Betsyness: get your daily dose!

So my long post on Chattanooga and my conference has been delayed because I’ve been so busy apartment hunting with my good friend Ebonie.  It has been very difficult, even finding any affordable apartments and also securing a place when the few affordable places seem to be snatched up within minutes of their posting on craigslist.

There is a website that has been useful to our search. Walkscore is a site that utilizes the Google Maps API to identify the local businesses and amenities of interest (grocery stores, movie theaters, schools) that are within walking distance of an address that you can input. It also ranks each address with a score (hence the name of the site, duh).

It is not perfect.  I entered in an address in Takoma Park, MD and it decided that a Middle Eastern Market that probably serves yummy falafel (and organic falafel, knowing Takoma Park, as a neighborhood that supposedly voted to impeach George Bush) was a grocery store, which improved its walkscore. However, I actually visited Takoma Park, and the nearest grocery store which I would consider a real grocery store, Safeway, is about a mile away. It is semi-walkable and definitely less-walkable in the humid DC summers.   

I find all the new sorts of websites that have sprung up using mapping technologies (which most frequently seems to be the Google Maps API) really interesting.  It is also ironic to me that my personal life has been invaded somewhat by some of my research interests, as issues that were discussed at the conference I went to last week, like the impact of grocery deserts on neighborhood development, are being echoed by my decision of whether or not I can deal with living a mile away from a grocery without a car. (Okay maybe I should get a bike, hmm.)

1.  Hot Chip performed at the 9:30 club last Friday. They were very good but not great. I mean I was really impressed that they (meaning the six members of HC) could play so tightly - the rhythms were on par and it was definitely an upbeat and lively show. But I guess because all of their music is so upbeat that the level of excitement for me stayed pretty static, rather than escalating as the show went on. If I compare them to Ghostland Observatory, a group that recently played in DC that also incorporates catchy dance beats into their music, I would say that if I was to listen to recordings of both bands, Hot Chip would win. But I guess Aaron Behrens of Ghostland Observatory is just one sexy man of a man, because I really believe that Ghostland’s performance enables their music to reach a new level. They’re unusual in that their live act is better than the recording (c’mon how many times have you ever listened to a band’s MySpace page and thought this is pretty good only to find out that they suck in real life). In contrast, a live performance of a Hot Chip song is slightly worse than a Hot Chip recording, only because the finished Hot Chip recording is such catchy, goodness.

Importantly, I wanted to point out that the lead singer of Hot Chip was wearing a PANDA TANK TOP during the show. (see below)

2. Raku in Dupont Circle makes really good food. Krystle and I shared a sushi special, which I unfortunately do not have a picture of because we gobbled it up so fast. It was composed of eel and topped with a slice of jalepeno, giving it this great bite. When we go there, we also always get the yellow curry soup with vegetables and tofu. (see below).

I’ve been neglecting this blog for the past week (I’ve been busy at work preparing for a conference.) However, I have a lot of new posts in store for you, including my take on the Hot Chip concert last night, my apartment search, health insurance, and this one!

So my good friend Sonja, who is the writer of an LA-based blog, Nuestra Senora, asked me to design some promotional materials for her mother’s jewelry business, Zerena’s Gems. The business card will be the first step in a series of marketing schemes, including the design of an Etsy.com site and also a personal website.

I knew that the business card itself was going to be a design challenge, both because of the different issues of designing for print and also having to communicate information within a very small space. I have seen business cards in specialty design books that are definitely eye-catching but many of them would be impractical for this client, a small business. Many of the special business cards you might see employ wonderful (but expensive) materials and techniques like embossed foils, die cuts, and unusual sizes and shapes. Check out the Daily Poetics Flickr photo set for examples of business cards that really push the envelope of print design.

For this business card, I decided to stick to the standard 3.5″ x 2″ wallet size so that the final product could be printed rather economically through an online retailer or from local printer.

The first step in the process was selecting a font and creating a logo. For the font, I had my heart set on using the font, Fertigo. After initially viewing it on a Smashing Magazine post and subsequently downloading it, I have been saving this font for use in a future project. It is a very distinctive typeface and it later proved difficult in finding complementary fonts (perhaps I should post on the typephile forums and ask the resident experts on their opinions?)

The logo was very simple and based off a stylized version of my doodle of a topaz ring.

I thought I was close to being finished. I justified the use of the font because I thought it was very modern but yet still feminine. I based the deep orange off of the color of one of the stones in her jewelry and I thought that the light blue grey went rather well with the orange.

Well the client hated this initial draft. The colors were too muted and she did not share my enthusiasm for the font. Basically, the client wanted something more vibrant and colorful.

Now that I view the initial rough draft I feel so silly; I was given such freedom to go in a really fun direction and the first thing that I came up with was so boring!

For the second draft, I added some decorative elements which were based off of the oval form of the logo. I also changed the font to a more classic look and repositioned the logo so that it was better incorporated with the actual text of the brand.

The only problem was that now the main purpose of the business card, to promote the brand and to provide contact information, was now buried within the rest of the design.

For this third draft, I have rescaled the design elements so that they are supporting rather than overwhelming the text. I have also changed the colors to a deeper coral and turquoise, more in line with the Californian colors that are evident in the jewelry of Zerena’s Gems.

I’m still open to comments, suggestions, and criticisms. Please post!

 

Sources: stamp’s shop, whitneysmith’s shop, thomashawk, salvagelife’s shop, American Beauty

Last Friday, the Hirshhorn Museum hosted their After Hours party featuring live performances by Hooliganship , Lucky Dragons, and DJ Solomon. I arrived about an hour after the doors opened, and was pleased to see how many people came out to see art in DC — and how many people were dressed up.  I immediately procured a pair of 3D glasses to view the Hooliganships’ act which included bright, funky visuals and choreographed song and dance. It was perfect for the crowd and entertaining enough, but not anything I would rave about.

Afterwards my friends and I got distracted by the drinks line (well actually I was excited to be eating popcorn with the Capitol Building in sight), that by the time we made it over to the exhibits we were pretty rushed.  The Hirshhorn currently has on view, Directions—Amy Sillman, third person singular and The Cinema Effect Part I: Dreams as well as their recent aquisitions. 

 Overall, I think that the After Hours series at the Hirshhorn are well worth going to. However, unless you are planning on visiting the museum during regular hours, I would advise getting there when the doors open to have adequate time to view all the artwork.