Category Archives: Inspiration

What I’ve learned after a year of business

My humble little design enterprise turned one year old a couple of weeks ago. I celebrated the date of my layoff on June 23rd and the start of this crazy, exciting chapter of my life. I have to say that … Continue reading

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The report from CFC & HOW

Just got back from a whirlwind five days at both the Creative Freelancer Conference and HOW Conference. I mean, wow! What an experience. This was my second CFC and my first HOW. CFC was a wonderful time and also a … Continue reading

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A patch of pumpkin photos …

It’s still fall, not too cold yet (well at least for us on the West Coast). Went to a friend’s pumpkin patch a little while ago and took my trusty Nikon D60. Sometimes it’s just fun to shoot random things. … Continue reading

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Thanks for the awesomeness, CFC ’09!

Went to the Creative Freelancer Conference in San Diego last week, and had an amazing time. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me personally, since I decided recently to go solo full-time and was feeling a little … Continue reading

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The Joy of Unemployment

Exactly one month ago, I walked into my office and was greeting with the piece of news that nobody likes to hear: We’re sorry, we like your work, but we can’t keep you. That’s essentially how I was laid off … Continue reading

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Ready, Set, Design (in 30 minutes!)

In any design job, you face deadlines. Clients want things right this very minute! Or, they needed it yesterday! (My boss likes to throw that one out at me a lot.) But what if you had only 30 minutes to … Continue reading

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Drawing: It’s a useful skill!

Came across this excellent article by Chris Spooner of SpoonGraphics: 40 Free Tutorials on Advanced Drawing Techniques. There’s really a lot of good stuff in that post, including drawing manga-style things, drawing actual people, even a great tutorial on drawing … Continue reading

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Your own message

Design isn’t always about getting someone else’s message out. It’s often about you getting your own message across. Inspiration is all around, and sometimes it fuels something personal. This was sparked in part by the awful story about a Los … Continue reading

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Super logos?

It’s almost time for one of the biggest annual sporting spectacles of the year: the Super Bowl. Some of us watch it for the game (like me; I’m an unabashed football addict … not to mention a Steelers fan), some … Continue reading

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Inspiration

Before I start, I’d like to remind everyone that any info I give shouldn’t be taken as gospel. I’m pretty new to the whole design scene myself, so I’m sure there are many things that I do badly or just … Continue reading

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The cute, the cuddly and the bizarre.

I won’t lie — I’m a fan of cutesy Japanese-style characters. I liked Hello Kitty and My Melody and Kero Kero Keroppi when I was growing up. Heck, I could draw Hello Kitty in my sleep. It’s so simple. (Too … Continue reading

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