Spaces // Eva Black

Monday, July 30, 2012

I'm excited to share today's Spaces feature because, I'm sharing my own workspace! I've been kind of hesitant/putting it off because, for one, I wasn't completely organized and two, sharing your own workspace is kind of hard to do, I give props to all my past participants! Enjoy!


Tell us about yourself as a creative.
I'm a freelance graphic designer, specializing in brand identities and print. I also have a love for all things paper. I've dabbled in a lot of different things over the years because I have a drive to try new mediums, I think one of the most important things to do as a designer is trying and learning new things.

Describe your creative journey.
Growing up, I had the best craft cabinet (thanks Mom and Dad!), and I remember always digging through it looking for things to make. But it wasn't until figuring out what I wanted to go to school for that I found out what graphic design was, and then I was hooked. I began doing a few freelance projects about a year before finishing school and working part time, and as time progressed I decided this was something I wanted to pursue full-time upon finishing school (a HUGE thanks to my Husband for being my biggest fan through this). So at the beginning of the year I jumped in and feel so blessed to have the ability to do it everyday.






Share a little bit about your space.
I work from home from our second bedroom. We recently moved into our place and I'm finally feeling organized in the space. I think the biggest thing that helps the space feel inspirational is being surrounded by personal work/ideas and work of others. I have a small section of Folded on one wall, art I made in school, an idea chalkboard, and I also collect all kinds of inspiration (as you can see from my board). 


What's your favorite thing about your space?
The windows. Our place has the best old crank windows. The light fills the room and that alone makes working inside all day so much easier. I often take little "brain" breaks and catch myself just staring out the windows. I'm so thankful for them -- I think they keep me sane.

What's one thing you think every creative needs in their space?
I think every workspace needs some kind of organization. For sure. I collect all kinds of paper and paper scraps which until recently I had in piles in a corner, but by organizing everything it keeps the space clean. Everything has a place to go. Then, when I need a paint brush, a stapler, tape or stamps, I know where to find them! I also recently started making physical files for all my clients -- there's something about having notes printed out and my personal handwritten notes added that helps me feel on top of it. Having physical files for each client also keeps random files I may have for them together. I know, I know that's what a computer is for, but I always feel more organized when I can actually hold or make notes on something.


Weekend!

Friday, July 27, 2012










These images by Maison Gray are so gorgeous. 
I've always loved the beach, people come together to this one place with their umbrellas, chairs and towels but everyone keeps a safe distance from each other -- it's an unwritten rule of personal space. And Maison captured this beautifully with all those shapes and colors. 

It's almost the weekend -- which I'm super stoked about because it's my birthday weekend! 
Have a good weekend and relax like these people!

Caroline Morris: Urban Seed

Thursday, July 26, 2012


Caroline Morris did a killer job on this project for her senior thesis
The type is well executed. And the white space is spot on. 

Top-Notch Type : #12

Head over to Emmadime and check out this week's Top-Notch Type!

Inspiration Board: California, Fashion, Travel

Wednesday, July 25, 2012


Had so much fun putting this vintage beach glam inspiration board for a new client! As well as putting together a new layout for my boards -- I wanted something different but was still visually interesting!

More to come.


Something New

Monday, July 23, 2012

For a while now, I've been on a kick to spend time learning calligraphy or mostly how to use a quill. I spent sometime this weekend playing around and practicing. Mostly writing lines from Parks and Rec because it was playing in the background! And I'm loving it. As you can see it's still not perfect. The biggest problem I'm having, which I think effects the smoothness of the letterforms is keeping ink in my nib. I'm constantly having to refill, sometimes I can't even finish a word. 

To all the calligraphy pros out there, what am I doing wrong?

Stripes!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Can't. Get. Enough. 


Top-Notch Type : #11

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Check out this week's free font feature on Emmadime!


Identity for Maeven by Lotta Nieminen

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

I'm a big fan of Lotta Nieminen's illustrative work (see this post) and now that Lotta recently redid her website (which alone is killer) and updated her work I've gotten a peak into more of her design work and I'm blown away. Especially the work she did for Maeven, so beautiful.

Present & Correct


The use of bold shapes, patterns and color are right on. 

Solar Powered Print

Tuesday, July 17, 2012




I'm blown away by this Annual Solar Power Report by Serviceplan Campaign 3, that is actually powered by the sun. You have to watch the video -- I was giddy watching it! It's amazing. The design, the colors, the patterns, the package it comes in and I mean, the ink is solar sensitive! This may be one of the most well thought out Annual Reports ever.



Design + Style : #15



Recent Work: Reception Invites

Monday, July 16, 2012

I'm excited to share some recent letterpress work with you! 

These reception invites where printed by Czar Press with gold Pantone 874 ink and edge painted with orange Pantone 021. 


Spaces // Amanda Genther

Let's kick off another week with a peek into graphic designer, Amanda Genther's workspace and a little background behind her business and blog. Amanda always has really helpful and well thought out blog posts about building your brand. Be sure to hope over to her blog and check it out! But first, read all about her creative voyage...

Tell us about yourself as a creative.
I am a graphic designer and web developer. I work with a select group of highly passionate creatives through an amazing process (if I do say so myself) that uncovers their true uniqueness and purpose, which in turn, helps me create the perfect identity for them to show off. I am constantly inspired most by nature and simplicity, but I love to tie in that extra pop of color. I am constantly learning new and better ways of doing things, which is leading me to a big brand redesign (launching in September). I decided I wanted to focus a bit more on a specific group of people, so my redesign will be catering to these people and I couldn't be more excited to reveal it. 

Describe your creative journey.
I went to school for Marketing and Graphic Design. I knew I wanted to do more than 'just' design. My passion for entrepreneurship is just as strong as my passion for design, so I decided to focus on both so I could tie them together and offer my clients something really unique. When my husband and I graduated, we moved right away. I'm a Michigan born and raised kind-of-girl, so when we headed off to Chicago, let's just say I was pretty excited. I had planned on freelancing right out of college, but told myself that if I got offered a design job I would take it, because I wanted to get a little inner-office experience first. I got offered a job right after we had moved in, so for about a year I was working at a local Web Design company. I continued to freelance on the side for a few clients at a time.

Things really changed after I attended Alt 2012 (a mutual feeling among many of the attendees), and I knew I wanted to focus more on my own business. I found a couple of clients at Alt and wanted to keep going off of that momentum, so my last day at my job ended up being my birthday, February 13th. From then, I've been building my own business, working with my own clients and I couldn't be more happy. I feel so lucky to be doing what I love at such a young age, and equally as lucky to know so many other inspiring creatives that are the same age. 

Share a little bit about your space.
My space is temporary, as it feels like we are constantly moving, so I've never really been able to settle down somewhere. We recently moved to a 2 bedroom townhouse, allowing me to finally have a whole room for my little business. That was pretty exciting. I've done as much as I can with it for now, until we make our next move, but I still feel that it represents my style. I like pops of color, quirky details and enjoy being surrounded by a ton of inspiration. I'm inspired by nature, first and foremost, so I always make sure to have some kind of plant in every room.

What's your favorite thing about your space?
How large my desk is! It's huge, and I still wish it was bigger, though. And I have two of them in the room (for the intern when she's here, but for sketching when she's not). I like to spread my work out and get pretty flustered if I don't have enough room to work. I bet you can only imagine how it was when I was working out of my dining room! Yea, that wasn't pretty. 

What's one thing you think every creative needs in their space?
This one's hard to not point out the obvious, but I would choose a window. I think natural light is so crucial to keeping a positive creative energy going. I purposely shut my shades at night JUST so I can open them in the morning. It's kind of like "Welcome to a new day"! 

Thanks Amanda!

Photos by Amanda Genther

Her: Website | Blog | Twitter

Sugar Deli Food Center

Sunday, July 15, 2012

LOVE this branding and packaging project for Sugar Deli Food Center by Fred Carriedo.

So prefect and lovely. 
The colors. 
The lines. 
The Type. 
Everything

Be sure to check out the rest of Fred's work. It's all great!

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