GOOD: 30-day Challenge - Unplug at 8

I am always telling people to step away from the computer and do something else to get creative. Well here's the challenge:

I'm going to do it and you should too. This will give me the chance to actually live up to what I say on here. I'm unplugging at 8pm tonight and I will start the painting series that has been in my head for over a month now.

Good Luck!

This video was originally found at creativity-online.com

Take a Hike

Inspiration doesn't always happen where you'd most expect it. One of the best things you could do to gain inspiration is to get off your butt, away from the computer or canvas and get outside. I recently took a hike in Great Falls Park, MD on the Billy Goat Trail, section A. It was an invigorating experience. I didn't know if I'd be able to do it all, but I did and it felt wonderful.

Yeah, I climbed up that.

Remember that inspiration doesn't always have to relate to creating. Get outside and inspire yourself to move around, exercise and to see new things. Hiking is something I will be doing more often, after all the Billy Goat Trail has two more sections!

Life, Color, Passion

The saying is true: 'a picture is worth a thousand words.' It's amazing how much emotion and story can leak through a photo, a drawing, or in this case a painting. It takes a lot of talent to connect art and emotion and not everyone can do it. A lot of artists tell a story with their art, but not all are able to evoke strong emotions. 

I found these watercolor paintings, by Marion Bolognesi while flipping through the internet today. I was amazed at how much emotion these simple, yet detailed paintings contain. 

What can you see in them?

I see a little boy - crying, hungry, and asking for help. I can even see the words in his eyes. 

I see a woman - struggling to get through a tough time, but she has hope in her eyes. She's a fighter.

I see a fierce woman with a lot of anger, determination, and strength.

I see a young boy who is looking at death, and starvation. This reminds me of someone who has given up, his eyes show no hope.

There is so much you can do with a simple color, the drip of the paint or even a shadow. I'm going to challenge myself this week to paint something with real emotion behind it, I challenge you to do the same. 

Check back next week and I'll show you one of my creations. If you share your work with us, we'll post it up on our blog, retweet it or like it on Facebook, so get going!

Happy Creating! 

*Images originally found on koikoikoi.com

This post also up on Stokefire

Names, Logos and Burger Buns

There's a new burger joint in Falls Church, VA that I visited not to long ago. They pride themselves on delivering all natural, grass-fed, free-range meat, made to order each and every time. 

The Name: Burger 7. I've been scratching my head as to why they named the place Burger 7. I can't seem to find any reference to the number 7, so I'm baffled. If you know - please enlighten me, because it's driving me nuts. Maybe I can entice our very own Thingnamer to take the challenge on. 

Their Logo: Two burger buns with the name between them. Looks familiar doesn't it? The moment I saw this logo, I thought of Burger King. The original Burger King logo (below, left) was created in 1969, and then replaced in 1999 with the current logo (below, right). The colors are very similar, a close cousin I would say: tan / yellow orange for the bun, and red for the lettering. The biggest difference between the two is, the Burger 7 logo has more of a hand drawn look, perhaps its a nod to the fresh burger buns they bake in store. 

Burger 7 and Burger King aren't the only companies that use the cliche buns. Below are few random burger bun logos I've found on the good ol' internet. Surprisingly, 4 out of 6 of these logos are using red lettering! I wonder if people just really like ketchup. 

It's amazing how many times one concept can be used for so many similar companies. I'm always curious what goes through a designer's mind when they take a concept that's been done before, and recreates it slightly different. Is it a means for reinventing, or is it a lack of original ideas?

Perhaps we need to introduce some more ways to pump those creative juices using one of my favorites, Caffeine for the Creative Mind.

This post is also up at Stokefire

Pet Peeve, or a Fact of Life?

Images via Hovering Art Directors

So I'm sure you've all seen this before. The dreaded Hovering art director. Stokefire's fabulous Lena Blackstock sent this around the office about a month ago, and I started thinking about it again. 

I have a thing about people behind me. I don't like to sit with my back facing the room, and when I do, you can find me turning around every 5 minutes. So what happens when I have hovering "art directors?" I cringe, I fidget, I turn to my side, and I can't look straight at the screen. It doesn't help that I like to look at the people talking to me (which I don't think is actually a bad thing). I can handle one, maybe two, but any more than two it's turned into an audience. Plain and simple, I get creeped out.

So what do I do now?

Stokefire's Chief Creative just named me the Art Director. Will I become the dreaded "hovering art director?" There is a fine line between directing and telling. Will I be that one person that every designer dreads, the person that says "click there," "do this," "do that." I can tell you one thing, I'd rather direct, but I suppose only time will tell. 

Don't Mistake Legibility for Communication

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Design is everywhere and typography is everywhere as well; whether it is a street sign, the newspaper you pick up in the morning, the website you visit everyday. while the TED Talk below isn’t about design being everywhere, David Carson shows a few slides here that speak to this same idea (even if its not entirely noticeable).

Anyway, the real point here is: don’t mistake legibility for communication. Just because you can read it, doesn’t mean it is communicating the intended message. David Carson is famous for his crazy typography and his ability to connect emotion, design and key messages in an effective, impactfull way.  Some of it is legible, some of it is not, but all of it delivers a message. Take a look at his TED Talk, where you can see some of his work, learn about his process and find out how he feels about the design and communication choices some people make.

This post is also posted on Stokefire

33 Ways to Stay Creative

I Love love love this. My recent blog post "Creative Fuel" is about finding inspiration and staying creative, much like this list. While I believe in all of these, the ones I'm most interested in (at least for today) are, #3, #5, #11, #18, #23, #24, #25, #29, & #33. I hope you find these as useful as I do, and I hope you're getting out there and finding creative inspiration!

1. Make Lists
2. Carry a notebook Everywhere
3. Try free writing
4. Get away from the computer
5. Be otherworldly
6. Quit beating yourself up
7. Take breaks
8. Sing in the shower
9. Drink coffee/tea
10. Know your roots
11. Listen to new music
12. Be open
13. Surround yourself with creative people
14. Get feedback
15. Collaborate
16. Don't give up
17. Practice, practice, practice
18. Allow yourself to make mistakes
19. Go somewhere new
20. Watch foreign films
21. Count your blessings
22. Get lots of rest
23. Take risks
24. Break the rules
25. Do more of what makes you happy
26. Don't force it
27. Read a page of the dictionary
28. Create a framework
29. Stop trying to be someone else's perfect
30. Got an idea? Write it down
31. Clean your workspace
32. Have fun
33. Finish something

Posted by Stokefire. Original Post by iainclaridge.net