I’m listening to the sleet…I’m watching ‘Playing for Change‘ (you have to check it out – see iTunes and YouTube…or google Playing for Change…it will change your life)….and I’m learning about my friends via Facebook. It’s amazing still yet to me that you can have a million conversations with someone and yet ask them to list 25 random things about themselves, their goals, or their life and you learn something you’ve never leared before….hmmm….maybe it’s because we spend so much time talking about stuff we don’t talk about ourselves..But then again, can you imagine opening a new friendship by asking for 25 random facts about themselves? They’d run screaming hoping you weren’t their next stalker….but put up a page on Facebook or send an email and everyone has something to say.

Right now is a tough time for us a little. My oldest son is in need of reaching out and talking to his father who disappeared off of planet Earth 5 years ago. I know where he is. We sent a letter. We left a message. Still no call back. I want to tell my son that it’s nothing personal. That it just is how he is….the song by Randy Travis says it all “The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions”…point in case…his father. But…he doesn’t understand. At 11 he’s very brave and says it’s ok, but, in the end, it’s not…and I wish I could fix it. If anyone out there can grant wishes…this is the one and only single solitary wish…that’s he’d respond some way some how…sigh…

Anyways…it has been a long time since I last blogged…I’ve found a million more wonderful sites to visit…without it being an assignment, and I learn more and more about design everyday. By the way, if you haven’t, check out Somerset Studio magazine…it’s a must see.

Well, it’s late, it’s cold, it’s wet, and it’s icy….welcome to Texas and wait, was it 80 degrees a few days ago…yes, you bet. Don’t like it? Wait 15 minutes….it’ll change again, but that means late starts tomorrow if at all and long drives when it does start. So wish us luck…and we’ll see you soon!

Peace, Love, Happiness…

Where the Hell is Matt?     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY

and

Playing for Change – Stand By Me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

While these are my personal favorites, there are a ton of more excerpts and additions from YouTube for both of these categories…

So I so, go ye forth and discover, love, learn…and to all….peace…

Have a great rest of your weekend…

Demara

What is it about this quarter and this time of year that there just isn’t time for the fun things in life? Even those things that are supposed to be fun….well, there’s just too much to do to make them fun….hustle bustle clean this clean that put this up hang this hang that ……well, did I fail to put “breath” in there? Nope….no time.

It doesn’t help that this is the time of year for final projects, year end work loads, and more deadlines than there is space on the calendar.

So, I guess I will take just enough time to give you part of my favorite Christmas special ever, A Charlie Brown Christmas, by Charles M. Schulz. As I cannot provide any quoted version without express written permission from the publisher, my favorite part occurs where Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows what Christmas is all about and Linus, with great solumnity, under the light of a sigle spot, recounts the story of Christmas, (as taken from various sources- King James Version):

Luke2: 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

So there you have it…..Wether you believe or not, whether you celebrate or not, it is with my heartfelt sincerity in the love and hope of the season that I say: Merry Christmas. May the Season bring you Joy and most of all may the Season bring you Peace.

Generally I am quite content in my own shoes, but have been forced lately to live the life of a web-designer…I feel like I should be in some sort of therapy session….”Hello, my name is Demara, first time Dreamweaver-user, first time web-designer….and I don’t know how to script”. So bear with me as I walk over to the computer lab and borrow a pocket-protector, it’s time to get coding…

So let me just say that Dreamweaver, well, it doesn’t suck, but I’m not sure what it does do. For those that script as a second language (can that be an official language for a state?), it is onerous and has a tendency to do things a little bass-ackwards, throwing in commands that aren’t supposed to be there, filling in gook here and there apparently randomly. For those of us who just design and can’t script with the directions spelled out in 5th-grade English, it just isn’t as user friendly as it needs to be and you find that you need to know coding to fix the silly crap it does. So, given that I love the remaining Adobe Creative Suite programs, I’m a little disappointed with Dreamweaver. Do you think they’ll fix it with CS4? hmmmm…..bears pondering.

So, while I have been able to create a somewhat functional, if not marginally ok, 8 pages of web-site with Dreamweaver, I just still don’t really get it.

So, wish me luck….I’m gonna go back to the computer lab and see if I can figure out how to make some of this stuff work right.

See you soon….

I don’t do a lot of actual reading on-line. Too much time in front of the pc and my body complains loudly, but I do love having the access for research, ideas, and the like. So, having on-line mags is helpful but I have to say, I still love having the print mags in many cases. One of the things I don’t like about on-line mags is that there just isn’t a whole lot of past information without a hastle or just not at all. There just isn’t storage space for most ‘publishers’.

The first mag I saw was for Graphic Design USA (gdusa.com). This one I didn’t find quite as helpful as some. Though it was fairly navigatable, it was almost too brief to be too helpful. But it had some little tidbits that make it worth coming back to visit.

The next one is How Magazine (howdesign.com). This one was nice. Lots of information, lots of style. It actually looked like a design magazine only on-line. It was still very navigational but very nice.

The last is Printmag.com. This, like the How, also offered a subscription. And like How, it looks and feels like a design magazine.

I have to say, I am getting more in-tune with the web thing and am looking forward to checking back on some of these mags and some more….

Thanks for being patient. And we’ll talk again soon.

The first portfolio I visited was by kamikazi420td. Ok, so this was the first one on the list, but it was the thubnail image that caught my attention. This site had fantastic music set to a moving slideshow of works. The portofilio shows a great array of skills ranging from annual reports for Starbucks to logos, t-shirts and the like. I have to say, being able to browse portfolios here in YouTube is just as informative as browsing portfolio sites across the web and at impactfolios, but it’s almost more captivating when the music chosen is right for the work and the mood and speed of the show. Which this one suits perfectly. The only thing I found I did not like is that unless you subscribe you do not know who this site belongs to. He doesn’t put his name anywhere on it. Made it diffiult for me to give him credit. So….hope he recognizes his screen name (above) and so do others….

The second site I visited is the portfolio of Olivier Lataud from France (nolive69). This site is AWESOME!!! It’s a visual treat in nearly 3D. You travel into and through his works. It’s bright. It’s live action. It’s alive. And as with kamikaze420td, the music perfectly suits the mood and speed of the site. The only drawback is that the images are not quite as memorable because you get so caught up in the action of the thing, but, it’s a site you would want to replay and revisit, so I’m not sure that this would overall be a problem. What did I learn? I learned I want to know how to do what he did…..

There are so many other sites that I want to take a look at like :

Graphic Design Exposition Japan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1_M2na3fdU&feature=related.

Typolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVPfTlpCKaw&feature=related

YSDN-What is Graphic Design? (A Type Exloration Project) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CvAPBQL_0Y&feature=related

I’m sure there are others, so I’m sure I’ll be back. I have a lot more to see. So, we’ll talk more later. Thanks again for visiting.  I’m off to start my day! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving for those that celebrate. For those who don’t, may the spirit of the holiday find you healthy and happy.

I needed to take the time to chime in and say just how incredible an experience it has been to be a part of this blog. Thanks to this blog and the topics we have discussed, I am now a part of the bigger picture. I’ve heard from several designers who have chimed in on their ideas, added me to their facebook and group sites, and here I am…truly part of the Web 2.0 concept, part of a bigger community…sharing ideas and experiences. Some of the sites I’ve listed have become part of other site’s listings. So, here’s to those who have come to make a difference in my life: Thank you, you are all amazing artists and worthy of awe. I appreciate being given the opportunity to be a part of your lives.

One of the things I have learned from these wonderful folks is that you never cease to seek out inspiration and ways to expand your horizons, you’ve never learned everything you need to know about programs, colors, theories, fonts, layouts, design, whatever….no matter how many times you do it, 20 years down the road, you still learn something new and find inspiration in something or someone else.

Another thing I have learned from these folks is that no matter where you are in the world, you often run across the same problems with clients, assignments, employers, fellow designers, etc. You will share a horror story someday and someone will say “been there, done that, didn’t get a t-shirt”. And you will share in the agony, or the joy, or at least a good laugh. No matter how different, or amazing, or how far away some of these people are, you have a common love…design…no matter what form it takes, this is what will bond you through the years. Never let go.

So, while I will still yet have to post in regards to our actual topic, I needed to take a minute to share in these discoveries. I have no doubts that each of you will have your own stories, your own lessons learned, feel free to share. I’d be interested in hearing. In the meantime, design well and never quit dreaming.

Last week, I gave a list of several sites I found inspiring over and above the personal sites we were requested to find. One of these sites, Just Creative Design (justcreativedesign.com), is just one of those sites. Created by Freelance Designer Jacob Cass (from Newcastle, Sydney, Australia), Just Creative Design not only provides all the information you could need about Jacob, but also spotlights other designers, tracks creative sites, offers RSS feeds and blog content, and is just plain chock-full of wonderful inspirations, ideas and contents. I love that he offers his site not just for his work, but for others as well. By providing a spotlight interview of other designers work, his site becomes a key spot for inspiration from all over the world. And yet his site itself is reather simple and understated without being plain or forgettable (not to mention seriously but the boy is just plain adorable too….).

The next site, and this one’s new to this post, is the home site for the Taproot Foundation (idealist.org). This site I find inspiring mostly because it is a foundation that brings Graphic Designers together to perform probono work for non-profit organizations. While the site is simple it’s bright and engaging. While the work is not really visible just from the main site, it’s what they stand for that makes the site inspiring. Someday, this is definately a place to sign-up.

The last site that I found that just blew me away was that of Jefferson Hawkins (www.jeffersonhawkins.com). Not only is his site beautifully put together, but his work in amazing! His talents are broad and he’s actually given me some ideas on what I want to do for Kreneck’s final project in Digital Illustration. His photoshop and 3D work is stunning, he’s creative and imaginitive, and his skills are amazing! There is very little, even in his industrial technical imaging, that I did not find worthy of awe.

So, I guess this completes my three designer blog. I hope you take the time to check these sites out. Have a wonderful weekend, all.

My future goals are to open a small design firm that specializes in working with independent contractors, small businesses, mom-and-pop shops, and other smaller businesses that have need for design and business solutions in advertising and marketing without retainers and long-term contracts. More a menu cafe style solution for those who need something here and there but not everyday. And this requires that I know web. I could hire someone, but how will I know if what they are putting out and doing is right or effect or timely? How will I know how to resolve conflict with a client if I don’t know web? So, I am putting my all into learning and doing my best to know what this web-thing is all about and hopefully put out a product I can be proud of and one that I can show as part of my portfolio. And one day, when I open my own firm, my stuff can appear right along with my employees’ and I can confidently go forth and tell my clients “yes, we can”.

But, I have to say, I am so glad not to have to learn HTML. I’d rather learn Latin…but I’m still thankful for this info I’ve gotten so far….

So….travel forth everyone…be fruitful and prosper…learn with courage and be brave and I’ll meet you at the end of the path…you know…Where the Sidewalk Ends (thanks, Shel) and perhaps, I’ll take the road less travelled this time.

D.