If typography is high art, then letterpress is the best of paint, brushes, and canvas. Moxie Press & Co., the brainchild of Maryland designer Chris Undi, does it so well. This one-man shop offers design services, illustration, and printing. Not only is Chris a fantastic designer/pressman, he's also a good friend. Check out more of his work and see Moxie Press on Facebook:

Today is the perfect day to get started on yours. OR to update your existing online presence with recent work!

My buddy, Barbara*, works in marketing and does a lot of media writing. This year she gave a riveting AIGA talk about interviewing with a portfolio when not in the creative arts field. Today, a great article on Idealist.org loudly seconded her sentiment. It's good enough to share.

According to Barb and Idealist every professional should arrive at an interview with a portfolio in-hand; "we do more than just our job description" and a portfolio book is an excellent way to show it. A professional portfolio--or leave behind--gives the potential employer a great idea of our skills, abilities and range. It's also pretty impressive!

How Does it Look? This simplest presentation of your leave-behind is a spiral-bound book separated by tabs. These can be printed and bound, in quantity, at retail copy shops or by yourself if you have a spiral binder at hand). Be sure to select  a heavy weight paper and substantial cover stock. Spiral-bound books are not the only option. This publication can also be a highly polished design piece that profiles your creative skill as well. If you choose to go in this direction consider hiring a graphic design student, freelancer, or recent grad to help layout / design a polished look.

Here are a few examples of print portfolio books:

What Does it Contain? Your portfolio is a great supplement to the interview conversation. As you speak about your projects, accomplishments, or accolades, refer to the samples that you have in-hand. Here are Barbara's suggestions for basic content for this book:

• Your resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Listed technical skills, software, and hardware
• Printed samples of your work or projects on which you've worked--with descriptions of the project, your role on the project, and other pertinent information
• Writing Samples - if you have relevant, well-written pieces; include 2-3 samples of technical writing, public relations, media or editorial writing
• Kudos and accolades on your work or performance from colleagues or employers

Why Not Go Digital? If making a print portfolio is outside of your means and expertise, create an online portfolio. There are several free sites that offer open formats for you to showcase a variety of projects. An online portfolio gives potential employers a look at your scope of skill, and also makes you look very web-savvy; this is more important across all industries. In addition to portfolio sites like: Behance, CarbonMade, Jobrary.com there are several blog format sites that allow for maximum flexibility; like Blogger, Wordpress, or Tumblr.



*her name isn't really Barbara.

I'm in Love. . . with this website!

Coming from a non-profit, graphic design background, I am well-versed in the economical online image search. Some time last year I found this site and have visited often when looking for the right hi-res photo for various projects.

Check out and bookmark Photos-Public-Domain!

For winter holiday / christmas/ new years / seasonal images go directly to Holidays and Seasons.

As a current student, your professional experience is limited. While you’ve taken several diverse courses, participated in student groups, and completed several freelance pieces, you don’t feel that marketable. But you are!

Which Type is the Right Type?
When updating your resume for an internship consider your audience. Is the industry a creative one? Is it receptive to out-of-the-box design concepts? Is it conservative or built on tested ideals? Will your design, paper size, typography, or color palette cause your application to be discarded? The different format options will help to highlight your talents.

• Functional Resume Format - Many job search sites and guides claim that functional resumes are the way-to-go when you have limited experience. I disagree. When I see this  resume type show up in a group, I know immediately that the applicant has something to hide; be that limited experience, or gaps in professional history. To be safe, don't use this format.
• Chronological Resume Format - Use a format that can grow as your experience grows. Use a format that is easily scannable and recognizable by the people who matter. This is the most widely used formats in the USA, and recognizable across different industries.
• Infographic Resume  Format- When applying for an internship with a graphic design firm or creative company, it’s important to demonstrate what sets you apart from the other applicants. A well-designed infographic resume is a great tool for this.
  
  This format allows you to showcase your graphic design skills, illustrate the principles of effective design, and convey your experience and interests on a single page. To be clear, this is a suitable format for jobs and internships in creative fields, but will not work in the non-profit sector, or corporate, or educational settings

I've gotten a few requests for an easy tutorial on increasing blur in portraits. Here's a super easy how-to using a selection and a filter. For this sample, I used a low-res portrait of myself snatched from a social site.

The old saying was that everyone has at least one book inside 'em. Undoubtedly, I've got one in me that may make the world a slightly better place. While my globe-trotting, brushes with mortality, and trying tales of punk bands and band aids would curl even the straightest hairs, I'm certain that book one should be a guide for us creative types--a short guide.

Postcard serise by: http://iwonak.com/tag/postcards/

Simply put, a leave behind a physical object that you leave behind after an interview. This media helps the interviewer or potential client to remember you. The object can range from the mundane (business card)—to the functional (printed portfolio)—to the elaborate (folding portfolio poster with DVD insert).

To Create a Good Leave Behind:

1. Keep your brand consistent. Any logos, typography, graphic elements in use on your resume or website should be represented here.
2. Stay true to you. It should reflect they type and style of work that you produce.
3. Make it easy to handle. Origami Folding cranes are relaxing to make and beautiful to behold, but impractical for job-seekers. So , keep it simple

 In recent years, I’ve done plenty of market research about changing currents in graphic design industry and written articles on my findings. The prevailing wind has definitely shifted to growth and development of portable media and specific types of electronic design. The trends I witnessed led me to conclude that I belong back on a university campus, working in instructional design. The fates heard my thoughts and bestowed upon me an incredible opportunity. So, I’m headed back to university life, schedules, and quirks.

The job I now leave has made a fantastic impression on me. After working for nearly 2 years as the graphic designer in a 3 person communications team—part of a 9-person development team, which is part of a 32-person community foundation, I’ve learned a lot about what drives the financial services and philanthropic communities. I won’t keep you in the dark, it’s money. But, not only that. It’s also people with: commitment, knowledge, great ideas, and stamina. I’m really going to miss this job.

Here’s the short list of what I’ll miss specifically:

•  First and foremost, my awesome, collaborative communications team 
• Gigi’s Outlook Tasks. I’ve actually begun to use this tool to stay organized, her 20 months of gentle prodding has not been for naught 
• There are always lots of fantastic print projects to keep my design hamster running
• Ralph lamenting that he can never get me to laugh. I should’ve told him to ply me with Pinot 
• Ashley’s multi-syllabic phone answering script.
• Great ideas that come from a meeting of a roomful of people—that’s a rare thing indeed 
• Hillary’s righteous indignation--about politics, sports, the weather, whatever
• Mandatory meetings on a boat or in a pizza place
• Biking downhill to work in the morning
•  Being part of a group of people that's so diverse that in one staff meeting we have tattoos, sitting next to republicans, next to an accomplished musicians, next to theater buffs, next to parents, next to long distance runners, next to immigrants, next to grandparents, next to croquet champions, next to students, next to creative folks, next to animal lovers, next to the chronically loquacious, next to entrepreneurs, next to me.
• AND, of course “Food on the 8th floor” emails. Followed, in close second, by "Food on the 9th floor" emails. 

 Here’s some stuff I won’t miss at all:

• Stale coffee
•  Biking home from work, uphill 
•  Updating fact sheets every 2.5 days 
• AND, of course “Food on the 8th floor” emails. Followed, in close second, by "Food on the 9th floor" emails. 

Without too much chit chat, here's my new home page at www.simonejenifer.org
Reform Design by simonejenifer.org! The page showcases my pro bono and barter design services, recent graphic design projects, plus some fun and exciting recycling art projects. Take a look.

In a recent conversation with fellow Pub Design grads, a friend posed the following question:

Binge & Purge (clothing swap) is back and I want to talk about it.

The original idea behind B&P was that I had a ton of super-fly gear from the now defunct shop "Funk in the Trunk"--a vintage clothing store in Baltimore, owned by Travis, Chris and me. The gorgeous garments, stunning shoes, bitchin' belts, and bodacious baubles cluttered up my life and apartment for years after we closed. My original plan was that I'd sell the goods online or on consignment. Seriously, I'm way too lazy for that.

The idea of clothing swap allowed me to get rid of these items and lots of others from my own wardrobe. AND I decided to donate left-over gear to a local women's services organization. Anyway, swap day came and went off without a hitch, by the end of the event I was approached by a local friend and neighbor who offered to take all of the donatable items and ship them to Nigeria--for the benefit of needy families there. I jumped at the chance. In my view, helping others is helping others, period.

In subsequent swaps I have kept the donations to local social service organizations. This September I'm looking forward to driving a truckload of goods to drop off at House of Ruth, My Sister's Place, and Dress for Success.

Regarding the logo and typography, I've made similar design decisions in creating this web banner as in previous years. Check them out...
See B&P1
See B&P2
See B&P3

Binge& Purge Clothing Swap: Sunday, September 23, 2pm-6pm at the Metro Gallery in Baltimore
1700 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201