This year, W magazine underwent a major redesign and I’m loving the direction they’ve gone in with type and layouts. They’re using a lot more negative space and as a whole, the more recent issues I’ve received have a more elegant look.
Transformers is featured in the September 2011 issue. And, all of The Typofiles can be viewed here.
It’s been a great year so far and now that we’re well past the halfway mark, I’ve been digging through my photo archives, looking back at what I’ve been able to experience so far. I’ve had a blast and my camera has accompanied me every step of the way. This is a collection of some of my favorite outtakes that never made it onto the blog, now getting their chance to shine.
Seattle is less than three hours from Portland (and where Joey lived for 10 years) so I make a point of taking a day trip at least once a year. Of course, no stop is complete without a visit to Pike Place Market.
This photo was taken on a main thoroughfare populated by quaint shops in downtown Reykjavik. There were stuffed animals everywhere!
The Palihouse Holloway in West Hollywood has the best decor. Gala and I have stayed here during two of our LA trips.
A boutique on Melrose in LA.
Sitting in Manoush in Paris…waiting for Gala to clean the store out!
We shot these Chloe boots for Solestruck that never got used (because these amazing blue sandals were featured instead). Still, I love these photos which were taken late one night in our living room.
Even standard-issue graffiti in Paris somehow comes across as fashionable.
The Palihouse, LA.
Wolfgang Manor, Portland.
Eyeglass shop window in Paris.
I visited New York in February on my way to Paris and stayed with Bianca. This photo was taken a few hours before I caught my flight.
Original Metro sign, Paris.
Joey and I collaborated on a bunch of themed photo shoots all over Portland for a big project earlier this year that I will be sharing more of soon.
A package from Eight Hour Day.
The bathroom at Hotel du Petit Moulin in Paris (designed by Christian Lacroix) was a little too perfect. I am still obsessing about it six months later.
Thanks for reading. Here’s to many more adventures!
Slowly but surely making progress….one by one.
This week, I finally finished my client questionnaire. It’s so simple but I really feel that it will help new clients know what kind of information to share about their companies. Little things like this make me really excited.
Enjoyed breakfast with Joey at our favorite place, Paradox. Afterwards, I convinced him to try a vegan Saint Cupcake, even though he said otherwise. He ended up liking it. And that was that.
I know this might seem weird for an everyday eyeshadow combo but I LOVE IT. Lime green, forever and always. Makeup is on my mind because I’ve been working on a products post consisting of what I’m currently using.
I kept trying to take photos of my favorite new sweater but instead, was ending up with a-little-too-close-for-comfort self-portraits. Alas, the sweater will make its debut next week.
Walking along Belmont this morning, I almost tripped in a crosswalk because of my poor choice in shoes. Fashion over function? Unfortunately, yes.
P.S. To all my East Coast readers, stay safe! Thinking about you all a lot today. Much love always.
• Not a huge surprise that people tend to choose money over happiness.
• Sad news! Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO of Apple.
• It’s the 40th anniversary of the iconic Nike Swoosh.
• Worn Fashion Journal has just put together a 60 second video showing every single outfit that Cher Horowitz wore in Clueless.
• How to build a better design process.
• I adore Mike Dempsey’s Design Business Tips.
• When Celebrities Were Young is very entertaining (and vaguely educational).
• The Dream is a series of twenty-four unique letterpress prints created from antique wood type and advertising imagery.
• Make a family album out of cell phone photos!
• From the advice column of Cary Tennis: Am I cut out for my dream job? and My family is out of control.
• Why do clothes on celebrities often look so much better? It’s because they get everything tailored! (via Already Pretty)
• As a designer, don’t be afraid to communicate what makes you different.
When designing for clients, it’s important to remember that not everyone has a strong design sensibility. They are expecting you as the designer to be a voice on what’s relevant and appropriate for their brand. Remember that you’re being hired for your skillset and knowledge. Though, of course not everything should fall squarely on your shoulders. After all, you’re not a mind reader! The good news is that when pushed and prodded, most people do have an opinion. Perhaps they just don’t know where to start. Sometimes, formulating what you want into words for the first time isn’t that easy — maybe all a client needs a healthy dose of visual inspiration and an explanation of a few terms to get the ball rolling.
It might take a little work to get the responses that you’re looking for but think of it this way: as an example, most people don’t walk into the hairdresser and say, “Oh, do whatever you want. Any cut is fine!” To determine what exactly a client is looking for, here are a few strategies that you can employ.
Firstly, you are doing the right thing by implementing a questionnaire. I recently came up with my own version and it’s meant to serve as the equivalent of a quick coffee date. In basic terms, it’s saying, “Tell me about your business. What do you want to accomplish with your branding? Who do you want to reach? And finally, what inspires you?” A questionnaire is great because often, clients don’t know how much or how little information to supply to you about their brand. These questions get the ball rolling and provide a guide of where they need to open up their dialogue. If your current questionnaire isn’t working, step back and re-read your questions. Are they more of a statement than a question? Are they too wordy? Are they focusing on too many unknown factors?
Yes, this is broad, but inspiration comes from everywhere. Perhaps they have a penchant for branding that they’ve seen somewhere else, an editorial layout from their favorite magazine, a movie still, an album cover, etc. Together, a collection of images can provide obvious visual cues for a designer to pull from. If they don’t know where to start, I provide a list of relevant inspiration sites. You’d be surprised at how well this can work — often by the next day, I’ll have an email loaded with twenty great images!
No matter how much information a client provides for me, I always do my own visual research before starting the design process. In the initial presentation, there are two sections. The first features a handful of design concepts and the second contains visual research. This serves two purposes; it shows them ‘what’s out there’ and also, if they aren’t connecting with the options that you’ve provided, they can hopefully pinpoint something in the research that does resonate. That way, you have a starting point for the next round. I should mention that at the agencies I’ve worked at, the research decks are much more extensive. But for a logo especially, I try to keep it simple by presenting my ideas, backing them up not overwhelming the recipient in the process!
How do your visual solutions relate to the client’s business? If any of your ideas are more abstract, take the time to include a few sentences. And remember, the more confidence that you have in your outcomes, the more confidence the client will have in you.
It’s good to show a variety of options in the first round but if you show too many, clients may feel overwhelmed. Remember that quality is much more important than quantity. Save your energy to really branch out on the options they show an interest in after the first round. Otherwise, you run the risk of showing all your cards and wasting way too much time only to have nothing chosen!
All clients are different. And let’s face it — we’ve all had times where we thought we knew what we wanted but once it was fleshed out and sitting in front of us, it just didin’t feel right. It’s hard to believe but sometimes you’ll nail a concept in the first round and other times, you’ll hit round three without a final solution in sight. Overall, what I’ve noticed is that the easy and hard jobs tend to balance out. Being a designer isn’t all about designing — often, it’s just as much about the process which includes listening to your client and doing your research. Hopefully, these tips will help you reach a conclusion that makes both sides happy.
Designers, do you have any suggestions about how to handle client uncertainty?
