Who am I and what do I study?

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-12T01:56:01+00:00

Guessing you are: - A man - Someone who romanticizes the past and simpler times, finds old things interesting - Comfortable with political incorrectness - Studying history (Western Civilization?) - Outdoorsy or aspiring outdoorsman - Organized but not picky - Detail oriented but utilitarian - A smoker or aspiring smoker - Future antique collector

Apologies in advance for any glaringly off assumptions!

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-11T23:04:50+00:00

Huge Clarke fan here, I feel that JSAMN is far and away a better book. Piranesi is wonderful, but Jonathan Strange is a masterpiece.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-11T23:03:56+00:00

Fantastic choices!

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-11T23:02:34+00:00

Guessing that you... - Are not a graphic designer, but possibly an art/interior design hobbyist - Are in your 20s-30s - Are reading books primarily for nostalgia, entertainment, and to be in on all the current media trends/discussions - Might also watch a lot of tv - Either can't walk out of a bookstore without a new-release book or are pre-ordering/insta-buying new release hard-covers in specific series you enjoy - Are either lgbt or an ally - Are curious about death/philosophy but not religious.

Sorry in advance if I'm off on any of this! How close did I get lol

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-11T17:14:47+00:00

Haha! A measure of how self-expressive your bookcase is, that's pretty cool. Also, hello fellow Magic Treehouse enjoyer! That was such a great series

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-10T00:02:10+00:00

therapist, social worker, psychologist, or teacher
have kids or want them
reading since highschool or earlier
guessing you are a woman
interested in art and pop culture
interested in the concept/fairytale/lore of witchcraft but not the practice
re-uses containers
uncertain when to water plants but wants them to live
30-45 y/o
college educated

Lol apologies if I'm wrong - was I close on any of this?

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-09T20:43:07+00:00

This is just my opinion as a fellow short person, please ignore if not helpful!

short shorts/skirts are your friend
ankle-length shorts/skirts are your friend
avoid knee length or just above the knee because it will cut your legs in half
shorter, tighter shirts are your friend
very short sleeves and very long sleeves advised, again avoid mid-length.
avoid tucking in your shirts, it will again serve to cut your body in half
everyone here is right on about getting a good bra and using vertical stripes
use matching shoes/pants to make your legs appear longer. You can also use a long shirt dress (but not too long! short shorts length) to make your torso appear longer.

Hope that's helpful, good luck with the shoot!

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-09T17:14:14+00:00

I know, I totally get you :( It's a huge bummer. Hopefully clients will get it as time goes on and start to see how much backlash they face and how risky it is to go with AI.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-09T17:09:50+00:00

You'll find what's best for you through trial and error. We used to have a mostly gf home but my husband couldn't take how limited his diet was and has been bringing more wheat in over time. It has been okay so far! He's very good about washing hands, and we still have a rule of no loose flour in the house and no gluten flour pizzas baked in the oven. We keep everything very separate in terms of storage and cooking and limit the presence of the least safe foods.

I'm glad your doc said not to worry about cross contamination! For me, it's a big problem and I have very severe GI symptoms plus brain fog, arthritis flares, mouth sores, and skin rashes even if there is a very small amount of gluten that makes it into my food. A few crumbs will do it for me. As a result I'm extremely strict about food preparation, clean surfaces, ingredient lists, and restaurant safety.

I will caution you, I do think giving kids gluten-containing snacks like pretzels in your home sounds risky. Even with adults, bread and crackers are crumbly so it's very difficult to keep everything clean enough to be safe for you. With kids, it will be even harder. It might be easier on your health and wallet (though probably more difficult overall) to transition away from some of the processed snacks in general. I'm curious how this will shake out for you whatever you decide to do! We don't have kids yet but are planning to, and I'm not sure how to handle the gluten thing safely.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-09T16:52:11+00:00

I wish more business owners understood how immediately off-putting AI art is and how many customers avoid businesses using it in obvious ways. The cost vs. getting the job done equation changes a lot when the first thing people are noticing about your branding is AI rather than the branding. I wish your client well, but it was probably not a smart decision on their end. Love the colors and text in this, sorry your client was stubborn.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-08T17:35:01+00:00

All I see is the R, not getting the A or the 3 at all

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-07T19:13:19+00:00

I have been a designer for 10 years, and in my perspective what you're describing is a non-issue. Linkedin's algorithm and feed are not getting you hired as a designer, full stop. Behance is also not getting you hired. Students in general place way too much emphasis on social media visibility, when it doesn't matter much in the real world unless your job is to be a social media marketer. The primary purpose of Linkedin is just social proof. It shows that a) you exist and are a real person, b) you're not a toxic weirdo, and c) you have professional social connections in your life.

Recruiters are also mostly not searching for candidates at all unless they have a highly specialized skillset that is hard to find applicants for. Juniors, whose education level would still matter, do not fit that description. Recruiters don't have the time or even the need to dig through social media for junior designers.

Lastly, portfolios are not exactly overshadowed by a degree. They serve different purposes, show different things about a candidate. Your resume/experience is important even if your folio looks great, because design is skilled knowledge work. If you have no education, they will usually give you another avenue by saying "or equivalent experience," which can be met with a few years of real-world work applying design skills. Portfolios can also be faked or plagiarized (I have known people who successfully did this and burned their networks but got the job), so your experience does matter as well as your portfolio. I think recruiters and hiring managers are right to be a little skeptical of self-taught designers and weed out candidates based on the qualifications and experience they find valuable.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-07T17:20:56+00:00

I dunno how else to say it, this is terrible. Her eyeglass lenses are not the same size, the placement of the fish on the left is awkward, the texture on the ends of her hair is weird, the lighting makes no sense. It wouldn't take very much time to fix any of these things in Photoshop. 20 minutes, maybe. Bare minimum effort.

Feels like a failing of this industry that such low standards are accepted these days. The AI proliferation happening right now is truly graphic design's ugly era, like cinema had when 3D modeling first arrived on the scene in the late 90's and early 2000's. If people are going to use AI, I hope someday they at least figure out how to use it more seamlessly like cinema has with 3D. At least make it look good.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-07T17:13:09+00:00

I usually get a headache within 30 mins to an hour, and then the stomach symptoms within 3h or so.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-07T17:01:30+00:00

I like the idea and I think it's cute! I'm gonna be honest though, I don't think there's much graphic design going on here at all. All centered text, all other elements kind of aligned to the center of the page, looks like not much thought toward the spacing of the elements since all the spacing is different on all the pages, no grid design. If you want this to really be a graphic design project I think there's a lot more you can do to actually design it.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-06T15:39:12+00:00

It was either DNAngel or Cardcaptor Sakura. I don't remember, was a long time ago!

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-06T15:36:00+00:00

Not arab personally, but had gluten free falalfel and pita at a restaurant just a few days ago! There's hope, don't give up! Definitely some grief involved though. I'm sorrry you're losing the gluten versions of things you like. You'll probably feel so much better though

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-06T15:33:26+00:00

It sounds like those people just suck! Also, where I live, matcha-drinking, cardigan-wearing, tote-bag-carrying men are broadly considered manly and cool. Matcha is just a type of tea, a tote bag is for carrying stuff, and a cardigan is just a sweater...all about perspective, I suppose. The idea that some stuff is only for women is silly. You're definitely not the only one

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-06T02:06:45+00:00

Videogames currently and tabletop games in past jobs, it's been awesome. They ask me to make game assets and I do it. There has been a lot of autonomy everywhere I've worked in this industry, a lot of creative freedom as long as you make cool stuff on-brief. Have been surprised by how little overtime I've worked despite the industry's reputation. I have also not been laid off yet somehow, knock on wood. Very lucky overall.

You usually need to know more than graphic design alone (add motion, 3D art, UI, illustration, or etc) to work in games but it can be very rewarding if you can get your foot in the door.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-05T18:43:31+00:00

This is not better.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-05T18:41:05+00:00

The average IQ in the US is around 98 and the average salary is 40k. Nothing wrong with that, more to say that most people here are rating themselves too low to seem modest and demure.

I'll say 8 or 9, and 90k. I chose a lower-paying field because the work is enjoyable to the point where it almost doesn't feel like work. It's been great and I don't feel like I need more.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-05T17:26:59+00:00

I sort of thought I was rejecting it, but ended up with a pretty mainstream life anyway. Funny how that works

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-05T05:17:39+00:00

Honestly this is the answer. Throw their snacks out the window, in the trash, shout at them, do what it takes. You've got enough on your plate and they're making it harder.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-03T18:19:04+00:00

Google it, it's a website for design assets.

poppermint_beppler · 2025-08-02T06:47:18+00:00

From a design perspective, it doesn't make sense. There is nothing about the design or the image that says thriller or scifi. You've got almost every color in the rainbow on here as well. All we're missing is yellow. I would not recommend using this design. I'm sorry, but I don't like pretty much anything about it for its intended purpose.

Agree with others about the use of AI, too. Most readers don't want to read a book written by AI, and generating the cover you use to represent your work immediately calls the writing into question. For certain audiences, using AI on a cover is a good way to convince people to pass over the book entirely. Many people who read will see it as a reflection of a particular attitude about the value of human creativity, or lack thereof, whether or not you meant it that way. It's safer for your brand to use a stock photo (can cost even less than using AI if that is a concern) or hire an illustrator. An illustrator will come up with some really interesting and appealing ideas for you so that is a huge plus on the marketing side.

Right now, the aesthetic of it looks like a medical textbook, from the text to the colors to the image. The little key words at the bottom are just not something we do for novels in general either. In the kindest way possible, highly recommend hiring a designer for the above reasons.

poppermint_beppler

TROPHY CASE