three winged design

organization

2010-01-29T11:39:00.007-05:00

I start a new, full time design job on Monday, and I couldn't be happier. Lots of people have asked why I am moving on from working for myself. It was quite a decision to make (as was taking the leap to working on my own in the first place!)

Here are my reasons:

I really miss the collaboration that comes with working in a team. As much as I try to get feedback from designer friends and the internet, there's nothing like poking your head around the corner or over the cubicle and getting what you need for your common goal.

I still have a lot to learn. I'm sure I can learn on my own (and I've certainly learned a lot), but I am very excited about working with people who have more and/or different experiences than I do.

Work/life balance. It is hard to sit and relax on your couch and enjoy yourself when your desk is loaded with work just ten feet away.

Organization! I let my clients decide how they wanted to work, so each client and each job worked totally differently. It was impossible to create a system, and I do like systems.

Benefits, benefits, benefits.

There are more, but those are the important ones. The best part is, because freelancing was still working for me, I could take the time to find something I really wanted to do, rather than jump on the first place that would take me (like I did right after I graduated from college.) And I found it. I'm sooo happy!

I do want to say that I am very proud that I worked on my own for over a year. I had always wanted to try it, and I did it! It worked and everything! If you don't mind, I'll take a moment and pat myself on the back.

So, I've had about a week and a half between the time I was offered the job and my start date, so in this time I have been trying to tie up projects that I've been working on with clients, get my desk organized, and get ready to jump back into the 9 to 5 thing! (I may have also been doing a bit of shopping for new work clothes... sometimes people who work from home work in yoga pants all day, and I don't think that's going to cut it.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious HR paperwork to fill out.

What parts of your life MUST be organized in order for you to function?

mysterious craving for almonds...

2010-01-25T11:42:00.002-05:00

Now this is some marketing.

10 little details that make me smile...

2010-01-22T18:56:00.008-05:00

...in our kitchen.

1. The hot pink diner-style barstools that I wanted desperately for my 16th birthday. I still love them, and I had plans to reupholster them to match the kitchen, but I kinda worked the pink into the green and brown.

2. The concrete countertop that Jon made. We get so many compliments on it! It was cast in place, acid stained—check out the detail on the edge! Love.

3. These little ceramic cream and sugar containers. We drink our espresso black, so they get very little use, but they do make me smile.

4. Track lighting—but not just any track lighting, no no. Each light is like a little old-Hollywood spotlight.

5. Faux hot pink Gerbera Daisies. I used to keep live ones, but that got expensive (and a little sad).

6. Keyhook from Paper Source. Why 3? Why not?

7. A beautiful set of copper pots and pans that we have hanging in the corner. Maybe you can even see me in the reflection?

8. Best salt and pepper shakers ever. I don't even use them.

9. A shabby chic frame with the perfect clipping from Print to coordinate with our kitchen. And it says "cake". What could be better?

10. My engagement ring. Has nothing to do with the kitchen, but there it is! And it definitely makes me smile. <3

(click on the image to see things up close!)

Photos taken on my iPhone with shakeitphoto... inspired by Lisa Leonard's blog. Check out her jewelry, it is gorgeous!

orange juice and my apparently poor taste

2009-09-08T22:07:00.004-04:00

Sometime during the winter, I wrote an email to Tropicana gushing about their new, brave packaging. Here's an excerpt:

I just wanted to say that I LOVE the new packaging... I loved it from afar before I bought it, but yesterday when I went to open it and realized that the cap is a little orange, I was so excited, I love it. Good job guys!!

It really did give me a little chuckle when I noticed the teeny orange (complete with bumps and pits, just like a real orange!), and I thought about how hard the designer(s) probably fought for it, so I wanted to support them. Here's what it looked like:

Cute, huh? Check out the little leaves! It is even squishy, so one
gets the subliminal feeling of squeezing fresh orange juice.

Here was Tropicana's reponse:

Amy:

We're so glad you love our orange slice cap. We have ways of measuring success, but nothing compares to receiving emails like yours, and we're sharing this one with our marketing team!

Thanks for your kind words, Amy. We will always strive to produce high quality juice in packaging you love, so every morning can be a Tropicana morning!

Michael
Tropicana Consumer Relations

I had such nice thoughts of the marketing team reading my feedback and feeling warm and fuzzy too. (I like to give credit where credit is due. Just today I called Kinkos—yes Kinkos!—and expressed my recent run of very successful visits to their stores!)

I see lots of good design on grocery store shelves, but most of it is in the natural foods section. It comes from smaller, independent companies who know that packaging is a big part of the equation to make someone drop an extra $1.50 on a box of cereal.

Now, before I post the bad news, let me say that I was very curious about the packaging change. On a product like Tropicana orange juice, which has strong brand loyalty and expectation, one does not expect to suddenly see such cheeky, fresh, clever, different design. I guess this is why I wanted to cheerlead for it a bit.

Then, I read an article in Print about how EVERYONE is outraged about this new packaging and Tropicana's sales are plunging 20% (because of this cute little orange?). They immediately pulled the new packaging and the old design is back on the shelves. Wow. How could I be that off? I know art is supposed to be subjective, but in marketing, things are different. (Here's some info from AdAge. There's also a video from the designer, Peter Arnell, explaining their design choices.)

So, before you all think I DO have poor taste, let it be known that the outrage is over the change in the body of the carton, not the little orange cap. I guess they should have gone back to the old design, but kept the new orange cap. It is all about compromise! Can't we have both??

What I really want to know is: what happened to all the little leftover orange caps?

key to my...

2009-08-30T12:35:00.002-04:00

house. Check out the Stat Key Company. They make sweet ready-to-cut keys in all different designs.

What a cool idea for a housewarming gift, or maybe a wedding favor? They do custom designs as well.

via Daily Candy.

Well isn't that nice.

2009-08-19T15:19:00.003-04:00

I noticed this when I came home from the grocery store yesterday:

It is right on the front of our house. It is very sweet and made me smile.

Lots of freelance work to do, but I've got a post coming up about orange juice.

Back Into the Swing of Things

2009-08-04T23:06:00.006-04:00

Notice the new tag at the bottom of this post. I'm going back to school. Very part time, of course, but I'm working on my MFA (design). I'll be at MassArt in the fall! Visiting there the other day was very encouraging and inspiring. So excited!

The summer (until now) was very slow for business! But it gave me time to think about plans going forward. I tend to get more done when I have less time to get it done in, so I'm very excited about fall: my design business, my web design class, part time coffee-slinging.

Have you heard about this t-shirt?
Apparently people have been buying it to be ironic and silly, and have been writing these outrageous reviews on Amazon.com, each one more ridiculous than the last. I think it's up to 1000 reviews. Check it out here.

I'll also leave you with this for the evening, up early to do lots of work! Sooo happy to be busy again.

It's from the door to the balcony in our hotel room in New York from a few weeks ago. I submitted it to failblog, but they haven't put it up yet!

I do art!

2009-05-18T11:04:00.002-04:00

I kinda forgot. I just cleaned and organized my office, and found so many supplies I bought for projects I wanted to try but never got to. I'm going to make completing these projects (and blogging about it!) a priority! Stay tuned.

It's chili

2009-01-30T16:55:00.002-05:00

I am entering a chili contest on Sunday before the game... step by step photos to come!

to do!

2009-01-26T11:37:00.007-05:00

Everyone's got a boring, necessary to-do list, and I'm no exception, but here it is more fun to concentrate on my fun to-do list. The first will be CUPCAKES. Yesterday I finally acquired a cupcake tree, a totally unnecessary but awesome kitchen gadget.

I've got some burgundy food coloring, some pretty white cupcake papers and white nonpareils, I just need to make the cupcakes. Should I try fondant? All I know is, I am excited. (By the way, the other items in the photo are not the burgundy food coloring, some pretty white cupcake papers and white nonpareils, just the other stuff I bought yesterday—a shiny green tray, a butter dish, and some funnels. My kitchen is equipped.)

Also, now that I've realized how easy it is to take pictures and post them from my iPhone (!) I FIRMLY INTEND to be posting more, even if it's just about something I see. The creation of my cupcakes will be one good thing to photo, even if I have to buy stand in cupcakes at the end. Usually my cupcakes come out a little off, due to my eagerness to frost them. Patience.

I just hope I don't end up on CakeWrecks. More fun to-dos to come!

making stuff!

2008-11-17T12:10:00.005-05:00

I want to make a bunch of things. First of all, I need to start making Christmas cards. That's more of a need than a want. Second, I have to start painting again. I really love doing it. Also, there are rolls of film I need to develop, I need to learn how to sew, so many recipes I want to try...

I'm mostly just focused on making something like this:

Its from Pottery Barn, and its a really neat idea. It holds all of the Christmas cards that come in the mail! We put them on the mantel last year, which works, but it would be awesome to have them like this, so you can see them all, and so they make one piece of art.

I have this tree from Ikea that might be a good starting point:

Maybe add a bunch of clips to it? Although its not that big, and we get lots of Christmas cards (which I love).

What are you working on??

oh, I did it!

2008-10-20T20:54:00.004-04:00

I did a few things. First of all, I went ahead and started a blog and didn't update it for over a month. Yeesh. I don't want to get into that habit.

Another thing I did was start my own freelance business. Yes, I am now a full-time freelance graphic designer. It has been about a month now, and I'm really loving my freedom to be creative and choosy. Many many thanks to the MANY people who supported me and convinced me that its not a bit crazy to break away and do my own thing. I am totally happy and so excited to work hard and do very well!

ANOTHER thing I did—I went back to work at Starbucks part-time. I wanted to get out of the house once in a while, and their benefits can't be beat. I am so happy I did it! It is awesome to be on my feet, running around, talking to tons of people a day. Gives my brain a chance to rest, and I've actually been quite inspired at Starbucks. So come visit me in Melrose!

This blog isn't going to be about my clients or my freelancing, and I don't intend on discussing in lots of detail the steamed milk I drop on my shoes every day, but more of a collection of things that inspire me, cool things that happen, stuff I find interesting. And whatever I want, because its my blog. And I can start a sentence with and if I want to.

I'm sure I will do a lot of I WANT posting. I'm always seeing things I want. That's ok, right? Anyway, my good friend Cheryl is making something I WANT. Check it out.

birds and the bees

2008-09-09T21:39:00.011-04:00

Ok, so I've been a little bird-obsessed lately, but I think for good reason. Birds (to me, anyways) are perfect symbols of freedom and lightheartedness. Hence, the name of my new business (!! more about this later) and this blog.

I volunteered to do the decorations for my very good friend Melissa's baby shower. I was psyched to do them, because it called for a lot more creativity than balloons and streamers—Melissa and I went to art school together. The colors for the shower were to be dark brown and light pink, awesome!

I wanted to make garlands. Originally I was going to cut out birds and bees of all different sizes out of pink and brown paper, and string them up on a ribbon, but as I was cutting out the templates for the birds, I got a better idea:

I used the templates as a reverse stencil, and spray-painted over them, punched two holes in the top (with a tiny hole punch from Paper Source — how much do I LOVE Paper Source?) and laced ribbon and yarn through.

I love how they came out! I ended up using the letter b instead of bees, because, well, that's more fun. Melissa hung them in the baby's room, and she decoupaged some of them on a lamp! I'm so happy she liked them that much.

Here's the lamp. Nice hand modeling!

I'm going to get a bunch of cloth covered notebooks and frames, and spray birds on there, too. Hello etsy?