Leo on the Loose

Two new weekly features

Happy Friday everyone! I am excited to announce that I will be introducing two weekly features. The first will be on Monday and I am aiming for the second one to be on Thursday. I am very excited about them both, but it is the Thursday one that has my desk covered in Post-It® notes.

+ second weekly feature - I have always been a little vague on this site, not going into too much detail about my freelance business, Vale Design. Yes, I have shared my finished projects, after all, this is a designer's portfolio site. However, I have never shared my personal design journey, my process and my freelance business discoveries along the way. Due to the fact that I have received an astounding number of emails regarding freelance questions, all of that is about to change.

**p.s.**Thank you to every person who visits this site. I am truly humbled by all of your comments and emails. When I started this a little over a year ago, I did not know if I would like being "on the grid." I am a very private person. Thank you for welcoming me and reaching out to me. I have "met" so many kind, talented people/designers. You have pushed me to work harder and trust just a little more. See you all here Monday! Happy weekend!

**p.p.s.** During March, I will be taking Fridays off from posting. I have some personal design projects that need some undivided attention, i.e., portfolio update, website re-design and diving into a special project.

{image credits f-l-e-x}

Vale Design Work: Bissell Pawsitively Clean

I worked on the Bissell Pawsitively Clean packaging as a freelance collaboration with the brilliant design firm, Evolve Creative in Chicago. I am so lucky that I have the opportunity to partner with talented firms who work with amazing clients. If you get a chance, definitely check out Evolve's copy. So funny! Really lends to the personality of the product. You can pick these products up now at Petco.

** I recently had the opportunity to test how well these products actually work. Thanks to my dog, I can personally attest to the strength of "dang."  

Work in Progress

Sorry for no post today. I am finishing up a freelance project. I will see everyone here on Monday! Have a great weekend! As the sign says, thank you for your patience!

Design Resource: Vectips

I am constantly on the look out for great design tutorial websites. Illustrator or Photoshop. I try to incorporate a new technique into every freelance project. This helps to keep my designs fresh and current, and also helps me to continue learning.

One of my favorite sites lately has been Vectips. This site is run and maintained by Ryan Putnam. "Vectips is a site dedicated to Adobe Illustrator® tips, tricks and tutorials. Whether you are a seasoned Illustrator user or just starting out, Vectips can help." I have found some very good advanced tutorials on here. Ryan, or Rype, also owns Rype Arts, designs for iStockphoto and can be found on Twitter. {Vectips posts great links via Twitter. In my opinion, a definite must follow for a designer.}

Happy VALEntine's Day everyone! ~ erin 

Vale Design Work: Jennifer D. Hughes

We were very excited and honored when fine artist/photographer Jennifer D. Hughes chose Vale Design to help her with her new business card design. We pulled out all the stops! Two color, double sided printing and rounded corners help show off this dynamic spirograph design and highlight the artist's signature on the back of the cards. Thanks Jennifer and we wish you all the best!

Nonpareil Online Magazine is LIVE

I am so excited! Nonpareil magazine, the brainchild of two of my favorite people, Maddy of Inspired Bride and Kristen of Paper Crave is live! I wish I was getting married all over again!

The first issue is Beauty on a Budget. It is chalked full of budget friendly ideas, from DIY FREE PRINTABLE wedding invitations all the way to favor ideas. {Yep, I said it, free printable wedding invitations}. I was honored to be a contributor for the very issue. My design work {printables in the downloads section} is featured with some truly creative women, Twig & Thistle, Carter and Cook, Posh Paperie, Cottage Industrialist, Bread of Many, Wiley Valentine, Jackie Wonders Photography, Roxanne Bradley, and The Floral Lab.

Congratulations ladies! It looks so lovely. I am so proud of both of you and continued success! ~ erin

ps The finch&hawk Printable DIY Gable Box - Scrolls was designed to pair with the Vale Design Swash Ornament invitation in the downloads section. I will be adding Nonpareil color choices to the Etsy listing very soon.

AIGA Aquent 2009 Survey of Design Salaries

Whether you own your own design business or work for someone else, it is always a good idea to stay in the know about design rates and salaries for your region and specific level {Solo Designer, Creative Director, Web Designer, etc.}. Every year AIGA and Aquent publish a Survey of Design Salaries. It is an intricate breakdown ranging from bullet point ideas from top design firm owners to compensation overviews and ranges broken out by design title. A definite must see if you are contemplating asking for a raise or if you are just checking that your rates are current for your area. Great design bookmark.

Click here for 2009.

{image credits AIGA and Aquent}

Unplugged - recharging your creativity

Good morning everyone! I am back from my project revisions and a mini four day trip. I have to be honest. I did not miss my computer, not one little bit! I had my crackberry and caught up when I wanted to, but it was so nice to give my brain and my creative side a much needed break. I LOVE working, please do not get me wrong. Packaging and design are my passions and are like breathing for me. However, the older I get, the more I appreciate those three to four quiet days that pop up just when I need them. I try to make them count. Sometimes I want to just be a wife. Get our home in order, run some errands for my husband. Bake and cook amazing things. Sometimes I want to be a daughter. Help my parents with any chores they do not have time for on an aging house. Eat lunches with my dad. Spend time catching up with my mom. Sometimes I want to be a sister. Learn what my brother is up to. Where he has been flying lately. What his new hobbies are. Sometimes, I want it to be quiet. Watch old movies in my pajamas. Walk the dog. Visit some type of art exhibit by myself or with a close friend. I let my mind wander to creative projects that I would like to try. Designs I would like to work out just for me. Below is a list of what I do on my creative vacations. They may be simple, but there is beauty in simplicity. All creatives work differently and I would love to hear your tricks or activities. You never know who you may inspire! What do you guys do to unwind and recharge your creative juices?

• sleep as much as I can
• watch old black and white movies on TCM {only from the 20's - 40's}
• run errands
• read as many books as I can get my hands on
• word searches
• watch the History channel to exercise the left side of my brain {obsessed with anything Einstein}
• make lists of creative projects that I would like to explore
• research new designers, firms, design books
• catch up with old and new friends {preferably handwritten letters}
• take as many trips as I can, both by car and by plane
• walk my dog
• create little surprise gifts or events for loved ones
• play as many practical jokes on people as I can
• color with my crayolas
• schedule lunches with friends
• design crazy "designy" letters to send to my nieces just like my designer uncle did for me
• visit book stores and plant myself in the middle of the art section for hours
• go for drives out in the country
• visit farmstands
• test out my new camera
• plan my next trip to Chicago {I start planning my next trip on my way home from the city!}
• let myself enjoy the silence
• cook and partake in big Italian family gatherings
• get far far away from my computer
• art projects that involve my hands {cutting, pasting, creating new dielines, creating anything 3D}
• planning my October and December festivities {my two favorite months}
• researching new freelance trends
• laugh as hard as I can at anything
• sit with the dog and some coffee and homemade soup and watch it rain

These are just some of the small activities I do to recharge. As any creative knows, you are not inspired all the time. You do not have anything to say verbally and visually all the time. When you do come back though, you are usually refreshed and inspired and begin to create your next batch of amazing designs. Thanks for letting me recharge. I hope to be back up and running with some new designs that have been floating around in my head very soon!

Work in Progress

Sorry everyone. I am finishing up a freelance project for a new client. As the sign says, thank you for your patience!

Brand Packaging Magazine Digital Edition

As we know, I am a huge fan of Brand Packaging Magazine. For a package designer, this is a great informational and visual resource and it is FREE! They have wonderful articles, are up to speed in all the latest design trends and keep you informed on national design conferences. This magazine is offered in both traditional paper form and a digital version. I prefer the paper version. {Don't worry, I recycle them when I am finished.} However, I was missing my August issue and I needed some design inspiration ASAP for my latest freelance projects. I went to their site and was very happy and surprised by the digital version of the magazine. The images are clear and it lets you zoom in very tight...plus it makes the cutest "turn the page" noise. If you are in a pinch and need a quick resource, definitely bookmark their site. You can also follow them on Twitter.

{image credits Brand Packaging Magazine}

Blog Out Loud interview

Want to learn a little more about me, my blog and my company? Then head to Blog Out Loud for my interview with Rebecca Orlov of Loving Living Small. {Click here to see pictures of the Blog Out Loud event!}

- Thanks Rebecca!

Vale Design Work: Moonbug Photography

I was honored when owner/photographer Sonja Clark chose Vale Design to help her update her company name and look from Bella Vita Images to Moonbug Photography. Sonja is an amazing person and outstanding photographer. She is calm, kind and has a unique gift for capturing a person's spirit.

She specializes in family, seniors, newborns, and birth photography. She is currently prepping to shoot school photos for a number of Indianapolis schools. These are not your run of the mill school photos with the goofy back drops and that plastic comb for your hair. She will be shooting over a couple of days and all the shots of the kids will be candids! How cool is that for a parent?! Examples of her school photography can be seen on her newly updated site. {Personally, her child shots are my favorites. Look at all their eyes. Beautiful!}  She is also working on her blog. This will showcase additional photo shoot images, personal photography and some tips here and there. Check back often! 

I designed an extensive logo exploration, seen here, and once branded we rolled the design onto a print promotion piece, business card design, gift certificate, watermark, website and blog. Soon we will be exploring some packaging options for her final photo deliveries.

Sonja is booking up very quickly, so please check her site and blog for her contact and availability. She is talented and someone I am honored to call friend and creative confidant.

Freakin To Do List notepads

When Rebecca Orlov of Loving Living Small approached me about a donation design item for the Blog Out Loud event that she is co-chairing, there was only one option to give. As she had already posted the Dreamy Blog Topics list online, I had the FreakinToDoList made into notepads and I could not have been happier with the end result!

Blog Out Loud is "a networking event for creative people to gather inspiration and information to start and maintain a creative blog with the goal of creating a presence online while connecting to community." There will be a panel of established bloggers there consisting of Sasha Wingate of Belljar, Anne Sage of The City Sage, Christina Coop of Clever Spaces, Cassandra LaValle of Coco+Kelley, Susannah Murdock of Petunia Face and Lynn Goldfinger of Paris Hotel Boutique. The event takes place Sunday, August 23rd in San Francisco at the Belljar at 5 pm. You can see full details and RSVP online at the BOL site. If you are in the area, hurry and sign up as space is limited.

**If I see enough interest in the printed FreakinToDo list notepads, I may put them in my shop.

Introducing: Vale Design Paper Goods

I am very excited to introduce my new shop, Vale Design Paper Goods. This store is a loving extension of my website, and showcases my passion for packaging, stationery and paper goods. It has been a secret project I have been busy working on for a couple of months. I was nervous to introduce it, but it has already been featured in pounced & found on Scoutie Girl!

This store features all printables, nothing will be shipped. The store offers stationery and three favor box templates: a standard Square box, a Gable box, and a Dome box. These templates are currently offered in multiple patterns, some in customizable colors and the Gable box {shown above} has editable type. I am working on new designs and they will be rolling into the store in the next couple of weeks along with some matching cards.

Having a package design background has allowed me the opportunity to design, re-work, and simplify some box templates. I have tried to make them very user friendly. I have also included a link in the sidebar for assembly instructions. It will walk you through all seven simple steps of assembly for the Gable and Dome box.

This project has been a labor of love and to everyone who helped, gave advice, posed for photoshoots, and just was there when I needed a boost of confidence, I can not express into words how much I appreciate it. {Special thanks to Kristen of Paper Crave for lending her eye and ear, my family, Ashlee M. for her support, and Lori of Fresh Picked Whimsy for her spirit, advice, and PDF testing.}

If you have some time, please stop over and check out the store. Thank you! - Erin

Stay up to speed with all of our DIYs, FREE Printables, Recipes, Inspirations and Personal Design Work. Click here to follow Vale Design. See you all back here tomorrow!

DIY: FREE printable Mini File Folder & Labels

I am in an organizing mood these days. After the list freebies that I posted earlier, I realized that I still have a lot of loose paper notes laying around and other miscellaneous pieces. I needed somewhere cute to store them. What is cuter than mini file folders?! These FREE PRINTABLE folders are roughly 4.5"x6". I have also included printable labels for the outside of the folders or just for around the house.

I am all about saving ink, so I made my folders out of reversible scrapbook paper that is cardstock weight. This way if I get tired of one design, I can just flip the folder inside out. These mini file folders would be great to hold notes, recipe cards, or seed info tags. They could also be used as gifts or cards. Just write a quick note or slip in a favorite picture.

Other design ideas:

• Print on plain cardstock and decorate with stamps or stickers.

• Scan your favorite fabric. Print fabric image on an 8.5"x11" piece of cardstock. Then print the folder dieline on the back of the page and trim.

Download MiniTabbedFolder here.

Download VintageLabels here.

COMMON SENSE RULE: PLEASE DO NOT COPY, REPRODUCE, MODIFY OR PROFIT FROM THIS DESIGN IN ANYWAY. {Cheating means we have to stop sharing. Please don't be that person.}

More images after the jump.

**Also listed on Craftig.

Humbled...

I am fairly new to the blogiverse, but this week has been humbling. There are so many talented and kind people out there who have featured and spoken kind words about some of my work this week. I want everyone to know I am truly humbled and I am a fan of all of your work. I have been a graphic designer for almost 10 years and in the past couple of months, I have seen and been in awe of many websites. It has revitalized my love, drive and passion for design. For that, I thank all of you! {Personal thanks to iDiY and PaperCrave.}

My family has a Mother's Day tradition. All the women get together and spend the day at an enormous greenhouse. My husband has a green thumb and sometimes he gets roped in to hanging out with all of us. Good man. In preparing for Mother's Day, he and I went on a research trip to a local greenhouse. Nature truly is humbling. Have a wonderful weekend! Happy Mother's Day!

 

VOTE FOR ME! {again}

Looks like one of my logos was accepted to printspiration.com. Vote for me! Click on the image or the link to get to the voting! Click on the VOTE section in the upper right near the hero shot. Don't forget to vote for the DIY Seed packets also. I am in second place on that one! Remember, you can vote numerous times! Thanks everyone!

CHEERS

DIY Favorite Stamp to a Vector Image

Can't find that perfect image? Try looking in the stamp section at your local craft store for inspiration! This technique was taught to me early in my career and I am passing it on to other designers. I have used this for wedding invitations, baby announcements, gift tags and for background patterns on some packaging projects. Get creative! 

**This tutorial uses Photoshop and Illustrator

Materials Needed - Favorite stamp and a dark ink pad

Stamp a couple of options to see which version you would like to use.

Scan. I usually scan the images in at 1200 dpi. Ridiculously high, but it will catch all the detail.

Open in Photoshop and choose which version you would like to use for your final. I chose the first leaf on the left.

Adjust the brightness contrast and levels to get the image to a desired darkness. Use the magic wand tool and select the dark section. Then in Photoshop under the Select option, choose select similar. This will grab onto all the dark areas with the "dancing ants." Go to the path palette and select the make work path from selection option. Save this work path to Path 1. Pull down File and go to Export. Now Export paths to Illustrator. Open Path in Illustrator.

The image is usually in the crop marks, but I have also seen instances where I have had to zoom way out to find the image. Select the image. Under Pathfinder, select the exclude overlapping shape areas tool. Expand. All the areas should knock out.

Now you have a vector image that you are free to change the colors to and use in any way your imagination sees fit!

CHEERS

Mini-Marathon DIY Pasta Project

We have a friend who will be running in the Indianapolis Mini-marathon this weekend. My husband and I have run this 13.1 mile race before and it is so much fun! They have bands and people cheering on the sidelines for you the entire time. You even have the opportunity to run around the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway! We were trying to think or something fun and inspiring to give to him for good luck. What could be better than a pasta dinner?! The recipe is on the back of the sauce jar and a personal note is on the back of the pasta jar. I purchased these inexpensive smooth ball jars at Hobby Lobby and the tri-color pasta from Whole Foods. The sauce is a Giada De Laurentiis receipe. It is super easy. Good Luck Henry!

CHEERS

VOTE FOR ME!

Super excited to find out that my DIY SEED PACKETS [both designs] were suggested and accepted to printspiration.com. Vote for me! I will shamelessly plug myself! Click on the image or the link to get to the voting! I think you click on the VOTE section in the upper right near the hero shot. Thanks everyone!

CHEERS

Merchandise Catalog {freelance work}

I am so excited to be able to share this freelance project with you. I loved every step. It is a merchandise catalog that was done as a support piece to a magalog that I had also collaborated on. The client was amazing and the design firm that I worked with, Evolve Creative, is a talented and friendly bunch. Definintely one of my favorites to have the opportunity to work with. Below are some category dividers and spreads. This piece will also be featured in my Portfolio under the Print section. Have a great weekend!

CHEERS