We've become so loose in the tongue that even the smallest of achievements have become epic. But what is epic? Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" are epic. Beowulf is epic. The design you saw last night on Dribbble is not epic. The new hot design conference you attended last month is not epic. But this is just the way I see it. Language has always adapted to each generation. But how long will the value of our words last when we start calling mediocrity epic?
Attending SXSW 2010 was one of the best decisions for my professional career, to date. I was stoked to meet so many people that I had only ever talked to online as well as meet some real heroes of mine. And even better, my site/font was featured in the Get Stoked on Web Typography panel by Samantha Warren. The whole experience really solidified my belief that the only value of the internet is the relationships we build with people. I am going to come right out and say it. You need to vote for my panel, Making the Web by Hand, for SXSWi 2011 if you know what's good for you. Seriously though, I am excited at the possibility of being able to share my passion of making things by hand with a group of my peers in hopes that it will inspire innovation and awesome hand-drawn uniqueness. Please try and get your vote in before they close on August 27. Thank you.
When I arrived at work this morning I found this little beauty waiting for me on my desk. My friend and co-worker Nathan Smith was kind enough to let me borrow it. I am expecting great things from the knowledge contained within its pages.
So while I get to reading I will leave you with this inspiring quote:
- Everything written symbols can say has already passed by. They are like tracks left by animals. That is why the masters of meditation refuse to accept that writings are final. The aim is to reach true being by means of those tracks, those letters, those sings - but reality itself is not a sign, and it leaves no tracks. It doesn't come to us by way of letters or words. We can go toward it, by following those words and letters back to what they came from. But so long as we are preoccupied with symbols, theories and opinions, we will fail to reach the principle.
Kimura Kyuho, Kenjutsu Fushigi Hen [On the Mysteries of Swordsmanship], 1768
Quite frankly I'm tired of the ongoing debate over whether a designer should use Photoshop or Fireworks. They are only one tool a designer carriers in his/her design toolbox. So why then do we continue to stay in our corners defending the reputation of one app over another? An app is an app is an app. Meaning, if you've got the goods to make the hotness then it shouldn't matter what app you're using to design with. I read an article this morning on a very popular design blog telling us why we should "stick with" Photoshop. I'm sure the author has all the best intentions in the world, but comes across quite naive in my opinion. The sum of the article wasn't even a good one, arguing why we should design with photoshop instead of in the markup. I feel like that's comparing apples with a top sirloin steak. They aren't even in the same food group.
At the end of the day we just have to use what works for us. Design is not about choosing sides in “defense” of one particular app. Design is about making the best visual decisions to help communicate the message of our clients.
Life is too short to carry unwanted baggage. So while my last design was well received, I feel this new look is more fitting to my life right now. The actual design process was pretty straight forward. Show as little as possible while still remaining informative and beautiful. I was inspired by the simplicity of reading a book and the old saying that "content is king". And credit must be given to this site for an enormous amount of inspiration.
I always like to clean the kitchen before I start cooking. I enjoy picking up and organizing the house before company arrives. And I love the crisp first page of a new journal. I think cleanliness has been ingrained in me from day one. So the more I grow as a designer the more I find an attraction to the simple things in life. And the best part about designing for the web is you get to start over as often as you want. You aren't stuck with a thousand copies of your identity in a box that will just go to waste.
Now that I've stripped down to the bare essentials I am able to focus on what's important, the content. I was never fully satisfied with how my content was presented before. The multi-column approach on the web I think is good for companies and magazines that have a need for it. But for a personal site, I don't see the purpose. That's why I rid myself of all link lists, social links and any other silly sidebar meta data. I don't feel the need to tell people I'm on twitter, dribbble or [insert new social hotness here] anymore. If someone is really interested in finding out more about me there's something called google that handles that.
Also, you won't find any tags or categories listed anymore. I tried really hard to harness their power in my last design, even to the point of splitting up my site for each category. But I wasn't ever fully satisfied with that approach, whether it worked or not. Again, I think it comes down to knowing what's appropriate for your site and what isn't. And I see now that having all my content split up was a waste of space. Even if I try and write about three different topics (ie. life, design and faith) it all comes from me. And now I don't mind letting it all flow together in harmony.
As I continue to learn and grow as a person, husband, designer my palette will change along with it. This is just a temporary look at my life right now. I believe that in all we do we reflect our personalities. Whether it's in art, music, writing or designing. We all have our own little quirks that reflect who we are inside. So while I'd like to say this is the final revison of my site, I know that isn't true. Like the saying goes:
You are your own worst client.
Humbleness Humility is the key. Please hear me on that. But false humility is just pride in disguise. If you do something that you're proud of you need to take ownership of that thing and accept the praise you receive. There's nothing worse then when you compliment someone and their response goes something like this: "Oh me? No I'm not that good. I just got lucky." The results of hard work and dedication don't result in dumb luck. God did not give us our talents to simply disregard them as something that happened by accident. So the next time someone compliments you on what a good job you've done, look them straight in the eyes and say: "I know. Thank you."
This year has been one full of perseverance and new challenges. I set the bar extremely high for myself in hopes that I would prove to myself that I can do so much more than I thought possible. But in past endeavors, I have found myself being one with a louder bark than bite. Meaning that when the going gets tough, I stop pushing. But I'm trying.
I'm not giving up!
I still have six more months to go on my Daily 365 photo project. I still have twenty-six more weeks of my 52 Profiles project. I don't want to reach the end of this year with an apology and a poor excuse on why I didn't finish what I started. I want to reach the end with my arms raised in victory and a smile on my face. I want to prove to myself that I am capable of more than my past mistakes.
