scrap vegas inspiration

vintage science and tech

Man alive! I'm finding so much great stuff today while researching a logo project. This simplicity is on it's way back!

Here is a flickr set of vintage science and tech ads.

2009 logo trends

Fascinating article from logolounge.com which takes a look at the currents trends in logo design.

love

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

- CS Lewis

blitzen trapper

These dudes' album, Furr is on heavy rotation.

I've been on a Dylan kick the last week, so when I heard them off a lala.com suggestion, my ears smiled. I haven't read anything that confirms my suspicion that Dylan is an influence, but I'm pretty sure of it. Harmonica, slightly whiny voice at times, use of the word "babe" all point to him.

it's true.

a frame

A beautiful vacation retreat via apartment therapy.

commands

Adorable posters from My Little Underground.

excitement

Today a good friend of mine brought up a conversation the two of us had a few months ago on the subject of excitement. There have certainly been times in my life where it feels as if things are moving in slow motion and "nothing" is changing or happening. Somehow it always seems that these thoughts are followed by action on my part to try new things or go new places and whooosh, it begins.

Most recently my involvement with non-profits has been the catalyst. This change hasn't exactly fit into a tidy box labeled "happy and fun excitement". But, it has certainly led to much introspection and growth.

On the 9-5 side of things, the pro-bono work I've done for Scrap through CMD has made me realize my true love, above everything else that happens in agency life, is design. Strategy has a place in my heart, but it's the details of color and lines and fonts that really excites me. I'll be working on the style guide this week - I like the idea of making the rules :)

And while design is a love of mine, leadership opportunities have been in the front of my mind since my birthday. This spring a great opportunity presented itself when my friend Julie Ma, PDXPR-girl-about-town, brought me along to a YWCA Leadership Board meeting. I was instantly hooked in learning the ways of organizing and promoting and I jumped on-board in time to help organize a fund-raiser called Offkey which raised over 20K for the YWCA of Greater Portland. That was a seriously fun night of cocktails, Karaoke and an incredible group of young leaders. We got some great press in Portland Monthly.

My previous post went into detail about the effect that designing a logo and marketing materials for Pace of Courage, has had on me. Only thirteen days to go, and there is still much to do, I hope to see many smiling faces, although there will inevitably be some tears too.

The final domino in the chain has to do with my (soccer mom of a) car. Over the last six weeks, my car has been in out of the car too many times to count, and although the time and money I've spent makes me cringe, it's also led to a domino effect I can't leave off this post. I've rode my bike to work and practiced my negotiation skills with my mechanic. The most recent break down (Sunday) occurred due to a blown hose on (drumroll please) the side of Mt. Hood after a steep six hour climb. With no cell-phone service near the car, and a domestic dispute quickly escalating nearby, the only choice was to hitch a ride to Hood River and call a tow truck. About 15 minutes and a humbling dinner on a bench outside of Safeway later, the truck arrived and I was on my way.

It's been an "exciting" couple of months to say the least.