snow darts around trying to cover every last remnent of the earth. Still i fear that there might be an end to the blissful dream of waking up to a winter wonderland. I know this subject has been visited more times than a confessional recieves visits from a devoute catholic prostitute but i worry about my winter mornings.

Global Warming is officially a problem. If you haven't seen the movie "An Inconvenient Truth," go rent it, it will be well worth your time. I'll warn you though, if you drive a big SUV and never recycle, get ready to feel horrible. But seeing it snow for the first time in a month really made me think.

Maybe you don't know what winter was like or should be like up in the fridged north. I've created a little snipit of info for you who are unaccustomed to the Moorhead climate.

-It's cold ... real cold ( months after months of below freezing temps.)
-it snows ( a winter sports heaven)
-it's windy (it's always windy here but it just stings more with the cold)
-It's white (every where you look, everything is covered in snow)

These are the elements that make a winter a winter for Moorhead, MN. but recently i've noticed that we are missing some of those elements. It's still cold but not as it used to be. I think we've gone a couple weeks without coming above freezing but that's no where near where it was. The snow comes but maybe once a month and there is no where near the accumulation we are accustomed to (we don't use snow plows up here, we use front end loaders ... you know, the huge construction machinery that mines use to lift tons of rock ... yeah thats how much snow we used to get.) I wish the wind would leave but it hasn't and i don't think it every will.

I'm not saying that i think Moorhead will become a tourist trap because of the warming temperatures and changing weather conditions but i think it is a cause for concern. The future could be a completely different world and not just in my little nook of the world.

I'm not so worried about my future. I know that we'll run out of oil within my lifetime and i'm sure a few other natural disasters will shake things up a bit but who i really worry for is the generations after me. My generation and the generations older than myself have all been blessed with a great period in time to live. We have seen miricles happen in all manners of speaking. The first moon walk, the first personal computer, and the new global backyard are just a few to speak of. But what good will these miricles do for the generations to follow if there is no planet left for them to live?

Snow is truly amazing. Not one flake the same and their existence so fragile but also so peaceful. I think if i were to have to chose my favorite day out of the entire year, it would be the day of the first actual snowfall. You feel refreshed, alive, and everything and everyone around you seems to be ... relaxed.

Life as a Blur...

I never have really sat back and thought of all the things that i have accomplished. Not until today. I was sitting at home over lunch break and it occured to me that i am 22 years old. Now to anyone out there that is evern remotely well passed that age, 22 years does not sound that old. But then add 22 years to your life and think how old you will be. Yeah ... it's old!

So where has all the time gone?

We'll there was my infancy which most of us never remember. But how i wish i could. Think about all the challenges you faced and overcame with limited help. Speech being a big one and granted you didn't master the english language right away but, even learning how to force your first words is a huge accomplishment. Walking follows along with countless other little things that we take for granted once we are old enough to forget.

Adolesence tails infancy and we begin to truly experience the world. We are able to run around, talk to people, we are a sponge absorbing all the worlds knowledge. i wish i could back to that time where i had complete faith in the world and trusted everyone. Ignorance is bliss ... what i would give for that again. But really??

The more you learn as you grow, the great life becomes. All of lifes little idocincracies make it worth the ride. Now i'm am old in a way. i have brothers who look up to me, i am entering the real world, and i am bound to face lifes most difficult questions. Questions like: where do i live, is she the right one, is this the right job for me, how do i say goodbye? But i'm not scared. I look back at my life, blured by the speed that it has taken, and see the brief seconds of security and the moments of triumph and i know that this is going to be one hell of a ride!

Nothing Should be left Blank

In honor of my new blog, i thought it appropriate to discuss the void that is present today. I know what everyone is thinking, "What void?" isn't there an overwhelming presence of information and communication in our newly technological world? To those people, i can only offer you a simple "yes." Still i feel obligated to bring to the front the quality of the substance we feel so overwhelmed by.

I've heard it over and over again, it is not the quantity but the quality that is important, and i can't help but want to apply that notion to my everyday surroundings. To that idea i ask the question, why are we the way we are? The world has become saturated with advertisements, jingles, slogans, interfaces, mobile communications, promotions, pop-ups, and everything else under the sun. So how are we as a growing community (not just local but global) going to sift out the good from the bad?

The World Is No Longer White and Black, But EVERY SHADE OF GREY!

The question can not be: is this advertisement good or bad, is it worth listening to or drowning out, or should I ignore it or dive in? There is just too much of out there. We have to be a more conscious and intelligent community of consumers and providers. We need to answer the calling from both the corporate community and the community only we can answer to, ourselves. The responsibility that I place on you (and feel i don't have the right to charge everyone with this responsibility but I'm going to anyway) is to become the informed consumer that everyone in the advertising community hopes you are. Surprise yourselves and us ... we know you have it in you.

On a more personal note, this is my first blog entry ever. So there could easily be somethings that i could improve on but i plan on commenting on the countless thoughts that float through my mind on a daily basis. So if for some reason this entry didn't resonate with you, check back soon because I'm sure I'll have something that will either make you hate me, love me or find that middle ground (that space between black and white that I live my life) that I have so affectionately dubbed the SHADES OF GREY.