Flyer by Phil Mamuyac | killasauce.com

So, after moving from Hipsterville (Williamsburg, Brooklyn) to Yuppieville (Battery Park City), we (Phil, Scott, and I) finally had a house warming to show off the new place, introduce people to Mixologist Cam (Southern Gentleman & Cam-arita’s were in High demand!). Glad folks came thru and enjoyed. Even had a impromptu dance party the last hour. Check the pics below or here! I use Picasa since I don’t have facebook. Last man standing son!

Robert Finnie has hands down one of the best BBQ sauces I have ever tasted in my life! WHile the sauce is slowly making its way to the stores you can order a bottle from the site or if you are in the Bay Area, CA you can get a tast of his excellent catering. I designed 2 teaser pager, one for the catering and one for the actual sauce. And no i wasn’t paid in sacuce! Although, I wouldn’t of minded. lol

So I haven’t been completely lame! I have been working on an eCommerce site that plans to change the game in active apparel. Activetendencies.com constructs fashionable and functional apparel that will amaze the lackluster active industry. The more research I did, the more I saw how hideous most active apparel lines were.  Here is the progress so far, more as it develops.

from http://www.flickr.com/photos/chloegrayson/3740326825/

So, I had a whole long-winded post about what I have been up to the past 2 months and projects completed and working on etc. And then I deleted it, started fresh and new. So the cam notes (aka cliff notes of life) of the last 2 months are:

• I moved into a new place. Left Hipster City for Yuppie-ville. And I’m OK with that.
• Random Order Media Group took the summer off to regroup, re-evaluate and reup on what EXACTLY it is we do and do well. K.I.S.S.
• Redefining Mookie Design and understanding what I do best.
• I have been reading a lot about Information Architecture, User Experience, and Content Strategy. This is also known as understanding what I was already doing and being able to explain it better.
• Heading out to Finland/Sweden at the end of the year to teach dance, go to a wedding, and freeze my ass off.
• Helping folks when I can, one at a time.
• And finally, plotting my next 12 months.

Aw the winds of change….

Our colorful cast of character are Joel the Jew, Ty-One, and Reign aka 2 tha hardway. A unlikely crime-fighting unit that projects Williamsburg, Brooklyn from corporate developer trying to kick out the residents! lol. Fun times, fun times.

Hey, hey! what it do? Well i would like to announce the formal launch of thecoolaid.com! Ran by the very talented writer Andrea Boston, The Cool Aid is a refreshing drink of knowledge and intelligence a world oversaturated by nonsense. I really enjoyed this project and like out it came out. I think the design “feels” cool an appropriate. The project went slightly over the deadline but allowed the client to be a little more prepared to deliver her interesting and complelling content. So give it a look see and tell me what you think. 1 down and 2 more projects to go!

Over at the Go Media blog, they have a cool disccusion on whether or not designers should show their pricing. From the post:

Go Media chooses not to advertise our rates on our site. Mostly because we don’t want to appear too “selly” on our site. Another reason, is our rates are generally higher than a lot of freelance competitors (we know we’re worth the price, but a client sometimes just goes by price alone and might talk himself out of even contacting us if he sees that Joe “Freelance” Designer has a much lower price).

When I first started out I, I too showed my prices. It was easier and alot quicker than answering prices and the such. The downside was it pigeoned holed me in the lower tier of designers, I thought. A ala carte’ style of design. This is ain’t McDonalds! (Not even Burger King, “have it your way! Nope, more have it my way to make you look good. Wait did I say that aloud?) It also didn’t reflect my constant improvement either. A site I did 1 year (shoot, 6  months) ago is already my worse site. Cause I’m constantly getting better, so my prices should reflect that.   

That brings us to the here and now. Usually, I have a “budget estimate” that kind of implies the level that I am working at. This helps weeds out the tire kickers  and set a minimum I will work at. No more “Hey man, I need a full site and I got like $300″ which NOW is insulting! Waste of time (and money) to hear and deal with that. lol. Of course, I have an internal document that I use to base each project but by not showing it it helps fashion each quote to the client. Hopefully, my work is the real marker for pricing and getting of the work. Instead of “Websites for $150 plus business cards AND a logo. Hurry now!” type of campaigning. So I think you SHOULD show your pricing if you aren’t getting better and you WANT to stay at those prices and the level of clients you are at. If not, keep it to yourself, and let your skills dictate your price. or maybe I am wrong?

 
1. from @swissmiss pt1:The changing face of every day design: http://tinyurl.com/ouv5u4 (from @swissmiss)
2. @swissmiss pt2: Creative Mornings asked “What can you teach me?‘ and is answered in a really cool flickr roundup.Gonna definitely hit the next one up!
3. Mike Norton inked by Bill Sienkiewicz?? yup and it looks dope!
4. Star Wars: Old Republic – Better than ALL 3 of the trilogies. redics!
5. Nathan Rice- I have learned more about custom fields in wp on his site than the last 6 months!
6. Everything You Ever Really Needed to Know About Personal Finance On Just One Page.
7. Five Ways To Market Yourself During A Recession
8. Even though i have a FT job now, I still visited 3/4 of these sites: 30 Sites Every Freelancer Should Visit and Utilize
9. Andy Rutlege  on Of brands and Commodities (MUST read)
10. Finally, good friend, Dela Longfish’s launch of the new game he helped develop The Sceret of Monkey Island (yup, THAT monkey island game form the 90s!)
     

Well well well, lookee here! Cam is an artist! I had a real fun time at our figure drawing meetup held at Dangermarc Studios. Wonderful group of artists and would recommend the meet up to all artists in the NYC area. Enjoy! Gettin that drawing bug back.