spring cleaning

> I went to my parents' house a couple weeks ago. They've been spending a lot of time going through files, boxes and shelves, getting rid of things that they have decided they can't justify keeping anymore. I have to admit there is something very free-ing about going through and trashing stuff you just don't need anymore.

> I subscribe to a couple different trade publications. They're perfect-bound, content and image-rich, and are more like books than magazines, so it's easy to justify keeping them. For awhile, I kept them all, but before a move one time, I took the time to thumb through some of the older issues, and found that technology had changed so dramatically in the couple of years since the issue was published, that I was able to throw away several older copies.

> I can always tell when it's time to go through and decide what to keep and what to trash. I finished reading an issue I received in last week's mail and there is no more room on my shelf...that's a sure sign that something's gotta go.

love it? hate it? it's okay

> An unidentified woman recently gave my client an unsolicited "review" of his "Live in Art" logo. She told him that she didn't like it, that it was no good. She wasn't able to articulate what she thought was so bad about it, but somehow, she felt justified in sharing her opinion with him (we couldn't figure out how it was relevant, or why she was so emboldened as to approach a total stranger, in an attempt to insult something that he obviously liked).

> He called me to laugh about it with him. Yep, I designed it. I've been doing design work for him for over 15 yrs, and I'm pretty sure if he shared her opinion, we wouldn't have that history.

> I wasn't offended though. One person may like bright colors and a busy layout with lots going on. Another person may be attracted to muted, earthy colors, in a simple layout. There's nothing inherently "wrong" about either one—just a matter of taste, opinion, and knowing what's appropriate for the target audience.

> While I happen to like the design (yes, I'm biased), it's more important that my client likes the design. It's been working well for him for several years now, and he'll tell me when it's not working for him anymore. That's the opinion that matters to me.