Suffering from Writer's Block, Lack of Creativity, Whatever You Want to Call It

MY BRAIN IS DEAD...D-E-A-D, DEAD. Thank God it's Friday! I think this brochure is officialy the worst piece I've turned in yet. I can't think of anything good to write, let alone "classify." And on top of all that, we have to work on our iMovie next week. Three more weeks, just three more weeks. That is what I keep telling myself. It still seems like an eternity, though. Time flies when you're having fun...enough said!

Logo Changes

It seems we all agree that UB missed the mark when they lauched their new logo, commercials, print media, etc. Much of what the university was hoping to achieve with the new look is unrealistic in my opinion. No one can rely soley on a marketing campaign or a new logo to change the face of an organization. Changes need to happen internally and those changes need to be made public. Potential students will not choose UB for it's logo, slogan, or commercials. They will select the school because of it's quality programs, it's flexible scheduling, and it's overall reputation. This reputation stems from how the university functions as well as the results (graduates) it produces. This reputation can be enhanced by a logo, but it cannot be created by one.

Classification Show & Tell

Calvert School puts out an annual magazine called "Reflections." We mail to about 4000 alumni, friends, parents, etc. In the back of this piece, we publish alumni notes which are sent in by our faithful supporters. These "notes" list accomplishments, births, recent trips, and other major "life happenings." We group these notes according to graduation year.

View Book Angst

Has anyone ever put together a view book for an organization...a non-profit, a small business, a school? I started the project for Calvert School over a year ago, and sad to say, it is still not complete as I sit here typing this blog.

There is so much to consider: What children should we include? How diverse should we appear? Is this diversity forced? How can we change the perception of the school without changing the traditions that make it strong? Should we use our school colors? Should we have inserts to explain our curriculum, our faculty, our admissions process? The list could go on for pages.

The proofs we've received look outstanding, in my opinion. But then the administration gets involved and they want to make a little change here and another change there. All of a sudden, the piece you thought was so beautiful is being torn to shreds. Back to the drawing board!

A Few Of My Favorite Things

The weather has been spectacular this week! Every morning I wake up to the bright sun, the birds chirping, and the sweet smell of cherry trees. Here are a few of my favorite things about Spring:

• Watching rec league softball and baseball games
• Eating crabs outside on the deck
• Going out on the boat
• Taking day trips to St. Michael's
• Getting snowballs (spearmint with marshmallow is my favorite!)
• Wearing flip-flops
• Getting new shoes (I do that every season!)
• Planning summer vacations
• Breathing fresh air
• Drinking outside
• Going fishing on chilly mornings
• Finishing this 6-credit class!!

Happy Spring, everyone!

Fun Blog

The blog I discovered is called "Overheard in New York." Check it out at http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/

People who hear bits and pieces of conversations post the banter on this site. The location of these comical exchanges is listed as well. Some of them are quite offensive and others are downright hilarious. Give it some time when you have a free moment.

Easter....YUMMY!

I basically ate my way through today starting with eggs, toast and sausage at 10AM. I then went to my mom's house for other sweet treats...jelly beans, peanut butter eggs, and chocolate covered strawberries. No Easter would be complete without paying a visit to my grandmother and grandfather. My grandmom has more candy sitting out than the Wockenfuss store. I couldn't just turn my nose up at it! So I took a piece...ok, maybe I took a little more than that. My final stop of the day was at my boyfriend's mom's place. We had ham, pineapple stuffing, green bean caserole, cornbread, scalloped potatoes, and candied yams. You would think I would be stuffed by now, but all of that was earlier today. I've been home since about 6PM. Now it's 8:00 and I think I'm hungry. Is that possible?

I hope everyone had a restful Easter with family and friends. And I hope you had plenty to eat!

On the Verge...

I am feeling very overwhelmed this week. The cause and effect project could cause me to a) pull my hair out: b) throw myself in front of a MTA bus; c) drown my sorrows with $1 rail drinks from Baja...ok, so I won't go that far, but you get the picture. Work is hectic right now too. I am working on three different publications, all of which have a deadline of May 15th. It's a crazy time, and I feel like a hamster on a squeaky wheel, running as fast as I can but not really getting anywhere.

I will say that the Memorial Day weekend trip to Vegas is a useful motivational tool! I think of Sin City and know that if I just hang on for a few more weeks, I will be well-rewarded!

Nice Try, BGE

BGE and Constellation Energy have been at the center of a rate hike controversy for several months now. The energy conglomerate wants to increase costs to consumers by over 70%. Obviously many individuals, groups, and now the government are up in arms. Regulation of this monopoly is needed and Marylanders are searching for relief.

Look at what BGE has done! Not only do they run over 20 commercials a day on radio and TV to tell you how you can cut energy costs (the suggestions they provide are ridiculous, in my opinion), they are now showing this friendly guy coming to your house to fix your appliances at no cost! I don't believe this for a second. Look at the tagline at the bottom of the ad: "The smart way to protect your budget against costly and unexpected repair bills." So save money on repairs, but prepare to be bent over and violated when your electric bill shows up!

Stopped in My Tracks

I was rolling along with a new design concept I've been working on when my screen flickered a few times and went to black. Damn it!! I called our IT department and Fred came to my rescue only to tell me that my motherboard has gone bad and I will have to wait until Tuesday to resume normal operations. TUESDAY???? Do you know how long that is in the life of a designer and internet surfer? So I'm working on a laptop loaner with limited access to my files. It's Friday, and I can't do any work...what a shame!

Deal or No Deal

Is anyone else obsessed with the NBC gameshow Deal or No Deal? It is hosted by Howie Mandel, who I could do without, but the contestants are priceless. Basically, you are shown 26 cases containing money amounts ranging from $.01 to $1,000,000. To start, you choose five cases to see what number is contained in each. As each number is shown, it is eliminated from the game board. Throughout the process, there is a banker who sits up in this booth. He calls Howie every so often to make deals with you. He offers a certain amount of money based on the amounts that have already been selected and the cases that are still left to choose. Get the jist?

Anyway, I just watched a guy settle for $44,000 and a PONY! The show knew that this guy's daughter really wanted a pony, and according to the New Jersey contestant (named Hans), his daughter always gets whatever she wants. So hey, why not bring a pony on stage for her. HE TOOK THE DEAL!! And he had a good chance to walk away with $200,000 in his pocket.

One last thing...you are allowed to bring three people with you to stand on the stage and help you make "deal decisions." He brought his mom and his two best friends (who were stright out of Animal House). Oh, and I almost forgot: he also brought his two goldfish! How in the hell did he get two fish to Hollywood from NJ? My guess is that he just bought them at a pet store on the way to the taping.

Tune in on Mondays or Wednesdays at 8PM. If nothing else, you'll be mildly entertained for an hour.

Typography Show & Tell

Here are a few examples of typography that I found when thumbing through my magazine collection. I found the first one in the october 2005 issue of HOW Magazine. This example not only showcases different typefaces; it tells a story. I thought the second example was great because the typefaces seem to mimic the names they were given. I found these fonts for available for purchase in the Veer Visual Elements Catalog (March 2006).

Definition Show & Tell

One of the composition assignments in the second grade at Calvert School is to define a color. Children can write about their color of choice and are encouraged to mention how the color relates to the five senses. Here are a few examples:


Orange

Orange is the color of a pumpkin glowing at night.
Juicy fruit and a tiger's stripes are orange.
Orange is the smell of raw carrots.
The taste of mashed squash is orange.
Orange is the sound of drums playing at a concert.
Orange is the feeling of being warm in my bed.


Silver

Silver is the color of a slimy salamander.
My fake sword and rain gutters on my house are silver.
Silver is the smell of burning metal.
The taste of ice-cold water from a spring is silver.
Silver is the sound of a triangle in an orchestra.
Silver is the feeling of excitement when I am looking forward to a sleepover.