After the successful outcome of my suite of rubber stamps, I decided to create some designs for Joey to brand his paintings with. We ordered four total designs including his wordmark (above), but my favorites of the bunch were these two oversized stamps measuring 4 x 4 inches each. Joey’s tagline is NEO POP ART and I came up with a stacked lockup that works well for the backs of his paintings. The circle is an ongoing element in many of his paintings and also a part of his logo and I think it would work great for marking his packages when he mails out his work.

All of these stamps were ordered through Simon’s Stamps which I cannot recommend highly enough (great quality + affordable + fast shipping). I should mention that these stamps are probably too large for a regular stamp pad; I used the Ranger Archival Jumbo Inkpad in jet black for these. Happy stamping!

Over the weekend, I decided that it was time to order some rubber stamps featuring my branding. I set up vector files for my wordmark and square ‘Nubby Script’ logo but wanted a third option as well (when you’re on a roll with these types of projects, you might as well go all out). I wasn’t exactly sure what the third option should be but then I remembered a really great window installation that Belgian fashion line A.F. Vandevorst had done a few years back. In a way, the logo reminded me of the round stamps that were common at the post office though that is now sadly history. Inspired by A.F. Vandevorst and the old school round post office stamps, I’m working on that third option. The other two custom stamps have been ordered and I’ll be reviewing them on my blog as soon as they arrive! Inspiration is everywhere. It’s all connected.

I’m a self-confessed magazine junkie but it doesn’t end there; I collect catalogs as well. Not just any old catalogs, though. There’s a handful of titles that I’ve collected for years and with good reason. My passion is editorial design and while there’s a lot of inspiration in this area online, the magazines and catalogs they come from are often truncated to only include the ‘best of the best.’ The experience of flipping through a printed piece, page by page, in its entirety tells a story with a beginning, middle and end that can never quite be replicated online.

Today I’d like to share some of my favorite catalog titles and best of all, they’re all free (see links below). These catalogs can really come in handy for designers. Three years ago, I was hired to design a fashion lookbook for a Fortune 100 company. When I was briefed on on the job, a lightbulb went off. I’d collected dozens of catalogs that were very much in line with the demographic this company was trying to reach so I hauled in my collection the next day and my art director and I got busy flipping through various issues, gathering visual cues and layout inspiration during our early explorations. Having complete catalogs at my fingertips to bookmark and sort through versus screen shots of bits and pieces of online inspiration was immensely helpful.

Books can be expensive and not every designer has the means to build their own personal library right away (I am only now amassing a decent one). But one thing you can do, no budget necessary, is to collect catalogs. They often change their theme and layouts on a monthly basis and can provide a quick dose of inspiration wrapped up in a short retail story.

As a designer, it’s good to be aware of trends and movements around you, not just online but also in print. The goal is to not lift everything you see but to rather ignite the sparks of creation. Colors, type choices, the placement of images and the copy all play a role in the finished product and may inspire your next project, as well. Get inspired and then push forward and use that inspiration to create your own vision. Remember though, inspiration is meant to be just that; inspiration. Then, it’s time to get to work! As Anna recently said, “Try to put a limit on the amount of time you spend searching for and cataloging images for the sake of inspiration. Think more about appreciating these things for what they are, and not just how you can apply them to your own work.”

Here are some of my favorite free catalogs for print inspiration:

• Urban Outfitters: Sign up for monthly catalogs; they change themes very often.

• Anthropologie: Monthly catalogs with inspiring locales and subtle type.

• Madewell: This catalog is in an oversized format and printed on matte paper with hip, lookbook worthy layouts. Definitely my favorite of the bunch!

• House Industries: This type foundry catalog is always colorful with a cheery retro vibe.

• J. Crew: They’re always sending out something new and have glossy magazine-worthy photos and type treatments.

As much as I embrace technology, I still love the tactile nature of books and continue to expand my home library. A few readers have asked why they should invest in books when the internet has an endless stream of inspiration. I use the internet for the majority of my visual research for projects but it’s healthy to break up your routine. Flipping through books and magazines with a pen and paper close by for thumbnail sketches often shifts my mindset and helps me come up with fresh, unique ideas.

I find the design titles by Rockport Books to be especially helpful. I own a few of their books but my personal favorite is Letterhead and Logo Design 11. Unlike the internet where search results can be questionable, when I’m working on a design projects I reach for this book more than any other I own because the featured work is all top-notch.

Featuring more than 400 letterhead and logo designs, I feel like I discover something new each time I flip through it (trust me, it was hard to limit my scans to a handful of pages). The book was compiled by Design Army and they spent over two weeks evaluating over 5,000 entries from all over the globe. Of the results, Design Army says, “Along the way, we confirmed what we already knew: It’s the little thoughts that have the biggest impact. They inspire us to push farther. They work harder. They last longer.”

There’s not so much work jammed into Letterhead and Logo Design 11 that you get overwhelmed; it’s just filtered down the the best of the best. And as designers, isn’t that what we want?

This year, I’ve had the opportunity to work on some retail-based projects for Solestruck. Best known as an online source for awesome footwear, they recently expanded into a new retail space designed by Skylab in the heart of downtown Portland. This shop is unique because it’s their only brick and mortar location in the world.

Postcard

First off, Solestruck wanted a special postcard that could only be found at their PDX location. Early on, we tried a few options featuring photographs of the Solestruck storefront but decided that a type-driven design was a better fit. I haven’t had a chance to grab samples yet but the final outcome features a spot gloss over all the white lettering.

Here are some outtakes during the process developing the type-based options. I tried a bunch of overlays (above) but it began to feel overdone. Before I finalize any work, I usually print it out one last time to make sure all the elements work together. The bottom right was pretty close but the halftones at the bottom felt unnecessary.

Second-Surface Window Graphic

Next, we worked on a second-surface vinyl treatment to brand the windows. We kept it super simple so it wouldn’t need to be changed out seasonally.

This was one of my favorite alternatives, which would have been applied to the window closest to the entrance. We scrapped this route because it would have to be changed out so often.

Second-Surface Wayfinding Graphic

Solestuck PDX is located in the Black Box Retail complex along with a variety of other local specialty shops and frankly, it resembles an all-black spaceship. The only issue is that customers couldn’t tell where the entrance was! We came up with a simple solution of a second-surface arrow letting them know they’d arrived in the correct spot.

These are some of the alternates I also really liked.

Shopping Bags

Lastly, a few months earlier I presented some shopping bag graphics. I love that the backside is reversed! I got to finally see these in person for the first time when I was at the store last Wednesday.

It’s been fun working on more retail-based projects lately and I always love partnering up with Solestruck, in part because they’re an independently owned local business. If you’re ever in the neighborhood, you can find the Solestruck PDX location at 417 S.W. 13th Ave.

This is a fantastic question and brings up a much larger issue. As creatives and humans, we’ve all had those moments of self-doubt and feeling like we’re not the best. Well, I’ll let you in on something that will hopefully shift your perceptions: in almost any field you go into, there’s always going to be someone that’s better than you in some way.

So, take a moment to free yourself from those self-deprecating feelings and move on. Let go. Instead of wallowing in self-doubt and contemplating whether you’re good enough, focus on the big picture of your career. What have you accomplished and where would you like to go? Are the clients you’ve done work for happy with your output? Think about it: if your clients are happy, you’re definitely doing something right.

Self doubt is normal but be realistic.

Design is an extremely competitive field and I remember the self-doubt I felt during my first agency job fresh out of school. All of the designers on my team were much more skilled (and in my mind, that equated to way more awesome) than me but you know what I quickly realized? I was comparing myself to designers that had 5, 10 and even 15 years more experience! I was a fresh graduate trying to be as good as them! Obviously, I was setting myself up for failure with the “I’m not good enough” mentality. Once I realized that I’d been comparing apples to oranges, I was able to relax, put my guard down and go with the flow. I was aware enough to realize that everyone on the team was friendly and willing to help me when I asked — I was the one with the issue.

“We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.” — Anaïs Nin

Back to your question — clients are coming to YOU. I’ve always felt that if someone is choosing you out of the hundreds, even thousands of options they have out there, it’s because they admire your work. They want to work with you. Go above and beyond and most of the time, you’ll have a return client.

Know when to say no.

At the same time, if you feel very strongly that you’re not the best fit for the job, refer that client to the best person you know. After all, it’s better to be really amazing at something versus a jack of all trades and master of none. For instance, I’ve done my fair share of print and web design and feel confident in these areas but I’m aware of my limitations when it comes to retail environments. I can concept and whip up production files for banners and second-surface graphics for store windows but developing the entire look and feel of a full retail location or trade show booth is beyond my scope. If you feel like a project is way over your head and far outside your comfort zone, don’t commit. In the end, nobody will be happy!

One of the hardest things to admit is that as individuals, some projects are bigger than us. Some of the work I’m most proud of was created with teams, often including an art director, a copywriter, a producer and multiple designers. The client had a big vision and a team was needed to pull it all together. So don’t beat yourself up if you’re not seemingly awesome at everything! Remember that a lot of the big campaigns and projects you admire often weren’t the work of a single individual; they were the work of a team.

Surround yourself with the best.

Finally, consider this: if you feel that others around you are “better,” this can actually be a good thing. Strive to surround yourself with successful people. They give you goals to work towards and a reason to push yourself further. If you truly felt that you were already “the best,” would you work so hard? Probably not. Remember though that the people around you should be as supportive of your efforts and goals just as much as you are with theirs. It’s a two-way street.

The bottom line.

Put in that extra bit of effort to always deliver work that you’re proud of. Knowing that you’ve done your personal best (even when a project has dramatically shifted from the initial brief) is important. You may not want to put every single project in your portfolio (trust me, there’s campaigns I’ve spent two months of my life on that nobody’s ever seen) but knowing that you gave it your all is what’s important. If you’re good at what you do, your clients will notice. And remember that confidence is built over time, as we gain experience. We’re all a work in progress. As creatives, we all want to be better and do better. Take comfort in that.

“There are no short cuts to any place worth going.” — Beverly Sils

While I was in Phoenix a few weeks ago, I made a stop at Barnes & Noble for some much needed editorial inspiration to fuel a few upcoming print projects. While perusing the magazine racks, I came across Monster Children, a beautifully designed Australian title with an emphasis on skateboarding, photography, surfing and music.

Though my lifestyle doesn’t necessarily align with the Monster Children demographic, the use of negative space on the cover immediately caught my attention. As I flipped through the issue, I was equally wowed by the sparse yet creative page layouts. The editorial design was so beautiful that I felt like I was flipping through a book.

As budgets for many periodicals continually shrink, a lot of magazines these days don’t put the effort into composing creative layouts like they used to but Monster Children is a huge exception. Even the page numbers look great! If you get a chance, pick up this magazine. After all, beauty is often in the details.

Photographer Luke Copping came to me late last year with a new promotional idea. He wanted to present his top images not in a portfolio but instead in a magazine format. In the few years we’ve been working together on his branding, we’ve collaborated on a number of web and print promos but in Luke’s true style, it was time to push the envelope. You’ve probably noticed the trend of bloggers putting out their own magazines and this seemed like a natural transition for Luke as well. With on-demand self-publishing becoming an increasingly affordable option, photographers can self-promote in ways that seemed incredibly out of reach just a few short years ago.

Photographers know their work better than anyone and after Luke had selected his top images and mocked up a dummy issue, I started playing around with layouts and type-driven introductions for each themed series.

I’ve worked with a lot of photographers and my number one goal as a designer is to never overpower their work. I believe that less is more. Great photographers’ work stands on its own and the accompanying branding should accentuate it, not distract. Because of this, I kept the layouts and overall design fairly minimal.

The outcome was 58 page perfect-bound magazine with matte pages. I commend Luke for constantly being on the lookout for the next promotional vehicle to elevate his brand. It’s been great participating in the evolution from the creation of an identity to print and web promos to premium business cards and now, a print magazine.

P.S. You can read about Luke’s take on the project here.

I’m starting out the new year working on my third editorial design project in as many months so magazines are on my mind big time. I’m constantly on the lookout for inspiring covers and these are some of my favorites as of late. Enjoy!

I know that many of you weren’t able to make it to the opening of My Cross To Bear so I set aside a stack of oversized postcard flyers (5.5 x 8.5 inches) just for you. If you’d like one, all you have to do is send an email to art @ nubbytwiglet.com with Art Show Flyer as the subject line and your address in the body. EDIT: ALL GONE! Thanks for your support, everyone!

This offer is completely free, no strings attached! The first 50 respondents will receive a package in the mail in early 2012. Happy holidays!