The Dog They Call Jayne

What I learned about Branding and Social Media. Warning May Contain Cute Cat Images

2016-03-05T13:02:00.001-08:00

This post is a reflection about what I have learned in my Social Media class at Columbia College. Throughout this semester we studied personal branding and looked at different social media platforms that we could help accomplish our branding goals. I was familiar with multiple social networking sites (SNS), but this class gave me a chance to research and analyze them. I looked at the responsive design of several SNS and found that the platforms with the the smoothest transition from the full site to their mobile site were the easiest to use. Also that the apps that looked identical to the websites and kept that consistency where my favorites. Some apps, like Reddit, were more difficult to use and preferred to visit the site rather than use the app.

I learned about what goes into making a great headline, something that I thought would be pretty boring but turned into something really fun to analyze. At the start of this class I already had somewhat of an idea of what branding was. Now that the class is over I realize I underestimated how much work it takes to propel that branding into the world. It's not enough to decide how you want to show yourself to the world, you have push that onto different platforms. Lots of them. You have to be active and provide compelling content, provide ways for people to find you (great headlines and posting) then give them a way to subscribe, (RSS). Then after all that, rinse and repeat. If you provide great content, you might just make an impact.

This class covered a ton of material so I don't think there is any more we could have crammed in, especially in 8 weeks. I do wish there was a social media class level two so that I could continue learning about other SNS like Periscope, Meerkat, Snapchat and Reddit. I also want to lean more about when is the best time to post to get seen, how to utilize paid advertising, how to target specific demographics, and all around more of the analytics involved in social media. All of this is something I plan to research and share with you all.

Moving forward I plan to use Twitter and Reddit more. When I researched their usability, I became more familiar with the platform and more comfortable using the apps. Before this class I was a long time lurker, but now that I feel more comfortable, I have begun becoming part of the conversation.

This class has given me the confidence to produce my own material and share it, something I had never considered before. I mean, I have a website for my design work but this is different. This is more me, more personal. It was incredibly fun and challenging to share videos and podcasts but completely worth it. This by far my favorite and most challenging class I have taken at Columbia college.

*note about all images and video
I did not create, take, photography or claim any ownership to any of the images on this post.
I found them all online.

What to expect, YouTube

2016-02-28T11:38:00.001-08:00

My first YouTube video. Check it out!

Not entirely sure why it sounds like I have an accent. I don't have an accent... that I'm aware of.
OMG. Maybe I've had an accent all along... 0_o

First Podcast, Test

2016-02-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to post and share this podcast with you all. This is my first podcast ever! I'm excited to start sharing my design tips and tricks. Please let me know in the comments if there is anything specific you want me to cover and tune in to the next podcast where I will show a simple way to convert RGB and CMYK to Patone in under a minute!

Social Networking for Creatives

2016-02-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

There are a ton of different social media platforms that graphic designers can use including Behance, Dribbble, Twitter and LinkedIn. Really, any social media site can be used to showcase your work and network with others. Currently I use Behance, LinkedIn and I'm working on building my Twitter.

Behance
www.behance.net

Behance is a great place to network with other designers, showcase your work, and get inspired. You can search for artist by location, subject, project type or look/post a job. Behance is also a product of adobe which makes posting your work from Illustrator or Photoshop much easier. I post projects that I'm proud of on my Behance page which automatically updates my website.

Dribbble
www.dribbble.com

Dribbble is similar to Behance, but is by invite only. The quality of work is therefor expected to higher quality. I don't currently have anything posted on Dribble but I am excited to post there soon.

LinkedIn
www.linkedin.com

LinkedIn, unlike the previous two platforms was not designed specifically for designers, but can be used by everyone. LinkedIn is a great way for designers to get their names out there and network with non-creatives. It is an amazing platform that is used almost exclusively for networking. Although it is not as inspiring and beautiful as the other platforms, it is still a very powerful tool. I use my LinkedIn account mostly to drive traffic to my website and make my resume available.

The other great thing about LinkedIn is the groups that are available. Below are a few groups that I follow. If you have found any other LinkedIn groups you love please leave a comment so I can check them out too. Thanks!

My LinkIn Groups
Adobe Photoshop Group
Adobe Illustrator
Interaction Design Association
Designers Talk: Graphic, web, digital design and creative professionals group
Graphic Designer Lounge
My links
https://www.behance.net/elishafrey
https://twitter.com/ElishaFrey
https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisha-frey-2a043385?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

Searching for Great Vlogs

2016-02-07T12:56:00.002-08:00

I'm continuing my search for my brand identity, what platforms to use, and what format to use. The idea of creating a vlog pretty much terrifies me. I love watching them, but could never really see myself producing one. I'm an introvert. I have no real desire to put my face out there, in video format. It could have something to do with The Men With Clipboards.

I love instructional and inspiration vlogs. While I was looking for something new I found this guy, Will Paterson. He primarily posts on Youtube, on subjects that range from organization, to the process of designing a logo. They aren't too long, very well produced, and he always shares great content. YouTube is a great SNS for Vlogs. Everyone is familiar with the platform, and it's simple to navigate. You can find great tutorials, related content, and much to easy to spend hours wasting time.

The time management vlog Will posted got me really excited. I'm a production designer, and when things are busy at work, (which they are often) just trying to remember what to do, the order of importance, and that I need to eat is a complicated and stressful thing. In Will's vlog he shares that he also has difficulty getting organized and the app he uses to help.

en.todoist.com

This website is beautiful. Their icons are beautiful, the layout is clean, simple and it's responsive!
I cant wait to use the todoist.

I don't subscribe to many vlogs but after watching two videos from Will, I hit that subscribe button.

Watch the How To Be More Organised 2016 video

If you have any great vlogs that you want to share please comment below.

Thanks!

Cool Sites I Love

2016-01-31T15:49:00.004-08:00

I went to research how blogs and sites that I love show their personality online. Without really any idea of what I was looking for, or what I even felt about who I am going to be on this blog I found a very clear answer. The more I looked, the more I found the sites that really inspire me. I found my personality speaking very clearly through my favorite sites. I found inspiration for who I want to be, the content I want to share, and even how I want to go about sharing it.

The Order of The Good Death
http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/blog

About Caitlin
"Mortician. Author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Mega-Curmudgeon."
-Caitlin Doughty

This is my favorite Bloger/Youtuber/Twitterer ever. She is smart, hilarious, quirky and someone I would love to go get drinks with. I ALWAYS learn something from watching/reading her posts and I completely get/support her mission.

Snippet of that mission
The Order is about making death a part of your life. That means committing to staring down your death fears- whether it be your own death, the death of those you love, the pain of dying, the afterlife (or lack thereof), grief, corpses, bodily decomposition, or all of the above. Accepting that death itself is natural, but the death anxiety and terror of modern culture are not.
-Order of the Good Death

This blog and Caitlin aren't what you would expect. It's not morbid, in a negative way, (whatever that means) and it well worth a few clicks (or hours).

HUGE
http://www.hugeinc.com/ideas/video/huge-talks-about-2016

Beautiful Branding. Beautiful Work. Fucking Inspirational.
HUGE makes me want to be a better designer.

Check out their About page
http://www.hugeinc.com/about

Chuck Wendig
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog/

I swear, a lot. If I'm comfortable around you, I swear more. I love irreverence. I love people who are honest in a foul mouth, brilliant sort of way. I present to you Chuck Wendig. The first blog of his I ever read was this one:

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/05/26/how-mad-max-fury-road-turns-your-writing-advice-into-roadkill/

I had watched Mad Max: Fury Road and I didn't like it. Well, I didn't really know what to think. It was beautiful, but IT DIDN'T HAVE A PLOT!!! I kept telling people this and they kept disagreeing with me. How do you disagree with that?! Chuck Wendig's post made so much sense in such a perfect way. I was hooked.

I Love Ligatures
http://iloveligatures.tumblr.com/post/137621852564/frank-edith-by-simon-walker

About I Love Ligatures
Typographic ligatures used to improve the appearance of type are usually character pairs or triplets that have features that tend to overlap when used together. The ligature creates a smoother transition or connection between characters by connecting...
-iloveligatures.tumblr.com

You don't always need to explain things. Sometimes things just need to be beautiful, they need to be functional, and sometimes they just need to inspire you.

I love Ligatures accomplishes all of this.

The DieLine
http://www.thedieline.com/

About The Dieline
What began as a personal blog soon became a dedicated platform for the package design industry and its practitioners, students and enthusiasts. The Dieline's purpose is to define and promote the world's best package design, and provide a place where the package design community can review, critique and stay informed of the latest trends and projects being created in the field.
-The Dieline

What a dieline is
A dieline is used in graphic design as a placeholder for assisting in the proper layout of a document that will be diecut as part of the finishing process. It is usually placed into the graphic's computer file as a separate layer for sizing and orientation purposes.
-Wikipedia

My favorite class in design school was package design. I love making things with my hands. I love cutting out pieces of paper designed on a computer, folding and stitching, glueing and piecing them together until, magically it works. It's magical (I know, I just used that word) to go from a blank screen to a finished, usable package. I love browsing through The Dieline and getting inspired by beautiful, elegant and functional packaging.

Links to some of my package projects

http://elishafrey.com/327726/3506339/gallery/shindig-ware

http://elishafrey.com/327726/3506337/gallery/dark-chocolate-covered-coffee-beans
http://elishafrey.com/327726/3506335/gallery/cylinder-project

A Bit About Me

2016-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

A Bit About Me

I’m a graphic designer and photographer, a creative based in Salt Lake City. The creative process, of brainstorming, of trial and error, of adding and taking away, of subtlety is the breath of life for me. I love to learn, to incorporate new and old knowledge into my design work, pulling as much from humanity’s rich past as I do from the cutting edge of today. I am a designer dedicated to the pursuit of perfection in every project I work on.

Blog Roll For Fellow Classmates

https://nicolebaldridge.wordpress.com/

https://velicoraptorwordpresscom.wordpress.com

https://mbpingel.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/me/

http://www.travissanders.net/fine/real/estate/blog

https://mketchem.wordpress.com/

Blog Links To People I Know

http://www.nicholasbatura.com/

http://searchingthedarkness.blogspot.com/

Since I'm Posting Links Check Out My Website (Shameless Plug)

http://elishafrey.com/

My Blogs Namesake

2016-01-14T19:54:00.001-08:00