Lakia Ross Creative Blog

Website V3.1 Coming Soon

2009-03-09T16:14:00.003-05:00

Updates to my Portfolio site are coming soon, and I have a new url: lakiarosscreative.com.

New Clip Art for Sale!

2009-02-19T13:56:00.004-05:00

Recently, I created a sweet set of ice cream clip art.

They are available for download individually for .99 or as a package of 10 for 7.99.

They are perfect for scrapbooking, party invitations, t-shirt graphics and website icons.

To purchase this clip art, visit Pixel Popsicle at Payloadz.

Thanks!

InDesign Tutorial: Turn Text into an Image Frame

2008-04-23T19:09:00.006-05:00

Download the tutorial (better quality) InDesign_1.mov (3.3MB).

**Note: at :26 I mean text frame not image frame. Yar!

My Favorite Creatives

2008-02-21T12:50:00.007-05:00

Eric Spiekermann – this links to his blog. I had the honor of meeting him my freshman year in college when he was a resident artist on my campus. Watching him critique the senior comm arts students was great. I learned a lot from his feedback to them.

Marian Bantjes – her lettering is lovely, lovely, lovely. And, I like the fact that her opinions are just as strong as her work.

Armin Vit – this link is to the design-centered site he founded with Bryony Gomez-Palacio. I love UnderConsideration and all of the mini-sites that sit under its umbrella.

Louise Fili – I attended one of her lectures in college. Her work is so unique, it seems to exist both in present time and somewhere in the past.

Michael Bierut – does he need an introduction? Is there a designer out there who hasn't attended one of his lectures? Does everyone else see his name misspelled half of the time?

Milton Glaser – I [heart] Milton Glaser. I love his insight into the business. And I love designers who can illustrate, too.

Jessica Hische – Keep an eye out for this one. She is gonna be famous. I believe she is currently at Louise Fili, Ltd. Her work is so vibrant and lovely; I think I hate her a little. : )

Coming Soon! New Website

2008-01-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

New Lakia Ross Creative website coming soon!

I am diligently working away on it during the small pockets of time I have between projects.

New look, great new features. The site will have lots of resources for my fellow designers and my clients, like free templates to download. Estimated launch date in 2 weeks!

Wish I could BS into a £125,000 project

2007-12-05T17:37:00.001-05:00

I think I am moving to Scotland.

Scotland just spent £125,000 to come up with the new tourism catchphrase ... “Welcome to Scotland.” Yes, you read that right. The Daily Record newspaper quotes: “top advertising brains” are responsible for the groundbreaking motto.

If they paid that much for Welcome to Scotland, imagine how much they'd pay for a good campaign.

read it at AdFreak.com
image came from here

Alignment

2007-11-29T12:54:00.000-05:00

When creating blocks of text, stick to left-aligned (Flush left, ragged-right).
Justified alignment should only be used in a formal setting: contracts, bank prospectuses and the like. (It's frequently used in books and magazines to maximize space)

Also, full-justification is difficult to read by someone with a learning disability such as dyslexia.
And, we designers hate the gaps and rivers it creates.

Click Here for a great book on design basics such as alignment.

Heat & Read: Awesome Annual Report

2007-11-17T15:47:00.000-05:00

Bake it to read it. Well Done (by Bruketa & Zinic) is an annual report for a huge foodstuff company in Europe, Podravka. What a great idea for an annual report!

What makes it great to me is not the creativity of the designers—we designers come up with amazing things everyday—it is the courage of Podravaka to go along with it and pay the cost, etc. I get so tired of clients going the "safe and cheap route." Sometimes, I think corporate america has completely homogenized design results.

(saw it first on boingboing, referenced it from dezeen.

Great Advice from Milton Glaser

2007-11-16T17:30:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to an AIGA talk he did in 2001. Great advice, especially when design is your life, and not just your job.

Linktastic Friday: Free Fonts

2007-11-16T12:42:00.000-05:00

Here are some free font websites:

Dingbat Depot
Search Free Fonts
Abstract Fonts
Better Fonts
dafont
25 geekiest free fonts
1001 Free Fonts
Urban Fonts
Free at MyFonts

Enjoy! And, remember, not more than two fonts per project!

A note for MS Word Users...

2007-10-29T10:42:00.001-05:00

Simply put your message in big, bold letters—use colors and all caps if you must. Just please, please leave Word Art alone.

Typesetting Tips

2007-10-29T10:22:00.000-05:00

Double spacing after a period is archaic—a remnant of typewriters and old monospaced type. If you are a graphic designer, chances are 99.9% of the documents you receive to drop into a layout have a double space after punctuation. To fix this, simply use your Find/Change menu to change the double to a single space.

Also, to quickly give your body of text a more sophisticated look, simply decrease the font size from the default of 12pt to 11 or 10pt (depending of the x-height of your font).

TYPOGRAPHY TIP

2007-10-23T14:43:00.000-05:00

Never put a script font in all caps. It makes your message hard to read, looks inelegant, and, of course, all caps can read like you are YELLING. Also, it is rarely a good idea to mix two script fonts.

Free font for Halloween

2007-10-16T23:56:00.001-05:00

Skull Font from Skull-a-day.
Saw it first on BoingBoing.

Other great fonts for Halloween include: Artistamp Medium, ReneLouis, Blood, Dead Ringer, Nosferatu, Scurlock, Vitriol, Mother Goose, Hellfire, Zombique, Spike Regular, Ogilvie, Cenobyte, Claw, A Lolita Scorned, Rothenburg Decorative, Bleeding Cowboys, and Fashyon.

...not to mention any blackletter font.

The GOCCO is back!

2007-08-23T08:18:00.000-05:00

The Gocco is a quick and easy “screen printing” system that uses the basic principles of screenprinting and rubber-stamping. Self-contained and compact, it exposes and prints all in one unit. It uses flash bulbs, like those in old cameras, to imprint on a master screen. Then, prints are made by inking the master screen and pressing it against a sheet of paper placed on a spongepad.

Buy yourself one here.
Get the history and more info at SaveGocco.

toys + typography = neato

2007-07-09T06:34:00.000-05:00

EveryoneForever blog has an interesting post about toypography, a neat take on the childrens' alphabet block. Wooden pieces spell out words in english (Roman) or Japanese characters and you can actually arrange the pieces to make an pictograph of the word.

(Saw it on BoingBoing)

I Am a Father - Book Launch

2007-06-07T12:35:00.000-05:00

Here are some shots from the I am a Father by David Manuel book launch party.
The photos are courtesy of Moses Robinson.

If you are interested, you can purchase the book here.

It's not all been done before

2007-06-03T22:31:00.000-05:00

I thought this was a very new, cool idea. (I'm jealous) =D

Four Books for Designers

2007-04-18T10:11:00.000-05:00

Are you a freelance graphic designer? You need to own these books:

- The Business Side of Creativity, Cameron S. Foote ISBN 978-0393732078

- Graphic Designer's Guide to Clients: How to Make Clients Happy and Do Great Work , Ellen Shapiro ISBN 978-1581152760

- Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers, Shel Perkins ISBN 978-0321278791

- The Graphic Designer's and Illustrator's Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion, Maria Piscopo ISBN 978-1581153637

Blog for the Day

2007-04-17T10:38:00.000-05:00

Go here.
I really like the business/leadership posts on this blog.

A little help for the potential client

2007-04-11T16:09:00.000-05:00

I think our clients are confused.

Many of us graphic designers find ourselves in a predicament when it comes to negotiating with potential clients—but I think it is not the clients fault, necessarily.

So, without further ado, I would like to provide some enlightenment for you out there seeking creative services:

You will be looking for one of two people: a graphic designer or a desktop publisher.

A desktop publisher (dtp) will know the software of the trade: Quark, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. They will also have some knowledge of the printing process and web publishing process. The desktop publisher provides a “look”—they can mimic current styles and trends; they may or may not have a associates degree or certificate in design, graphics, visual communication or something related. The main benefit of a desktop publisher is that their rates should be quite affordable: approx $10 - $12 hourly for a entry level dtp; up to $30/hr for a more seasoned dtp.

A graphic designer (communication designer) will know the software, have advanced knowledge of the printing process (they will know what a hickey is; they will be able to do printers spreads in their sleep), may have web/multimedia skills, and will probably have an associates, bachelors or higher. (Some lucky individuals may not have a degree, but may possess natural talent that supplements that.) A graphic designer will know typography, grid systems, gestalt theory, the golden section, basic copy writing, and all the other elements that are implemented in visual problem solving. They will probably be a member of a professional organization such as AIGA. Graphic designers aren't interested necessarily in mimicking current trends; they are interested in providing the best solution for a problem—which can end up spurring a new trend. They will do extensive research and will ask a lot of questions. Freelance graphic designers can charge $15 -$20/hr for entry level/just out of school, up to $250+ for seasoned professionals. Agencies may charge even more. The benefit of hiring a graphic designer is you are going to get a solution that will stand out, get results and have a bit of staying power over time.

So, I hope that helps you, dear client/employer, when you go to post a job description.
(And, I hope this helps our desktop publishers who may accidentally refer to themselves as graphic designers.)

Here's a link to some informational downloads from the AIGA.

Ideas: learn something; share something

2007-04-04T11:28:00.000-05:00

ChangeThis is a wonderful site that uses existing technology to get ideas
out to the masses.

The template for their pdf format is well designed, and a lot of the manifestos I have read have been helpful and inspiring. They also have some manifesto proposals, if you are interested in contributing.

Camino

2007-04-04T11:25:00.000-05:00

Use a Mac?
Use Firefox?

Check this out.

Is Futurebrand the ConAgra of the design world?

2007-03-15T12:35:00.000-05:00

So, I have been in denial for nearly 4 years. I have been ignoring the new UPS logo and mentally replacing it with Paul Rand's masterpiece. I don't think I am ready to face this newer *camel of a logo. (I snatched the image on the left here.)

I love change. I thrive on change. But change for change's sake? (insert raspberry noise here)

I do have an interesting idea for redesigns of major brand logos. In order to receive a new “improved” mark, you have to have a documented 80% - 100% customer satisfaction rating. Of course, then who would Futurebrand design for then?

Have I mentioned that I love the Fedex logo? (If you are the last, and I mean last, person on earth who doesn't know, look at the arrow created by the e and x — in the negative space). Thanks, Mr. Leader.

* based on the ol' saying that a camel is a horse designed by committee.

Quote for the Day

2007-03-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

The two worst things to say to a creative person: 1. That's been done before. 2. That's never been done before. - Seth Godin

Motion Type at its Baddest (in a good way)

2007-03-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

Do you..
love typography?
love motion graphics?
love Pulp Fiction?
love the "What does Marcellus Wallace look like?" scene?
Go here. (there's profanity—consider yourself warned)

Awesome, huh?
Found it on Boing Boing.

Neat book on Logos

2007-02-24T13:18:00.000-05:00

My husband has the unique ability to pick out wonderful things for me. For instance, during a dreadful downpour I soaked and ruined a prize pair of pumps, so he went to the store to buy me a pair of galoshes. He bought a lovely pair pf baby blue Coach galoshes, on clearance no less.

All that is to say is I shouldn't have been surprised today when he came home from the bookstore with The Secret Life of Logos: Behind the Scenes with Top Designers by Leslie Cabarga. It has interviews with some great designers and shows their sketches and finished products.

My favorite section? The interview with Michael Doret. Don't know who he is? Pull out your Kiss Rock and Roll Over album and behold the master illustrator, long before the invention of Illustrator. Or, open your Adobe Illustrator and look at some of his work in the Samples folder.

I am going to read some more in the book.

For my freelancers

2007-02-13T13:40:00.000-05:00

You have a potential client. You send them an estimate. They cannot afford your estimate. So, you agree to adjust your price to meet their budget.

STOP!

Before you agree to a lesser price, be sure that you are not offering the same services for a smaller amount. By all means, work with your potential client to meet their budget, but pare down the services they get for the reduced price. For example, your original estimate gave the client three initial sketches and four rounds of changes. For a reduced price, maybe the client gets two initial sketches and two rounds of changes.

Changing your rates without adjusting your services does to things: 1) puts a welcome mat on your forehead 2) makes you seem disreputable to your peers.

Repeat after me: I am a professional. My time and my work have value.

ColorBurn's selections on my birthday

2007-02-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

The ColorBurn colors for this most auspicious day. Hmmmm, I was hoping for more coincidence.

Retro Reference

2007-02-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

My website is in phase one of a retro theme. Here is a great reference site for various retro looks.

Name that font

2007-02-07T10:54:00.000-05:00

It's happened to all of us designers. We are the third person to work on a project, and for some reason or another, the files on a brochure, etc. are not available. But, we still have to match that font. Now, maybe you are more gifted/attentive than I, but I can only identify about 30 typefaces by sight. So, what to do about those other 3 billion typefaces? Let identifont do it for you. They even have the font ready to purchase, after you have figured out which one it is.

Job perusals today

2007-02-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

I like how concise this description is

Responsible for producing graphics for proposals, reports,
brochures, presentations, etc. Required technical graphic
skills: Macromedia Studio Macromedia Flash (strong action
scripting), Macromedia Dreamwearver, Adobe Creative Suite
CS2: Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. The candidate
should be a creative problem-solver, not afraid to voice
new ideas, opinions, concerns. Must be able to work
independently and comfortable working in a deadline
environment.

...but I have no idea what Macromedia Dreamwearver is.

This one from craigslist.org:

You will be working closely with creative directors, art directors and the marketing director on various high-end print and web projects.

John K, of George Liquor and Ren & Stimpy fame, has an accurate analysis of what the above quote means on his blog. It's about animation executives, but just substitute that title with creative, marketing, or art director. Substitute the word cartoons with designs or graphics.

Painfully familiar, isn't it?

By the way, indeed.com is the way to go if you are looking for a new gig.

An Educational Vacation

2007-02-07T08:33:00.000-05:00

Are you a member of the NAPP? I am. In addition, from some good product discounts, NAPP members get a discount to attend Photoshop World. Photoshop World is wonderful, 3-4 days of classes, networking, and plain ol’ fun. It’s my little vacation, and I learn a bit, too. My advice? Attend the one in Las Vegas—most fun I’ve been paid to have in a long time.

Back to basics: a tactile experience

2007-02-06T13:37:00.000-05:00

I recently received a requested packet from David at The Press Room, which contained some lovely samples of letterpress printing.

Why letterpress? Daily, I am inundated with cheap, waterless-printed ephemera. If I close my eyes and touch each different piece, it all feels the same. Same 80# or 100# coated coverstock, same uv coat; I have an inclination for the tactile, and these no-budget solutions aren't cutting it for me. They are starting to look the same, also—too much info, too many colors, both sides overloaded with substandard graphics—not interesting in the least.

Keep it simple, keep it clean, and spend a little extra up front. I would rather pay more for a card that someone keeps, than have 5,000 business cards for $50.00 that people discard immediately.

Stating the obvious

2007-02-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

I am in the market for new career opportunities. So, as I am browsing a list of jobs and their descriptions, the following line jumps out at me: “Professional demeanor and attitude required at all times.”

When did this become necessary to state? I mean, if you are adept at hiring someone and providing them a professional environment to work in, shouldn’t this be a given? Would not the absence of professional demeanor and attitude be noticeable in reference checks or interviews? Or in that initial probationary period?

Honestly, what I read into that statement was “Your work environment will be a seething morass of office politics, miscommunication, and unnecessary bureaucracy. You will be expected to unequivocally enjoy this.”

Needless to say, I did not apply for that one.

Conversely, I do know several peers who behave abysmally unprofessional (and blame it on their artistic nature). But, I could weed them out in the interview process in a heartbeat.

Powerpoint

2007-01-31T12:21:00.001-05:00

I do a lot of Powerpoint work. I am always amazed when people tell me they don't know how to use Powerpoint (what is there to know?). I am even more amazed at the people who do know how to use Powerpoint, and insist on using Powerpoint's layout templates to create their presentations. I could tell you why using anything Powerpoint has already set up is a bad idea, but Seth Godin tells it better. I am happy to announce that #5 on his no-no list is the only plague I have to endure with my “Powerpoints”.

Dead Man Popping!

2007-01-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

This is what I would have to call the most soulless act of marketing ever witnessed. Sure they didn't really dig him up, but...well, ick!

Just remaster the old original commercials; create new branding; anything but this zombie selling popcorn. Shameful!

Update 1/30/07: Seems I am not alone—there's more on this in Cartoon Brew's archives (scroll down to Jan. 20th and Jan 18th for their full coverage on the topic).

A bigger version of the commecrial.

Check out the couple on the left in the snapshot. The look on their faces says it all.

My Colorburn Fix

2007-01-25T14:16:00.000-05:00

Every morning, I look forward to flipping over to my Dashboard and checking out Firewheel Design's Colorburn widget. The widget features a new cleverly-named color theme (4 swatches in hex color) every day. I even have a little notebook where I record my favorite hex #'s for future reference.

What's in a Name?

2007-01-25T13:16:00.000-05:00

Errol Saldanha presents the argument on Beyond Graphic that the monikers graphic and graphic designer are a bit narrow for what we as creatives do in the 21st century. His thoughts under the Identity and Value sections are of particular interest to me.

I have always thought of myself as a communication designer, simply because my BFA was in Communication Design. I will answer to graphic designer, designer, and my favorite, design monkey. Just refrain from uttering graphics designer. Pretty please.