Carrier Studios | Design & Web Development

To have fun or to be productive

August 27th, 2010

I have a hard time making choices. I try to deliberate as long as I can to make sure I make an informed decision and one that I won’t regret. This weekend is one I have to decide upon. Next weekend, for Labor Day, I’m driving to the beach. I scheduled some much needed (albeit short) respite time. Plus, I haven’t been to the beach at all this summer. I’m due. With an early birthday dinner at the most awesome seafood restaurant ever – the Crab Trap!

This weekend, however, is the retreat for the con staff. They rented a cabin in my home town (blegh) and are staying the weekend for it. I considered going down just for Saturday. But, I also am just FUCK-HAT-ING (that’s fuck hating) life right now. The job keeps getting more and more ridiculous. I don’t know how much more patience I have for it. Also, fitness is not going as well as expected. Annnd I have a ton of to-dos to do.

I’m thinking of forgoing fun. I need an oil change, it’d cost gas, I’d have to make some food for it on Saturday morning, and drive by myself to and from the retreat. Plus, I barely know these people. Spending a day with them without knowing them is just…meh.

UPDATE: I stayed home and worked. Got the con site programmed, my new website all programmed, and my new resume completed. Totally worth it. I’ll be able to start applying to jobs soon!~

Tags: decisions, fun, new site, productivity
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cli humor

August 26th, 2010

$> cd /bar
$> more jameson

Tags: cli humor
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Snide emails will be ignored, but not forgotten

August 13th, 2010

So boss was making us work all weekend for a proposal. We’re all busting our butts and our “Art Director” decides to create a bunch of unnecessary artwork. Fine, do what you want. But he sent out the cover artwork to all of us via email, saying this was the tone for everything. No one had looked at it. So, of course, I did what we ALWAYS do. I sent an email, copying everyone, on my critique of the artwork. It was the same tone, same word choice I always use. “I don’t know if you should use that element. It’s really overused and saturated in the market right now,” “The kerning between that s and the apostrophe is huge, needs to be taken down,” etc. His response?

To bring out the bitch guns.

Of course. I know he was tired and working all weekend. But he basically took it out on me. It was pretty juvenile. Over three paragraphs basically about how I wasn’t a good designer, I didn’t work as hard as him, et. al. (Of course he worded it all passive-aggressively). Best part? He copied everyone! Great! So now you’ve made me out to be an asshole and proved to me that you can’t take constructive criticism. I tried to let it go, as I usually am the “bigger man,” but I was a little peeved my boss didn’t say anything. She is always promoting us to be open and not hate each other, but when one coworker publicly attacks another? Nothing. Lame.

I’m just filing this away as reasons for leaving. I talked to my boss. I had come to her with my problems. She’s not fixing them. When I leave, all I can say is “I told you I needed this.”

Tags: needs, snide emails, work
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How can I be so old?

August 10th, 2010

I’m only 23. Well, I’ll be 24 soon. But when I observe my life and habits, they’re astoundingly older. I wake up at 6ish in the morning, do stretches, shower, let the dogs out, make tea, make breakfast, sit down and read the news while I eat. Get dressed, go to work early, work 8.5-9.5 hours, drive in the traffic home, feed pets, go to practice, come home, cook, have a nightcap, go to bed at 10. Then the next day I do this over and over again.

I have friends who are older than me and stay up late with friends, then go to work. Or they play video games. They just have a lot more life during the weekdays than I do. I don’t go out and do things simply because I know I’ll just get tired and cranky.

How did I become so old so quickly after graduation? It’s been 1.5 years.

Is this really what a routine does to you?

My boss tried to get us to pull all-nighters recently. I just couldn’t keep up. She was having me on CRAZY FRANTIC ENERGY the entire time I was working, so I burnt out quickly. I ended up collapsing with a fever/stomach issues and had to go home. I still haven’t fully recovered since Monday. How is this possible?

I used to be the coding queen of the night. My best work I produced at 3am in the morning. I’d go to school, come home and nap, then wake up and do my homework. Everything I produced at night seemed more genuine and creative.

During the day, though, it’s all business. I’m productive as hell. Want me to get it done? Bam! But will I have entirely thought it through and explored all concepts? Nope. Kinda sucks.

But I also am not one of those people who will work on work work at night just to do better. I need a balance in life. I almost wish I could have a schedule around the realm 11-7. I could get my exercising and shit done in the morning, then really crank out the creativity during my work hours. But who would allow that?

I just have to get with the fact that I’m an old fart in a routine. Blegh.

Tags: schedule
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Ads That Disgust Me Vol. 1

July 16th, 2010

So, here’s volume 1 of x volumes about what ads disgust me. Today’s example is what inspired this entire series.

I know, I know, it’s Mad Men related. I swear I’m not obsessed with the show, but I am constantly inundated with marketing on the internet. I was persuing the AMC Mad Men site when I witnessed this gem:

Isn't that just dandy.

My Hello Kitty theme aside, I just find the message in this Chorlox ad appalling. Not only have they been attempting to brand themselves lately as a kind, caring company, who cares for the people, their clothes, and the environment, the message in this ad is a bit alarming. Yes, they were attempting to be witty and play on the success of Mad Men. However, there is a slight difference between portraying adultery in a context and setting, and then heralding it through the use of your product. They are completely undermining their existence branding campaign. I also think this shows they don’t know who their audience – mainly women in their 40s – and Mad Men’s audience – mainly women baby boomers – is and what they like. What woman would really endorse her husband having affairs? Plus, most people who visit this site and will see this are women, which will completely turn them off from the product!

This is the kind of advertising that I would expect to see on askmen.com or something, but AMC? Just because we’re all obsessed with these philanderers does not mean we welcome it into our own lives. Please keep fiction and products we use separate.

Tags: adultery, disgusting ads, mad men
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The artist’s dilema

June 22nd, 2010

I wish I had time to be an artist.

To really sit down and observe the nature of things around me, complete with writing whole thoughts and notes about them in a journal. I want this instead of rushing through projects because of time constraints, not all of them being really developed and thought-out. I want to take a concept through multiple levels of development and watch it grow from my original idea.

I want to sit down and draw something for four to five hours on end and not even finish it. I want to keep my brain exercised.

But in my job where all it is is RUSH RUSH RUSH – get these website updates done – get logo thrown in for mom & pop store – I can’t catch a break. I come home completely mentally exhausted. Not only did I expend all my creative energy on figuring out how to finish all these challenges within the day, I spent all my daily energy keeping my emotions tied up and not reacting to my coworkers petulance. I can’t even rise to find myself holding a pencil. When I have I don’t even know what I should draw or create.

I last did a painting of my own accord two years ago. TWO. Even in college I didn’t feel this lack of creating. I was doing it for classes, yes, but it still fulfilled my need to create imagery and a story with my hands.

I am not encountering the nurturing aspect of art. It’s not helping me soothe my soul. I never realized how much I needed it in my life until I didn’t have it. I guess that’s the way with a lot of things. My art – visual, performing, music - was so prevalent at all stages of my growing up that it seemed as natural to me as breathing would. I never thought choosing a profession in which I get to use these tools would end up stifling my inner voice. But I can’t see me doing any other profession. I think I just need a work atmosphere that encourages growth, nerdiness, and happiness.

I will be alone most of this weekend, so hopefully I can attempt to rejuvenate myself. I’m going to schedule specific events during the day. I’m not just going to clean the house. I’m determined to clean my soul.

Tags: artist, drawing, lament, time
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A small amount of appreciation goes a long way

June 21st, 2010

Ok, so I had to come in on a Saturday (FUN) to do some software training. I’m using Wordpress as a CMS on a client’s site, along with Google calendar, Paypal, etc. and she needed to know how to use the stuff. It had to happen eventually. I was a little pissed because my boss scheduled it for this date without me being aware until my client sent me a confirmation email.

The office building was kind enough to actually turn off the air conditioning in 100 degree weather. Needless to say, we were all sweaty in the end. Amazing.

So let me tell you a little bit about this client. There’s an independent consultant that works with my boss on one of our larger clients. This consultant’s daughter, Erin, has a severely autistic child. He’s only 2.5 years old and has far-gone developmental issues. There’s therapy out there for him, and it’s been successful, but it’s so expensive. So Erin wanted to create a website and blog to promote the autistic community in Nashville and attempt to gather donations for her son’s therapy. She has a goal of the amount of money she wants to raise and then expand it into a full-blown nonprofit.

At the end of the session, she told me that I had earned at least a t-shirt, and she and her husband wanted to take me out to dinner. We added each other on facebook, and hopefully I can continue to be involved in her life.

Sweatiness abound with awesome t-shirt

She’s really cool. We got along well. The best part was, though, that she and Marla (the consultant’s secretary who also came) couldn’t stop telling me that I was awesome, and a genius, and so precious for doing this website for them. Erin even said, “You have single-handedly saved my child’s life. I could not have done this on my own.” I nearly cried. I have a big heart (when you can see it), and knowing I’ve made just the slightest bit of difference was astounding. All I did was make a logo and a website, but I am making her dreams come true. It’s pretty emotionally wracking.

She accidentally sent everyone to the test site, so I had to go ahead and make it live. There’s still stuff I need do to it, but all the basic content is there. She already added about 15 blog entries, haha.

Make sure to check out the site: autismvillage.com. Try donating, too! But really, this one small little appreciation will save me for the next month. I want to make people happy, but it’s hard when I’m not happy at work. Trying reaaaal hard to be the shepherd, Ringo.

Tags: appreciation, autism
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Designing Shit Web banner ads

June 16th, 2010

Designing a set of three of them is no fun. Designing them with pretty much every detail picked out for you? Less so. Here are the parameters:

Three sizes – 120×240, 468×60, 300×250 pixels
Three colors – The client’s maroon and tan colors, and a BRIGHT ASS yellow as a color to “pop”
Same copy on all three – Logo, “Huge Sale Ends Saturday,” and “Click to see sale items”
Needs to be able to span all seasons and sales as this will run through end of the year
Logo is a very very long horizontal text with a very very tall element right next to it. Basically a resizing nightmare. Can’t really be less than 250 pixels wide and be readable.
Rip off a Kroger ad from the same site we’ll be advertising on’s wave element

Wtf am I supposed to do with this? Boss asked me to come with another color to add to the palette. Can’t be done. Not unless they want a bright purple (and I know the traditional client will NOT). I feel like I just shat all over my screen in photoshop and printed it out. She’s going to get frustrated with me because I didn’t do a good design. I can usually be creative under x amount of parameters. I can build it to certain sizes. I can work with colors to maintain branding consistencies. But creating timeless banner ads? Does that even make sense?

I don’t understand what the point of having a designer who doesn’t design, just becomes the person to create your vision. Sometimes my boss has good ideas; sometimes she doesn’t and she should listen to me when I present alternatives. It’s not like I don’t think I do a good job selling things. I have tons of BS practice up my sleeve. I think that she just doesn’t like and respect me. But c’est la vie. I’ll start working on my logo in the background…

Tags: design, stupid, work shit
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Finger exhaustion

June 9th, 2010

Just did the fastest coding of my life. Email newsletter, photo gallery, microsite layout, press release, home pages – can fingers get tired from typing so quickly?

All within 2 hours and about 5 rounds of edits.

Tags: coding, drinking, web
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Facebook account – for work use?

June 4th, 2010

I came into work this morning, checked my email, and found this monstrosity:

hey alison -

can you go on FB as yourself and post this comment under this post (see attached)

Hey Beer Hunter – Which beers will be featured?

thx

I had to curb my emotional reaction because I think my dislike for my boss has been seeping out more and more. It’s mainly her ethics, or lack thereof. Anyway, I wrote to her that I was not comfortable doing this. This is my personal facebook account completely removed from my work life. Yes, I have my boss as a friend on facebook – under a limited profile. I keep all my privacy settings on friends only, do not allow public search, and only allow a few questionable content pictures of me up. This is my precaution. I do not want everyone know how I drunk I got, nor anyone thinking I’m not connected through the world.

But, what irks me more is that she gave me obviously cheesy marketing copy to place on there. It might be different if I got to post what I thought, but no – strategically placed fakeness. This just comes across to me as tacky and tasteless. In case future employers go cavorting through my comments, I don’t want them to see that I’ve done such a schmutzy thing. This is my reputation. I want the words coming out of my mouth and emails my words.

In the world of online advertising, is it okay to keep your personal accounts out of it? It might be different if it was a job assigned to me when I first came on, and I had to decide on the job on my willingness to do this. But out of the blue like this? I dunno. What do you all think?

I guess this proves that I’m not a pure marketer – and I’m glad I never will be. I prefer to have some principles left intact.

Tags: facebook, personal ethics, work
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