Jan 9, 2013 | The Big 5-0
Iowa, not Idaho, is next in The Big 5-0. Anyone who has spent a significant amount of time in the state of Iowa can probably relate to this one. Having ties to both Iowa and Ohio, I’ve been particularly aware of how few people outside of Iowa can actually identify the state. It hangs out in the middle with the corn. More states? Click...
Jan 9, 2013 | The Big 5-0
It’s time for O-H-I-O in The Big 5-0. For Ohio, one obvious theme I considered is the state’s position as an all-important swing state. However, since I was making this shortly after the election, I was still rejoicing that I was finally free from the ever-present political ads and I just couldn’t bring myself to do anything related to politics. That left me with one option: football. As a former resident of the state I can confirm that Ohioans LOVE their football. High school, college, NFL – it’s all football, worthy of epic tailgating. There’s 49 more where this came from – Click...
Jan 8, 2013 | The Big 5-0
Now in The Big 5-0: North Dakota. North Dakota has the distinction of being the least visited state in the U.S. In fact, North Dakota is probably best known for the movie Fargo, much of which takes place in Minnesota. Good movie though. Visit the rest of the states...
Jan 8, 2013 | The Big 5-0
Minnesota is next in the The Big 5-0 doncha know. As a Minnesotan, I considered going all out for this design, breaking out all the Minnesota stereotypes. In the end, though, I decided to keep it simple. After all, Minnesotans are not showy; they let you cut in front of them if you’re merging, they open the door for you, they give directions when asked (although in rural areas those directions may reference a barn that is no longer standing). “Minnesota Nice” is a stereotype I’m happy to be associated with, and in the winter it can get damn cold (the official term), so it’s safe to say Minnesota is “Nice & Cold.” You betcha. You know, some folks would click here to see more...
Jan 7, 2013 | The Big 5-0
Up next in The Big 5-0 is Michigan. Ask any Michiganer where they live and one of two things will happen. 1. They will turn their left hand around and point to where in the mitten they reside. 2. They will reply, “in the U-P.” Regardless of the answer, you will smile and nod and have no idea what just happened. Want to see more? Click...
Jan 7, 2013 | The Big 5-0
Up next in The Big 5-0 is Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, pronunciation is more of an art form than a set of logical rules. Consonants are optional and the letter “r” is removed from some words and added to the end of others (“save the ‘r’s for later”). Other words are just straight-up mispronounced. It’s one part charming, one part aggravating. How would you say these? (hint: you’re wrong) Worcester Quincy Peabody Billerica Tewksbury Think this is wicked awesome? Click to see...
Jan 7, 2013 | The Big 5-0
It’s New Hampshire’s turn in The Big 5-0. As a current resident of the great state of New Hampshire, I can say that the state has a unique vibe. There is a feeling that is equal parts “Welcome to our state” and “Leave me the hell alone.” New Hampshire prides itself on being different. Don’t want to wear a seat belt? No problem if you’re over 18. Income tax? Just say no. If New Hampshire was a kid, it would be the kid in the corner coloring outside the lines. Just because. View the rest of the gang...
Jan 6, 2013 | The Big 5-0
Virginia is next in The Big 5-0. I actually had no idea what to say about Virginia, so I had to do a little research. It turns out that Virginia has a lot of technology – a high number of tech workers, lots of tech exports, and an abundance of data centers. There’s your random knowledge for the day. More states found...
Jan 6, 2013 | The Big 5-0
Up first in The Big 5-0 is the cheesy goodness known as Wisconsin. With a baseball team called the Brewers and a football team represented by foam cheese heads, Wisconsin really had this one coming. Plus it’s just so darn delicious. The soup that is, not the state. This is actually one of the first states I did and one of my favorite designs. View the whole line-up...
Jan 5, 2013 | Productive Boredom, The Big 5-0
The start of The Big 5-0 came from a simple realization: I was in a Photoshop rut. I use PS almost daily, but I find myself using the same small set of features. There’s so much more to explore, I just needed an excuse to do it. Now of course I could do one of the thousands of helpful tutorials online, but the end result is inevitably something I will shove in a folder and never see again. Don’t get me wrong, I love tutorials – I just prefer to use them to make something of my own. Instead, I decided to make up a project that would A. be fun (the most important part), and B. force me to flex some Photoshop (and typography and Illustrator) muscle. For the topic of this project, I chose the 50 United States. I’ve been to a significant chunk of them and have amassed an abundance of oh-so-useful, random geographic knowledge in the vault that is my brain. The basic plan was to have a 500 px square for each state, with the name of the state and a (not at all sarcastic) state motto. As I started my self-imposed homework, I used state outlines from here and fonts from the sites below: Font Squirrel dafont UrbanFonts.com FontSpace I actually had a blast making these, and I think they turned out pretty well. In future posts, I’ll discuss some of the individual designs. To see them all, it’s just a click...
Dec 30, 2012 | Uncategorized
I realize that my choice of title is a bit strange for a first blog post, but it’s the truth – I’m not yet convinced that I actually want to blog. I’ve stubbornly avoided it for years and a part of me is pained that I have finally caved. I enjoy writing but could never decide on a topic to focus on – still haven’t figured that one out. That’s ok though because at this point there is a grand total of zero readers, so I think they will be 100% satisfied with whatever I decide to write. We shall see. I may not know exactly where this thing is going, but I can predict a few topics that will appear – all lightly dusted with a smattering of sarcasm because it is my second language: UX design (and design in general) – hazard of the trade. Side projects – I get bored easily. The Midwest – my favorite fly-over states. Fast pitch softball – also known as the best sport ever. Photography – my favorite hobby. Some other things to note: Proper grammar is a firm suggestion, not an absolute requirement. I’m not writing an academic essay here. If I was, you could expect long words when short ones would due and an overabundance of my beloved semicolon. For this blog, however, I’m not going to completely nerd-out on my grammar checking, especially since sometimes proper grammar sounds just plain weird. I tend to exaggerate when retelling stories, mainly because I don’t remember details. It’s anything but subtle. For example, if I ever say it was 47,000 degrees outside...
