Magazine Design Mock-up

This is just something I have been playing around with from pictures I have taken in my yard. I decided to do a mock-up of a magazine for flowers. It was fun and kept some of my creative juices flowing. I think the whole beveled titles may be old school but I think they fit with the style of the magazine. Newer more hip styled magazines seemed to be going with more of a sharper sans serif font for titles and headings, but I think a nature magazine should have more of a rounded, curved aspect to its treatments.

It's Tuesday! Worked some doing some freelancing last week which helped a bit. Still out there searching and working on some tutorials to update some of my skills.

Don't even know why I started this post as I don't really have a lot to say today. Sitting here with an empty mind, trying to think of something profound to say or talk about...

Good-Day! Cold dreary day for Florida, which makes it is a good day to do some more researching and reviewing of options, goals and motivations.

As I previously mentioned in an earlier post, I upgraded to CS6 on my home computer. While I had been working in CS5 and CS5.5 in the workplace, I only had CS4 on my home computer.

Once you load a new program (suite) you end up opening the different programs and figuring out what is new, and where to find tools that are moved and if they work the same as previously or are there new tricks to the trade.  For the most part, the work I have done in page layout has primarily been in Indesign. There have been times when I have done basic edits in Photoshop and Illustrator at work but most of those things have been handled by an art department. Of course, there has always been Acorbat for PDFing files. At times, I will start some project at home to improve and/or relearn skills in Photoshop and Illustrator .

Playing around can be very time consuming. You set up new workspaces. Then you start looking at your old projects/files and open them in the different programs and play around with them.

• You try to figure out how you ever did that (what filter or effect you used)
  –mind you some of these files where 10 years old
• Look up web sites and tutorials on the various programs,
• Sart reading articles about designers and artists
• Forget what you were originally doing
•  Go back to the file you had open and then continue...

Before you know it the day has passed you by. AND what have you really accomplished. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. Really it is all good. Searching, tweeting, and working in files can lead you to some really interesting and awe-inspiring information. It boggles my mind how many talented people there are in the world.

That's it for today. Gotta get back to life's confusion.....

I'm back. Today I am "wondering what happened." I have been "watching what is happening." NOW, I have got to make things happen. I'm trying, I'm trying .... honestly!

Well here I am again. Finally! I have been very negligent in posting on this blog. Time and life just seem to take over. I have a thing for quotes and attaching some sort of graphic to them. Here's one for today:

I am starting out this new year jobless. (well not actually jobless as I am doing some freelancing for a company that takes some major print magazines and makes them interactive online ready.) Once again the prepress house I was working at for the past 3 years 9 months has restructured itself with the intent of outsourcing most of its production.

So, I am experiencing the same angst that millions of other people are experiencing. Its hard for me as I have always worked. In 1997 I took a year off and went back to school to finally finished my degree. Upon completion I was hired by a company as a production artist and worked there for
12 years. When that company closed its office, I was working at another company the very next day, where I remained for the past 3 3/4 years. Now as I mentioned I am doing some freelancing work.
What it's left me with though is the same feelings I think most people have in my situation: feelings of redundancy, insecurity, anxiety, lack of purpose, etc., etc., etc.

Todays job market can be very confusing. There are lists and lists of what you should do, what you should say, how you should act in an interview. Its endless and everyone has something to say regarding the issue of "finding a job." I have never been good at selling myself or putting myself out there. There are so many job listing options out there: Monsters.com, Career Bulders, Talent Zoo, Indeed, Desktop Publishing Job Finders, Beyond,  LinkedIn, and the list goes on. It can be rather mind-boggling. Then, there are those that say online job search sites are relatively useless and few people actually get a job from these sites. Yet, there are lots of companies that only take applications for positions online. Its a conundrum, especially when you are more introverted than extroverted.

Positives are that I have gotten a lot of things done around the house, am spending more time researching information online, cleaning up my files on my computer, updating my programs on my computer, doing miscellaneous tutorials.

June Ramblings

It's June already! I can't believe it has been almost 4 months since I have posted anything. Actually I have been adding links to my side columns of interesting sights but have not actually posted a blog.

So what have I been up too.
In January the pre-press house I was working for closed its offices in Orlando.
Fortunately, I was hired by another competing company and went right from one job to another. I feel very fortunate for that in today's economy. AND its a great company to work for. People are great to work with and company is appreciative. Still its hard in today's economy. One week you are working 70 hours a week and the next you are working 24 hours a week. Guess it all balances out.

I have to say the time off gives me some time to breath. I have been able to reconnect with my house and my yard, take care of my old springer, Ernie, and catch up on a lot of miscellaneous projects that I really needed to get done and have been putting off.

I keep meaning to post items more relevant to design and publishing but there are so many good sights already doing that already. I just keep copying their urls and posting them here. Check them out there are is a lot of good info on my side columns: freebies, apps, typography, vector sights etc.

Most importantly keep reading, keep learning and keep twittering!

Repost of LInks that I think are of Value

where to find the perfect logo inspiration
20 amazing brochures to boost-up your design skills
The Best 80 Photoshop Text Effects on the Web
15 awesome booklet designs for graphic designers
44 Must Learn Web Design Layout Tutorials in Photoshop
43 Incredibly Useful Collection of Tutorials, Resources, Inspirations etc To Discover The Best Of The Web In February at smashing apps
100 Beautiful Free Textures at Smashing Magazine
51 Creative Business Cards That Will Make You Look Twice at Quicksprout
Inspiring Design Links for Creatives for 2009-03-01 at thisinspires.me
65+ Smoking Photoshop Text Effect Tutorials at instantshift
100+ Free Seamless Vector Patterns Ideal for Web Design and Print Work at Pattern Head
Building/Customizing your own Wordpress theme: Beginners and Intermediate at Desizn Tech
28 of the Coolest Retro Style Photoshop Brush Sets at specky boy 50 Brilliant Typography Designs to Inspire You at Best Photoshop Tutorials
200+ High Quality Free Paper Textures to Grab at naldzgraphics
Readers Pick: 30+ Incredibly Useful Mac Apps for Web Design at noupe
The Coolest Text Effects on the Planet at best-photoshop-tutorials
27 Indespensible Resources for Graphic Designers at freelancefolder
Top 84 Photoshop Resource Sites - Toolbox for Designers at specky boy
The Ultimate Adobe InDesign Toolbox at Deadwings Designs
Blogger Toolbox: 100+ Tools and Themes at at mashable.com
54 Kick Ass Creative Logos Hand-Picked from Logofaves at dzineblog
45+ Free Design Template And PSD Files at 1stwebdesigner
20 Websites Every Apple Fan Must Bookmark at makeuseof.com
21 Typography and Font Web Apps You Can’t Live Without at specky boy
All the Logo Design Resources You Will Ever Need at design cublicle 79 Beautiful and Creative Business Cards Designs at 2Experts Design
Your Bestest Creative, Geeky Posts of 2008 - Part 2 at We are Just Creative
A - Z of Web Design at iampaddy
The Twelve Days of InDesign from InDesign Secrets
100+ Free Applications for Mac OS X at Usingmac
60+ Essential Feeds for Web Designers posted at iDesign Studios
Over 100 Free Christmas Design Resources - A Design Bliss Mega-List
29 Most Useful Texture Packs of 2008 at Web Design Ledger
13 Characteristics of Outstanding Blog Design at webdesigner Depot
7 Free Tools to Identify A Font at webdesigner Depot
11 Essential Photoshop E-Books Amazingly Free posted at specky boy
40 + cheatsheets for Designers at Six Revisions
The Ultimate List of Best Logo Design Resources at Just Creative.
Top 100 Essential Mac Applications. at Mac Tips and Tricks
In the Woods–Our Blog for all things Themey!
50+Amazing Logos on Spoonfed Design
30 inspiring type treatments from I love typography

Ramblings of a Production Artist

Twittering
My previous post asked whether twitterers were just self-serving. Come to find out they are not, but sometimes you have to figure out how to get the message out. I started tweeting about an organization called Pilots and Paws. I tweeted it about 5-10 times, asking people to retweet it to spread the word. Most of the people I follow are in the design field in some way or other. I got real discouraged with the fact that few people bothered to retweet it. Then, I took the more direct approach. I asked for help from people like Jeff Fisher at LogoMotives, Graham Smith at imjustcreative, and Calvin Lee at mayhemstudios. Then things began to happen. They retweeted it and people who followed them retweeted it and by taking a more direct approach to people I respected and followed I was able to pass the word and hopefully at least save one animal.

I do have to give a shoot-out to Paulastudio who was the first person who retweeted my tweet, to Jeff Fisher who took the time to even send me the link for the newreel about Pilots and Paws, and to Graham Smith (and his dog Dylan) who offered to post about Pilots and Paws on Soultweet.

Bottom line is work it. Figure out what you need to do to get your word out. People will help. Sometimes you just have to approach it from a different aspect. At first I was mad and sad that people only seemed to care about what was important to them—it seemed so self-serving. Truth be told, there IS a part of that in all of us. The point I want to make is that instead of wallowing in self pity (nobody cares what I have to say) or getting mad, learn how to get work it and reach out to people for what you want.

The New Year–2009
Lot of big changes for me with the start of this year. Afer 11 years of working for a company, they have closed their doors. Its a hard and depressing thing. You suddenly are no longer a part of a "family" that you have spent the last 11 years with. Saturday I started working for a new company. I was lucky in economic times like this to find a new job. Several people I have worked with in the past are working there, so I have hopes of developing a new "family."

Twittering Addiction
I have spent a LOT of time on Twitter. As you can see from my blog I have collected a lot of sites/links for fonts, vectors, photoshop, typography, logos etc. The trouble is, I spend way to much time collecting all this information and way to little time using it. After all, you never know when these things may come in handy!
What is the real problem with this. The fact is, I am collecting and collecting, reading and reading, and not really doing anything with all this information.

What does this say about me: partial depression with the way the world is turning (or collapsing), partial procrastination, lack of creativity, basically all around lack of motivation. What I think I need is a 12-step program to wean me of Twitterdom. I am finding it much more interesting to twitter, collect, read, and watch TV than to DO. I need help!

Are Twitterers Just Self-serving?

For the past few days I have been tweeting about a cause that is important to me; saving dogs lives (Pilots and Paws). I have asked several times for followers to retweet this for me. Of the 250 followers that I have, only 8 people have bothered to retweet and/or respond: sere_usdesign, Paulastudio, imjustcreative, mayhemstudios, GLHoffman. sharebrain, emtwo, and LogoMotives. Jeff from Logomotives even took the time to locate the NBC newsreel and post that as well.

I have to wonder what this all means. One person said "Also shows you people RT only what they think will promote themselves/is self serving, not serves others/good causes."

I have to somewhat agree, even though I don't want to think or feel that way. I have spent many hours online twittering away with many people and retweeting for many of their causes as well as promoting many of their posts. I really don't expect anything in return (or do I—I have to ask myself this), but I had hoped that when I needed the same that it would be reciprocated. So does that mean we only serve ourselves and self-promote ourselves. I don't know.... I do know that it made me feel sad, bad, and mad that if it didn't promote self and self-interests that it just wasn't important enough to retweet.

I know what twitter is about, but I thought and hoped that it was more than that. I wanted to think that people cared about more than just the things that were important to them. Somehow this experience once again reinforced my perception of human nature. You would think that being 58 years old, and having experienced a lot in my life that I would understand this, not continue to be so naive, and be more accepting of the nature of people.

Help Save Pets' Lives

If you know any private pilots or anyone you think can help save a pet's life, please let them know about this good cause Pilots and Paws.