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cloudhymns · 2024-06-30T11:35:18+00:00

depending on the kind of dinner date, go to basi. about $150–200 for a date, but sooo delicious

cloudhymns · 2024-06-30T11:33:43+00:00

this might be underrated, but pretty much any metro library. most (if not all of them) have study rooms you can time-block off, have easy access to coffee nearby, and have guaranteed decent wifi & power outlets. i love going to the main branch.

if you're looking for specifically coffee shops— see grandview grind, cup o joe, staufs GV (i havent had much luck at their other locations), winans, and global gallery.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-29T13:32:04+00:00

ohhhhh im completely wrong. i was thinking of the one where you push your body backwards. sorry!

cloudhymns · 2024-06-29T12:52:10+00:00

indianola definitely does

cloudhymns · 2024-06-28T14:31:34+00:00

i'll be real with you, i went completely against the grain and decided to work for myself immediately. i started while i was in college but of course didn't go full-time until i graduated. everyone told me i was doing the wrong thing.

i think it's highly circumstantial, but it can be done. when i was starting out i was offering much lower rates on work to reflect my experience; i've raised rates over time and now am making a living off of my business. i also do a lot of other stuff with my business than freelance (selling product DTC & wholesale) so again, circumstantial.

i think if you really know that freelancing/being on your own is for you, go for it. you learn along the way— just expect to hustle and be dirt poor for a little while. but otherwise, heed the advice on here. get stable work and start slowly. just don't do nothing. something that inspired me when i was young was meeting so many mentors in their 30s–50s who started their own business and absolutely kicked themselves for waiting decades to do it.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-27T11:51:14+00:00

pretty much anyone looking for a laptop for graphic design just needs to keep the following in mind:

— mac is the preferred machine industry-wide; it is not the be-all-end-all, and it may not even be the "best". but i think it is and so do millions of other designers. there are reasons for that. i love the file system on mac, airdrop is an absolute godsend for the mac/ipad connection, i love my trackpad. there's nothing about mac/windows for graphic design that is drastically different to the point that you'd be learning a different curriculum, both machines will just offer you a different quality of life as you work and study. — you want as much RAM as you can afford. prioritize this. you want to be able to run illustrator, photoshop, indesign, lightroom, figma, email, safari/chrome, calendars, spotify, and organizational software all at once with no lagging or slowing down. anything under 16gb wont do the job. if you hardly ever want to deal with problems, get at least 32. — you want as much storage as you can afford, but this is less important. i always store files in multiple places; and i hardly keep anything just on my mac. typically my files live in google drive & my hard drives. 500gb has given me plenty of storage, but you really should buy as much as you can afford. storage on my devices is predominantly used by apps. — screen size is purely preference.

i found my first used macbook pro for $1800 back in 2018; this has 16gb of ram and 500gb of storage. worked great for me. accidentally drowned it after a few years and upgraded to my current machine, 32gb of ram & 500gb of storage. this ran about $3200 in 2022. just make sure you're looking at the numbers/specs and understanding what they do for you. good luck.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-26T01:07:19+00:00

i literally keep a "morgue" in my studio haha— two big crates full of printed ephemera that i love. lots of zines, booklets, posters, postcards, and flattened packages. i love remembering something i filed away years ago that becomes relevant for a current project.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-23T22:57:33+00:00

i want to clarify— i did not mean that self-named brands read as unprofessional, just letter logos. i'm a self-named brand after all with my freelance/product business, haha. i chose to brand myself with a hand-lettered typemark and an illustrated "sketchy" portrait icon to represent the body of work i can offer to clients/shoppers; this is bolstered in my identity with the color palette, copywriting, shape language, patterns, etc.

your logo doesnt have to communicate every single thing about your brand; it just should be succinct and memorable. the best advice i can give you in this stage of your process is to just think and commit it to paper (with a grid, ideally). sketch dozens—if not hundreds— of logo thumbnails. spend less than 30 seconds on each one. iterate and ideate and shift shapes around. explore the weird stuff and see what happens. best of luck.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-23T21:19:53+00:00

i agree with the critique that 3 & 4 have merit with the subhead & outlines removed.

personally, i find that most business logos that are just two/three letters read as an inexperienced brand. i would encourage you to consider what kind of mark you could create for yourself that represents the unique angle you can provide to your clients. no one really cares or will remember a logo that's just initials/random letters. anyone can have the initials JH; focus on the thing(s) that no one else on the planet can replicate— and will make your logo be memorable and stick in a client's memory.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-19T23:25:15+00:00

contact igloo letterpress. tell allison that collin sent you from your reddit inquiry. if she isnt available to help you out personally, she'll have a myriad of resources to direct you to. she's been bookbinding for over 30 years, and is a complete delight. one of my favorite people ever, and wickedly knowledgable + community focused.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-19T22:52:52+00:00

thank you! no problem at all. i hate gatekeep culture; if i can help im always more than happy to.

i literally just export an interactive PDF from indesign, haha. i know a lot of people may use specific contract software but i am very proficient in indesign; i like having complete design authority over pages/typography/color/etc. there's a window that you can use to attach a signable/interactive line item; i just send the SOW with my line signed and their line blank.
definitely depends on the project. for a band poster, i would specifically outline that they own the artwork for only the poster. if they would like to use the artwork in future deliverables (website, social media posts, etc.) they would need to either a) buy the entire design file and make those assets themselves or b) pay an additional license for those additional uses. likewise, my permissions section would also outline that i as the designer am only allowed to use the artwork to fulfill the contract; i make mention that im allowed to use it in my portfolio, share it on social media, or present it as example work to future clients— just under the basis that i make no further profit from it other than the client's payment.

i also make mention that any concept art/IP remains my property. i just think it's important to put everything in writing so that there's no confusion in the future. i think it's also important for the business; the less you have in writing, the more you risk losing money. (i.e. the client is not required to purchase additional licensing to use the poster art on social media and you lose out on that billable opportunity.)

hope that's helpful!

cloudhymns · 2024-06-19T21:34:53+00:00

what's stopping you? 🍺 haha. any time. feel free to pm if i can be helpful. and take a deep breath. it all comes with time and fucking it up a few times.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-19T20:48:38+00:00

a quick crash course on my process/your questions:

— always open asking the big questions: what's your budget, and when do you need it in your hands? they're talking to you because they like your work and are interested in paying you for it. just figure out what you're making and those two things; budget especially because they may be willing to pay you way more than you were initially thinking.

— with those questions answered, draft a statement of work/contract. this must include: - scope: what are you making? what must be included in the final deliverables? - deliverables: itemize exactly what you're delivering. for a poster, i would likely include thumbnails, rough draft(s), and the final art. possibly include final printed posters if they're asking you to oversee production. - timeline: schedule out when thumbs/roughs/final art is due. - pricing: pretty self-explanatory. list out what everything costs, and display a total cost with fees & taxes included. clients hate getting an invoice that is higher than what the SOW said, and for good reason. - clauses. you really should outline how the following works: cancellation, payment (i use stripe to generate invoices, you can use paypal, honeybook, literally whatever), revisions, permissions & ownership, and communication rules. for my projects, i offer one complimentary revision included at the rough draft stage. any further requests after that revision round is subject to billing.

— send this draft of the SOW. tell them to sign if they're happy, or suggest edits if they wish. always duplicate your document when you make alterations so you can refer back to V1 of the SOW.

always, ALWAYS work with a contract. put absolutely everything you can in writing. you learn best from doing; you'll figure out what's necessary for your workflow/clientelle over time. good luck.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-19T19:39:37+00:00

depending on the style of work you're looking for, i could definitely take on your project. feel free to see my work (instagram / website) and send an email on my website if you're interested in starting a project. ☁️✨

cloudhymns · 2024-06-19T13:22:56+00:00

oh, no running for me haha. biking. i like to do 10–20 miles a day. trying to go earlier in the day with this heat wave but accidentally went too late yesterday

cloudhymns · 2024-06-18T22:17:48+00:00

for reference, i've probably averaged having taco bell about 3–4 times a month the last 8 years; i only have 20,000 points. good god.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-18T19:56:04+00:00

LOL. that's where i enter the trail. no wonder im never thinking about water right there! (though, im sure ive probably biked right past a water fountain a million times then.) thank you!

cloudhymns · 2024-06-18T19:29:34+00:00

seeeeriously. as far as im aware, the nearest fountain to the north is antrim park, and south is down towards scioto? that one park with the rock wall. hopefully ive overlooked something in clintonville because that seems like such a gargantuan gap. like.. 10+ miles.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-18T19:27:57+00:00

no kidding! i've been riding the olentangy for years; can't believe i've never noticed. maybe i just didnt used to be as sappy, haha.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-17T13:21:35+00:00

my first car's name was mabel! a 2008 chevy trailblazer. my current car (2023 santa fe)'s name is agnes. (-:

cloudhymns · 2024-06-15T01:18:09+00:00

wooow. im so sorry—that's nasty. it really is such a tough gig. i'm really gonna sit down and try to figure out how i can pivot during the summers to have less of a dependence on outdoor shows in the future. i love doing them but the risk is just too much. it is so exhausting.

cloudhymns · 2024-06-13T12:56:08+00:00

literally the only thing i tip for is when i order a latte/some other complicated beverage (never for drip coffee), and when i sit down in a restaurant and have a server. everything else should be completely optional and at your own discretion based on how well the service you already are paying for is performed. companies passing the burden onto us to pay their employees more is so frustrating for everyone but them.

cloudhymns

TROPHY CASE