BarCamp. The un-conference without a speaker list. Without a fixed schedule. Without remorse. With plenty of blue. The branding this year was designed by Round and Round led by the mighty Jake Welchert. So stoked for a T. Opening party August 28th. Event August 29th. Get registered now. Almost finished assembling my talk. Mostly I think it’s about a song, maybe. See you there!
From the Gut Matters
It drives me nuts when I do things against my better judgement. When I follow a direction I’m not really feeling down the rabbit hole. It can be a tough call on when to push back and when to roll with an unsure direction. I’ll be the first to say I do NOT have all the answers, can be wrong on the best way to something unexpected, and love when something I wasn’t sure of becomes magical. Love that. But the fine line between following the unsure path and just nipping it in the bud, well it’s very fine. And when it comes back to bite me, I give a friendly slap in my own face because I know I should’ve known better. When in doubt, trust yourself. Now on to the next.
UNENDER
Creative generalist Jason Hardy, known on the Internet as Unender, and myself go way back. Before our design careers began, we wrote songs together during the college life of a punk rock band. After we officially became professional designers, we collaborated on an endless number of creative endeavors including a short film about running, T-shirts showcasing Nebraska being everywhere, and activist posters to stick it to the man, punk rock style. He has hands down taught me the most about seeing the world differently and passionately living a creative lifestyle. He was recently Designer of the Week for Print Magazine. The article features his stellar work for Tesla and Criterion as well as some gold nuggets of wisdom. Nice recognition for this hardworking, boundary-pushing design leader.
Who gets in our way the most?
A simple question. One that when properly answered opens up the flood gates of possibility. I’ve noticed with myself and other folks who work in creative fields, there’s a barrier that can exist when it comes to executing ideas. This barrier has been defined, in my experience, as the budget, the client, the timeline, or the brand standards. Even the general feeling of drabness that may come with a particular project. It may just not be all that fun, and therefore the resulting work created is, for lack of a better phrase, not all that fun.
This thinking, that some outside person, or some outside force, is getting in the way at some level is complete and utter bullshit. What’s really getting in the way is us. We get in our way the most. We make the excuses, we drop the ball, we determine the resulting lack of creativity in a project. Every single thing that is approached with an open mind, a stubborn attitude to not let something be inadequate, and a fierce understanding that whatever we are working on can be really, really great can indeed be really, really great.
Remember to get out of our own way and let’s make something beautiful together, always.
What sort of designer do you want to be?
A question I ponder from time to time. I was a graphic designer initially, hired to do print and branding at an agency. Then I expanded my skill set to include web design. Outside of my day job, I saw myself as an artistic or collaborative designer and eventually a community activist designer. I wanted to take those professional skills and use them to move people to action to make the world better. Now an independent designer still using all that expertise but perhaps more concerned with tone. Lately my goal is this: I want to design like Tom Waits sings wild. Or like The Clash plays rebellious. Public service announcements. With guitar. A lifelong goal to be sure, but one that feels worthy of striving for.
I’m going to write my bio in the third person now
Everyone should probably have one. A third-person bio that’s comprehensive, concise, and up-to-date. And because it’s in the third person you can really lay it on thick. You are this, you have done this, you are doing this, boom badda bing, yadda yadda zing. It really sings praises. Nothing too short, nothing that doesn’t lay it on thick, and nothing that doesn’t wow some folks. I’m pleased to report that I do, in fact, have a third-person bio now. It’s pretty great. But I’m curious how it stacks up. Let’s compare. Send me yours, I’ll send you mine, and we’ll go from there. It’ll be good times, all around.
Feeling So Grateful
Independent design, five years and counting. Design for progressive changemakers and do-gooders. Design with inspirational people who make it happen. Design as activism, entrepreneurship, citizenship, art, and expression. Design to get good things done.
Right now, I’m just feeling grateful for everything that goes into making this independent design business work. The rock-solid support of my wife Katie. The amazing clients I get to do work for. The amazing collaborators I get to do work with. A community, on multiple fronts, that has welcomed me with open arms. Whether nonprofit, startup, civic, or institutional, all have made me feel very much at home. As does a design community that values friendship more than winning.
The work over these last five years is something I’m extremely proud of. Those TED Talk slides on Filter Bubbles. All that graphic design for President Obama’s re-election campaign. Helping a civic startup in the Midwest gain traction. Organizing all those posters for justice. Manifesting Justice and Equality in Los Angeles. Stopping that goddamn pipeline. Uniting art and community in North Omaha. Helping raise millions of dollars for Omaha nonprofits. And on and on. And now thinking, making, and collaborating on Action Backed, Round and Round, Tiperosity, and Design Alliance Omaha.
Yes, very grateful. To be here at this moment in time. In this creative, supportive community, working alongside some pretty remarkable people. What the next five years will bring is anybody’s guess. What I’m planning for, with what these last five years have taught me, is a meandering journey. One to be approached with an open mind, thoughtful interactions, and a fierce work ethic. I’m hoping for a bit more balance and a more intentional line between life and work. The work itself will remain focused on moving people to action, making our community better, and creating beautiful, inspiring design. And in the interest of keeping it interesting, special emphasis will be put on making things with weirdos.
A final note of thanks goes out to all the people who I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the years. You’re so damn good at what you do. You inspire me on so many levels. And you’re stubborn enough to make anything possible. Because of you, what comes next is sure to be something worth shouting about. Let’s get to it.
