Freelance Graphic Designer in Cleveland, Ohio

Cooliris

2008-08-28T19:05:00.003-04:00

Today I posted on twitter that I didn't know of a good way to search through Flickr photos. Andy at insivia responded to my tweet and told me about Cooliris. (Ben said he told me about this awhile ago but I don't remember that. I'll give him some credit anyway.) Cooliris solved that issue for me by creating a 3D wall of images related to my search. You can also search google, youtube, photobucket and a few other sites. It's an awesome tool. Today I searched through, stationery designs, graphic design, cupcakes, cakes and kittens. Cooliris just made my life a little bit better.

Great Lakes Brewery Customer Appreciation Night

2008-08-28T16:56:00.001-04:00

I think this photo is from 1998. Those years are starting to all blend together. I would of been a freshmen at BGSU in 1998.

Friday night (8/29) is customer appreciation night at Great Lakes Brewery. If you head to the pub on Friday you can enjoy 90's music and 90's prices! (I'm not sure if this is all night long or only during happy hour. I couldn't find additional info)

Creative Cupcakes

2008-08-27T22:10:00.002-04:00

These cupcake burgers look so yummy! I wish I had one right now. I'd actually take a burger or a cupcake. The image is from CupcakeQueen's Flickr page. Check out her images she has some pretty awesome cupcakes.

found on the Hostess With The Mostess

WASARA

2008-08-26T14:56:00.003-04:00

Would you have known this was disposable paper tableware? "WASARA is a tableware that blends with the natural practice of reducing waste." Along with being eco-friendly WASAR adds a little bit of elegance to casual dining. This Japanese paper product is meant to enrich casual dining experiences with it's texture and form. Visit the website to learn more about this product.

I'm not sure when or if WASARA will be available in the US but I could definitely see Target selling this brand sometime in the future.

Mad River Brewing Co.

2008-08-26T14:52:00.003-04:00

This is really good. Thanks to my sister I had one of these last night. When I first opened it I thought it was Sierra Nevada. The label looks really similar.

Mapping Your World

2008-08-25T16:56:00.002-04:00

The street view option on google maps is pretty cool. I've always wondered if I'd ever see them actually recording the street view in this area. So far I haven't but now I know what to look for. Above is the vehicle that takes the actual video so be on the lookout and try to get your picture on google maps!

History of Graphic Design

2008-08-25T11:39:00.002-04:00

I can't remember how I came across this website but I've had it bookmarked for a while now. The site outlines lectures in Graphic Design History for fall semester 2008 classes at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. A little refresher information for some of us but also some things you may not know.

How to Improve Your Online Search Results

2008-08-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

Marc Majers hosted a Snack and Learn at CIA a few days ago. The presentation was presented by Todd Packer. I didn't get to attend and if you didn't either you can watch the video here.

Olympic Medal Map

2008-08-19T22:49:00.004-04:00

My blog is turning into a blog about the Olympics. Sorry about that but it seems to be consuming a lot of my time right now. This is a cool interactive map showing Olympic medals posted on nytimes.com. Move the slider and see the number of medals one by each country in all previous games. You can view by Geographical location or by Ranking.

Love for Nie

2008-08-19T18:37:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week I read about the horrible accident of Stephanie Nielson and her husband Christian. Ever since that day I check for updates on her sister's blog to hear how they are doing and I will continue to do so now daily. I know there are many people out there praying for them. I hope the best for them in their recovery and hope they can be with their children again soon.

Spain... On The Road Again

2008-08-19T11:00:00.002-04:00

I'm definitely going to try to watch Spain... on the Road Again this fall on PBS. Gwyeneth Paltrow, chef Mario Batali, New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman and Claudia Bassols travel through Spain for a 13-part television series.

The series will show a four month trip of the group traveling through Spain sampling delicious foods. From what I read it sounds like the four travelers are unaware of their itinerary, which is constructed by the Producer of the show Charles Pinsky. Interesting!

GO WORLD

2008-08-13T22:43:00.002-04:00

When Michael Phelps broke the all-time record for most career Olympic gold medals won , Visa was the first to congratulate him. Did you catch that? Immediately after the 200 meter butterfly Visa aired "Congratulations Michael", an ad which is part of Visa's "Go World" Olympic campaign. Michael Phelps is an amazing athlete and I thought this ad campaign was pretty awesome too.

The campaign uses still photographs in sepia tone and features the voice of Morgan Freeman. I'm sure you've seen one of the ads if you're watching the Olympics but below is the Michael Phelps one.

I decided to post about it here because someone (a friend on a chat board I've been a member of for years) mentioned that the timing of this ad was "icky" and in "bad form". I'm not arguing with her but I really don't understand those comments. Michael Phelps was favored to do well in the Olympics, right? In my opinion it was only natural for Visa to have something like this ready to go if or when Michale Phelps broke that record. I also compared it to the super bowl or world series. They always print t-shirts for the champions before knowing who the champions are. So, what's the difference with this?

Glass Stiks

2008-08-13T14:14:00.003-04:00

Create custom patterns on your glassware with blik graphics. I didn't realize blik even made these. Cool idea! The graphics stick to glass, windows, vases and are dishwasher safe.

The Opening Ceremony of the Olympics

2008-08-12T06:36:00.000-04:00

Did you to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics? I watched part of it, had a few Sam Adams and fell asleep. Ooops! If you missed it too there are some amazing photos out there. You can view more here.

The Killers + Nike

2008-08-11T20:21:00.003-04:00

I've been watching the olympics just about every night. I'm sure most people are. While I'm enjoying the olympics very much I'm also enjoying the commercials. One of my favorites is the Nike Courage Commercial. My favorite Killers song (All these things that I've done) is used for this commercial. I saw The Killers perform at The Scene Pavilion a few years ago and this song instantly became my favorite after that show.

Biking to Work

2008-08-06T20:20:00.003-04:00

Sean started a new blog about his adventures of biking to work. I'm sitting here right now waiting for him to get home and it is 8:30. It does make me a little nervous. I often wonder are you safer in your car or on a bike?

If you'd like to read about his trips to and from work here is the link BikeToMyWork.

Retro Owl

2008-08-06T12:53:00.002-04:00

We bought a new entertainment center a few weekends ago. Now I have a bunch of empty shelves in my living room. It bothers me intensely that they are empty so I'm trying to fill them quickly. My first purchase was this Retro Owl from etsy. I'm sure Sean loves it! I thought he was cute.

Spectrum Chandelier

2008-08-04T16:38:00.003-04:00

This Chandelier is stalking me. Almost everyday I see it posted on a blog or for sale somewhere. Of course I felt obligated to post it on my own blog since it is following me around on the web. I really do love it but unfortunately I'd have no where to hang it. I'm sure it would sit in a box until I sold it on ebay five years from now.

Splash Stick {Starbucks}

2008-08-01T10:13:00.003-04:00

My friend Jess brought me Starbucks this morning and I got a little surprise with my lovely Carmel Macchiato. The cup came with what is called a splash stick. Maybe I'm the last to know about this little green plug with a mermaid on it but this was the first time I've seen this. What a great idea to prevent splashing while driving or walking with your coffee.

I was reading online that the splash stick idea actually came from customers belonging to the Starbucks social-networking site. ( Didn't know Starbucks had a social-networking site, did you?) The networking site is called My Starbucks Idea.

Design*Sponge - Cleveland Design Guide

2008-07-30T12:50:00.003-04:00

I was so excited to see a Cleveland Design Guide posted on Design*Sponge yesterday. It is an awesome post filled with so much fun and exciting information. The guide was put together by Danielle from Room Service. She did an incredible job. Make sure to check it out!!!

Image from Design*Sponge

Typography & Music

2008-07-29T20:50:00.002-04:00

Really cool use of typography in this music video plus I love The Hush Sound.

Design Books

2008-07-29T06:11:00.000-04:00

Today I realized that I have not bought a design book in probably over a year. I think I just get caught up in all the exciting things online that I forget there are some awesome design books out there.

Since I was way over due for a book purchase I bought The Little Book of Layouts from Amazon today. My job requires me to do a lot of layout work so I think this will help with some fresh ideas.

Jeep Ad

2008-07-28T21:27:00.001-04:00

Everyday I bookmark more than a few websites and my desktop is completely filled with screen shots and image clips so I apologize for not remembering where I originally found this image. I did find some more information about the ad on I Believe in Advertising earlier today.

I love the creativity and simplicity of this ad. Hopefully they won't print it to small because it may be hard to see on a smaller scale. I came across one other ad in this series but I was wondering how many different ads there are.

Christmas in July

2008-07-24T14:21:00.002-04:00

Great Lakes Brewery is having their annual Christmas in July party tonight. If you weren't lucky enough to score a ticket before they sold out in 3 hours, Xmas Ale will also be available in the pub on the 25th. The Winking Lizard will also have a few kegs at each location.

If you make a trip to the brewery this weekend you should also try the Independence Ale. It's definitely my new favorite.

AZUR Packaging

2008-07-24T08:23:00.002-04:00

I love this packaging. I've seen it a few times, not sure where though. Maybe in Anthropologie? Recently I came across the portfolio site of the designer. Just wanted to post the image cause it's pretty!