Friday LOLs

Another present from the internet: Should be on the Nanny.



Yup, this would be a site devoted to putting Fran Drescher's (as the Nanny) head on runway models' bodies. Since runway clothes are not your everyday clothes; and, let's be honest here, the Nanny was not into wearing everyday clothes (oh, and this show happened in the 90s), it's a match made in awesome.

Fashion + math =

I love fashion. I hate math. However, what a mashup these two create when blended together!

Ladies and gents, meet Fashematics. It's a little hard to describe (photo + photo = fashion photo, is the best I can come up with), so I'll let the following picture from their site do the talking:



I think this is math I can definitely get behind.

Oh. Yuck.

Blech. Blech. Blech.

Just yesterday, I was raving--raving!--about holiday windows in a Free People store. For those not in the know, Free People is an offspring of Urban Outfitters. Also under that corporate umbrella is anthropologie.

So let's just take a minute to go to the anthro website. Go ahead, I'll wait.

If you've ever been in an anthro store (ed. note: love!), you'll see that the site definitely fits the brand. Now let's visit Free People. Again, it's very fitting for the FP brand.

So, have you been to the Urban Outfitters site lately? I'm not encouraging it. Seriously, don't say I didn't warn you--you may need to wash your eyes out after.

Seriously, I get the ironic "bad on purpose" thing they've got going on, but my God, is it bad. Like, there's bad on purpose, and then there's just BAD. This might have been done on purpose, but it is BAD. And it doesn't even go with the brand. I get the UO is kind of quirky, a little mainstream-hipster-ish, if you will. But this is like MS Paint, circa 1991. And there was nothing--NOTHING--good about that.

Now if you'll excuse me, I totally have to go wash my eyes out. Maybe with a little kate spade...

Let it (paper cut out) snow

Speaking of holiday windows (as I did last week), I was down on Greenwich Avenue recently and I came across this fab window in the Free People store:



Ignore the fact that it's definitely not the best photo I've taken (hey, I was on my way to a meeting in a cafe I couldn't find, but I ran the risk of being late to snap this photo. As I tell my kids, you get what you get and you don't get upset). Let's instead focus on the awesome snowflakes with the pop of fluorescent orange: love. I'm a sucker for paper snowflakes anyway, and these just made my heart skip a little.

I've never been inside the store, but judging from the window, it looks small. But way to make use of the space you have (notice that no other store's window stopped me in my tracks).

Friday LOLs

If you have any type of Apple gadget with a key pad, you are probably very familiar with auto-correct. Especially auto-correcting words like "ooooohhh" for "poopy" (true auto-correct story).

Oh, Apple. You're so cute.

Most the times, if you're sending an auto-corrected message, the receiver knows what you meant, and has a good laugh. Well, now we can all laugh, thanks to damnyouautocorrect.com.

Yup, finally there is a website dedicated to auto-correct's bizarre version of ESP. The site is just a series of iphone/ipod screenshots, with the silly auto-correct blunder. Most all end with some version of, "stupid auto-correct."

Another post where I gush about kate spade

There are few things I love in this world so much, that it's borderline obsessive: shoes (obvs) and handbags are among those things--specifically, kate spade shoes and handbags.

The kate spade brand does a great job of being quirky, fun and classic at the same time. I have ks bags and shoes that are embarrassingly old, that I still use to this day (of course, it's always fun to add to that collection, too). So when I heard that the company was publishing a book (!!!) and it's based on the fun "things we love" section of their site (!!!!), how could I resist?



There's a great interview with ks president Deborah Lloyd and Ed Miller, who oversaw the printing, over at Felt & Wire. For print nerds (and, I suppose, sugar junkies) like me, it's like extra icing on the cake of awesome. Fun book, with some background on the different printing techniques?

I'll take 2. One in purse form, please.

Say what?

Folks, did you know that this is a sentence:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

Right? It's not just me--you're totally perplexed by this too, right (please say you are. Please.)?

Yeah, I am no longer questioning my grammar. Ever.

Bergdorfs, blogs, and beautiful windows

OK, first: Bergdorf's has a blog?? Can we talk about how I did NOT know this? I suspect Mattio is behind my lack of knowledge in the Bergdorf's blog department.

Second: Hello. Not only do they have a blog, but could I just love the type treatment a little more? I think not. Gorgeous.

Third (the point of this post):Holiday windows are coming! Holiday windows are coming!

When I was a child, every year in December my family would make a pilgrimage to New York City to do the holiday tourist thing: the tree at Rockefeller Center, the Christmas Show at Radio City, and the windows. Oh, the windows! From Saks to Lord & Taylor to Bloomies, we did it year after (freezing cold) year.

So, being that we are approaching that time of year, Bergdorf's blog has let us know that the curtains are up, and the visual team is hard at work on their always-spectacular windows. They've got some photos of year's past, and are planning to release a limited edition Windows at Bergdorf Goodman book (for--gulp--$500).



While I love the idea of a Bergdorf's Windows book, I'm all for a $20 train ticket in my warmest down parka to see the real thing, thankyouverymuch.

Friday LOLs

OK, a couple of things:

1. I love Mad Men. I am a full on Mad Men junkie. It is consistently the best written and acted show on television these days. Unfortunately, that bar isn't very high; but it's shows like Mad Men that give me hope.

2. Jon Hamm=swoon.

3. The following clip isn't really funny, so much as it's swoon-worthy. Jon Hamm, as Don Draper, saying What. That's all. Just showing his range, with one single word. Did I mention swoon (oh, except for that last one. Definitely not swooning there)?

Cake and presents! Cake and presents!

3 years ago today, I was having a baby:



A baby that would grow up to be known to the blogosphere as the intern.



Hard to believe that 3 years has come and gone so fast. Happy birthday, intern! Before you know it, she'll be old enough to give me design advice, for real (instead of her usual, "Make it rainbow." Which, you know what? Sometimes works.)

The designer behind the awesomeness

A while back, I posted about these clothbound classics from Penguin (seriously, how much do you love them??).



This time, let's talk about the designer behind the awesomeness: Coralie Bickford-Smith.

The inspiration blog the 99% interviewed her, talking about a typical workday, inspirations, and the like. First of all, I totally want to hang with this woman. She sounds awesome!

The best days are when final books come in. If it's one that I've put my heart into I can't wait for them to reach our floor so I rush up to production to get my hands on them and make sure everything is as it should be. It can be a bit scary, opening those boxes of books, but when it has all worked, it's ace.

And totally want her job!

Working in central London, I can go to some wonderful places to get ideas – museums, galleries, shops. And right at my desk of course – sometimes I just get sucked into the Internet and binge visually for hours. If this is the way my day has gone I go running for half an hour at lunchtime to escape and reset my brain.

Read the entire interview at the 99%, gush over Coralie's work on her website, and--as an added bonus--check out these adorable T(ea) towels. Want.

Friday LOLs

For those not in the design industry, Lorem Ipsum is dummy text that designers use as placeholder copy. It's Latin; however, it's also gibberish, so it doesn't exactly translate to anything that makes any sense.

However.

If you're into things not making sense--but making them, say, a hair more fun to read--I highly suggest Gangsta Lorem Ipsum. Fo' shizzle.

Lorem ipsum dolor go to hizzle own yo', go to hizzle adipiscing elit. That's the shizzle sapizzle velizzle, nizzle volutpizzle, suscipizzle shizznit, bizzle vizzle, bling bling. Pellentesque bow wow wow tortor. Sizzle erizzle. Mah nizzle izzle dolizzle dapibizzle turpizzle tempizzle shizznit. Maurizzle pellentesque nibh pizzle turpizzle. Its fo rizzle izzle for sure. Get down get down mofo rhoncus uhuh ... yih!. In hac check out this black dictumst. Donec dapibizzle. Curabitizzle tellus urna, pretium , mattizzle ma nizzle, eleifend vitae, nunc. Funky fresh suscipit. Owned sempizzle velizzle shiz my shizz.

Shiz my shizz is right, yo. Word.

The solution for when it smells fishy

Confession: I am not a scented candle person.

I tried, at one point in my life, to be the kind of person who keeps lit scented candles around the house, but it just wasn't for me. So I'm pretty sure we don't have very many--if any--candles in the house.

Fast forward to Monday night, when we had deeeee-lish crab cakes for dinner. The price we paid for all that deeee-liciousness was that the house smelled like fish. Insert wishing for scented candles.

So today, on the obligatory post-preschool trip to Target (You guys, it's like right around the corner from the intern's preschool. Every week, it taunts me), I went in search of a candle. Lucky for me, I didn't have to search far: picking up some of my new favorite hand soap (Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena), I noticed a display of Mrs. Meyers soy candles. Perfect.



You guys, I love this candle. The scent isn't overpowering at all, but it was enough to get rid of the lingering fish smell (yes, days later it still smells like fish. I think that crab cake type of deeee-liciousness needs to be strictly restaurant-only). I kept it lit for a few hours this afternoon, alternating between the kitchen and the dining/living room, and now my house smells faintly of orange-clove. If you were to walk in my door right now, it certainly wouldn't smack you upside the head. Which is exactly what I was looking for in a scented candle.

Plus, you know, the whole soy-all-natural thing it's got going on. Says the Mrs. Meyers website:

Our products combine hardworking, naturally occurring ingredients and essential oils that are tough on dirt, yet gentle on your home and the earth. Biodegradable and packaged in recyclable bottles, our products are ammonia-, chlorine bleach-, paraben- and phosphate-free; they are never tested on animals.

It's a win/win.

Fall into color

A few weeks ago, my pal Marcy and I took a day off to shop. No kids, no soccer, no crazy Saturday chores and activities, just her and I, and Woodbury Commons (Oh, and our credit cards).

It was a great day. We filled up her car with lots and lots of fun goodies (and found a ton of great deals). Since I'm a sucker for a good fall color palette, I thought I'd share some cool color inspiration that I found.

First up, a fun dress from Banana Republic (that did not come home with me):





I love everything about this; from how the everything pops against the charcoal gray background, to the bright, almost unexpected fall color palette. Nice, especially with the chartruese.

Next, a bag from Coach (that just happened to sneak in with all my stuff. "Oh, look at that, Mattio! A stray bag! Well we have to take it in and give it a good home--it's getting cold outside, and we just can't LEAVE it."):





Love, love, love pretty much everything about this. The colors are great: orange! Teal! Plum! Chartruese! Fabulous.

So, in the name of color research... Marcy, when's our next trip??

Do you smell like a monster?

Grover was always one of my faves:

Friday LOLs

If you had a website, and it was called Good Design Advice, it'd probably be... well, a website with some good design advice. But drop an F-bomb between Good and Advice, and you've got something pretty f**king funny.

goodf**kingdesignadvice.com

Including such gems as:

Learn from other f**king disciplines.

Remove your f**king widows.

Use a f**king color scheme.

Good advice? Absolutely. Funny? You f**king bet.

Smorgasbord

The internet is a lovely place, no? Without it, I wouldn't have seen:

Jason Santa Maria's Candygrams: specifically, the fancy candy-type by Jessi Arrington. With special behind the scenes coverage here.

Jim's Pancakes: Dude seriously needs to come over and make me breakfast. My kids might like it, too. Although, that's setting the pancake bar kind of high. Maybe he should just come over and make pancakes for me.

Kate. Spade. Bedding: WANT.

27b/6: I don't know who this guy is, but his ridiculous emails crack me up. Lucky for all of us, there's plenty of stupid people willing to banter with him.

Thank you internet. Thank you.

friday LOLs

I can't think of a better title for an embarrassing celebrity photo website than "The Internet Never Forgets" (except for the url: fire your agent. Brills).

Because it doesn't. Right, Jared Leto (EDIT 8/28/13: there used to be an embarrassing photo of Jared Leto here, but, instead of firing his agent he just got someone from his team to annoy me enough to take the photo down. 3 years later. There. It's down. Are you happy?)?

Go on with your bad self. No really, go on. You're bad.

So, a few weeks ago, iTunes 10 was released, along with a new icon. If you follow my twitter stream, the new icon may as well have been tarred and feathered. Actually, it was so reviled, that someone started an @itunes10icon twitter account defending the new design; and in the beginning, it was hilarious.



Then, last week, a new minor league hockey team was announced: the Connecticut Whale, which hinted at a throwback to the old Hartford Whalers team. Could the logo possibly be as cool? Me thinks not.



Finally, today. I get a fancy email saying I get an additional 30% off at the Gap, so I'm so there. But the logo is different--weird, even. There's this weird blue box... ? This can't be right. Can it? It is?? What???



What is going on here, people??? What is this logo badness that is going on??? The iTunes icon, to be honest, I'm kind of ambivalent about. It's not great, but eh. But that CT Whale logo--and now the Gap??? What is happening? And worse, who is letting this happen???

Eat it (or not)

Except for the whole bacon part, agreed:



(seen on Buzzfeed via Jezebel)

I know it's too early to be blogging about penguin plates

Alright, I know. I KNOW. It's October 4th. Barely October, for the love. But I am sorry, friends; it is so fa-reezing out, that I actually had to put on the heat. After I put on a long sleeve tee shirt AND heavy sweater. And drank hot tea like we're going to run out. Today is the first real chilly day of fall, and in honor of the cold, I am sharing these adorable penguin plates from West Elm:



I know it is too early. I complain about people like me. But my heat is on, therefore I can totally identify with the little guys. So today, October 4th, you guys get penguin plates.

I KNOW.

Friday LOLs

The only thing this Oatmeal comic about working from home vs. working in an office is missing, is the kids.

Happy Friday, and weekend everybody!

UPDATE:

I prematurely posted today. I just came across this gem: Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon rap... well, rap history. Awesome.

Notes from another intern

My oldest, the teenager, has really gotten into photography this past year. Last night I saw this photo that she took, and I thought it's a good indication of her style and sense of humor (not that she likes to trap animals in glass bottles, but...)



I think she's got a pretty good eye, especially considering that she just picked up a camera less than 6 months ago. If she lets me, I'll have to post more of her work. In the meantime, enjoy "Silly elephant got himself stuck."

Notes from the intern

What up traciedesigns readers???! It's the intern here, reporting for duty.

I'm hanging in the office all week--with the exception of when I'm in SCHOOL (Holla! Who's a big girl now??). The boss thought it'd be a good idea for me to write this week, seeing as how she's juggling work and me (what-EVER, bosslady. Whatever).

Anywho, we got a fab new sofa last week--it rocks! The best thing, though, is that instead of a coffee table, the bosses opted for an ottoman. Which is by far my favoritest piece of furniture. Like, ever. I'm constantly coming up with new ways to sit on it. See?









Man! I'm so glad they didn't get a coffee table!

K, it's almost dinner time--and you guys KNOW how I get when I'm hungry. It's enough to make the bosslady want to hide under... well, the new ottoman.

Yummy type

Whilst standing in line at Starbucks this AM, I noticed this fine specimen of type:



I've never heard of the Zac Brown band, but I think I'm going to give a listen. Because, yes, dear readers, I do judge a CD by it's cover.

Sidenote: While in line, I thought to myself, do people really buy CDs anymore? They can't possibly, right? I mean, I haven't bought a CD in... well, I can't even remember, so naturally it was eons ago. But really--are people buying CDs?

Then the chick in line in front of me bought a CD.

Question answered.

...But does it look expensive?

Yesterday I got a phone call from a company that had interviewed me a few weeks back. The conversation went something like this:

Them: "We had talked to some other designers, and the last one we hired to do the logo--for $300--didn't work out. So now we'd like to hire you!"

Me: "..."

I'm a big believer in you get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong, I love me some bargains (hello, my whole office is furnished by Ikea, thankyouverymuch), but at the end of the day, a $300 logo is going to look like, well, a $300 logo (just like my desk is just some fancy particle board my husband put together).

I charge more than $300 for logos, because I invest a lot of time into creating them. I research, I sketch, I play with fonts, I purchase fonts. I research some more.

I like to take a page in Illustrator--the program I use for creating logos--and just digitally vomit every idea I have. It usually ends up looking something like this (designed for a totally different client):



This is just one of two pages for this client, actually.

I type out the company name over, and over, and over. And then again. I play with the shapes of letters, the space in between letters, icons, artwork. Sometimes the ideas flow out, and it's like the dam wall broke, and there they are, all over the paper/my screen. Sometimes the ideas take longer. While I wait for the ideas, I sketch. And I type. And I play. And I research some more.

Because of this--all of this--I charge more than $300 for logos. And maybe I'm biased, but I think it's worth it.

Tuesday smiles

Dogs. Ikea furniture. And a catchy tune from OK Go. What's not to love?

New work!

Just launched: objectsblog.com. You guys remember the logo from a few weeks back, right?

Client, friend, and world traveler Pamela Peterson lets you in on her journeys; whether it's multitasking in Italy, or a Paris flea market. Truth be told, Pam has been sending me "sample" blog entries--stuff she intended on writing about--throughout the entire design process, and let me tell you. If the blog continues in the same tradition of the samples she sent, it will quickly be one of my faves. Check out Objects, and be sure to say hi to Pam while you're there.

Also, many, many, many thanks to friend and Wordpress genius Dave Cushman, of Form: Substance for the development. Dave came through in an eleventh hour emergency, and came through he did. Lots of gold stars for that one.

Enjoy Objects, you guys--I'm so psyched that it's launched!

You win, type

Normally I'm not one to celebrate anything Microsoft. So when IE9 was launched this week, my reaction was probably something along the lines of, whoop-de-doo. I mean, really.

However.

This version of Internet Explorer supports the Web Open Font Format. Basically, it supports pretty fonts on the web. Like, not just Times and Arial, but cool stuff like, Hellenic Wide (drool). And Chunk (yum). And Coquette (swoon).

So to showcase that support, Brooklyn-based designer Jason Santa Maria was asked to help.

Ladies, and gentlemen, meet the Lost World's Fairs.

Designed with fun and typography in mind, these sites are not only awesome, but the text is... well, text. Not imagery. Friends, that is effing cool.

Read more about the story behind the Lost World's Fairs here.

Type Monday

Looking for new fonts is my second favorite thing to do, ever (second only to buying new shoes, DUH). So new logo projects mean that I'm scouring the font shops, looking for the perfect, shiny new font.

So guess who has a new logo project?

And guess who found the prettiest, shiniest, newest font EVER? Ladies and gentlemen, meet Brownstone:



After immediately falling in love, I looked to see who was the brilliant designer behind this gorgeousness. Surprise, surprise, it's Alejandro Paul--one of my favorites.

Yummy, yummy, yummy.

Friday LOLs

Baby carrots. Have you not seen this? Because it's baby carrots. And it's a riot.

Baby carrots (like, the mini, 2 bites and your done carrots) are being marketed like junk food. Extreme graphics, sex, loud music, and of course, a great sense of humor, are making baby carrots the go-to snack.

Baby carrots ("Eat 'em like junk food"), people.

Love it.

PS You can even follow them on Twitter (of course you can! They're baby carrots!).

I'm like, a winner

Some days, life is great. Others? Well, other days you have a crap night's sleep, which results in tiredness and crankiness most the day. Other days you have a raging headache and Advil is taking it's sweet ole' time working. Other days can leave you tired, stressed, and broken.

I thought today was one of those "other" days.

Then I got the mail.

American Graphic Design Awards in the H O U S E ! That's right, if anything wakes me up, takes my headache away, and calms me down, it's winning an award (or 2).

I'm so happy (and awake, and feeling good, and not stressed) to announce that 2 of my logos just picked up 2010 American Graphic Design Awards. Holla!

First up, Objects (which, if you're keeping track, has already won a CT Art Director's Club Award of Excellence):



And the Hey Fairfield logo won as well!



I'm so psyched--this has made my day--no wait, my week!

Paint swatch awesome for your feet

Oh Converse, how I heart you.

Chuck Taylor and I have had a thing going for quite some time. Plaid, flannel, velvet, or just plain black canvas (the current pick); Chuck Taylor All Stars have been in my life for years and years and years. We love them so much that it's become back to school tradition for the children all to get a new pair of Chucks in September. I love the teenager's pick:



But when buying them, I came across these (PRODUCT) RED paint swatch shoes that I love, love, love:



The hi-tops also come in red, and the lo-tops come in green. It's hard to find a pair of Converse that I don't like; but these? These are pretty awesome.

Un-Labor Day

This weekend, like the rest of the country, Mattio and I celebrated working by taking time off. It was wonderful.

Friday night we celebrated by going out to dinner (and cocktails) with friends we don't see nearly as often as I would like. Saturday night brought dinner (and more cocktails!) with friends that I'm glad we get to see as often as we do. Sunday afternoon brought an last-minute dinner invitation from another set of friends. And yes, there were cocktails.

Because both we both work from home, it's really, really hard to take time off--if only because the computer is always there. We live in a digital society where 9-5--in our case--isn't the norm. We put in our daily hours, but more often than not, after the kids are in bed, there's another couple of hours spent working. And very rarely does a weekend go by without us putting in a little more time at "the office." It doesn't really interrupt our lives too much (Saturday nights--remember, we have kids--and Sunday mornings are great times to knock out a few things)--but it's there, the work on the weekends.

We're both very fortunate in that we enjoy what we do for a living, so working "after hours" doesn't really bring too many complaints. But sometimes, you need to step away. Sometimes, you have to take the weekend off. Sometimes, you have to un-labor.

And that's just what we did this weekend. And it felt good.

Friday LOLs

There's a horse in the Apple Store: Frank Chimero's hysterical take on... well, a small pony in an Apple store. And like, nobody's noticing it:

I think, “Why?” What is the villain here that blinds all of these people to this situation? Am I nuts for thinking this is exceptional? Does anyone else see this? Did I accidentally drop acid and not realize? I must take a photo. I must verify later, when I’m not potentially tripping balls.

I think, “Would they notice if it were a tiger?” Or a lamb? Or an anaconda? What would it take to shake the haze from around their eyes? A sale sign? A new iPod Touch? Would they notice a new iPod Touch?

Are they just divinely focused? Are they meditating in a retail environment? Are they distracted by something shiny? There is so much shiny in the Apple Store. Is it enough to distract everyone from the little tiny horse that is at the Genius Bar?

Happy Friday, friends--and happy long weekend!

5 years old

It's been a busy week here at traciedesigns HQ: all interns headed back to school today, so this week was crazy with back to school shopping for the right shoes, clothes, and--oh yes--school supplies. Routine has finally come back into our lives, and we are embracing it fully.

But the other big thing about this week is that it is my 5 year anniversary. Five years ago this week, I left the comfort of a full-time job, a steady paycheck, an office with other people in it; and started my freelance career.

In the 5 years I have been on my own, I have:

--found some pretty cool new friends and clients;

--worked on projects the I might not have had the opportunity to, had I stayed working for someone else;

--won some pretty cool awards working on those projects;

--did I mention meet some pretty cool new friends and clients?

--had another baby

--worked in my dining room, my bedroom, back to the dining room, my parent's house, back to my bedroom, and finally (finally!), after 5 years, just last week I got my own office;

--had 2 different computers;

--never once stolen office supplies from myself;

--had 3 different interns (alright, full disclosure: there's a bit of nepotism going on here at traciedesigns. I don't know if you noticed, but I only hire my children as interns);

--the cool friends and clients (hey, they're worth mentioning a bunch, since they're the reason I'm still doing this flying solo thing)

I'm so happy to be doing what I love to do, work with people I love to work with. Here's to 5 more years of awesomeness!

Brushes with fame (and 2 degrees from Simon LeBon!)

You guys, sit down: I had a total brush with fame this weekend.

See, there's this band that I'm starting to love, love, love--the Limousines. Their first release, Very Busy People--love it. It's totally catchy and what I thought was a good song to work out to. Well, hold the phone, because their next release? Might just be my favorite song EVER right now: Internet Killed the Video Star. It's catchy, jumpy, totally makes me want to dance. So naturally I downloaded it off the ole' iTunes, and proceeded to jump around my kitchen whilst doing the dishes (which makes the doing the dishes WAY more fun. Also, note to self: get some sort of curtain for kitchen window. Hello, embarrassing). I love this song so much, that I tweeted about it.

And you guys, the guy from the Limousines tweeted back.



Since it's a 2-man band, technically half the band tweeted me back. SQUEAL!

Of course, at first I'm like, this is a total robot response--so I check out his twitter feed. Um, no--this guy is tweeting all over the place. He actually responded to my tweet!

So, of course that makes me super way happy, and since I love, love, love their music anyway, I went and bought their album.

Oh, and hello? According to Wikipedia (and when are they not right? Oh--nevermind...), the Limousines opened for DURAN DURAN.

You guys, that is like, TWO DEGREES from Simon LeBon.

Inspirations

So I just came home from an AIGA-sponsored breakfast event with the very funny, very charming Alexander Isley. Alex is an incredibly talented and accomplished graphic designer (and youth soccer coach. But "he is a better designer than he is a youth soccer coach." Amazing what you find out in people's online bios) out of Ridgefield, and today he spoke about what inspires him. His great talk was peppered with things like his mother's copywriting portfolio, Spy Magazine (which he was the art director for), books, posters, and awesome advice ("be terrified."). It was awesome AND inspiring.

It led to a discussion in which people talked about what inspired them, and what inspired them to be who and what they are today. My friend Donna talked about a book report cover that she designed in grade school (that was thoroughly rejected by her teacher), another attendee spoke about the path that led him to photography.

My path to graphic design wasn't a simple, oh, today I'll be a graphic designer. Did I want to go into the arts? Absolutely. Was graphic design an option? Not for me. But due to a financial decision, I ended up in Greenwich (it was SO NOT that kind of Greenwich financial decision. Ironic that I ended up there, though), at a school where my classes were chosen for me, and at the end of the program I would be a graphic designer. The appeal was all of the fine arts classes; originally, I wanted to go into fine art and be this starving (but not really), tortured artist who lived in a loft and wore a lot of black and was just FABULOUS. The program started with drawing, painting, a ton of figure study--everything that appealed to my starving (but not really), tortured artist. Towards the end of the program, the computer was introduced; and I realized what a great medium it was (and is), and how much I enjoyed creating on it.

This morning, at the breakfast, someone asked my friend about her book cover: perhaps the teacher's rejection of the book cover is what led her down the path to graphic design. Some days I wonder what my career would be like if I had majored in fine art like I intended. Would I still have found my way into graphic design?

Night and Day

I was trying to come up with something clever to say about Pixar's decision to publish the animated short Night and Day as a book, but then I realized that Khoi Vinn said it much better than I ever could.

So, yeah. What he said.

Photoshopping: Good vs. evil

Like many other graphic designers, I use Photoshop. And I do LOVE me some Photoshop--it's a completely and totally amazing program. I started using it probably about 15 years ago--in it's infancy--and it's amazing to see how far it's come, and all of the awesome things that you can do with it.

Problem is, Photoshop is not just used for good (I KNOW. What is up with that?). Sure, you want to correct the lighting on a model's face? No problem. Photoshop has many nifty tools for that. But what happens when you stop correcting the lighting, and say, take 10 pounds off the model instead? What happens when you smooth wrinkles, clone out beauty marks, whiten eyes and teeth, lighten hair color, and take the cellulite off a model's thigh? How much Photoshop is too much?

There's a site I read fairly often: Jezebel. It bills itself as Celebrity. Sex. Fashion. And the site does a fair job of covering all three topics. But one of the features I love most (and what really keeps me coming back) is what the writers tag Photoshop of Horrors.

Yup, before and after Photoshop pics.

Apparently last week there was a kerfluffle regarding some unretouched Jennifer Aniston pics, which prompted a post from the Jezebel editor in chief titled, Why You Must See Unretouched Images, And Why You Must See Them Repeatedly.

Agreed. Agreed. Agreed.

Because who hasn't looked at the cover of Insert Fashion Magazine Here--especially while waiting on line at the market in sweats and flip flops, hair pulled back under a baseball cap so no one can see your 1" long and growing roots, and of course makeup-less face--and thought, Gee, Unrealistically Photoshopped Celebrity looks slammin'. And I... well, I'm bloated. And I have super dark circles under my eyes. And... on and on and on (insert 10 pints of Ben & Jerry's here).

I love that Jezebel takes a stand against all the evil Photoshoppers out there by showing before and afters. I think the world--especially women--NEED these reminders. Because until science comes up with real-life Photoshop (um, sign me up for that take 10 pounds off part), we're all... normal in comparison.

But we're the best kind of normal there is--unretouched, REAL normal.

Boo-boos and Band-Aids

We are people with children--3 to be exact. Which means that we always have Band-Aids on hand.

Always.

But, being that these 3 children are girls, we don't have Band-Aids of the flesh-colored, or even clear variety. No, we have Scooby Doo, Littlest Pet Shop, Hello Kitty... I could go on, but you get the picture: if it's pink and has some sort of popular character on it, we have it. One time Mattio had to actually go to the drugstore to pick up plain, flesh-colored Band-Aids because (and who could blame him?) he wouldn't put a Barbie Band-Aid on his cut (I almost typed boo-boo. See what these children are doing to me?).

I doubt very much that Mattio would use these super-awesome, adult AND child-oriented Band-Aids, but I know I would:



Cynthia Rowley Band-Aids? I will gladly put you on my boo-boos.

Friday LOLs

I have gushed many a time about how wonderful the internet is. Just when I think I've found the awesomest of awesome, the internet goes and pulls something out of a back pocket I didn't even know it had. Stumbling on these little treasures is both a blessing (duh) and a curse (I'm usually about 7-10 topics/websites away from what I was originally looking for. And that original topic/website has been long forgotten about by now).

So last night, I came across yet another internet awesome: Pinup RDJ.

Says the site:

Vintage pinups are the pinnacle of art. Robert Downey Jr is the pinnacle of sexy. It's not rocket science.

Rocket science it is not. Hysterical? Um, yes. Times two.



The site is peppered with these morphed images of Robert Downey Jr, and, well, 50s-era pinups. In between that awesomeness are answered reader questions (for example, How do you not explode from your awesomeness? Answer: oh believe me, I suck at plenty of things to keep it balanced.)

Thank you, internet, for the gift of awesomeness that just keeps on giving.

From the intern

What up traciedesigns readers??!

It's the intern here. Checking out what my paren--ahem, bosses--mean when they talk about "blogging." I still don't get it, but Momm--er, the bosslady--tells me to keep typing. Like I don't do enough around here.

So what exactly have I been doing all week? Well, lucky for you, I kept a photo diary of a day in the life of the intern. Read on...

We start out with the best intentions; working of course:



But it's much more fun to just press all the keys on the keyboard and play around with the mouse (Of course, it totally helps throw the boss off of any suspicious activity if you look real cute and smile. Like, A LOT):



After all that exhausting work, I need to relax a bit:



Since we're on a whole technology "theme" at the office, it's super fun to play Robot. How do you play? You just throw a shopping bag over your head and talk in a monotone voice. I made this game up. I know, I am SO ahead of my time.



All this playing wears me out though. I hear much work gets done while I'm napping; but for all I know, the boss is sleeping, too.



PLAYTIME! Nothing sparks my creativity like the swings.



Finally, lots of days at traciedesigns end with ice cream. Today was one of them.



As I am known to say: "Yummy, yummy in my tummy."

More books--again!

One of my most favorite bloggers out there is Oh Joy. I love her sense of style; she has a great eye for design, fashion and decorating. So when I heard that she wrote a book on freelancing (with fellow freelancer Meg Mateo Ilasco), of course I bought it.

Creative, Inc. arrived a few weeks ago, and so far it's been a great read. Like me, Joy started her freelance business 5 years ago, and says: "This is the book I wish I had when I started my freelance business..." Amen, sistah.

To promote the book, the ladies made the most adorable stop motion short:



And--squeal!--they're doing a 3 city book tour that just happens to stop in NYC. I'll totally be there.

In the meantime, if you're currently freelancing, or even thinking about it, put Creative, Inc at the top of your to-be-read list.

More intern

For quite some time, I have been whining about getting an intern. Someone to help with the day to day at traciedesigns, another set of hands (and eyes).

What I got was definitely another set of hands (and eyes), just not quite what I was hoping for in the help department.

Folks, my almost 3 year old intern is back.

So the eyes aren't for bouncing ideas off of, so much as scouting Nickelodeon for good shows. The hands? Well they actually need *my* help with changing all the dolls' clothes.

But don't get me wrong, this intern has her benefits: she's pretty instrumental in not letting my ego get too big. She forces me to take work breaks and do fun stuff (see above re: dolls' clothes. Have you ever played dolls with an almost 3 year old?). And all that fun stuff? Well, it gets the creative juices flowing in ways that a 5 minutes outdoor "break" has yet to do.

So while I'm completely thankful for the help I have throughout the year, those times when the intern gets to stay home and "help" is a blessing as well.

Oh, and PS: The intern has been talking non-stop about guest blogging this week. Stay tuned...

Scenes from a dinner

So in the year that I have owned it, my iPhone has come through for me in big ways. Like, HA-YUGE ways. Sure, that whole email/internet/phone thing comes in handy, but I'm talking necessity here. Necessity--like, I brought all three children out to dinner, and I have nothing to amuse them. Come on, I know all you parents out there are going, OMG. WHAT was she thinking??!

Cue the phone.

Because not only do I have game and amusement apps ready to go, the phone also comes equipped with a camera. For any budding photographers. Such as the 7 year old.

Take, her Self Portrait, for instance:



Waiting for a Table:



Portrait of Chocolate Milk:



Elbow:



It amuses me to no end to find these "secret" photos on my phone; and she knows it. So... well played, middle child. And, well, thanks, Apple.

Not so new office, not so great floors, and the intern

So today I was going to blog about my new office. I was going to tell you guys all about how I was finally going to have a space of my own, maybe even post a few pictures.

So notice in the above sentence I used past tense: I WAS going to blog about my new office.

Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication; and our floors--well, they didn't turn out as expected. So here I sit, at my desk in the temporary digs, still waiting on my office. The good news is that the painters are there today, painting it all up nicey-nice. The bad news is that whole floor thing.

Hopefully it will be fixed soon, because all week long, I have an intern all excited to go and help me move. OK, she probably won't be much help, but she'll certainly make it more fun.

Friday LOLs

While I'm not a fan of violent movies, I really loved Fight Club (and not just because of Brad Pitt). That said, I would totally go and see Jane Austen's Fight Club. Totally.

In miniature

Love, love, love tilt-shift photography.

Love, love, love NYC.

Love, love, love this tilt-shift video of NYC.

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Lovely.

(Thanks to Twitter friend Meg Mateo Ilasco for the link!)

Friday LOLs

OK, don't judge, but one of my favorite-ist websites ever is Go Fug Yourself. It's HILARIOUS. The entire premise is photos of celebrities--sometimes A-list, sometimes Z-list; they don't discriminate--wearing their worst. But the Fug Girls, as they are known, are not super mean about it; it's fun--definitely not Mean Girls.

So while I share the Fug Girls' taste in fashion (and Diet Coke, and old-school Brenda Walsh, for that matter [I said, DON'T JUDGE]), I am not of the same level of knowledge as they are about Jennifer Love Hewitt. Or Lifetime movies, apparently.

Did you know that, a few weeks ago, Jennifer Love Hewitt was in a made-for-Lifetime movie called the Client List? Did you know it was NOT based on a John Grisham novel? It is actually a movie about a woman FORCED into prostitution--not because she's held captive by terrorists or anything, but because her husband has a bum knee.

I'll just sit here while you re-read the above sentence.

The Fug Girls knew this, and reviewed the movie. People of the internet, they told us there was a Dashboard Angel of Judgment. They used the term "kind touching" in lieu of prostituting. There are lessons learned:

This is the first lesson of the movie: Totally Let a Dude Look Down Your Shirt If You Think It Will Help.

And this is the second lesson of the movie: If You Say You're Trained In Shiatsu And Your Prospective Massage-Therapist Boss Looks At You Like, "Whoa, She's Into Dogs? Ooookay," Do Not Think Anything Of It; She Probably Just Misheard You And Is Totally Not A Secret Prostitute.

This is the third lesson of the movie: Kind Touching Is Totally Okay If Your Husband's Bum Knee Basically Forces You To Do It, Because Really, Then It's Sort Of His Fault.

OMG, the review of this movie--which, a-duh, was truly awful from the start--is freaking HILARIOUS. Seriously. Take 15 minutes and read this review. Because it is peppered with things like this:

Have you ever wondered what it looks like when you decide to Kind Touch your way to salvation?

Yes, this is 15 minutes of your life that you will never, ever get back; but my God will you laugh. Plus, think of the 2 hours that the Fug Girls had to spend actually watching this thing.

Magic shoes + quick fixes

Ladies, I wish that toning your thighs and butt were as easy as popping on a pair of "magic shoes" (LOVE that) and doing normal daily activities--don't we all? If it were that easy, I'd own 10 pairs of Fit Flops, Sketchers, Reeboks, and more. I would be the queen of magic shoes!

However, seeing as they're being referred to as magic shoes and all, I just can't bring myself to buy a pair. Which I think is OK by Nike, who does not make a pair of magic shoes. Instead, they make sneakers. Plain old, non-magic, sneakers. And in their ads, they come right out and say it: This shoe works if you do.



Gotta love the honesty, right?

(Read the full article on Ad Freak)

Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce awesomeness

Like millions of other people, I love, love, LURVE Mad Men. The writing is amazing, the characters so well-developed; and that Don Draper... well, let's just say SWOON.

Season 4 is only two episodes in, and while I am love, love, LURVING it, I am absolutely love, love, LURVING the set design the most--specifically, the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce offices. 60's Modern? I'll take 2.

Seriously, those sofas! The tables! Forget the fact that last week they had no conference table at all, or that there's non-existent second floor offices, I want the room that Peggy's always working in--the one that doesn't seem to be her office (or is it?). The one with the Helvetica poster in it (awwww, yeah).



You can check out more of the SCDP office photos here. And in case you feel like surrounding yourself with Mad Men-esque furnishings, head on over to Knoll for more drool-worthy stuff. Yummy.

Oh, one more thing: can we talk for a second here, about how fantastic Peggy's hair is this season? Holy cow, girlfriend looks good!

More books!

I swear, you guys, this is not becoming a literary site. However, in doing a little purse research (coincidentally, my friend Becky prompted said purse research, and she is a ferocious reader), I came across this:



Kate Spade is all literary clutch crazy, with new bags depicting awesomely-designed covers of Great Expectations, The Great Gatsby, and the Importance of Being Earnest.

Adorable? Yes, please.

Also, in case you're interested, Becky also let me know that the entire Penguin Hardcover Classics line of books is available at their site. Read on!