Identity Designed #012
Welcome, from the Emerald Isle.
Future editions are likely to have more chat on life as an independent designer (finding new clients, project insights, resources, the occasional interview — that type of thing) and less content from my two side-projects identitydesigned.com and logodesignlove.com. As I find myself increasingly focused on designing for myself and clients, and with those side-projects long overdue a redesign, it seems right to change the content a little.
Of course, if you’d rather unsubscribe I completely understand. Either way, and as always, thanks for reading.
Portfolio redesign
A special mention to Tobias van Schneider, not just for the thoughtful essays he shares in his own newsletter, but for his Semplice portfolio tool for WordPress.
I began using Semplice about six years ago, and the appearance of my portfolio has remained the same ever since. More recently (as is the bane of the designer’s existence) I wasn’t keen on how things looked, so I launched a redesign. You’re most welcome to pay a visit.
Not a drastic change, and I’ll be adding more projects in the coming weeks, but my aim was for a clean, minimal, easy to navigate portfolio with a focus on the work, and I’m happier overall. So, my thanks to Tobias and his team for making it easy for a non-coder to place things just where I want them to be.
That said, if something looks off (other than my profile photo) please do let me know, and if you’re sticking around I’ll see you back here soon with another edition.
Last, not least…
“Culture Index exists to catalog cultural institutions online, and highlight the best practices that inspire us.” A new resource from Base that seems like a solid investment for client acquisition.
The AI Bubble is Bursting is an interesting YouTube discussion between Adam Conover and tech critic Ed Zitron. Via Oli Hooper.
Michael Bruny-Groth has been busy improving his Logo Package Express plugin for Adobe Illustrator. I’ve found it a real timesaver when preparing client files.
Jon Stapley kindly interviewed me for Creative Bloq where I share one of the lessons from The Process — always do it for real (hat-tip Ben Terrett).
Despite the website, some of these tools for creating ideas are great. Via
.An insightful read on the story of why. From
.According to Breath, by James Nestor, the ideal breath length is 5.5 seconds in, 5.5 seconds out. Some breath-work videos from Nestor’s website.
Geo-engineering documentary, The Dimming, is a worthwhile watch considering the increasing worldwide research into SRM (solar radiation management).
Bob Mytton of Mytton Williams reflects on his first visit to Japan. I’d love to take my kids to those teamLab exhibitions.
See you on the other side, John McWade. Through our brief chats and your Lynda/LinkedIn videos you were always gracious and considerate.
The Hiiibrand Awards are open for entry. Fantastic jury, lovely trophies.
Elizabeth Goodspeed with another excellent piece for It’s Nice That, this time on the power and perils of the mockup.
For my Dutch-speaking friends, I was kindly interviewed by the Brandchef team in Amsterdam. You can read the feature here (in Dutch).
And I’m equally grateful to be featured in the Polish print magazine Marketer+, with the interview also online here (in Polish).
Until next time
If you know someone who might like this newsletter please do forward it on, and I hope you have a fantastic week.