Thursday, May 16, 2013

A MANIFESTO: "A Creative doesn’t run through the world, he wanders."

I got this in my email newsletter from Creative Review this morning and I thought it was too perfect not to share and save...
 "A creative doesn’t run through the world, he wanders."

A creative wakes in the morning with wayward hair and even more wayward ideas, but she’s hopeful because an idea is a beginning. A creative doesn’t run through the world, he wanders. And, by doing so, he wonders. A creative finds inspiration in anything, everything and nothing at all. He finds passion in details, from the businessman’s monogrammed cufflink to the loopy pattern the whiskey glass leaves on the bar. A creative gets dirty. She has paint under her fingernails, ink on her clothes or scraped, bloody knees from scaling a wall to get the perfect photo. A creative optimizes awesome, not search engines. He believes fresh, innovative ideas are an expectation, not a bonus. A creative tries, fails and tries again. She knows that some of the greatest work comes from beautiful mistakes that are perfectly imperfect. A creative explores. He chases ideas even if he doesn’t know where they’re going yet because he feels it in his gut. A creative inspires. Her work makes people laugh and think and make conversation. But, most of all, a creative wakes the world from the dead, dusts it off and gives it color. And he knows these are the greatest measures of success, even if they can’t be measured with a number. It’s time for a change.
 source: istockphoto

Monday, May 13, 2013

One Hundred Ladies

I've started painting again and I've embarked on a very ambitious plan to paint 100 Ladies.
With my work load and schedule it seems like a pipe dream and if I get 30 completed that I am proud of enough to show I think that will be an amazing feat! 

I gave myself a deadline with no exact plans of what I'll do after if I actually achieve it because for the most part it's about getting myself painting again and painting with the disciple I have for design work.

I was told that an artist doesn't wait for inspiration to do art put paints and draws all the time so that when inspiration comes they can create art.

Milton Glaser said "Art is Work" and when I discovered that quote in early Visual Communication Design school days I switched out 'Art' for 'Design' and now I'm switching it back.
 


Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Design and Branding: STARLITE COLLECTION

An update and continuation from my previous post about the art direction and styling for the Starlite Pharmacy Branding of the flagship store in Maraval, Trinidad.
Starlite Collection
Branding Design and Environmental Design

Branding design and environmental design for the STARLITE Pharmacy flagship store in Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago.

Design and branding was specific to the STARLITE COLLECTION a fully-functional cosmetic atrium.

The company already had a logo design and came to Abovegroup Ogilvy to develop the rest of the brand.


Brand Engineering Company: Abovegroup Ogilvy
Client: Starlite Pharmacy
What we did: Art Direction, Branding, Environmental Design, Signage.

Art Director: Tanya Marie Williams
Graphic Designer: Tricia Dukhie

Copywriter: Zia Holder
Conceptual Photographer: Kibwe Brathwaite.



Interior Signage

Window Display (left)

Window Display (right)

Original Interior Wall design Starlite Pharmacy


Drawings for Starlite Brand Property by Trisha Dukhie

Interior Wall design in full colour
recreated by artist Brianna Mc Carthy for the brand.



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Night Shift — DESIGN is WORK.





With the continuing evolution that is my self-branding along with my self-growth, I've been finding myself working nights. That time I'd usually spend, reading a book, watching a movie, doodling, painting or watching 'bad reality tv' is now my time to clock back in and work.

Most times it's due to an independent project I'm working on to grow confidence in designing on my own without a team of people to guide me on the right path and sometimes it's to make that extra cash I'm saving for that hopeful trip at the end of the year (don't be fooled by supposed Art Director salaries :) We all have our reasons for burning the midnight oil.

I was never the late night studier in school, I hated studying, I hated exams, I quite frankly was not the biggest fan of school at all to be honest. Working late hours into the night didn't become a thing I did without agony until I started working in Advertising. You quickly had to get used to finding yourself in the office at 1 and 2am in the morning rushing to put the finishing touches on a presentation for a pitch the next day. — A task I still find painful because I am not good at rushing things and the last minute vibes is bad for my nerves, I go crazy and cry and have panic attacks and while my Creative Director would love for me to cut out my belly aching and just do it! The truth is hard work makes me cranky, working nights makes me miserable and Good Design quite often is Hard Work.

One is constantly growing and changing and while I keep being reminded that 30 isn't old, I'm also told 30 is not young either and there's a lot of I have to dig deep down and do! So I'm working more and working harder and working nights and WORKING. Whether it's painting, an independent project, Designer Island or tonight, starting to work on my website. I'm working the night shift and self-branding while I self-grow.
Design is Work.





Sunday, March 17, 2013

Self- Branding

I've been attempting to brand myself since I started working as a designer almost 10 years ago. I've gone through countless icons, logos, typefaces. But in the last couple years there's been some details and graphics that have come to be known as 'my style'— prints, patterns, lace, dollies, elegant decor, clean lines and intricate lines. A graphic style that is classic, beautiful, elegant and timeless while never loosing it's 'quirk'.

I love colour in design but I've also been the biggest fan of black and white since the days of my mother begging for my wardrobe to include some form of colour! 

While now my closet does have a few pops of colour well, I still think that if it doesn't look good in black and white then it doesn't look good and I hold true to that aesthetic idea in my branding.