...fa la la la la LA LA la

As the holidays officially begin, I've been thinking about the traditions that I love to balance out the things about the season that I am already, again, having issues with (Christmas music all day every day in the stores... really? It's overkill.) Of my favorite things in the world -ever- are the holiday window displays (well, all windows all year 'round, but particularly the holidays). This video, for a fashion-loving artsy girl who loves some magic just like anyone else, is a little bit like a kid seeing Santa snacking on the cookies by the fireplace. (Thank you, Bergdorfs.) Enjoy.

a little different from the secret garden i remember...

Giacomo Costa is a Florentine photographer turned graphic artist. His creative journey changed planes to 3D modeling in 2003. And lucky for us. The resulting images are beautiful! Check out his work and story at giacomocosta.com.

the project triangle

The "Project Triangle"
Good - Fast - Cheap (aka: Quality - Speed - Cost)
• Design something quickly and to a high standard, but then it will not be cheap.
• Design something quickly and cheaply, but it will not be of high quality.
• Design something with high quality and cheaply, but it will take a long time.

*One of Vannon Chiang's contributions to the CA Group on LinkedIn.

Quote of the Day

"I asked him if he would come up with a few options. And he said, 'No. I will solve your problem for you. And you will pay me. You don’t have to use the solution. If you want options, go talk to other people. But I’ll solve your problem for you the best way I know how. Use it or not; that’s up to you. You’re the client. But you pay me.' And there was a clarity about the relationship that was refreshing." ~Steve Jobs on Paul Rand

i.e. Trust your designer.

how much do you love shoes?

Stereo Stilettos by Jacob Matthew

 I always thought it would be fun to have an abundance of beautiful shoes displayed on shelves intercepting rows and rows of art books. So why not make shoes functional as display pieces? Jacob Matthew thought of this to be a perfect lifestyle solution apparently and went about creating speakers out of high heels.

To see more shoe fun, visit the Virtual Shoe Museum!

creative professional quips

Every now and then, you have a rough day. Then you come home to the new Vogue in your mailbox and you think, "It's all going to be okay. I'm going to flop on bed with my trusty sidekick (my dog) and devour this magazine start to finish. I'll forget everything that's gone wrong today." But the designer neglected to account for trim and the margins of your magazine are off. "Oh my god, if a creative professional can't turn to Vogue to escape, what is this world coming to?"

Have no fear. The Communication Arts group on LinkedIn is here to save the day. Did someone tell you to work your magic? "Sorry, I left my wand at home." Can you make this look good? "Photoshop can work miracles, but some things are beyond saving." Don't use yellow.  My wife hates yellow. "Really?!" Can you clean this up? "I'm not a janitor." I want this printed in RGB spot. "Do you want it printed or not?" Can you fill the left side of this page with this photo? "It's 1inch square and 72ppi... Sooo... No, I cannot."

I could go on and on with fabulous comebacks to ridiculous client demands (I need this yesterday.), requests (You need to fill up this white space so it will really pop.), and comments (I don't like that font. "You mean this typeface?" No, that font.), but you get the jist.

Hopefully this brought a smile to your face and encourages you to hold your tongue the next time someone tries your patience.  There are plenty of us who understand.

picture progress

from the "light" collection.

I always find it strange how we fight wars that kill people we don't know but don't like because they are guilty by association. But we also aim to raise the standards of living for other people we also don't know but do like. Global politics and economics have never been my super strong points, but I am all for making a difference. And now it's easier than you think for you to contribute to 4.8 million gallons of clean water and 1.7 million hours of solar power for families in Indonesia, and 45,000 kW hours of wind turbine energy for health clinics in Peru. Submit your photos of wind, water, and light through Flickr to support GE's ecomagination efforts.

Click here to see contributions made by others to the photo project and read more. :)