Walk or Talk...

So here is the typical cliche... do you talk the talk or walk the walk? In the context that I'm thinking, neither is better then the other. I'm referring to your personality, your passion, and your drive. I think that all of us (not just designers and such but everyone out there) are one or the other.

The question now is how did I stumble upon this revelation. To be completely honest, I didn't. I was talking with a friend after getting home from the cantina and he made me aware of the two types of people. We were talking about how people socialize (network) in any given situation. There are people that can spark a conversation with anyone and make them aware of who they are and what they are all about. Others let their work speak for themselves.

Let's start with those that are the social butterflies (the talk the talk type). They are the kind of people that you place in the middle of a room with complete strangers and when they leave, not only are they friends with everyone but they have hook-ups (not the Martha Stewart kind... legal) for everything you can imagine. You need to get your shoes fixed or your art sold, they know someone who wants to help them out. Everyone could use to have this personal trait but as designers, this is invaluable. I've said it before but your network is the life blood of you career. The more people you know, inevitably the better off you are going to be. People are always looking for design and talking to their friends about it. Your friends are always going to recommend their friends over someone they have just heard of.

For those that don't necessarily fall into that category (which I'm not sure I do), you fall into the walk the walk group. These people are not the most outspoken in the crowd but when it comes to their work, they live, breath, and sleep it. They believe in what they are doing so much that they think their actions speak louder than their words. This category of people relies on their work to grab attention and bring in business. Not a bad way to do things but you need to have patience and time because recognition doesn't happen overnight.

It was interesting to hear what he had to say. My friend is definitely the talk the talk kind of guy and the more I think about it, i would classify myself as the walk the walk type. Both categories are completely capable of networking and being successful. They simply go about it differently. I'm curious what you think about this. Where do you fit in? Let me know what your thoughts are or if you think things are not that simple.

The Elusive Muse...

Like many of you, my loyal readers, I am an artist. I'm an artist in the strictest of terms and in the loosest. Graphic design is a passion, a hobby, and a life style but so is the fine art world. As with any one involved in the world of art, we draw inspiration from the world around us. Sometimes we passively observe the happenings that surround us and let it guide us as we create and other times we actively search out that defining moment that opens the flood gates of ideas and creativity. Whether you search or wait to be discovered by inspiration, everyone has their own methods of breaking through the barrier.

Personally, I have two separate paths I take when searching out inspiration. The first path I take is just that; literally I leave where ever I am at and go for a walk. I have no destination in mind except that I will inevitably end my walk back where I started. It is easier for me to dive back into my work with what I observed still fresh in my mind. I try not to put a time constraint on my roaming because I'm never really sure if I have taken in all that I can. Still, sometimes the deadlines are pressing and I must gather my thoughts sooner than I may wish so that I can deliver on time. The other path (this time more figuratively), is a pretty common practice amongst the designer community. Music has a way of opening a can of creativity. I've talked to countless designers and others that interact with creative people and in almost all cases they say that music has a guaranteed presence in any setting. Maybe this is the case because music is an art in itself and that fuels the fire for most of us. I can't say one way or another but for some odd reason, now that I've been thinking about it, I think they did a study on it sometime. I'll look into it and report back later on what I find.

Anyway, no matter if you fall into the common or the uncommon, everyone has their muse. We constantly seek out external elements to spur our imaginations in hopes of uncovering something even more elusive to most, originality. The lucky few of us stumble upon it with very little work while others search their entire lives. Unfortunately, originality and creativity goes hand in hand. You can have creativity without originality but not very often can you have the opposite. You're muse is there to help you along the path and push you closer to your inevitable goal. Finding the elusive muse to do that can be the hardest part.

As always, I'd like to hear your thoughts and more specifically, I would like to hear what you do ignite creativity and originality. Shoot me an email or leave a comment and I'll try to get back to you.

Did You Miss Me?...

Welcome to the real world. I have to keep telling myself that everyday after work. A little over a year ago I was accustomed to waking up a few hours after the sun and crawling into bed a few hours before the next morning beckoned me to do it all again. Now however, the sun and I compete to see who can rise first and I am sorry to say that in my old age, midnight is turning out to be nearly impossible (excluding weekends of course). What I am trying to convey to you, my loyal readers, is that I have had absolutely zero time for anything outside of work. It should come as good news to you out there that I am once again in control of the ceaseless barrage of responsibilities and have now discovered time to blog once more.

So you may ask yourself, what is it that I have been up to in the past three months that I have been M.I.A? Surely there are some stories that need to be shared or some insight that I have stumbled upon as I gain experience in the working world. As far as stories go, I have a few that will make for a good read and they will come in the next few posts. They are laced with helpful knowledge and even some humor. The insight which seemed to appear from time to time in my weekly posts has not left me. I am bursting at the seams with advice that in the past few short months I have acquired. Words of wisdom from people who I greatly respect in both the business and advertising world will be shared along with new designers and new places of reference. There are a few books that I can't recommend more highly that will change your perspective on employment and design. As always, I will continue to share my personal life lessons and hope that you, my readers, take from them what you want.

If it isn't obvious yet, let me make this extremely clear and concise. I'M BACK! Check back as frequently as you'd like because I am going to try and bombard you with posts to the point you might as well be reading a novel.

Hello Strangers!

Well, it has been a while. Nearly a month since my last post and it's my guess that you thought I dropped off the face of the earth. That's not quite the case but pretty close. My life as of late has consisted of me waking up, going to work at 6 am, eating lunch at my desk, leaving work at 8 pm, cooking dinner, and going to bed. I know, you're envious of my non-existent social life. I'm not. For me, the perfect working life is a healthy balance of work and play. Still, a crazy schedule is the kind of work life we, as designers, have chosen. When things need to get done and out the door, you can't say that I have to meet my friends for a happy hour and that this can wait till tomorrow. You have a deadline and it needs to be met.

Fortunately for you and I, this is not the norm year round. I have discovered that having a job in the design/advertising field means that sometimes you have ridiculously long hours and other times not. My professors warned me about this very thing my sophomore year of college but I didn't realize that even though you are sitting behind a desk, you leave work exhausted. Thirteen hour days take a tole on you.

I just thought I would post something to let everyone out there know that things are slowing down for me and you should start to expect the regularity I once possessed for my blog. I am hoping that next week I can resume my Who Are We posts and offering advice to those that seek it. I've got a few good blog ideas sitting on the back burner so keep a keene eye out for new posts!

Who Are We (Part:18)...

When giants are mentioned, most people tend to think of huge illiterate men hobbling around with massive clubs. That or the baseball team out of New York. This week however, my weekly entry into my Who Are We posts is a giant of another kind. His work is known through out the world and he is sought out for work, advice, and inspiration by some of the greatest people on earth. When I mention his name you will undoubtedly say "Of course.. it was only a matter of time till he was mentioned" or "Who?" If it is the latter of the two, you may want to do a little research of your own. This guy is "designer royalty."

Who is this giant in the design/marketing community? None other than Pat Fallon of Fallon Worldwide. He founded Fallon in 1981 and has seen success in every dimension of the word. Known internationally for their ability to deliver results without breaking the bank could be the key to their success. It could also be that Fallon employs some of the best talent out there and has clients that place complete faith in the work they produce. With clients like Sony, Purina, Time, and NYSE it's hard not to gain international recognition. Fallon has experienced such success that they have reached a level where they can be selective with their cliental. They aren't exclusive because they feel like it. Pat Fallon creates a very personal relationship with each of his clients and that just isn't possible with hundreds of clients.

Pat Fallon released a book a couple years ago named "Juicing the Orange." It was recommended to me by Greg Ness of Sundog (a former professor of mine whose agency has a great blog worth checking out as well). I'm currently reading this book and so far I can't seem to put it down. It's a book that delivers invaluable advice and opinions on the creative marketplace. The insight that Fallon's book provides makes it a must read for any designer of all ages and experience levels.

Check out Pat Fallon and his book "Juicing the Orange." Let me know what you think. As always, if you have anyone you think belongs in my weekly posts of Who Are We, let me know and I'll check them out. You could see them up here soon.

Disconnected and out of touch...

I've been MIA for the past few days. This was planned and much needed because I have a feeling the flood gates are going to open and I will be drowning in work for the next two months. So I have taken time to take a few deep breaths and am now ready to dive deep into endless hours and constant work. The best part about this weekend vacation to rural Pennsylvania was that I was completely disconnected from everything. I had no internet access, no phone reception, and only a couple channels of television which were constantly showing golf (I love golf but after two hours I can do without watching it). So what did I do? I read. I read a couple books about our little design community. These books offered advice, tips and tricks to make it in our field, and even some humor about the stereotypes we designers are given. They were great reads and I'll be making a post soon about books to look into as a designer. I figured in a month or so it would be great to have a list for summer reading.

Now you may ask yourself, why do we care what Chris did on vacation. Good question and really I'm using my relative abandonment of technology as an excuse for me not having a post for my Who Are We series. I use the internet to do the majority of my research so it was nearly impossible for me this weekend. I promise I'll have one tomorrow. You should check back to see who I've decided to highlight this week.

This isn't the only reason why I've decided to mention my weekend plans. It dawned on me a couple days ago that even though I was on vacation, I really wasn't. I was still reading about graphic design, I was still out networking and picking up clients, I was even still designing (albeit on a napkin in a bar one night but it may have won me some work... so it counts). I think that as a young person still trying to secure my place in the graphic design community, I have learned that you are never really done working. You may be at the office for ten to fourteen hours a day but that doesn't mean when you walk out that door your are done. At the bar talking with people, you may be networking which is helping your freelance career. Even while you are sleeping, you mind should be subconsciously thinking of graphic treatment, typography, and color choice.

Don't misunderstand me. I don't mean that if you are not dreaming of design you are a bad designer. I am just saying that there are people out there that are. They eat, sleep, and breathe design. There is not a single activity or second that is dedicated to anything else but their design career/work. Maybe as you gain more experience and amass a larger reputation, you can afford the luxury of complete relaxation but I tend to think that isn't the case. Our field is a highly competitive one and to play game with all of the competition out there, you have to make some sacrifices. Thankfully we have a field that allows for work to be fun, exciting, social, and evolving so this level of dedication isn't awful and dull. So think about your level of commitment and ask yourself, "Am I disconnected and out of touch with the design field, or am I living design?"

Who Are We (Part:17)...

I started this week off by looking through some of my past Who Are We posts. I checked out their sites and looked through a lot of their blogs. I found myself browsing through Carole Guevin's blog NetDiver (I have recently become a huge NetDiver Junkie) and stumbled upon a designer by the name of Jesse Kaczmarek. His worked looked interesting and jumped out at me from a quick glance. I dove deeper and soon realized that this was not just some lesser known designer. He has done work for clients that would make an average sized design agency drool yet he remains a one-man shop out in New York. Clients like BMW, GE, HBO, Motorola, Pepsi, Porsche, Red Stripe, Sony, Target, and Virgin Mobile don't just come knocking if you're a mediocre designer. They want the best and only hire the best.

Jesse Kaczmarek's designs seem to be geared towards a very simplistic approach while still maintaining a high level of viewer interest. He is able to convey an elegance with a simple treatment of color and direction. Even within a small color palette, Jesse creates vivid, eye catching work that is classy and sophisticated. It is no wonder why these big name clients have gone with him for some of their design work. I am not the first to realize that Jesse is a great designer hidden within the millions living in New York. Google search him and you'll get pages after pages of people praising the incredible work he has created.

Check him out and let me know what you think. I'm always looking for people to add to my Who Are We posts so if you have someone you think belongs up here, let me know. I'll look into them and you could seen them up here soon.

When To Wage War...

We designers are artist. Because this is so, it is hard for us to separate ourselves from our work. It's not a bad thing to be proud of you work. It's OK to think that your work is the greatest thing to grace the pages of some publication. Inevitably though, someone will disagree with your choice to place a chunk of text somewhere within YOUR design. They are not Satan because they would have done things differently. They are entitled to their own opinion and it is just that, an opinion. Now where this can cause a little turbulence is when that person with the opinion is your boss or art director. This forces you to make a decision. Do you take their advice and run with it or do you dig your heels in and say this is the way MY design is going to look.

I'm not sure either direction is the best option. If this person is your boss, more than likely they have worked their way to the top and probably have a pretty good idea of what they are talking about. So their advice should not fall upon deaf ears. Still, always take all advice with a grain of salt. Another thing you might want to do if you feel that you have made the right decision is explain why you did things the way you did. Your boss may not see things the same way you have and with a little explanation your decision may turn out to be the right one. You can then revel in your brilliance and indulge in a little self satisfaction.

So when do you wage war over your designs? Never? No. Sometimes you need to stand up for your designs. I think some times clients feel like they know more than you do. Are they designers? No. Have they studied art, design, and communication? Probably not. So grab hold and take it to them.

Now I'm not saying you should walk in, get in their face, and say listen here... I know what I'm talking about and you should shut up and just go with it. Take information to support your claim. Offer up to them your thinking and process behind your designs. Give them a few options that may offer some of what they want and some of what you think needs to be present. The most important thing to remember is that they are the ones that are giving you the money that puts food on your table. When it comes down to it, they are the ones paying for it and have the power to veto your entire design.

Designing for yourself is easy. Designing for others is hard. If your going to be a good designer you must learn that it is about compromise. You are entering a service industry. It's not quite like McDonald's where the customer is always right but it's not far off. Clients and Directors almost always enter a project with a preconceived notion of what the end result is going to look like. Each person has their own ideas and the difficult part about being a designer is finding a way to solve the design problem while still incorporating everyones thoughts. Understanding each individual involved in the process and what their expectations are can be extremely helpful. Know your client, know their product, know their market and you'll know when to wage war and when to surrender.

Who Are We (Part:16)...

There are some designers that are well known. There are even some designers with a Wikipedia page. In most cases that I have found, those that have a Wikipedia page have at most a couple paragraphs about their life and their contributions to the design community. This weeks addition to my Who Are We posts trumps that because not only is his work amazing and known all over the world but his Wikipedia page is the longest of any designer I have stumbled across. It's crazy to think but you can almost judge the importance of an individual by the length of their Wikipedia page, but that is for another post.

Neville Brody is a graphic designer, typographer, and art director. He has been in the industry longer than I have been alive. This is a great accomplishment because of all the changes our field has undergone in the past 20 years. Yet he still remains current and an exceptional designer. If you are into the music scene and are thinking about gearing your graphic design career in that direction, this is a man you must know and worship. He has done record covers for multiple artist including, James Brown, The Covenant, Level 42, and many others. His accomplishments don't stop there. He has been an influential component in experimental typography through many different mediums. The kicker, that sets this man apart from most other designers, is that he wrote a book. Big deal you might say because there is a flood of graphic design books out there. His book is different. It is the world's best selling graphic design book with over 120,000 books sold. Not too shabby Neville. In case you are curious about this book it's "The Graphic Language of Neville Brody" by Jon Wozencroft. I haven't read it yet but I just bought it off of Amazon and should be waist deep in it by the end of next week.

Take a look into this man, I promise you will not be disappointed. His work is outstanding and inspirational. Let me know what you think of this man. As always I would love to hear from everyone out there. If you have any suggestions for next weeks Who Are We post let me know. I will look into them and you could see them up here sometime soon.

Who Are We (Part:15)...

I know I missed my usual deadline for my weekly post Who Are We and again I'm sorry (I don't mean for this to be a reoccurring theme!). This time however I had a reason for not posting on Monday. I wanted to start April off with a great addition to my blog. I wanted to add something different and take my blog someplace it had never been. I've explored the western European states, ventured into Russia, and of course, tackled the United States. It seems odd that I have yet to find someone from my neighbor to the north. But no longer because this week I am taking you to the great country of Canada to highlight a designer who is more than deserving of a place in my Who Are We posts.

This remarkable woman's name is Carole Guevin and she currently resides in Montreal, Quebec. Her job title is listed as Chief Imagineer at PixelTable. I'm assuming that this is along the lines of CEO or Lead Art Director because of her success story that I read while researching her. She is taking a company that had been purchased from a conglomerate and reworking it, head to toe, while still remaining connected with the existing clients. She understands that a smooth transition is the key to achieving this daunting task.

But how does all this tie into the graphic design community? Well, besides the fact that she is indeed an excellent designer (which you can see for yourself at her companies website: PixelTable), she is also into blogging. Yes, you're right, last week I also mentioned designer who is a "blogger". Just like Debbie Millman, Carole Guevin is known for both her graphic design accomplishments and her creative blog. Her blog, NetDiver, has been named by leading leading professionals as one of the 42 Design/Tech Magazines To Read and was part of the 100 Websites You Should Know and Use lecture given by Julius Wiedemann. NetDiver offers interesting reads, current design community news, and great designs in general. It's a great place to go when you are in need of some inspiration or you just have a few minutes to spare in-between projects. Check it out when you have some spare time, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Let me know what you think of this weeks addition to my weekly Who Are We posts. As always, I am constantly in search of great designers to research and add to my blog. If you have someone in mind, send me an email or just simply comment. I will look into them and who knows, you could see them up here some time soon.