I’m not a banker but I have to say…I was overly excited when I logged into my online Huntington account and saw their new site design (pictured above)! As a designer, it wasn’t fun signing into their old site everyday. I thought I would include a screenshot of what their site USED to look like (pictured below) just so you can see the difference. Exciting, right? Just agree with me.

I had a wonderful time with family and friends this weekend at our friends’ wedding. Below are a handful of links to start off your work week!

- I’m planning on making this for dinner soon.

- Love this design. Peace Corps at 50 identity.

- These wedding invites are great. I’ve drawn an illustration the bride and groom before and it’s nerve racking!

- My upcoming freelance work will be influenced by this site and this site. Two very different projects!

The Charismatic Dogs book has a site now! The photographer, TOTSPUPS.com, emailed me yesterday informing me Blurb.com will be using the Charismatic Dogs book for marketing purposes! Very awesome. Volume II is in the works.

This week I’d like to introduce Elizabeth Schuppe. Elizabeth is fine artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. I have always been a huge fan of her paintings and so when she agreed to participate in this series, I was floored. Here is an excerpt from her site :

“Color, line, shape, texture, and light are the media that express the emotion in my work. Rather than creating a recognizable object, I use the elements of painting itself to allow the story to unfold. There is no plan in my painting, yet there is process. I let a color, a line, a shadow dictate what comes next.

The purpose is to create expression and emotion strictly out of shape and color – completely abstract. My best works are the ones that just happen, when I allow myself to be surprised.”

1. How long have you been painting? I have been painting since I was a kid but I really didn’t learn how to paint seriously until I was in college. I’ve been professionally painting for about 5 years.

2. Have you always painted abstractly or have you ever painted realistically? I only painted realistically when I was in school. As soon as I was allowed to paint freely – I went abstract. Even my realistic pieces were on the abstract side – it as just in my nature.

3. You mention on your site that there is not a plan in your paintings but can you expand on what your process includes? I always start with a color that I’m into at the moment. Once I put down a color and shape, that tells me what to do next. I just keep building from there – more colors and more shapes, always responding to the mark I made before.

4. A lot of the work on your website was created on a larger surface. Do you ever work on smaller canvases or paper? I haven’t worked on paper, or small, in a long, long time. Up until now. I had to give up my studio and have been forced to work at home so I started to work on small blocks of wood. But mostly my style of painting works better larger.

5. How do you spend your time painting? How long can the process take from start to finish? It’s really hard to say how long the process can take. It depends on so many (primarily) internal factors. Sometimes I can finish a piece in a week, other times it will take a month or two. I usually get to the studio in the morning. I work much better then. I’ll often work for four or five hours without much of a break except for a coffee or lunch. Once I’m into something I don’t want to stop. Things outside are so distracting and I always listen to music. Always. It keeps me company in an otherwise lonely profession.

6. How is the process different when creating a mixed media piece (compared to a painting)? I tend to be more careful when doing a mixed media piece. Maybe it’s because of the reactions that different materials have to each other, or maybe it’s because I feel less free with different materials. Other than that the process is quite the same.

7. How influential was your time in school compared to your time after school? I learned so much in school about how to paint the “right” way. How to mix colors, to see proportions but it wasn’t until I got out of school that I found my own voice. It’s a hard question to answer but I think I’d have to say my time out of school shaped more of who I am as a painter.

8. Do you sell the work that has already been created or do you take custom commissions? I only sell work that I’ve already created. I’ve done commissions in the past and they never have turned out how I wanted them to. I hate to make paintings that I’m not proud of at some point. It’s really hard when you don’t have control over the decisions.

9. If you could give one piece of advice to a fine art student, what would it be? Sometimes you need to take what professors say with a grain of salt. I once had a painting teacher that told me “never use white.” I didn’t listen and that was the right choice.

This week on MEET, I’m featuring Karmen Low. Karmen is a twenty-three year old designer in Grand Rapids and is so incredibly talented. Besides talent and great design, she’s also hilarious so enjoy this interview and take a look at her site and blog!

1. At what point in your life did you know you’d be an artist? It was probably in 3rd grade when I came home from school with a note from my teacher informing my mom that on that day’s spelling test, I chose to illustrate the spelling words instead of spelling them. That summer she enrolled me in a summer art class, and I remain to this day, a horrible speller.

2. Do you have another talent/passion/hobby? I had trouble thinking of an answer to this question…I work way too much…so I’m open to suggestions as to what my new hobby should be. Just don’t say knitting. Been there, done that. It wasn’t pretty. I do enjoy photography quite a bit. It’s refreshing how you can take a picture and it’s either a good shot or a bad shot…it’s not so subjective. Here is a shot from a series I began my senior year in college. It’s been well over a year since I started it, and I really don’t know if I’ll ever feel like the series is complete…but here’s a sampling.

3. Who has been the most encouraging person in your life? It has the be the classic 3 Ps. My parents, peers and profs. My parents have really empowered me to do what I love. My peers have always been so encouraging to me, while still challenging me to grow and stretch myself.  I owe a lot to them. And my professors have spurred me on when I was doubting that I had any business being in this profession in the first place. Many many thanks to all.

4. What inspires you? Truth (with a capital T), new freelance clients, running wild, caffeine, meeting new people with unfamiliar perspectives, furniture/interior/product design, joyful collaboration with great people. There can’t be great design without great ideas.

5. What medium still intimidates you? Painting makes me shake in my boots. And wedding photography gives me cold sweats. I photographed my first (and last…) wedding this summer for a friend. Hats off to all you wedding photographers out there…you are far braver than I am. Here are some of my favorites from the weekend.

6. What artistic trend do you dislike? Grunge. Ack.

7. What has been your favorite piece of someone else’s art up until this point in your life? If I had to pick one…it would be Accession II by Eva Hesse.

8. Do you design full-time? If so- where and what has that experience been like? Right now I’m at Cornerstone University in GR as a designer. This job has challenged me in very unexpected ways. It’s broadened my knowledge base to include not only designing totally rad stuff, but also a fair amount of marketing, pre-press, strategy and branding — all in all, pretty useful stuff. I also volunteer on occasion as a masked super-villian whose sole purpose is to bring about the utter demise and annihilation of IE — one useless toolbar at a time. Or maybe that would make me a super-hero…

9. Do you think you have a specific style? What is that style and do you see yourself evolving out of that anytime soon? Well, first, I’m a serial dabbler. My job and degree are for graphic design, but I also do a lot of photography and web stuff on the side. When it comes to design, I’m completely gaga for design that makes you slap yourself in the forehead and say “why didn’t I think of that?” I don’t get to see/do that very much in my day-to-day groove, so when I do, it’s a treat.

My preference always seems to lean towards the simple, thoughtful, crafted, minimalistic, typography-driven. I truly believe in the mantra “form follows function”. Decoration can have function, but it can also detract. I always try to envision the setting in which my pieces will be experienced before I even put pen to paper. Good design is so logic-driven that if you don’t begin with the expectation of function and appropriateness, you’re kind of doomed. If you communicate what you need to say in the simplest way possible, then you’re off to a really good start.

I’m happy to announce that my stationery is now for sale in my Etsy shop! I currently have sets of 4 and 8 available as PRE-ORDER only. These sets will be shipped out May 4th in time for Mother’s Day!

I am also accepting PRE-ORDER custom sets so if you’re only interested in a certain card, send me a message on Etsy and let me know which card combination is your favorite! (No extra charge!)

PRE-ORDER stops this Wednesday (April 28th) and I can’t guarantee you’ll get your set by Mother’s Day if you order after April 28th (although rush delivery can be accommodated in your order). I will have sets in stock after Mother’s Day that will be shipped out next business day.

Congrats to Keri on winning the stationery giveaway! I had 18 comments and Keri’s was the 3rd fan to comment on my Facebook contest. As you can see the True Random Number Generator cannot be anything BUT random. I’ll be sending out her set of 8 cards and envelopes on May 4th.

The next giveaway will be held May 2nd for a special postcard design. There will be 10 winners so check back for more details on Thursday!

This week I’m honored to share some thoughts and work from designer Ben Tousley. Ben is an extraordinary artist and is someone that I truly admire. His style is phenomenal and I was so excited when he agreed to participate in this series and share his work. Ben is twenty-three and resides in Bloomington, Indiana. Some of his work includes album art for Grizzly Bear, Holiday Shores, Rogue Wave, and Sondre Lerche (images below). Enjoy this interview! It is one of my favorites.

1. How long have you been designing and what are some of the most important or influential moments that have occurred since you started? I started designing in high school as an editor of our school’s news magazine. When I  came to college for design I was lucky enough to have some great freelance opportunities early on which have all been really important experiences while I’ve still been in school.

2.  Are you currently designing full-time? Right now, I guess I am essentially. In addition to working on freelance projects most of the time, I’m also a designer at the Indiana University Alumni Association. However, aside from that, I’m still in school until August of this year.

3. When you’re working on a project, what does your process look like? Is it different for every situation or are there components that exist throughout most of your projects? At this point, it really changes from project to project and is almost always dependent on who I’m working with. Everyone is different and I think with the type of work I’ve done so far it’s been important to feel things out at first to make sure everyone’s happy as things progress. For example, most of the time I’ve been working with bands who might not have worked with a designer before but still have a strong feeling for what they’d like. So, I’ve found it’s best to be sensitive to that at all times. It’s also been good for me because I think it’s helped me learn how to be flexible not only with the way I work but also the kind of work I’m doing. It’s no fun to do the same thing each time, in my opinion.

4. How do you stay motivated and how do you keep inspiration a part of your day-to-day life? There are so many people doing so many amazing things out there. I never feel like I need to look very long before I get that ever so inspiring “Ben, you’re worthless” feeling yet again. And for this I am thankful.

5. Are there any design trends that you’re really excited to see emerging? Are there any design trends that you wish would disappear? I’m not necessarily into any one trend over another as much as I am into people doing solid work. If anything, I think the trends get a little boring. I have some favorite artists out there, though. I could list them for days. That said, there’s nothing I’m particularly wishing would go away, either. It’s a lot more fun to just pay attention to the good stuff.

6.  How do you integrate print and web design in your work? At this point most all of my projects have been for print. I’ve recently been getting more into web design with a couple projects, but print work has generally been what I’m interested in the most.

7.  How do you connect, network and collaborate with others? Aside from a couple of random connections, I’m not really that good at networking and wouldn’t say I know what I’m doing. Or at least I don’t feel like I’m as good as I’m supposed to be? It’s not really something that bothers me too much either. I’ve felt very lucky to work with some wonderful people that I’ve really grown to love — I just hope to continue that.

Thanks to Ben Tousley for providing all this lovely work! Check back tomorrow for a new post in the “One Day” series.
 
 

Still no Internet at our new place so my link love is rather short this week! I thought, while I’m searching out my favorite home decor, that I’d share with you! Enjoy and PLEASE comment with links to your favorite online shops when decorating your cozy casa. The image above is one of my favorite prints over at Urban Outfitter’s Print Shop!

- Loving this rug.

- These beds are amazing! I want one of each please.

- Of course you can’t go wrong with Etsy. It amazes me that some people still have never heard of it. Spread the love, people!

- If you’re in Chicago, check out Salvage One for me. And then share your finds!

- I love their books. They have great details to add to your office and home.

- A fellow Columbus tweeter sent me the link to this shop. And another tweeter sent me this link to Muji.

Sorry for the short link post! Still getting settled into our new place and the Internet is scarce!

This week on MEET, I am able to share the amazing work of Ashely Peifer! I was able to see Ashely paint throughout a semester at college and it was such a treat. Her work is phenomenal and I hope to place a piece of her work in my home in the near future. I started this series about two months ago and it is definitely starting to evolve. From this point on, you’ll see more specific questions being asked to bring a greater understanding of what these incredible artists do! Enjoy this interview!

1. You’re an extraordinary painter. Have you always painted? When did you start? My mom would say I was painting faces when I was three, but I didn’t start seriously painting until junior year of college. I had a really discouraging art teacher when I was in sixth grade, so I lost my childhood dreams of becoming an artist until I was a sophomore in high school. I remember drawing a bird with Prismacolor colored pencils, and it looked just like the picture. That was probably the moment when I got my confidence back.

2. I know you, at one point, studied graphic design in college. What made you switch to fine arts? Well, two reasons. One: to get out of the Dreamweaver class that I needed to complete to graduate; Two: because I found something that I was so happy doing.

3. Do you still enjoy graphic design? What types of design projects do you still work with? I do love graphic design! I usually just help my friends and family with logos and business cards, but I still occasionally take on a client. I really appreciate good design, but it’s so nice to sit back and be on the other side of it sometimes.

4. What is your favorite type of paint to work with? I love watercolors, acrylics, oils…basically all of them. I love experimenting so my pieces usually end up being mixed media. If I don’t like the way a painting is going, I usually just cover it in gesso. That’s where my most interesting pieces come from, I think.

5. Do you have any other favorite types of materials? YES. I love collage, so I am always on the lookout for really cool old books to tear apart, antique stamps, and plenty of mechanical pencils for some nice line quality.

6. Your collages are some of the best I’ve ever seen, what does your process look like when you’re creating a new collage? There’s a lot of layering, tearing, sanding,painting, and strategic placement of items. It looks like a disaster zone when I’m collaging!

7. Who are your biggest influences? For inspiration, I study a lot of Cy Twombly’s scribbly paintings, Terry Winter’s collage-like paintings, Robert Rauschenberg’s collages, and the minimalist drawings and paintings of Richard Tuttle. Also, whether it’s subconscious or not, my best friend (Kayla Plosz) and favorite professor (Bruce Campbell) influence my style quite a bit.

8. Do you have goals for 2010 as an artist? What are they? YES. I’m trying to find balance between working 60 hours a week and still making time to paint and build frames. Also, I’ll be applying to grad school for my MFA in the fall, so I need to get everything together and write a killer purpose statement.

I recently helped the talented Ashely give her a blog a little facelift! I customized the theme Handgloves by adding a custom header, a contact form, a stylized background pattern, an Etsy tab, and changed the font colors. The theme, which screams Helvetica, is a great place for Ashely to post her beautiful work, sell paintings, and connect with her audience. Take a look!