This is my playground. I'm learning through quick and dirty experimentation, exploration and research. I'm sharing graphic design tutorials, anecdotes,and inspiration.
I haven't posted in a really, really, long time. I've had many things to share but no time to share them with you. Today, I'm inspired to tell you about this little project I worked on last month. I was approached by Mercedes Sanchez of Bechicmag.com to create an invitation for The Church of the Nativity on the Lower East Side. Unfortunately, the church was recently closed although its parishioners continue to fight to keep it open. I know how important a church is to any community and it was a pleasure being able to try to help. If you can, please help. Please see the articles below the work to learn more about the church and the fight to keep it open.
Here are a few articles with more detailed information about the church closing:
As parents we rule the world for a brief period in our children's lives. I'm guessing it will be about ten years for me. In his brief one year of existence, my son has managed to teach me more about life at a fast pace than I have learned in 30 something years.. These might not be lessons you haven't seen before, however, they're impressive when you see them work in a kid. I know we're not all blessed with children so I'm sharing this as a reminder to self and for those who don't have daily experiences with children.
Lesson #1: Embrace the Happy Accident
One day I watched my son slip and slide as he walked over flash cards he'd spread all over the living room floor. He didn't quite fall. I'm guessing he liked the slide experience as he continued to make it happen again, again, and again--until he fell. His experience taught me not to dwell too long on mistakes and to embrace accidents. While I don't always do this, his experience is a reminder that we can learn from everything.
Lesson#2: Less Is More
This cliche phrase applies to my son's "relationship" with his toys. Through watching him, I learned that the less a toy can do, the more it encourages creativity. Through using an object without a specific form of usage, my son is able to be creative to be entertained. For him, a box is a step stool, a car, a shoe, skates, and a drum; while an electronic drum is just an electronic drum. His idea of a toy taught me that tools can influence our level of creativity. Although a computer can help us accomplish our job, it can also be a huge impediment when it comes to creativity. Because computers can do so much, they have the potential of becoming a crutch.
Lesson#3: Don't Stare, Just Gawk
You've seen them. Babies and toddlers stare at YOU. Okay sometimes, they just GAWK. I'll admit it's embarrassing for me when my son stares because I live in New York but I know it's part of his learning experience. I'm sometimes surprised when he does something I haven't seen before and I certainly haven't taught him. Children learn by watching everyone and so should we as adults. Forget, about norms and just stare and see the intricate details. Watching someone perform their job gives us insight and may help us get in their shoes even for just a few minutes.
I have loads more to learn and I'm looking forward to many more years of lessons.
With my son's birthday coming up soon, I decided to stop wondering for a minute to show you some work. My Chocolindo inspired a lot of the work I do including my recent obsession with drawing and illustration. I believe that drawing is key to creativity and activating that memory muscle in the brain. At the How Design Conference I attended recently, I tested my memory theory and I happen to have proved myself correct. I remembered twice as much information with my drawings. In celebration of my son's birthday I compiled a small lil video with how I reenergized and renewed my drawing skills.
I wondered if I could learn more about user experience design so I engaged my cousin Eny Hathaway on my quest. Late last year, I decided I wanted to learn more about user experience design so I contacted my cousin, Eny Hathaway, lead UX designer for Kronos. My little one was too young for me to travel back then but I recently had the opportunity to see her during my week at the How Design Conference. One day after a long day of conferencing, I met with her, we chatted and she told me everything I wanted to know about experience design. Here's a Q&A that answered many of my questions. What's your background in design? I graduated from UMass Lowell with a BFA, Graphic Design in 2004 and after graduating created logos, branding libraries, data sheets, booth displays and anything that would support a marketing department. In 2005 or so, I started working on designing the visual language for GUIs, after I moved to designing Interactions for products.
How did you get started as a UX designer?
After graduating, I landed an internship in a software company founded by MIT graduates. There I found a couple of mentors that advised me to move from print to digital design, since technology was changing and it was changing fast. They invited me to join them in helping them design the GUI/UI of the products they were developing. I have been collaborating with software developers since.
Why do you think UX design is so important?
The success of a product has with the product's ease of use. In the past, products were defined by their features, however, today ease-of-use and emotional connection makes a product successful.
What do you like about your job?
The team players, the complex design challenges and the satisfaction I get when a product is launched. Let me tell you a bit more… the team players are product managers, software architects, visual designer, quality assurance, usability researchers, and other interaction designers. We come together with different skills and backgrounds; everyone has a unique way to solve a given problem and different concerns. In the end, we all have to agree to the given solution. Complex design challenges keep my mind occupied and allow me to dream. When I'm given a design problem the solution most often does not exist. I have to dig deep and come up with something, an idea, that might solve that problem. You present this idea--a dream--in the hopes that others will imagine it. I have the best feeling when a product is launched or a feature is added to product and then I say,…”Wow, this was once a sketch, a simple idea that came to life.”
What challenges have you encountered?
One of the early challenges in my career was learning how to utilize feedback and constructive criticism. I often internalized the comments and was hard on myself. Now, as a designer with 10+ years of experience, I comprehend that I’m not designing for myself, I’m designing for other people. Today, my biggest challenge is getting a diverse team to agree upon a proposed design solution.
What keeps you motivated/inspired?
The tech marketplace keeps me motivated, my unique background inspires me and my son keeps me laughing. I love adding value to products through design. Well-designed products make a profit, and it's important to be aware of the impact you will make as a designer in any project. There is tremendous potential to be financially rewarded as a designer. My roots inspire me, I always look at my past experiences and history to help me solve design problems. My son brings me so much joy; his sense of humor is great his happiness makes me smile. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've found in life that the best place and people to learn from are those who are closest to us. Our mothers, fathers, and siblings have an indelible impact on what we learn and how we do so. I'm so thankful to have family such as mine and in particular this time for my cousin Eny. In an hour or two, she taught me so much. I do want to keep learning so she'll play a part in a future post and I will learn as we play.
Fred Harrison, one of the conference speakers, gave the audience bags to explode. We're all record holders at recordsetter.com. One of the main messages of Sam Harrison's talk was to pay attention to surroundings.
I wondered if it was possible to actually learn something from everyone I encountered at the HOW Design 2014 Conference so I decided to take notes and see.
I love learning and although many people are turned off by conferences, I enjoy them. Going to the HOW Design Conference was a dream come true, not because I hadn't attended before, but because Stefan Sagmeister, designer rock star, was going to be there. I realized a dream and also learned quite a few lessons from everyone, but the five talks below made lasting impressions on me that will remain for a long time.
1. A Designed Life with Donovan/Green - This husband/wife team taught me that one can have better results working with the right clients.Their company grew and had a lot of success because they valued diversity of thought and hired those that were better than they were at their craft. But the most important lesson learned was to focus on what you want and to do what feels right.
2. Stanley Hainsworth's Stories of Success. Our most successful ideas can come after work hours. Infusing your passions into your work can yield great results. Everything you do or have done,can inform your ideas and point you in the right direction.
3. Justin Ahrens Puts His Money Where His Heart Is. Mr. Ahrens is very passionate about helping the world through good. He devotes his time to charity and believes that passion brings out the best version of you. Ahrens thinks that we become what we repeatedly do so we must be aware of our habits. I was encouraged to listen to Drew Houston's commencement speech and it was the best advice. I'm paying it forward and have included it below:
4. Zing Zone with Sam Harrison - Our creativity ZONE can be achieved by following a five step process. The steps include Explore, Experiment, Exhale, Examine, Express.
5. Bob Gil on Ideation - This 83-year old reminded us that we're influenced by culture, but we should ignore it because trends are not ideas. Having a point of view brings out your best and most unique work.
I encourage everyone to go to this particular conference because you'll be surrounded by so many creatives that who knows... maybe you'll be the next Drew Houston!
I wondered if I could be great at hand lettering so I tried it. As a designer, I often have to learn new software programs and keep up with new technologies. Learning to adapt quickly is a necessary requirement of my profession. I often attend workshops, talks, and take courses on design in order to keep learning.
Recently, I've grown obsessed with handdrawn type and illustration. My interest started long ago when my favorite designer of all time, Stefan Sagmeister, created the poster with the chicken without a head. I didn't start developing my own handdrawn type until 2005 when I took at class at SVA just to get re-inspired. My professor at SVA stressed the need to find your own voice by incorporating some sort of handmade aspect to whatever you desired to do; doing so adds something that cannot be duplicated. In the age of machines, everything looks the same except things we create with our own hands. Yes, it is quite imperfect but it also what makes you unique.
Here's my journey in pictures on hand lettering.
Although this attempt was very raw, I didn't know it at the time. Sometimes, it takes to keep trying to know.
Around 2011, I created a website www.myown9to5.com and basically wrote the text with my own handwriting. As you can tell, I wasn't really trying to be perfect or even close.
Above is more recent example of hand lettering you can see that my letters are choppy and too close together. It looks amateur.
I'm currently attending a class on hand lettering on Skillshare and learned some tips to improve my hand lettering skills. Here's a draft of a project I'm working on at the moment. As you can tell I'm much improved. I hope I can do a lot better in the coming year. I can still see some things than can be improved in the project below. But this is the life of graphic designer.
He is my everything. He is the reason I start and finish anything. He is the reason I wake up with a smile on my face. He saved me. When he was born, he brought a deeper purpose to my life. Every day is a challenge but every day I learn more from him than I ever knew I could. I see the world for the first time with him. He looks at everything with fresh eyes. He inspires to be curious and inspect the world around. I've never had a more creative period in my entire life.
