Alphabet You Didn’t Know: A is for Aesthetics

“The neatness of your workspace is inversely proportionate to your genius.”
– They

They say that the neatness of your workspace is inversely proportionate to your genius. Hence, Einstein’s desk was a mess (seen here). We recently moved into a new office at 4th Avenue Media and I have taken great care setting up my new space:

According to the theory, I am clearly no genius. Thanks theory, thanks. I would like, however, to propose a different point of view: I can’t work in a messy space. I can’t clear my mind to be creative when a world of clutter and chaos sits before me. I like my desk neat and everything in its place – then I can get down to business. Is this because I am a designer? Partially. Is this because I’m an organized neat-freak? No doubt – but I also think it reflects a level of respect for my creative process and pride in what I do. I can’t tell you how much I love my job and going to work every day; maintaining clean aesthetics at the office clears the way for all of the creative thinking to happen in the spaces in-between. When I am working at my desk I feel focused and energized on my current project, not distracted by the leftovers of a million other things. Perhaps some people don’t mind a messy desk because it reminds them that they are busy, important or involved in their work – or maybe even inspiring! I get that, but it’s not for me.

What about you? Do you prefer a neat desk at work or do you let your space get away from you? If so, do you find any advantages to this habit?

Trending: Send Roger to Space!

#SendRogerToSpace

To infinity, and beyond! No, Buzz Lightyear is not in the running to win a sub-orbital space flight, but Mercer Island’s very own Roger Ressmeyer is, and he is just as passionate as any other space ranger. As an adult, Roger could live the dream of any child who has ever gazed upon the night sky and wondered how she or he can get up there. With your Facebook votes you can help him fly!

The field of candidates has been narrowed from 50,000 to just 20, and Roger needs your vote to go the rest of the way! His story has been the stuff of dreams, but it has also been one of overcoming adversity. As a child he aspired to be an astronaut, building model rockets and polishing telescope mirrors. Diagnosed with diabetes at age 13, Roger defeated claims he wouldn’t make it another 20 years. Today he finds himself inspiring youngsters who share his passion for space, guiding young students every year in building and launching their own rockets. Perhaps one day they too will be astronaut candidates, just like Roger is today

As a celebrated Canon Explorer of Light and now as a documentary filmmaker, Roger has been pursuing his astronomically successful career in space photography for 40 years. His frequent clients have included National Geographic Magazine, Life, Time, Newsweek, People, and Rolling Stone among others, working with both the stars in the night sky and those here on Earth.

Technology saved Roger’s life, and now it can also fulfill his lifelong dream. Space Race 2012 will allow him to share the wonder and awe of space exploration with all of us.  But first, we have to get Roger up there!

Your votes are the only way that can happen. You can vote once per day on Facebook to help Roger win the Space Needle’s Space Race challenge. But hurry, because this really is a race! The voting period ends Sunday, March 18, so your vote each day from now until then makes every bit of difference. This is for every kid who has ever wanted to grow up and have a rocket lab in his or her basement, just like Roger does.

For Roger Ressmeyer, Space Race 2012 is about scientific progress, global compassion and hope. It also involves your votes. 5…4…3…2…1…

Vote For Roger: http://apps.facebook.com/spaceracecompetition/entries/147

Let’s get #SendRogerToSpace trending!

Searching For a Mentor

I am on the hunt for a mentor. As the primary graphic designer at a small but tenacious ad agency, I find myself missing the creative collaboration that took place in school. I am also dealing with client accounts in a leadership role for the first time, and I need someone who can give me advice on how to best guide those interactions. My perfect mentor would also be a woman, who could weigh in on some of the gendered social nuances that I find myself dealing with in this industry and the business world in general. I consider myself a life-long learner committed to self-improvement, both professional and personal. I am a good designer, and I want to be great. I work every day to be great. I read as much as I can and I practice my craft constantly. I am looking for a guide to help me grow to the next level. The search continues.

Do you have a mentor? If so, how did you meet them and how did you approach them to become your mentor?

Things I Love: Etsy

Today when I retrieved my mail I was greeted with the best surprise ever: Etsy deliveries! Last week I ordered three items from three different merchants on Etsy.com, and all three sent the ordered items in these amazing homemade and personalized envelopes. It was probably the most excited that I have been about mail in quite some time! The care that each of these women took in sending me something special and unique to house the merchandise that I ordered from them made me want to turn around and send exciting things to other people in the mail. The envelopes were not the only extra special touch that was included; inside each one I found a personal note from the seller. I have experienced nothing short of amazing customer service and attention to detail from my exchanges with shops on Etsy. The sellers take great pride in their merchandise (because most of it is home made or some kind of DIY), and they are probably just as excited to sell it to someone who shares their interests as we all are to buy from them.

I was also excited for the contents of the envelopes. I went feminism crazy! I have been oogling the Riot patch for weeks and weeks and finally bought it. I also love my new pink Feminist button, and my Bikini Kill button. The sellers also threw in two additional buttons and a zine! When is the last time you bought something at the mall and they threw something extra in for free, just because you like their stuff?? Yeah, I thought not.

Buying on Etsy and supporting local and small businesses whenever possible is something that makes me feel good, and I wanted to share it with you. What are some of your favorite shops on Etsy, or other online retailers that support small business?

Currently Listening To: Fitz and the Tantrums

Fitz and the Tantrums - Pickin' Up the Pieces

Fitz and the Tantrums are playing at the Showbox tonight and I am so excited! My friend introduced my husband and I to their music about a year ago, and their album “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” is an amazing work of art. Soulful rock n’ roll reminiscent of the ’60s, hit after hit. I kind of can’t believe that I’ve never heard them on the radio – maybe I’m listening to the wrong stations (likely). The band is obviously popular because they played at Bumbershoot this year; but that’s a concert we tend to avoid due to crowds, so we opted to wait for a regular show. Anyway, we have been looking forward to this concert since Christmas and I think it’s going to be a blast!

To relate this post to design, I have to say that I am in love with this album cover and its styling, as well as the band’s logo. Retro elements distilled down to their basics and mixed together for a huge pop, perfectly aligning the design with the band’s sound. Their website is also worth a visit; the site is extremely clean and well-organized, and consistent with the band’s image. I like the tour date landing page, and finding the blog on the home page of the site once you enter it. They make it very easy to connect to their fan club, purchase their album, and find the band on social media.

Sidenote: I noticed in their online shop that they only have “unisex” (meaning Mens) size shirts. I am hoping this is not the case at the concert, but we will see. Finding women’s clothing at rock concerts that is not pink tends to be challenging – personal issue of mine.

This concert is gong to be great and I am looking forward to a wonderful night.

Best Of: Nonprofit Design

Oftentimes when we think of nonprofit organizations, we think of design that is lacking. Many of the valuable institutions of our communities are not able to budget for much of a marketing effort, much less a professional website design. This is unfortunate, as most of these organizations depend on volunteer participation to remain operational. As more and more volunteer opportunities become available through online and social media platforms, it is imperative for nonprofits to take their websites seriously and invest in a professional look.

YMCA Website

My husband was on the YMCA website earlier this week. I saw it over his shoulder and was immediately impressed with their design. Clean and eye-catching, and a wonderful use of color. The site is informative, easy to navigate, and it gets me excited about the organization. One neat detail is how they chose to integrate their logo into the slide indicator on their home page – the slant of the Y shows what image slide the user is viewing.

Trending: The Twenties

A few years back I made a prediction to myself that 1920′s fashion and visual trends were going to make a comeback with the approach of the 2020′s, and it looks like I was right! Art Deco is everywhere – jewelry, women’s clothing, and I predict it will begin to show up in design as well. Bold geometric patterns and line, elegant yet simple accents. Brass and gold. Tall, statuesque typefaces. Although I don’t think I will be cutting my hair into a short bob any time soon, I can’t wait to see more of this style.

I was inspired by the 1920′s a few years ago during my time at Western while I worked on a student project. El Parejo 20: A 1920′s-themed Cuban cigar bar and restaurant. Here are the matchbox covers that I designed for that project (I did not design the cigar wrapper, but it goes so nicely!):

You can also view the logo and menu that I designed for this project here. What trends are you excited about that are happening now? What do you anticipate will be taking place in the next few years?

You can view the links to my image sources for my collage on my Pinterest board, here. 

Welcome to my New Blog!

Salutations! Welcome to the new home of Katy Hart’s blog (www.khartcreative.com)! Here I will be posting my happenings, current projects, and generally interesting items that I come across. If you don’t know who I am, I am a graphic designer living and working in Seattle, WA. Currently I work for 4th Avenue Media.

I live with my husband, Aaron, our rescued racing greyhound, Lou, and our cat, Sidney. We moved to Seattle in 2009 so that Aaron could attend graduate school at University of Washington and so that we both would have a better chance of finding employment in our chosen careers. So far we are really enjoying Seattle and all it has to offer, and we hope it is our home for many years to come. In my free time, I enjoy reading, crafting, playing video games and exploring the city. I listen to a lot of music and am a Riot Grrrl at heart. I also love watching movies and supporting local arts.

Other places you can find me:
LinkedIn
Twitter
Pinterest
My Website

I hope that you enjoy reading my blog, come back any time!

Katy