Random

Feeling kind of restless today....too many ideas and not enough focus to pick a direction and to get started on them. Small steps first...so I will update my neglected blog and post a few logos that I concepted a while back for another pastry chef. Don't know why it didn't quite pan out, I felt my ideas were strong and on target with what I distilled from the clients' needs and wishes. Guess it all came down to lack of response on their part. Job hunting is a lot like dating in my book.

You set up a date to meet a potential client...you hit it off. They introduce you to their other half...and you all click. There's an immediate feeling of ease and familiarity with each other as you talk about the project and start to brainstorm ideas together. Time slips away and the meeting goes long because everyone got lost in the witty banter. You leave feeling like you just met your creative soulmate. They share your vision, get your ideas and are excited to move to the next level. As you drive home you ask yourself "Are we going steady now?"

You dream about them all night. In the morning, you jump out of bed and are eager to work without the usual gallon of caffeine. Creative juices are flowing full force and identities o'plenty pour out from your brain to your Wacom tablet. One idea, two idea, three idea, four!! You're on fire and excited to share your work. "It's never been like THIS before!". You're confident they're going to love the ideas as much as you do as you hit the Send button. Then...you wait.

And you wait.
And wait...
A day goes by. Nothing. Huh? "They were SO responsive when we first talked. Maybe I sent it to the wrong address."
You double check, everything is correct.
Another day goes by...nothing.
You send a follow up email. Nothing.

One final and last ditch effort to connect on your part "Hey, it's been a while...just checking in to see if you got the logos. I was starting to worry that something is wrong with my email or the file was too big to get through." (You use error on your end to 'excuse' your barrage of messages.)

"Sorry Hon, just SUPER busy."
Hmmmmm....aren't we all super busy? Isn't this the technology age when it takes 2 seconds to respond to a text or email...and say 'Got it, thx we'll get back to you!'. Aren't you the same person who had a landline, iPhone, laptop AND iPad all fired up and responding to all calls/messages while we were meeting? Wait?! HON? You're calling me Hon? Oh. Wow...whoa...did I just get taken? I feel led on.

As in dating....you can only hear 'nothing' for so long before you move on. "Will they call me back?", "Do they like me & my work?", "Do I call/email AGAIN?" "What should I do?". You feel like the Carrie Bradshaw of freelance. Just tell me you're not interested, you found someone else, I'm not right designer for you, you're playing the field...whatever, I'm a seasoned professional—I can take it. Don't expect me to chase you forever though, three unreturned emails is my limit. A gal's gotta have her standards, lol.

Months go by and you never did hear back from them. You're cleaning out your drive and come across your files. You think back to this brief affair, admire the work you did and think (Cole Porter playing in the background of your mind) "It was just one of those things."

The BIG reveal!

A while back I posted a logo project that I was working on with my friend Christina. At the time, we were trying to develop an identity for her bakery start-up, Cheesecake. While she liked the original concepts a lot, she still didn't feel like anything about the brand name was "her". A little too cutesy, a little too specific...many of the things that we had originally discussed. After much contemplation, she decided to switch direction with the name and thoughts of what she wanted her business to be. Christina's new vision couldn't have been more perfect for her, personally and professionally, so with renewed excitement of knowing exactly what she was going for, I got to work.

I am extremely pleased to share her new name and identity. With that, I give you...

First off, I think her choice of name couldn't be more clever! Much like Christina's personality AND the amazingly clever creations she bakes up! It's playful and original, and speaks to the quality of her desserts....which are wicked good!

Originally, Christina was drawn to the dark purple and emerald green of one of her favorite plays, Wicked. While that color palette works great for that purpose, it really wasn't going to work in this instance, and after seeing a few other concepts of logos in that combo, she agreed. I chose a more updated and modern version of a similar color combo. It's bright and unexpected, which I think will make her stand out in a sea of the typical pastel frosting color palettes.

The oval card was Christina's idea...and at first I was a little unsure with that request, thinking it was going to be WAY out of her budget. Then something in my brain went "oval=halo!!!" Brilliant. Then there was no question about oval, it needed to be done at any cost. Fortunately, I found an online printer LeCards, out of L.A., who offered super reasonable prices! As an added bonus, we were able to do spot varnish. Giving a little 'shine' to the front of the card on the halo above the O, and the one that circles the card. On the flip side, we have a little bit of 'wicked', also with a hit of spot varnish on the tail that snakes itself her contact information. She used the same artwork from the card front to do oval labels for her cake boxes, and I created a banner for her to use on her table. She plans on setting up at comic book, monster, tattoo and other fun conventions along with her boyfriend who is often there to sell comics and collectibles.

So keep an eye out for Christina and her Wicked Good desserts next time you're out and about! She also does parties, weddings, showers...whatever you need.

You can email her at christina@wickedgooddesserts.com if you're in the Metro Detroit area and need some deliciousness! Tell her I sent ya!

Kick Out the Blogs!

Yeah, yeah...FINALLY, a post!!! Sue me. I've been struggling to come up with anything blog-worthy. My brain is at a loss for ideas, but I figure I need to get moving on some things. This blog being one of them. Having recently discovered a few blogs that I've found very inspiring, I'm going to make more of an effort to get mine going. Originally, I intended for this site to feature some of my design work. But, I think it'll end up evolving into more than just an online portfolio...but to what end, I can't say. So hang on and we'll see where we end up.

Having said that, let's kick off this post (pun intended) with a recent project—Packaging Design. My buddy Vic is one of the best clients I have. He's the owner of V-Male Detroit Vintage in Dearborn Heights, MI. The thing about Vic, is he gives me full creative freedom—something that I don't always get in the 9-5 corporate world that I'm usually designing in. We share a love of all things vintage, so it's the best of both worlds to me: design and vintage clothing! Vic has a variety of exclusive products in his shop, the most recent being a line of seamed stockings, which he called upon me to do the packing for. Here we have it! The final design!

The image comes from Vic's personal collection of pin-up artwork. He thought it would be perfect and I couldn't agree more. Another fun aspect of designing for Vic is that everything is done in smaller quantities with extremely small budgets, so I love to find ways to do things the most inexpensive way without compromising style and effectiveness.

Originally, we intended to get custom lingerie boxes printed. Once we learned the minimum quantity to order was 4,000, our plans changed. At slightly over $1 a box, not only was the upfront costs out of the question, but finding storage for that many boxes would be impossible. So on to the more cost effective Plan B.

Vic ordered a small quantity of the plain white lingerie boxes, I picked up some full sheets of Avery labels and ran them through a Xerox Phaser 7750 laser printer. After cutting them down to size, I affixed them to the fronts of the boxes and voila! They're perfect! I am so pleased with the result. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were printed. Added bonus of doing it this way? We can change the labels as needed, depending on size/style/color...whatever he wants, it's a simple click and print!

Best part of it all? He's incredibly happy with the results and it didn't break the bank for him!! YAY!!!

If you want to pick up a pair, you can find them at V-Male Detroit Vintage, 23902 Van Born Rd., Dearborn Heights, MI. He's one of the original vendors at Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender, so be to check him out there if you're at the show.