information generation

Considering that I posted last weeks made by me-monday blog on a Tuesday, and that today's title is not made by me, you would probably think I don't know how to look at a calendar. But in all honesty as fun as it is updating the made by me's because it gives me a chance too look back on work I have packed away, I have just had a 'oh let me blog about it moment' and decided to run with it.

I have recently started admitting to people that I have a very bad 'rainmain-ish' habit. I don't know what it is or when it started, and in all honesty it scared me at first and then I just realised it must be one of my quirks, because everyone I have spoken to about it (including the magiKal-psychologist) tells me they do not have the same problem as me. They proceed to give me a very funny look afterwards. What I mean by 'rainman-ish' is directly taken from the movie starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, you will remember Dustin Hoffman played the role of Tom's older autistic savant mumbling brother. Well since this isn't a movie blog I will get straight to the point. I count. I count everything. If I am walking up or down stairs, I count the stairs. If I am out jogging, I count my steps. When out driving I take note of number plates (so not only are the numbers in my damn head they are also all around me) I will see a number plate and it will stick in my mind, and then I see the number plate again and I realise "hey I know that numberplate. How you doing car 46440". It's like this little itty bitty sick fascination with numbers. I move them around in my mind so that they make more sense and be remembered. Like my security code to get into the gate at home...lets say it is 2702, I don't see it as 2702. I see it as 27 February. I seriously just thought everyone did this! Now I'm not bragging about this special talent of mine, or saying I am special or a savant. If anything I can almost hear my sisters laughter over the phone when she calls after reading this update (or her shock at not realising how special I am indeed). I am the first to admit I don't even like numbers! Who fails accounting in the first week they teach it to you in highschool? It takes me 3 times longer to figure out mathematical equations than my 13yr old nephew, actually I think by this stage he has surpassed me by more than a longshot. But, yet these damn numbers haunt me. I opened up a magazine article last week that was saying how an average person has to walk something like 8000 steps to burn their average intake of food -obviously the only thing that stuck out at me was the 8000 odd steps. I even attempted to see how many steps I take but then realised I only count every second step of mine and when I get to 100 I automatically seem to revert back to 1, and I do tend to get side-tracked by a song that then enters my head, or a non-related number thought, and well-yeah I still haven't managed to count all my steps. Phone numbers are the worst, I see a phone number and then I think to myself-oh its like my phone number but just replace the 3 with the 5 and the 9 with the 1 and swop the two last digits around.

Considering that I have now opened a full can of worms here, I will tell you what made me want to have this 'oprah-style' sharing moment with you. I finally just figured out I can see the stats on my blog. It's fun. I now know how many times my blog is being read (616) and this does not include me checking it. Which country my 'reader' is in (1: South Africa, 2: United Kingdom, 3:USA....) What platform (for non-technical speakers this just means with what type of device) is being used. I have started feeling like I am on Wall Street with how often I just need to check the numbers. Has readership increased/decreased. Should I sell(update)/buy(not bother). And each time I see an increase I feel a little bit of joy, because I then realise it is not JUST my family reading my blog and I shall therefore keep selling. 

19.09.11

I took a class in my varsity days that was called "Information Design". We basically were set challenges to design/arrange information in such a way that it was pleasing to look at, as well as being informative and getting the message across. By keeping a concept of what information needs to be conveyed by making it pleasant to look at, one's eye and memory click together and 'take a picture' that lasts them longer. Looking at facts and figures in a different way we tend to then remember them better than having them all layed out in front of us excel sheet style. This is how I work. I am more of a visual person when it comes to itty bitty information. If there isn't a pretty picture in front of me I conjure one up in my head. But looking at information layed out (such as the stats on my blog) excites me, and makes things a bit more real. Below I have posted some images of beautiful layed out information design. It's filtering into our lives more often now hidden in beautiful layouts!

http://myhome.spu.edu/kgz/4207/eyecandy.html

http://designingforinteraction.wordpress.com

http://mootee.typepad.com

http://www.stephengates.com

http://www.uwdesign2010.com

By the way did you know me has got 2 letters in it. When ME are together those are my fathers initials. When reversed and EM are together those are my mother...and my brothers initials! I'm just a double MM. I think I have just realised it's not only numbers that are haunting me...have a great week everyone, and count your blessings! 

x 

me


update: the sister mentioned above eventually read the blog and genes seem to be a lot stronger and wierder in my family than just how alike we all look...my sister happens to have the same number issues as me.Thanks to the wonders of opening myself and my savant-ish like issues up we have eventually revealed this oddity to each other. I shall now look into this matter further and see if the brand of wine we drink has anything to do with it!

made by me

I realise I'm a day late...but better late than never!

Sometimes there comes a time when as a designer I have been faced with a challenge. Where I sit back and have many images flashing through my mind. Images that have been stored and photographed in my memory that are from design magazines, blogs, my surroundings, my life. I like a challenge, I like sitting there thinking of how to put what has been asked of me together. How to create it and make it unique. How to add personality and spunk and a touch of me as well as a touch of my client into the job. My challenge was the following-create a wedding invite (easy peasy) but use skulls! 

I happen to have had a stage in my life where I too was a very big fan of skulls. Not in the horrible death type of style, but in the way that something that has always been associated with death/tradgedy/a symbol of 'fear' can be presented sometimes in a very beautiful way. During this stage (and admittedly I do still somewhat have a tad fetish for them) everything that had a skull on it landed up being purchased by me or given to me as a gift from friends. Jewl encrusted skull keychains, skull t-shirts, skull rings etc etc. So when Ashleigh came into my studio and we started talking about her wedding invites, I wasn't put off by the fact that she wanted skulls on her wedding invite. I understood her, and like I said-I like a challenge. Ashleigh and Gren's words were the following: Vintage, quirky, modern with a twist of retro and..skulls!

Ashleigh & Gren design moodboard 2010 copyright me.design.studio

The designs started out without a set format of what the final invite would look like. Because they are both into music, design and fashion, I had originally started off with an idea of the invite being a poster.

Ashleigh & Gren design stage1 2010 copyright me.design.studio

While sitting down with Ash and going through my own design samples, she loved the idea of the booklet (as done for Liesl & Pete) so that is the format we landed up going with. The quirky-ness came about where at the back of the book we had the 'synopsis' of their relationship, the skulls were presented in a very soft manner by creating them into the heart shape, and the colours completed the whole look by  adding that delicate vintage aesthetic. 

Ashleigh & Gren design cover/back cover  2010 copyright me.design.studio

Gren met Ash in 2004. He was a DJ. She organised events. They became friends and started working together. He taught her how to DJ. He played House. She played Hip Hop. She loved fashion. He wore earrings. They spent all of their time together. They fell in love. They started businesses together. 6 years later he asked her to marry him. She said yes.

 

More personal touches came about and for all of the hand delivered invites, personalized badges were made. Working with a variety of fonts and focusing on the typography for this invite was a bonus for me as I love typography. And those skulls....they're not scary at all now are they!

* Ash & Gren...thank you for the challenge! I am constantly using your invite as an example to future clients of how anything they want is possible! wishing you both lots of happiness in your marriage. 

x 

me

made by me

Everything has a beginning. Everyone has a start or a spark that starts their beginning, and no I am not about to give a 'how you were made' life lesson here. I'm about to go back in time, to the beginning of me.design.studio's wedding invitation design beginning. Because, no graphic designer (that I know of) wakes up and says-I want to design wedding cards for people. It just sort of happens along the way and this was how it happened for me. 

A good friend of mine was getting married. That's it, thats my story. He asked, she said yes, and I figured out a great way to give a very personalised engagement gift was to offer my services of helping with the full wedding stationary. And what a full stationary set it was. This was pre-'give me five words to sum up what you want your wedding to look like' stage that is now stage1 requirement with all brides. All I knew was the future bride (FB) wanted a wedding card that did not look too weddingy. I guess looking back on the design, thinking about our many hours together in front of the computer screen (FB was very involved as she has a great eye for all things beautiful herself) I can sum up her words as these, rustic, personalised, earthy and unique. 

Almost 2years ago to the day my good friend 'miss-fantastic-shoes' came into my then office with a pack of cigs for me, a pack of cigs for her, a Red Hot Chili Peppers cd and if I remember correctly, dog treats for our brother dogs. We started on her invite 'look' and by the time we each finished our boxes of cigs, we had a rough skeleton idea of what her invite would look like, what format it would take, and how the rest of the wedding stationary would take shape. What proved to be not only a fantastic cd, also happened to be the 'glue' that tied all the wedding bits and pieces together. In the invitation there was a quote from a RHCP song "Hard to concentrate", the dancefloor at the wedding was vinyl'd with the same quote, and the happy couple also danced along to this song as their first dance as man and wife. Needless to say... the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the ultimate favourites. 

Aimee & Marco Invite design copyright me.design.studio 2009

The wedding invite itself was 3 seperate cards, all printed on recycled cardstock, and slipped into a self contained envelope. 'miss-fantastic-shoes' has a very creative mother who actually made the little hearts that tied around the invites and these were also used on the day of the wedding as extra design accents. 

Vinyl got itself everywhere into this wedding, from the above mentioned dance floor, to the 5 life size chandelier illustrations that were in various shades of grey to look like shadows cast against the wall to the seating chart 'carpet'. Guests had an interactive time searching for their names on the vinyl'd carpet which flowed from the courtyard into the reception hall. It has been a 'landmark' wedding for me because to this day I still have people coming to me asking me to design their guestlist seating chart 'carpets' as well as dance floor vinyls and wall vinyls in various themes to match their weddings style. 

This wedding could not have been complete without 'miss-fantastic-shoes' who is the type of friend who is always giving, gave to her guests wonderful gifts of 'slip-slops' (party shoes for party feet) wooden fans (thank you to all our fans) as well as-a cd mix of the bride and grooms favourite songs, and the cd actually looked like a mini record (vinyl much!)

The wedding itself was beautiful. Actually more than beautiful, and I not only say that as a friend, designer or guest but because it did set a landmark for all other weddings I have worked on as well as for all other FB's out there. Even though the Aleit wedding team, was involved, this bride with the fantastic design eye, was just as involved with every aspect of her (and the grooms) big day. I am currently working on their wedding album (its never too late) and am constantly reminded by how gorgeous all the details, as well as the bride were!

* Mrs & Mr Fantastic shoes, may you have an AMAZING time at the RHCP concert in London later this year!

* This is a disclaimer to say- me.design.studio does not promote smoking! just cos I have to work with a pack of cigs doesnt mean you have to.

x 

me