So, Nicole nicely came to me and said she was designing jewelry to sell in a fab Columbia, SC store called Belladea on Divine Street and needed a logo to go along with her new passion. When she told me the name of her line, Hoot!, I was THRILLED! See, Nicole and I were in the same sorority in college and our mascot was an owl (go Chi O!), so I couldn’t wait to get started. We both immediately began emailing each other tons of ideas and thoughts. It was a design match made in heaven!

That night I pulled out my Wacom and got down & dirty drawing & designing. We went through several fun designs and below are a few examples of the logo.

All images are copyrighted to Blank Canvas Graphics, llc

As you can see, I got a little carried away! And this isn’t even the half of them! I think I may have overwhelmed Nicole with my enthusiasm. We went through a few changes switching up the fonts/owls and combining fun, pop colors to really get to the root of Nicole’s dreams. Below is her final logo! I personally couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Knowing Nicole, this logo is perfect for her and her jewelry!

All images are copyrighted to Blank Canvas Graphics, llc

You can check out her jewelry on her facebook page and also check out a few pieces below. I highly suggest checking them out and if you are in Columbia, stop by Belladea! While you are browsing her facebook page, be sure to become a fan and spread the word. You’ll want to get a pair before they are all gone! These suckers are going to go fast. (FYI…Nicole, I stole these images from your page)

Now on to my post…

I am OBSESSED! With the new book by Kate Bingaman-Burt, “Obsessive Consumption, What Did You Buy Today?”! This book gave me one of those “Why didn’t I think of that” moments and made me want to instantly pull out my receipts from the day and draw (which I didn’t). It is simply too cool! Beginning on February 5, 2006, Kate has drawn an item that she purchased every day and kept going for three years…and in turn, made it a book! It is filled with unique sketches of all those random purchases that we all very often make: Diet Coke, coffee, haircuts & even the mundane items like toothpaste and pepto. It’s fun to flip through the book and take a peek inside her life — to see if she has product loyalty, has any freaky quirks, or, like me, see if you can connect with her through all those purchases. I found myself saying, “I LOVE that product!” on more than one occasion. Even the “Hey, I bought that skirt, too!” It’s just plain fun to look inside someone’s life. It’s like you are doing something you shouldn’t…or digging through a trash can of a neighbor to see what they are up to behind their walls.

My favorite page is definitely page 114, shown below. Not only did Kate go to a Piggly Wiggly grand opening (my FAV store), she bought my favorite obsessive purchase of Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper. But it doesn’t stop there…she made these purchases on my birthday (my 24th, too!).

She recently came to Savannah and held a super fun lecture & printing workshop at SCAD. Unfortunately, due to reasons beyond my control, I sadly missed both events. I’m still cringing that I missed an opportunity to snag a print…especially the BINGO print. Ohhhh the humanity!

So alas, I will write about my obsession with Obsessive Consumption. Be sure to snag a copy off Kate’s website, http://www.obsessiveconsumption.typepad.com/ and pay the little extra to get a personal sketch…it’s worth it! I plan to frame mine & add it to my art collection. And if all the sketches in the book aren’t enough, go to the site & check out her daily sketches.

But buyers beware…it makes you think about how much money you actually spend. It’s FRIGHTENING!

You bombard us with your “edgy” look, yet it just doesn’t work. You, Papyrus, along with Comic Sans, need to just get together & run away for a while. Better yet, just jump off a cliff. Is that too much to ask?

If you are a designer out there, I challenge you to spread the word. RUN AWAY PAPYRUS & COMIC SANS! We don’t like you and probably never will. Sign a comment below if you will help me push.

And for those that are confused as to why these fonts are so widely overused (and for the wrong purpose at that) you will now start to realize how horrible it really is. You will see the fonts EVERYWHERE. And really “Jungle Safari”, was it necessary to use Comic Sans as your logo font?? I think not. And Celadon, I’m still mad at you…even though I love your store & cheap jewelry.

Post photos of your horrible Papyrus & Comic Sans experiences. I’ll post them as I come across them!

Just a few horrible examples I’ve come across just today alone:

My cotton balls bag…if I didn’t need them so badly, I wouldn’t have purchased them.

I love you Celadon & your store…but do really hate this!

You are fooling no one with that glow.

Category 1: The Creepy Guy Next Door

Everyone knows this guy. The one that sits, with no book/computer, and stares…at everyone! They look normal, but nope, totally creepy. My advice, sit as far away as possible & out of the stare zone.

Category 2: The Creepy Guy Next Door, Part 2

Same as above, but this creepster has a book & pretends to read.

Category 3: The Retired Guy

This customer is the same as the creepy guy, just not creepy! He is generally a sweet looking older man who has nothing to do but come to Barnes & Noble and waste time. He will generally try and spark up a conversation. Topic of choice: past wars he fought in

Category 4: The High Schooler

They have no purpose but to annoy those around them with loud & pointless phone calls about high school drama “Seriously, she said WHAT?!!?”  They will also have a hot chocolate in hand to look cool and make people think they are drinking coffee.

Category 5: The Wedding Planner

Ohhh they are everywhere! Always meeting clients (the Bride) to discuss flowers, colors, how to tame unruly groomsmen, and to gossip about other couples.

Category 6: The Blind Date

These people are very easy to spot. One person arrives early & gets their coffee & a magazine and sits waiting nervously. Then when their blind date shows up (IF they show up), it leads to an awkward “hello, nice to meet you” introduction and the guy getting nervous, hitting the table & coffee goes everywhere.

Category 7: College Students

This is a category I am far too familiar with. They always look stressed, impatient & can be bitchy when bothered. And if you are sitting at a table next to an outlet WITHOUT a computer, you better move because the stink eye look can kill. Students can easily be picked out by the computer, venti coffee, and messed up hair/clothing.

Category 8: The Church Ladies

Really, does this need an explanation?

Category 9: Business Men

Always in a rush, always loud, and always dressed to the 9s. Ready to make a deal?

Category 10: Everyone else.

So how did I do? I know there are categories I left out, so please feel free to submit your Barnes & Noble stories. The same categories apply to Starbucks customers!

Enough procrastination for today…I’m off to move to a nearby table with an outlet now that Creepy Guy has moved!

I could go on and on about how I think commercials are important for marketing — even if I may not watch them all the time — but don’t worry, I won’t! I just compiled a few of my favorite commercials (recent ones) and thought you guys would enjoy! So please do!

Since the holidays are coming up, I’ll start with the Korbel commercials. Love it ALL. The song…the simplicity…the way it makes my mouth water…yum!

Another holiday fav…the Gap commercials! This one is a little old, but I just LOVE the song. I even bought the sweater that year!

Ok, now I can not get enough of the E*Trade baby. I love all their commercials, but this one keeps me laughing even after the commercial is over.

The new American Express commercials are by FAR my favorite commercial out there at the moment. Great idea & great execution. I can just imagine the creative team scouting out little faces in their day-to-day lives. You know some guy was in the shower when the curtain smiled at him & he got the idea! It’s just too great of a commercial & I’ve been spreading the word all over the place about it. I even make people be quite when it comes on!

Now this commercial stirred up some controversy and was pulled from being shown on a lot of stations. But again, great idea & excellent execution.

We’ve all seen it and this commercial needs no explanation. Go Dove!

Ok, Subway finally got it right. This series cracks me up! I couldn’t find their other versions, but the girl busting the raft in the pool is just awesome.

And I guess I can wrap things up now, so here is one last one…the latest Apple commercial. I just love Justin Long! The Apple commercials even inspired my Halloween costume last year (don’t ask questions). Watch all commercials here: http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

As you can see, I was not happy about having to be the PC! I had to walk around all night saying “And I’m a PC” after Edward!

Now these are just a few of my favorite commercials, so feel free to post some of yours!

*UPDATE*

I don’t know how I could forget this commercial because I stop & watch it everytime it comes one. I also sing along…The doggy dream sequence is my favorite part!

Thanks to Stuart who reminded me!

Another favorite that I can’t believe I forgot…Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome commercials! I love this little guy!

And of course, the Bing commercials…

…and the Direct TV ones. It’s amazing what they can do with technology now-a-days!

I dragged my “husband”, Edward Jones the third (yes I write it out), with me as I had no other hopefuls lined up. No offense Edward…really, you were my first pick!  He had no idea what he was getting in to, but when I said “free beer” he was in…no questions asked. So he picked me up around 6 and off we went!

We arrived at the Music Farm (the secret location that was announced only days before the event) at 6:35 to find out that the doors wouldn’t open till 7. So what else would we do besides go to Chais to have a nice glass of wine. While waiting for the doors to open, Edward continued to call the event Pikachu…yes, I am referring to the yellow haired animal on Pokemon.  While sipping my wine (him = beer) we admired the fabulous poster & invitation that my friend, Jay Fletcher, designed! He is an AMAZING designer who I admire & hope to one day make pieces half as amazing!  Check out the poster (of which the photo was snagged off his site)!

A photo of my fabulous date (taken by nothing other than my iPhone)…

Of all the fabulous presenters at Pecha Kucha 4, my most favorite was by Sideshow Press. I admire these women SO much! Their letterpress work is awe inspiring and truly inspirational. I have loved letterpress since the first day I saw it years ago and their work is above & beyond perfection.

Needless to say, I was thrilled when I saw my AIGA INSHOW Awards Gala invitation which was beautifully pressed by them! Such a clever idea & I am thrilled to be going to the same event as the creatives behind it all: Sideshow Press, Stitch Design Co, Sandy Lang, and Wentworth Printing.

Stay tuned as the Pajama Run will be held THIS SUNDAY! There is still time to register & donate, so please do your part to help cancers below the waist with MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center! If you register, you will receive a tshirt with my design on it…what more could you ask for?

See you in your pajamas!

Recently I entered 2009 and the modern technology world and purchase an iPhone. (Please stop laughing, I know I am far behind.) With that magical iPhone came the wonders of apps. Even better, FREE apps!

As a graphic designer and complete geek, I started hunting around for some fun apps that may help me out on the design scene. And from the 75,000 apps available, I found a few that made them worthy enough to be downloaded. Yes, my 16GB of space is precious…not every app makes the cut. It’s a harsh world out there folks and I’m it’s bitchy leader turning down free apps.

After geeking up my new iPhone, I also got a few fun downloads (like my favorite free game, Scramble 2) and a few that drive me insane (like LCube Lite, ugh!). It’s a sad little world that I now live in…full of trying to expand my vocabulary by playing a game and then realizing that I must not be that smart since I can’t solve the “rubiks” cube on the EASY setting which should only take about 10 moves.

But enough fluff…here are the FREEEEEEE design apps I found worthy enough to download and think they might be useful to you, too! If you know of any great apps, send them my way!

What the Font - a great app from MyFonts.com where you can take a photo of type and it searches for the font! Pretty nifty when you are at the store and see a label with a font you MUST have but don’t know what it is.

FontShuffle - The perfect app if you are wanting to find a new font. Start out by searching type styles then getting into more details. Once you’ve selected your choices it shoots you a few fonts to look into. If you STILL aren’t satisfied, click Shuffle to get a new selection!

PaletteLite – Bliss!! If you are away from your computer and need to create a new color scheme for a client, it’s the perfect way to do so! Even better…create the scheme while you are WITH the client to A) score major points and B) create a drama-free color palette!

SimpleMindX – Free mind mapping at it’s best. You can get your ideas started by mapping your thoughts down quickly & easily. You can even save your map to email! Finally, something to keep my thoughts on track

Dexigner – Quickly and easily find out what’s going on around town with events & news…all about design! It’s a great app to stay connected and even find design competitions! But it doesn’t stop there. Search design books, designers and agencies. Pretty neato, I must say!

SketchBookX – This is more of a fun one. You can make quick sketches to get your ideas/thoughts down if pen/paper aren’t available. Then save & email off to a client for a quick review. Pretty handy when you are stuck without your sketch pad. It’s also just fun to mess around with. Here is my 30 second design!

Dropbox - Now this is pretty cool. You can synch up your desktop to your phone to easily send/review files! You can even send a file to a client via a web download link. Ahhh…to never be lost again. It’s a great feeling! Check out their site (liked below) to really dive in to all it can do. It’s pretty amazing & a great tool for designers on the go. Every file uploaded also gets BACKED UP on their site. Now that is security!

And finally just a few apps that everyone should have to begin with that need no description…

YellowPages

Dictionary.com

And of course TweetDeck

I hope these free apps come in handy for you guys! Send me some comments on apps yall think are good to have on hand. Maybe soon I’ll dip into the must-have paid apps!

As you all know, I am obsessed with NYC. The sights, the smells, the subway! Ahh, I can just smell the sweet homeless man now (even the one that snorted like a pig in my face)! So when I came across this amaaaazing print from Michael Albert (via Incredible Things), the design gods lifted my block & in came a shining ray of light! (Insert holy organ type music here)

Isn’t it awesome? I could stare at it all day and still find new little pieces of words. When I look at it, it reminds me of marketing & advertising — which is a huge passion of mine — being a kid, being a dreamer, and seeing what could one day be my future (in Manhattan!).  I know most of you won’t see my passions through this print, but I hope that you see yours through it. Just take a minute to really look at it and see all the details. Then see how many brands you can recognize! It’s like a fun game!

Sadly, this is all I have for now…back to more cold medicine and movies! See you soon with more inspiring thoughts

I’ve also been working on a logo for a print services company called Black Mule. Check it out! If you have any print needs or want an excuse to buy some great promo items, hit up  www.blackmule.net. I know I love getting pens & notepads from companies!

I’ll be getting started on Christmas Card designs soon, so as always just shoot me an email if you have any special requests or want to receive one!

- Thanks for all the love

My number one:  A-ha, Take on Me  (click for video)

There is just something about this that I’ve always loved!

Number Two: Blur, Coffee & TV

The little milk carton gets me every time! You just automatically feel for the little guy and want him to find his missing person! And ohhh those facial expressions!

Number Three: George Michael, Freedom

I love it. I love it all! It’s also my favorite karaoke choice!

Number Four: Stone Temple Pilots, Interstate Love Song (click for video)

There’s just something about Scott Weiland in a pink jacket!

Number Five: Beck, Hell Yes

Who couldn’t love Beck & dancing robots?

Number Six: KT Tunstall, Suddenly I See

This video isn’t only great, but this song is the first song I listen to when I want to feel better! I think partly because it’s the opening song to the awesomeness of The Devil Wears Prada!

Number Seven: Ok Go, Here It Goes

I’ve always wanted to bust out in dance on the gym treadmill because of this video! 

Number Eight: Lit, Miserable

I could do without seeing a half-naked Pam Anderson, but I do love it when she eats the band! Could we see a video with a half-naked man? Perhaps Vince Vaughn?? Or Luke Wilson?

There you go…my favorite videos (at this very moment). Feel free to submit some of your favorite songs/videos. It may even inspire me to add on to the post!

Happy Tuesday everyone, and get to work!