APRIL 2014
vol. 2 issue 4
Graphics • Web Design • ePublishing Adjunct Teaching: Graphics, Web Design and ePublishing New England Tech, Graphics Multimedia and Web Design associates degree and bachelor degree programs, seek adjunct instructors for part-time teaching in our upcoming summer and/or fall quarters.
Candidates need professional expertise in web design/CMS, and/or ePublishing design for mobile delivery. Proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, typography and layout, required. Working knowledge of HTML/CSS, and Wordpress CMS customization preferred. Ideal candidate has prior instructional experience, and must have Bachelor degree or higher. Applicants should provide a brief cover letter, including resume with their degree credentials, plus link to their portfolio or URL’s for on-line review. No phone calls please. Email to Rick Mitchell, Chair, GMW/NEIT. rmitchell@neit.edu
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR VISIT WWW.NEIT.EDU
Art
Create Design Inspire Vision
from the founder
THE MISSION
As 2014 continues on, I can only bring bigger and better things to the Rhode Island Creative Magazine and the creative community. Moving forward on the exciting path I have created, a few goals of mine have been set for the RICM and one is taking place this June! I hope you all can join Mohawk and RICM to promote our Makers of RI. Details are on the back cover! The April issue is filled with a variety of topics from many great artists and organizations in our community. Take the time to read the informational articles they have put together for you. There are some really important tips we can all learn or refresh on from time to time like organizing, redesigning and marketing for your business. You can find those answers here in the RICM along with featured articles from IYRS School of Technology and Trades, SkillsUSA and The Museum of Art: Rhode Island School of Design. I hope you enjoy the fourth issue of Volume 2. The topics are expanding and will continue to do so. I will continue to do my best to help promote and emphasize all the positive creative talent, movements and information here in Rhode Island to pass onto you.
THE MAGAZINE
Rhode Island Creative Magazine (RICM) is a stepping stone towards to bringing all the professionals around the state together, creating a movement, building awareness of the talent and education we have here in RI. With a lot of hard work, teamwork, and leadership, we as an industry can achieve this. I am here to lead this movement and help make a difference. Many of you have already joined me for this journey and I hope more of you will and help grow our team. How can we grow? Business to business marketing is the key. I am here to help educate you, promote you, and connect you to new markets. That has been my daily mission as a designer for years! Now I am doing that on a much larger scale. The RICM relaunch event was a great example of what I have already started to create. We have been brought together by sharing the mission, supporting each others profession and passion at 100% contribution. We all didn’t know each other but we all strive for the same goal, success! RICM has brought and will continue to bring a wide range of professionals together to make a difference and to achieve the mission.
ead
Imagine Innovate
The Rhode Island Creative Magazine’s mission is to make Rhode Island’s creative industry, and Providence, its Creative Capital, shine! This truly unique one-of-a-kind publication is an important resource that will create awareness of the outstanding creative talent of Rhode Island, attract and expand business opportunities, create jobs, promote local education, small and large businesses, organizations, designers, artists, printers, writers, students and others who are (and will be) an equally important resource for our economy. By gathering a variety of experts in the industry, producing a visual and educational piece, we are able to showcase what we do on a much larger scale. RICM will educate and promote the current and upcoming creative professionals, organizations and local talent. It will provide inspiring as well as educational articles written and contributed by local colleges, universities, businesses, organizations, and artists in this industry.
where we are now and where we are heading NOW: RICM is currently an online magazine as we all know. It reaches locally and nationally! That is the benefit of having it on-line. I receive comments and compliments from across the globe regarding the articles, the design, the concept and how useful this creative resource is to them! It is an amazing feeling to know that the audience is enjoying it, creating conversations about the topics and sharing it with their, friends, family, students and coworkers. It will continue to be a downloadable resource that you can share to grow the audience and create awareness. HEADING: There are many goals in place but I will only share
just a few. One of the goals of course is for a printed version to be distributed throughout RI to really deliver the message. A printed publication will deliver such an impressive statement. The quality of print, paper and design will grab anyone’s attention and draw them in. This will be a publication to be displayed on your coffee table, keep in your library, and never in the trash can. It is a magazine you can always reference back to! Another goal is to restructure the curriculum. RICM is heading to the classrooms! I have already made an impact on some schools which is fantastic. I will continue to do so by presenting to schools about the magazine and its mission. Educating the upcoming young professionals of what to expect out in the real world and what they need to know about being hands on in their career path to achieve best practices. Whether they want to be a pressman or a sculptor, the foundation is the same, passion and drive. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.
Vol. 2 Issue 4 |
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Publisher/ Editor /Designer Kimberly Sherman Leon
Designers
Lillian Ferranti Kate Hanley
Articles & Contributors April 2014
Matthew Pacific Linsey Mello
Assistant Editor Rob Mariani
Web Assistant Tom Slater
Contributing Writers
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From the Founder
02
Articles & Contributors
06
Corporate vs. Agency - the dark side
08
The Four Letter Word Artists Don’t Like
Alex and Ani Mohawk
IYRS School of Technology & Trades Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art Skills USA Regina Hogan Josephine Eke
Cover Design
by Jia Wessen Intern at RICM School to Career Program
Richard Austin
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Brandon Emond Ronald G. Shapiro, Ph. D. Chef Ricardo Costa Jairo Gomez Lauren Silveira Chris Sheehy Ken Mills
We want to hear from you! Are you a local freelancer? Want to be a contributor? Interested in advertising or sponsoring? Send us information on your upcoming event, new business, job listing, internships or tours to be included in the publication. Rhode Island Creative Magazine Cranston, Rhode Island T: 401.440.3911 E: kim@ksdesignsri.com W: www.ricreativemag.com Follow @ricreativemag facebook.com/ricreativemagazine
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| Rhode Island Creative Magazine
Jia Wessen is a Senior at Bayview Academy who has a passion for art and drawing. She enjoys playing video games with her friends and long walks in snowy weather.
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Josephine Eke
Vice President, Design Intelligence, Sterling Brands A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and has an MBA from Northeastern University. She has 20 years experience combining brand strategy, design and innovation with success in building multi-million dollar brands for companies like Estée Lauder, Mattel and Hasbro. Josephine also teaches in the Masters of Branding program at SVA and RISD/CE.
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Mastering the Craft: Making with Modern Materials
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Lightning Strike: Part 4
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Internet Marketing Metrics: What to Measure
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Prioritizing for You
Richard Austin Speaker of Success
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After a career as a corporate trainer and educator, and a life-time of studying the “art of communication”, Richard founded his company “Speaking of Success”. He now provides individual coaching, workshops, and classes in public speaking, presentation skills, and other communication techniques. His goal is to help others find the joy in successful communication and become comfortable, confident, and courageous communicators.
IYRS
School of Technology & Trades
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IYRS is a world-class experiential school with a core education model dedicated to teaching highly technical and deeply craft-oriented career skills. The skills acquired in these programs are transferrable to other industries and applications. With campuses in Newport and Bristol, RI, IYRS offers an extraordinarily attractive location to study.
Brandon Emond Comic Illustrator
A young artist who is amused and intrigued by art and comic books, he knows the joy they can bring to fans of all ages and would love nothing more than to participate in the comic-making process.
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Graphic Design: Now in Production
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Natural Wonders
Chris Sheehy
Founder of the award-winning Rhode Island search engine optimization/marketing & local internet marketing firm; Sidewalk Branding Company.
Redesigning Your Website? Turn Your Web Design Project into a Lead Generating Machine
Named a “Top Startup Business in New England” by Mass High Tech, internationally published, and a resource partner to Guy Kawasaki’s Alltop news. Chris gets businesses DISCOVERED! Southeastern New England (AMASNE).
A Breeding Ground for Creativity RI Freelancers
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Ronald G. Shapiro Ph. D. Independent Consultant and Speaker in Human Factors/ Ergonomics (designing products,
20 1. understanding important Metrics 2. Designing around Your buyer Persona (s) 3. Clear Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
solutions, and services so that they will be easy for people to use), User Experience, Career Development, Learning, Leadership and Human Resources. Ron has had global or USA responsibility for managing technical learning, technical leadership, employee university education, career coaching, new employee orientation and coordinating human factors/ergonomics for IBM.
Rhode Island School of Design
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Jairo Gomez
Partner and Account Director From print ads to logo design to complex package design, Jairo draws from his varied range of experience. As Creative Director he understands both print and web design, and the printing process. He’s currently working on ways to implement new technology like Augmented Reality into clients’ communications strategies.
Alex and Ani 4
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L.S. Pierce Studio Portrait Print Thrives in a Digital Age Organizing for Artists Creating Photoshop “Actions� Spring Sweetness
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Skills USA
Located in Chariho, Coventry, Cranston, Davies, East Providence, Newport, Providence, Warwick and Woonsocket as well active participants in SkillsUSA. It is the vision of these industry leaders in an Advisory Board capacity that in recent years have helped these programs advance student learning.
Mohawk
Mohawk Make Ready
Lauren Silveira Organized for Life
A lifelong RI resident I studied fashion merchandising and business management at Johnson and Wales University. After working many years in the consumer goods industry in both sales and product development my passion for simplifying spaces and helping others create serenity in their space is how Organized for Life was born. I am a member of the PVD Lady Project and North Central Chamber of Commerce.
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Ken Mills
PrintShops, Inc. Since 1977, PrintShops Inc. has worked with hundreds of businesses throughout Rhode Island. We are locally owned and operated, and we are proud to say that over 85% of the labor, supplies, raw materials, and resources we use in our shop are purchased from other locally owned companies. We support our our local economy!
Chef Ricardo Costa
Personal Chef/Cooking Show Host Professional Profile Culinary, nutrition working with families towards a healthier lifestyle.
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Corporate vs. Agency – th I have worked on the agency and
creative weight which is a point of creative when it comes to driving
frustration to internal teams. I am asked all the time which I prefer
A decision you make in rede-
change unless they have very strong leadership.
and why – great question. Let me start
signing a brand logo can add opera-
by saying all of my corporate roles
tional cost in production, impact sales
were in trend based categories and
in an international market or create
On the agency side work tends to be
global businesses that had to react to
budget issues for licensors, legal issues
project based and you are there to
market and consumer trends. They had
on trademarks and even under-mine
solve for the assignment and once
-
category expectations that involved constant change or refresh – by no
one and an integral part of a
means were they slow or boring. The
cross-functional team with the
type of work, culture, organizational
same goal. People and project
hierarchy and physical work environ-
management skills are
ment can make an agency seem more
critical. When a project is
corporate and corporations more like
over you move onto the
an agency.
next and your clients are the the same people and
This is purely my personal point of
from your company.
view from my career experiences and
They know you on your
corporate What do we need to do?
good and bad days, either side.
personally or through reputation. Success may
As a creative at a corporation you have
have little to do with the quality
to understand the bigger brand and
of the work but everything to do with
business goals and consider many
the relationships you build.
facets in tackling a creative project from concept to in-market and even
The corporate side looks inward and
is over. The agency also has specialists
after market. The tentacles are far
says, “ What do we need to do? ”
for each deliverable within the
reaching. In corporate the creative
Internal analysis can be myopic and is
“assignment” – a strategy team, design
team is the strategy team, the imple-
often driven by senior management
team, production/implementation
mentation team and a brand champion
and marketing with a rich knowledge
team and account team. Each plays a
(a version of account management).
based on history of the company or
The nature of the creative process
conditioned by a similar company –
completed assignment to the client
within a corporation adds a lot of
it can be additive and a detriment.
and is not necessarily engaged in the
structure to the culture and it is a
The creative team rarely has a seat at
continual battle to infuse creative and
the BIG table and is viewed as an
innovative ways of working. It often
internal “service” versus integral team
gives an agency as an outsider more
of experts that should be tapped into
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Operationally most agencies are very corporations – I have been told that the
he dark side looser/chaotic nature of an agency
over you move on and are working with
challenge. The client needs to give
is what creates the culture. You are
a new set of clients /challenges. If all
the agency good creative briefs and
responsive vs. a planner. Not necessar-
went well you may work with the same
constant and relevant information or the agency role can be diluted
ily the best way to work and creates burn out at a faster rate than in the
new creative team may take on work
corporate environment.
from a repeat client.
At an agency if people and project management is not your strong
agency
what do they need to do?
and a source of frustration. -
The agency has an outside perspective – looks at the client and
rations invest and value the education
corporate = internal analysis agency = external analysis
josephine eke vp design intelligence
suit – no worries – it is the primary
says, “ What do they need to do? ”
and development of talent while
responsibility of the account manager
The external analysis brings a fresh
agencies don't see it as a value, they
to take care of the client and your role
point of view and a wealth of insights
hire, as they need. This tends to result
can be minimized. The work has to
from other clients and experiences. It
be viewed as brilliant and is the
will also give you the greatest exposure
the way of a career while agencies
most important thing to the client
to a broad range of clients/projects and
give you a job.
as they can represent it as their own within the corporation and it
practical tools inside a corporation.
has a tangible cost/value. Your
An agency, hired for their expertise,
people skills can be secondary –
often has a better chance of driving
it may make the process more
change as the agenda seems void of
There is a dark and light side to both
challenging but ultimately it is the
the corporate internal politics and a
and a lot of gray in the middle.
work that wins. Once the project is
best in class solution based on the Vol. 2 Issue 4 |
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By Richard Austin Speaking of Success I hear you asking “I’ve known lot’s of artists, and I can’t think of any four-letter words they didn’t like.” Fine – but the word I’m thinking of is “sale”. Alright, I cheated a bit, it’s actually a five-letter word “sales”; but the title wouldn’t have been as much fun. “All art is either plagiarism or revolution.” If you’re not an artist, this is merely an interesting quote. If you are an artist, it can be the difference between prosperity and poverty. Plagiarism sells, revolution, not so much. Maybe after you’re dead, but that doesn’t put food on the table. So, what to do? Compromise? Sell out? Tough questions, and ones with which many artists wrestle. My conclusion? It’s up to you. Yes, I know; that’s not a satisfying answer, but, in the words of Bill Belichick, “it is what it is.” So, let’s look at it as it is. When you’re “selling your art” you’re selling yourself (or some part of you). Selling is all about “value”, or “perceived value”. Now comes the hard part. To convince someone your art has value, you must convince them that you have value. Yes, I know, it’s crass and even a bit demeaning. I’m sorry; but is it realistic? I think so. The good news, you don’t have to agree with me! Write the magazine and tell them I’m full of crap. Any (civil) discussion always reveals more than it conceals, right? However, let’s not start the argument right now. To communicate value, the “speaker” and the “listener” must share a common “language”. Notice the quotation marks? What this really says is “…the artist and the buyer must share a common understanding.”
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Does the buyer understand what it is you’re selling? If you’re selling number 2 pencils, no problem. If you’re selling artwork, you may have to look at what “language” you’re using. You have to walk that fine line between treating the customer like they are completely ignorant (“this is a paint brush”), and they are an expert. Reveal a bit of your “artistic process”, in a clear way that will enhance the buyer’s understanding and appreciation of your “product”. Give them a “peek behind the curtain.” Practice explaining your art to a non-artist. If they give you the “doggy-tilt” look, try again. When you see their eyes open wider and they say “oh…,” you’ve done it. Once you’ve got the conversation going, it’s fun! Oh, and by the way, you just “sold” something.
The Artists Loop See Richard Austin, featured May speaker Face to Face Commnuication Skills Monday, May 1st, 2014 @ 6:30pm Rochambeau Library 708 Hope Street Providence, RI Free and Open to the Public
Mastering the Craft:
Making with Modern Materials
Summer Series 2014
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According to IYRS President Terry Nathan,
“We see modern materials informing design thinking in a broad range of our economy, including wind energy, medical technologies, aerospace, automotive, boats, and now increasingly both residential and commercial construction. Some of this work is extraordinarily technical and very much craft-oriented.
There is a renewed and growing discussion in America about the importance of craftsmanship in both our culture and economy. As a school whose mission is to teach craft—irrespective of the material— and celebrate its place in our history, IYRS is uniquely qualified to be part of this dialogue. As part of our broadening involvement in the conversation, IYRS initiated the Mastering the Craft series in 2013 with visits to the local studios of six masters, including a stone carver, sculptor, jeweler, photographer, woodworker, and bow-maker. The summer series concluded with an extraordinary roundtable discussion of these artists and craftspeople, moderated by Mr. Wurman last summer. Video of that event can be found on the IYRS YouTube channel. 10
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by IYRS Schoool of Technology and Trades
IYRS School of Technology & Trades is a world-class experiential school with a core education model dedicated to teaching highly technical and deeply craft-oriented career skills. IYRS currently has three accredited schools: School of Boatbuilding & Restoration, School of Marine Systems, and School of Composites Technology. The skills acquired in these programs are transferable to other industries and applications. With campuses in Newport and Bristol, RI, IYRS offers an extraordinarily attractive location to study. www.iyrs.edu Clear Carbon & Components specializes in creating feature components for other manufacturers and wholesale distributors. Clear Carbon and Components staff and shop are equipped to take composite projects through all phases from design through commercial production. Clear Carbon’s engineering department is equipped with SolidWorks design software integrated with Mastercam machining software to create complex patterns and molds directly from 3D digital models. C3‘s crew of fabricators includes expert composite techs with decades of experience. www.clearcarbon.com Hall Composites has been manufacturing the highest technology composite products since 1984. With large manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Holland, and New Zealand, Hall Composites has the expertise, specialized equipment and engineering staff to produce strong, lightweight, quality components. Hall Composites has built the longest, continuous composite tube built in the United States at 221 feet. Hall Composites has provided advanced composite components for everything from America’s Cup racing yachts to airplanes to submarines to power generating underwater tidal turbines. www.hallcomposites.com
IYRS reprises its popular summer series, Mastering the Craft, with a focus on Making with Modern Materials in 2014. The event series offers a unique window into understanding a modern face to craftsmanship by engaging master makers, builders, and companies in the local area who work with composite materials. The series offers four special access opportunities: June 6: Clear Carbon & Components (Bristol, RI) with Matt Dunham June 20: Hall Composites (Bristol, RI) with Ben Hall & Pete Levesque July 18: IYRS School of Composites Technology (Bristol, RI) with Henry Eliot & Dirk Kramer August 1: TPI Composites (Warren, RI) with Steve Nolet August 15: Making with Modern Materials Roundtable (Newport, RI) The series will culminate on Friday, August 15th with an engaging roundtable discussion for the larger public audience. The series participants will be joined by special guest Ping Fu, 3D printing entrepreneur, for a conversation moderated by Richard Saul Wurman -- American architect and graphic designer who has written over 80 books and founded the TED conference. Event sponsor Vintry Fine Wines, one of New York’s most exclusive wine merchants will conduct a wine tasting and offer light fare following the discussion. Tickets for the roundtable, which cost $25 each, can be purchased in advance. Dates are subject to change. For more information or to reserve your tour ticket, please contact Loriana De Crescenzo, Director of Philanthropy, at ldecrescenzo@iyrs.edu or 401-848-5777 x 204.
IYRS School of Composites Technology is sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Demand for lighter, stronger building materials has never been greater. Nor is the demand for people who understand how to work with them. The Composites Technology program has four cornerstones: Composites Fundamentals, Composites Manufacturing Methods, Composites Tooling Development, and Composites Repair and Refinishing. Students learn skills such as vacuum infusion processing, advanced molding, CAD/CAM operations, robotic CNC plug building, repair practices, and more. During the 6-month program, students prepare to take several ACMA certification exams – the gold standard of composites credentials. www.iyrs.edu TPI Composites is a global provider of structural composites products for the wind energy, military, and transportation markets. Our advanced composites manufacturing technology allows us to build near aerospace grade parts at industrial prices. Our products excel where high strength, light weight and durability are required. TPI has over five decades of innovation and expertise in manufacturing large-scale composite structures of highest quality at a competitive total delivered cost to our customers.
TPI is a leading manufacturer of wind blades to major turbine manufacturers in the United States, Europe, and Asia. TPI’s proprietary processes and manufacturing expertise have also been applied to create first-of-their-kind composite solutions in the military vehicle & transportation markets. www.tpicomposites.com Richard Saul Wurman is an American architect and graphic designer. Wurman has written and designed over 83 books, and created the TED conference, as well as the EG conference, TEDMED and the WWW suite of gatherings, now in development. www.wurman.com Ping Fu is a Chinese-American entrepreneur. She is the cofounder of 3D software development company Geomagic, and was its chief executive officer until February 2013 when the company was acquired by 3D Systems Inc. As of February 2013; she is the vice president and chief strategy officer at 3D Systems. Fu co-founded Geomagic in 1997 and has been recognized for her achievements with the company through a number of awards, including being named Inc. magazine’s 2005 “Entrepreneur of the Year”. In 2013, she published her memoir, Bend, Not Break, co-authored with MeiMei Fox.
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Lightning Strike
by Brandon Emond Comic Illustrator
Vol. 2 Issue 1 |
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INTERNET MARKETING WHAT TO MEASURE?
METRICS
by Chris Sheehy Sidewalk Branding
WHAT SHOULD SMALL BUSINESSES BE MEASURING TO TRACK THEIR INTERNET MARKETING SUCCESS? The answer depends on their goals – but as a baseline, we recommend businesses have a handle on the following 17 internet marketing metrics: (We included +/- signs to show which direction you should be moving toward)
WEBSITE - Bounce Rate + Conversions + Domain Authority & PageRank + Keyword Ranking + Business Citation Backlinks Created/Corrected + Returning Visitors - Site Page-Load Speed + Site Traffic + Share of Voice (SOV) / Market Penetration + Unique Visitors
SOCIAL + Engagement – likes, shares, comments + Conversions
PPC (Paid Advertising) + Click-Through Rate (CTR) + Conversion (form based and/or phone call) - Cost-Per-Click (CPC) + Quality Score
Google Analytic (GA) is a great place to gather this data – and you can’t beat the cost, it’s free. If you already have GA, make sure you are using the most recent recording code – it’s recently changed. Clicky is a good alternate to GA but it will cost a few bucks – it’s not much though and you just might find you like the reporting and visuals better. There’s a free trial.
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PRIORITIZING FOR YOU
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by Ronald G. Shapiro Ph. D.
H i g h
V a l u e L o w
Do it!!!
Think Carefully
Maybe?
Don’t do it!!!
Low
Cost
High
There are many competing demands for our time and our resources. As creative individuals we may have family obligations, mundane tasks which we need to complete to keep our business going, day jobs, as well opportunities to do truly creative work. We probably cannot do everything we could do, should do or would like to do. Unfortunately, we may, at times, complete relatively unimportant tasks which consume a great deal of our time and resources and never get to great value projects which we really want to do. Thus, we may feel unfulfilled. Appropriately prioritizing everything is extremely important to be sure the most important high value projects don’t get lost in a sea of demands. Since many of us in the creative community like to see pictures, it may be beneficial for us to spend a little bit of time to develop a picture (similar to what many businesses use) to help us prioritize our time and investments more effectively. Here is how to do it: 8. See if your chart matches the ideal chart. In an ideal world, the green area on the chart would be covered with green paper (tasks you are actually doing). There would be very little green paper anywhere else; the same applies to the blue paper (tasks you are doing as time permits). The green paper would be above the blue paper. There wouldn’t be any white paper (tasks that you aren’t doing but think you should do and/or would like to do) in the green area. The majority of the white paper would be in the red area. There wouldn’t be any green or blue paper in the red area.
1. Make a wall size chart. (See image in upper right corner) 2. Obtain pads of small pieces of paper with adhesive backs in at least 3 different colors or shapes. For our example, I’ll assume you have green, blue and white pads of paper measuring about 2 inches by 2 inches. Keep these pads readily available with a marker or a pen nearby. 3. Write everything you can think of that you: a. Are actually doing on the green paper b. Are doing as time permits on the blue paper c. Aren’t doing but think you should do and/or would like to do on the white paper
4. Keep the pads and pen handy over the next week or so and as you think of something you may have forgotten, write the item on the appropriate pad. Ask your family members, colleagues and friends to help you capture these items. 5. Once you have gone for a few days with no additions to your pads, place each slip of paper on the wall chart you made in Step 1 where it best fits. Adjust items so that they don’t cover one another. 6. Over the next few days scan the wall chart at least once a day (invite family and colleagues to scan it also). Move items which just don’t seem to be in the right place. 7. After a few days in which you don’t move any items take a photograph of your wall chart so you will be able to refer back to it. I would like to thank Industrial Consultant Dr. Margarita Posada for helpful comments
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9. Check to see how closely your chart matches the ideal chart. If it matches closely, you are a natural project manager. Keep up the great work (and write an article for RICM telling us how you do it)!!! 10. If your chart does not match the ideal chart, consider making adjustments. a. Stop doing everything in the red area immediately. Items in the red require high personal and/or dollar investments which and you do not value them!!! b. Reevaluate all items in the orange area. Doing a lot of items which don’t take much time or cost much can still consume resources that might be better spent on a one or a few more costly items which you value more. c. Affirm that all items in the yellow area are truly worth the high personal or dollar investment that you are putting into them. Then, continue to move ahead. d. If you have lots of blue items on the chart, consider stopping some blue items and devoting more energy to other blue items so you’ll have a better completion rate.
“The RISD Museum is thrilled to present the ground breaking exhibition Graphic Design: Now in Production,” says Museum Director John W. Smith. “We are confident that this exhibition will resonate widely throughout our community—where powerful, innovative design is valued and respected.” Graphic design has broadened its reach dramatically in the 21st century, expanding from a specialized profession to a widely deployed tool. Today, graphic design is the largest of the design professions in the United States, with more than a quarter-million practitioners using color, typography, images, symbols, and systems to make the surfaces around us come alive with meaning. The revolutions in desktop computing and networked communication have raised public awareness of graphic design, and the field is shifting and expanding in unexpected ways as social media and other technologies change how people consume information. As design tools have become more widely accessible, designers’ roles have also expanded: more designers are becoming producers—authors, publishers, instigators, and entrepreneurs. Co-organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York, Graphic Design: Now in
Graphic Design: Now in Production This spring, the RISD Museum explores some of the most cutting-edge concepts and creative practices in 21st-century graphic design as the ambitious international exhibition Graphic Design: Now in Production culminates its national tour in Providence. Graphic Design: Now in Production opens at the RISD Museum on Friday, March 28, and is on view—complemented by an exciting series of public programs and events—through Sunday, August 3, 2014.
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MUSEUM OF ART Rhode Island School of Design
Production explores some of the most vibrant graphic design work produced since 2000, including magazines, books, and posters; the expansion of branding programs for corporations, institutions, and subcultures; the entrepreneurial spirit of designer-produced goods; the renaissance in digital typeface design; the storytelling potential of film and television titling sequences; and the transformation of raw data into compelling information narratives. “The show vividly highlights the ways in which graphic design influences our lives and offers a deeper understanding of the creative thinking that informs the design process,” Smith says. “During the course of the exhibition, the Museum will be a forum that unites the public and some of graphic design’s leading practitioners through lively and innovative programming.” Jan Howard, Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs for the RISD Museum, adds, “As the RISD Museum is the last venue for this show, we are excited to develop programs that give us an opportunity to respond to the installations at the previous venues, and discuss some of the innovations in graphic design since the show was organized just a few years ago. Graphic Design: Now in Production also presents an opportunity for the RISD Museum to become more strongly identified as a major venue in the Northeast for the display of design.”
About the Exhibition Graphic Design: Now in Production is co-organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, New York. The exhibition is co-curated by Andrew Blauvelt, Chief of Communications and Audience Engagement and Curator of Design, Walker Art Center, and Ellen Lupton, Senior Curator of Contemporary Design, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Jan Howard, Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs, is the show’s organizing curator in Providence. Howard is assisted by Derek Schusterbauer, Graphic Designer for the RISD Museum; Prem Krishnamurthy and Won Choi of New York-based creative agency Project Projects; and Anther Kiley and Colin Frazer, both RISD MFA alumni and critics in the Graphic Design department. The RISD Museum is the final stop in a national tour of the exhibition, which debuted at the Walker Art Center in October 2011.
Exhibition Themes Graphic Design: Now in Production is organized around eight themes: Posters, Magazines, Books, Information Design, Branding, Typography, Storefront, and Film and Television Titles.
Fanette Mellier, “Specimen,” 2008, Courtesy the artist.
Branding More than just a logo, a brand consists of a larger visual and verbal identity as well as the perceived values that both define and set apart an organization, a community or even an individual. Designers approach branding as a narrative driven experience, evoking an emotional response and solidifying the relationship between the company and consumers. This section was curated by Armin Vit and Bryony GomezPalacio, operators of the blog Brand New, which tracks the ever-changing world of brand makeovers and corporate identity programs. Highlights include Ji Lee’s World Trade Center Logo Preservation project, documenting the use of the twin towers to brand numerous New York City area businesses; a new project commission from design researchers Metahaven about the use of social media as a powerful form of communication and control; and experimental identities for cultural institutions, created by Stefan Sagmeister, Barnbrook Studios, and Maureen Mooren, among others.
Antoine et Manuel, “Comedie de Clermont, Saison 2011-2012” poster, 2011, Courtesy the artists.
Posters
Magazines*
The poster is the most iconic form of graphic design, with its roots in the early advertising culture of the 19th century. Today, designers create posters to actively investigate the genre itself through self-initiated projects. Experimental approaches to the poster encourage usergenerated messages and explore digital, mechanical, and handmade techniques. This section includes Albert Exergian’s poster series based on American television classics; Jürg Lehni’s Empty Words project, a system for making die-cut posters; and Anthony Burrill’s typographic woodblock and silkscreen posters proclaiming messages such as “Oil & Water Do Not Mix,” printed with ink made from spilled Gulf of Mexico oil.
Publishers are rethinking the traditional magazine by exploiting printondemand, online distribution networks, the explosion of niche audiences, and new digital formats. This section was curated by Jeremy Leslie, creative director of the blog magCulture, which explores issues and trends in publication design. Among the projects on view are Jop van Bennekom’s Fantastic Man and The Gentlewoman; Karen, an independent magazine-maker with a highly personal bloglike sensibility; Hannerie Visser’s Afro magazine from South Africa, which re-imagines the form of the magazine itself; and Pedro Fernandes’ design of I, a Portuguese newspaper that incorporates the visual vocabulary of magazines.
*Felix Burrichter and Dylan Fracareta, “Pin-Up,” issue 10, Spring/Summer 2011, Courtesy the publisher
*Chris Dixon, New York, December 22-29, 2008. Courtesy the publisher.
Vol. 2 Issue 32 |
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Books
Storefront
The role of the designer in the publishing process during the past 20 years has dramatically shifted to be more inclusive in terms of authoring, editing, and self-publishing. This section features work by David Pearson, whose Pocket Penguin book titles reinvigorated the publisher’s classic backlist; the print-ondemand experiments of James Goggin; and McSweeney’s books and magazines, which employ typography, layout, and production to enhance the experience of reading.
Today’s designers are increasingly entrepreneurial, designing merchandise and conceiving goods for sale themselves. This section includes designer-created and designer-curated products, including t-shirts, wrapping paper, housewares, wall coverings, and tools. Works on view include wallpapers produced by Knoll and Maharam, the artfully designed, bespoke axes by Peter Buchanan Smith from Best Made Company, and Meike Gerritzen’s Beware of Software vest.
Typography
Information Design
Typography is the creation of letterforms and other characters that give visual form to the spoken and written word. The personal computer revolution of the 1980s introduced typography to the general public, and the availability of font design software in the 1990s fueled a renaissance in typeface design. Featured works on view in this section include Process Type’s Anchor, Peter Bilak’s History, and Lineto’s Akkurat, as well as posters and other artifacts created by M/M (Paris), Antoine + Manuel, Marian Bantjes, Oded Ezer, and Farhad Fozouni.
Information designers serve as storytellers, journalists, and translators seeking to organize data in understandable, engaging, and memorable ways. This section includes work by the Boston-based studio Sosolimited, whose installation analyzes language from broadcast television to create dynamic typographic displays; information displays created by the New York Times Graphics Department that tell the news stories of today; and Catalogtree’s interactive iPad app about the “flash crash” of the American financial markets.
Film and Television Titles
Farhad Fozouni, “7 Commandments for Becoming Contemporary” poster, 2008, Courtesy Visual Theater Group.
Film and television titles are mini narratives that give viewers insight into what is to come and what has happened. This section features television and film titles curated by Ian Albinson, co-founder of the website artofthetitle.com, created by some of the leading motion graphic designers practicing today.
Justin Manor, John Rothenberg, and Eric Gunther, “Set Top Box,” 2010, Courtesy Sosolimited.
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| Rhode Island Creative Magazine
Laurenz Brunner, Akkurat, 2005, Courtesy Lineto.
Exhibition Catalog A 240-page color catalog, produced by the Walker Art Center (Walker Publications, 2011), accompanies the exhibition and is available for sale at RISD WORKS, the RISD Museum store—and online at risdworks.com. This visual compendium features project details, artists’ statements, excerpts from interviews and published manifestos, technologies, and tools. Essays discuss the changing nature of design labor and value; the expanding roles that designers are assigning themselves in the production process; the varied frameworks that inform the notion of “designer as producer”; the role graduate programs have played in development of “systematic creativity”; and the blurred nature of writing and reading in the age of user-generated content, desktop production and systems of self-publishing.
Public Programs and Events
Design the Night: WYSIWYG
Exhibition curators, guest speakers, and RISD graphic designers discuss and demonstrate design principles and practices in an exciting series of public programs. Highlights include:
Thursday, April 17, 5-9 pm, free.
Critical Encounters with Type, Image, and Print Wednesday, April 16, 1-5 pm and 6:30-8 pm, free. Andrew Blauvelt and Ellen Lupton, curators of Graphic Design: Now in Production, visit Providence for a two-part discussion co-sponsored by the RISD Museum and RISD’s Graphic Design department. Join the curators in the exhibition galleries for a discussion with graphic designers Jessica Helfand of Winterhouse Studios, Prem Krishnamurthy of Project Projects, and RISD faculty members—debating graphic design’s past, critiquing its role today, and imagining its future. (1-5 pm, Chace Center Galleries; registration required.) In a free panel discussion that evening, Blauvelt, Lupton, Helfand, and Krishnamurthy explore the concept of the designer as producer. (6:30-8 pm, Metcalf Auditorium.)
The RISD Museum’s dynamic evening event series kicks off its third-annual season with an evening celebrating graphic design and designers. What you see and what you get are lively discussions with artists and designers, hands-on art mak.
Mike Perry, “Eames Eiffel Side Chair,” 2010, Courtesy the artist and Outdoorz Gallery.
Graphic Design Lecture Series February 20, March 6, April 3 & 24, 6:30-8 pm, free. RISD’s Graphic Design programs—ranked among the best in the world—guide students toward engaged, conscientious, and culturally connected learning that encourages creative making and critical thinking in the ever-expanding realm of visual communication. In this free lecture series sponsored by RISD’s Graphic Design department, visiting designers share their philosophies and practices with the greater public. Visit risdmuseum.org/calendar for dates, speakers, and topics.
Right: Farhad Fozouni, “7 Commandments for Becoming Contemporary” poster, 2008, Courtesy Visual Theater Group.
RISD Museum | 224 Benefit Street | Providence, RI 02903 | risdmuseum.org | 401.454.6500 Vol. 2 Issue 4 |
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By Jairo Gomez www.xzito.com At some point, all organizations see the need of redesigning their web site. The reasons? • Their employees, prospects, customers and social communities are getting tired of the same old design and perhaps, outdated content • The company just went through a rebranding • A major competitor has launched a powerful new site • They want more from their web design – more web traffic, leads, and new customers So, what’s your reason? Website design involves so much more than pretty fonts and images. Let's consider 3 key factors that will have a heavier impact on your website’s ability to maximize employee morale, sales leads, market momentum, and sales results.
1. Understanding Important Metrics
2. Designing Around Your Buyer Persona (s) Before starting to design, you need to identity your buyer persona(s). Who is your ideal customer? What are their demographics? What are their problems and needs? What is their online behavior? What social media network do they spend their time with? For example, by knowing what social media network they frequent, you can determine which social button you will include in your design and where you should place it. Once you’ve created your buyer persona profile, you can start designing and creating messaging that they fill find relevant.
3. Clear Call-to-Actions (CTAs) Call-to-Actions (CTAs) are the key to lead generation. They not only are the design elements that get your visitors to interact with your web site, but drive the opportunity to get that conversion. Some examples of CTAs include EBooks, free trials, Demos, and assessment/consultations. When redesigning your web site, think where it makes sense to CTAs and drive your visitors to take an action.
You can't improve what you can't measure. To optimize your website’s design so that it generates the results you want, you must capture and understand the key performance analytics behind it. Important metrics include: • current traffic • bounce rate • ranking of important keywords and pages in the search engines • conversion rates (from visitor, to lead, to customer) So, how can this help your web design? Let's take your bounce rate as an example. Knowing what pages visitors are spending time and what pages they are exiting from quickly, will help you determine which pages you should keep, modify, or merge.
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| Rhode Island Creative Magazine
Want to harness web design to transform your website into a lead generating machine? With the proper online strategy, analysis of your current site, understanding what is currently working and not working, and having the right lead capturing features, your web design can transform your web site into a lead generating machine.
For a FREE CONSULTATION go to www.xzito.com or send me an email to jairo@xzito.com
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Vol. 2 Issue 4 |
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A Breeding Ground for Creativity
by Regina T. Hogan Graphic Arts & Printing Instructor William M. Davies Career & Technical High School
SkillsUSA is a nationally recognized
Graphic Communications program.
High Schools. Each school is
organization preparing students for
The days leading up to the
allowed to send up to three
careers in technical occupations.
competition students are prepped
competitors to represent their
SkillsUSA Rhode Island runs
by their Career and Technical
program. Here is where they will
approximately 40 competitive
instructors through workshops
receive their Advertising Design
events that focus on content
and tutorials to ensure that their
challenge.
specific competencies found within
students are well prepared. On the
the aligned Career and Technical
day of competition the Advertising
program of study.
Design competitors travel to the
competition focuses specifically on students who are enrolled in the
Academy to compete against the other eight Career and Technical
The challenge is to create an ad for a company based on very specific criteria. Each student is given approximately five hours to complete this ad. The
“
SkillsUSA is an amazing opportunity to compete against other career and technical students in your program of study. - Karly Estes, Davies Class of 2014
“
The Advertising Design state
Providence Career and Technical
The Creative Challenge
all of the 2013/2014 SkillsUSA competitors from all of the 40 competitive events. It also serves as a time to recognize and applaud all of the student proficiency that is affluent in Career and Technical education. Each competition awards a bronze, silver, and gold medal to it’s competitors. The gold medalist from each competition gets to represent Rhode Island and competitors have to demonstrate
Suite software in the iMac
proficiency in concept art, color
computer lab. The finished ad
theory, typography, copy writing,
is then printed and mounted to
traditional design processes, use
foam core for a professionally
of software, and meet all content
finished presentation. Once
requirements.
the competition is over all of
Thumbnail Sketch The first step is to create three thumbnail sketches representing the ad design.
Rough Layout The second step is to re-create the best thumbnail sketch as a refined full-sized rough layout. Both the thumbnail sketches and the rough layout are done by hand using pen and pencil.
Comprehensive Layout The last step is to produce the comprehensive layout using the Adobe Creative
compete at nationals in Kansas City, Missouri against the other 49 states. n
the designs are submitted for judging. The panel of judges are selected from the SkillsUSA Rhode Island partners in the industry. Now, all the students and instructors have left to do is wait until the winners are announced at the SkillsUSA Awards
- Karly Estes, Davies Class of 2014
Ceremony.
And the Award Goes to... The SkillsUSA Rhode Island Awards Ceremony is held at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. This awards ceremony recognizes and awards
For more information about SkillsUSA please visit skillsusa.org.
RI Freelancers
Looking for a professional for your next project? Rhode Island consists of many types of freelancers in this industry. We want to give them the opportunity to shine and promote their specific talents on our Rhode Island Freelancer page! Go ahead... give them a call!
Salvi’s Traditional Sign Painting & Design Services While serving in the Navy, my first commanding officer wanted the ships crest painted on the wall of his stateroom. That is when I began painting signs. In the year 2000, after 8 years in the Navy, I moved to Providence and opened a business in the Arcade Shopping Mall. I started to really build on the “hand painted” sign business. It wasn’t until 2004 when I landed my first really big job lettering the windows for the original Tazza Cafe. From that point on it just grew. Providence can be a challenging city for sign painters, but also rewarding. I’ve been asked once by a RISD professor while I was up on a ladder painting, “Why don’t you just use vinyl?” I thought that was sad to hear. Although the art of sign painting is making resurgence to many “Artists,” they rely on computer programs to design things. We’ve become so dependent on technology that simple things like a handwritten letter are being lost. There is nothing better creatively than walking through Downtown Providence and seeing my work on someone’s business. I hope to be doing this as long as my hands allow me to. JAYSON M. SALVI SIGN PAINTER & DESIGNER EMAIL: jaysonmichael.salvi@gmail.com TEL: (401) 808-7373 WEBSITE: providencesignpainter.com
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| Rhode Island Creative Magazine
The photo on the right is done by Artist Linda Pierce, also known as L. S. Pierce, who has been creating Art for 30+ years. A bachelors degree from the Rhode Island School of Design with professors like Chris Van Allsburg (“Polar Express”), and David Macaulay (“How Things Work”), along with drawing classes at the Worcester Art Museum School and Mass College of Art, have made for a well rounded Illustration/ Painting career. She not only Illustrates for the children’s publishing market, but also specializes in painting children in pastel, watercolor and oil. Her work can be seen at www.lspiercestudio.com, and www.lspiercepictures.com. FYI...For the months of April, May and June, the L. S. Pierce Studio is running a special on children’s Pastel Portraits. See www. lspiercestudio.com for details. L. S. Pierce Illustration/Fine Art EMAIL: ls.pierce@verizon.net Studio: (508) 478-5989 WEBSITE: lspiercestudio.com WEBSITE: lspiercepictures.com
Vol. 2 Issue 4 |
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| Rhode Island Creative Magazine
Print Thrives in a Digital Age Science proves print is more memorable than digital. Written for Mohawk by Nina Lacour, edited by Bryn Mooth
We live in an era dominated by virtual communication, where animated birthday cards, emailed party invitations, and digital newsletters have become the norm. But are these virtual messages as effective as their traditionally printed counterparts? Science says no. A study initiated by Britain’s Royal Mail used neuroscience to find that, unlike virtual images, tangible objects register on a physical, sensory level that triggers an emotional response and creates lasting memories. According to the study, an image shown to someone on a computer screen stimulates less brain activity than does the same image printed on a card. Millward Brown, the research agency that conducted the study, explains how providing the experience of touch—known as haptic perception—can be used to help marketing efforts succeed: “Greater emotional involvement leads to more positive brand associations along with easier brand recall.”
Illustration by Mike Andersen
Haptic perception is the process of recognizing and identifying an object through touch. That perception, and the emotions and memories it triggers, elevates a printed message over a digital one. And it’s why paper plays an important role in communication. Help your customers choose the right high-quality paper for their projects by sharing one of Mohawk’s most impactful teaching tools: The Blindfold Experiment. Ask everyone in the room to close their eyes. Give them several sheets of paper ranging from newsprint to a glossy magazine page to a sheet from Mohawk’s Strathmore collection. They’ll discover the difference themselves. Once they’ve opened their eyes, help your clients notice the details: watermark, texture, weight, color. Give them paper and pens and invite them to take notes during your discussion. Let them experience how the tactile quality of ink on paper creates a deeper impression. In turn, they’ll appreciate the value of physical communication in conveying a message that matters. Vol. 2 Issue 4 |
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Lauren Silveira Organized for Life
This room for exploration paves the way for their work and is another important piece when considering how an artist’s space will flow. An artist’s space should be a creative expansion of their work and yet still provide functionality and organization. So how can the fluid elements of creativity that are never stagnant live cohesively with functionality, organization and order? Artists create, inspire and turn the ordinary into something greater. They tell a story through images, color, shapes and overall design. An artist can make something come alive whether on paper or digitally through creative thought, intention and a touch of planning. The inspiration for an artist is found within the creative process that is layered with ideas and outside motivation. The spaces we live and work in have a direct influence on our thoughts, moods and can hinder our ability for free flowing thought, an essential element within the creative process. Creative energy can be blocked when there is disorganization within a space. A designer’s work space is an important element in their ability to allow their thoughts to flow freely and not disrupt the creative process. The creative mind needs room to explore. Possibly a new way of seeing things, making new connections between what is old and what is new.
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Artists are visual. Hiding and storing items away may not always be best when creating a functional work space. Soon enough however having everything out in a space can turn into piled high stacks of paper and materials which will take over the space. Begin by breaking down the items within the work space into categories. Possibly supplies, tools, reference materials and design schedules. Keep in mind to sort items as they are used. For instance if you refer to color swatches for design organize by color. Once categorized make decisions to pare down the items within the categories which will help to minimize clutter. Keep items that you are certain you will utilize for design and let go of the rest. Be sure to have all of the tools you need on a daily basis within close reach and anything you consider not needed for immediate purposes can be stored outside of your working area. Magazine cut outs, books, and sketches may be essential for inspiration. Keep the ones that are relevant to your work nearby and store the remaining. Eliminate any distracting elements that may cause interference, such as too many post it notes or hand written ideas. Gather these ideas and thoughts into one journal or notebook. Having your creative space clear will provide a clearer mind for creativity.
Just as any design is created with a vision, every space is designed the same. Visualizing how you would like the space to look, feel, function and work for you is the first step in creating a space you lov e. Remember that you are designing a space for that which has yet to be created, and you want it to support the specific activity intended for that space. Invite in pictures, quotes and anything that inspires you. It is meant for escaping into art. Carving out a piece of the room to display what motivates, inspires and ignites your creative spirit is important. Consider furniture placement, shelving and storage options for both large and small supplies. Whether you have a large open studio or you are working out of your home in a confined area the systems you use for storage are important. Taking stock of your inventory is important when determining which type of storage is needed. Installing different size shelving to accommodate your equipment and supplies is another key reason to take stock. Some storage essentials for an artist’s workspace includeClear bins for storage are essential to be able to see objects and colors easily.
Use labels to identify contents. Binders and protective sheets to store magazine cut outs and articles of inspiration can be easily kept on shelving or within bins. Magazines, design books, sketch pads and reference materials are best stored on shelving and categorized by type. Purging this material every few months will ensure fresh ideas, perspective and provide less clutter. Tools such as pencils, rulers, etc can be stored in open containers on a desk space for easy reach. A design calendar can be stored electronically for deadlines and ongoing project notes. If you prefer having something tangible tacking up a monthly calendar will give you the ability to reference it quickly. Expression, design and creative energy flowing through an artist’s space will allow for beautiful work. Just the right touch of function and organization will also provide the push for a clearer artistic mind to flow.
Vol. 2 Issue 3 |
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So, you’ve used Photoshop for awhile now and are fairly adept at cropping, working with layers, changing colored photos to black-and-white and the like. Have you ever had this happen? You tinkered around with a picture for awhile using Photoshop, and ended up with an image that was creative and different. The only problem is, you can’t remember how you arrived at that final look. Actions What you need to learn now is something called “Actions.” In Photoshop, an “Action” is a digitally written record of the steps you’ve taken to enhance or alter a photograph or image. Some advantages to using Actions are:
• you’ll save time and money • you can customize actions to fit certain workloads • you can share actions with others • you can make a hard copy of an Action you’ve
developed, which can become a tutorial for you to use anytime
There is so much that can be done with Actions, it’s actually beyond the scope of what can be presented here. We’ll just touch on the basics. To create an action, use the Actions palette. The Actions palette is accessed one of two ways: Use the menu command: select Windows > Actions or Use the keyboard command: type Alt+F9 (Windows) or Opt+F9 (Mac) This will open your Actions palette. The palette then becomes your best friend as you create a series of steps to alter a photo, make a record of those steps, save that record and then re-play those steps in the future to achieve the exact same effect with another photo. Applying Actions to batches of photos Not only can you alter an individual photo using Actions - you can alter large numbers of photos with Actions. And the beauty of it is, you don’t even have to be at your computer while this is happening. To process a batch of images, first be sure that the action you want to use is loaded into the Actions palette. Then go to the Batch dialog box (File > Automate > Batch). The Batch dialogue box contains four main areas:
• Play. Choose the action you want to assign to the Batch command.
• Source. Select the images or folders of
images you want to alter. • Destination. Determine the destination for the images you’ll be processing. • Errors. Photoshop logs any errors that might occur during processing. Some Action tips Author Al Ward, Photoshop expert and self-proclaimed addict, suggests a few things to keep in mind as you set up your own actions.
• Use as few displayed dialog boxes and stop by Ken Mills PrintShops, Inc.
messages as possible.
• Establish color codes for your actions. • Keep the names of your actions as short and descriptive as possible.
• Use keyboard shortcuts. • Save your actions frequently. • If you include a Save As command in an action that saves a file as a JPEG, be sure that the Save As Copy check box is checked in the Save As dialog box.
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| Rhode Island Creative Magazine
Springtime Sweetness
Hey finally this snow is melting and with crazy rain means springtime is just around the corner. Time to take the cover off the grill and clean it up good! Something I also love about spring time events are the desserts that come afterwards (Not only the ones I bring everyone elses’). Hey, it’s ok to splurge once in a while but we can create a cleaner and healthier version of our favorites. Yes, we could just go to a store and buy a fruit salad and call it a day, but I’m pretty sure that’s what everyone else is going to do (including the host) because it seems like we emphasize more on the main savory dish instead of the happy ending. Let’s be different and let everyone be jealous at what you have created. I like to find out if there is a theme to the event before I decide what to bring. If it’s a neutral family cookout, I like to go with something I think everyone will like with splash of color and style. Here is one of my favorites that I made a little lighter and cleaner for the next party contribution. The original recipe was called blue velvet cupcakes but I changed the name to kyblu cupcakes. by Chef Ricardo Costa Personal Chef
akes e c p u C t e v l e Kyblu Vite-whole-wheat flour (whit • 1 cup wh
all-purpose
works too)
r cocoa powde • 1/4 cup er d baking pow • 3/4 tsp baking soda • 1/2 tsp rch sp. cornsta b t 2 / 1 1 • salt • 1/4 tsp ice ugar of cho s p u c 4 / xtract 3 • e vanilla e r u p p s t 2 / gurt • 1 1 or plain yo a l l i n a v ted • 1/2 cup oil or mel a l o n a c s poon • 3 tables if coconut oil s too and k r o w y o S ( milk e no • 1/2 cup , make sur k l i m d n o m l you use a ut allergy) ks one has a n (fresh wor s e i r r e b e u bl • 1/2 cup . best) 350 degrees
oven to Preheat the erries. Mix b e u l b e h t ee in wet. Mash or pur d d a n e h t , ents ake dry ingredi into 12 cupc r u o P . x i m Don’t over 4 minutes. 2 2 2 e k a b liners, and
See was that so difficult? Most of these ingredients are pretty common in most households. Remember we never grow unless we stretch ourselves a bit. If you want more recipes or advice contact me on my new website: www.ChefRicardoCosta.com Vol. 2 Issue 3 | Peace!
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illustration & design • for web & print
• Email promotions
• Environmental graphics
• Slide shows & presentation
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• Print & packaging
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• UX, GUI & wireframing
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• Branding & identity
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Vol. 2 Issue 1 |
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