The Boss of Me

A couple months ago I finished reading the book The Boss of You by Lauren Bacon & Emira Mears. Loved it! I have it crammed with other pages, articles, and notes that I've been collecting (not the most scientific method, but it's working for now). This is a fabulous reference book for the beginning and middle stages of starting your own business. I have flipped through, revisiting sections, and sometimes I carry it with me just to wrap my mind around it. I am definitely a fan.

I highly recommend this book to anyone in the imagining stage (or the actual stage) of starting your own business. It's a reality-check with humor and an easy style ... even the part about taxes and attorneys (ick).

If you know of any other good resources, let me know!

Visit their blog.
Buy their book.

Surface Design, step 2

This post is a continuation from my exploration blog, Dreamy Abstraction. Since this relates to surface and pattern design, I decided to post "part 2" here.

Here are two versions using two leaf sketches. They are essentially mirror images of each other, but are separate drawings. I scanned, clipped, and placed them in two different repeat patterns. These are rough sketches.

I feel like I need something unpredictable in the pattern. What do you think? Should I vary the mirrored images more? Does it need something else. I think so, but I'm not sure what.

v.1

v.2

Please send me your suggestions in the comments.

A Long Time Coming

So here we are, 2009 is well under way. Thank you to everyone (online and in person) who helped me with the Apples and Orange logo. I finally made a decision and added the logo to the header. I have also chosen the official colors of A&O. Many ideas were considered. This final result has, what I think, are solid ideas and theories behind it.

About the shape. If you slice an apple horizontally there are five seed pods that make the star shape. Each pod has two seeds in them. If you have ever seen an orange blossom, it makes the same star shape as the apple pods. Two and five are also fibonacci numbers. I like that nature can be so predictable.

I have to give credit to my friend, Chrys, for the information about the apples.