Guess who's back?!

So apparently I needed an entire month and a half to recover from the shock kick-assness of turning 30. The truth is my absence from around these parts was a combination of traveling, lack of inspiration, taking over as president for our Arizona/Southern Nevada alumni group and searching for a new place of residence. So there's been plenty of fun ish transpiring. 

I'm most stoked about peacing the eff out of the townhouse and moving into our gorgeous HOUSE. Yes, a real grown-up house with a pool!!!! More on that radness tomorrow.

In the meantime, I figured what better way to come back than with a complete blog revamp. I really loved the previous layout, but it was definitely time to freshen up my little corner of the Internet. Practicing on my own blog helps me learn coding and try out ideas for clients while refining my own style. Hopefully you like. 

Check out more of my work in my studio portfolio.

In the studio: The Notebook

I'm so thrilled to share the latest project from my design studio, a complete revamp for The Notebook. Meaghan, a DC-based interior designer, is inspired by geometric patterns and a color palate consisting of blues, greens and grays, so there were ample jumping off points for a fresh and fun layout. I think we achieved a more cohesive and organized look that will allow readers to navigate the site with ease while incorporating Meaghan's design criteria.

Check out past projects in my portfolio here or on the blog here.

Open for business

It started with a few e-mails, phone calls and kind words. The compliments on my blog design and the inquiries into creating a birthday invite or putting my logos on T-shirts started coming in. And out of a leap of faith, Turn Up The Rad Creative was born.

You see I've always adored design in pretty much every form and that passion led me to the newspaper industry as a sports page designer and copy editor. Growing up, all I ever wanted to be was a professional journalist. I was lucky to live my dream for 11 years. But sometimes you have to walk away from the thing you love the most. 

With the decline in print readership and growing recession, I survived three rounds of layoffs while watching many of my talented colleagues get shown the door. It was not an easy time and opened my eyes to the reality of print journalism's future. 

My fiance was then recruited for an amazing opportunity to become the engineering manager of a company in Phoenix, Arizona. We were both so stoked at the chance for him to realize his dream. But it meant mine would probably end as most newspaper companies had instituted a hiring freeze or were paring down their staffs. The instability of the industry, regardless of my qualifications, also was scary.

Not really sure what to do, I took a risk. A leap of faith. And it's most definitely paid off because today I'm embarking on a new adventure and launching my own design studio. It's been difficult keeping this a secret, but now I can shout it from the blogosphere rooftops.

Currently, I'm accepting orders for Blogger revamps, invitations, logos, design project consultations and editing projects. The next step is to set up the store for my T-shirts and photography. So head over to the studio and make yourself at home.

The poster child of great design philosophy

Good design isn't just about making ish pretty. Good design should have a purpose. And Frank Chimero's fun and inspirational posters are both. I wholeheartedly believe in the message of each and hope my work conveys passion, courage and intent.

With that being said, sorry for my lack of in-depth posting and commenting lately. I promise there's a legit reason and I can't wait to show you what I've been up to. Keeping secrets is lame. These posters aren't.

[via]

Design crush: Baggu wallpapers

I love good design. In any form. So when it's done right in multiple mediums, my creative heart beats a little faster. The folks at Baggu, who craft stylish and Earth-friendly bags I featured last week, also are making computers, iPhones and iPads a little prettier via some seriously sick wallpapers. Hooray for bold colors, fun patterns and freebies.

This one is currently my desktop background. Loving the pink, purple and blue combo.

Check out my other design crushes.

A first birthday party in the making

I was thrilled when my brother and sister-in-law asked me to design the invites for my nephew's first birthday party on Saturday. We decided to go with a Mickey Mouse-themed celebration since it's Liam's favorite. I tried to keep the invite somewhat modern by using the polka dots, while still maintaining the Disney brand via the font and the colors.

The party decor is going to be simple, but packed with fun details like my DIY budget birthday party for the fiance. I have an idea for the table centerpieces and can't wait to show you the finished product. Amid all the planning, it's hard to believe Liam is already one. Time really does fly by. And I'm so happy to be home to celebrate his first year.

1. Yellow + orange balloons | 2. Paper mache "L" | 3. Yellow, black + orange color scheme | 4. Mickey Mouse | 5. Candy in dish | 6. Picture frame | 7. Envelope guest book | 8. Banner | 9. Yummy drinks + fun straws

Fun while it lasted

The Seahawks' improbable playoff run came to an end Sunday in Chicago. It was great while it lasted, considering a lot of people thought Seattle had no business being in the postseason with a losing record. Check out the visual goodies produced by a few of my journalism homies.

The Seattle Times sports pages

Design by Rich Boudet | Photos by Dean Rutz + John Lok via Sports Designer.com

The (Tacoma) News Tribune sports cover
 

Design by Liz Wishaw | Photos by Joe + Ingrid Barrentine via Victor Yoshida

The (Tacoma) News Tribune posters

Photos by Joe + Ingrid Barrentine | Design by Jessica Randklev via Our Stuff

Tagging along

Gift tags aren't just for identifying a present's giver and receiver. They can provide an opportunity to add some visual goodness to a package. I made my own tags, and I think they came out decent considering it's my first attempt at designing them. 

Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?

 

Greetings of the graphic variety

I decided to make our Christmas card this year, something I've wanted to do for a while now. It would've been a lot easier to take the Shutterfly or Tiny Prints route, but the personalization and sense of accomplishment that comes from creating your own is satisfying. And I'm pretty pleased with the final products.

Along the way, I experienced some miscues that come with being new to the graphic design realm, but as the fiance says, "If you learned from it, it wasn't a mistake." I'm already gathering inspiration for next year's card.

Hope your holidays have been fun-filled and fabulous.

 [The official Christmas card]

[The runner-up]

Apples + inspiration

It's Apple Cup Week, friends, and I couldn't be more confident in my Cougs! Late Sunday night, I received an invitation to a Facebook event called "COUG OUT FACEBOOK." 

A WSU student created a virtual meeting place for fans to gather and exchange inspirational photos, pictures and words during the week leading up Saturday's rivalry game against the University of Washington (Boooooooo). The event, which has swelled to more than 19,000 people in only a few days, reiterates just how amazing Wazzu students, alum and supporters are.

Even though the football team has been mired in a slump, it's inspiring seeing photos and videos of people displaying Cougar pride across the World.

That inspiration was manifested in two graphics I created to use as my Facebook profile pictures. And to my surprise (and excitement), some of my friends adopted them for their pages. 

Regardless of what happens Saturday, my heart will always belong to Washington State University and the 509. 

GO COUGS!

Someone posted this video on the event page and it made my heart swell with pride and happiness.

Not your average motivational poster

Too often we get bogged down in our fast-paced lifestyles. These graphic prints by Swedish-based designer Therese Sennerholt are a sweet reminder to keep it fun and positive. I can't decide what I like better: The message or the fabulous typography. 

And just in time for Christmas. Santa, are you listening?

[via]

Blog loves to play dress-up

How boring would it be if everything stayed the same? In my little neck of the Internet woods, I like to keep it fresh, and that means changing up the blog every now and then.

This time, I created a new main header. I have a few different candidates and two I'm kind of torn between, which is where you come in. I'd appreciate any feedback on which one you like, dislike, fits the style of this space the best, etc. Thanks, friends.

Poster of success?

If that's true, the Cougs will be the 28th best football team in the country this upcoming season. If not, well, they still have the 28th best schedule poster in the land according to Bleacher Report. Criteria for making the list included clarity, schedule (Is it clear and easy to follow? ... Not strength of), photo quality, uniqueness, eye appeal and coolness factor.

You can request WSU schedule posters and cards here. It looks like they're out of football ones, though. I still haven't found a place to get past posters. Maybe it's worth a call to the marketing and promotions department?! I have a collection of sports schedule posters from my time in Pullman sitting in the closet waiting to be framed when we have a house with a game room.

And on a geeky note, I couldn't be more pleased to see three of my favorite things, college football, visual design and my school, combined.

Oregon State was the only other Pac-10 school on the list, coming in at No. 25.

Vanderbilt was No. 1, but I didn't think it was anything special.

Honorable mentions:

No. 3: Bowling Green

No. 4: Iowa State

 

No. 5: Minnesota 

No. 7: LSU

No. 26: Louisville

 No. 35: Baylor

No. 43: Wake Forest 

 No. 48: Navy

[All posters courtesy of schools' sports information departments]