http://www.designkrew.com/Public/KREWnewsBLOG/index.cfm en-us Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 -0600 Full Partner http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=354 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=354 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:00 CST 1. Roughly 25% of graphic designers are self-employed. Many more do freelance work on the side. Arts and Crafts for BIG KIDS! 2. Graphic designers most in demand in the coming years (through 2016) will be those with skills in web design and video entertainment. Why? Because video and the internet are where businesses need to be! 3. In 2006, there were 261,000 people employed as graphic designers. By 2016, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of graphic design jobs will increase 10 percent-as fast as the average growth for all occupations. The need is growing because your brand image has never been so important! 4. Peretz Rosenbaum is one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century. He is responsible for the IBM logo, the UPS logo, the Westinghouse logo, and many other design icons. You know him as Paul Rand. One of my faves!! 5. Difference between Graphic Designing and Desktop Publishing: graphic design jobs involve the creative process of comin ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=349 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=349 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:00 CST Remember when you were back in school and the teacher would be explaining a lesson and a thousand questions would be racing through your mind. Which one do I ask? Is this a dumb question? Everyone has to know the answer to this and it's just me who probably doesn't understand what is going on. Finally! Someone raises their hand and asks the very same question that was on your mind. Phew! What we often forget is that what is personal is universal. We generally always have the same questions about the same things. Have you noticed this come up in your business? Are you always answering the same questions over and over again? Well that's how the FAQ page was born.This article will hopefully become the kid in class who raised her hand to ask the same questions you were thinking! I hope to shed some light on the areas that I frequently get asked about as a designer and business owner at the onset of working with a client. I have found that the answers to these questions often settle the ne ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=347 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=347 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST Welcome to the 8th article in an eight part series that digs deeper into the 8 Simple Strategies so you can save time, money and energy on your journey to the best marketing materials around. Sadly and excitingly this is my last article in this series! I hope you have found it informative and helpful. Last, but certainly not least, we will be discussing the importance of effective communication during a project. Below are 5 simple tips to have your conversations lead to constructive feedback and positive results! TIP #1 Remember your designer is a person too. This is a biggy! Sometimes when we are just focused on getting something done we forget that we are dealing with a human being. I am just as guilty of this as anyone. We focus on the result so much that we forget what it takes to make that result come into reality. When we take the time to respect the people we are working with, there is a huge difference in receptivity of change, adjustments and urgent needs. Your designe ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=344 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=344 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Tue, 27 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST Flowering Sol, founded by Ann O'Brien, was such a fun and rewarding project for designKREW to work on and we wanted to share with you the process and the project! Polished Brand Makes Flowering Sol Shine! Client: Flowering Sol " Logo Design " Business Card Design " Email Promotion " Web Redesign " Wordpress " Printing Challenge. Flowering Sol (originally the Ann O'Brien Brand) has over 20 years of experience and dedication to being an intuitive, healer, flower essence practitioner, and meditation and yoga teacher dedicated to helping you develop your awareness, become more present in your body, find inner peace, and realize your power to create the life of your dreams. Ann O'Brien brand was out of date with an underdeveloped brand image and color palette. Flowering Sol was ready to have the brand truly represent Ann O'Brien's vision and mission. Solution. designKREW quickly noticed the potential to bring the essence of Ann and her mission to the logo with a sense of radiance an ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=342 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=342 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Thu, 22 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST Welcome to the 7th article in an eight part series that digs deeper into the 8 Simple Strategies so you can save time, money and energy on your journey to the best marketing materials around. We can all have a love-hate relationship with deadlines. Imagine, it's the 11th hour, you haven't eaten lunch, many cups of coffee in...but garsh darnit you have to get this finished or you just can't take that next step into your business development or your client will be really disappointed. Not only will your client be upset but so will you, because we entrepreneurs always set expectations and the pile of to - do's is getting higher and higher. Plus, deep down you are ready to get this project off your plate. And then...wait for it... completion! What a great feeling! You're happy! The client is super happy! And voila the deadline wasn't such a bad idea after all. So you know what it feels like to be on deadline, right? Even with all its ups and downs, deadlines are one of the most importan ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=340 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=340 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST At designKREW, we are big believers in the little things in life. Big joyous occasions are great, too, don't get us wrong. But those things only happen occassion-ally . No no, we're talking about the things that happen every day that just bring a smile, a laugh, or totally change your whole attitude. So when we found this website, www.1000awesomethings.comwell... let's just say it was one of those awesome moments. Neil Pasricha has taken the time each day to think of one of those things that everybody (ok almost everybody) loves but never really thinks about! It reminds me a little bit of those group pages that keep popping up on Facebook, but Neil has really taken the time to think about each post on his blog and consider it. Some are a little gross... like #982: Picking your nose.. but hey, we're not gonna knock it! Maybe it brings happiness!! Some are adorable, like #528: When your pet notices you're in a bad mood and comes to see you. They range from sweet to hilarious, and you ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=338 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=338 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST Welcome to the 6th article in an eight part series that digs deeper into the 8 Simple Strategies so you can save time, money and energy on your journey to the best marketing materials around. There is nothing more frustrating than an unmet expectation. As business professionals we have to remember that working with anyone is like being in an intimate relationship. Communication is key. No one person can read another person's mind so it is essential to outline your expectations. Equally important is to outline your expectations at the beginning of the project before the heat of deadlines and creative mojo starts getting tossed around. There are 5 key areas that will help you to have your expectations outlined and met with ease and grace. Not all are necessary to do but a combination of at least a few will get you where you want to be with your design and marketing projects: Number 1 Set Up a Needs List A needs list outlines what you think you will encounter during the design process ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=335 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=335 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST Check out this video of creativity in action! I've always thought of children's creativity and imagination to be amazing and inspiring. This video captures that idea perfectly! These two performers are in FAO Shwarz, and after seeing it, I noticed all the rest of the videos of people dancing on the giant piano like this! Some of them are really neato!! Have you ever been inside an FAO Shwarz?! That place is like a fantasy land for little kids, big kids, and adults who still feel like kids inside! No wonder these people perform like this, it must feel great to combine music, dance, and visual lights all at once in a place where you can go crazy with your imagination. After I saw this, I watched another video from the same website about the man who actually invented the walking piano. He is such an interesting guy. His name is Remo Saraceni and he considers himself an inventor/designer! I love it. My favorite part is how he used to think there were "little men inside" the radio to m ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=331 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=331 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Thu, 08 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST Welcome to the 5th article in an eight part series that digs deeper into the 8 Simple Strategies so you can save time, money and energy on your journey to the best marketing materials around. Imagine you're on a trip to a foreign land. You don't know the language spoken you have been studying the key words that you think will be helpful to get you around all the spots you have picked to visit: hotel, train, taxi, bathroom, restaurant, cocktail! You arrive and things are going smoothly because of the little bit of research you have done prior to your arrival. Why not learn a little language of the foreign land of graphic design to make the trip you take with your designer that much smoother? Now you can relax and simply enjoy the "sights"! Speaking with a tech savvy designer may be intimidating for some, but don't worry, knowing a few basic things can really take time off your communication and your project creation time. And leave you with a huge smile on your face! Top 9 Terms to kn ... http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=325 http://www.designkrew.com/utility/showArticle/index.cfm?objectID=325 info@designkrew.com (by Jessica Krewson) Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:00:00 CST Ok, so I've been hearing about these mini pigs for awhile now, and I was thinking it was kinda... weird? Gross? Smelly? But I stumbled on this website and check it out! They are sooo adorable! Seems like a perfect pet to me! Especially for apartment living (if potty trained). Plus this small farm in Hemet seems very loving and humane. I'm all about rescuing pets from shelters.. I got my little doggie Spike from a shelter and he is so awesome! But a mini pig might be a sweet addition to a fam : ) What do you guys think?