New starts - Best practices to starting a new project

Congrats!  You're starting on a new project, yahoo!  Now put that energy in to planning and doing.  

 - Building a road map on how you are going to tackle any new project allows you to prioritize and later on better explain how you got to your final designs with your client. 

 - Documenting and saving appropriately. Remember, you eventually will be sharing your work with the client, who will eventually be sharing that information with other vendors, media, and customers so name and save your work appropriately. 

 - Each variation of your work submitted matter.  Don't think that just because your first go at a new project was not approved for the final artwork that you wont reference the original version down the road.  Do NOT delete or overwrite any submitted project version, you never know when it will be reference later on, and who wants redo their work.

 - Enjoy the dialog.  Listening and expanding to a current design is all part of the fun, challenge yourself to listen and engage in the dialog.  Don't be afraid to ask questions!

 - Finish with finesse.  Be grateful for the opportunity to have had the chance to work on this new project.  You probably learned a little something along the way and the client trusted you with their project.

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.

Burnt Out - Fall Brings Burnt Tones To The Forefront

Hello Fall! 

I've missed you and all of my favorite natural colors.  Every Fall the landscape changes and I am reminded why it's my favorite time of year.  Visually it is my favorite time of year because the landscape has a burnt orange overlay extracting all of the ripeness of the earth, and each sunset is more incredible than the nights prior.  Playing with rich deep tones and also the light and bright tones of the tall grasses and the clear morning sky bring a unique contrast to the season.  Look outside and it's very probable you can create a new color chart with the tones you see from your window.  Now go play in some leaves or something!

Choosing a Background Color: PLATES

White, grey, black, brown, green, what is the best color for plating food?  I'm not a chef, I don't pretend to be a chef. I do know design though.  When you think of a well thought out plate of food, you usually want to create something that is both mouthwatering delicious and also visually pleasing (so people will try what is on the plate).  I only know this from past experience of spending most of my life ONLY eating things that visually look delicious.  Luckily I have grown out of my skepticism of food that isn't orange or covered in icing.

If we think about how we use design and color to compliment the meal, this is when a delicious plate of food goes from delicious to THIS IS SO DELICIOUS, I HAVE TO POST ABOUT THIS NOW.  Don't lie, we've have all been there.  Choosing a plate to complement the main focus "the food", I think depends on the meal itself.  Using a green plate for a yellow curry dish, does not seam like an appetizing plate of food.  Using a black or cobalt grey dish for a vibrant yellow curry is a much better compliment to the food itself. Consider choosing a background color (the plate) for your meal next time you a cooking to impress.

Viva La Fiesta! - Life is Vibrant

Living in Santa Barbara County has many benefits.  One yearly reminder of just how beautiful living on the Central Coast is, is Fiesta.  Color fill the flag lined State street, and muti-colored confetti seams to rain from the balconies above.  It is a time to remember Santa Barbara's heritage and also to embrace the people and cultures which settled the Central Coast.  Dancing, costumes, food, art and craft are all on display and it's time to party.  The vibrant colors that fill the streets are my personal favorite part about Fiesta.  The amount of color everywhere just makes me smile, and I'm not alone in this feeling.  Showcasing vibrant colors actually makes people genuinely happy.  The evidence is right on the street.  I think this is why color is my favorite part of fiesta, people are just happier. Viva La Fiesta!

calle bonita studios

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.

Page Density - Web design 101

Density - the degree of compactness of a substance in an outlined area.

Some websites have a lot to say; and they should be able to say all of the things they would like to say.  When websites say too much, the page becomes too dense.  When a website become too dense with text or graphics, the messaging can be too overwhelming for the viewer.  Finding the balance of text, graphics, imagery, and blank space is tricky.  That is why most businesses hire someone like me to create their website.  

An easy rule to page density, is to create a small amount of copy which is rich in content.  Catching the viewer's attention with a short "want to learn more" tone leads people to continue reading and learn about all which your business has to offer.

Putting The Mono In Monochrome

Mono - alone, single.

Monochrome - an art technique using different shades of a single color.

Being a single in a sea of complementary, analogous, and triadic can be lonely.  There are benefits to being a single in this same sea though,  it allows you to not be anchored to any other shades.  

When starting branding and logo development sometimes being tied down to other shades limits your options from the get go.  Staying monochrome for the beginning of branding development or even the entirety of brand development is simple but effective.  When you start in monochrome you can analyze the nature of the essential design elements before you are swayed towards a certain design purely based on color attributes.

Sit, Stay, Rollover... Ad Rollovers

Sit, Stay, Rollover... or something like that.

The rollover action is all so popular in online advertising.  A rollover is the action of a graphic changing when your mouse scrolls over the graphic.  

If you actually took the time to count how many rollover actions you encounter in a day using the internet, you may be surprised.  I was actually pretty shocked at how desensitized I've become to rollovers since I unconsciously encounter them so often online.  Does that mean they're not affective?

Rollover's are still an affective way to grab attention, but creating a rollover that is unique is much more affective than a simple color change or copy change.  As always though, the rollover that you create should still match the look and feel of the business that you are advertising for.  If it makes more sense not to have a rollover graphic in an online ad, that ad would probably be avant-garde at this point.

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

PRESENTATION - Show Your Work Like A Champion

Putting your best foot forward and setting the stage for your hard work.  Presenting something personal like your artwork can be very nerve wrecking.  I usually break out in a full body sweat, unfortunate but true.  I start talking fast and with my hands, when really all of my attention should be on the body of the work I'm presenting.  Setting the stage when presenting your artwork helps both you and the client walk through your creative process to the final artwork.  Don't sell you or your work short by not allowing enough time to explain your process, sometimes it leads to an easy approval.

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

Expanding Your Brand Identity

After a few years your brand identity may be feeling a little tired.  The original ideas and concepts that you started with change over time and so should your brand identity.  Keeping your brand identity fresh reflects how your brand is changing and growing.  Viewers or customers expect to see references to your original ideas and concepts, but by keeping your brand identity updated they will know you value growth and hopefully they will want to continue to grow with you.

www.callebonitastudios.com

CONTRAST - Opposites Attract

Light/dark, rough/smooth, thin/fat, why are we so attracted to contrast? Contrast draws us in and makes us compare.  Contrast can bring out the best in a design or the worst depending on how it is executed.  Evaluating how contrast can pull the eye in or define the space allows contrast to be an asset to the final design.

CREATE & STAY WILD - California In The Springtime

Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with being wild.  Harnessing wildness into a cohesive thought is so tough, so embrace it and create!  Wildness gives us an outlet to express the energy that isn’t used or exercised in day-to-day life.  So create & stay wild.

www.callebonitastudios.com

www.nelsonexcavation.com

SEASONS CHANGE - Seasonal California

The poppies are almost out in full bloom, the lupines are sprinkled about and color is all that I see.  Currently, I am completely in awe of the amount of vibrant colors surrounding me.  I have realized this seasonal transformation is a surprise to me because I have been in a city for the last 3 years of the flourishing spring season.  I hope the realization of spring and the new beginnings never grow old.

www.callebonitastudios.com

www.nelsonexcavation.com