Design work for a cause

Because of all the design work we do on invitations and other party materials at Vivid City, I was contacted by a good friend to pitch in on another project, Hope for Jess. It's an Etsy site in honor of Jessica Oldwyn. Jess is a friend of a friend (who I actually had the pleasure of meeting last weekend) who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2010.

Jess is an inspiring young woman who has grace, perseverance, and an amazingly positive attitude. Because of this, her friends have donated money, time, and materials to set up an Etsy shop to help raise money to cover some of Jess' mounting medical costs.

Etsy banner, designed by Vivid City

And what's the best part? They are selling prints and unstretched giclee canvas prints that are Jess' own creation, called "Hope".

The prints are available in their Etsy Shop. Learn more about Jess and her journey on the Etsy site, and on her blog, which is a really great read.

Color!

I'm always interested in how advertising and marketing uses color to enhance, clarify, and create campaigns. In my past life as a photography buyer, I spent so much time doing photo research that I could pick out where most images in print campaigns I'd see around town came from. I am still on the email lists of quite a few stock photography houses, and I just recently received a case study from Aurora Photos about a campaign they did for a neighborhood bank in Maine. They did TV ads, print ads, brochures, and other collateral. I think the campaign has so much vibrancy and energy that they would have missed with a "quieter" color palate. The bank has even reported a direct return on investment. Check it out!

Winter Song

I am a huge fan of Ingrid Michaelson. I went to her concert about a year ago, and she is fantastic.

About the same time last year, I came across a song called "Winter Song" that she did with Sara Bareilles. The song is really beautiful, and the video for it is so ridiculously cute. I love the old-time movie reel effect, and the animation is so simple and fun to watch.

Given that it seems like it will never be sunny in Seattle again, this seemed like the right thing to post on a rainy, cold, windy day like today. Enjoy!

Drumroll Please............

Sorry for the long hiatus on the blog. I've been cooking up some new ideas lately, and I'm ready for the big reveal. 

I've been lacking in creative inspiration recently, and decided I wanted to get back into doing some creative work on the side--writing, editing, design, various artistic endeavors, etc. 

The first step in this process was starting this blog. I've since bought the rights to a website, and am turning Vivid City Creative into a catch-all business for all my freelance work. 

Most recently I've been working on a line of original, hand-drawn and hand-painted greeting cards. They're the perfect way to combine writing, design, art, and more all in one product! I love them for their simplicity. 

Although the website is still in the works, I've posted the first of my cards for sale on Etsy. Check them out! There will be more to come soon! I'm looking into doing hand-painted stationary/notecards as well!