A Designer’s Blog

My name is Mary Dolan, owner of Creative Dolan Design Studio. My mission, to create exciting new designs. To seek out new clients and new technologies….to boldly go where no graphic designer has gone before.

Ok, I know that was lame, but I had to do it. I’m the owner of Creative Dolan Design Studio, a small design firm specializing in all forms of print design, plus some web design. I got my BFA at West Chester Univerity of Pennsylvania in Graphic Design with a minor in Web Design. I graduated with honors and as a Magna Cum Laude. Fresh out of college, I wet my feet in the design world by being hired by AGS (Adelphia Graphic Systems in Exton, PA) as an intern. I was then hired on as a junior environmental graphic designer with that same firm, where I learned how to not only design for print, but how to design for 3-dimensional products. After AGS, I followed my husband around the United states because of his job, which I am still doing to this day. I then decided to start my own company, using what I gained in the corporate world, but making it better. Basically, I saw what the bigger corporations lacked, and I molded it into my liking. I strive to be more personable with my clients, speedy with their deadlines, and affordable for the small companies. My design rate changes with each client, depending on what they can afford. Anyone can get a killer design from my company. And why not? Great designs shouldn’t be limited to just the companies who can afford the design. Because of this mindset, I’ve been able to help my clients bring their dreams to life. And that’s what I have always strived for. Not for wealth and recognition, but I get a high off of how my clients feel and react to a really good design. When I see their companies excel, it makes me feel like I’m doing something for the greater good. And nothing is more important to me then seeing my god given talents help another person’s dreams come to life!!

Sorry I haven’t blogged on here in a while. Life and work has been insainly busy these past few months. Without giving the whole world too much information – all I can say is that life has been different for me lately. My husband is away, and I couldn’t be more proud of him for doing what he has always wanted to do. I’m home holding up the fort until his return this September.

Work for me has been abundant, and I’m constantly getting new projects that keep me on my toes. A great graphic designer should always be challenged to do projects that are outside of their comfort zone. If we weren’t challenged, then I personally believe that a business like mine wouldn’t grow stronger. One of my challenges is Web design. I’ve been getting more and more jobs in this field, which is challenging me to learn more about integrating web design into my business. I mainly focus on print work, but I seriously can’t hide from web design any longer. That’s really where marketing and business is heading. Sure, people still want fliers, business cards and ads, but they need websites, email blasts and other products that can reach people on the web. Heck, that’s where I get most of my clients anyway. They find me on the web, and BAM, I made a client. So, within the next year or so, I’m planning on going back to school to freshen up my web skills, and learn how to do this web stuff on my own. Currently, I only design the “look” of my client’s websites, and then I have a colleague code them and make the websites live. I eventually want to do that myself. We’ll see how that goes.

Since my husband left in March, I’ve also been doing some traveling. Actually, it’s been quite nice! I finally visited Denver Colorado. What a nice city! The people there were extremely friendly and warm and the views of the mountains were to die for. Within the past few years I have visited a lot of cities on the east coast, but Denver is top on my list of the nicest places to visit. Savannah, Georgia is top on that list too. The people there are very nice as well, and that city has so much history and beauty, that you’d never get bored no matter how many times you have been there. In the next couple of months, I’ll also be visiting FL, and California. I’ve never been to California, but I’m sure I’ll love it!

I’ve also been focusing on becoming more “natural” with the way I eat and live life. I’ve finally planted a veggie garden in my back yard, which, if nothing goes wrong, will yield tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber pickles which I plan on canning. Below is a photo of my cat Max checking out the new plants.

I’ve also started eating less red meat, and more fruits and vegetables. I haven’t gone all veggie yet, which I don’t for see EVER happening since my husband is a meat and potatoes type of guy, but I have to give myself kudos for being healthier. I’ve even lost 6 lbs because of my new eating habits. You’d be surprised how much better your feel when you stop eating food with preservatives. I’m never depressed anymore, and I have more energy to work through the days without the need for caffeine. If only the whole world new what this felt like. I’m sure that vegetarians know, but for those who want to eat healthier, its so easy without breaking the bank. All you need is fresh fruits and vegetables, and you can make some pretty awesome, good for you meals. Maybe I’ll post a blog one of these days on some good recipes, who knows.

So, I’ve been slowly taking up a new hobby: Antiquing. I’ve always had a fancy for older things, especially bottles, banks, paintings, and other nick knacks. My collection isn’t very large, because I’m pretty picky about what I will allow in my house, especially if it’s going to fit within my everyday decor. I absolutely love older things. There’s just something special about how products were made in the 1920’s through the 50’s. Sure, this was the time of mass production via assembly lines in the U.S., but at least products were made in the U.S.A. Our grandparents made these things, as did our grandmothers while our grandfathers were off fighting WWII. I was happily able to find a few items while yard sailing with my girlfriend this morning. Today I scored:

- An old 1955-1959 glass Clorox bottle. I was a little disappointed when I came back and realized that the cork at the top wasn’t suppose to be there. This made it look a lot older then 1950. There should really be a cap on the top because there is a small screw indentation instead of it being smooth at the lip. (no biggie… it’s still a great find!)

- An amber liquor bottle. The emboss reads “vina undurraga Chile, M.R.” I researched the name and found this to be a very old wine maker in Chile, but I can’t determine the age of this bottle. The very bottom of the bottle says “13 66″ not sure what that means.

- A “Postum Cereal – Instant Postum” tin. This one was one of my best finds. This tin was produced circa early 1920’s, and this design was the earlier version of another design. Postum is the same company as “Post” cereal, but Postum ended up changing their name to “General Foods Corporation” in 1929. The tin is a little old and weathered, but it still has some of the Postum beverage within it. Which is a plus.

The last item is an old stamp and letter weigher. Unfortunattely, I didn’t find this one today…it’s actually my grandpop’s. I’m still trying to determine the age on that one.
All and all, I think I did really well today! Sure, what I found wasn’t Degas or anything, but it’s a start!

Do you ever look back on your life and wonder, “how did I ever get here”?

Every once and a while I think about it, if only for a slight second. Years ago, I use to live on a small 15 house block on the out skirts of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I thought that that block was my world. All of my friends were on that street, and we had a lot of fun those days.
You didn’t have to worry about who was president, what wars were going on, when the rent was due and what you were going to wear to your next big business meeting. We normally just played catch and release with our friends till the street lights came on, or we caught frogs and lightening bugs and kept them as our pets. I wasn’t allowed off that block by myself until I was at least 13. I guess that would explain my sudden anxiety whenever my dad would get lost in the car when we would go on family vacations. I would cry almost immediately because I thought that we would be lost forever. My world was surrounded by certainty, and I swore that I would grow up and always live around my family and friends (hopefully on that same street). I just wanted to live in my little bubble and not have to worry about the world around me. Life was good, but so ignorant at the same time back then. Being a kid was AWESOME.

I had no idea in those days that I’d be here today, Just turned 28 years old, a designer, a military wife, an explorer and a best friend. Since my col-de-sac days I have fulfilled my dream in owning my own graphic design company. I also have become quite a traveler to my own surprise. (that was NOT on my list of things to accomplish by age 30 by the way) To this day my dad says that I was the last one he would have expected to marry a military man and travel the world, and I’m totally with him on that one.

Even though my life didn’t work out according to plan, I am sure loving every minute of it. I will forever embrace the person and wife I have become because of what I didn’t get to do. There’s always a reason for everything, and by god, this has turned out to be an awesome ride so far! I can’t possibly fathom what more there is to come for the next 28 years of my life!

Below is a great blog post from TheDesignCubical.com on the top 12 mistakes that anyone can make in Photoshop: http://www.thedesigncubicle.com/2009/01/12-common-photoshop-mistakes-misuses-and-abuses/

I know that I’ve fallen victim to at least one or 2 of these mistakes when I first started out. Photoshop can be a very tricky program for some people. I myself am married to Illustrator, and prefer to work in that program over any other.

(Taken by creativedolan @ Young’s Jersey Dairy farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio.)

I found this little guy interesting too.

I ran across this blog by David Airey, who made a great point about why you should hire a big corporation, or why you should hire a small one for your design work. With so many design agencies out there today, it really is hard to find the perfect fit. In my experience, I’ve found that people like direct communication, fast responses and an overall love for what they do when it comes to their work. But then again, some people don’t mind slow responses and multiple designers working on their designs. Ever since I founded Creative Dolan Design Studio, I’ve strived to accomplish these 5 things for new and current clientel:

1. quick turnarounds on all work
2. fast communication via email or phone
3. cost savings because we’re a smaller shop
4. friendly customer service
5. determination to learn what we don’t know

Because of these 5 things my clients have stuck around and have grown with my company. Sure, Creative Dolan isn’t as large as the bigger guys out there, but we have heart. And that’s all that matter’s in my Professional Opinion.

When I tell people I meet that I’m a Graphic Designer, alot of times I’ll get this confused look from the person I am talking to. Their not alone. A lot of people out there don’t know what a graphic designer does on a daily basis. Below is a great vid about what a graphic designer does for a living. Design is not just pretty pictures. A lot of it involves research, thought and great communication skills.

I got my first taste of what the financial crisis may be doing to my company today. For the first time in the last few years, I actually got scared looking at my checking account. Don’t get me wrong, I still have clients coming to me, I just have less new work then I’m use to. Seems as if anyone who needs a design piece done is either doing it themselves, or not getting it done at all. Not good for the little guy. I’m hoping that the economy will pick up real soon. I just put out a new advertisement in my church’s bulletin, which will be viewable every Sunday for the whole year. This will be the first time I have ever purposely advertised my company. In the past I have gotten all of my clients though word of mouth or via the web. If this new advertisement works, I could have a few more jobs and potentially permanent clients. Let’s all hope that it does work.

I don’t know why it took me so long to find Wordpress. I decided to check it out last night as I was bored out of my mind and had nothing to do. Thanks to Wordpress, I stayed up till 1:00am tweaking my blog site, searching for themes and customizing my code. But it was all well worth it. When it comes to “customizing” sites via HTML and coding, that’s when I feel like I got the most out of my seriously crappy web minor in college. I’m hoping to go back to college one day to learn web design once again. I know that I have the mindset and patience to code, I was just taught really badly on how to do it. For the time being, me designing my client’s sites in Photoshop and then having my colleagues code them is just peachy keen with me. Saves me a headache, and it allows me watch how others code so that I can learn too. Well, it’s off to dinner for me.

cheers!