Outside of the Bubble

Since a young age, I was always snapping photos with my Polaroid. I loved to oogle over my dad's camera gear and spent most of my grade 12 year in the darkroom. Until recently, it never really dawned on me to turn this into a hobby since design had been the focus of my life for so long. Design was my inspiration. My hobby. My love. But now it's my day job so I need a new inspiration, a new hobby, a new love; Something outside of the design bubble.

While casually walking the park one afternoon, snapping some spring photos, I happened to snap a shot of this little guy and it sparked something in me. Something I hadn't felt since I first dreamed about being a designer. Pet photography. As the thought hit me, I started dreaming of a company name, marketing campaigns, print materials...without even having a client yet!

With a love for animals, the outdoors, and photography, it made sense to combine these ideas to create a hobby that was fun, rewarding, and challenging in it's own right.

Granted there are many pet photographers out there but that's not really my concern. I'm not out to compete and prove I'm the best. I'm out to have fun, to grow my skill, develop my artistic eye, and help capture fun and quirky moments of a family pet. It's a refreshing switch from always pushing the boundaries, trying to stand-out from the plethora of designers out there, begging to be 'the chosen one'. It can be quite mind-numbing so this is a perfect offset to the chaos of the design world.

I've started a blog to update visitors on the new furry friends I've been meeting and a SmugMug album to showcase the photographs.

Check them out & tell me what you think!

Speak Human : The Playboy of Business Books

Despite my cat's determined attempts to destroy my Speak Human book (& this blog post) I managed to make it to the end so naturally I like to celebrate that with a review.

With most books of this nature, I tend to expect "this is how you run a business, this is how you sell your product"...bla bla bla. You can imagine my surprise when I found out it wasn't one of those books. It's as if I picked up a magazine thinking it was all about fashion and turned out to be a Playboy; Sure it puts it all out there but it's got some great articles!

What came across as blatant, raw, or bordered on the lines of TMI (too much information), was truthful, real, relatable...even personal. It wasn't just written to stroke the authors own ego, to fill space, or to try to be something it wasn't. It got me to sit up a little straighter and get interested in what I was reading, as if I was being told to smarten up and look at the big picture. It's the direction and honesty I was looking for in a book and it was one that I truly connected with. Maybe that's because of it's honesty and personal insight. If it hadn't been for the shock-value every once and awhile, I would have glossed over some fabulous business insights, which the book is full of, and it would have ended up being just like every other "marketing book".

Taking this outside of the book - so to speak, I occasionally interact with @SpeakHuman and the author @karj on Twitter and typically, I wouldn't expect a response from a well-to-do graphic designer or firm. Especially one, that's published! Not sure what the whole mind-set is on that one but, regardless of the reason, some people who have gained such elite success tend not to interact outside of their bubble. However, these guys (& gals) don't know me from a hole in the wall but still take the time to respond to my comments or tweets. What a concept! And is exactly what the book is based on. If they can make me feel like their friend, just for a few seconds, I can only imagine how their clients feel. Now that's good business.

So for those of you who think you know everything about good business and great marketing, this book will prove that you know nothing. It is a 'no bullshit' business book that is consistent in it's message; Speak Human. And @karj definitely does just that.

Want To Be a Great Designer...It's Not in the Programs

InDesign Doesn't Mean Intuitive
InDesign is a lovely program. The learning curve is relatively minimal if you're familiar with layout programs.

I have to warn you though, InDesign doesn't do any thinking or conceptualizing for you even though it may look that way. Think of InDesign as simply a 'tool' to bring ideas to life. Those ideas must be worked through before even touching a mouse which is where a lot of designers make the mistake. Hell, even I've made that mistake and still catch myself at times trying to shortcut the process due to time restraints. In the end though, it turns out to be wasted time as I find myself clicking in circles.

I've learned that having knowledge of any layout program is just one aspect of developing a successful piece. Sketching, brainstorming, and getting feedback on your idea should be the first steps before laying anything out in your layout program.

Photoshop Can Make Anything Look Cool
Another myth floating around is that Photoshop can make any photo, any layout, any background look well designed; Even cool. Open a photo, download some brushes, apply some filters and you've got yourself a pretty sexy Photoshop file, right?

Well if your objective is to make your piece look like a dog's breakfast, I would say use every effect, action, brush, pattern you can. However, if that's not your goal, I would steer clear from unnecessary or excessive effects. Save 'em for when you really need them, be simple, be concise.

In terms of layouts in Photoshop, I've heard (and even worked on) layouts being done in this manner. It's a hassle, it's inefficient, and a beast when it comes to larger files. Let's not consider this program all you need. Depending on your purpose, like an e-card or a single page layout, it might be easier to work this way but when you get into the larger, multi-page documents for print, you will be thankful InDesign exists.

Just Say No!
The bells and whistles of any program can excite you, fire you up, make you feel even more creative with so many options at hand but they can also make you blind. Blind to what your goals of the project are, blind to the development stages of an idea, and blind to the ever-so-popular theory of 'keep it simple'.

So close that program and go back to the basics of drawing and thinking. I know it's tough with so many distractions waiting for you but don't give in to what they are offering you. Just say no! Walk away! And come back when you're good and ready.