Fascinated by Failure

> Well, actually this blog title is a little misleading... I'm not saying I'm interested in failing, quite the opposite. However, over the years, as I've given many many options to clients, there are times when my favorite solutions are chosen, and times when I'm surprised by the selection they make. I wonder about the creations that weren't chosen. Is it simply a matter of personal preference? Was it a typeface or a color that turned them off to the whole approach? Or did I simply fail to create a design that communicated their needs in a visual way?

> I have thought many times about putting together a promotion that highlights some of the "rejects" that I really like and think would have been great if chosen. I wonder though...do I need the client's permission to use them? I mean, if they said no to these designs and they're not being used, does it matter? Of course if it's a logo, it has their company name, so maybe it's just respectful to ask...but if I ask, will they question why I'm featuring a design they didn't choose? Why didn't I push harder for them to choose what I may have felt was a stronger solution?

> Maybe I'll just include the "losers" along with the winners in blog posts, and let my readers be the silent judges of the appropriate solution. Thoughts?

Specialty Techniques Done Right

> A few months ago, I shared my love of the blog Bakerella, and now I have reason to send you there again. She recently blogged about a cupcake bakery she had visited called "miette". Next time I go to San Francisco, I am definitely going, and I plan to walk out at least 10 pounds heavier! 

> Of all the delicious treats featured in the blog, my favorite was a photograph of their recently released self-titled cookbook. I LOVE the scalloped pages! What an appropriate and creative special effect. 

> When it comes to special effects in printing, if you're going to spend a little extra money on the production, make it complementary to your company's brand and visual message. For example: if your company's main selling point is that you offer the lowest prices, a metallic foil stamp is not the message that shows your clients that you know how to save money. And if you are a financial investor for wealthy clients, you shouldn't print your own cards from a template file onto flimsy perforated paper stock.

Confidence at the Chalkboard

> You know how some people are intimidated to write on a chalkboard? Their writing gets larger or smaller as they begin to write, or they start writing up or downhill? I've always done okay at the board—my writing stays pretty steady, and I'm right-handed, so I don't have a problem smearing it as I go along. 

> I ran across this typographic designer, Dana Tanamachi, who brings a whole new level of inadequacy for anyone like me who once felt confidence with chalk. She works for Louise Fili (big surprise, a typographic design legend!) 

> If I could even do with a pencil what she does with chalk on a chalkboard, well, let's say the term "big head" would be an understatement. I am SO in awe. She's got a web site with lots of amazing samples of her work including a few time-lapse videos, do yourself a favor and take a look.