I’m pretty excited about my queue of projects right now. As in work. As in I am excited to do my job. That’s pretty freaking great if you ask me.

What am I working on right now?

Outside of work (aka the freelance ‘n’ stuff):
I have been hired by a small business to design and build their business website from the ground up (currently they have nothing). This includes content, photography, and web design. I’m also consulting and training them on the digital media portion that will be integrated into the site.

I’ve also been hired back as a consultant on a business website I built two years ago to develop and integrate a social media strategy into the current online presence and train the assigned staff.

At work (aka the “9-5″ stuff – but is it really ever 9-5?):
Currently I am revamping the entire online presence. Yes, entire. This includes but is not limited to: a complete site redesign, a complete content refresh (updating content to reflect changes in the city and convention center as well as optimizing and seo-ing the crap out of what we have and what we will have) to be integrated into an open source content management system (yet to be determined, suggestions welcome), a new online photo library creation and management, social media plan strategy and implementation within our own brand and working in harmony with our sister companies …..

Tired yet? Not me. I’ve got an entire external hard drive, a file cabinet, a bookcase (and most of my desk real estate for that matter) dedicated to this project and I couldn’t be more excited. At the end of it, you’re going to be able to log on to our website and I’m going to be able to say “I did that*”.

For a design & digital media specialist, it really doesn’t get better than that. “What’s do you do?” That. That is what I do.

* Yes we do have an RFP out right now to 6 competing firms to work on this project with us. I know I’m not doing it on my own (thankfully) (it takes a village to …. build a website?), but as someone who’s in charge of mapping the project, creating the majority of the new content, have a heavy hand in the design, and involved in the decision making and sign-off process, it’s still a major project that I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of and be able to put in my portfolio.

Here’s to an absurdly busy summer. Weeeeee.

Sometimes I become obsessed with things. (No, really Jenny?) These things usually include, but are not limited to: typefaces, color schemes, print design, web design – really design of all kinds. I’ll obsess about what’s new, what draws me in, what I hate, what I have & compare that to what others are doing.

Now that I’ve finally tackled the web design portion of my brand, it’s time to expand it into the print collateral – business cards, stationary & sell sheets. My current obsession? Business cards.

I’m obsessed with not only designs but stocks, lamination options, die cuts, embossing – if it’s something other than your typical 3.5×2″ Strathmore cover stock, I’m interested.

I had a meeting today with the folks over at JackRabbit Design to discuss the horror that is my company’s current website. (Yeah check that out. DOUBLE NAVIGATION! OUTDATED INFORMATION! SHITTY STRUCTURE! IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND INFORMATION!)

The JackRabbit team came into my conference room, waiting to grill us & for my marketing team to grill them on what needs to happen in our section of the Internerds, & handed us their business cards.

Their metal business cards. Their metal, embossed, rounded corners, double sided business cards.

!!!!!!

I fell in love. (I also wish I had anything other than my iPhone camera or Photobooth to show how great these are. It probably would be nice to at least look like I brush my hair ever either. Oh well. Deal.)

I know a metal business card wouldn’t work in every industry – but it is a perfect fit for this design company. And while I don’t know if they’ll win the bid for the website, they sure as hell win for best business cards.

Amazing. Thank you for the heads up reader Lizzy! (She linked me here.)

Lyrics:
I lay it out like they do in magazines
check out this typeface it’s like smoking nicotine (I love it)
using Adobe’s not the same without a Mac
if it was lead it would be lined up on a track

oh,oh,oh,oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll mock it up, show you what I got
oh,oh,oh,oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll mock it up, show you what I got

You’ll read my,
You’ll read my,
You can read my Neutra Face
(Even if it’s bold italic)
You’ll read my,
You’ll read my,
You can read my Neutra Face
(Even if it’s bold italic)

N-n-n-neutra face, n-n-n-neutra face
nah nah nah nah
N-n-n-neutra face, n-n-n-neutra face
nah nah nah nah

Thought about Futura but the em space was to wide
not even when condensed,believe me i’ve already tried
Gill sans the G is wack when it’s in lowercase
Avante Garde you make me hard but like Helvetica you’ve been played

oh,oh,oh,oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll mock it up, show you what I got
oh,oh,oh,oh, ohhhh, ohh-oh-e-ohh-oh-oh
I’ll mock it up, show you what I got

You’ll read my,
You’ll read my,
You can read my Neutra Face
(Even if it’s bold italic)
You’ll read my,
You’ll read my,
You can read my Neutra Face
(Even if it’s bold italic)

N-n-n-neutra face, n-n-n-neutra face
nah nah nah nah
N-n-n-neutra face, n-n-n-neutra face
nah nah nah nah

I won’t tell you that you’re modern
post- or nouveau
cause I’m hype’n with my type’n
I’m not freehandin’, letterpressin’, texting or skywriting
like a finger on a keyboard
break a nail before I cross you
see my references, reference this
check this font cause it’s sans serif

You’ll read my,
You’ll read my,
You can read my Neutra Face
(Even if it’s bold italic)
You’ll read my,
You’ll read my,
You can read my Neutra Face
(Even if it’s bold italic)

Staff,

Please join me in congratulating Jenny Frazier on her promotion to the newly created position of Design & Digital Media Specialist!

For three and a half years, Jenny has been an integral part of the CMC marketing team, contributing to the development of first-class marketing programs for the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, Hynes Convention Center and MassMutual Center in Springfield. Jenny has supported the efforts of the sales team in their bids to bring convention business to Boston and has often volunteered her creative services to other departments. In her new role, Jenny will be able to showcase her tremendous talents as a graphic designer as well as her expertise in e-marketing and social media.

With Jenny’s promotion, we will be looking to fill the position of Marketing Coordinator. Click here for a job description.* If you know of any qualified candidates, please direct them to me.

Caryn

* (Seriously, if you are or you know a good candidate … email me at work: jfrazier@advantageboston.com)

I’ve lived in my apartment for … oh 43 days if we want to be exact. And up until this weekend … my place looked a lot like. Well, like this:

But I took this weekend to get my act together and actually make it a HOME. Which really started with getting some things on the walls. I have my friend Jon to thank for helping me hang a shelf that was sitting in a corner for almost two months. And then I painted up a couple of canvases.

And the end result? An apartment that finally looks like a HOME:

I think it’s FINALLY time to have a housewarming :)

And now for the stuff you really come here for: the Grow A Boyfriend Update, Day 6:

I am happy to report he is growing in size, but apparently had not grown balls. Check out that black eye. WTF Grow A Boyfriend. You are disappointing.

I work with some of the best people. We have an interesting sense of humor. We joked at the beginning of this week (it’s been a long, particularly stressful one of a good portion of the group) that this Friday would be “F Bomb Friday”.

We’re weird. I know. But funny. So today, I presented the office our official “F Bomb Friday” signage. (Only one coworker turned it into “F(un) Bomb Friday” – we immediately revoked her “F Bomb Friday” privileges.)

Would you like your own “F BOMB FRIDAY!” sign to hang in your cube? Of course you would. Click on the image to download a big version!

Don’t forget to show me pics of your proudly displayed F Bomb Friday Sign!!!

PROPER SITE COMING: www.fbombfriday.com

SHOW YOUR PRIDE!

JOIN THE FLICKR GROUP: http://www.flickr.com/groups/fbombfriday/

The answer to that question obviously is “yes”.

My colors? Check. Vector prints? Check. MUST HAVE? CHECK.

Click on the photo to see a bunch of Thomas Paul pillows all of which I definitely want. Now.

I took this last week in Copley Square. I fell in love and made it a wallpaper for me and now I feel like sharing!

Click here to get other sizes, including a widescreen version.

So I had six 10 x 10 canvases hanging above my desk (I could go look for a pic, but I’m lazy). They were painted in 6 solid colors: teal, lime, chocolate, pink, red and mocha. Over the weekend I wiped them and started making new paintings. Out of letters.

(If you are new, you should know I am obsessed with typography, letters, typefaces, etc in general. So why WOULDN’T I make art out of letters?)

Here is my creation in full:

And canvas by canvas:

So here’s my contest:

PART 1: Tell me what TYPEFACE/FONT all those letters are set in (be as specific as you can in describing this typeface) and
PART 2: Tell me what all those letters spell out.

A few notes on this: There is only ONE typeface used throughout. You have to figure out what I mean about specifics, which you will if you look hard enough. (Hint: I just gave you a hint). Also, and this is most important, most of the canvases are just made up of letters artfully thrown together, but if you look hard enough you can see what this graphic designer is trying to say (Hint: I just gave you a hint there too).

Also, I’ve already posted some clues and will probably post more throughout the week.

Here’s how the contest works: comment on this entry with your guesses (you have to guess BOTH parts). The names of those people who guess correctly will be thrown into a hat and I’ll draw a winner at random at the close of the contest. During the contest, you may guess as many times as you want until you think you get it correct.

CONTEST CLOSES AT 2:00 PM FRIDAY MAY 9th, 2008.

No one is excluded from this contest since I was smart enough this time and didn’t tell anyone the answers! So any of you could win the prize.

Speaking of prizes….what is this prize you ask? YOUR OWN LETTER ART CANVAS. (I had an extra canvas lying around.)

THE PRIZE: 10 x 10 Acrylic on canvas. I call it “olive on aqua”.

I’m a nerd and threw the word “blog” in there for good measure.

Although upon reevaluation, this could have been called the 2×5 project since I’ll be hanging them in 2 rows of 5 each – GET IT?

Anyway. So for the past (insert really big number) of months, the walls in my living room have been bare. This weekend I tackled one wall where I hung a series of free postcards I got at an art show (I mounted them between black craft paper and pre-cut mattes) as well as one of my own photographs [hung in a frame that I've inexplicably never used that Hooker got me for my birthday one year and four months ago (but who's counting?)].

Well now I needed something on the small space of wall in between the windows.

So I dreamed up something that would look like photo tiles using some of my favorite graffiti pics from San Fran. After a trip to Blick, I decided to mount the cropped pics on 6×6 canvas board (since it’s super cheap (like $2.00!) and sold in packs of 5!).

So I got home, cropped a bunch of graffiti pics and printed them.

Except once I got them printed, I didn’t LOVE that it was all someone else’s art. So I decided to mix in some of my favorite photos too.

Take two:

I’m totally a freak about straight lines, so I use an Exacto knife and a ruler to cut the photos. Note: when cutting with an Exacto knife, remember your healing mat. Otherwise you end up destroying a perfectly good serving tray. Oops.

So after you cut out all your photos, you take your canvas board:

You take your spray mount:

and you combine. ACTION SHOT!

So once you get the spray mount on the canvas and the back of the pic, make sure they get a little tacky and then slap the pic on the board. To secure them to each other, you need to press down on the photo. But you don’t want to smear dirty fingerprints all over it, so do yourself a favor and throw something down over the photo: wax paper, tissue paper, etc (I used sheets of tracing paper).

LOOK MA! NO PRINTS!

When you’re done you have a series of awesome photo tiley looking things.

Stay tuned for the next episode – it’s a nailbiter I like to call “HANGING THEM IN TWO STRAIGHT ROWS”.