Own Your Work

Back when I was in college taking design classes, I had an instructor who always told me, “Own your work.” It was something he told me when I was acting defensive and finding excuses about my work, as I was being critiqued. He was trying to tell me to take pride in my work and accept critique. Even if my design had blatant problems, it is still my work and I need to own up to the fact that they are my mistakes. 

I often have to repeat this quote to myself to remind me to own up to my work. It is easy for me to compare my work to other designers, and I see where my work becomes a little too influenced by other’s work. Own your style, and own up to your mistakes so you can correct them. 

Prints of this simple reminder can be purchased at my shop at: society6.com

Sneak Peek: Blue Eyed Carrots

I have been filling some of my spare time with a little side project for my sister. Before you think, “Doesn’t this guy know you never design for family?”, I did it knowing full well what I could be in for. I made it very clear that free means it comes to you on my terms and on my schedule. Anyway, I thought it should get some exposure before I released the final files to her this week. 

Blue Eyed Carrots is an Etsy shop that sells handmade hair bows. I tried my darndest to design something in this style, because it is out of my comfort zone. So in order to create this logo I decided to have my sister be apart of the design process as well. I had her write the name out in her best cursive, so that I would have a base form to work with, and it could become more personal to her. After much tweaking the lettering turned out like this. The banner above is just the lettering and a rendering of the hair bows she sell at the end. This will only be used for the Etsy web banner.

Here are the main, official logo variations:

In order for the design to make sense, I need to explain a couple things. First, the profiles are of her two little, red haired, blue-eyed girls (Hence the name of the company). Then the bow in the hair is a depiction of what she makes and sells. The heart that their heads form was just a happy accident that I ran with. Sketching over multiple days (even after you feel like you got a final logo) and going back to it over and over again is such a good idea if you are designing a logo especially. Just like in design classes back in college, it is important to sketch and sketch and sketch, until you have that “Aha!” moment. 

Hope you enjoyed my latest work. Thanks! I will post links to the shop and to rest of the collateral once the project is closed.