happy holidays from los angeles!
signing off for the holiday weekend, everyone have a great time wherever you may be! next week, we rock the last week of the year, and beyond that—the future!
creative inspiration
what a cool internet collaboration on a christmas song!
packaging
[image: the dieline]
a really unique illustration on oncoated stock to showcase burn cottage, a biodynamic winery. by mash.
typography
[image: thedielinewine]
beautiful, simple type treatment and illustration for bathe wines by fuller. so clean and classic! check the complete profile on the dieline.
some outstanding tv quotes from mad men, the wire and battlestar galactica, in custom typeset.
los angeles
i’ve been writing for LAist about eating seasonally, and the latest is about spicing up your holiday menu with fresh LA fare. last week was a good look at swiss chard, followed by my first experience with creative mornings in los angeles with alissa walker. stay tuned for more each week!
loving LA got a lot easier with this awesome tumblr: 10>110>101, an eclectic collection of all kinds of LA ephemera. thanks to @theroyalacademy for sharing it!
food
i’m not going to add to your holiday overwhelm more than i already have, but consider these cookies. they’re made with salt and pepper. if you like salty cookies that really bring out the flavor, try these out: salt n pepper sandwich cookies. yum!
retreat report: 2010
the retreat “thinkspace”
what better time to reflect on a warm, sunny retreat than during a week-long los angeles deluge, right? if you can remember as far back as last week, we were having a little december heat wave, which was a great setting for my annual year-end brain storm.
pinkies in the garden
i chose hope springs resort as i do every year because they offer the perfect setting: no kids, no pets, no tvs. only stereos with ipod hookups, robes & towels, and a fruit-forward continental breakfast every morning as the backdrop to 3 mineral pools ranging from hot to warm, surrounded by a succulent garden.
the resort cat visits our room
i followed my plan of wind-down the first night, write about the past year the 2nd day, and then plan the future the 3rd day, though i was so busy, i had to break some of my own rules. for one thing, i had to take work with me and keep in touch with clients, though i kept it to a minimum. of course, it’s not a retreat if you ignore the “rest” part of the deal. sometimes you need someone to show you what rest looks like. the resident resort cat visited us the second day we arrived, to test our chair. it worked.
annual planning
in reviewing the previous year’s notes, it was apparent that i was optimistic, but not nearly as established as i am now, so my tone is hopeful but less confident than i remembered. this past year was pretty big for putting myself out into different circles and participating in a lot more than just my business, though still as a means of exploring what else i can do. i decided to format my reflections on the past as follow ups, addressing each one i wrote last year and explaining where those actions, thoughts or concerns have ended up now, and what i plan to do to make progress this year. once i finished the follow up, i added new things i started doing in 2010 and noted what i thought of each one, how i planned to flesh it out in 2011.
in 2010, i…
+ increased blogging from weekly to daily
+ started guest blogging for other blogs and organizations
+ consistently wrote a monthly newsletter all year
+ increased my client base & laid groundwork for more repeat & regular business
+ hosted 1-2 mixers per month through biznik
+ tried group co-working in a few different setups
+ chose and fostered relationships with inspirational mentors and friends
+ worked with educational institutions through the LA chamber
+ started working with the AIGA programming committee
+ stopped seeing other designers as competition
+ streamlined & refined my proposal, contract & work process
+ started offering more web design and content development services
+ opened an online store
i saved a bee
then i took a swimming break and saved a drowning bee. she clung to me, but i eventually convinced her to join her friends among the rosemary blossoms.
floral tea & spa water = double hydration
the following day, i did more of a freeform brainstorm, with far more breaks for clearing my head. i’m at an interesting point where i’ve started a bunch of projects or gotten involved in a few organizations, and i’m ready to analyze how each is working and focus the balance of attention they get. i also have a bunch of projects i want to work on next year, so i wrote about ideas for each of them, and gave myself rough time periods to work on them. it’s surprising, while i was doing all this writing, some new things i hadn’t considered came up, so i talked them over with jason. next year is going to be an exercise in time management if i want to balance professional and personal work with all the extra-curriculars i want to do, but all i can say is that i’ll try it out and assess how it’s going along the way.
in 2011, i plan to…
+ strike a balance of writing for other blogs and orgs that work well for me
+ keep the blogging & newsletter going strong
+ continue to add regular & repeat clients so i can pick & choose the 1-offs
+ collaborate with a few orgs and individuals on programming meaningful design events
+ grow the store with revolving products through the year
+ make more industry-focused promotional pieces
+ revamp and reformat my web site [this has been on the back burner too long!]
+ participate in co-working at least 2 times per month, biznik once per month
+ write, design & self-publish a food projects book
this is what my brain felt like
in the end, i wrote 17 pages about what’s been going on, where it’s going, and where i’m directing it in the future. i’m excited and energized for next year, and thankful that we have a holiday season for a little slow down before the big work starts. i’m taking any downtime this week to enjoy where i’m at and get mentally prepared, and then taking downtime next week to do a little more date-charting so i can get a more realistic picture of plans & goals. once i can see it, i can stay aware of it and do it. bring on the new year!
event calendar: december 20 – 26, 2010
[hope springs resort cat visiting during our retreat]
i can’t believe we’re here again, but we’ve nearly completed another year. there’s some great music going on this week, and then merry christmas to all the christmas celebrators out there!
here’s what i’m up to:
monday, december 20, 10pm smith III – clayton – revis – reid jam session at the blue whale
tuesday, december 21, 6pm winter warming party at tony’s darts away ring in the first day of winter, bring a toy to donate and have a free beer!
tuesday, december 21, 7pm emily lacy cd release & biscuit party at the echo country outpost.
thursday, december 23 down & derby roller disco at the echo
creative mornings / los angeles: alissa walker
[image: oscar rios]
as a graphic designer, i’ve been reading alissa walker in various design publications for years. she’s been somewhat of a household name for designers and architects, but when i started seeing her name pop up with other accreditations, like good, fast company, longshot magazine, helping produce dna for kcrw, speaking on and moderating panel discussions—it seemed like she was suddenly everywhere. it’s been really cool to watch a trusted & respected voice in design rise to so many other outlets.
as a lover of gelato, she got coolhaus to make a custom brown sugar & bacon ice cream you could have between either ginger or chocolate chip cookies. i got mine with chocolate chip, poured myself a coffee and got settled in for the talk.
alissa started off with a run-down of her previous writing engagements, beginning with a hilarious hand-drawn zine she made at age 10, think teen, and culminating with the impressive list of projects she currently produces. “it wasn’t always this way,” she admits, so she went on to share the ah-ha moment she had in italy, when she decided she wanted to get paid to do what she loved: eat gelato and admire design and architecture.
how do you do this? take cues from your obsessions, and decide to participate in them every day. talk about them, write about them, self-describe with them, and people will start to take notice. put yourself and your work out into the world, and as your work progresses, more people will recognize you as the person who is obsessed with this great thing you love. over time, you may find your interests build on themselves, allowing you to engage audiences in multiple formats.
alissa found that adding her love of writing about design to throwing parties led to starting delab, hosting events where she was able to showcase artists in a bigger forum, sponsored by organizations they wanted to work with. same love of art and writing, but a whole new level of visibility.
and it doesn’t stop there—bigger organizations then take notice. good saw what delab was doing and asked them to do a series pairing designers with civic leaders to solve urban problems, which not only did wonders for the credibility and influence of design—the designers would often be contacted by government agencies to collaborate on projects. one example includes the 30-year anniversary redesign of the farmer’s market to make it better fit the urban landscape, which may have started as a design project, but allowed good to participate in food legislation in LA. put energy into doing what you love, and you never know how your efforts might grow to do good around you.
another thing alissa touched on was changing your ritual, staying energized by mixing things up. choose to do something different and commit to it. when she committed to stop driving and chose to walk or take public transit, her perspective and relationship to los angeles changed profoundly, from noticing hidden treasures to creating a strategic game of how to best use public transit. this has led to a new focus in her writing and a renewed love of LA.
ever voraciously curious, alissa is in a new transitional phase, exploring what she can do to better advocate for the urban changes she’d like to see in los angeles. after seeing what she spun out of eating gelato and loving design, i have no doubt we’ll be hearing about all kinds of awesome developments in the works next year. the world needs more alissa, and we get the best of her right here in LA!
[alissa walker, wearing her very awesome california necklace]
creative mornings los angeles chapter, headed by jon setzen, is currently held monthly at ford & ching in chinatown. check their vimeo account in the coming weeks for a full video of this morning’s presentation. in the meantime, follow alissa walker on twitter: @gelatobaby!
article of the week
Pitch Fever by Jonathan Ford for thedieline.com
i haven’t personally been involved in low-paid pitching, but once i read ford’s article, my design-business instincts kicked into gear in just the way he describes. to quote him, “From our side, the designer’s mindset automatically changes from using design for problem solving, to winning a project.” then he describes 4 scenarios of how this can negatively effect the client-agency relationship. if you’re in an industry that demands this kind of selection process, it’s time to stand by your values and educate them on why it’s only hurtful to the process, profession, and work that comes out of it. i’m also loving the supportive comment left by a self-described competitor. give it a read!
biznik article of the week
Masterminding: Benefits and Considerations for Three Types of Businesswomen by Michele DeKinder-Smith
i’ve been thinking of engaging in some more mastermind-level personal development, an dekinder-smith’s article about entrepreneurial types is very helpful in determining a good blend of contributors. if you’re thinking of joining one, or already in one and wondering how to get more of what you need out of it, consider what this article says and look at the group you’re with for clues.
creative inspiration
a cute little video on how paper gets recycled. parlato design studio uses high if not 100% post consumer recycled papers whenever possible. the holiday cards currently for sale were printed on neenah environment PC100!
posters
[image: designworklife]
i’m loving these wine country travel posters by hatch for the sf moma wine exhibit, available for sale in the museum store. thanks designworklife for the link.
wine packaging
[image: thedieline]
beautiful typographic wine packaging for bottle of by swear words. some more nice type-driven pieces i found include adir winery and one-two punch wine.
design industry
so, what’s new this week? i’ve been writing for the creative freelancer blog, and lately i won’t shut up about year-end retreats. only 4 more days till mine starts! planning your year-end retreat, for creativefreelancerblog.com
need things to incorporate into next year’s planning while you’re sitting by the pool in desert hot springs? see, i did it again. how about 10 reasons to rethink your web site, from imprint.com [i am totally in need of an overhaul here], or these 2 from parse design your business plan, by doug powell and craft a more effective identity, by peleg top.
if you’re not into holiday cards but don’t want to miss the opportunity to connect with your clients & vendors, consider a transition to new year’s cards, alisa tells you how: do you have your new year’s cards ready?
beyond design
[image: craft magazine]
the holiday how-tos are rolling in these days, i thought this paper holiday star was particularly cute, and something we could all probably do with some of the paper we’d normally throw into the recycling bin. decorate with it for a few weeks!
if you like baking cookies for the holidays, saveur compiled their 20 best holiday cookie recipes, and boy are they cute!
speaking of food [were we?] i’ve got another piece for LAist: seasonal eats: a little something about sunchokes.
the typography joyride
it seems ridiculous that, as a person who has always wanted to try potato stamp printing, i’ve never done it. but the fact is, i never have gotten around to it, so when spencer cross announced kernspiracy was putting together this typography joyride event, partnering with machine project, echo park film center and cinema speakeasy, i signed up right away.
the evening consisted of a brief talk on type, instructions on how to carve potatoes [with supplemental backwards alphabets on the tables for inspiration], the actual carving, and then final printing in the form of ransom notes. concluding the workshop portion, we went next door to view a screening of typeface, a documentary about the history of wood type for letterpress and the hamilton wood type museum.
awhile back, my mom gave me some of her wood carving tools, so i brought those along for precision potato carving. we picked our letter assignments from a bowl and got started. some people like to jump in and carve right away, but our table all sat and sketched our letters ahead of time to make sure we liked them. designers!
once we had a few of each letter, some ligatures, numbers, and such, people got to printing. since this typeface consists of unmatched characters, it’s technically a ransom note face, so we were encouraged to compose ransom notes of our own. this was super fun!
the documentary was very interesting, first & foremost to see so many gorgeous carved wood blocks of standard and intricate display faces. coming from a city like los angeles, it’s hard to wrap your head around the idea that this wood type factory pretty much made two rivers, wisconsin—though their other claim to fame is inventing the ice cream sundae. the visiting artists shown in the film were making amazing prints as well, it really made me want to figure out how to spend some kind of residency there.
typeface will screen in various cities for the next few months, and it’s available on limited edition dvd [with a wood type print jacket] or from itunes.
parlato design studio 