tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31502712946977174412011-07-08T00:45:47.142-04:00Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.comBlogger361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-40264150065368461192010-03-01T07:17:00.002-05:002010-03-01T07:17:00.374-05:00

Get inspired by these March / St. Patrick's Day / First Day of Spring Swatches! Spring has sprung!

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-58312939823504676972010-02-16T12:23:00.018-05:002010-02-21T20:53:08.741-05:00

I adore fashion sketches. I love the rough, yet whimsical strokes of charcoal or a brush on paper that create these elegant glimpses of a fashion masterpiece. So I was pleasantly surprised when I popped on to The Croquis one day while surfing the web. The Croquis is a fashion illustration company that provides made-to-order sketches. I must have one of these!The Croquis is a boutique fashion

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-59024524338011775492010-02-16T11:57:00.002-05:002010-02-16T11:58:44.381-05:00

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-83395990301716611622010-02-14T21:27:00.005-05:002010-02-16T10:39:53.654-05:00

"In love" with these images today... See the gallery of Valentine's inspired images below. Spread the love!

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-46253922724586548072010-02-09T05:27:00.005-05:002010-02-09T06:48:30.385-05:00

Don't know what to get your Valentine this year? Check out Leaf Cutter Designs for the World's Smallest Package. Not only are these just absolutely adorable, but they are handmade, affordable, and a thoughtful way to show someone you care:Special for Valentine's Day, the WSPS is offering a teeny tiny package with custom "to" and "from" addresses on it. Inside the little box is a little strip of

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-67962776707935559662010-02-08T05:54:00.006-05:002010-02-08T07:08:42.169-05:00

This month is all about love. And I can't think of a city that people love more than New York City.The "I Love New York" logo and advertising campaign was created by graphic designer, Milton Glaser, which was created over 3 decades ago to promote tourism in NY. The campaign was only expected to last a couple of months, but since it made it's appearance in 1977 it has become one of the most

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-23667289787686472772010-02-07T20:29:00.000-05:002010-02-07T20:16:45.982-05:00

On a recent visit to Katrina Hess's makeup studio, on Newbury Street in Boston, I was introduced to the latest must-have in beauty products – the Beauty Blender.This adorable hot pink, egg-shaped sponge is the most essential item in my make-up bag right now. It is designed to blend foundation, powders, and concealers perfectly. The result is a seamless, professional, foolproof make-up

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-22164787241226639562010-02-02T05:00:00.000-05:002010-02-02T05:00:03.330-05:00

Say "I love you" on Valentine's Day this year with handmade flowers from EmersonMade. Each bloom they build is one of a kind, varied, and has its own unique character and soul. Personalize a flower love letter, accessorize a sweater, blazer, or clutch with one of their 3 flower pins, or adorn your hair with one of their dahlia hair clips. EmersonMade is not just for women – surprise the special

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-61316554713203715942010-02-01T06:06:00.003-05:002010-02-01T06:06:00.249-05:00

Get inspired by these February / Valentine's Day Swatches! These colors are sure to make your heart flutter.

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-87820481160902562422010-01-29T06:29:00.003-05:002010-01-29T06:34:26.157-05:00

One of my favorite host/hostess gifts to give or receive is wine. Who doesn't love it?! It's good for the heart, and it's good for conversation, especially when you have a bottle of wine starts a conversation on it's own. "What am I talking about?", you ask. The answer is: Toast-its!Toast-Its! cleverly designed a greeting card that is wrapped around a wine bottle. It even has an area on the back

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-37394075583659784612010-01-28T06:40:00.002-05:002010-01-28T06:41:15.584-05:00

Is winter over yet?! Even though I love wrapping up my oversized, large-neck, cozy sweaters with a cup of tea, I am anxiously awaiting bright bursts of poppy (Cayenne, PANTONE 18-1651), coral (Fusion Coral PANTONE 16-1543), and turquoise (Turquoise PANTONE 15-5519) this spring. These colors are just amazing against sun-kissed skin. According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-8580345143921098852010-01-26T23:11:00.019-05:002010-01-27T08:20:51.251-05:00

In a world that is not so black and white, one thing is for certain, black and white business cards are sure to make a statement. Perhaps, this is because we are so inundated with color on a day-to-day basis, that the simplicity of a black and white business card is what makes it so great. Black and white is so many things: elegant, bold, effortless, uncomplicated, dark, pure, shiny, unmistakable

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-26875930843098137852010-01-26T07:37:00.001-05:002010-01-26T11:26:33.805-05:00

I just love it when fellow designers say what the rest of us are thinking. Read the cards above, need I say more...

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-90686160206991202712010-01-25T16:09:00.004-05:002010-01-25T16:22:13.635-05:00

I have been a huge fan of John Murphy ever since I discovered his website on Design Sponge Online. I have been head-over-heels for his whimsical dreamscape collages. Maybe it's just me but I am very particular about the art that I choose for my home decor, I like art that doesn't require interpretation but does make you want to look twice. I can think of the perfect space in my home for several

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-62487932402535425422010-01-23T15:51:00.005-05:002010-01-31T19:57:55.286-05:00

For the second year in a row I received awards from the Graphic Design USA, a news magazine for creative professionals. Each year, for nearly four decades they present the American Graphic Design Awards, which is sponsored by Adobe. The contest is open to everyone in the community: advertising agencies, graphic design firms, corporate, institutional, and publishing inhouse departments, etc. It

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-66477441233422218532009-12-21T18:46:00.009-05:002009-12-21T19:01:37.904-05:00

I am a huge advocate for promoting services that actually work. FreshBooks is an online invoicing service that allows you to send, track, and collect payments. FreshBooks saves you so much time every month, helps you get paid faster and makes you look more professional – what could be better than that! Other great features include: time tracking, expense reports, estimating, manage your books

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-55896014798098230852009-01-24T14:20:00.001-05:002009-01-26T08:08:14.609-05:00

With the new year and with new company budgets in place for 2009 I have been asked to do a lot of estimates for new clients. This raised an important question for me: Should I estimate incoming projects hourly basis or a project basis?It is important for me to be sensitive to a client's budget, especially with the volatile nature of the current economy. On the contrary, it is also very important

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-79005610442998132392008-12-22T14:01:00.006-05:002008-12-22T14:22:38.035-05:00

Last week I received the 2008 issue of the Graphic Design USA, which is a news magazine for creative professionals.  Each year, for nearly four decades they present the American Graphic Design Awards, which is sponsored by Adobe. The contest is open to everyone in the community: advertising agencies, graphic design firms, corporate, institutional, and publishing inhouse departments, etc. It

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-71553658268714348602008-12-16T19:26:00.011-05:002008-12-17T09:12:48.328-05:00

I was recently tagged on Twitter by @AndyVitale. As a result of being tagged I have to post seven things you don't know about me. I thought it was such a huge compliment for Andy to tag me as a helpful resource on Twitter and since I am always eager to participate, I figure why not :)I am a self proclaimed professional Annie's Mac & Cheese chef. That purple box contains the fixings for delicious

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-39665126493901840432008-12-15T11:21:00.007-05:002008-12-15T12:01:11.102-05:00

For all of you clients and designers, here is a true (and hilariously ironic) account about How to Be a (Really) Good Client. This link that was shared by DesignEnabler on Twitter. It is from a designers POV on how to be a good client. Designers across the board, (including myself) wish that there was a more modest way of sharing this list with clients or including it in proposals, in the

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-17159453095275625442008-12-14T00:00:00.003-05:002008-12-15T12:02:38.933-05:00

Kevin Skarritt, Chief Nut of Acorn Creative, will be featured on the Seacoast Business Connection radio show on Portsmouth Community Radio, WSCA 106.1 FM, from 12-1 pm on Monday, December 15, 2008. This session, produced by the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, will be on the topic of Social Media and is sure to be a lively exchange. We hope you will be able to tune in and listen!

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-62725175726293637472008-12-13T06:00:00.000-05:002008-12-13T06:00:00.835-05:00

This week I was featured as this week's nice person on Graham Smith's, We Are Just Creative web site, which is an Audio, Visual & Social Media Community Creative Magazine.Graham gave his followers the opportunity to be featured on the home page of his site. Graham said, "I thought how cool it would be to series a number of these black and white portrait photos for anyone who wants to submit them,

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-19282197007584764792008-12-12T06:00:00.002-05:002008-12-12T06:00:00.210-05:00

I Tweet a lot on Twitter – it is my latest guilty pleasure – but I can honestly say that I don't really feel that guilty about it. Here's why:I utilize Twitter as a professional tool to further my career as a designer.I am making connections with designers, creative people, business people, etc. that I may not have connected with otherwise.I try to help other designers by answering their burning

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-26362947854679565042008-12-11T07:00:00.000-05:002008-12-11T07:00:01.734-05:00

I used to hide my geographic location from people on the web because I thought that they might think I was, well… "small-town". People (and by people I am referring to the general population of non-designers) assume you have to bask in the action of New York or L.A. in order to get recognized as a top designer. Well, that is a poor assumption, because it's not true. There are so many talented

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-45379112065241544272008-12-10T11:48:00.013-05:002008-12-11T20:58:11.834-05:00

Today, I was nominated on Twitter for a Shorty Award, in the design category, by my lovely Twitter friends at Vital Design in Portsmouth, NH. The Shorty Awards honors the world's top Twitterers for producing "short" content (140 characters or less). I was honored to be nominated because it was such a huge compliment to be recognized as a helpful design resource on the world wide web. Visit the

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-80029802935296935282008-12-10T08:59:00.005-05:002008-12-10T09:48:50.021-05:00

Let's face it, the economy isn't getting much better and your pockets aren't getting any bigger. But if you're like me, you've gotten a little taste of the good life, and cutting back during tough times in the financial state of our country can be kinda hard.  I found a new web site this morning called Shoestring. It is all about living fabulously for less. It has articles and tips on gift giving

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-14718318549506013272008-12-01T12:42:00.006-05:002008-12-01T13:07:12.704-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I invited my fellow designer friends to participate in answering questions about their proofing process.Some of the questions I asked were:Some things to consider sharing:- How do you present proofs? On boards or electronically via PDF or JPG?- Do you meet with the client in person, via email or teleconference to discuss designs?- How do you retrieve feedback from the

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-14328543833746251112008-11-22T13:20:00.011-05:002008-11-24T12:20:20.487-05:00

I work for a small graphic design agency in the Lakes Region of NH and I also do freelance work on the side as time allows. I look to my co-workers for their thoughts on my designs, but sometimes that just isn't enough. Without the formal training and because each of my co-workers are so busy, it is difficult for them to give me practical feedback. For me, it is imperative to have my designs

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-61371539829686438422008-11-20T11:02:00.004-05:002008-11-20T11:33:10.819-05:00

Designing for clients is fun and challenging, but one of the downsides of designing [for me] is responding to tricky comments and questions from client feedback on the designs that I have created for them.  I want to be honest with clients – I don't want to devalue my services and my knowledge by giving into poor design choices. On the flip side, I have to be careful in how I deliver my response,

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-86724724035208052912008-11-18T12:38:00.002-05:002008-11-19T16:14:26.453-05:00

Sara Evans of PRSarahEvans.com was recently published on Mashable.com with 10 tips on How to: Build Community on Twitter. Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media networks out there right now (connect with me). No surprise - for every tip on how to build your community, there are tips on How NOT To: Build your Community on Twitter.

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-9595082971719993882008-11-18T11:31:00.001-05:002009-01-19T15:50:41.737-05:00

I am inviting designers and other creatives to share your most effective ways of presenting designs to clients.Some things to consider sharing:- How do you present proofs? On boards or electronically via PDF or JPG?- Do you meet with the client in person, via email or teleconference to discuss designs?- How do you retrieve feedback from the client? (through discussion, questionnaire, rating

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-27119266837981119682008-11-18T10:14:00.000-05:002008-11-18T13:30:32.267-05:00

A little shameless self-promotion never hurt anyone, right?! So, I just want to let everyone know about a FREE 3-part Blogging Webinar that my employer, Acorn Creative, is having. The first one starts tomorrow. Kevin Skarritt, "blogging guru", will discuss the importance of blogging, and how it is the single greatest method for delivering additional traffic to your website and generating

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-14076151528344250502008-11-14T10:11:00.000-05:002008-11-14T11:09:20.987-05:00

Recently, I submitted one of my favorite logos that I designed for a client at Acorn Creative, to a blog that I follow regularly, The Design Cubicle. Brian Hoff, graphic and web designer and author of The Design Cubicle, asked fellow designers to submit their favorite designed logos and a brief description to be featured on his blog. Granted I submitted my own design – is still such an amazing

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-60586740576915669002008-11-07T08:17:00.004-05:002009-01-19T15:44:49.240-05:00

Last week I attended a LinkedIn Event for NH High Tech Council, which was co-hosted by Lani Voivod of Epiphanies Inc. and my boss, Kevin Skarritt, who is owner of Acorn Creative.While working for Acorn Creative I have been submerged in the new frontiers of social media. I personally have an active accounts with LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Ma.gnolia, etc. Okay, so let's say you have

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-89040072152119190772008-10-31T09:15:00.000-04:002008-10-31T13:15:38.508-04:00

I may be jumping the gun on this one… but it's never a bad idea to start thinking about the dreaded Christmas shopping season.  Yes it is still October, but I want to bring this up for a couple of reasons. First, with the economy hitting an all time low since the Depression we need to start shopping for the best prices, sales, and bargains. Second, it is much easier on your bank account to do a

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3150271294697717441.post-64153681059190102062008-10-29T20:18:00.000-04:002008-10-30T08:23:19.231-04:00

Inspiration. What does that mean? Where do we find it? How do we propagate it? Can it be generated? Is there a formula? A blueprint? A recipe? ? ? ?For me – a designer – I am always searching, scouring, and scraping for inspiration. I look for it even when I'm "not looking for it". And then… it usually hits me, like a ton of bricks. There is a saying that "Everything happens for a reason", well

Katie Austinnoreply@blogger.com0