How To Create An Inspiring Office

Busy busy busy. I'm behind on lots of things, including decorating my office. Currently, my biggest concern is the blank walls. It's just so colorless and bland! But how could I go about decorating on a budget when I can't even slot a time to paint something original?

You guys have any ideas? I suppose I could bring things in from home, but remember, it's a temporary office! If it weren't, I'd definitely be putting in more shelving space, a comfy rug, and wall art, a fridge, microwave... The list would go on and on. The only decorative elements I have are some fake flowers, an inexpensive frame with a photo of my little one when she even tinier, and a file box with a floral pattern on it. See below.

I'm thinking of getting some easy to put up decals. I can design them online and then get them cut with a local guy who has a cutter. But that still cost money... Below is a shot of the sewing area.

What do you think? Should i bother to decorate a temporary office, or just wait to see if business picks up more and pretend it's a pretty space?

Design, Office Space, and Quilts!

As a busy designer, mom, and wanna-be fashionista, I need a breather! But as they say, "there's no rest for the wicked!" Not sure if I'd completely categorize myself as wicked but I've been working as a graphic designer and social media guru for a wonderful company called Fabric Lovers. They sell lots of cute 100% cotton fabric (check out their Riley Blake collection, my fave) and I've been trying to bring in more work.

Check out my new website! RoblesDesigns.com is where my work is now residing (or will after I upload all of it). I now offer web design and creation on top of all the other design work I do - like print graphics, signage, etc. I manage social media sites and have to constantly stay in the know of fads so I read blogs, watch trends... I know right! Lucky!

For the Fabric Lovers company, I'm also crating a quilt! Yay! I get paid to sew something cute! I've been a bit slow but have created video content and will continue to write blog articles on DIY projects for their blog.

I also built this site for The Flourish Center. Still needs tweaking, but we'll get there! Looking for more web work, so if you know anyone, and they mention this blog, they get a discount!!! Yay!

Have I told you that I have an awesome mom? Yes. In order to save a bit of money this summer, we're paying her to watch my daughter. She's been staying with us but will sadly have to go home sometime in August. She's been a great help while I juggle a full-time job, a design business, an Etsy store, and whatever is thrown at me (sometimes literally but that's usually my daughter).

Stay tuned for a peek at my temporary office (and why it's only temporary) as well as decorating it on a budget!

DIY Painted Pinecone Wreath

Hello all!

Simply get some spray paint, hot glue, and thread of the same color as the paint. And some pinecones from your back yard.

I spray-painted the pinecones then sat down to glue them on while watching television. They were tied down with the thread to make it more sturdy. Done!

Check out more images at my etsy store. Have a lovely day!

Lioness Charcoal Drawing

Hello Lovelies!

Check out my latest addition to my Etsy store. I seem to be really into lions at the moment. Haha!

My Bag On Etsy Sold!

Hello my Lovelies!

I just sold another item on Etsy! Yay for me!

In case you can't tell, I'm extremely excited. It was the bag pictured in a previous post. A newer bag you might not have seen is this mustard and gray one. Really nice bag and I think the wooden button detail really makes the bag complete. Well, it's time to pack and ship off my green bag to a lucky someone! Goodbye my lovelies!

Charcoal Lion Drawing

Hey there lovelies!

Here's something I just put up on Etsy! I'm extremely proud of it since I thought it would turn out bad!
What do you all think? Is it ferocious? It's available now at my Etsy store!

Update: Etsy Store and Freelance Work

It's been crazy. I've had a bit of freelance work, have been selling a few things on my Etsy store, and have a bit of homework. I'll be uploading some more graphic work soon but for now check out these items at my store.

Poster: Alliance for Youth Justice

Check out this new poster created for an organization called Campaign for Youth Justice. Check out their site!

Stay tuned for more!
Check out my portfolio at: http://yasmineroblesdesigns.com/

Julie's Cleaning Service

Julie's Cleaning Service has been around for year! They wanted to revamp their company and rebrand as a fun yet timeless company. Here's the new logo and business card. Enjoy.

Front of business card.

Back of business card.

El Metro Mexican Street Food Logo

El Metro is a concept that a couple of experienced cooks are trying out. They focus on fresh and high quality Mexican food. The main Chef, a guy who has lived in Mexico City, wanted to bring "a real taste of Mexican street food you'd find in urban areas." He goes on to state that "there are no frills, just delicious and fast food that will fill you up and get you on your way."

Here's the logo I designed and am currently laying out the menu, business cards, and website!

Postcard Design for AssistAE

Just a quicky. Here's something I worked on a couple weeks ago for AssistAE. They're now offering rides for school children in Dubai and needed a promotional ad / postcard.

I hope you had a great weekend!

Web Ads!

Just finished working on a web ad for GoverGIS. Web ads are great for getting your name out there and gathering potential clients. Mostly I see it as a way to subtly get people to see your name and ingrain it into their brain until they think they know your brand.

The company works on GIS, which, according to Wikipedia, is a "geographic information system is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data."

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

Going Back To School

I was always a strange child. Other than the fact that my hair was so curly I could hold my lunch within it's coils, I enjoyed school. I loved it. And now I'm going back.

As a designer, I think I have the skills needed to survive, but the cold truth is that businesses want an all in one package. I can design but I can't program. So going back to school is the plan.

Is it horrible that I'm actually enjoying the process of applying for aid and although applying for loans is killing me, I really like looking through hundreds of classes to fit my needs? I know that this time it might be harder to take control of my time. Before I had my daughter, I could easily take on loads of freelance design work while still in school and maintain a really good GPA.

Other than having to manage my time a little better, which most people would benefit from anyway, I'm excited. In a couple months I'll be on my way to being a turbo, all-in-one, mega designer!

The Business of Design

Design is fun. It makes your heart skip a beat in a way your significant other will never understand. Design makes you fall in love again and again, even if the trend is the same one from years before (Coral spring dresses anyone?).

The business of design is not fun. It's boring. It makes my eyes water as I stare at an excel spreadsheet trying to make sense of numbers as they merge. I find myself questioning why I have to crunch numbers instead of making beautifully designed posters?

So far I've only found one tool to help me through the mess and am actively seeking more. As a slightly starving artist, of course it has to be free.

Does anyone have any suggestions on managing a budding freelance business?

It's Been Quite A While!

I graduated. Found out that there will be a huge change in my personal life. Then, I got a job. Other than an overall assistant to the company, I am designing their website, which is exciting, since I'm usually sanding, plugging things into layouts, or messing with the office cats.

I am going to take a class at CCAD. The class, small business web design, will starts on September 16th and reinforce what I learned two years ago while assisting me in the design of my boss's site.

Freelance work has been slow to come in but I'm really excited with my new assignment. It's fun, a bit funky, and a secret until the client gives the okay.

The brochure below was the first real freelance work and although I have my problems with the data they are providing, I did it. I had to keep it simple and mostly text. Fitting everything they wanted into the brochure was difficult and made me doubt my graphic design abilities, which I'm sure every designer goes through, but my current assignment is changing my mind! Be patient. I'm working on some other things on the side and will hopefully get them up soon.

Feel free to critic!

Kumiko Ota -- Fashion Designer

This is just one of the many creations by Kumiko Ota, a senior in Fashion Design at Columbus College of Art & Design. Awesome girl and even better designer. Check out her site.

Thesis: Logo Design III

Here are the finalized logos for my thesis, obviously named sprout. The colors were chosen because they are shadows of the bright oranges and greens. They are unlike the colors you typically see at stores. They don't hurt your eyes at all. The final one chosen is the bottom right. What do you think? It's clean, modern, and has the repetition of the "o" which follows the circular aspect similar to the actual product.

Thesis: Mockups

Here are a few images of the mockups. The last three are of my final design.

Thesis: Logo Design II

Here, I've taken the final two from the previous post and have started adding more of a sproutlike, or illustrative look. I decided to keep it clean with an actual sprout coming out of it. Still working in black and white though.

Thesis: Logo Design

So the name for my thesis project is officially "Sprout". Here's my first go at the logo. Which font do you like?