Here we are. The half-way point. I always thought I might get here, but had no idea how the journey might play out. Somehow in my heart I new I had a couple hundred ideas in there somewhere, but didn’t realize what it would take to get them out in a concentrated dose.
So here we go. It’s now 2012 and the start of another new year. What better way to begin this next 12 months than a personal design challenge and goal to create some new work and perhaps grow a bit creatively? I can’t think of any. Perhaps I’m a bit cloudy still from the holidays.
Icons have been around for a very long time. You can probably trace back some of the original icons back in to the Egyptian hieroglyphics. And just like today, they all represent specific concepts and information. They can give you directions, highlight information, tell you what something is and in some cases, even keep you from seriously hurting yourself.
I’ve touched on this subject before, but I thought maybe a refresher was in order. Keeping a sketchbook around for jotting down ideas, pasting in notes or otherwise affixing your thoughts into a hardbound repository is an excellent habit to get into. It helps you organize your concepts, works out the visual cues and lets you refer to ideas that may be appropriate for your current project. Most of all, it gives your brain a rest so you can work on more pressing things, like finding your car keys.
Today, I thought I would have a little ‘show and tell’. This week, I received a package from my uncle containing a very interesting and nostalgic piece of family artwork. You see, my great grandfather Nels was a commercial illustrator that worked for one of the many Northern California fruit packing label companies back in the early portion of the 1900s (seems kinda weird to say it that way now).