Design Dialogue #1 // Allison Lehman

JC // So tell me a little bit about your discoveries as a designer in Columbus, Ohio vs. Upland, Indiana
AL // It's crazy different. I felt like I was unable to think outside the box when I lived in Upland, Indiana. I didn't have my own space to create because I shared a house with 7 other girls and there was no way of networking within the town that I lived in. In Columbus, I've met so many people interested in the same things that I am. Especially through twitter, I've connected with clients that I currently have now. I had a chance to visit Sandbox Columbus and meet the team of Egolabel and collaborate. Plus, I think there's a feeling of legitimacy that you gain as an artist when you're positioning yourself in an urban area around people striving for the same things.

JC // Who makes up your clientele?
AL // My clientele is great. It took about a year to build up quality clients. I work with Emily Elizabeth Jewelry a lot. She's a designer in New York City. I also with a photographer in LA. She has a lot of small start up companies that are fun to work with. I get a lot of grooms/brides looking for invitation designs.

JC // How do you market yourself? What tools have you found most successful?
AL // I used to market myself through Etsy. About 2 years ago I started designing banner designs for small business's shops. Now I market myself through past clients (referrals are huge!). Twitter has also gotten me connected with clients/projects. And lately I've started blogging everyday and decided to buy an ad space on a widely read blog. I get a lot of visitors to my blog/site and randomly will get an email or two asking about my prices/processes.

JC // Who is your most significant artistic influence?
AL // Oh that's tough. I've always had a hard time picking influences. As far as fine art: that would have to be Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning. When it comes to design influences, I actually don't have a 'famous' artist influence. I keep track of a lot of blogs of designers who aren't huge. They're so talented but they're making a difference in their community and within their network.

JC // What is your favorite thing to design?
AL // I love designing for print. There's something magical about seeing it printed. There's a choice that goes into what kind of paper you use, or what type of printer you use, should it be letterpress, can I afford letterpress? Ha. When I design for print but it never gets printed, it's just this electronic file on my screen. Someday I want to invest in a really nice printer and print all my projects that never get to come alive.

JC // What is your all-time favorite piece you designed?
AL // Oh my gosh that's so difficult. Well I really like my design for TotsPups and most all the work I create for that client. But honestly, I become incredibly unhappy with my designs the longer time passes after I finish them. Every design I create is my favorite at that moment. Then I get frustrated and want to do something different and new.

JC // Last question: Give me 1 reason why I should hire you.
AL // My personality and who I am at the core is rooting for my clients. I want to see them succeed and gain recognition for what THEY are doing. I work with really creative people and I've made great relationships with those that I've worked with. I work hard and I don't send my clients designs until I'm personally happy with it.

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Allison Lehman graduated last May with a degree in Visual Communication Design from Taylor University located in Upland, Indiana. She is currently a freelance designer in Columbus, Ohio where she resides with her husband, Adam, and new puppy, Desh. If you are interested in working with Allison Lehman, please contact her via email: salutations@allisonlehman.com and make sure to check out her online portfolio.

Wedding photos – sneak peak!

Guest Blogger for Miles Design

So this week I was a guest blogger on the Miles Design blog. The post is titled "What are Your Brand's Affordances? To read the post, click here.

Before & After | Dining Room

Brown. Blue. Black. White.

Our dining room table was a wedding present from Meg's Aunt. She found the drop leaf table and chairs separately at a flea market and repaired, painted, and reupholstered the set. The framed photograph on the black shelf was taken by Meg when studding abroad in Italy. The photograph is of a young girl feeding the pigeons. It was this experience that inspired Megan to write and Illustrate the children's story What Peapa Learns in Florence. See images of children's story here

Home Sweet Home.

It's hard to believe it has already been a month since August 15th! (...which means it's already the middle of September? yikes!)

I took a small break from blogging but am now ready to get back into the full swing of things. There are a few exciting things happening with the blog. I'm pleased to announce that you will not only be viewing posts from jcook -- but also from mcook. We're going mix things up a little bit...It could get interesting.

We're finally starting to feel settled in our new home so we plan on sharing some of our before/after shots of the townhouse. Stay posted....

081509

Recognizing The Routine.

The first time I remember a broken routine was in the first grade.

Miss Griffin was my favorite teacher and I'm pretty sure I was her favorite student too. Everyday was just like the previous. I would stay inside during recess to grade papers and help Miss Griffin decorate the classroom (odd now that I relfect on it...) I remember a few days during my time in the first grade that upon arriving to school and entering the classroom there would be a different teacher in the room. It was not Miss Griffin but it was her desk! Her Classroom! I remember tensing up as I realized it was a substitute teacher. It was at this point I would sit at my desk and begin to cry. Everytime. It wasn't a sad cry -- it was an uncomfortable cry. Although the schedule remained the same, there was a piece of the routine missing. I don't remember much from 1st grade -- but I do remember this. (I also remember that in the future when Miss Griffin had a substitute teacher I was given permission to join a different 1st grade class whose teacher I was familiar with.) //

I've been thinking about routines lately and it wasn't until tonight's drive home that I remembered this experience. Routines are powerful. They can be incredibly efficient and they can be incredibly dangerous (not to mention their comfortability.) In my thinking about routine, I'm beginning to see the significance of being able to recognize it for what it is. What is your routine? And what drives your routine?

Lately I've been trying to remove myself (mentally) from my own routine so that I can recognize what is happening and regain perspective. I'm amazed at how quickly a week can pass when I'm caught up in my routine. It's usually not until the routine collides with the unexpected that I'm reminded of the fragility and preciousness of each day.

I'm currently reading Tribes, by Seth Godin, which is about gaining the confidence and skill to lead (rather than manage). In his book he mentions how the concept of factories has been woven into our genes. The notion that a routine developed for efficiency and profit is something we strive for not only professionally but in our personal lives. It causes me to seriously consider what profit I am working towards personally (not financially speaking-- although it may be for some). Is it a daily profit? Or A yearly profit? Maybe the profit of my life's work. Whatever the profit is, I believe recognizing the routine and regaining a clear perspective of the 'here and now' will help determine the success of achieving it.