This week I had a lucky internet stumble when I came across Mexican Illustrator and Designer Alberto Cerriteno. I delved deeper and found not only was his illustration work creatively inspiring but he is also a designer. His prints now selling commercially printed as limited editions onto everything from cushions to eye masks.His work is intricate in its details, his characters are given a kind of 3rd dimension in the use of collage style patterning. At a closer look at Alberto's drawings we see swirling flowers and ornate patterns reminiscent of our grandmother's wallpaper. The reoccurrence of pattern plays homage to his Mexican roots along with his love of colour through play between vivid colours set against raw earthy browns and coffee golds.
Indeed the playful subjects and surreal imaginings could be likened to the doodles of a child being given free reign, the results are outstanding. That's just my take, have a look, and let me know what you see in his creations...
What's the first thing you do when you meet someone in a business situation? Say hello? Shake hands? The next thing is most probably going to be the exchange of business cards. I have been going to a lot of networking events lately - they seem to be growing in popularity - and plenty of business cards are always exchanged.
Frequently the standard isn't good at all. You get business cards that are a mess, hard to read contact details, details crossed out and scrawled in with biro. Sometimes the paper stock isn't great and the card is flimsy and crumpled. It doesn't really add up to a great business impression and a lot of the time the suspicion is that these cards go into the pocket and from there to the bin!
Price is obviously a sensitive issue at the moment but a lot of the time the cheapest deal isn't the best one. When shopping around for your business card it is important to make sure that you are comparing like with like. Will the card be printed on good stock? Will it be a quality job? Have you seen a portfolio or any other design work? All points worth bearing in mind if you want a business card that will ensure you make the right impression!
As a member of DCEB Network for Women I attended the talk given by Lauren Fisher of Simply Zesty last night. OK at the end of the working day and being a Monday I confess to feeling a little under-enthused before heading into the Clarion. My mindset was quite dramatically reversed both on hearing the 20 sec intros of all attending and the presentation by Lauren. The women attending embody the meaning of self-starter and I was inspired by the variety and creativity of businesses which have been developed in recent years and are now forging to use every avenue to make sure their venture continues to grow in these tough times.
Social Media in itself provides us with a mass of tools to use in developing a companies online presence. Lauren likened the aim of all this to amounting "site real estate". It seems it may be easier to make your product "hot property" online with the right planning, brand image, targeted communication and time...
Many people in the room felt Linkedin was a good resource and can lead to potential contacts and down the line possible contracts. Newsletters, Blogs, Twitter and Facebook can also be valuable but the Golden Rule seems to be make sure communication is connected, each should serve as an outlet which leads back to the website. Also "measure, measure and measure again" the results (traffic to your site) you are achieving from your efforts. Social Media tools are free so you're not bound for life and again it may suit you better to pick the best to engage your target audience rather than throwing the whole kit and caboodle into the cart!
Andy Smith's graphic style always carries a "to the point", tongue in cheek message. I'm sure you've seen one of his animated Interview Tips for Fish4jobs.co.uk sandwiched between episodes of Scrubs. Amazing what good advice can be comically portrayed in 10 secs.
And if you noticed the most recent Cadbury's Outdoor Posters they were illustrated by same. www.asmithillustration.com
As I was taking a January break from the drink I decided to drive into Dublin city centre last Saturday night. The people I was with mentioned the new 30kph speed limit which was coming into effect shortly and which I hadn't heard about. While the speed limit is ridiculous - there are very few accidents or pedestrian deaths in Dublin city centre - it did get me thinking about the proposed changes it will bring about.
The increasingly unpopular Dublin City Council have said that it will "promote modal shift to walking and cycling". I found this interesting as I am on both sides of the fence. I cycle in and out of work 4 days a week and drive the other day. Many drivers give out about cyclists, and rightly so a lot of the time, with cyclists performing daft manoeuvres and merrily sailing through traffic lights. However some drivers can be very aggressive and zoom by narrowly missing cyclists which is pretty intimidating and nerve-wracking.
If there is a collision the cyclist is going to be in a bad way, a driver will most likely have a dent on their car at worst. So will this new initiative work? Personally I would have prepared to see the Council put a bit more thought, effort and money into proper cycle lanes instead of this heavy-handed new law. At the moment we have a bit of red paint on the roads that is ignored by motorists and buses and frequently trails off to nowhere in particular. As both a cyclist and a motorist I'm not enthused about this new directive at all!
Let's hope it will encourage more cyclists and those poor taxi drivers out there have my sympathy! Here's a link to an interesting article from Conor Pope of the Irish Times on the increasing popularity of cycling in Dublin.
His work is intricate in its details, his characters are given a kind of 3rd dimension in the use of collage style patterning. At a closer look at Alberto's drawings we see swirling flowers and ornate patterns reminiscent of our grandmother's wallpaper. The reoccurrence of pattern plays homage to his Mexican roots along with his love of colour through play between vivid colours set against raw earthy browns and coffee golds. 
Indeed the playful subjects and surreal imaginings could be likened to the doodles of a child being given free reign, the results are outstanding. That's just my take, have a look, and let me know what you see in his creations...
