Blog Archives

A Designer’s Playlist: 27 Songs that Inspire Me to Create Awesome Work

7/24/2019

Do you like to listen to music while you work, or do you enjoy working in silence? Music is part of my design process. I do my best design work with my favorite playlist on in the background (or blaring, depending on my mood and level of focus). Some of these songs earned a spot on my playlist for no reason other than they’re fun to listen to, thus requiring no further explanation. For others, I have some commentary as to why I love them. Mostly, I am inspired by upbeat music, and I curate my playlist accordingly so I can focus on designing rather than skipping through songs. What songs are on your playlist? Comment below! I’m always looking for new music!

1. One Foot—Walk The Moon
Try to be in a bad mood while listening to this song. I dare you. It’s impossible.

2.  3AM—Matchbox 20
Rob Thomas has my all-time favorite singing voice, and this is one of my favorite tracks from his band.

3. Kiss This—The Struts

4. Kiwi—Harry Styles

5. Lola Montez—Volbeat
I can’t understand half of the words, but I sing along anyway…it’s hard to resist! Fun fact, this song is about an actual woman who lived in the 1800s. Her history is quite scandalous. https://allthatsinteresting.com/lola-montez

6.  Slide—Goo Goo Dolls
So much nostalgia is attached to this song. It takes me back to my childhood, listening to it on a tape in the car with my mom.

7. Best Day of My Life—American Authors
Another good mood song!

8. Move Along—All American Rejects

9. Thunder—Imagine Dragons

10. Make You Mine—High Valley
Sometimes I stray away from the rock genre and enter into today's country genre. I love the folksy rhythm of this country song; it makes me want to dance.

11. Make It Sweet—Old Dominion
It’s no secret; I love going to concerts. Old Dominion put on one of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard, and I’m a huge fan of this band.

12.  Green Light—Lorde
Season 6 Finale of New Girl, anyone? I find a lot of new music on TV show soundtracks.

13. Electric Love—Borns

14.  The Wire—Haim

15.  Panic Attack—Glorious Sons
This song is anthemic, yet the lyrics describe the suffocating nature of a panic attack. It’s such an unexpected juxtaposition, and I love it.

16.  Come with Me Now—KONGOS

17.  Smells Like Teen Spirit—Nirvana
I will forever love Nirvana.

18.  New Politics—Harlem

19. Get Up—Shinedown
Whenever I need a little motivation, this song helps me to find it.

20.  Never Comin’ Down—Keith Urban
This man can play guitar and banjo like you wouldn't believe, and he looks good doing it! If you've never been to a Keith performance, I highly recommend it!

21. I Like Me Better—Lauv
Rarely do I dip my toes into today’s mainstream pop genre (I find most of it boring), but I’m inspired by the unique instrumentation of this song. I wish more songs sounded like this one.

22. Why.2—Collective Soul

23. Any song by Blink-182
Blink-182 is the sole reason I made it through all-nighters working in the design lab during my college years. It’s hard to fall asleep at 3:30 AM when Blink is blasting through the speakers.

24. Drunk on a Plane—Dierks Bently

25.  I See the Sun—Tommy Henriksen

26. Stay a Little Longer—Brothers Osborne

27. Help—Papa Roach
This was my favorite song for the entire year of 2017.

There you have it! A playlist of songs that I find inspiring and enjoy listening to while I crank out designs. I hope you check some of them out; maybe you will want to add them to your own playlist. Don't forget to comment some of your favorite songs below!

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Behind the Scenes of the Design Process

7/15/2019

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When I started college, one of my main questions I often posed to my professors was, “Where can I find inspiration? Where does creativity stem from?” Throughout my college years, my graphic design professor, Eric Wold, taught me that creativity doesn’t come from nowhere; rather, a process behind creativity exists. I am grateful to have learned the importance of the design process, and I still practice the same method each time I begin a new project.

Photo Research

Every time I am presented with a project, an initial idea comes to mind as to what the end result might look like. However, rarely is my preliminary idea anything close to the final product. To get out of my own head, I do extensive photo research beginning with imagery related to the project at hand, such as business card design, before vastly broadening my search to find color scheme inspiration, typographic inspiration, etc. I may draw color scheme inspiration from exotic rainforest imagery. Layout inspiration may be derived from interior design photos. Pattern inspiration may come in the form of Mexican tile imagery, from which I will pull basic elements to create my own designs. I compile these images categorically into contact sheets and print them so I am able to see them all at once. Juxtaposing this found imagery produces unique design inspiration.

Sketching

After I compile my photo research, I begin sketching the ideas that come to mind. I generate several thumbnails of different ideas, especially if I am working on a logo design, and then select my favorites once I exhaust my thoughts or feel that I have produced enough usable concepts.

Digital Rendering

I select the strongest concepts from my sketches to digitally render in a design program. I usually create a rough draft of three to five concepts, depending on the complexity of a project, as well as the budget. Rest assured, the design I develop for you has been well thought out, and many options have been considered in an effort to produce the best possible work.

Refining the Work

At this point, I generally show the client one to three design proofs to gage their preferences. After the client decides which direction they want the project to take, I refine the chosen concept to meet their standards.

Final Approval

After revisions are made and clients are satisfied with the final product, I provide them with the final file or prints. At this point, I reflect on the design process, thinking back to my initial idea and comparing it to the final result, whether the design turned out as I thought it would or took a completely unexpected, yet powerful, turn for the best.

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Seven Ideas for Hosting a Green Baby Shower

7/10/2019

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I’m going to be incredibly honest. The first time a client told me she was planning a “green” baby shower, I thought she meant the color scheme for the party was green. I designed an entirely green baby shower invitation (which actually turned out very cute), and luckily the client realized my misunderstanding and explained to me that a “green” shower is a sustainable baby shower. (I had a good laugh at myself.) Guests were asked to bring unwrapped gifts to the party in an effort to cut back on waste and also to save everyone from sitting through hours of watching the mama-to-be open presents. Win-win!

Follow these tips to host your own green shower!

ONE

Electronic invitations (evites) are an option—and I would be happy to design them for you!

While I personally love the feeling of nice paper between my fingers, evites allow you to save money on printing, envelopes, and postage, as well as eliminate the use of paper. When you contact me, simply specify that this is the option you would like to choose, and I will email you a digital file. Another option is sending invitations printed on recycled paper, which can give them a lovely, earthy quality that perfectly matches the party’s theme. Whichever option you choose, I will create a signature design that is sure to impress your guests. Visit the contact page to get started!

TWO

Request cloth diapers on your gift registry!

If parents-to-be choose to practice an environmentally-friendly parenting style (and save some major cash in the process), including cloth diapers on the registry, and other green items, will help guests to better follow the theme and respect parents’ wishes.

Check out these cloth diapers featured on Shark Tank: https://fuzzibunz.com/

THREE

As mentioned above, request unwrapped gifts.

Fancy wrapping paper (i.e. metallic, glitter, velvet) is non-recyclable, which means it will most likely end up in a landfill after the shower. Asking guests to bring unwrapped gifts cuts back on paper waste, saves guests time, and allows for the mama-to-be to mingle with guests during the shower rather than spending the entire time opening gifts.

FOUR

Ask guests to bring a book instead of a card.

Greeting cards can be outrageously expensive, upwards of $7! (Unless you order them from Design by Faith, in which case, they’re only $3 in my semi-custom collection, and I can print them on recycled paper!) Save the money on a card that may be thrown away and spend it on a book that the little one will cherish for years to come!

FIVE

Use green decorations that double as favors!

A few examples of beautiful, sustainable decorations include potted flowers, candles, decorated mason jars, or hand-painted wooden signs.

SIX

Opt for real dishes or recyclable paper plates and cups, and use cloth tablecloths.

Avoid non-biodegradable plastic or Styrofoam plates and cups, and choose recyclable paper tableware instead. Or, add elegance to the event by using real china! Also, ask friends and relatives to borrow their cloth tablecloths for the party, with a promise to return them afterwards.

Seven

Use your creativity when planning games and activities!

Ditch tradition and have fun planning a green baby shower! Strive to create a fun experience not only for the mama-to-be, but guests as well. A simple way to ensure everyone enjoys the shower is to think of clever games with sustainability in mind. Examples include parenting trivia, racing to diaper a stuffed animal (which will be given to the mama-to-be afterwards), painting onesies for the baby, diaper bag memory, guess the baby photo, or write letters to the baby or funny advice cards for the parents-to-be. The options are endless!

Ideas to Add?

Post them in the comments below!

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Is Custom Graphic Design Affordable and worth the investment?

7/3/2019

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In a word, YES! No need to go through (what I like to call) an online giant like Fiverr or Shutterfly. Why not support a local business, receive a signature design completely customized to your vision, and pay the same amount or less than you would from an online giant? Design by Faith can help you achieve each of these, and I promise it will be an enjoyable process! Because graphic design is my passion, I am happy to work until you are satisfied with the product I create for you. Online giants are unable to provide this type of customer service, and you run the risk of choosing an unoriginal, uninspired design, all while paying more for the product.

Consider your wedding invitations. Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, and the wedding invites you send out will set the tone for the entire event. While sites like Shutterfly have several designs for you (and everyone else) to choose from, Design by Faith provides 100% customized invitation designs at an almost always lower rate than this online giant, and others, are able to provide. Same goes for Christmas cards, birthday invitations, baby shower invitations, etc.

Let’s talk logo design. Design by Faith is a startup company; I’ve been in business for less than a year. Trust me, I understand what it’s like to be on a tight budget when it comes to running a business. Luckily for you, I work with clients on all different budgets, and my starting rates are incredibly affordable compared to those of other designers. I find it invigorating to create a strong image for a fellow startup, or an established business. In contrast, consider the cost of a poor logo design: the loss of potential customers due to an unreliable identity. Investing in a strong logo design and brand identity will help you to generate revenue through attracting clients to your brand new business, or if you own an established business, a refreshing re-brand could be exactly what you need to appeal to new customers.

While I create many more products than wedding invitations and logo designs, these are two strong examples of how custom graphic design is affordable for people on all budgets, and it will help you in the long run! One of my character traits is that I am incredibly hardworking. I grew up on a farm where there was always something that needed to be done, and I have carried this work ethic into my design business. I love to be busy, so I would honestly rather provide my clients with reasonable rates and take on more clients than find a few clients who are willing to pay top-dollar for my work. So let’s get started! I look forward to creating your vision for you! (To view my rates, please visit the Services page.)

If you have any questions about this topic, leave them in the comments, and I will be happy to answer them for you!

Thank you for reading!

Faith

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