September 2, 2010 by Jeff
Recently, we were asked to submit a bid for a decently large-scale design job. The job entailed design work for 2 campaigns for the University of Alberta – two campaigns focused on sustainability. These campaigns needed branding as well as a variety of print and digital design.
The question we had was how to properly respond to a bid for a job focused on sustainability. We could go the paper route and use FSC-certified paper, but we decided to go one step further and create a one-page website as our “Expression of Interest”, or proposal. Our thought was to create an environmentally friendly proposal, and no printing = no trees. Our hope was that it would set us apart from the other design studios asked to bid on the campaigns, as well as showcase the fact that we’re already thinking environmentally.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The job went to another design group in Edmonton (I’m not sure whom, but I’m sure it was well-deserved).
These things happen with RFPs and the like; what can you do! Good news is, we thought that our web proposal was interesting enough that some of our readers might enjoy it; if you’re one of those people, click here to view the sustainability web proposal.
As you can see, we went with a natural/”green”-inspired design. We used some textures and distressing to replicate the look of print, combining that with some jQuery Tooltips to bring the interactivity of the web into play. We’ve stripped out personal information and numbers, but everything else remains unchanged from the proposal we sent in. Have a look and let us know your thoughts and what you might have done differently!
Category: Articles Tags: campaign, one page website, sustainability | Comments (0)
September 1, 2010 by Jeff
Happy birthday, us! That’s right, today marks Paper Leaf’s first birthday as a business, and we couldn’t be happier with how the first year went. We did a ton of work to be proud of, got to work with some awesome clients, and have developed a loyal readership on our blog. So, all in all, we have to thank all of you – both readers and clients – for making our first year so great. Thus, we’re running a month-long deal!
We are offering the following for the month of September:
20% off any 1 design service (50% deposit must be paid prior to Sept 30)
A free design evaluation/consultation of your choice (for example, let us look at your current website and we’ll suggest ways to improve it)
If you’re interested in either of these promotions, please jump on it quickly! We’re a small team and so we can only offer as much as we can keep up with. If interested, email us at info@paper-leaf.com.
You might also have noticed we refreshed our logo and have updated our print, web, and identity portfolios. It’s a day of celebration, that’s for sure. Thanks again to all of you, and back to regularly scheduled blogging this Friday for Found Fridays!
Category: Articles Tags: Happy Birthday Us! | Comments (0)
August 30, 2010 by Jeff
The print-only freelance designer is a dying breed. There, I said it. If you’re a freelance designer who doesn’t have web-related skills, you best add that arrow to your quiver or you’re going to be left in the dust. Now, it’s worth noting that I’m not saying “print design is dead” or “identity design is dead”. As long as there are businesses, artists, musicians and the like, graphic designers will be needed. However, freelance designers who only operate in the print realm aren’t long for this world.
The digital realm is growing and spreading, and at the expense of the print world. As the opportunities for print work shift over to digital work, so do those print jobs. The numbers show the shift: Amazon sold 143 ebooks for every 100 hardcover books in the second quarter of 2010. In the music industry, album sales fell 12.7% in 2009 while digital singles rose 8.3% and digital albums rose 16.1% (source). These are only two industries, but two big ones – and they point towards the growing trend towards digital over print. It should be noted that overall, people still currently buy more physical albums and physical books, so it’s not like we should erase the section of our brains that holds our print design information right now. However, the numbers don’t lie: digital is growing, print is declining.
Hit the jump for the full article! (more…)
Category: Articles, Design Tags: death of print, death of print designer, death of print-only freelancer | Comments (2)
August 9, 2010 by Jeff
Like many of our readers, we end up doing quite a bit of work for smaller businesses. Personally, I love working with small businesses: you usually have one solid contact, you can relate to one another, and you can usually skip the bureaucracy and red tape that sometimes comes with working for larger companies. However, the common downside is that small businesses might not have the budget to pay for a full identity overhaul – logo, business cards, print material etc. The result is that the designer may only work on a logo, or may work on the identity system in pieces. This is fine, but one trick we’ve learned that I’d like to share is something we call “designing past the logo”.
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Category: Articles, Design, Tips Tags: designing past the logo, identity system design | Comments (0)
July 26, 2010 by Jeff
Freelancing has its ups and downs. We get the freedom to make our own schedule, but we don’t have steady paycheques all the time. We are our own bosses, but in reality, our clients are our bosses. Making the jump to freelancing or running a small business is a scary thing, but the best part about it is that, by and large, we get to make our own decisions and take advantage of the benefits of that. One pro that I’m experiencing right now is working remotely.
Working remotely – aka from a remote location, or a location other than your usual work place – is the stuff of legend amongst freelancers and small business owners. We long for the beach and a laptop, checking our email, watching our business grow while we sip on margaritas. While this may not be an entirely accurate picture, working remotely definitely has benefits and is easier than you might think to achieve.
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Category: Articles, Business Tags: benefits of freelancing, working remotely | Comments (0)
