A few months ago, one of our development partners, Floodlight Design, came to us for an update to their identity. The business had grown exponentially since the formation of the original identity and it deserved an update to reflect that. It was an incredible opportunity for us to really push the aesthetic and strategic boundaries of the brand. Read the rest of the entry >

It finally happened! As some of you may recall, way back in September I was selected to be a part of NASA’s tweetup for the 39th and final launch of Discovery. Long story short, after 115 days, Discovery finally lifted off on her way to the International Space Station on February 24, 2011. We were fortunate enough to be invited back by NASA and their amazing staff to witness the launch from the press area. It’s about three miles from the launchpad and, from what I’ve been told, just about as close as you can safely be to a launch.

As the countdown clock ticked down, everyone was getting situated in their spots for the launch. The edge of the press site was lined with on-lookers both Tweetup and press related. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so many DSLRs in one place before. I was armed only with my iPhone 4 camera and a desire to just soak it all in.

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It never fails, every year the graphic design industry becomes increasingly dependent on technology to accomplish pretty much everything. From communication, integration, execution, and even some occasional design, technology is now the glue that holds a good graphic design workflow together. Yet we find ourselves so often left scratching our heads when something goes awry – and trust me, something will.

But there is no reason to be fearful, loyal readers! As Chief Technology Officer at Rule29, I’ve spent the past couple years establishing and refining our technological workflow – especially when it comes to backing up and saving that digital gold. I know what you’re thinking, “But Tim, I don’t even know where to begin!” So in this post we’ll be going over the ins and outs of our workflow process and who knows, maybe there will be something helpful in there for you. And keep in mind, this type of system would work for any business that is dependent on digital file storage (magic).

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As promised in my post recapping the recent #NASATweetup, I wanted to post a few photos that I took with my iPhone while in Florida. This was definitely one of the best experiences of my life—even without witnessing the actual launch—and I’d never pass up the opportunity to geek out and share some of the experience. So, check out the photos from the trip after the break!

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As a graphic designer, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my craft. I feel like the drive to further a career is crucial to any profession, but it’s especially true for one that changes and evolves as quickly as visual communication does. Being almost three years removed from college has left me in the precarious position of having to now go out and be incredibly ambitious with my learning. No longer is my education structured and pre-determined.

Because of this sometimes daunting responsibility, I thoroughly enjoy the various design conferences I’ve had the joy of attending in the past year or so. Granted, they have the dangerous potential of being nothing more than shallow “inspiration,” or rather, a thousand dollar pep-talk. But with the right mindset, design conferences can bring you closer with your peers, show you what is happening in the design world, and – among much more – maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.

All that being said, I had the joy of attending the Brand New Conference a couple weeks ago in New York City. This conference was a bit different than the last two I attended (AIGA in Memphis, and HOW in Denver) in both its structure and its content. As the title (and the website which the name is from) reveal, this conference was all about branding. Not only was this a  fresh contrast to the “big-picture thinking” of other conferences, the topic was one of the least discussed aspects of my education. That’s not to say that I don’t understand branding, but the anecdotes and processes vary so much from designer to designer that it creates an interesting dialog throughout the course of the day. Read the rest of the entry >