stencil no. 3

Ooops, I did it again... I stenciled a wall!

Stenciling's got me hooked. I love it.
If you asked me, it's a pretty economical way to dress up those white walls that can easily become boring and that horrify me. Love wallpaper? Can't afford it? Stenciling is a pretty good alternative for wallpaper in my opinion.

The process to make your own stencil isn't that complicated (this comes from someone with quite some experience handling the exacto knife).  It took me a few YouTube videos only to get it. Depending on how thick the Acetate is, the paint might cause it to curl up, wich makes this stenciling thing tricky. It's a little time consuming waiting for it to dry completely before re-using it again (what I do) or you could continue stenciling away without waiting for this as long as you are really careful to place the stencil flat on the wall and making sure there are no drippings on the back of it. Quite tricky, I know.

So here it is, my very third stenciled wall. I used a cool color this time just because I want to get me out of my confort zone with warm colors. The only thing is: that bold RED couch in the living room is out of tone now!  But that can easily be fixed with a sofa cover I guess.

Take a look at Stencil No. 2.

Stencil No. 3 A Moroccan pattern with seaport blue paint.

Boring wall before stencil...

This is the type of art...

...that brightens up my day.
I thought I should share. ...After so long of inactivity around here!
You can find out more about Conrad Roset and his amazing work on his website!

A little Awareness work

One of the first assignments given to me a few months back -- a book cover design for the employee cookbook that Women's Health Advantage put together to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness. Three months later, I can say that the project is finally finalized!

It certainly feels good to cross items out of your mental pending list, but most importantly it feels good to see one's designs going towards causes like this. I'm not only happy to be part of the agency that made this possible -- Ad Lab Advertising, but also honored to be part of such nice projects like this.

In order to make the printing of this book possible and affordable, Women's Health Advantage decided to use an online service dedicated to the printing of personal cookbooks. This made possible for the  book to be only 10 dollars with 5 dollars being donated to the American Cancer Society!

How to say goodbye?

How to say goodbye to a distinguished professor that has dedicated twenty-five years of his life to education and has written over thirty books isn't the challenge... The challenge is to summarize all of this on a poster piece...
Another freelance project I am working on and one that I cannot wait to see all finished and hung at the  library!

Another freelance job in process.

A day in the life of a designer... at an Advertising Agency.

I remember my early days working for a small newspaper in town -- a lot of what I did was placing ads created by outside advertising agencies. Whenever I had the opportunity to help the in-house designer with a new ad (from scratch), it was really exciting! I remember feeling a thousand butterflies in my stomach. Literally. It was like waiting in line for a roller coaster ride. I knew the challenge would take me all the way to the top at times and at other times, right to the bottom. 

It's been two and a half months since I started working for an Advertising Agency and there had been instances when I think about those days. Not necessarily because I feel the exact amount of butterflies, but because I remember how I told myself that one day I would be the one designing those ads. I guess it's time to put a check mark next to that thought I put in my head back then...

While this job can be fast paced at times, I try to enjoy every single piece I work on everyday. Whether it's a simple update, a black and white ad, a promotional poster, a brochure for a venue, a logo design or even a book cover I try to give the same treatment to each of these projects. I believe you can show a lot to your client by the way you design for them. You can show them that you respect them and appreciate their business no matter how big or small their business is. Yes, it is true that you are going to prioritize and invest more time (and money) with those big clients, but taking good care of those other ones in the same manner won't hurt. I guess this way of thinking's got something to do with my work ethic. I want to believe this is the way it should be. 

So why did I deviate so much in this post??
My main intention was to give you a look at a glance of what a five-hour day looks like in the ad agency world!

Some of the projects I worked on last week in one of my six-hour days

Spicing it up

I believe that in this field, it is good to spice it up with random projects where one doesn't have to sit in front of the computer for long hours.

The project: Four table tops that needed hand-painted unique/custom designs. Tables will go to a brand-new coffee shop/lounge area in a law firm building complex in the downtown area.

The challenge: partnering with a fellow student/co-worker and make this project a success. I would take care of two table tops and she would take care of the other two.

After a few meetings and a couple of reviews to the designs presented to the client, one of the designs I presented was chosen. After sixteen hours and a minor color revision by the client, my first table top was finally done.

The second table top went quite faster than the second one with a very minor color revision that the client suggested. I was glad that this table top was requested to be closer to my original design idea. It was fun to work with warmer colors with a pinch of girlyness.

I cannot wait to see all the four tables together in their natural environment-- surrounded by people, laughter and coffee!

Quick recount of the past two months working on this awesome project below!

Table Number 1.

Table Number 2!

A week after, the protective sealant is applied to the table tops.

An infographic to laugh about.

I had never laughed as hard reading an infographic as I did last night. 

The World Reduced to Infographics is without any doubt a MUST have for a designer.*  Not only the Infographics' design and layout are great, but the subject-matter is hilarious!

I think this can be a good treat for those I'm-tired-of-staring-at-the-screen-get-me-outta-here sort-of-moments. I know it will be for me and it couldn't have come in a better time; the new job office's shelves need some serious TLC.

Did I mention the hubby is the one to thank for such nice gift?

*Disclaimer. The author of this blog is, in no way, compensated by the author or publisher of this book. The opinions expressed in this blog are solely of the blogger and the blogger only. No animals were harmed in the writing of this blog.

A project to resume.

It's been over two years since I started a really exciting project involving line art. I hadn't had the opportunity to mention it in any of my posts before, so I decided that today was the day.

I've been working with Dr. Alan Sandstrom and his wife, Pamela Sandstrom in the production of line drawings of their sacred cut-paper figure collection from an Aztec Indian Village in México [created for curing and crop-fertility rituals by indigenous ritual specialists in the Huasteca region of eastern Mexico]. These adorable and intricate paper cut figures will become part of an extended collection in a nationally recognized library. This is definitely a meaningful project which I am really excited to be part of.

I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Alan Sandstrom back in 2009, after his book Corn is Our Blood had been accepted for translation by Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social in Mexico. I helped with the generation of line drawings of pre-existing pieces for the book through University Relations and Communications at IPFW. The experience was exciting and challenging -- it was the first time I had to work with line art of such nature!
I never imagined that such experience would transcend and impact my career in such great way.
Although, I had to put this project on hold due to the hectic semester I had with my senior project, I'm glad that it will soon resume and will give me a bit more variety during my creative day.
And while I cannot post any of the actual work in this blog without asking Dr. Sandstrom first, I can share the translated book I received in the mail last year, El maíz es nuestra sangre. It was such a surprise and honor to find my name within the credits in the book!

I don't know what life has in store for me, but I believe that if I embrace every single opportunity I come across with passion, dedication, and optimism, whatever that is, will make me really satisfied.

River Fest 2012

RiverFest is around the corner!
I cannot address enough how much fun this event is. {I not only get to enjoy the many family-friendly activities by the river, but I also get to be a tiny part of the whole marketing campaign}. This will be the third year that IPFW hosts this amazing event and I can only say: I can't wait! Every year gets better, and the best part is... It's free for the public and runs from 9 am to midnight! This June 23rd, grab your sunglasses, pack some sunscreen, and head up to the IPFW campus. I promise you won't be disappointed.

This year's kiosk display, I'm proud to say, was all on my plate. Next time you visit the Glenbrook Square Mall, don't forget to check it out and grab your River Fest schedule of events.

Will I see you at RiverFest?

Life is simple.

Ever since I came across the Holstee's Manifesto I have striven to live by its words. I do believe that life is simple and one should not complicate it with unnecessary drama, unreasonable expectations, unhealthy feelings or grudges. So, when I learned about Holstee's project: My Life, I wanted to send them my two cents right away. I am glad I did. It feels really good to become part of (even a little tiny part) and to spread the word about this amazing celebration of life.

IU mentions my story

It certainly feels good to have IU mention my success story on their Home Pages.

I have finished college, now what?

{proceed with caution: no design material in this post}

I'm happy and anxious to start a new chapter with Ad Lab, an advertising agency here in town. It is a small firm which, in my opinion provides a great opportunity for me to better show my talents and perhaps even grow. I am nothing but thankful that this opportunity came to me at the right moment -- I certainly didn't want to deal with the joy of being out of the market for a long time.

While I sit here writing, I can't help but thinking about what I heard someone said a few years back -- "I don't think you're advertising-agency material". I guess we'll be finding out...
It is interesting to think about how, for the last 25+ years whenever someone has doubted me, I've taken it to heart. It somehow becomes a challenge that I am always willing to take upon... it's the fuel that keeps me going I guess.

The newspaper coverage about my success story was pretty amazing. It has been so nice to receive e-mails from co-workers and friends letting me know they saw my picture on the paper and expressing how happy they are for me. I am not going to lie... It feels pretty awesome!
If interested in reading the article online here is the link: Ana's success story.
Once someone told me that I was going to be famous. While an article on the paper is far from that thought, I feel in my heart I already am!

I am that immigrant.

Although they don't mention my name, it feels good to be recognized. Now, if only my mom could be with me to celebrate...




You might also like: I have finished college, now what?

a different layout

I am done with classes and technically with college (it seams like yesterday when I decided to go back to college). I am really excited about what's in store for me out there in the real world and although I've had better nights for the last couple of weeks, I still can't go to bed without a project or homework jumping in my mind. This time, my homework has been to update my website (online portfolio) and resumeé, which I completely underestimated. So from time to time, I remind myself that it's not all about homework anymore. I need to step aside and take care of things that are part of life, like cooking, cleaning, playing, planning a trip, and of course
trying a different layout for the furniture around the house!

stenciling away...Stencil No. 2

There is something about stenciling that I find quite fascinating.
I adventured to stencil a second wall around the house last December.  I think the results were quite impressive and I cannot wait to do another stencil project in the bathroom... oooh I think I'm becoming obsessed with stenciling!