I Don’t Use Photoshop Enough

I was digging through some old files today and I realized that when I first started doing design it was because of Photoshop. See, when I was a wee design tot, I loved doing everything in Photoshop. I did logos, photography work and even layout of text in Photoshop. OH NO, you may say. And I’d agree. My how much we grow?

Anyway, I found Photoshop to be the most fun to work in because you could basically cut up photos and do different, crazy and wacky things inside of it. I remember the first project we did in college. We had to take vegetables that were photographs on white, cut them out and create some sort of character with them. Even that was fun and interesting. So from there on I did nothing but Photoshop tutorials.

However though, in the last couple of years my work brought me more into using InDesign and Illustrator more than Photoshop. I occasionally did some retouching in Photoshop or making old people look young…and aside from doing web design, I didn’t use PS much. I’ve kept my skills up by doing web design and the occasional tutorial…

Anyway, enough rambling. One of the things I always liked doing was making photos look different than they were suppose too. One in particular was of a elderly community living center that wanted us to do a commercial for them. However, when they decided to have us snap photos, it was the dead of winter. Instead of saying no, we can’t do that, we took the shot and I ended up doing my best with Photoshop to make it look like it wasn’t winter.

Basically, I focused mainly on grass, leaves, sky and the reflections in the windows. I think I did a pretty decent job for what I had to work with. The only thing that really sticks out to me is that I had to blur a few things and with today’s cameras, it looks a bit unnatural. But to the average Joe, watching it move across the TV screen, it is unnoticeable.

Point of the matter is. I really need to get back in to Photo Manipulation. I’m sure I can come up with some crazy stuff. I just need a topic and a camera.

 

Networking Is Key!

I’ll admit, this is a little bit of a no brainer and I’m sure all of you have heard it before. But let this serve as a reminder that during a really crappy economy, whether you are looking for a job, freelance work or a change in careers, it should be known that it isn’t what you know, but who you know.

Of course, there are exceptions to the rule. You could be awesome at After Effects, the best there is, but if no one knows you, you will never find work doing it. You may have the greatest resume in the corporate world, but if no one knows your looking for a job, you’ll never get it.

What it all comes down to is that, now more than ever, it is important to get out and introduce yourself to people you have never talked to and to reconnect with those people you haven’t talked with a long time. Especially if your looking for work. I don’t know how many times I’ve not been working and I feel like I’m making ground when I go out and talk with people.

Sure, it’s uncomfortable walking into a place that you don’t know anyone. It’s hard to find common ground sometimes and it can right out be a horrible experience. But it is worth it. When you meet those special few people or get a job lead it pays for it. I highly suggest taking some time at least monthly, to put yourself in a position where you don’t know anyone and see if you can meet 2 new people. It is not that hard. You just gotta do it.

Moving from a place that I knew a lot of people to a place that I didn’t know anyone has forced me to take measures into my own hands to plug-in to what is around me.

Here are some places I’ve found success.

Local Organizations

For example, AIGA holds an event monthly called dMob where all creatives get together and hang out. See if your line of work has an organization that you didn’t even know about.

Local Events

Look for them, they are there. Find one that interests you.

Hobby Groups

Do you like collecting rocks? See if there is anyone in your town that does to. Meet them, see what they do and don’t forget to tell them what you do.

Talk to bartenders

Even if you don’t drink, get in there. They know a lot more about what is going on and who is who than you think.

Twitter!

Use Twitter to find trending topics that interest you and see if you can strike up a conversation with the people talking about it. You may find yourself with a new email contact and even a new friend.

Get Involved

There are tons of things you can do for your community that will put you in touch with a bunch of other people that you don’t know. Donate some time at a shelter, human society or habitat for humanity. Best part of this, you know these people are kind. Again, who are they, what do they do? Be sure to have your business card ready.

Any Opportunity

There are tons of opportunities to network with people by just being a friend. Go your your friends wedding receptions, bridal showers, graduations, BBQ’s, kids baseball games, etc. Not only will you build those core relationships by showing that you care, but you’ll be surprised how many new people you can meet if you just put yourself out there a little bit.

Be prepared, be open minded and always look for a way to connect with people. This could be your ticket to more work. If nothing else, your proving to yourself that you can communicate with people like you used to on the first day of high school. Always build your network because it isn’t what you know, it’s who you know…

Cheers

Teaching Students

Last Thursday marked the first class of the summer session where I teach. This is the second time I’ve taught this particular class, Concept Development and I have to admit, the second go around is already off to a better start than the previous class. It is important to note that no matter how hard you try to plan for teaching a class or how organized you may be, you are still not going to be ready 100%.

The second time teaching Concept Development I ended up shifting some of the class lectures and assignments around. It just makes more sense to go the new route. Our first discussion this session was about story telling and how the basic, fundamentals of a good story can be drawn back to breaking down the original message into building blocks of words, images, phrases, ideas that are easy to read and understand.

Some of you may know what I’m referring to, word association. I have found that word association can greatly increase the probability of a good idea and an idea that will stick around and evolve.

 

In one instance I had students tell me what their original idea was when I gave them a headline. Each student did a classic comparison of one versus the other, literally. Right next to each other in an ad. After we established our headline into single words started breaking down those words we ended up coming up with an image that was much more powerful, engaging and still had that quality of comparison that the headline required. However, the key was that it wasn’t just the same old thing that everyone was talking about doing. It was an image that told a story and had the capability of being a strong visual. I’d get into more detail, but being this is my first post about class, I’d like to leave some of it private.

So I’ll leave you with this. I am really enjoying teaching, especially now that I’ve got one session under my belt. But I’m also enjoying teaching because it is helping my professional as well. I’m learning a lot while I speak about things to my students. I’m finding access to ideas and information that I didn’t have previously. But most of all, when students tell you that they don’t see why or how they’d ever use something that you teach them, then you go on to show them why and you get one of those “Ah ha!” moments with your students…it is priceless. Eyes light up and excitement ensues. That, my friends, is something I never had before.

Cheers

User Experience Design

User Experience Design is something that I have always had a great passion for but I have never been able to figure out a way to break into it more than just web site design. For those who don’t know, user experience design goes MUCH further than just a web interface. It dips into everything that an individual uses. A razor, airport, contact form, mobile phone and so on. Anything that you have an experience with using, has some sort of user experience design consideration behind it.

I always find myself playing with apps, working on the web, running through a store and always find something that I quite literally can’t stand. Common sense things, for example, while visiting Rogue’s Pub in downtown Portland, their bathroom signs said “Hops” and “Barley”. I couldn’t stand this. Where do I go to take a pee? Not only that, but I became obsessed with watching people go to the bathroom and try to figure it out. This is a prime example of a poor user experience. Why would you ever want to have your patrons guessing if they will be walking in on a lady going to the bathroom in an attempt to merely relieve themselves, just to have the cutesy use of beer ingredients on your doors?

Needless to say, in my quest to make things more usable and pretty, I wrote “Men” and “Women” on the doors. I’m sure I was thanked 100′s without even knowing it.

I have some practical experience doing user experience design for a back end web application as well. Last summer/fall I worked with State Bank in Fargo, ND and it’s developers to design the funnels, flows, copy and look for their back end customer portal. You can see my user experience design project here.

I enjoyed this project because I was paid to do one job. Research, explore and design a simple and practical way to help users find and use the new web application correctly. I feel I have a knack for seeing what people are going to do before they do it. As common sense as a lot of user design is, a lot of people ignore and expect people to figure it out. In my opinion though, people are so different and have so many different experiences that all different avenues should be explored and taken into consideration to prevent them from, one clicking out of your site.

Needless to say, I’d love a chance to learn more about User Experience Design. I’d really like an opportunity to practice it some more and possibly find some sort of mentor within the field. If you know anyone or have any good links, please feel free to forward them my way.

Cheers

Dreaming and Writing

About 8 years ago I used to write down everything. Anytime I had an idea, a dream, a thought and so forth, I’d write it down. I imagined a time when I’d come back to the book, find lots of great ideas and I’d be the next millionaire or I’d have a lot of good ideas for design or t-shirts or whatever. I stopped writing about 6 months after I started. Why did I stop?

I stopped for the same reason my generation stops doing a lot of things. We get bored with it. We don’t see value in it. No one pays us to do it, so why do it?

That has all changed for me. I recently had a meeting with someone that I admire in the design world. I also saw a video of Michael Beruit and saw all of his journals that he keeps of client meetings. It was brought to my attention that writing, telling stories and keeping track of thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc, is a good way to exercise your creative brain. Let’s face it, you can’t remember everything and having a note of it helps in the long run.

I had been going back and forth with this for a long time. I always had a folder on my computer that I would add a writing to once in a while, but I found that every time I turned the computer on, I would do something else not related to writing or getting my ideas/thoughts out. So I recently bought some composition notebooks, just like Beruit and started writing in them. I’ll do a doodle here or there, but its mainly for me to write things down as I see them. When I see characters walking around or a weird situation or have a dream, I try to write about it.

I have found that sitting down, outside somewhere, with my pen and paper to write, is much more relaxing than any other design related activity I ever do. Some people like to sketch to relax. I find writing to be relaxing and more fulfilling that sketching. I’m just not a hard core drawing person, but I like to write, to tell stories, to teach and especially, to think, ponder, wonder…

I think I’ll be incorporating this into my next session of classes. I believe this is a great way to get creative juices flowing and a good way to continue to use your mind and your hands at the same time all while become better at articulating ideas and word.

 

Photo Assist and Grip Work at Gus Soloman Courthouse

One of the things I like most about production work is that I can end up in places that I would never have been had I not been assisting that day. Today was one of those days. MGV Photography and I were in downtown Portland at the Gus Soloman Courthouse. Now, this courthouse has been closed for sometime now because of the security issues of getting inmates up to the courthouse floor. Meaning, there was no security.

We were working for a company out of Newark, NJ called Aspen Marketing on a two day shoot. You can see day two here. They were creating video and still imagery to be used in a marketing campaign for one of their clients. Let me tell you, this is one of the most intense two days of shooting I’ve ever been apart of. I have had long days before, but never like this. We hustled all over, day in and day out. The second day alone was 8 different sets, 32 different lit scenarios and over 2k pictures to be taken.

Anyway, this shoot had an added bonus. I was able to work with some really talented and experience Key Grips and Gaffers so I was able to learn some new equipment, like the Diva Light and had an opportunity to meet some amazing and talented people. If you add that to the fact that we were in a pretty cool location, I’d have to say it was a pretty good day.

 

 

 

 

Photo Assist & Grip Work at Wapato Jail

Day 2 of our two day shoot took place at a jail that was built, then decommissioned before it was ever actually used in Portland, OR. The beds still have pillows wrapped in plastic on them. It was extremely eerie going into a jail that smelled new, was quiet and didn’t have a soul wandering about.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, this we were working for a company out of Newark, NJ called Aspen Marketing and this was a long, 14 hour day shoot. The hours weren’t so bad though. I had a lot of fun running around assisting in setting 8 sets, 32 different lighting scenarios and watching over 2,000 pictures be taken. It is refreshing to work with people that have NO problem spending the time and money that it takes to get a good picture that can be used in advertising.

I learned a lot about flagging and keeping an eye on the angle of incidence when we shot a scene with a lot of production crew within the same room as a lot of glass that was in the shot.

This shoot was very fulfilling and highly enjoyable. I look forward to these kinds of experiences in the future.

 

“But you just changed the picture and the color…”

As a Graphic Designer, you’ve heard this before…as a client you may have thought or said this to your Graphic Designer. As a client you may be wondering why you must pay SO much for a good Graphic Designer.

Well I’ve got news for you, you may need a new Graphic Designer.

Just wait, here me out.

I am very proud to be a Graphic Designer. When I get to actually be a Graphic Designer, I love my job. But somewhere along the way, Graphic Designers became synonymous with the idea of being little monkeys that know how to use Photoshop and can whip up a quick “simple logo” and business card. The term Graphic Designer has been SO loosely used that it quite literally makes me want to puke and stop calling myself a Graphic Designer.

What Graphic Design is and should be is entirely dependent upon the Designer and the Client. You heard me. It is a two way street. Client communicates with Designer, Designer communicates with Client, they work together and create something special.

A true Graphic Designer has a creative process that they go through to help solve a clients needs visually. Sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? So again, why should you pay mucho $$$ on a Graphic Designer? Well, if you had any idea how elusive generating “ideas” was, you may reconsider. There is a process of brainstorming, researching, listening, communicating, sketching, photography and so on that every good designer goes through to find a good idea. You want a good idea don’t you?

A good Graphic Designer should be able to give you his/her process upfront. Let you know where you are going to be within the design process and be able to produce some preliminary ideas that the two of you can work together on. It should not be a case where you, as a client, just gives a project to a designer and never hear from them until they come up for air.

On the flip side. As a client, you should expect to be a part of the process and don’t hinder it with distractions or unreasonable timeframes. As a client, you should know, and appreciate the process of creativity. Despite popular belief, ideas don’t just pop into a Graphic Designer’s mind, fall into place in Photoshop with one try and a hour later your done. It is important that you, as a client understand this process and know that when you get your final piece, that it wasn’t just some color and a photo. Understand that real thought and problem solving went into the solution and that solution is as much yours as it is the Graphic Designers.

Photo Safari

So I decided that despite the fact that I hate my camera, I really wanted to get out and take some photos. I have a real love of taking pictures and I wish I could have my camera with me all the time. Did I mention I hate my camera? Yea, it is about 8 years old, which I don’t mind, but it eats batteries up like nobody’s business. Plus, I purchased it just to see if I liked taking pictures so it isn’t all that special anyway. I feel I’m about ready to upgrade to a DSLR, but the cost drives me nuts! I do like being able to see things right of way if the only reason I like digital though.

A friend of mine, you can check out his blog, was telling me about his film camera and a darkroom he just built. It sounds intriguing, fun and cost effective…Plus the idea of keeping an old art alive kind of gets me all excited as well. I guess I’ll be picking his brain some more.

Anyway, onto the photo safari. I decided today that I would make a photo safari a monthly thing for sure, if not more. Tonight, my wife dropped me off near where she works which is about 3.5 miles away. I walked through downtown trying to spot some endangered species of a photo, and I did.

Of the photos, I think this one I like the most. The homeless here are very interesting to me. The idea of the homeless has so many ideas, concepts and depths that it is very hard to pin point the exact emotion that I feel when I see or speak to them. One day I’ll see someone on the side of the road talking on a cell phone, wearing nice jeans and plenty of makeup…and the next day I’ll see a man, wandering in his wheel chair, holding his penis in his hand, while pissing and scooting himself with one leg down the pathway…Some of these people need real help, and some are fucking up the whole idea of needy for the people who really, well, need.

It goes much further than that for me, but I’ll keep my libertarian, anti-FED rhetoric for another time. But you get the idea that just the mere subject of homeless people really sparks a lot of different ideas for me, therefore a lot of depth that is really hard to capture.

The safari was fun and I picked up a few photos for me and that I could possibly use in my work AND I got some exercise. Win win win! I feel like Charlie Sheen. Anyway, let me know if you like it or don’t like it. Please tell me why, don’t just spaz on me!

Laterz

Why The New Brand?

Many of you might be wondering why I bothered with changing my previous logo/image from something corporate to something a little more organic…Or some of you might be thinking, why even bother with personal branding all together? AND I’m sure there are a LOT of people who could care less about what I’m doing and they are probably not reading this anyway.

Why I have a brand…

Well, if you haven’t heard about having a personal brand by now…I’m sorry. You’ll have to play a might game of catch up. But if you were to take a minute to follow some of the blogosphere people out there in regards to blogs, internet marketing and personal branding you might be surprised to find out, yet again, that business runs on referrals and reputation. And it is the same way in the digital world. My website, the people I meet that I hand business cards out to, my Facebook friends, anyone that meets me, instantly becomes part of my referral network. Sure, it sounds a little creepy, but my best asset is my personality. My design skills are good, my communication is great, my willingness to learn is exceptional…but what really gets people to love me, work with me and just be a friend of mine is my personality. That is why I decided to brand it.

So why the new brand…you were already branded?

Going from brand to brand is a horrible idea. Horrible! Changing logos every other year…or business names or whatever you want to call it is a terrible idea. So why did I do it? When I first started Biewer Media LLC last summer it was right after I lost my job as a graphic designer. I was lucky enough to land a 13 week contract with a local bank to do some work. However, they wanted an EIN number, not a personal contractor. So I had to come up with a name and get an EIN number ASAP. So I just grabbed the first thing to come to mind.

After the contract expired I was sitting around without a real brand for my design company. However, I didn’t really care because I thought I’d just be moving to Portland, OR, finding a job and that would be the end of that whole business venture. So, I whipped up some stuff for myself to try and get a job. I figured if I had a nice personal brand I’d be leaps above a lot of people looking for jobs in design and marketing. I went with something more corporate. Something that could show I was creative and able to meld into a corporate lifestyle. They either saw right through me or the market is just that bad…because I didn’t get a job.

So I decided…I’m extremely smart, talented, able to manage people and money, oh, and I’m a pretty decent designer to boot, why not start a design business full time. So that is exactly what I did and this new look is a product of this new design firm.

The Look…

I went with a unique self portrait like closure idea. My look may not be the most unique look in the world, but once you meet me and get a chance to talk with me, this logo will mean a whole lot more to you. I also wanted anyone who see’s my marketing before they actually meet me to be able to come into a coffee shop, look around and pretty much be able to pick me out of the crowd.

As to not ramble on…the moral of this story is that I rebranded because I’ve decided that I don’t want a full time job unless its a full time job working for myself, therefore I needed to rebrand so I may move my new business venture forward!