DesigNYC

Steven Heller mentioned this on his blog today. I think it is interesting and I'm wondering if Waco could ever do such a thing...

A Christmas Surprise

This was waiting for our staff in the break room this morning.

The Leaning Tower of Christmas

I think that this one is worthy of Cake Wrecks

Cookie cookie?

Good job, Google. Definitely my favorite...ever.

Another opportunity and Geoffrey is going to kill me

Another opportunity to give something back:
Generations Adoptions
A non-profit here in Waco. They facilitate adoptions - both domestic and international. I went to Uganda with them in August and have been really impressed by all that they are doing.

And Geoffrey is going to kill me:

I'm not sure that I ever posted a photo from TriWaco, the triathlon that we did back in July. So, here's our official photo from TriWaco...quite revealing I know. This was BEFORE the race.

Halloween 09
Spent with our wonderful connection group. Definitely a fun night.

From Melaina...

Compassion International
Sponsor a child thru Compassion International. They have thousands of kids waiting for sponsors. By sponsoring one kid for a small amount of $ a month, you provide them with an education and food for themselves and their family. Great way to be Jesus to those in need around the world!

Christmas this year

It's November. Stores are full of Christmas things. The point of this blog post is not to make you feel guilty. The point of this blog post is to let you know that YOU can help change the world that we live in. I can't help but think about the impact we could have if ALL of us did just a little something this Christmas.

In that spirit: here are some ideas for you

Gift catalog for Samaritan's Purse
A great way to give a gift to someone who already has everything. (or for those who already have all that you need)

Gather up some toys for a shoebox
This is a great pre-Thanksgiving event that really gets you "into the spirit" of giving. Gather up some small toys/hygiene items, put them in a box, pray over them and send them all over the world.

Buy someone some shoes.
Not as cool as TOMS, but still very cool. Read more at the link.

Buy someone some more shoes.
These are TOMS. Very cool all the way around.

Give to a cause.
What are you passionate about? Find it and give.

Sponsor an orphan.
Africa Renewal Ministries in Uganda has many opportunities for us to sponsor orphans in Uganda. There are other organizations like this as well.

Any other ideas? Leave me a comment. I'm very interested.

Pumpkin Carving Contest

I judged a pumpkin carving contest last week for some local cub scouts. I took this job very seriously.

Best Overall

Best Boy Scout Themed Pumpkin
Did you know that the Boy Scouts used to take lots and lots of trips to Africa for service projects?

One of the funniest

Best Animal

Honorable Mention because he brought some tasty pumpkin seeds

Best Carving Skills

Funniest (it's supposed to be an elephant.)

Sketch2Photo

This. is. cool.

Sketch2Photo: Internet Image Montage from Tao Chen on Vimeo.

Hotel Rwanda

Good movie.

"How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?"
"I think if people see this footage they'll say, "oh my God that's horrible," and then go on eating their dinners."

Cheese or font?

I get to draw on chalkboards at work. Fun stuff. Another shout out to Jason Hagerup Photography. Book him now.

This one got me.

Excited to see some old friends tonight. (old=one year)

Interesting movie poster blog entry.

bricks

BrickArtist.com

Hand drawn block letters

So I'm not the only one who has noticed a trend...

I can't decide if it is okay to do this or if it's overdone. I do love handmade stuff.

Melanie Serunjogi

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/babymelanie/journal

You'll just have to read her story. Her family took care of me and the group when we went to Uganda. Melanie, her mom and nurse flew with our group back over to the states. Praying for Melanie and her family today.

Uganda

Will post more...here are pictures

Information about baby Melanie

A matter of the heart

"Boring games on a road trip to Michigan: Ode to Michael Jackson"

by Jill Davis & Kimberly Bozeman

Now that all of the hype surrounding Michael Jackson seems to be calming down a little bit...I'd just like to say that I will miss him. I mean, not in the way that you know someone personally, but in knowing that someone who could create something like "Thriller," "Beat It," and others is no longer with us. I'm also grateful for the moonwalk. Period.

Preemptive Love Coalition

I'd like to couple my ode to Jackson today with the story of the Preemptive Love Coalition. My friend, Christin, is interning with this organization in Iraq. Basically (very basically), this organization helps to fund heart surgeries for children in Iraq. Many suffer from congenital heart failure that is a result of malnutrition. I'd like to encourage you to spend some time looking around the website and seeing what it's all about. Help heal the world...

p.s. I really like the PLC website...so if you don't want to look at the warm and fuzzy stuff, just look at how this organization gets it when it comes to communicating in a way that is relevant to culture.

Associations

I'm always picking out new color palettes for different events. Of course, we all have certain colors we associate with certain things. Some of them are universal. Here's a list of some that I've started to think of that are personal...and some are also universal...

Network: blue

Christmas: red and green (and blues)

Favorite complimentary colors to use all of the time: red and green

Money: Green

Barbie: hot pink

Kitchen: red

Environment: green

Sun: yellow

Coffee: brown

Cocktails: yellow and blue

Birthday: red, yellow and blue

Wedding: white

Abbey: black

Fall: burnt colors

Light pink: frilly, legally blonde, young

Royal blue: Saturn-brand cars

Yellow: Mimosa, Pantone’s color of the year

CMYK together: everything 80’s

Red and light blue: Adrienne’s painting in my house, Nacho Libre, vintage sports

Energy: royal blue and silver

Bicycle: red, silver, white, yellow, lime green

License to complain...

I have seen two of the new Texas license plates. I knew that the new plates were going to be out soon. I also knew they were going to be terrible. They are actually really, really terrible. I'm still a little bitter that the plate that I voted for didn't win. It was way better than this new one. I voted for Traditional Texas. Everyone else voted for Lone Star Texas. If I ever get a new car or new plates (probably never), I refuse to use the new plates. Outlined type, terrible letter spacing, ugly mountain picture and they are really hard to read (pay attention to the last 4 numbers next time you see the new one) . I'll have to spend extra money and get a special one. Like this. Or this. (with JILLIO).

I'll have to update everyone on my Disneyland experience...but I don't have to pictures online yet. Let's just say it was...magical.

Triathlon is in 16 days. I'm not ready!!

whatsthejillio?

note: i need an new mast head for my blog. get ready.

adrienne is getting married in 1 week, 2 days.
one year of married life 1 week, 3 days. what?!
cali in 2 weeks, 0 days.

that's all i got.

i'm addicted to shelfari. i want to read books all day long just so that i can add another to my collection.

just found this.

interesting and entertaining and helpful (if you need it)
Hunch.com...makes decisions for you.

Reading.

I used to read a lot when I was little. Recently I've decided that I miss reading...it's a rare thing when I read a book these days. Geoffrey and I listened to an audiobook on our way to OKC this weekend...still not the same as reading, but definitely a great answer to a boring car ride. It was a six-hour read and we were hooked! It was The Lazarus Vendetta by Robert Ludlum.

I watched Twilight. I may have to read the series now...somehow I think that the books will be a lot better than the movie? I mean, the movie is a high-school chick flick about vampires falling in love? Interesting.

So, I'm going to keep track of what I've read/am going to read. Shelfari...have you heard of it?

things that have my attention (again)

- finishing the quilt...it's all i've been thinking about over the past few days. i have it in my head that the end is near. let's be honest...it's not.

- i'm going to make a t-shirt quilt with a friend's shirts. that will be fun...but i've got to finish the other one first

- deciding if i like twitter or not. and should i keep facebook? all this social media stuff is starting to wear me out. i keep trying to be connected with people that i'm not very connected to. why?

- the small house post by keri smith. fascinating links. while i don't think that i could live like this, i applaud people who are trying not to leave behind too large of a footprint. i am an advocate for trying to find houses that will fit your needs--not just building because it's cool and impressive.

- running. running is the hardest part about training for the triathlon. every time we run, i get frustrated. it's painful and hard. any suggestions on how to be good runner? i'm taking them.

- conquering my fears of the water. i love swimming. i like scuba-diving and snorkeling. i hate water where i can't see past my elbows...and this is what i have to train in. why is my imagination so big?

Dear old Longview High School...

My sister graduated from LHS on Friday night. It was weird. I mean, she's not old enough to go to college, right!? Well, she is. She's going to be an Aggie in the fall. Anyways...graduation was a typical sampling of the culture that makes up LHS. Air horns, screaming, leaving early, matching family t-shirts with the graduate's picture and name plastered across them, etc. The graduate who led the pledge to the Texas flag forgot the whole thing. Instead of trying again...he threw his hands up in the air and burst out laughing. The principal gave him a hug for this. Additionally, they decided to announce what each graduate's plans are after HS. Julie Ann Lockhart. Julie plans to attend Texas A&M University in the fall. She is graduating with 15 college hours. John Doe. John plans to go to college in the fall. Jane Doe. Jane plans to begin working in the fall. James Doe. James plans to attend a two-year college and then transfer to a four-year university in the fall. Jennifer Doe...period...What, she doesn't have plans for the fall?......Jason Doe. And on and on. Just a terrible idea for a graduation. They followed it all up with a freshman singing "I hope you dance." Congratulations Class of 2009! Thanks for entertaining me!

On Saturday, Geoffrey and I ran a 5K with my dad. Out of the three of us, I finished last. I finished second-to-last in the 20-29 year old division. I'm proud to say I finished. Wow...lots of tri training to go before July 26. I did get a new t-shirt. I ran in my "we do" t-shirt...

Geoffrey and I spent around $1000 on our cars yesterday. It was awesome. Complete new brake system for G and two new tires for me. I'm really starting to like the idea of selling our cars and getting a matching pair of these.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

Favorite picture from Michigan (not really, but I liked it)

Right? I just haven't felt like blogging. And now that I am really really busy today, I somehow find the time to blog...

I need your prayers this afternoon. Geoffrey and I are going to jump into the river at 5 p.m. today. Yup, that's right. Brazos River, here we come. All sharks, piranhas, snakes, snapping turtles, killer whales, alligator gar and the like should find another home for today. Okay, okay...I know. It's just the Brazos River! Except that every time they drain the Brazos, they find cars and dead people. Triathlon training must go on though! 2 days less than 2 months from now is the big day. We bought some fancy running shoes last weekend at Luke's Locker. So far, my feet haven't fallen asleep in them at all. I'm really happy about this because my sleepy feet have been driving me (and Geoffrey) crazy.

If you want to know what I did in the first part of May, here ya go. And--there's nothing that the road cannot heal. Kimberly is still a bestest friend after all those miles and Adrienne is the coolest person I know. I know that some of you will be disappointed that you don't hold the coolest person place...but you probably don't know Adrienne. She's getting married on June 27 and I'm sure that it will be the coolest wedding I've been to as well. I will say that I plan to take Geoffrey on my next adventure...5 days apart was hard.

In other news, I'm about 90% sure at this point that I'm going to be Professor Davis at Baylor U. in the fall. I'll be teaching a night class on MW to college juniors. We'll cover Photoshop and Illustrator. I'm going to be a hard professor. Muhahaha. Yes, I'll still have my day job. They haven't gotten rid of me yet.

Speaking of teaching: I'd like to see some comments on what some cool design projects would be.

Okay, okay...I'm going to blog more frequently.

Attention 2

Things that have my attention (second verse):

-Earth Day-- I wore green in honor of Earth Day today. And brown business shorts (I guess that's what you call them). Brown and Green...go Earth! In fact the Earth movie comes out today...I want to see it (but not today).

-Downtown Dark coffee blend at the Olive Branch...oh how I love the Olive Branch.

-Driving Kimberly's dad's Jimmy to Michigan! (Thank you, Kirby) Road trip! We plan to make a stop in Nashville...hopefully to see some long lost high school friends. I think the plan is to take a picture at all the state lines...and any other major tourist attractions.

-Green shopping bags. I'm never buying paper bags for gift sacks again. I've noticed recently that stores are starting to be more creative with their graphics on these bags. You can find them anywhere. They have cool ones at Books A Million right now. If only I can remember to take them to the grocery store. Maybe if the store stopped carrying plastic, I'd remember to bring them. It would be terrible to carry my groceries out in armloads!

-DSVC.org--how can AAF-Waco (ad club) be cool like this? The conversation begins...

-Feed sacks. Back in the 20s this is how you got your flour, sugar and feed for livestock. The people selling the feed caught wind that women were making clothing from these sacks. So they started making them with really cool fabrics. All of my favorite quilts (Geoffrey's grandmother has several of these) are made from feed sack materials. In the 50s, the people selling the feed decided to use paper sacks. BOO. Let's go back to bags of fabric...then we could make cool clothes and quilts with them! And not cut down more trees. Examples of feed sack fabric here. You can google image it to see more.

Attention

Several things that have my attention right now:

• Alvin Lustig
As a sort of information/history site about this awesome designer, I really like how his portfolio is weaved into it. Nice colors, too. I think a lot of people design stuff inspired by this guy.

• Talk like Shakespeare Day - April 23, 2009
Or maybe blog like Shakespeare on April 23? That would be cool to see what everyone comes up with for their blog entry...a sonnet? a play? both?

• Places where you can get custom t-shirts printed. So many possibilities...
Zazzle.com (they do stamps, too!)
Skreened.com (ethically custom)
CafePress.com (tried and true...they have made some awesome bags for me)

• Quilting. The quilt top looks awesome! Now I just have to get busy "quilting" the thing. Yikes. It's hard.

• Cheap ways to travel to Michigan. Leaving in T-minus 15 days.

Moving right along

I'm proud to announce that as of 20 minutes ago, I have purchased all of the material that I need for the quilt that I am making. This weekend I am going to Longview to get Geoffrey's grandmother to help me put all of the pieces together. I have all of my "squares" ready, so we'll just be adding the borders, backing and batting. And then, eventually, I will add the binding. Lots of b's. I'm so excited!

In other news, my parents have a new dog! She's a golden retriever. Sunny, the other golden retriever in the Lockhart family, is getting on up there in age. Poor thing. But keep your fingers crossed! We want these two to "hook up" sometime soon. This means that Geoffrey and I may get a puppy!! Yay!

Cinnamon (top)
Sunny & Cinnamon (bottom)

New month, new post

I've been at a loss as to what to say on this blog recently. I guess I could show you what we actually ended up with for the TRC logo. I like it...the others were too busy.

The quilt is coming along, too. I have the urge to put a picture on the blog. But no, not yet. I'm going to be in Longview over Easter to see family and then the next weekend I am going to go back to Longview to get Geoffrey's grandmother to help me put it all together. Then the fun part comes...stitching by hand!

Which one do you like better?

I'm working on a new logo for our TRC Fundraising event...what do you think?
Option 1Option 2

Stumbled upon this...

I made this.
Thanks to stumbleupon.com, I found a site that teaches you how to fold money.

Branding things

We're going western (not country, just western) this summer at the Chamber. Our annual fundraising campaign is going to be titled "Riding for the Brand." Interesting...

Anyways, I'm developing a logo and they want it to have an actual cattle brand in the logo. So, I've been doing some research on cattle brands. We're going to have some brands made for gifts and prizes. In the the research process, I ran across this site on signage. Really liking it. Kimberly, if you are reading this blog, I think you'll enjoy it too.

How to design a cool CD cover

Have you ever wondered how bands come up with their names or how designers come up with their weird CD covers? Well, here ya go. This is a Facebook special. (You know, where they pass it around and you come up with 25 things or put your IPOD on shuffle or something...)

1. Go to "wikipedia." Hit "random" or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2. Go to "Random quotations" or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3. Go to flickr and click on "explore the last seven days" or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4. Use photoshop, the gimp or similar to put it all together.

5. Post it to FB with this text in the "caption" and TAG the friends you want to join in.

I won't do number 5, but this is what I came up with this morning (a good "warm up" exercise of sorts for design...) :

I can't keep my mouth shut.

The quilt is starting to come together. I want to give a little sneak peek of some of the fabrics I will be using (just ordered yesterday on Etsy). Still not going to give away to entire look or anything...

In other news, triathlon training is coming along. Well, except for when my feet fall asleep after I've been running for about a mile. I think I'm going to have to go to the doc to find out what is wrong. It only happens when I run and it goes away when I stop. It feels like when you're foot falls asleep and you try to walk around on it...very weird. We got the map for where will be running on the tri course, and it's about half in the hills...and looks really really long. At least we will be able to run this route a few (hopefully) times before the actual race July 26. Oh, and Geoffrey shaved his legs!

I'm interested in this exhibit opening at AMOA...I like maps and I get that from my dad. He loves to look at maps to find a better route, I love to look at maps because of all of the lines and shapes created. If it's old and weathered, even better.

Global Business logo

That's what I came up with. I did one with Helvetica, too, but I didn't like it.

(See below.)

Helvetica and captions

This is a creative idea: guy draws a picture every week and you write a caption for the picture. if your caption wins, you get published in a book. fun.

Geoffrey and I finally watched the movie about Helvetica this weekend. Geoffrey really enjoyed the movie, which kind of surprised me. I definitely recommend it. The movie is very informational about the typeface Helvetica as well as design in general. I especially enjoyed Paula Scher (her maps are super-cool, click on her name to see) talking about how she isn't that crazy about Helvetica. I like Helvetica in the American Apparel logo (or American Airlines...basically the same thing, one word different). In the American Apparel logo, Helvetica has a trendier quality to it (that's in a big nutshell) than the more corporate feel of AA. But that's mostly about their surroundings. And that's what Helvetica does--it says what it needs to and lets the content do the talking. Target (look at the scrolling graphics) uses the whole family...light, bold, black, etc...in different ways. I also like this coffee mug (and I plan to buy it at some point). I think the reason I'm not drawn to using Helvetica a lot is that I like to be more expressive with the type. Lately I've been more drawn to hand-lettering. I keep looking for a good excuse to use it in something at work... When you're in Mexico, you can't help but notice all of the hand-lettered signs in fonts of all kinds. I took this one in Guanajuato, Mexico a couple of years ago:

I especially like the R.

Of course, everything cannot be hand-lettered. Like the Global Business Connections logo that I am working on. It needs to have a more "corporate" feel. Maybe I'll use Helvetica...

Cupcakes and

Melaina's Birthday Cupcakes...fun to make!

Speaking of cake...Cake Wrecks is a fun blog.


Ice on the trees...it actually got below 32 degrees a couple of weeks ago

Logopond.com to see some logos I've done for the Chamber and for lots of great logo ideas.
Take that, Logo Lounge! It's free.

busy busy

when i get busy, i don't blog.

i've been working on triwaco.org this week. it's almost done...just a few things left to do. i'm glad for the experience of working on this "template" web site. i feel like it is helping to ease me into actually doing a real site. i've really started to think about what i am going to do for my own web site. first, i need to buy whatsthejillio.com before someone else does. the other thing though, is how do i make a cool, unique site that doesn't look like anyone else's? and is something that i can create myself...i dunno. but i've got to start thinking about it. it'll probably take me a reallly really long time to figure out what i'm doing.

i'm also battling a cold. i've been lucky until today...everyone around me has been sick recently.

i left my pictures on my work computer, but i made some fun cupcakes this week. i poured the batter into ice cream cones and mixed up some different icing colors...hot pink, purple, green...it was fun. i'll get those up next week.

A handshake and a pat on the head

January 20, 2009
Former President George W. Bush shook my hand and patted me on the head.

W came home to Waco/Crawford last night and I got to see it up close and personal. Big fan of the former prez or not, definitely a once in a lifetime experience. My dad got to shake his hand, too.

Almost more exciting than meeting the president was seeing Air Force One (well, a presidential plane that looks just like Air Force One, but is not called so unless Mr. Obama is on it.) The plane is gigantic. And very official looking.

I watched the inauguration yesterday morning as well. It was a very nice event. I especially enjoyed the poem.

Praise song for the day.

Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.

A farmer considers the changing sky; A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."

We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."

We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.

Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self."

Others by first do no harm, or take no more than you need.

What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking forward in that light.

--by Elizabeth Alexander

Shower invitations

I'm working on an invitation for a friend from Longview...they are going to do these cute flower arrangements made out of fruit. Ediblearrangements.com

Crazy new year so far...

The White House called last Thursday. We've been really busy helping them plan a Welcome Home event for soon-to-be Former President Bush. It's on Tuesday...so basically 1.5 weeks to plan and execute a huge event. I MIGHT get to meet him. It's very possible. (fingers crossed)

I also get to go to an AAF conference in San Antonio Jan. 22-24. That should be pretty cool. It's called mad Lab. Geoffrey is going with me, too. One of the events at the conference is at this art museum, and I think it looks pretty cool. Their web site impresses me, at least.

In other news, the box that I designed for the grand opening of our new building won an American Package Design Award! We found out on Monday, and I was completely surprised! A photo of the box (taken by Jason Hagerup, thank you!...if you click on his link, there's a photo of the box) will be featured in the March 09 of GD USA magazine.

I'm going to be working on a template site for TriWaco...the triathlon that Geoffrey and I are participating in...I'm excited for this experience considering my goal of learning web stuff this year!

Julie (little sis) is coming to visit this weekend! It's kind of a last minute plan. I'm not sure what we are going to do while she is here, but I'm sure it will be fun. (except for when I have to bike for 8 miles and run for 30 minutes...that part of the weekend will stink)

One last thing: and there will be more surrounding this idea...but if you could come up with a single typeface to represent one of the states in the great United States...what is the typeface and what state does it represent? Why? This could be an interesting experiment. I mean...something corporate or trendy comes to mind for New York and of course something western for Texas, right? I dunno...

Quilting underground and other ramblings.

Well, kids, I've decided on my quilt pattern. I think it is going to be great! I have also set up my quilting frame...even though I won't be needing it for quite a while...there are lots of things to do before the quilting part. 

All that to say this: I won't be blogging about this quilt anymore. I'll show a finished product, but from here on...that's all you get. I know you'll all be sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to see, but you'll just have to be patient, won't you?  hehe...

Tri training started on Tuesday with running. IT IS HARD. So far, I'm just trying (or tri-ing...wink) to stay up with Geoffrey. He's in way better shape than I am. Tomorrow we bike five miles...not a long ride in bike world, but next week we'll have further to go...and then more the next week....yikes! This is definitely a day by day thing. Right now, completing a tri in July looks impossible. Fo sho.

I've been kind of freaking out about being 24 years old lately. For some reason, I just don't like the idea of getting old. I know, I know. 24 is not old. I just want to be a kid. Well, a married kid... I'm freaking out about being old because it bothers me that I sit at a desk everyday from 8 to 5. Sometimes I feel like I'm wasting away....no, not wasting away...but not making a difference? Or maybe losing that idea that I had when I was a kid and thinking that I was going to grow up and make a difference in the world? My sister is graduating from high school this year, too. She can't be old enough to graduate from high school! BUT she is. And she's awesome. I think that she could change the world...and I hope that she doesn't lose that hope that she can.

The truth is, I've always had this idea that I was going to change the world through design. Well, not the whole world. It started when I was a teenager, though. I used to read this magazine for Christian girls and it sucked. I'd get my seventeen magazine and spend hours looking at it. I'd get the Christian one and spend 5 minutes. It felt sugar-coated and safe...not very real. But I knew that everything I was reading in seventeen magazine was not a positive influence. I decided one day that I was going to work at the Christian girls magazine and make it cool...make it relevant and real. Cool clothes...real teenager problems...good stories...good design. Something that EVERY teenage girl would want to read. And that was my driving force when I decided to be a graphic designer as a teenager. I'm not sure my desire still lies in designing magazines for teenage girls...but I still want to design things that change peoples lives. That's never really left. I think that translates into how I look at each little thing that I design. Right now, when I'm working on our quarterly magazine, I'm thinking about how this one piece is going to help our organization communicate effectively...and in a way that is relevant to our community. When the piece fails to meet my lofty expectations (and it often does...), it bothers me to the core. That's just one of the reasons that it is hard to do what I do.

This post is why I should not drink three cups of coffee at 9 p.m. on a Saturday night.