Thanks to everyone who came out last night for an insightful and inspiring evening of website knowledge sharing. It was a packed room at Carver Bank. A special thanks to the Union for asking us to put this workshop on. In case you missed it, if you’re an artist, here’s a quick recap. If you’re needing a portfolio site, there’s two directions you can go. Either a fully assembled, thought out, and well-maintained collection of work, or just go with weirdness. I think either are fine as long as you own the direction you go in. The reasons for going the way you go can be numerous. Time, budget, skills, etc. Just remember this. The Internet is a place that can bring much joy. Keep your attention focused there and you’ll be just fine. Wink, nod, John C. Reilly.
Building your web portfolio
The Union for Contemporary Art hosts a variety of community events, workshops included. As an organization that supports local artists, they help provide resources and opportunities that may not be readily available. Their next workshop will be about building an artist’s online presence. Myself and Jake Welchert will deliver a crash course on getting a portfolio site up and running. From domains and hosting to platforms and CSS with some philosophical ponderings on the meaning of an online presence, it’s sure to be a good time.
When Well Worn
It happens every-so-often, in between periods of firing on all cylinders. The times when projects move along at good clips, ideas come together with standard execution, the work is extra good, and the people are extra happy aren’t constant. They can’t be. It would be awesome if that was the case. But in a profession of the subjective, where uncertainty, change, and newness are normal, the good times are balanced by the less good times. It can be labeled as being well worn. Or maybe worn out. When ideas don’t come together and require extra elbow grease. When communication is way off. When the ideas aren’t really there and the people aren’t all that stoked. Sometimes that happens. And because we are professional makers, we keep going. We push through. We do the job and we deliver. Because that’s what people who design for a living do.
Write out your principles on paper
Before I set out on my own almost five years ago, I sat down and wrote out a list of 11 points. They framed how I was going to pursue my independent design. I shared them last week on a panel discussion. Today I’m adding another, as a shoutout to the strange folks I get to work with often in my day-to-day. They bring me much joy and make it all worth it, especially during tax time.
I want to do work that:
- is part of things,
- experiments,
- delights,
- is optimistic,
- gives a damn,
- is community-minded,
- moves people to action,
- points us in a direction,
- picks a side / annoys certain people,
- makes things better,
- has heart,
- is free to be weird,
The Simplicity Trap
I love keeping it simple. Beautiful, delightful, memorable simplicity is one of my favorite things when it comes to design. As the client list grows and project variety changes, how I talk about the design work continues to be very important. The simplicity frame is always part of the conversation but it can become a crutch. The thing easy to fall back on as to why a certain direction is the way to go. I’m increasingly placing simple lower and lower on the list of attributes for an execution. One reason is I see simplicity as often misunderstood. The essence of simplicity I do think is right on but the word itself has been significantly weakened when it comes to design and too often a justification for the boring and uninspired.
Please note: This critique is from a working designer who thinks simplicity needs to be brought back down to be an equal player with inspiring, beautiful, and unique. And in this case, no, simplicity doesn’t inherently mean inspiring, beautiful, or unique.
Subversive Minds
A rousing discussion at Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln on Art and Social Movements. For my part, I’m presenting for 20 minutes on using design principles to foster activism and social change. We’ll look at design work for a campaign to stop a pipeline, a brand for a nonprofit arts organization, a new take on an old classic, and a host of random projects done for things I care about. Joining the discussion will be folks from The Nebraska AIDS Project and SP CE, a Lincoln-based grassroots literature and arts collective.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 at 7:00pm
Indigo Bridge Books in Lincoln
Problem Solution
Working independently can be isolating and repetitive, leading to stale, uninspired ideas. Working from home can come with a lack of motivation and moments of distraction. Potential projects may not happen because they are outside of the typical skill set or not enough time can be committed due to a current workload. A dedicated space where a group of committed makers can come together and work alongside each other. This comes with a mutual participation in the everyday activity of creative work. Being in an inspired space is key for creative expression. There’s the potential to share ideas, gain outside insight, and partner on projects together.
