PROXY Multimedia

Prints o' Plenty

Luke — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:56:22 EST

There's plenty of prints still available in the PROXY Multimedia Store. I'm trying to move these out before I can place an order for the next one to be released. The perfect print for your bathroom, kids room, home office or dungeon. Get your hands on this Limited Edition print whlie you can and remember to tell your friends about it!

Illustration Inspiration - Alex Young

Luke — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:03:34 EST

I stumbled on Alex Youngs work this morning and was glad I did. His flowing s-shaped approach to the majority of his pieces remind me a lot of the old concert and festival posters from the late 60's and 70's. They all seem to have a look that ties in all the elements into one cohesive unit. Even though the dominant feel of his style is loosely associated with the look and feel of grafitti pieces, he has a knack for blending and piling up background and foreground elements in a way that will make your eyes bleed.

If you're a fan of time lapse videos and crazy detailed illustration work, do yourself a favor and take a second to watch him at work.

Paula Scher on Living & Designing in NYC...

Luke — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:34:50 EST

This video illustrates one of the many, many reasons I've always wanted to live in New York City. Even if only for a year. It's always been a life dream. This is Paula Scher from Pentagram on the inspiration she receives by living in New Yor City.

Creative Wilmington Users - Bear with Me

Luke — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:05:39 EST

Last night I plowed through well over 200 emails to Creative Wilmington (with a hundred or so more to go) and started to feel the overwhelming cloud of stress set in on me. I've recently accepted the position of handling the tech support, etix management and newsletter distribution for Creative Wilmington. This has always been a project I've believed strongly in, but due to the circumstances I'm having to develop a harsh learning curve in taking the reigns from the gentleman that held them tightly for so long.

I know there's only a handful of folks from Wilmington that frequent this site, but I felt the need to stress my plea with those that do. Please bear with me while I answer your questions, phone calls, emails & strive to further promote your business. I am doing the best I can to pick up where it was left. Thanks in advance.

Self-Worth

Luke — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:33:16 EST

I recently had a close friend tell me that "If you don't value yourself, no one else will". This hit home so hard. More than often I find myself negotiating contracts, crunching numbers, finding a way to "beat" those other prices out there for my work. This is a bad train of thought, and crunching numbers isn't the career I initially set out for.

Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.
- M. Scott Peck

It's these things that, we as freelancers need to constantly remind ourselves of in any endeavor we set out to achieve. Value your time, value yourself and others will respect that. Regardless of your decision, you set a standard for yourself and your work. Which would you rather have?

Food for thought.

Those I Follow

Luke — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:48:36 EST

I've been posting stuff on Twitter for a little over 6 months now, and have found it to be a powerful *free* tool for promoting business, blogs, products and so much more. I reluctantly signed up - not really into the whole idea, but once I was in - I was in. My site traffic has increased by probably 75% on a daily daily avg. and I've actually acquired some new work as a result of it. Aside from the social excessive nature of it all - utilizing it for online promotion for a freelance business has yielded some pretty neat results.

I originally intended to use Twitter to promote this blog, my work & of course, my services. However, I began to notice over time that I began to increasingly have the inclination to post the random meaningless personal stuff about my life that I'm sure no one cares about. It'll be somewhat difficult to break away from that, but I plan to "get back to business" when it comes to my more frequent posts.

On that note, there are a handful of users I follow on Twitter that constantly inspire and post interesting links fairly consistently. If you're a regular Twitter'er and frequent this blog I suggest you check some of these folks out. You'll be glad you did. If you're not a Twitter user - I totally understand, and somewhat envy and admire your skepticism and nonconformity.

Sometimes I Get Tired

Luke — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:04:53 EST

I love what I do, but sometimes I get tired of graphic design. It's a bad sign when you're exporting pdf's and adjusting body copy in your sleep. Will someone out there hire me for some illustration work so I can right justify the content of my dreams a little better? That'd be nice. Thanks in advance, your pal, Luke.

Unseen Arctic Battles - Ltd. Edition Prints

Luke — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:28:12 EST

50 Limited Edition 5x7 archiveable quality Unseen Arctic Battles prints have made their way to my doorstep today and they are now available for purchase in the recently launched store, thanks to the handiwork of Mr. Armstrong. I've had a handful of pre-orders already, so get them while the gettin's good.

Thanks to everyone who has shown interest in this piece on Threadless and around the tubes. Big thanks to IOLabs too for doing such a great job printing these little suckers up for me. They look amazing. I plan on starting the next piece soon and will notify everyone once it drops.

Go grab one!!!

Illusions of Communication

Luke — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:04:31 EST

I'd say about 50% of my job relies on communication. I give communication that much merit because of the importance in me seeing jobs through to completion all the while trying to avoid major hiccups, stalls, and/or cancellations due to the lack of communication. I offer a myriad of communication tools such as questionnaires and job outllines. I try and always present clear and concise information that is to be signed off on before commencement of a project and maintain a consistent flow of communication via various means throughout each phase of the process.

It's become somewhat of a pet peeve of mine when these efforts are'nt reciprocated. In this day and age there is no excuse for the lack of communication, short of tragedy (in which case, it would be nice to be notified of even that, but totally validates an excuse). With all the means of communication alá Social Media, being absent in communication and deliverables when there's obvious deadlines only hinders your product from being delivered in a timely manner and creates a chasm of discord and overall inbalance in the jobs equity.

"The problem with communication ... is the illusion that it has been accomplished." 
- George Bernard Shaw

Anyways, all rants aside, it needs to be said and put out there for people to know that this issue is detrimental to the success of your product on all accounts. Do your due diligence by taking the time to follow up, provide weekly updates and/or feedback on current and ongoing projects. It'll make everything go much much smoother and produced to your satisfaction in the end. For those of you who do all these things - keep up the good work, and thank you a million times over.

Illustration Inspiration - Andy Smith

Luke — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:54:30 EST

Sometimes, the the simplest things are the most trying to produce. That is not the case with Andy Smith. His style is unparalleled in it's simplicity and raw quality. He's the only illustrator I know of that I can honestly say could make a stick figure look good. I've often visited Andy's portfolio for inspiration in developing hand-rendered type treated ideas for certain projects but nothing I could conjur comes close. If you have a second today, check out his portfolio and shop.

The Carousel

Luke — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:00:00 EST

I've long been a fan of the AMC series "Mad Men". Not just for the writing, characters, drama or hype, but because I can relate to the show in as much as how I sell myself as a independant freelancer. I'f you're not familiar with the show, you should do yourself a favor and check it out. Mad Men is a drama series created by Matthew Weiner. Set in New York City in the 60's at the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency on New York City's Madison Avenue. The show centers on Don Draper (actor Jon Hamm), the agency's creative director, and the people in his life in and out of the office. It also depicts the changing social mores of 1960s America.  

What I particularly like about the show is Hamm's way of delivering a presentation to potential and existing clients. In this particular clip, his character Don Draper talks about understanding the importance of "nostalgia" in presenting the campaign for Kodak's newest product "The Carousel".

There's something to take away from this presentation wether you're selling yourself or you're selling a product and that is capitalizing on the nostalgia your product or self can deliver. Does it remind you of something you heart is close to? Does it bring you back home? Does it take you to a place where you ache to go again? I aim to start working this philosophy into my products that I deliver.

Fightlance Club

Luke — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

It's high time we start working together and turn to the face of adversity. This downsizing mentality that continues to force people out of their jobs due to the economic downturn just may be a blessing in disguise to those who are willing to make the leap. If we find the ways to band together to produce high quality products in a homegrown fashion, hopefully it could result in creating more entrepreneurs, more jobs, more desirable and environmentally sound products and happier employees all across the board and in all areas of business.

Now, all political laced connotations aside, it's become evident to me that during this job-loss storm, people are resorting to working more for themselves and since they are getting to the point where they have nothing to lose, they are finally trying their hand at marketing and pursuing their talents and true passions. This is the real point I'm trying to make here. I'm reminded of a line from the movie Fight Club when Tyler Durden says to *himself*

"It's only when we lose everything, that we are free to do anything"

That has such powerful merit and has always stuck with me in it's application to many facets of life. Sure, I still have all my knick knacks, furniture, home, health & family, so I haven't really lost everything, but I'm embracing the idea of seizing my passions by making it work for myself, and I'm not the only one. I've been consistently inspired by many others to get to this point and I challenge you to do the same. Become a freelancer.

Trust me, it'll be difficult in the beginning, but you'll be much better off for it. Did I mention happier? Yeah, you'll be loads happier.

Shattering Social Media Stats

Luke — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Though I don't know the source of these stats, the information is interesting enough and showcased in a way to make it pretty believable. Via Paul

Client Karma - Susie Linquist Photography

Luke — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

I've learned loads about networking and the fruit it bears over the past few years. One of the many values I've learned is to support those who support you. Sure, it sounds like a no-brainer, but the way you do it is key. That said, I've developed a monthly goal to exercise "Client Karma". Think of it as instant karma, in the regard that if you take care of those who take care of you it can be a reciprocal cycle that has more potential to overflow and bring you more success in your endeavors.  This months karma goes to Susie Linquist. I had the pleasure of working with Susie a few months back on re-branding her photography business. Susie is a self-started photographer living in San Diego, CA. Just recently I discovered that she's moving to the NC coast to be a little closer to family and friends. Thus, even more reason for me to get her name out there.

Susie and her team really do exceptional work. Specializing in several areas of photography: Weddings, Portraits, Lifestyle & her latest (and hottest) endeavors Boudoir Photography. Susie is a very talented and motivated individual that thrives on the creative process. That's something you don't typically get with most wedding photographers. With Susie, she knows how to capture the essence of her subjects into timeless images.

Check out Susies work here and her frequently updated blog here. If you're in Wilmington, NC or the surrounding areas soon and in need of a photographer for weddings, promotional head shots, or want to give your husband a sexy gift just *because*, hit Susie up for your needs. You'll be glad you did.

New Work - Global Employment Solutions

Luke — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

I've recently had the opportunity of landing some pretty cool clients. One from a long time local designer/programmer that I've had the pleasure of working with for a little over a year now. Patrick over at DBoy is the reason I've been getting a lot of really interesting work lately, so "thanks" Patrick, if you're reading this.

This new work is for certain online presence you're all pretty familiar with - Career Builder. My pal over at DBoy has been getting a significant influx of requests to build these "Job Branding" pages that are particular to a companies image in promoting the position online and via email. These simple one-page landing pages have been produced for some pretty heavy hitters such as E-Trade & Rack Room Shoes. Thanks to DBoy, I was just recently able to wrap one up one for Global Employment Solutions. They're fun little projects.

Did You Vote?

Luke — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

This is the last day to score my Threadless submission. I know it's been somewhat annoying seeing reminders all over the internet for the past few days, but the initial branding of my Threadless profile was necessary I suppose. I'll be submitting more designs in the near future, so plan to be annoyed even further but hopefully rewarded with a nice t-shirt as a consolation prize (that you have to pay for).

Also, I've decided to come up with a backup plan for the Unseen Arctic Battles so that it's name lives on a little longer than a handful of reminders by having 50 original prints made on archival paper complete with signatures. The proofs for these prints arrive today and I'll have them up in the store sometime in the near future. Pretty excited about that, so stay tuned...

Thanks again for all of you who have taken the time to create a profile, comment on the design and cast your ballots. Additionally, thanks to those who have gone a step further to create dummy accounts and vote even a second time, that is amazing to me. Now... if after all this you're still asking yourself "What am I voting for?" Click Here to find out!

Simplicity's Enemy

Luke — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Keeping things simple is a concept I deal with on a daily basis, both on a personal and relational level. It's also something I frequently pound into my clients train of thought in the beginning and during various stages of the developmental process. To stay true to my requests, I try desperately to adhere to keeping things simple when producing design solutions and strategies. Over complicating things happens when you underplan and get wrapped up in the process resulting in simplicity becoming an afterthought. This is one reason why I always try to allot adequate time in the beginning production phases to ensure that simplicity doesn't take the backseat.

"I find that simplicity has an enemy: Fear. Fear demands places to hide and simplicity can't offer that. I would say my passion is helping people discover their fears and then ignoring it"
 - Seth Godin

Seth has a way of putting things into unique perspective by identifying the fears and difficulties in applying simplicity. Even though marketing is not one of my top specialties, I do request all the information on understanding the basics of my clients market up front before developing their product. This should be a goal for all designers to take heed in helping their clients recognize their fears in advances to avoid complications in development.

YeeHaw Industries

Luke — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

I'm sure a lot of you out there in the design community know about Yeehaw, but I've just recently discovered them and have been drooling over their stuff lately. I absolutely love the style and exeuction. Folk Art is something that, if not done well, it's easy for me to overlook, but these guys just seem to have it locked down. Take a second to paruse their Etsy Store and their process page on their site. I'd love to get into developing some letterpress skills myself if I could find the time, but for now, I'm just gonna sit back and admire and hope it sparks some creativity for future projects.

WWMCD?

Luke — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

I had a professor back in school by the name of Mr. Currie that made a huge influence on me in my formable years leading all the way up to where I am today. Mr. Currie taught my first Typography class then Layout & Design Concepts the following semester. I recall staying up till' dawn on many nights finishing projects due to him the following day, making sure I poured all my energy into impressing him with my ideas. However, on more than one occasion, I fell short. Partly because I was trying to impress him on the overall concept and execution but neglected to pay mind to what he was really looking for.

What was Mr. Currie looking for? Perfection. Could it be achieved by Mr. Curries standards? Probably not, but that was the mark. Not "good", not "great", not even "amazing". Perfect. Perfect on all accounts, from concept through to execution and presentation. I recall being docked a handful of points for a particular mock concept I produced for Rayovac batteries. The concept was simple (as I explained in my oral presentation of the ad). A close-up shot of a digital camera taking a picture of a UFO with the battery icon blinking on the LCD screen. The headline "unbelievable". I thought for sure that this would knock it out of the park, and coupled by my tedious marker renderings, I was certain to get at LEAST an A-.

I was wrong.

After I got the project back from Mr. Currie, I noticed that the vellum cover was considerably marked. The issue Mr. Currie had with it overall was that he was unclear on the concept and "wether it was an ad for cameras or film or what". The rendering was obviously a digital camera (as I explained to Mr. Currie) but he didn't care. It was subpar. In addition to the overall concept lacking impact, he also noted craft issues that consisted of some very faint discoloration of spray adhesive that had spilled over onto the matte border of the ad. What was the big deal? I thought. After the class critique everyone agreed that the concept was understandable and it was unanimous that the execution was on par with the guidelines provided.

So, what did I learn from the grade I was given? To perfect. Sure, the concept was obvious to me and most of my classmates, but it wasn't obvious to Mr. Currie. Mr. Currie wanted to know that in a split second, he could make the connection of what the ad was for, what they were selling and why he should buy the product.

There's not a week that goes by where I don't face a design challenge and ask myself "What Would Mr. Currie Do?" How would he approach this problem? In what ways would he execute it? And, ultimately, what would he do to perfect it? So, thanks Mr. Currie for pushing me to always perfect my work, you made quite the impression on me.

It's Been Approved!

Luke — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Well, it's done. After a couple rounds of critiques from friends and family, I've submitted an illustrated shirt design to Threadless. It'll be one of many more to come. I'll keep trying till' I get a shirt printed. Now comes the part where I bug all my friends to go vote. If you have a second, you can do so here. It would be greatly appreciated. If I don't promote myself - who will, right?

Thanks for those of you who have pushed it so far on your blogs and around the web. And thanks in advance for your votes.

Testing the URL Waters

Luke — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

It's high time to start branching out and getting myself involved in more social platforms where I can sell myself not only as an designer, but an illustratrator as well. I've had a Flash book in the works for a while of collected drawings for reprinting purposes, skin purposes or coffee table purposes. I've also been compiling selected works for reprinted pieces to sell through this site. There are too many avenues out there that are free and provide great opportunities for critiques and suggestions.

That said, I've dove head first into Threadless (thanks to the push from a couple friends) There's a handful of illustrations in my catalog that would work for that crowd I think, and I thought why not go ahead and give it a shot. Afterall, it's another possible stream of revenue. So, if you have a chance, go vote and voice any thoughts, opinions or suggestions you may have before I submit the final piece.

Where do you go for Inspiration?

Luke — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

Whenever I start a job I've always had it ingrained in me started with a pencil and a sketchbook. Some ideas make it, some get canned and some get recycled. Sometimes though, I get stuck. That's when I need some outside inspiration (other than the stockpile of publications and zines' I have at the helm) that's right, internet inspiration.

There's an arsenal of sites I frequent whenever I'm stumped on a particular concept and/or theme. These concepts I'm referring to are primarily for logo & web interface design. It's been a while now since I've updated this arsenal, so I want to ask the 3 or 4 of you that frequent this blog to share some of your own inspirational sources, if you are so inclined.

I've listed my top fives and sixes below and know for a fact there have to be better ones out there:

Logo design & Brand Recognition

Brand New
Pentagram
Logo Design Love
Logopond
Identity Works
Creatica (This has pretty much everything)

Web Design & CSS

CSS Mania
Styleboost
CSS Remix
Another Gallery
Best Web Gallery

On Welcoming all Design & Production Challenges

Luke — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

I had gotten half way through the day yesterday and had already submittied 3 large proposals, and was getting slammed with more requests in one week than I had gotten in the past 6 months. After a little downtime, I decided to post a twitter note revealing that I was "welcoming all design & production challenges", neglecting to recall that I had linked Facebook up to Twitter. Listed below is the onslaught of responses from some old co-workers to that very message.

Nate Andrews: I have a challenge for you. Make a vector JPG file.
Luke Worley: impossible.
Nate Andrews: You gave up too easily
Luke Worley: but it's impossible.
Nate Andrews: OK then. Make me a PNG that exports to spot colors. PMS 321 & Warm Gray 12...
Luke Worley: impossible.
Eric White: i can do it. i can also pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Nate Andrews: Eric White! I ain't heard from you since the ABARTA days.
Eric White: haha! i didn't know that was you! friends request on the way!
Luke Worley: Glad that post could bring old friends together.
Jonathan Hunt: Can you make a make an animated GIF that will make my computer run faster?
Eric White: i would like an animated gif of the Schwartz fight at the end of Spaceballs.
Nate Andrews: or maybe the whole movie in an animated GIF?
Eric White: compressed to 17kb so i can use it as my avatar.
Luke Worley: This has quickly become one of my favorites threads on the internet.
Nate Andrews: one of my favorites threads as well. Let's keep it going Gentlemen. What is the next ridiculous topic?
Eric White: can you make me a duotone animated gif of the entire internet, compressed to fit as the background on my 4 gig ipod?
Nate Andrews: As long as you can export the DCS channels without the 72dpi preview. Make it all 800 series colors, as I like shiny things.
Eric White: speaking of shiny things, Luke, can i get a illustrated design done of the Hindenburg in flames for the back of my bedazzled jean jacket?
Nate Andrews: Oh, the huge manatee.
Eric White: it is what it is. i bought my Bedazzler and a Flobee at Goodwill for 2 bucks a piece, and i am not afraid to use them.
Nate Andrews: I hear layered haircuts and jean jackets ARE making a comeback
Eric White: The Flobee is beyond Layered. as long as you own a vacuum you too can have a great haircut.. Thanks to the flobee i look like farrah fawcett.

It seemed to fizzle out after that. By far one of my favorite threads in any social network I've ever been involved in. Thanks guys for bringing back the memories of the lunches at Fat City when we all used to work for ABARTA. Those were some good times back then

Stuffed

Luke — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

And here they are, all of your favorite apps, *stuffed*. Pretty sure if I had the whole set, these pillows would receive equal ammounts of of cuddling and punching. I can't believe I just said "cuddle". Coincidentally, Bridge is the only app I truly have no beef with, and it is missing from the set. Go figure.

Working with the Best of the Best

Luke — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST

I have to say that I truly do work with some of the best people out there. I've been pretty fortunate to have obtained some pretty great clients over the past couple years doing this. Clients that hook me up with the most up-to-date tools necessary for delivering their product. Thanks Patrick!