Jessica Hische added a “find by location” tool to Inker Linker (worldwide, but with US focus).

Lovely as a Tree contains a UK database of commercial printers.

Rob Giampietro published a list of mainly US print vendors (some within Europe).

Tina Roth Eisenberg shared US-based letterpress studios (with many more in the comments).

Designers & Printers is a free directory where print companies list their services.

Woodtype specimen photo by Grant Hutchinson.

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My book will be aimed at those who are thinking of, or who have started their own design business. The title I wish I’d read a few years ago (although I know I’m going to learn a lot writing this one).

It was going to be called The Business of Design, but it’s already published. Then Nikki suggested Business Designed to tie-in with Identity Designed. Great idea, but someone’s sitting on the domain and my purchase request led to nowt.

Then Bernadette pitched in with these two ideas:

1. Working in Design
2. The Design Startup

I’ve registered both .coms, so it’s down to one of those, along with the likely subtitle of, “Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business.”

I ran both names past Blair, who suggested that Working in Design may lead to confusion about the target market. It could imply design employment, as opposed to self-employment. Fair point. Nikki liked both, but thought The Design Startup could imply I had some unique product or service to sell, which wouldn’t be ideal. Another fair point. She said Peachpit’s salespeople would love Working in Design.

Which do you prefer?

Keep in mind they’ll appear alongside the provisional subtitle.

1/ Working in Design: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business

2/ The Design Startup: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running a Successful Design Business

Bernadette kindly pitched an alternative subtitle, too, with optional word in brackets: “Everything You Want to Know About Starting and Running a (Successful) Design Business.”

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Many of you will run your own studio, be in self-employment, or freelance in your spare time. I’d love to share your experiences in the book, and for now, there’s one topic I’m particularly interested in:

How do you find new clients when starting a design business?

Alternatively, perhaps your approach didn’t work and taught you a valuable lesson.

Thanks to your incredible support, my first book is in eight languages, and I hope to double that with this attempt. So if you have a specific story you want to share with the world, it’d be superb if you get in touch.

World times image credit

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“This video is made to be connected to a metal pad that a low-strength electrical current runs through. The current’s strength modulates in conjunction with the frequency of the wave of the color depicted on screen. Low frequency colors (red/orange) emit a lower level of current than higher frequency colors (blue/green).”

By Evan Drolet Cook who lives and works in Los Angeles.

But it’s not the actual video I was contemplating. It was our eyesight and hearing.

Just as we do our health, it’s incredibly easy to take them for granted.

Sights, sounds — appreciate them. Senses fade.

—

Relevant websites:
About deaf-blindness
Deafblind International
Deafblind UK
The American Association of the Deaf-Blind

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• All I need is a little timelapse (6)
• 7 creative music videos (24)
• Justice DANCE music video (14)

Land art. Worth a look. On Kuriositas.

The importance of a good crop. A nice visual demonstration of photo manipulation, and how you can use cropping to improve your photos. On ISO50.

“Instead of doing two jobs at 50%, or four jobs at 25%, just do one job at 100%.”

Do one job properly. Dave Trott on why specialising is the way to go. On Dave Trott’s blog.

Beautiful colour in this 60-second ad for Lurpak Butter (embedded below). Via Creative Review.

Typographic chocolate holiday gifts. Lunch time yet? Via inspire me now.

Uncloaking a slumlord conspiracy with social network analysis. Via Social Design Notes.

The TED imperatives apply to a much wider scope than TED alone. On Seth’s Blog.

If you’re looking for a little design inspiration, have a browse in the work section of Milton Glaser’s new website. Site design outsourced to Ludlow Kingsley.

Mike Dempsey asked, “Who are you designing for? a. Your client. b. Other designers. c. Yourself.” Richard of Ace Jet 170 replied, “None of the above. The customer, of course.”

Eric Karjaluoto kicks-off his 2012 blogging efforts in upbeat fashion by sharing 10 of his favourite “big agency claims, promises, and bits of rhetoric… All of which manage to sound so very impressive, while meaning so astoundingly little.” Read more Bullshit.

Here’s a great video (below) of Herb Lubalin discussing the client requests that occurred when he designed the PBS logo. Via Brand New.

I’ll finish with a solid quote from iA’s Oliver Reichenstein.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have the brain or time or will to learn and think and understand whatever the problem is. That’s what the political and corporate charlatans want you to believe: They want you to be as ignorant as possible.”

Previously: From the reader #6

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“The design of our latest selector reflects the different ways in which people select our papers. In some instances, colour is the primary concern, before material type, texture or weight. However, these priorities are often reversed, making style the key point of reference. So now we give you three modes of paper selection: Select Colour, Select Black+White or Select Range.”

Beautifully designed by London-based SEA, request yours from paper-specialist GF Smith.

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Mike Dempsey:
Younger designers [are] getting into a very overcrowded business, and increasingly so. Do you have any thoughts?

Michael Wolff:
“I do actually. The main thought I have is don’t think a design company is where a designer should necessarily be, because if you’re interested in creativity and you are creative and you can see and you have got curiosity and you do appreciate things and you have got imagination, take it anywhere. Go and work in any company. Go and bring it to anyone who’ll listen to you.

“The design company is not the only place to be a designer. In fact it’s actually in some ways a rather constraining place to be a designer.”

—

Transcribed from the closing remarks of this 40-minute recording.

Related (from the archives): An excellent 12-minute video of Michael Wolff on creativity.

Japanese lamp photo via Thinkstock.

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A snippet from Be Bold 101, by Nicholas Bate. Some stellar advice.

You might remember Nicholas from a mention this time last year: Be brilliant at the basics.

If he keeps it up this might become an annual theme.

I’ll practice my handwriting.

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Quoted from Dave Trott’s blog where he discusses the client/designer relationship between Steve Jobs and Paul Rand. Worth mentioning that Rand was nearing the end of a distinguished career, and didn’t necessarily need Jobs as a client. But there’s still a lesson to be learned.

And here’s a look at the NeXT logo presentation Rand produced for Jobs (on Logo Design Love).

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How lettering is made for public display (sign-making). On Eye blog, via Khoi Vinh.

Top 15 Music Videos Of 2011, on ISO50.

The Icon Handbook is now available to buy, on The Hickensian. Andy Clarke shared his thoughts.

The Year in Volcanic Activity, on The Atlantic, via Kottke.

Get your own custom stamp from the Cranky Pressman, on Mikey Burton, via swissmiss.

Coverjunkie’s best magazine covers of 2011, on CR Blog.

What do you do with books that gather dust? Create book sculptures, via inspire me now.

Stephen Coles shared his favourite font sources.

ink&paper is a lovely short film about the last letterpress and paper shops in Los Angeles, via AisleOne.

Have a brilliant new year, everyone!

Previously: From the reader #5

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