Posts in "Updates"

Now or Never

For better or for worse I updated my website last month. It started out as a sort of experiment in CSS3. I was just playing around to see what I could do, simplify things, make them more complex, add social features, etc.

I actually didn’t necessarily start out intending to update my whole website; the design itself actually started out the exact same as the old one did. There were a few things that I wanted to fix ever since I finished my last design and I was going to tack on a few minor quick fixes, however as I began adding new effects and rethinking the way I presented different elements it slowly evolved into what you see.

The problem I ran into was that because I was using a hacked up version of an existing blogger template, I couldn’t accomplish anything in any simple way, so it was easier for me to start over from scratch.

Well, I was playing around with this stuff in a separate sandbox and got it to a place where it was unfinished and untested, but actually looking and working pretty good. It did (and still does to an extent) require some more work, but it was a working website.

So, what happened?

While working on it – in an insomnia filled stupor – I decided to push it live on a bit of a whim.  I spent the next week or so frantically trying to fix it and/or add things. My reason for making such a foolhardy decision was that it was the day before Towel Day.  I have hosted graphics for Towel Day every year and I get about four times as much traffic on that single day than I do the rest of the year combined.

Essentially, I figured it was better to rip the band-aid off than tear it away slowly.

I’m back!

I return from obscurity, with change! The only real visual difference between what I had before and what I have now is that I got rid of the brown background and changed it to a bold dark red. The blog posts now take up the whole width of the content area allowing me to use larger images.

Most of the changes I have been making are functional in nature; Blogger, Picasa, and YouTube have new features that I want to take advantage of. However with these changes, there are now a few things broken now, but I am working on it. Most of them I should know about, however if you want to do me a favor then if you notice anything that isn’t working then comment on it.

I also have a whole bunch of additions to my Motion Graphics Portfolio, so check it out.

Whooshing Noises

My site is only three months old, and although it was never an official policy, I have already broken a promise that I have made to myself to update it weekly. In my own defense to myself, I have had a few post waiting in the queue for weeks now, however I have been forced to wait until some of the new Motion Graphics pieces that I have created have been aired before I felt comfortable posting them in my Portfolio.

I have also added a post in the Branding/Logo Design section of my site for the logo that I created for my sister’s new brand yarn store Clever Knits, which is now open! If anyone out there reading this is a knitter or knows someone who is then please mention Clever Knits to them.

XY(Z)

I had a discussion with co-worker the other week about how we had gotten the direction to make our designs more “modern” and in the same breath we were told to appease to the “MTV generation” of people in their “mid-twenties.”

Now I was not there in person when we had gotten this direction, however I got quite a chuckle from this when my co-worker told me about it. The so called “MTV generation” is in fact also called “Generation X,” and it has been a long time since they have been in their mid twenties. We have long since moved into “Gen-Y” and arguably even “Gen-Z,” however I feel that this terminology in and of itself is outdated. Now, me being artist who actually is in his mid twenties I can honestly say my generation would probably be much more willing to describe ourselves as the “Rock Band Generation.”

Appealing to my generation is a more difficult task than most people think; the old ploys don’t really work anymore. The consumer is now educated; we have grown up with technology, with information at our fingertips, and we can easily research to discover if we are being bullshitted.

What I have found is that the trick that works the best is to catch someone’s attention as quickly as possible; show them the product in a way they weren’t expecting. Then give them only the simplest amount of information followed by a URL pointing them to find out more info – empowering the consumer to take matters into their own hands.

The Challenge

I would like to be the cynical artist and and blame others for my own frustrations; say that it is caused by fickle people making unnecessary changes, with ridiculous time constraints, and vague requirements. However, that’s just the nature of the beast and it is something every artist has to endure. Shifting the blame would be insulting because usually those pushing me had the same requirements thrust upon them in a similar fashion.

Even though all of these excuses, these justifications, are valid they end up being just that: excuses – excuses for not growing, excuses for being lazy, excuses for not doing what I most enjoy about my job. When things start getting more complicated I become afraid and try to revert into a “safe zone” of design.

I have to make my designs malleable to allow for changes in way that doesn’t make each design seem like a template of the previous one. That is where the balance begins, because the more creative you make your work, the less it lends itself to changes further down the path. I love creating original inspiring designs with lots of detail and motion, so the challenge for me is the balance.