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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Why a Professional Logo Does Not Cost Less Than $100

This is something that has been brought to my attention by recent events while being an independent designer and provider of promotional branding services. Many people understand the significance of a strong brand culture and the overwhelmingly positive influence and reputation that said branding could foster for their company. However, occasionally you get people who are budgeting strictly for their business, and they do not want to spend more than $30 bucks on a logo, this is very unwise and will certainly backfire.

Many times these people cite the rare example of the Nike logo as an example to rationalize their lack of spending on a logo, which was designed for $35 bucks by Graphic Design student Carolyn Davidson back in 1971 for Nike Co-founder Phil Knight, other examples show logos costing upward of 1 Million U.S. Dollars when commissioned by design firms. Other times business starters are designers themselves and opt to create their own logo at nearly no cost, there are still the costs of the computer LCD data bites, the software and storage being used to design and store the logo and the tools such as the rendering material and design paper needed for the physical renditions in the conceptualizing process of the design.

with the example of the Nike logo, many people don't take into account the rate of inflation between 1971 and now, here is a basic illustration from an inflation calculator to give a general idea, in other words $35 in 1971 is equivalent to $214 and some change in 2018.

Inflation Calculator

Now take a look at Logos I've Conceptuali and Designed!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Tips to maintain financial well being--for college students

With the high rates of tuition, college leaves many people in debt, especially those who don't get the full value of their education. You can make it through college with the least debt possible if you plan your college career accordingly and make buys reasonably. Here are some tips that if you follow extensively, may help you make it through college without taking out much or any loan money at all:

Picture from Fastweb's "How to Avoid being a Broke College Student"

Look ahead on your budget and know what is coming up, and plan financially for what MAY potentially come up.

Make big valuable purchases. Making a lot of small purchases will make it harder to keep track of your transactions as well as cost you more time. We all know very well that time can translate to money. Making big purchases will also save you because most things are cheaper in bulk and you don't have to reload for a while.

Know all your benefits, as a college student get the full value of your education. Make use of on campus facilities that you are already paying for as part of your tuition. you can be losing money just because you are not aware of what you have and own and what benefits your job offers (if you have a job.)

Have an educational planner or a budget planner that you use. These things help you organize your time as well as keep track of how you spent your resources. You can do this electronically or using a notebook.

Work hard, play hard. Give yourself a good long period of working and making profit until you have reasonable earnings, then give yourself a period of more free spending and reap the fruits of your labor. Buy whatever it is that you enjoy video games, new clothes, exercise equipment or a new car. Rewarding yourself will inspire you to go back and work harder.

Look at time as an investment, look at every transaction you make as an investment. Is a product really worth the time and money to you personally? just because it is esteemed in the market, doesn't mean it's for you.

Don't be afraid to make big buys on products that are suitable for you. Prioritize your budget so that you have what is needed first at the large base of your economic pyramid, and luxury and entertainment expenses at the tip top. According to many financial experts a good financial pyramid is made up of three main parts. Risk management or protection of your most valued resources at the bottom big chunk of the pyramid. wealth accumulation in the middle and wealth preservation and distribution in the top smallest chunk.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Synopsis of "The Road" 2006--2009

Primary

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I found it to have a lot of allegorical and intrinsic meaning besides the mere outcome of the story itself. Intrinsic or underlying meaning is very important for me in appreciating any work of art. The road gave me (and other readers/watchers I’m sure) an image of a world that can come as a result of our highly consumerist and pollution-based lifestyle. I believe, however, that the underlying message of the book that the author Cormac McCarthy was trying to communicate is that we only need the basics to live, or in other words don’t OVER consume. The imagery throughout the story reflects this simplistic ideal he seems to metaphorically spread throughout the novel.

A scene from the movie "The Road" 2009.

Art Styles

Graffiti of Banksy

Graffiti is one of the most powerful forms of modern art. It is largely popular in urban areas and it gives people who are not art enthusiasts the chance to look at and appreciate art. The work of Banksy is as expressive and powerful as graffiti gets, he has gained an international status with his eye-catching social and political artistic messages. Banksy’s art hints at various issues in our society, a piece by Banksy that particularly caught my attention and admiration, is this piece:

Most of his work reminds me of shock advertising, the way it is in your face and is meant to startle you in some way. This piece is less shocking than his average work, but it is symbolically very strong and eye catching. The way I perceive it, this piece is symbolic of how moral values such as peace and love are dying in an age of consumerism and materialism. The doctor is leaning over to a heart and checking up on it as if to see if it’s still beating. There could be other interpretations to this piece, as there are multiple valid interpretations to many good works of art.

More Optical Illusions

This visual really caught my attention because of its spectacular appearance and its illusionary properties. It also displays a great sense of symmetry as the faces and the surrounding are laid out equally on both sides of the page. If you look at it at first glance you may see an old man and an old woman looking each other eye to eye.

But then if you look more closely you begin to ponder whether the golden vase in the middle is behind the faces or in front of them, the image plays with our sense of perspective and proximity. The depth cues presented to us are not enough for us to be able to tell how far the vase is. It looks pretty big so it can be close, there is no layering making it seem as if it is in the background and it has the warm color of objects in the foreground.

As you begin to look at the image even more closely and enter the process of visual selecting, you see that the faces of the old man and woman can also be perceived as the bodies of two men wearing sombreros, one of them playing a musical instrument and the other carrying something over his head. The wrinkles on the faces then turn into wrinkles on the clothing and the eyes become the faces and expressions of the two men. This whole image is based on the sensual theory of Gestalt; there is no real perceptual value in the image.

Our eyes here could sense everything present as one thing or they could sense it something entirely different depending on what we are looking for and what we are focusing at. The hair of the woman for example can be a curtain over the left sombrero wearer’s head. The ears of the large face to the right can become a door with a woman walking out, his hair can be perceived as a white building in the distance. It is interesting however that we make out the faces first before everything else in the picture. I think this is due to our mental and visual tendency to just see faces and identify them before other things or body parts. It may also be due to the “F Viewing pattern” as we start off at the top left of the image and see a forehead and then a face. We tend to view pages in an "F" format starting from the top left.

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Success in any field in this day and age is based on technological means and dexterity

If you are a college student using an older slower computer (or you if you are a slower worker and are aware of less computer shortcuts) you will not be able to get your things done and move on as quick as your classmates who are using a faster one. If you work in sales or communications, you better be able to make great memos and showoff products that are new and appealing and products that get you where you want to be as quickly as possible while keeping up or rather going above and beyond the modern style.

My late professor Barbara Mack (RIP) highlighted this in many of her lectures in a Journalism and Mass Communication Course, the economic divide (between the rich and the poor) in this new age will be based on who is efficient at using technology and media to their advantage and who isn't. I think she is spot on with that, everything is based on web development these days.

Since I study journalism I think it is extra important for me to hone my skills in this field, especially in using the web wisely and efficiently and being able to generate traffic as quickly as possible. I used to view the world wide web as something for me to get into so I can have a Facebook or a Skype session with my friends, watch soccer highlights, get on Youtube or listen to music on Pandora. Now I know that even though the web is a great source of entertainment and keeping up to date, it is the most important place to develop career skills, share your views with the world, and make a name for yourself/ business and generate profit!