Don’t get me wrong, I am all for creating aesthetically pleasing designs get the point across while pleasing the eyes of the viewer. In fact that is one of the best way to get people to look at what is being advertised. Bringing a sense of beauty to a product by creating a look and feel that makes customers want to buy it, or find out more about it, is what graphic advertising is all about. While some people like to look at hideous things continually, I myself do not. So it makes sense that people pay and want designers to make the designs they create look good.

All that being said, why then am I so against that phrase “Make It Pretty”. Quite simply, it cheapens design. It likens all the work that a creative person does to putting a paint job on a rusty car. I find it quite offensive, but for those who are un-aware of the intense work that goes into design, it is a catch phrase that can be uttered time and time again.

Being an in-house designer, a person is more likely to be confronted with this diabolical missile into the ethos of design itself, then say, someone who works with freelance clients. There is something about working for the same company all of the time that makes them seem to think that good designs are cheep and easy to create. Like putting a quarter into a toy machine, and out pops a shiny new design. As any creative professional knows, that is not the case. The mental and creative energy that goes into design is no laughing matter. It is a skill that not everyone has, and even those with rudimentary knowledge of some programs cannot be easily mastered.

I once had to point out to an employer the utter silliness of that phrase, and say, if it were so easy to do, then you would not have to pay a designer. While that was a bit foolish on my part, after all they were paying my salary, the point I was trying to make, is one that needed to be made. The work of a designer is no less important then that of the person who creates the product. I know, and have heard of many brilliant products, and companies, that go un-noticed because of poor marketing, design, and promotion.

So, how does an in-house creative professional go about making the Distinction that turns that despised term into an obsolete phrase in the vocabulary of their management? Several ways come to mind. Some of them are not so nice.

One is, a designer can ugly up their work for a while. Make an expensive ad look like something out of a used car flyer. If they like it, you might have discovered the problem. They have no taste. Be sure and design the real ad on the side, just in case they hate it, and consider finding an alternative designer.

Where a shirt that has a bold type print on it, saying, “ I Do More Then Just Make Stuff Pretty!!” If you are more bold then that you could always have the phrase, “I Do More Then Just Make Your S**t Look Good” I am not that bold, and would rather not offend my boss.

All kidding aside, I have found that the best ways to deal with employers that don’t understand the work that goes into design is to be honest with them. If they are willing, the designer can ask them to go through the process. Show them how you take the design job they give you, and work through it from start to finish. Most employers will have a much greater respect for their designer if they new how complicated design can be. The reason this would work is that it would take some of the mystery out of the process and show them that a designer doesn’t just sprinkler magic fairy dust over blank pieces of paper to make awesome designs.

Just a little warning, unless the next words out of your mouth are, “I Quit”, never, ever, under any circumstances, look your employers straight in the eye and say, “If it is so-o-o-o easy to make this crap look good, then why don’t you do it”.

In just about any creative design field, the designer is going to be faced with people who don’t understand the work, think that it is a snap to do, and seek to undermine the importance how the design effects the overall appearance of the company or the product. The main thing is not to stress too much about it. If a designer knows that they are producing quality work, then the work will speak for itself, and their employer will thank them, for making them look good.

And, if you can't make Pretty Happen, you can always purchase Stock that will meet all of their needs.

Do you ever get the feeling that you are stuck in a never-ending cycle of clichés and stereotypes? If you do, then you might be an In-house Graphic Designer.

Yes that's right, If you, like me, once dreamed of that awesome job in the creative world, where you and high end magazine publishers would rub shoulders, and have the ability to tell some of the best photographers in the industry that there shot doesn't look quite right for the ad for Nike, you too would have been struck with a large dose of reality upon graduation from the creative school of your choice.

Reality hit me, and it hit hard. I graduated in early October of 2001, literally three weeks after September 11th, and one of our nations biggest tragedies. The only people that showed up to our portfolio review were parents, crickets, and priest. The priest were there to give us the last rights to the new careers that hundreds of bright eyed, and hopeful creative had just dropped many thousands of dollars on. It was dismal. Advertising budgets were slashed, and those fancy design firms were firing designers right and left.

Thus I began my journey, with my overly large portfolio case, filled to the brim with all of the exciting things I had managed to create...and some things I wish I had not. I went to marketing firms, and magazine printers, to local publishers, and marketing sweet shops. Finally I found myself trying just to get a job. Both the grocery store and Blockbuster thought that the portfolio case was a little strange.

After a year of stomping the ground in the south Florida Metropolises, I ended up in a small town in Central Florida. I interviewed, they liked my stuff, and I was commissioned, "A In-house Designer". And that is where I stepped into the box.

In art school a person is told that the possibilities are endless, at a company, they are told to get it done, fast, and exactly how we want it. I didn't mind pleasing clients when I did freelance, but now I was forced to please one client, the same way, all of the time. My first introduction to this world of design was a business card that had so much information on it and about 6 logos. I was told they wanted all of the same stuff on the new card, and that I had to make it look good. I went home and cried. Not because it was so hard to do, but because I knew, at that moment, that I would be doing things like this for the rest of my life.... troubling.

If they need a photo, I am the photographer. If they need copy, I am writing it. If they need a coffee, oh wait, that's not my job.

Now I have been doing Creative work as an in-house designer for six years and two international companies. Don't get me wrong. The work is good, it pays well, and you get the benefit of a more solid environment. The only thing it lacks is the ability to be spontaneously and genuinely creative.

To beet this "in the box" mentality, I have come up with some interesting ways to remain creative, fresh, and sane. Some of these things are quite simple, like I buy and look at magazines. I try and get the most popular magazine I can find, in what ever I am interested in at the time, and then I peruse it for ads. I tag the designs I like, and if I have time, I create a way to sell any product using that style. It can be quite difficult. Try selling soda using a wedding themed background.

Another technique I use to keep me fresh is to work on freelance projects as much as my time allows. By doing projects for other companies I get to branch out and give unique companies, unique designs that match their style.

One of the things that I do to keep myself fresh in the box at work is to design ads that they would never use in a million years. Yup. Ads that are pure concept, beautiful designs, great art, unique approach to the subject, and so out of their character that they would never use them.

So, If you are an in-house designer, or the Creative director of a company, with only one creative person in it...you, then cheer up. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and hope for your artistic mind. Just remember not to settle, sit still, or let your creativity stagnate and you will always be sharp, in or out of the box.

Everyone spends a great deal of time and energy discussing the environment these days. Global warming, the oceans rising, and strange weather events. Very few media events focus a great deal of energy on a much more serious problem, saving fresh water.

There are some parts of the United States where droughts are so bad that people are using rain buckets to collect fresh water so they can water their plants when there is no rain because using sprinklers is prohibited.

Water is a precious resource in our environment. All life depends on it. Growing populations and ongoing droughts are running our fresh water resources dry, causing natural habitats to decline and impacting our everyday use of water.

People in industrialized populations should feel obligated to pay more attention to how we are using water, and how we may be wasting it. We must bridge the gap between our understanding of how important water is to our survival and what we can do to ensure that we have an adequate supply of clean water for years to come.

Here are 10 easy and practical tips for thinking green by saving the blue.

1. Check your sprinkler system frequently and adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street. 2. Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month. 3. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean your driveway or sidewalk and save 80 gallons of water every time. 4. Only water your lawn when needed. You can tell this by simply walking across your lawn. If you leave footprints, it's time to water. 5. When you clean your fish tank, use the water you've drained on your plants. The water is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, providing you with a free and effective fertilizer. 6. Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak. It's easy to fix, and you can save more than 600 gallons a month. 7. Use a commercial car wash that recycles water. 8. Wash clothes only when you have a full load and save up to 600 gallons each month. 9. When you give your pet fresh water, don't throw the old water down the drain. Use it to water your trees or shrubs. 10. Choose new water-saving appliances, like washing machines that save up to 20 gallons per load.

For more tips on how to save fresh water in your day-to-day lives go to http://www.wateruseitwisely.com.

Water conservation environment green save

For anybody who reads this, I ask you not to get upset about the expert part. It is just a clever title that doesn't mean a whole lot. The truth is, I have met and heard a lot of people talk about art as if they were all experts, and most of them seem either pompous about their level of expertise, or they are narrow minded about the pursuit of art. I would like to think that I don't fit into either of these two categories. No, I tend to follow a differing train of thought about art, what defines it, and how to be an artist.

My husband is a computer programmer. I love him to death, but he can't draw a stick figure that looks remotely like a stick figure. There are many people who are challenged in that manner. Do I say that they have no artistic ability? No, I actually don't. My husband is extremely creative. He invents programs, and creates interfaces that are in digital languages I could not even begin to comprehend. Thus bringing my first point to a conclusion. The creativity of art is not limited to only what the senses of sight and sound can precise, but rather the expression of what the creative mind can accomplish.

In that regard I think of the natural world. Everything of great beauty in this world is the artistic result of a system. I know the word system doesn't sound so beautifully pleasant. Sunsets that take your breath away, mountains and valleys that stretch for miles, colors of a changing season, they are all part of a system of science and math that works to bring a visual reality.

When I first found out how sunsets came into being the magnificent sight they are, I was even more impressed by their beauty. Learning about how the tinny specks of water and dust in the atmosphere could bend the light to create colors that neon look dull, just blows my mind.

Another truth about art is that it is every ware you look. Before I got into working in the field of graphic design, I used to think art had to be on a canvas in a frame, or sitting in a museum. I used to believe that art had to be in a special place. Once I got into graphics I quickly learned that my perception could not have been more wrong.

Art is every ware in the things people make as well. Cans of soda, Brochures and cd covers, even the decor around a ceramic cup or plate can be understood as a form of someone’s artistic expression. It is a testament to the desire to make something attractive and beautiful.

I guess my ultimate point in all of this is that art has to be created. This is the point where some people might disagree with me, and I am OK with that. After all I am just a "so called expert"

The most incredible and artistic thing in this world is creation itself. It is a testament to what an intelligent mind can make, out of nothing. There are a number of people that would disagree with me about the whole creative mind, or intelligent being behind all of this beauty around us, and I would say to them that they are entitled to think whatever they want, Just as I am. My life is way to short to sit around debating whether or not there is a Creative being, behind it all.

The point of all of this is to say that Art is not as easy to define or understand as many people think. It is a creative expression, something made, and something to be respected. I guess that is all I have to say about that.

If anybody has a topic or idea that they would like me to write about just drop me a line. I am always looking for ideas.

Until that time, so long, and don't forget to smile, because God loves you very much.

Well, this is my first glob entry. Sorry, I meant to say blog. I guess my newness to this is easy to see. I used to write in a journal. I suppose that experience is similar. You know the kind of journal with a cover and paper covered in blank lines. I usually start of my journals with the phrase..."it's been a long time since I have written in this". I am not good at keeping thing like journals up, although I love to go back and read them later on. Usually I get a good laugh at my former self and all of my misguided musings. In that journal I would put down every day thoughts, blessings, and quirky things I came across in my every day travels through life.

Like today for instance. I came across this really interesting drink in the supermarket. being an artist, it's hard sometime to shop just for things you need. Why would being an artist have anything to do with that? Well, I tend to have compulsorily buys basing my purchase decision only on how well the package is designed. That is one of the reasons I never walk in the aisle with the wine. Wine bottles have the best label designs that I have ever seen. Each one is like a fine art masterpiece. I rarely drink, so If I did walk down the wine aisle, I am afraid that my desire to consume incredible art would leave me with full bottles of wine every ware in my house. I really don't want that, so I only walk down the aisle of stuff I need. The interesting drink I found was called Enviga. I am not sure how to pronounce it, but the graphics on the box were outstanding. They caught my eye for sure. Apparently the product is a sparkling green tea with a whole bunch of stuff in it designed to burn calories. I didn't care about that at all, Like I said, I just liked the packaging. It was silver white and had several shades of bold green in it. It also had a little flame logo in the middle of the design. I tend to like well done flame logos too. I decided to give it a try. It was more like, my compulsorily desire for all well done creative designs took over my hands and I reached out for it.

It taste decent. Like tea. Which is good, because it is tea. If it tasted like fruit punch or apple juice I might have a problem with the label calling it tea. I have never had carbonated tea before. That is also different. Apparently it is supposed to help you loose weight. Cool. I could always loose a few extra pesky pounds. Its sweet, like soda, and loaded with caffeine. After consuming the Tea I have run around in my office like a ping-pong ball bouncing off of all the walls, the several desk, and a hanging sign display that is not hanging. Maybe that is how one looses calories wile drinking the tea. It makes perfect sense. I am not sure yet if I would recommend it to any friends. I suppose I will know in a few days after I go through withdraw and am forced to make another impulse purchase based on the incredible packaging concepts of yet another product.

I guess that will be all for my first glob&once again sorry, I meant to say blog. I hope that it was an enjoyable read. It was certainly an enjoyable write. I definitely will have to do this again. Maybe next time I can start with the line&Its been so long since I have written in this. Until that time&so long. And dont forget to smile, because God loves you very much.