... cuz what else are you going to do?

Nothing.

When you decided to be a business owner, or a highly dedicated employee, or even an intern at a start-up internet company, you made the commitment to delay other activities which you may enjoy more: golfing, shopping, watching Heroes...whatever it may be. You could do any one of those things now if you wished. However, business doesn't wait patiently for you to do the fun things and then sign on your dotted-line. Business is a constant. Always available, always looking for your service/product. Go get it. Now. It's Time for Business. 

To borrow an idea from a gentleman much wiser than myself:

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” - Jack London

"You can't wait for business. You have to go after it with a club." -Huy, Bonsai Media Group

Peas and Carrots,

SEO Grasshopper

    As an Interactive Media Designer I often get the question "So Interactive Media…. what exactly do you do?" Up until about 2 years ago I would direct people to various examples of my work on the internet or try in varying degrees of success to tell them what it is I do. Then I did what all tech savvy, geeked out, people in the design field did. I bought an iPhone. The iPhone has revolutionized the way I share my work with people away from a computer. From storing my T-shirt designs in my Photo Library to keeping iPhone compatible versions of my motion graphics projects in my iPod feature, I try to utilize every aspect of the iPhone to turn it into my own mobile portfolio. The biggest upside? It's with me all the time. Even at the bar where I just ran into a business owner who is unhappy with her website's design and functionality and is looking to make a switch.

    I've never met another designer that has taken the time to set up their iPhone to make it work for them. In fact, if you're in graphic design, web design or motion graphics and you have an iPhone and you aren't using it as a personal portfolio and sales piece you are out of your mind. Personal devices like the iPhone that allow you to keep examples of your work at the touch of a finger are going to set you apart from the designer with only a business card that likely gets logged away in a wallet.
    I personally keep my phone branded and positioned to sell my services as a designer, screen printer, and motion graphics animator. I usually have between 3 and 4 wallpaper images that I optimize for display on the iPhone. I can cycle through these images depending on where I'll be and to whom I'll be talking to. That sets the stage. Then I keep a log of all the shirts I have designed, (whether they get printed or not), logo's, website comps, and flyers in my Photo Library. This way if I meet someone who is interested in having a run of hoodies or T-shirts done I have a visual example of what Gryphen Graphics is capable of. I also keep my pricing guide on mobile.me as a .pdf so I can quickly and accurately give them a quote. Next I make sure to have all apps related to the services that Bonsai Media Group offers. Facebook mobile, TweetDeck, YouTube, and Safari usually suffice. This way When I run into the owner of the new bar down the street and get to talking about how he can use SEO, Social Media Marketing, and effective Web Design to drive local business to his bar, I have access to these apps and can demonstrate to him how it's done. Finally when I meet the business man who simply isn't impressed with static images of t-shirts and logo design I open the iPod feature of the iPhone to Videos and show him one of my motion graphics pieces which showcases the versatility and capability of Bonsai Media Group.
    When I bought the iPhone the first week it came out, I knew that it would primarily deal with software upgrades not hardware. In fact it hasn't changed much from what I call the "OG" (1st generation iPhone) to the 3G and 3GS except for the metal casing, which I favor over the latter. The nice thing about the iPhone is when the next one comes out you are not going to have to re-size, re-export or re-encode your files. Once you've got your mobile portfolio library built and optimized it's simply a matter of updating and adding new work.

    These are just 3 examples of ways that you can take casual conversation about your career and transition into the networking side of business just by being prepared to show somebody what exactly it is you do. I would strongly suggest putting in the time to design yourself a great looking business card and please, spend the money to have them done right. Even more impressive after a brief portfolio tour of your work is a business card that they can take with them that they will remember. It's all about separating yourself from the pack, finding your zag and I believe this can be a great compliment to any conversation a designer will have concerning the work they produce.

please feel free to ask questions, there are many ideas behind this strategy that I haven't thought of and for the better of the graphic design community we should hurl our thoughts, ideas and questions into the design-o-sphere.

The Zune, Microsofts mp3 player could be one of the coolest mobile devices. The Zune pass, Touch Screen, HD!, Marketplace, Playlists, Channels, sleek/intuitive user interface and Social aspect make it the best mp3 player. Being the best mp3 player is cool... but mp3 players are so 2003!  If the Zune wants a seat at the mobile device table, it needs to become a truly mobile device; a phone, like the iPhone. I have an iPhone and have for over a year now. I love it. It's the most revelutionary mobile device ever created. The applications assist users in many every day tasks.

In addition, for some reason, that only Microsoft knows, the Zune does not play well with Macs. Microsoft needs to figure out a way to make the Zune compatible with Macs, it's the only way they will have a chance to A) penetrate and capatilize on the opportunity and B) potentially bring past customers back to the PC side.

I wonder and hope Microsoft is working on developing a Zune phone. The opportunity they have has a ticking clock and the time may run out on their opportunity. Apple, Google, Samsung, Nokia, and the cornicopia (My buddy Rhode used cornicopia in every college paper, that one's for you Rhode) of other mobile device manufacturers. We shall see.

I'm signing off, out to San Diego in the morning and then up to Los Angeles for the week.

Jason LaBaw
Bonsai Media Group

One of the toughest challenges designers face today is keeping pace with emerging and evolving technologies. With the release of Adobe's Creative Suite 4(CS4) and the upcoming MAX convention I thought I'd share with you some tips that I've picked up about workflow between the Adobe programs. Two programs that I use daily are Photoshop and Illustrator. In fact using these programs together allowed me the control I needed to produce the design for the Bonsai website, Snohomish Artist Guild Video, and Bonsai Built It video. Here are a few tips for using Photoshop and Illustrator together, that I've picked up from Computer Arts.


-Sharing Swatches - Share the solid swatches you create by saving a swatch library for exchange. By doing this, it ensures that your colors are the same across all applications (as long as your color settings are sync'd up.) In the Swatches panel, create the swatches you wish to use then select 'Save Swatches For Exchange' from the Swatches panel menu. Now load the swatches in whatever program you wish. You can also create and share color group swatches by using the Kuler panel or the Kuler website at http://kuler.adobe.com (Excellent color resource)!

-Exporting layers to files - To export a variety of layers on the fly, you can export and save layers as individual files using a variety of formats including PSD, BMP, JPG, PDF and TIFF. A good use for this option is when the majority of your design is vector-based in Illustrator and you want to sue multiple raster images to aid your composition. To do this, go to File>Scripts>Export Layers to Files. Options to choose from include the type of file you want to export, its quality and its location.

-Using Photoshop artwork in Illustrator- Adobe Illustrator can both open or place Photoshop files, so you do not need to save or export your Photoshop image to a different file format. If you place an image into an open Illustrator file, you can either incorporate that image as if it were any other element in the artwork or you can maintain a link to the original file. Although you can't edit a linked image within Illustrator, you can jump back to Photoshop using the Edit Original command to revise it. Once saved, any changes you make are reflected in the version in Illustrator.

-Merge Smart Objects - Smart Objects are layers that contain image data from raster or vector images, enabling the preservation of an images's source content. There are several ways to create Smart Objects: by using the Open As Smart Object command; placing a file, pasting data from Illustrator; or converting one or more Photoshop layers to Smart Objects. To edit the Smart Object, select Layer>Smart Objects>Edit Contents, make your changes, save and it automatically updates.

-Vector paths from Illustrator to After Effects - Sophisticated shape paths in Illustrator can be used as invisible motion paths for animated objects in After Effects. Create your path shape in Illustrator. Select and copy it whilst After Effects is open. Create a new layer solid in your After Effects composition and paste the paths onto it to create your motion path. Paste any of these paths into the Position or Anchor Point properties for a layer.


Hopefully you find some of these useful in your everyday work. These tips are designed to shave time off your projects and increase workflow between these applications. Over the next few weeks I'll be blogging more about how you can improve your cross-media design skills using Adobe's CS4.

Elliott Omlin
Bonsai Media Group