more than just numbers

> Last month, I had a restless night. One where I woke up and couldn't fall asleep again because a stream of thoughts and ideas kept rushing around. The next morning, I actually liked one of the ideas that had been plaguing me the night before, and I started working it out to see how it would look on paper, literally.

> From earlier blog entries, you might know that I have an obsession with, and a collection of wood block type. I bought a stamp pad, and stamped out all the number blocks that I own, then scanned and arranged them into a calendar page. I am really happy with how it looks. I think a whole calendar repeating the same graphic numbers over again might be too much, but I'm still toying with ideas on how to shake it up and make each page unique. In the meantime, here's January...

small details

> Designers have a lot of pressure on them to have a unique business card, so I was pleased the other day after a meeting to get the response, "oh, that's cool!" when I gave out my card. The size isn't typical, and one side of it is almost solid green. It's simple, but intentionally-so. Everything about it reflects my company's brand.

> A business card is small, but can be powerful. When you give it out, you tell people, "I will be gone soon, but this will remind you of me later. This will make you want to contact me when you need my skills." It not only communicates information about your business and how to contact you, but should reflect your personality and image as well. If your card isn't making a statement that stands out and gives someone a positive recall about meeting you, it may not be communicating beyond the literal information on the card.

> There are a lot of ways to make your card unique. This web site has some great examples: http://creativebits.org/cool_business_card_designs

But it's important that the elements used reflect you or your business. A plastic see-through card is interesting and might get you some positive feedback about the unique quality of your card. But if you're a window cleaner, using a plastic see-through card makes a much stronger and applicable statement!

> The internet has made a lot of technologies and vendors available and accessible to anyone. They make it easy to "design" your own cards, and save a few bucks by not hiring a professional designer. However, the power of a creative mind, someone who can come up with a great solution, and the right printing technique that reflect your business accurately and creatively will make the difference between having a creative, but generic card, or a card with a creative, powerful message that accurately represents you and your company.

peek at m web

> Why is it so difficult for designers to design for themselves? I don't know the answer, but I admit I'm one of many who has this flaw. I've been working on a web redesign in my "spare" time for awhile now. I finally realized I needed to schedule time for myself and stop waiting for a "good time" to do it.

> And it's working. It's designed! I'm spending a little time each day working on the copy, and I'm nearly ready to send files to the programmers.

> I thought you might like to peek at the new landing page of mGraphicDesign. The beginning functionality is similar to my previous site, but that's where similarity ends. This is more than just a facelift.

m is for mobile

>I have a few mobiles, and I love them. There are a lot that are too "busy", too many things, but some are simple, and perfect. Like these. Someday I will learn how to make one. And I will put a bunch of cool letters on it. M's, of course.

too cool to be practical

> I got these cool magnets as a gift from someone who knows I love typography. I also love practical things. But sometimes a "thing" is so cool the way it is, that I can't use it as it's intended, because it wouldn't be AS cool. So rather than take them apart to use as magnets, I keep the whole thing together as a single magnetic typographic design.

nostalgia...with backup music

> I admit I'm "old-school" when it comes to buying music. A couple days ago, I received a CD I had "pre-purchased" from Amazon. There are certain artists whose music I buy without even listening to it. I know I will love it. And 99% of the time, I do. I'm happy to buy the entire CD, and love to look at the designed elements of the packaging as I burn the music to my iTunes, sync it to my iPod, and put the CD away, not to be touched again. Yes, it's an "offline backup", but it's also a library of design nostalgia. I know I'm probably a dying breed. People download albums, songs, and never even touch a CD anymore.

> But is there no appreciation for the design anymore? The cool graphics screen printed on the CD itself? The liner notes? I, for one, feel like that's part of listening to the music for the first time—reading the lyrics, the acknowledgments—which have the musician's personality running throughout—isn't there something to it that people (besides me) enjoy?

> Technology—definitely a good thing. And good for music too. I don't dispute that. But I am worried for the day that the CD and its case full of design treasures will become obsolete. I hope there are enough people like me, who buy the actual CDs, not JUST for the music, but because there's a tactile part of buying the music that we enjoy, again and again, because we can.

social media - do you get it?

> I was pleased to read something that was forwarded to me from a twitter follower: "It wasn't that long ago that it was understood: every business needs a Web site. Today: every business needs a blog (got one!). Especially for ad agencies (and design studios). We are supposed to lead, not follow our clients. Social media is mainstream. Your agency's credibility is suspect if it talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk. The growth of new media mandates agencies' participation."

> I can't agree more. What I hear a lot is "I don't get it". Taking the conversation a little further, I've found that people who "don't get it" are still thinking that a blog is only an online scrapbook/journal about the life of their children; that twitter is only used by teens who want a more immediate way to talk about nothing; that FaceBook is only for people who want to know everything about their friends' lives. Open your minds and think about the great (free!) resource that's available by utilizing social media for business.

> I'm still refining how I use each of my accounts, but that's what's great about online media. It's constantly-evolving, and in order to lead your clients, and to show that your company is forward thinking, make sure you evolve along with it!

http://twitter.com/mGraphicDesign

http://www.facebook.com/pages/httpbetterdesignbymblogspotcom/mGraphicDesign/103218688569?ref=nf