The Fearless Blogger » graphic design

Two reasons I’m a fan of “The Hunt for the Coolest Twitter Background”

faryl — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:47:53 +0000

Alister Cameron is currently running a contest called The Hunt for the Coolest Twitter Background. As soon as I read about it, I was immediately a fan of the idea. I asked Alister (via Twitter) what inspired him to run the contest and his response was:

I was inspired by the desire to acknowledge people who’ve found ways to make their Twitter page background/colour look great. Also that, to my knowledge, no one has paid attention to twitter page design, period. And I wanted to! Finally… more on this later, I am using my competition to prove a point about strategic use of twitter.

Back to why I am such a fan of the contest . . .

First, as someone who likes to obsess on customization, I’m all for recognizing folks who have put effort into designing unique – er cool – Twitter backgrounds (so far @problogger and@rozsavage seem to be in the lead). There are a couple of sites that offer resources and suggestions for customizing your Twitter background, but it’s not an area that’s received a relatively large amount of attention. Granted Twitter doesn’t allow as much customization as MySpace or even Facebook, but that’s part of what makes this contest so very – um – cool.

someone

The second reason may not be directly connected with the contest’s intent, but something I believe could be a meaningful by-product. Let me explain . . .

After the first day, there were only about 100 nominees. Given that Alister has close to 1,500 followers and the viral nature of the Twitterverse, I thought this number was surprising low.

On second thought, I realized most people on Twitter are either using a third party Twitter application to read and respond to tweets or don’t really stray from their own “home” page in Twitter during their daily Twitter activity.

In other words, many folks don’t see anything beyond a person’s avatar and tweet content - they may be interacting with others on Twitter without ever visiting that person’s profile page (something I am guilty of as well).

After reading Amber Naslund’s “Thanks For Following, Now Click On My Junk“, I disabled my auto-reply and I made it my mission to get to know every new follower I’d gained. It took all night, but by the end of it I felt instead of my “followers” being just a number, I knew who the people behind them were. I made some connections I’d go so far as to describe as meaningful.

I love that Alister has given us a reason to look beyond the avatars. This contest is the perfect excuse to pay a visit to some of your followers’ profiles.

Your mission, should you choose to accept: Visit at least one follower’s profile page a day. Read their “about”, click on their outbound link. See if you can get a sense of the person behind the tweets.

In other words, the second reason I’m a fan of this contest is that it’s an opportunity for each of us to make a connection.

Will you?

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picture credits: Wordle licensed as

Explaining Twitter

faryl — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:41:53 +0000

Something I enjoy about the holidays is the cross-generational conversations family gatherings provide.

One cousin just learned to drive, a nephew is learning to walk, an aunt just started a new job . . . and Grandpa sits back smiling, observing, absorbing, basking in the glow of bringing family together.

photo credit: Bryan Ledgard

It occurred to me that Twitter is a bit like that family gathering; and we’re all a bit like Grandpa.

We tune in and tune out: overhearing snippets of conversations between other people in the room; (hopefully) catching any words directed specifically at us and forming responses appropriate to the person posing the question. Sometimes people talk about us like we aren’t there; other times as if we just wouldn’t understand. The art of selective listening is relied up; equally is the ability to absorb the chatter as a whole.

My grandfather always was interested in what his grandkids were up to – the newest fads, latest trends.

I wonder how I would describe Twitter to him?

When describing a new service or tool, it’s important to make it relevant to the person you are explaining it to.

Ideally, what are ways they might use it themselves? How might it compliment or replace something they already use? The key to an effective explanation is making it something your audience can relate to.

How would you explain Twitter to your grandparents?

Your parents?

How might the way you describe Twitter to you mom be different than the explanation you’d give your dad?

Do you have a story about introducing someone new to Twitter? How did you do it?

Please share your stories in the comments below . . .

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photo credits: “Happy Christmas, war is over” by Bryan Ledgard | licensed under

New Chris Brogan Rockstar Badges

faryl — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:48:00 +0000

A while back I had made some badges for Chris Brogan’s Rockstar program.

Since Chris just launched his site’s redesign today, I made these new badges for those rockstars who’d like to continue to match his color scheme!

For those not familiar with Chris’s blog, it’s an excellent resource for insights and advice on blogging and social media.

In particular, if you’ve been wondering about that whole “twitter thing” – click here, sign up (or sign in) and follow Chris. You’ll learn quickly!

(copy & paste the code below to display the badge on your site)

Ode to my Couch – Designing with Intent

faryl — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:03:43 +0000

Write something about design.

Design. It’s a pretty big topic.

To try to focus myself on a more specific aspect of the topic, I looked up the definition of “design”.

Here is part of what I found:

noun
-a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of a building, garment, orother object before it is built or made
- purpose, planning, or intention that exists or is thought to exist behind an action, fact, or material object
verb
- decide upon the look and functioning of (a building, garment, or other object), typically by making a detailed drawing of it
- do or plan (something) with a specific purpose or intention in mind

What strikes me most about the definition is how closely integrated the concept of design seems to be with the concepts of intent, planning and purpose.

Some women who know a little something about design

Which makes me a bit uncomfortable.

It makes me uncomfortable not because I take issue with the definition itself, but because I’ve never been very good at combining those three elements together; certainly not if any sort of creative aspect is involved.

And I don’t really care for things I’m not good at. Yes, I’m a bit small that way. I’m working on it.

So, my initial reaction is that this type of design would stifle the creativity process. It feels dry. Bland.

Controlled and controlling.

In contrast, this definition is more appealing to me:

noun
-an arrangement of lines or shapes created to form a pattern or decoration

Nothing about planning. Nothing about intent. No purpose.

Here, design can be random and arbitrary. Here design can be accidental. An unforeseen outcome of happenstance.

It doesn’t rule out procrastination. There’s room for inspiration.

This makes me comfortable. This I can be good at. To me, this is what creativity is.

But then I think back the first part of the definition. And what the world would be like without that design.

A world with no design.

Now, I don’t mean this in a “design is everywhere”; “design touches everything” vein. Mind you, that was one direction I considered going with this. (Because it is. And it does.)

What I mean is, what happens when we take away the planning and intention element of design?

So I sit here on my couch and ponder (yes, ponder), could we take away that element of design?

My couch is pretty cool. It moves. It’s “L-shaped” and, at the push of a button, one part reclines to an almost horizontal position. I like that.

But what’s really cool about it is the way in which it was designed so that it can do this, while still being able to be placed with it’s back against the wall.

See, I have a feeling this is a result of that first definition. Someone likely gave a lot of thought into engineering a piece of furniture that looks spiffy, is comfortable, and is functionally able to fully recline without having to be placed six or more inches from a wall.

Image via Wikipedia

The design of iPods, iPhones and everything Apple, too, are a result of the first definition. And those are neither dry nor bland (at least not to me).

As I sit here trying leave you with some semblance of a conclusion, my eyes wander towards my blog.

My blog.

It’s actually filled with purpose, planning and intention.

You know, I think I’m growing more comfortable with that part of the definition.

What does design mean to you?

Can good design focus on function, at the expense of form?

Conversely, can good design eschew function, with emphasis strictly on form?

Do we need both parts of the definition to achieve truly great design?

This week’s spotlight was on Jacob Cass and the Design Group Writing Project For Charity project at Just Creative Design. One way to participate is to write something about design. (The other is to donate to the Blog Action Day Poverty Fund.)

Fun with Scanners (free graphics!) (second try)

faryl — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:15:45 +0000

this is a repost, since the first attempt seemed to have some sort of formatting quirk

I’ve been playing with my scanner to create some backgrounds, textures, and other graphics. Here are (reduced size) samples of some of the files I’ve created. (Yes, I actually scanned a tortilla!)

If you would like to download any of these, you can find them here.

I’ll be posting more over the next couple of days. I’ve also uploaded higher resolution versions of these, plus a few other graphics, for Fearless Blogger subscribers.

Subscribe to The Fearless Blogger by Email and you’ll receive the link with your confirmation. (If you’ve already subscribed, check the bottom of the feed’s daily update for the link/password.)

Spotlight: Jacob Cass | Just Creative Design

faryl — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:15:16 +0000

This week’s spotlight is on Jacob Cass, writer of Just Creative Design.

Why I chose Jacob’s blog

First, to celebrate his blog’s first birthday, Jacob recently put together a contest to raise money for the Blog Action Day Poverty Fund. You can enter the contest two ways, by writing an article about design and/or making a donation to the fund. Sixty six winners will be selected at random to each win one of $11,000 worth of prizes. The contest raised over $400 for the charity within its first week. Visit the blog for specifics on how to enter. (note: I’m not writing this to be included in the contest. I’ve donated and plan to submit a future article as my entry)

Second, Jacob’s blog was among the first blogs I discovered when I was trying to learn about graphic design and freelancing. , Jacob’s candid posts about blogging planted the early seeds in my mind about having my own blog one day. As an aspiring freelancer, Jacob’s article “Why Logo Design Does Not Cost $5″ proved an excellent reference as I was trying to get my arms around what my time and services are worth.

this is Jacob

Third, Just Creative Design covers a nice medley of topics; I think most people will find something of interest to make this blog a worthwhile vist. Topics include graphic design resources, social media, blogging, creativity boosters, and being a freelancer. One thing I think Jacob does especially well is provide insight to the design process itself; some of my favorite posts are the ones in which he walks us through how he designed a particular logo, poster, package or corporate identity.

Finally, Just Creative Design is not only Jacob’s blog, in a sense it’s his storefront. Anyone interested in hiring a graphic designer can take a peek at Jacob’s portfolio or contact him via the site as well.

Jacob on Jacob

another one of Jacob's favorite expressions

Favorite Websites
Work
Just Creative Design I love the feedback from the community, it really helps me as a designer (plus brings in work)!
Play
I mainly read design blogs and have no favourite!

Favorite Social Media Tool
Stumble Upon for the ease of use

Favorite Expression
“You only get out what you put in.”

Favorite blogging snack
Energy drinks & chips ‘n dip.

Night Owl or Early Bird
Definitely night owl.

Jacob on Just Creative Design

In three words
Design, Creative, Inspiration.

In three sentences
Just Creative Design was launched in November 2007 as my design business and also as a graphic design blog. The blog focuses on all areas of design and creativity, ranging from but not limited to; graphic design, logo design, web design, advertising, branding, typography, life, other graphic designers, blogging in general, resourceful material, my work at university, photography, colour, marketing and more. Quite varied I’ll say, however the underlying focus is design!

First three entries for first time visitors to read
My featured articles page.

Jacob on Blogging

Logo Design for Influential Blogger, by Jacob Cass

What made you decide to create a blog?
David Airey actually inspired me to start blogging.

What were your initial goals/objectives for having a blog?
To learn as a designer and get an income.

How have those goals/objectives changed?
They haven’t, it is working perfectly!

What is the average amount of time you spend on your blog each day?
Not every day, but usually a few hours.

What is the average amount of time you spend online each day?
Way too long.

What has been your most gratifying blog experience?
Learning about hosting issues.

What was your most peculiar blog experience?
Being hacked (weird popups were installed on the site).

Jacob on Social Media

save the earth (illustration by Jacob Cass)

How much of your work would you estimate is generated as a result of your Social Media networking?
That is a really hard thing to track but most people usually say they find me through Google or Stumble Upon. Twitter and Facebook are more keep-in-touch networking tools.

Do you maintain separate professional & social networks? Is what we see at “Just Creative Design” the same Jacob everyone sees?
I have two facebook accounts, a business and a personal account as I do lead two different lives so to speak…business and personal lives are two totally separate things. I do however post photos from my trips away on my blog at times.

(You can find links to Jacob’s social network profiles here.)

Fearless Blogger BONUS Exclusive

Random Jacob Fact

My father is a famous magician here in Australia.

A big THANK YOU to Jacob for being generous with his time and answering my questions! I strongly encourage you to spend a few minutes visiting and/or subscribing to Just Creative Design soon.

The $11,000 Prize Giveaway contest ends on November 22nd:
Be sure to make a donation this week to enter!

this is a spotlight post

Chris Brogan Rockstars

faryl — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:47:40 +0000

I'm a Chris Brogan Rockstar

First, if you have never checked out Chris Brogan’s blog and you’re interested in blogging, social media and/or personal branding, stop reading this and head over there now .

I mean it. Go! I’ll be writing more about Chris in a future “spotlight” post on must-read blogs. But to make it easy for you in the meantime, I’ll even give you some links to start with:

Develop a Strong Personal Brand Online Part 1
100 Personal Branding Tactics Using Social Media
25 Ways to Build Your Community

Still reading? Then you already know about Chris, so while we’re waiting for the other’s to catch up, talk amongst yourselves. Need a topic? “The Industrial Revolution was neither Industrial, nor was it a revolution”. Discuss!

OK. They’re back. Now we can continue.

Chris Brogan has recently added a section to his site called Rockstars:

Rockstars is YOUR chance to promote YOUR OWN work. If you’re part of [chrisbrogan.com], then you should be on this page. I don’t go out and find you. It’s do-it-yourself, the way the web should be.

Last night I responded to Chris’s tweet to “artsy types” looking for badges to give to his rockstars to post on their sites with a few designs of my own:

embed code (copy & paste):
Chris posted more rockstar badges on his site today. I’ve posted my other badge designs (as well as get html versions) here.

If you have any other designs you’d like to see, or would like a badge for your site, contact me. Better yet, leave a comment below!

The Fearless Blogger’s Maiden Voyage

faryl — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:58:05 +0000

I’m going to break the rules.

Just another rebel.

Don’t get me wrong – I believe that rules are made to be broken. I’m just also of the school of thought that one should learn, understand, and possibly master the rules before going ahead and breaking them.

The deal is, although I’ve been a long time observer, my participation in the blog-o-sphere has been limited to a plethora of RSS feed subscriptions, neglected tumble blogs and random tweets, peppered with the infrequent comment.

I’ve read the “how to’s” and “10 best ways to” and know better than to launch a blog without a cache of posts ready for publishing, a well thought-out “about” section, or – at a minimum – being able to clearly articulate what my blog’s objective is. And don’t leave out my education by numerous blogs emphasizing the importance of a consistent color scheme, clean CSS, SEO-friendly theme, font selection and everything that goes into a proper web design.

If that’s not bad enough, on top of being, let’s call it an “aspiring blogger” suffering a bad case of “paralysis by analysis” (not to mention a predisposition to the liberal use of quotation marks) which has left me on the proverbial sidelines; I’m also the owner of this domain. Yup. You read it right. “The Fearless Blogger”. But I’ve been too much of a coward to do anything with it – haven’t quite felt worthy. I’ve spent my entire life concerning myself with what other people think – so not exactly what I consider fearless.

Just between us.

I just kind of liked the name. I collect domain names the way Imelda Marcos collected shoes. Just thought it had a nice ring to it and that it might have good resale value to be honest. It hadn’t occurred to me to actually use it for myself. If anything, I could maybe use it to – this is rich – let other people (the truly fearless) host their brave blogs on a “fearless blogger” subdomain.

To be fair, at least, being female, I have an excuse for my increasingly evident lack of – ahem – “cajones”.

So what happened? Why now? Why do all the homework then throw caution into the wind and launch my blog without dotting my i’s, crossing my t’s? With no SEO-friendly wordpress theme. Without making sure my plug ins are working. Running off half-cocked before I have my ducks in a row, mixing all sorts of metaphors which basically are euphemisms for doing this “half-assed”?

Blog Action Day 2008. That’s why!

I had hopes. I had dreams.

As Blog Action Day was approaching, I found myself wishing I had “my blog” up and running so I could participate somehow.

And then the Aussies got a jump start on it and started posting about all sorts of online goodness going on.

Ooooh. I could comment. I could be the bestest and mostest commenter. And NEXT year, I could have a blog. And then I could participate. In Blog Action Day 2009.

Meh.

OR. I could be a wee bit fearless and follow the advice of the esteemed goddess Nike and just do it.

Yeah. I know.

say it ain't so

Blog action day was over a week ago.

I missed it.

But you know what I say to that?

I say:

“So what? I am The Fearless Blogger. That’s just how I roll.”

Some may say I’m quite a few days late for Blog Action Day 2008. I say I am MANY days early for Blog Action Day 2009.

If you want to know what a Fearless Blogger blogs about, I guess that’s what I’ll need to figure out next. I’m going to do my best to live up to the title!

But enough about me.

Let’s talk about Blog Action Day

Blog Action Day 2009 is less than 350 days away!

For those of you who don’t know what Blog Action Day is:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same issue on the same day. It’s aim is to raise awareness and trigger a global discussion.

You can read the FAQ here.

This year over 12,000 bloggers “banded together to discuss a single issue – poverty“. More than awareness was raised – there was fundraising as well. Some bloggers donated a portion of their blog’s earnings that day; others a set amount per comment or new subscriber.

For those who didn’t have an opportunity to contribute (or want to contribute more), you can do it here:

KIVA | CHANGE.ORG

I’m also posting some links and videos related to poverty. From the true Fearless Bloggers. May they inspire you the way they inspire me:

READ | WATCH

Yours truly,
Faryl, aka The Fearless Blogger
Because it’s better late than never!

The Fearless Blogger » graphic design

Two reasons I’m a fan of “The Hunt for the Coolest Twitter Background”

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Explaining Twitter

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New Chris Brogan Rockstar Badges

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Ode to my Couch – Designing with Intent

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Fun with Scanners (free graphics!) (second try)

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Spotlight: Jacob Cass | Just Creative Design

Why I chose Jacob’s blog

Jacob on Jacob

Jacob on Just Creative Design

Jacob on Blogging

Jacob on Social Media

Fearless Blogger BONUS Exclusive

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Chris Brogan Rockstars

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The Fearless Blogger’s Maiden Voyage

I’m going to break the rules.

Just between us.

Blog Action Day 2008. That’s why!

Yeah. I know.

“So what? I am The Fearless Blogger. That’s just how I roll.”

Let’s talk about Blog Action Day

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