Watercolor Trends in Design

Watercolors in design is a big trend right now. We’ve seen them them used in a range of places; from websites, to commercials, to book covers and art. Check out this article I wrote on the latest watercolor trends and how to use them. The article is published on the GoMediaZine…a design blog by Cleveland’s Go Media.

Here’s an example of my own work using watercolor! A stationery design for Minted:

WMC Fest - the Ultimate Design Conference

I wanted to let people know about a great design conference and music festival happening June 8-10, 2012 in Cleveland, OH. It’s called Weapons of Mass Creation Fest, this is it’s third year running and it will prove to be even bigger and better than last year! WMC Fest was created by Jeff Finley and Go Media- an awesome design firm in Cleveland. Get your tickets here!

“Weapons of Mass Creation is a young grassroots movement to inspire and enable the creative mind. We believe that good things happen when ideas and talents are shared within the community. This mentality manifests itself in the lifestyle of a Weapon of Mass Creation. A person who defies the hand they’re dealt and makes stuff happen.” - WMC Fest

WMC Fest features 20 Speakers, 20 designers, and 30+ bands and lasts for 3 days one weekend in June. In terms of price, it’s the most affordable design conference around! A mere $60 will get you an All-Access-3-Day-Pass. Buy here. 

I am most excited for the speakers. Headlining are big names such as: Johnny Cupcakes, Kate Bingaman Burt, James White, Austin Kleon, Tad Carpenter, Chuck Anderson & Friends of Type. Go Media’s Jeff Finley will also be speaking, and I’m looking forward to local Cleveland girl Rachel Novak’s presentation.

In addition to the speakers & awesome bands (Cloud Nothings, Eluvium, Gregory and the Hawk) playing all day long, there will also be a design show showing some awesome work from designers. Participants include Go Media, Ryan Clark, Jon Contino, Three Bears Design, FIZZ Creative & Joel Miller. 

I’ve been a graphic design intern at Go Media for the past few months, so I feel pretty attached to this design conference even though I’ve had no direct impact on it. However, I am planning to help out as much as I can & volunteer Sat & Sun during the Fest! We need more volunteers, so if you want to put something awesome on your resume & get in FREE on the day you volunteer…then SIGN UP now to get in on the action!

You’ll even get a nifty badge designed by Jeff Finely to post on your website! Hope to see you all in CLEVELAND!

- Elaine 

*photos pulled from www.wmcfest.com

New Stationery for sale at Minted!

I’m excited to announce that my new stationery design “Intricate Monogram” is now for sale! Perfect for thank you notes and letters. A great gift for Mother’s Day! If you would like to purchase any of my designs on Minted, use this code at checkout for 10% off your order: SHOPERV2QF  

The design comes in 3 color ways, with optional designs on the back, and personalized address label!

Recent Work: Ridgewood Remodeling, Inc.

Recently I was able to design the identity and business cards for a company in Georgia called Ridgewood Remodeling, Inc. It’s a one man construction and consulting firm focused on quality and custom designs. Above is the logo in an earthy color palette. Below is the business card, with big, bold areas of color and plenty of white space. Next? Possibly designing a website for the company.

Minted Stationery Win

I’m excited I received an Editor’s Pick in the recent Women’s Stationery design challenge at Minted.com for my “Intricate Monogram”. There were over 900 entries, and only about 70 were picked! So I’m grateful to be among them. I’ll let you know when it’s available for sale! :)

Freshly Minted: My Wedding Design is For Sale!

My design “Vegas Type” is now available for sale at Minted! It is my first design for sale, so it’s a pretty exciting day. I get 6% commission in addition to my prize, so if you have any friends getting married in Vegas, show them my design! ;) Above is the invitation, backer, and skinny wrap address label that I created for the suite.

For the wedding suite, I also had to design the invitation in 2 alternate colorways…so I chose pink and black. Something a little more girly, and something more bold.

I also designed an information card, RSVP card, and thank you card.

It’s rewarding to finally have a design for sale after participating in so many Minted challenges…I can’t wait for my next winning design, “WeddingGram” to go on sale too!