Letter S + A + Y

Tweaking—I spend more and more of my time comparing characters. Each letter may look fine standing alone, but it’s important to line up next to other letters. I keep revisiting the S and adjusting the thickness and curves…More coming tomorrow!!!

“S” is for so-not-easy.

I don’t have my original sketch handy—hence why I’m beginning with the letter “S” and not “A.” I’m using and older screen shot I had buried in my sent box.  I have no idea what I’ll name the font or how big the family will be. But, I do have a deeper appreciation for typographers and the hard work put into a single character! Ignoring the tedious steps to create each individual letter form—it’s an exciting process! I’ll be posting more as I go, check back for more letters.

Ascenders, Descenders—Oh My!

My first stab at sketching. I have a lot to learn, but it’s a start. I have no idea what I’ll call this, perhaps something script or another descriptive adjective…I’ll be posting more photos as I go!

What I’m chewing on…

I don’t think I’m the type of person to sit for long periods of time without gaining a new interest or hobby in something. I mean don’t get me wrong, relaxation is key and very important in work-life balance. I enjoy down time but am never satisfied with what I know. Now that DCWEEK’s over, I’ve freed up a lot of my time—planning events sure does consume you. Did I mention I can’t wait for next years! My new pet projects are to become a jedi master in wordpress design, figure out the ins and outs of creating a typeface and to get buff. (haha not really, just stay in shape.)

To aid in my ability to suck in all this knowledge, I’ve picked up some books, WordPress Theme Design by Tessa Blakeley Silver and Smashing WordPress by Thord Daniel Hedengren. I’ve began reading both and I’m excited to see what I will be able to do by the time I finish them. I’ve started another blog to talk about the newest techniques I pick up along the way, feel free to read along. I’m trying my best to keep up with both blogs!

I really enjoyed participating in one of HOW’s hands-on seminars back in 2007 with Chank Diesel. Ever since, I’ve been a type junkie—taking photos of weird stuff I see on the streets to saving links of interesting fonts I find along the way. I could list them but it would take up a lot of space. In my free time at and outside of work I’m hoping learn the ropes of designing a typeface. Plenty of great links out there, FontStruct is pretty rad. Fawnt is handy and Cool-fonts.com is extremely helpful! More to come…

I’m going to make a conscious effort to update these more often than I have in the past. Hope you enjoyed!

DCAUG: The start of something totally badass!

DC AUG

Nafisa Sabu and myself are in the midst of getting our Washington DC Adobe User Group off the ground. We want this to be a generalized user group–covering all Adobe software, not specific to one program. Here is a quick, first draft of our logo–a little preview of what’s to come. Tell me what you love or what you hate (hopefully more of what you like…) I figure, we might as well have a stellar brand to kick this off. Who doesn’t enjoy playing with logos when there are absolutely no restrictions? Of course we’ll be spamming the hell out of the social media scene, you know the important stuff like creating a facebook page, twitter account, website, blog etc. Using those tools will only help raise awareness throughout the DC area. In the mean time, we’re still waiting to officially hear back from Adobe, but I’m pretty thrilled to get this up and running.

The web community has a strong presence here in DC and I’ve noticed more and more print-related events popping up. (Awesome!) We’re aiming to continue this trend and show DC in a different light–there’s more to our city than the government and law firms, haha. No offense meant towards friends/peers who are associated with either, it’s not a bad thing. I want to put a spotlight on other work coming out of our area.

We’re creating this group to highlight other areas in graphic/web design. I definitely enjoy web design but have a passion for letterpress, screen print, hand-written type, paper and other sectors in design unrelated to web. (But, I still want to host meetings/events in web, just a better balance of varying subjects.)

I’ve always believed if you are going to complain, stop and do something about it. This is our effort to bring more to the table here in DC! Look for more information about our group in the coming weeks/months or as soon as Adobe gets back to us.

Tags: dc, Design, user group, web

Staying creative & in shape

Two things rarely associated, nerds and broccoli.

I’m determined to find a happy balance between keeping my body healthy and accomplishing long-term career goals. My post college years were invigorating and yet extremely unhealthy – nights of heavy drinking with new found art kids and not getting enough sleep. I found myself hanging out with the web community at events like DCTechCocktail, DCDB, refreshDC and more. Afterward we’d flock to the nearest Julia’s empanadas’ or Diner; food containing little to no value, good for the body. Whether it was due to the lack of time, convenience or laziness I needed to do better.

It always seems that if you have a great relationship and career you could be going to gym a little more often or eating out less. I’m determined to find a way to fulfill all three equally. I know I sacrificed my health a smidge to go the extra mile with my work. It’s not terrible, but I have made efforts to find a better balance.

I know I can’t make gigantic changes in my lifestyle, that would just be impractical. Setting small goals and holding myself to a higher standard has allowed me to make progress. You’d be surprised what the smallest change in your daily routine does. Find a workout buddy or take baby steps, I am confident everyone has it in them.

What are your goals?

Tags: balance, Design, fitness, passion

I love what I do

Does Monday get you down? For 99% of young professionals plus myself, we find the day repulsive and excruciatingly hard to get out of bed. Full time jobs pay the bills and bring home the bacon but do we lose the passion for what we do? I know my day to day activities become monotonous and boring, but whose don’t? I go through stages (pretty much by project) where I find myself enjoying every moment and others when I become unbelievably frustrated.

Finding the motivation when your peers are busy, the family’s in town, your spouse is demanding attention, your children are off the wall (if you have them), or you’re exhausted can be difficult. Everything becomes an excuse and it really boils down to you giving yourself manageable goals. We find ourselves in a never-ending whirlwind of problems. I experienced this first hand for the past month or so. Honestly, no job causing endless worrying is worth it. I find it harder to squeeze in time for things I enjoy. My hobbies or interests fall into the same category as my career. Separating the two and maintaining a positive attitude is not easy.

I made the choice to reengage my passion by pursing personal projects and creating a buzz in the community. First I entered a costume design contest with the DC Design Babes. It was an exhilirating experience and I felt like I was a contestant on Project Runway. The results: a great night of socializing and an HP Mini/gift card. As a designer I rarely get involved with craft making and projects off the computer. I took the opportunity and ran with it. Nafisa Sabu and I entered together not expecting to take anything home but the guts and glory. It’s amazing what happens when you sit down, focus and have a little fun.

We’ve also decided recently to establish DC’s first general (not a specific program) Adobe User Group. Instead of belittling the lack of creativity in the Nation’s Capitol, I am kick-starting a group with the same passion as me. I want reinvigorate my peer’s enthusiasm and satiate my thirst for better thinking in the area. Keep checking back to see our progress with the project. I am beyond excited and am looking forward to the endless possibilities. Who knows, maybe Adobe will sponsor a conference in the DC area!

On that note, I’ve got to get ready for the FOWD conference happening in New York City. Hope to see some of you there!

Tags: dedication, Design, happiness