Worldwide Fred

1/12 T – Write about a person who has a strong and clear “brand.” List three best practices that they consistently do. How can you apply their best practices to your own work?

I chose the brand "Fred"... www.worldwidefred.com

"Fred" creates playful, creative, and ironic products that are often based on puns.

They choose appropriate colors and materials for the product thereby enhancing the products believability.

They also create products that people can relate to- it creates a personal and emotional connection

"Fred" is such a unique brand- I often find myself purchasing their products as gifts. Their products are surprising, unusual, unexpected, and innovative-

I think these practices could be applied to my design work-
I believe designers get stuck in the modern, sleek, and simple design style... we need to be pushed to think outside the box, to create products that are unexpected and offer shock value- THESE are the products people connect with.

If you lose your ipod, you buy another. If you lose your "Fred" luchador key cover- you cry...because it's irreplaceable. It can't be bought anywhere else-

1/7 H – Link to three interesting blog posts on portfolio design. Give your point of view based on your research.

http://www.coroflot.com/public/help_portfolio_tips.asp
http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/design/portfolio-design-resources/
http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000935.html

The coroflot portfolio tips are excellent basic guidelines that come from a well respected website among designers. The most relevant advice that I found on this site titled "That Special Something" basically kicks your ass into thinking of something more out-of-the-box...

Vandelaydesign is great to look at for advice and inspiration- I'm pretty sure we all think about creating a website portfolio and this site is a great jumpstart into doing so.

Veen - this one is kind of contrasting to the ideals of the other two in that it encourages dumbing down a portfolio [don't overload]... but recommends a designer [recent graduate] fills up their portfolio- student work is not enough.

All around good advice and some good inspiration for redoing a portfolio!

I do not blog.

I don't blog. Or tweet. Or skype. I don't even instant message.
I enjoy looking at other people's blogs- It's just not something I've ever wanted to do.
Imagine my enthusiasm when we were assigned a quarter long blogging experience.
One entry per class beginning with:

1/5 T – Write your personal goals for the quarter, and an action plan for how to achieve them.

My goals for descomm:
1. Become a better sketcher with a more developed style - I think I began to really develop my own style and "system" of sketching last quarter. However, this past quarters coop required zero sketching and I have definitely lost some of my ability. Getting back to consistently sketching, and then really pushing myself to draw more angles and views will help make me a better sketcher. Also, pushing myself to scan in sketches and work them on a cintiq will help me develop a more finished and professional look for my portfolio.

2. Develop a portfolio layout that a) makes sense b) is unique and c) i can easily add project into in the future - I am HORRIBLE at page layouts. Mike Roller mentioned creating a "dumb" layout with gray boxes and filler text. I think this will be beneficial for me. Also, getting more peoples' feedback and input on my portfolio layout would be beneficial. I usually just run it by my graphic designer of a sister before calling it complete. This quarter will be good for me to redo my portfolio because I'm not looking for a new job, so I won't overwhelmed, rushed, and stressed.

WOOT. blog numero uno - check.