VWD Blog

Outside web and graphic designing, I was recently asked in developing a project for scenery that will be used in the 2010 Philadelphia Mummers Parade. Being a Mummer and helping out on Greater Overbrook String Band’s website, developing PhillyMummers.com, and helping out with the Save the Mummers. I have felt this is something worth sharing.

If you have seen our portfolio you are wondering why are there sequined up scarecrows and penguins . Those were all projects that were used for front car signs. Though the penguins never made it they still look good for the portfolio.

This is a step by step guide on how this time consuming project is going. This is something at least 2 people (pending on umbrella size and how intricate your design is.)

Materials: Lost of hot glue (Pending on the umbrella size), sequins (pending on umbrella size. I recommend getting some samples and try a size before purchasing), and fabric (again pending on how fancy your design is)

This first step is big have an idea in place so you have an idea on colors and. I sketched out what I wanted. Then step two, I saw what I had laying around. Sometimes you get ideas from what you have laying around.

That’s all I have for right now, this story will continue with more step by step guides of what burns (yes playing with hot glue on very detailed work) and problems that you can run into.

This entry is different than the rest of the posts that are on here. This topic more asks for help than gives design and computer advice. I know some of you are saying you are designer you are to know these things. Well from time to time even experts go to the till  and ask for help.

Being involved in a project that is undergoing a new environment from a single to a multi-admin environment

Most of the sites that I deal with are what I like to call single admin. This means I can get as visual as I can possibly get because the site may need to be updated once in a while or it’s updates for a calendar page that are just adding rows in a table or the updates are so small that it can be done without letting someone else do it because the client is not computer savvy.

Now the project that I’m aiding on is a multi-admin environment meaning more than 1 person will be adding content and may need to be time specific content updates. In this economy if you are small designer that means you are doing this on the side and may not have time to add the update at 12:00 PM due to working at another job. Thus environments like this are key.

In these few weeks I’ve learned that you have to pick your battles and really over analyze your environments before you go in and put things on paper and draw them out.  So this project has been a real learning experience for me and not just something that I can put a time line on and design.

If anyone can help me with tutorials, websites, and any other kind of hints regarding wordpress the more help the better.

Designing by experiment is something that is the standard more than just getting an image up or a PDF file as fast as you can.

Patience is something that is necessary not rush “to make it happen and get it done” or “it needs to be a piece of clip art off a google search that I can do in two minutes” just to get an image and move on to the next project.

I’m not bashing clip art but sometimes the environment you have to do it, if not you get shouting matches and that is just not good for a creative spirit. Or just simply put you need the stock photos.

There will be times that you will need to take the extra few weeks or the extra few hours and those projects are the ones that you simply enjoy because those are the ones that you can take pride in.

If anyone wants to chime in and add to these pitfalls please feel free

Going between MAC and PC has been something that I’ve been doing for quite sometime and I’m still learning. Having some background in tech support has aided me doing this “for dummies” blog it.

There are going to be hurdles that you may have to encounter:

1. Do not get used of having a mouse with both left and right click. If you got an older MAC some of the new mouses just won’t work. (I may windup trying again just in case if the mouse was bad.)
2. Learn some of the shortcuts. Especially with design programs such as Flash, Dremaweaver and Fireworks you will get tired of going to file, then choosing the option.
3. Don’t try to get all hooked up on what the windows programs look like and think MAC looks like that. Some of the programs will look the same however a few of the windows maybe different.
4. You will always have to drag whatever USB devices, CDs and other plug in things to the trash can. With MACS there is no “right click to safely remove devices”. (I personally like this feature especially if you are using USB drives.
5. No control alt deleting when the machine is frozen. You can force quit or just hard boot the machine.

I will have more tips when I think of them from time to time.

Now the one thing I look for when it all comes down to cross platforming is what you are more comfortable using. If you are doing a lot of artistic things like music and designing MAC is the way to go. PCS are good for some things, like surfing the net (some sites just like IE on PC), doing office work, etc.

This blog will feature help between design issues and computer issues kind of like a “design and computer help 101″ to help people who are just looking for little tips and tricks.