I watched the season premier of V last night and loved it. There was a lot going on in one episode even though it seemed a bit rushed at points I thought the characters and the acting was awesome.
I was just giving it a chance. I said if this first episode sucks I won't be dvring it again but since it was extremely awesome I will be looking forward to watching it on Tuesday Nights.
Freelance life can be tough. Long gaps between commissions. Accounts departments who just can't seem to find your invoice. Not to mention the ever-present need to get your work seen by the people who count.
Jonny Wan, a freelance illustrator from Sheffield, knows all about that. A graduate of the Manchester School of Art, he's constantly striving to ensure his unique illustrative style (think abstracted facial expressions, patterns, symmetry and hand-drawn lettering) snags the attention of creative directors everywhere – and he does so via Business Cards and Postcards from MOO.
MOO first caught his eye at his university degree show, where he noticed that all the students' cutest promo materials were produced by the same company – MOO! Then we tempted him with a free Business Card sample, giving him a chance to try our ordering software ("simple, logical and gives the user complete control") and evaluate our print quality and finishing ("very pleasing"). Duly hooked, Jonny ordered a set of Postcards and some Business Cards featuring a range of his work, and is preparing to send them off to art directors as we speak.
As an illustrator, working in a visual medium, presentation is very important to Jonny. "I like to make little promotional packs of my postcards and business cards", he says. "I send them out packaged in self-seal clear bags. It's good to put real thought into how the art director receives your promo materials – it's boring to just whack some cards in an envelope."
Like many creative types, Jonny's happiest when he's working, even between commissions. An example of this is his self-initiated "Can't Afford It" project. Whenever he wants an item of clothing he can't afford, he draws it instead! Eventually to be self-published as a book, working like this helps him improve his work rate, hone his Photoshop and Illustrator skills, and keep his unique style fresh and ever-evolving.
No matter how his style develops, MOO's short print runs means that his promotional materials are always in step with his latest work. "As an illustrator, your style is always changing and improving. The last thing you want is to end up with a thousand cards of the same design. You need to keep existing and future clients up to date with your freshest, latest work, because essentially they will hire you based on what they see on your promo material. It's no good for an art director to commission you only to find that your illustrative style has changed or moved on." He laughs. "After all, you wouldn't be happy buying a Jay-Z CD to find a Metallica disc inside, right?"
When designing his cards, Jonny also took advantage of a new feature that allows users to upload images for both the front and the back of the Business Cards. "Anything that gives you more options allows room for creative control – and it's that kind of flexibility that keeps me coming back to MOO. The ability to upload images for both sides of the Business Cards enables you to make the cards completely unique."
"A business card is usually the first point of contact between a new client and an illustrator, so it's important your card jumps out at people while being straight and upfront with your contact details. The fact that the cards can be individual rather than generic also gives a sense of professionalism – people can be impressed that you've put the effort into designing your own cards. A little effort can go a long way."
Jonny's constantly thinking of new ways to promote his work using MOO products. "I love the Stickers – I can see them being a very unique selling point. They're a little different and unexpected, which is beneficial in an industry where everyone strives to promote themselves in a unique way."
MiniCards appeal to him for the same reason. "MiniCards are great because they get straight to the point and don't take up a lot of space. Art directors get bombarded with samples every morning. They open their mail and have to make snap decisions about what to keep and what to chuck."
"They're more likely to pin a MiniCard onto their noticeboard than, say, a leaflet, because they know it won't take up a lot of space. And if your work's on their noticeboard, they're more likely to bear you in mind when it comes to commissioning. And that's what it's all about!"
Thanks for talking to us Jonny! We look forward to seeing more of your work soon.
Like Jonny's work? He's available for commissions so get in touch, and say hello from us too.
I miss NYC I don't want to live there, it's too cold but if I could teleport myself there to grab some food and have an entertaining night I would. I found a place I'd love to try next time I'm there. The Momofuku Milk Bar.
Owner and Chef Christina Tosi does some very interesting things with commercial food treats.
Her Compost Cookie is a chewy-crunchy, salty-sweet, hot mess of corn flakes, coffee grounds, graham cracker crumbs, potato chips, and butterscotch chips. I can't imagine what it taste like but the potato chips must give it that saltiness that combinds with the sweet. I'd sure love to try it. If anyone has tried it what does it taste like?
They also serve a fruity pebbles and marshmellow cookie only on Saturday's and Sundays. This is also quite interesting but this one seems very sweet. I'm sure kids love it and perhaps that is why they serve it only on the weekends. Tosi is like what would happen if willy wonka was a pastry chef.
Another Item I would be dying to sink my sweet tooth into is the candy bar pie. This thing is glorious. I don't even have to taste it to know it would be one of my favorite pies of all time. I mean look at it, it's a mound of all kinds of candy bar parts topped with chocolate and pretzles. This is what dreams are made out of, or atleast my dreams.
The thing Christina Tosi is most famous for is her cereal milk which she makes by toasting corn flakes and steeping them in sweetened milk, and is used to flavor soft-serve ice cream, milk, and pie. It is said to be so flavorful. It probably brings back childhoos memories, of slurping the last little bit of milk out of the cereal bowl.
My inner child is screaming for joy next time I'm in NYC. I am making a beeline to the milk bar.
Go forth and fill your libraries with media.
Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.
I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.
I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.
Cheers,
* Watched parts of America's Next Top Model inbetween the guys watching the magic game and the world series.
* ANTM Erin is a brat, Sundai is starting to look like Tyra's favorite, the redhead is still kicking ass.
* Magic Won! Go Magic!
* Guys played poker into the wee hours of the night/morning and ate the halloween candy
* Wasn't able to watch top chef but I accidentally read a spoiler, still interested to see how the show went.
* Woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday, rolled over, went back to bed which caused me to be late to work this morning.
* Lost a pair of earings somewhere in the house, I hope I find them before the vacuum does.
* Cleo must have ate something she didn't agree with, she puked a little on the carpet last night, this morning she seems better. This reminded me that it is time to steamclean the carpets again.
* You burn 158 calories in 45 minutes of vacuuming, and only 19 calories for 45 minutes of sexual activity. You may not burn as many calories but it sure is a hell of a lot more fun.
After giving you the story behind Perch's MiniCards, we thought we should catch up with photographer, Simon Warren. Also featured on our MiniCards page, he's been taking advantage of the latest features and comparing them with the larger Business Cards he's been using (and loving) for a while. Here's what he had to say:
Simon Warren is one of the UK's top location photographers. He's been using MOO's Business Cards to showcase his outstanding graphic images: bold exteriors, sleek interiors, arresting construction shots and more.
Though happy with the size and scope of the Business Cards, he's recently been experimenting with MiniCards, with positive results.
A hardcore Business Card fan, Simon was initially worried by the slimmed-down dimensions of the MiniCards (about half the size of a full-size business card.)
"At first, I was concerned that the cards would be simply too small to showcase my photos effectively", he explains. "But actually, this can work very well. The cards show snippets of images – almost abstract – giving a hint of information, but (quite literally) not the full picture."
Rather than being a hindrance, this fits well with other design aspects of his brand. "My website works in exactly the same way – visitors are shown an interesting or intriguing section of an image, which they click to see in full. It’s a simple but effective way to get people involved and interacting with my work."
He also likes the impact the MiniCards can have when shown together. "Once you have a whole bunch of cards spread out on the table, the viewer is able to get a better impression of your work than a single image can provide, so that's how I like to show them. Then I let the viewer choose whichever one they want. The fact that they've been involved in the choice often helps them remember your work better than if you simply thrust a card into their hand.
"I often refer to my MOO Business Cards as my ‘mini-portfolio’. My MiniCards are now my mini-mini portfolio!" he laughs. "Sometimes when you're carrying a full set of business cards around in a holder, it can be a little clunky. At a very basic level, they're physically easier to carry around with you. As a photographer, you carry so much equipment with you - that's a big plus."
Simon's also pleased with his MiniCard holder. "It swings open sideways and then you push the cards out with your thumb. It's unusual and I think people like that.
"At networking events so many people are handing out conventional business cards in conventional holders. Sometimes that's what you want, but other times it's good to stand out a little. MiniCards can help you do just that."
Thanks for chatting with us Simon!
Find out more about Simon's work, or check out his portfolio.
As you are probably aware, Royal Mail have scheduled further strikes this week. Please note this only affects "Standard" delivery to UK addresses, not Express.
Local delivery services and the sorting office at Royal Mail HQ will be closed this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We want to make sure that your order doesn't get caught in the backlog and we have some alternatives for you to think about when placing your order.
Express
At checkout, you can choose our Express service. This is a guaranteed, signed for service, which is totally unaffected by the strikes. UK Express starts at £10 and is definitely value for money. You will be able to track the delivery online and the service is 1-3 days guaranteed (once shipped).
Collection
During the strike action, we are offering a special collection service. If you are based locally to our Clerkenwell warehouse in London, please send us your order number via the contact form, quoting COLLECTION in the subject line. We'll then flag your order for collection and give you instructions on how/where to collect your order. This is for a limited time only, so be sure to get your order in ASAP!
In the meantime, fingers crossed for a speedy resolution to these disputes.
Today I mostly relaxed recovered from Saturday. I took friends to Epcots Food and Wine Fest in the hot heat. Yes it was hot. The high was 88 which wasn't bad really but when your drinking around the world you can get dehyrdated quickly. A stop in the air conditioning watching an 18 minute movie in France and drinking a bottle of water helped fix that. The sun was pretty hot and I did manage to get a little red on the face and chest, not sun burn just a little color.
I'm going to do a whole write up of the food and the event later but one thing I want to say is that there was something that was also interesting to me besides the food and wine and beer. The design behind the food and wine fest. They had these neatly designed banners than I thought were very awesome. Case in point New Orleans. See what they did there? They used the inspiration of French New Orleans a common symbol the Fleur de Lis and used that to stylize the crawfish. So simple yet a splash of brilliance.
Nick wasn't able to go as planned so it was just me and the friends and by 6:30 he was calling me asking me if I wanted to go to the wrap party for the short film he has been working on. I haven't got to really hang out with him in 2 weeks, We were nearing the end of our journey at epcot, one small problem my friends picked me up and they weren't planning on leaving until 9pm, So I asked Nick if he could swing by and pick me up. He did but this means I would have no time to get ready I had to go downtown as is. I was regretting wearing jeans ealier in the day but now I was glad, I wish I had other shoes besides sneakers and I wish I could do my hair and put on make up but I couldn't. So I ran a brush through my hair and put on some flavored colored chapstick. Thank god my deoderdant was still working.
We went downtown to the wrap party where caught my second wind. We started at an irish bar where I was successfully able to identify the swords on the wall, and prove to the guy next to me that no that is not "Bravehearts, sword" as he said it was which he didn't even know that bravehearts sword is a Claymore nor did he know how big those period of claymores where, nor did he realize that William Wallace is scottish not Irish.
I think I realized something though. I had survived a long day at Epcots food and wine fest, and had made it to a wrap party downtown as I watched some of these guys do tequilla shot after tequilla shot I realized that sometimes we are so rushing to the finish line and for this guy the finish line may have been met with a meeting with the porcelian god. But sometimes the most fun is somewhere in the middle. I have to remember that, I have to remember not to get to carried away sometimes.
Bad news. As many of you have probably noticed, the Amazon Conduit was not fixed in the last week's release. Unfortunately, there was an undetected bug that is preventing the conduit from working.
We are working on this bug fix and hope to have the Conduit back up and running this week.
I will keep you posted.
Thank you for being so patient.
