Cling to Freedom - Wanting freedom to create above all else.

It's election season and you know what that means..... muting every commercial break.  Jokes aside, it means get informed and get out and vote.

Freedom (as listed in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary): the quality or state of being free: as

  a :  the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action  b :  liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another :  independence  c :  the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous<freedom from care>  d :  ease, facility <spoke the language with freedom>  e :  the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken <answered with freedom>  f :  improper familiarity  g :  boldness of conception or execution  h :  unrestricted use <gave him the freedom of their home>

I feel eternally grateful for the freedoms that I have as an American and as an American Artist. Not being able to create the work I feel passionate about and purely enjoy doing would be heartbreaking, and it's happening to people all over the globe.  There are much larger world problems than people not having the freedom to create what they want, but what if every person in the world had the freedom of expression?  What do you think the world would look and sound like?  Building on the great tradition of freedom of expression is a privilege that I am thankful for.  Sharing and advocating for others to create is a privilege, and I have hope that one day freedom of expression will be encouraged to every person.

Have Friday brain? Getting to the core of a project quickly so you can get to the weekend.

Do you ever start a task and then realize you have been thinking of something far down the line which doesn't actually relate to the current task at hand?  Overthinking a project is normal, so get over it.  Write down all of your thoughts or concerns for the project, that way you don't have to spend time and energy reminding yourself of what the concerns are.

Cutting through all of this mind clutter is how to get to the core of your project.  Always ask yourself, what is the goal? Does "x" help me achieve this goal?  Even as a designer, it can be overwhelming when you think of all of the possibilities available for you to create.  Clear your mind and keep going back to addressing the goal, it will help navigate in the right direction.

Feeling Moody - Essential Mood Board Training

Great design don't always just pop out of nowhere. Mood boards cultivate ideas, and when trying to develop, nothing helps bridge the gap between the idea person and person who creates like a mood board can.

Mood Board Essentials :

 1. Name - give your mood board a name that excites you about the project, and what it can become.  If you start with a boring name, the project will be come boring.

  2. The Hunt - Finding objects, colors, tones, language, lines, photography, filters, applications that inspire you for the project at hand.  Specifically identify the aspects of these items which you would like to bring into your new project.  The idea is not copy, but to use items from all aspects relating to the project to inspire you to create something new.

  3. Edit - Once you have collected all of the elements which inspire this project, edit them.  When you started hunting for inspiration, you may have been going in one direction but realized somewhere along the way there were better paths to take.  So delete or separate all of the items that no longer belong in this project.

  4. Implement - You may not use every idea that you found will on your inspirational journey.  Actually, please don't use every aspect in your mood board all at once.  Save some of the goodness that remains in your mood board for a rainy day, you never know when a few extra assets will need to be created.

Rituals - 10 minutes of daily drawing (free drawing)

Art has been used IN rituals for thousands of years.   You probably have recognized art and design in your personal rituals.  Rituals like going to a religious service, the mural you see on your daily commute, the design on your favorite coffee mug you use every morning.  Even rituals like walking the dog, and the trusty Nike swoosh on the shoes you grab overtime to perform this ritual.    

How often does art BECOME a ritual though?  Incorporating a dose of creating can be incredibly rewarding.  There may not be any monetary gains from a daily doodle, but it can be a great stress reliever or just a good daily laugh.  A doodle a day, keeps the doctor at bay... I think that is how it goes.

Hitting The Wall - Knowing When To Put The Mouse Down

At some point we all hit a wall.  Solution: oxygen.   I realize when I have hit a creative wall, when I realize I've gone around a design challenge and made it full circle to where I started.  That is when I know, time to get some oxygen.  It is incredible the amount of creativity and clarity that can come with taking a 5 minute walk outside, or just sitting outside for 5 minutes. Sometimes being so close to a project can cause you to lose a sense of your surroundings.  Take a break, check in with the outside world and refocus for more productive design time.

What is Responsive Design?

Let's talk about responsive design, and NOT responsive web design.  

To responded is to make a reply; answer.  Responsive design is creating design which requires the audience to answer.  When creating responsive design, the audience's response should be varied.  Positive, negative, questionable; all responses become just numbers of engaged people to the design you've created.  The true goal is to create something that draws an audience and requires them to have an emotional response in which the audience must respond; better yet, take action.

Stacked - Graphic Design Stacking Elements

Stacking elements is a powerful tool in illustration and in typography.  To use stacking as a tool, you must put the emphasis on the right element and then work around it.  Identify the key word, message, letter or icon first.  Building around a central point helps bring attention to the intended element.  If too many elements are emphasized the overall message and intent can be lost in a sea of Jenga! like text or elements.

Breathe A Little - Letting Your Design Breathe

When do you breathe best? Is it when you are in a crowed subway station or when you are out on a mountain top?  The answer usually is out on a mountain top.  Graphic design elements work in similar ways.  

Letting a graphic element breathe, means to allow enough white space around the entire element to make the element stand out on it's own.  Information is interpreted best when there isn't too many alternative elements distracting from the main messaging.  Take a breath, it's okay to not fill the blank space and let the focal point breathe.

ZOOM IN - Being Too Focused

Think little picture, I mean really little picture, the tiniest picture, a picture made for ants, then you have reached the size of a pixel.  Now that you have gotten that small and focused, now obsess over each pixel in a 5000 x 5000 pixel image.  With bloodshot eyes, you just start banging your head against the wall.  Then you soon out and realize you've been working in the wrong layer of the image.  You have officially now driven yourself crazy.  

Zoom out, plan, and check you layers!  Do all of these actions before you dive into the tiny world of pixel obsession. 

www.callebonitastudios.com

ASCEND- Creating Visually Interesting Design

Go up.  The eye doesn't always have to go left to right, it can also go up.  Adding variety to the direction we expect to view characters can add the visual intrigue it takes to capture a new customer.  Upwards and onwards...

www.callebonitastudios.com

PRESENCE

Presence, a sometimes painstaking task, can be the key to unlocking your creativity.  More than ever, our attention is pulled in difference directions by the multiple forms of communication and ways we receive information.  All of this clutter can make being present in your current location, work, task, exercise regimen seem almost impossible.  Isolating yourself from these distractions can open new opportunities for clear thought and creative exploration.  Go ahead, leave your cell phone at home and be present with only your thoughts for awhile.

www.callebonitastudios.com

SPACE

The opportunity of the unknown.  What can or could space do for your design?  The relationship between two objects can be defined by space, how much space between the two or how little.  Giving too much space to a focal point can leave the intended focal point looking isolated.  If there is no space between the focal point and the secondary object, it can be confusing as to which object should be the focus.  Evaluate the context of the objects to define the relationship and use space to clearly express their relationship.

www.callebonitastudios.com

Repetition - Pattern, An Essential Element Of Design

Repetition: the recurrence of an action or event.

Repetition, in design, can have a varied effect.  When large objects are repeated it can be shocking... like Stone Hendge shocking.  Small objects repeated make the eye look for a pattern, for instance in tile work.  In architecture, repetition is often present and unnoticed when the pattern created by the repetition is traditional to our culture.  When traveling to a different culture, vivid new patterns appear in every surface.  Searching for repetition when you travel to another culture can offer insight into a cultures history, religion, and people.

Support Public Art

Have you ever gone to a large city and noticed the amount of sculptures, gardens, and murals there are?  Why is all of this great public art in large cities?  It might be that large cities have a budget for public arts, and they have a large platform that many tourists and visitors pass by and view.  Public Art is an important feature in all communities though, it can bring people together or just start conversation.  Smaller cities and towns need the effects of public art just as much a large cities, so why is there less public art in smaller communities?  Rally behind your local public arts projects and embrace the beauty and conversation that will follow.

Window - Seeing Design In A New Light

Window: an opening in the wall or roof of a building or vehicle that is fitted with glass or other transparent material in a frame to admit light or air and allow people to see out or in.
 

Looking out of a window and looking into a window generate different feelings.  Looking out of a window provides a feeling of dominance of the interior space you are in.  Looking into a window is to look in on something personal of someone else's or your own.  You see an outer perspective through a window which leads to something personal.  A window for others to intentially look through can generate an immediate varied perspective depending on what the window in framing.  Offering a window for potential customers to view a brand or a business is essential in creating a representative design.  How and what you frame with that window dictates the presence of the brand.

Identifying the Elements

Break it down.  All things are made up of elements, so is design.  Design is made up of multiple elements, some designs have more elements than others.  Look at a design that you really love.  Now identify the elements of that design.  What types of lines are being used, what colors, how are the elements organized in the space, what and where is the focal point, what elements support that point to make it the focal point?  Identify what you like about a design or what elements a client likes in design to incorporate these key elements of your next creation.

Studio Joie De V

Studio Joie De V, bringing an upbeat approach to classical pilates.  Calle Bonita Studios (CBS) is excited to present Studio Joie De V's re-vamped website.  CBS created the web design in collaboration with Allison Howie, owner of Studio Joie De V.  Allison's light filled studio is an amazing space to clear your mind and get to work on the Pilates reformer.  With Allison's clear vision and clean esthetic, CBS was able to create a website that introduces the peaceful space before actually stepping foot into the studio.  Visit www.studiojoiedev.com for more information and to sign up for a class with Allison.

Word Flow Yoga

Word Flow Yoga, and inspired space for movers and shakers to share words, movement, and community.  Curated by the amazingly talented Cat Walker, Word Flow Yoga is la lifestyle blog that will no doubt inspire us to live a more practiced life in more ways than just yoga.  Calle Bonita Studios is so proud to have collaborated with Word Flow Yoga on their logo, and to provide a unique esthetic to convey Word Flow Yoga's fresh and encouraging voice.

FORM

A shape, a body, a mold, a mode; form.  Form, as a noun, is based on the outer line of a form.  When a form is translated into a three-dimensional shape, shadow and highlights appear creating visual interest.  When a form is translated in two-dimensional, shadow and highlights must be created to add visual interest.  When form is thought of in such a minimalist way, the objects arounds us can take on new meaning.  Letting form take the foreground can be just as interesting as form being the vessel for shadow and light.

IMPRESSIONS

Impressions: A strong effect produced on the intellect, feeling, conscience, etc.

Working in clay is a humbling reminder of how easy it is to make an impression.  It is also a reminder of the amount of skill it takes to create the desired impression.  Physical impressions are on almost every surface that we interact with: the grout lines in the floor we are standing on, the texture of the walls, the tread on the tires that take us from place to place.  Some of these impressions are more functional than decorative, but they all started by altering an object/surface/idea that was flat and non-descript.