Sub-Contracting

Sub-Contracting has always led to some of my most interesting experiences. It's a confusing dichotomy for a freelancer. On one hand, you as the creator have been relieved of the responsibility of selling the job, dealing with any difficulties with the client, or having to chase the client to fulfill their end of the contract. On the other hand, when you get to work directly with the client, you get the chance to understand exactly what they are looking for without the intent being convoluted by the project manager. Most importantly, you know what you need and you get the chance to ask for what you need up front. A designer always needs a style guide up front, if the client has one.

At the end of the day, I still have student loans to pay.

New Logo

You might recognize part of this design from another logo, AyakoFromJapan.com. AyakoFromJapan.com moved up in Alexa ranking, and in response to requests from numerous fans, Ayako launched an English version, branding100.com.

Whether you're just starting out or have been around for a while, this blog has a lot of helpful advice.

New Logo

Get ready for a good guffaw! Launching April Fools Day 2009 is ScrewballTees.com where you can get the latest in funny, sarcastic, and weird wear for your upper half.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with the designer/developer on this project. With our complimentary skills, this project has been a beneficial symbiotic process. I just completed the design of his vision for the logo and consulting on Search Engine Optimization.

eMarketing

Email Marketing is an effective and affordable marketing approach that is very successful for retail, small businesses, and business people who work by contract (artists, real estate agents...). There are a variety of services available for mass email marketing, each varying in cost of services comparable to services offered. I've used a few different systems and I have my favorite, but I always try to recommend the one that best suits the client and his/her comfort level with computers and learning new interfaces.

This a screen capture of an email for one of my favorite companies, Model City Models. They went with a publishing system that I had the chance to briefly work with when I set up an email template for BuyAt. Model City Models does really awesome work. Check out their portfolio section for the LED lit models.

Updated Logo

Large companies with millions of dollars and agencies with hundreds of people spend much more time and money on research before they create, share and launch a design. I don't have either, so when I created the AyakoFromJapan.com logo, my research focused mostly on anime styles, Japanese design and Japanese patterns, but I didn't look deeply into the history of the Kimono.

Some of AyakoFromJapan.com traditional Japanese readers loved the logo, but wanted to let us know that the direction of the character's kimono, with the right side wrapped over the left, is a funereal tradition; it is how the dead are dressed for burial. Ayako didn't favor this association (of course!) so I changed the kimono to show the left side over the right side. Since the header space is so small and you can't really see most of the detail, we also gave it a punch of gold for a waist band so it pops.