Mike Matera, program co-chair for ADCMW, said it really was a great time, and that the group was able to mesh teams and kickball strengths. While a score was never actually kept, and the game lasted two long innings, the point was clear: regardless of affiliation, we’re all just hard-working designers looking to kick back and enjoy some down time.

Dian Holton, more closely aligned with AIGA was there as well, coordinating with Mike, and handling social media. [Editor’s note: I have no idea how she was able to even attend. From Dian: “I am the associate art director for AARP Art and Media (mainly AARP The Magazine), a Brand Associate aka visual and merchandising associate at GAP Inc., and am enrolled as a fashion marketing student via Parsons, The New School. In addition, I serve as the Mentoring Chair of AIGA Washington DC chapter and am a member of Society of Publication Design.”] She did meet some new people and found some new commonality. Although she says the DC area is transient, she thinks the design community is tightly woven.

When asked how she would like to see designers interact beyond the two clubs, Dian offered an interesting and easy proposition: “I think local designers should be more involved in art education—reaching out to not just younger audiences like middle and high school but also to those outside of the obvious audiences—seniors, juvenile delinquents, disabled, etc. Whether they partner together or work separately, I think art education is one interaction every designer should strive for.”

Mike agrees and would like to see designers “make a bigger impact in the larger DMV community. Whether that’s through giving back to the community, say support local arts programs or local school arts programs or more social conscious efforts,  or tackling larger design challenges together.” He  thinks “Momentum is picking up as far as design being an integral part of life.” A visionary, Mike would like to see our design community lead the charge.

So whether it’s Kickbrawl or tonight’s exciting ADCMW event “I Approved This Message”,  we seem to be a community that sees and desires less separation and more inclusion.

I approved this Message:
Tonight, November 14th, from 7pm-9pm
Nclud – 1203 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
Details: http://www.adcmw.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=60
Registration: http://letsgetpolitical.eventbrite.com/

Images from KickBrawl:

Illustration by Donald Ely.

We have all had client relationships that were, or are, the equivalent of a bad marriage. What first seems like bliss can nosedive into an abysmal mess. Sometimes neither side is “wrong” — but for a variety of reasons known and unknown, the chemistry, goodwill, and other positives found in good client relationships are just not present. Neither party is fulfilled. Question is, when do you move on and how do you justify it to yourself and your accountant? What are the criteria you use and how does this make sense from a business perspective?

I am a firm believer in taking yearly stock of clients and being strategic in who to take on, and who to let go. The “letting go” part can be tough, but take heart; as Mother Superior says to Maria in “The Sound of Music,” “When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” You do not have to be Christian to appreciate the sentiment. Having put this into practice I agree whole-heartedly.

It might appear to be counter-intuitive to kiss off a client during the Great Recession but having done so, I have seen my bottom line and my general quality of life increase tremendously. Based on this experience I thought I might share.

It takes a tremendous leap of faith and tons of courage to have your own business. I once heard Rachel Maddow define ambition as courage and I think she is right in a sense. It is the desire and motivation to stretch for your dreams and make personal and financial sacrifices when you would rather be vacationing on a beach with drink in hand.

When you start a business, you are in most cases grateful for any client you get. You do your absolute best to retain them and develop more new client relationships to foster the growth of your business. After all, the cost of new business development is more costly when compared to the efforts of retention once you land a client.

When I think of the costs of new business development I take into account time spent writing content for the company website, paying the developer to develop it, the time that went into designing it, time keeping it current with updates to copy and portfolio items, going to meetings with potential clients, attending networking events, transportation costs, meal costs if meetings are done over lunch, gas, parking, costs for the company brochure in both labor and printing, and admin time to write the new proposal and contract. Not to mention keeping up the business wardrobe. The list goes on and on. Sure—  99% of what I just mentioned are business deductions but you must have the capital and credit to cover these costs upfront.

The costs are staggering and it is an investment. The point is once, only you have done all this groundwork you hope that once the client gives you work you may recoup the investment. A funny thing can happen though with clients— some are not worth it— and you have to carefully consider if you should keep them.

Personally, I will let a client go when they deplete all the energy I have to put towards other clients or develop new ones because they are so disorganized and dysfunctional. This depletion of energy is not limited to the workspace— it impacts my ability to give to others in my personal life. When a client negatively impacts my quality of life, that’s a no-no.

For example, for a number of years my firm worked with a large organization. By anyone’s definition this was blue chip client — prestigious, internationally known, and credible.

We worked with over 10-departments and maybe a total of 25 staff members throughout the years. The staff, while perfectly nice, could generally never adhere to a process or a schedule that was in the very contract agreements we had. I should mention this specific client provided my firm with about 25% of our work in any given year.

Project scope creep was ever present and looking back over a half decade’s worth of work with this particular client, not only did the work suffer, but the profit margin was miniscule. From a design standpoint alone, the shifting sands of the schedule rarely allowed for strong creative work. This was disappointing.

In terms of what I mean by “dysfunctional” specifically, in one instance after signing the contract and receiving the purchase order, we had to meet with a new staff member in a department to be vetted again for the specific project we had already been hired to produce. After all, we had a purchase order stating so.

At that meeting with the new staff member I politely explained to her that my firm— even though we had a purchase order for the work— would be unable to fulfill the contractual obligation since they were now vetting additional design firms.

In a sense they had voided the contract themselves by renewing the vetting project. This breach of trust after the purchase order was given to my firm, and staff resources set up to start the work, flew in the face of the agreement. Goodwill evaporated on the spot. If goodwill is nonexistent, any project is doomed.

The frustration felt for this client spilled over into other client relationships. How could it not? While I am a professional, I am certainly not a robot. It takes a toll when you are constantly managing a run-a-way train. Your clients feel it, your staff suffers from it, and your family-members and health are adversely impacted.

Nobody wins.

Freeing my firm from this client was one of the absolute best business decisions I have ever made in nearly 8 years of business.

No more last minute rearranging of nights and weekends to accommodate this client’s erratic schedule. No investigative reporting over a Christmas holiday to figure out who had to approve a three-month-old invoice, finally all simply to get paid for an 80-page annual report. In sum: not a small amount to go unpaid for such a long time. In the end, it took roughly 10-hours of my time to track down various staff, get them on the phone, resend the paperwork, and get the wire transfer made. I blame this client for what amounted to one of the worst Christmas holidays I have known, as I spent it mostly in bed due to exhaustion.

When I decided that my firm would not work with this one client anymore my accountant cheered, I popped champagne and am almost certain my TMJ decreased.

I know that our other clients felt the benefit of the decision because one of them practically told me so. One client commented on not only my seemingly new level of happiness, but my appearance. To be honest nothing in my appearance at the time had changed— it was my positive energy that she felt. The energy one gives off is powerful. What you put out you get back. I was happy after giving the “kiss off” to this albatross around my neck.

Since then— I have been putting out a lot more positive energy, the clients are more diverse than ever, and the work proves more exciting as it keeps coming in the doors.

I have decided to ask a few designers in town about a time when they have given a client the “kiss off” and what motivated them to do so.

“Yes I have given a client “the kiss off” … these times were memorable: A client from a prestigious PR firm in DC and with whom I had done tons of lucrative work, asked me to design print materials for a group that wanted to persuade people that Acid Rain did not exist. I said No. I have always had a policy of “do no harm design”. –Carol

“An advocacy non-profit whose mission I deeply believed in finally drove me to fire them. They were just too chaotic . . .a million changes after “final” copy even so far as changes on press. They had a committee that had to reach consensus and it made it impossible for me to create effective design.” –Carol

“They don’t adhere to deadlines, they are slow to pay, they change the terms.” –Katie

“I fired a client for essentially, failure to pay.  She and her sons ran a small restaurant that I did ad work for and the checks they wrote me frequently bounced. When I would stop by to collect, she would always try and bribe me with free food (in her mind I guess that equaled out). I quickly grew tired of this, the food wasn’t that good, and decided it better to cut my losses and move on.” –Rob

Illustration by Christian Baldo.

Spec work (short for speculative) is defined as any job for which the client expects to see examples or a finished product before agreeing to pay a fee. This also includes competitions and contests from major companies, usually with a reward of prizes or recognition.

The topic is one that almost every designer has an opinion on and tends to spark controversy and discussion. The following articles are written by members of our community expressing their opinions of spec work: Work not for Hire by Jay Gerard and Go Spec Yourself by Martin Ringlein. The ADCMW Board and Full Bleed remains neutral on the position of spec work and encourages you to write us if you have some thoughts to share that you would like to see posted. Email us at fullbleed@adcmw.org.

Work Not for Hire

by Jay Gerard

“Insert Institution Here” has sent out an APB requesting artists and designers to enter a contest. The winning prize is not money: the reward is to be “the glory of seeing your work professionally printed” and also “bragging rights.”

This latest “invitation to create” echoes a request that was made two years ago by the National Endowment for the Arts to submit an RFP that included their visual solution (a.k.a. Logo) for the NEA’s new tagline: “art works”. The winning submission, after perhaps a bit of input and refinement from the NEA, will be awarded an actual contract as expressed in each submission’s RFP. It seemed apparent that every student as well as designers of all levels of expertise would be proud to create a new identity for the NEA. It also seemed apparent that – as cost is always a major consideration when choosing between any few designs of supposedly equal quality –cost would be the final decider. It also seemed that some talented and eager student sitting in his dorm or studio apartment would have a much better shot at winning than a full blown design department/studio/agency would have, as the disparity in overhead and pricing structure is gigantic. In fact, the obvious happened: a sole practitioner won, taking away the dollars he had bid (which were no doubt very modest), as well as full bragging rights. It was not a level playing ground.

This whole scenario came from the nation’s supposed and anointed leading supporter of artists and their rights, which took this situation from the ridiculous to the nearly criminal, and was certainly disrespectful of those very same artists whose right to earn a living IS the NEA’s mandate and mission.

This sample  “invitation to create” is among the many, many that creative professionals receive throughout their entire lives; “Family and friends” rates, pro bono donations to worthy and other causes, “could you just…” (fill in the blank, “sing at my party?”, “write a paragraph for my church publication?”, “have your group play at our gala?”, “design a card for my new business?”, “tell a few jokes at my company’s holiday party”, “teach my grandmother to tango?” ) Into this pile goes “spec” work as part of an otherwise legitimate Request for Proposal.

Here’s a newsflash: spec work, as well as all the other instances of “could you just…” take exactly the same amount of thought, energy, materials and time as doing work for hire! Even more – because spec work means that you are working totally without the input from the client or potential client, which is always a huge part of the best solutions.

I offer this last piece of information in the hope that knowing this will help put an end to what might or might not be innocent requests So, let me repeat: any given work of art takes thought, energy, cost of materials and time, , regardless of the compensation to the artist.
That is the lesson.
Class over.

Go Spec Yourself

by Martin Ringlein

Spec work, it’s a dirty term regardless of how you feel about it. It goes by many names, takes many forms and while it was debated yesterday, it’s debated today and it will most certainly be debated tomorrow, it’s all about perspective. I don’t advocate on behalf of spec work, but I most certainly don’t demonize either; I believe it’s more misunderstood and misused than anything else. But, it is all about perspective.

I believe that somewhere down the line we all got old and as a result, we all got serious. Our experience is our own finite value that is the distance between youthful ambition and aspiring passion. We forget often what it’s like to be a young designer, to have no experience in an industry that only evaluates you based on experience. No one will let me design for them without seeing what I’ve designed for someone else; it’s a perpetual cycle that can be infuriating, and seemingly impossible to break out of.

Simply Impractical Before Unethical

I by no means am looking to get into the debate or even truly express an opinion one way or another; the truth is I have pretty mixed feelings on the topic. Fundamentally speaking though, it isn’t about wanting to do spec work or even believing in the idea; it is just something I can’t do more than something I’ve arguably decided not to do. I’m a web designer at nclud; to do “web design” the way we do it (the way we believe it should be done), spec work just isn’t possible; it isn’t feasible or appropriate.

“Web Design”, or any design process for that matter, is the summation of parts, of critical elements that together make a unique, usable and stylish experience reflective of the organizational objectives with respect to the audience. To truly accomplish that you’ll need much more than a creative brief or a requirements document. You’ll need a competitive market analysis, content inventory, business objectives, audience segments, use-cases, user-personas as well as a plethora of additional information that begins to define the basis for a problem before articulating a solution.

A website, or any creative, is much more than a pretty picture; every product manager, information architect, usability and user-experience designer out there will defend and articulate the importance of understanding the entity before designing the entity. We simply can’t draw the picture without knowing the subject; and in the context of web design, the subject is very complex. Design is not about art, it is about visual communication – visual communication as a strategy. This is a strategy that can’t be articulated over a word document; it is one that involves stakeholder and executive interviews, one that involves an understanding of the organization, their objectives, their constituents and that relationship.

Speculating Spec; A Simple Misunderstanding

Many misunderstand how spec work is used (for the most part). For most large-scale organizations, spec work is nothing more than early design research; think of it as low-fidelity common-sense based mood boards. Many organizations will seek out spec work only as draft conceptual ideas for the basis of a real design conversation. Essentially taking many early non-strategic “visual” ideas and using them as a spring-board for conversation when developing a strategy; getting the common-sense lowest-common-denominator ideas out and in front early. Spec work is rarely real work (work meant to be final and utilized), and in that context it really isn’t appropriate work for most. Most are not in the business of creating design drafts for other designers to create design solutions; that is where the misunderstanding of the use of spec work resonates the most. It is when spec work is utilized to find and execute design solutions without the consideration of the critical summation of parts, the all-inclusive entity that is web design, that the concept fundamentally fails. It is that failure that prevents us from participating in spec work to begin with. Spec work typically asks for a pretty picture and we know web design to be more than that; that is why we can’t do spec work.

A Spectacular Start

Whether you believe spec work to be unethical, impractical or simply just unjustifiably wrong … it kick started my career, and, that’s something I’d never take for granted! I was a University student who realized that the life of a computer science major wasn’t for him. I struggled to find my place, somewhere that my inherent design sensibilities and ever growing passion for visual communication would somehow merge. So, I took every design and business course I could handle, from Art History to The Language of Advertising.

And one day, in one course, the Creative Director of Discovery walked in; I was impressed and lingered to every word he had to say. When he mentioned he had one internship spot available, nothing else seemed to matter … I knew it was mine for the taking. But, there was a catch! No, wait … there was an opportunity! He was independently working with NIKE (you know, that little shoe company) on a project … and it needed a logo. The terms were simple; every student had the opportunity to submit a logo, best logo would not only be used by NIKE, but to the winner went the internship.

It wasn’t about winning, it wasn’t about designing and it most certainly wasn’t about monetary profit. It was about having one hell of a story to tell. I was nineteen at the time and really had nothing to show other than the same cookie cutter class projects that everyone else seemed to share. In an industry that values uniqueness and creativity, the student that presents work that is just some variant of their fellow student’s portfolio, it’s them that become the lowest common denominator; the bottom of the applicant pile if you will.

I won that contest, and I got that story to tell. My work was now being used by one of the biggest and most popular brands in the entire world; it’s a story worth telling. They didn’t promise to use any of the logos as-is, but they did, and the story got that much better. While a handful of designers put their best foot forward, devoted their time and talent to something that ultimately gave no return, I can tell you from personal experience … it was most certainly worth the effort, the risk. Because, the one winner walked away with more than money could buy; a story, an experience!

If you ever thought that the concept of spec work devalued design, you’re so monetarily focused that you’ve completely lost touch with the term “value”. It’s an opportunity. And, sometimes it’s simply an opportunity for an opportunity. But, for many, that’s priceless; like perhaps, a nineteen-year-old aspiring designer with no story to tell.

Generally, the holiday I like to focus on with my business is Valentine’s Day, because Anne Likes Red! My winter holiday cards have been haphazard at best, because I’m always so busy. But this year, I planned a little bit ahead, and am having holiday cards printed. They double as an at-a-glance calendar (by the quarter with a one-month overlap), and I will send them throughout the year, a different color for each card. Happy wishes for happy days all year long — positivity bears repeating.

—Anne C. Kerns, Anne Likes Red, Inc.

My advice on holiday promotion is to start on them in January as it takes forever to get them done/ready for the holidays – that’s what we do!

—Jake Lefebure, Design Army

Part Labor of Love … Part Shrewd Strategy: How One Firm Has Turned Holiday Greetings into a Marketing Tradition
By Eric Stewart

Crabtree + Company, a communications firm based in Falls Church, VA, has an unbroken 28-year tradition of sending out holiday messages — all but one of which was a physical card or three-dimensional mailing. “We did send out an e-greeting seven or eight years ago,” recalls the firm’s founder and president Lucinda Crabtree, “and it got exactly zero response. So we went back to creating physical pieces that we can write notes on and sign. I think that print pieces just have this sneaky way of feeling more meaningful to the client.”

“Every year,” Lucinda explains, “we question whether we really want to, or have the time to, do another mailing. But every year, we find a way. It’s really the only time during the year that we officially thank our clients, and it’s the only print ‘marketing’ that we ever do.”

What are some of her favorite mailing stories over the years? “One year, we did a piece we called ‘89 Finishes’ — a wrap-up to the year 1989 that was a beautifully designed swatchbook — but that was unbelievably complicated to create and print. We had at least seven different varnishes — including one for icicles and another for snowflakes — and we were really driving the printer insane. Everything that could go wrong, did. But the funniest moment was when we had it all ready to go and were putting labels and stamps on them as we drove to the post office, we realized the stamps wouldn’t stick to the vellum wrap, so we had to tape them on.”

Another year’s mailing demonstrated how a simple idea could have a truly emotional impact. “We had this idea of sending out a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter,” Lucinda recalls. “It went out, and I’ll never forget the response I got from one of our clients. She told me that she and her family had been through a very difficult time financially that year, and that when she opened our package, it was a reminder that there were more simple and memorable ways to celebrate the holidays than spending money.”

But her favorite mailing of all 28? “I think my personal favorite was the year we took a modest idea and just pulled it off perfectly. We gathered as many pieces of holiday ‘stuff’ as we could find, and headed with our then-12-person staff over to Rhoda Baer’s studio. She took these beautiful black-and-white portraits of each staff member posing with one of the props we’d brought — one person had tinsel in their hair, another wore a Christmas wreath, and so on. The greatest part of the mailing was that it let our clients actually see the faces of the people who had been creating designs for them all year, people who they otherwise never actually get a chance to meet. We had a great response to that mailing, and in a way, I don’t think we’re ever really surpassed it.”

Okay — but why all the hard elf-work, year after year? “Anything that gives someone else a little joy,” says Lucinda, “is worth millions.”

The Iron Horse Taproom was the place to be on October 25, for the much-anticipated revival of the ADCMW’s famous Art of Beer event. A bustling, lively crowd listened to the presentations and tasted several great beers, while enjoying a gourmet chili buffet.

On hand to talk about their logos, label art, packaging and beer philosophy were Penny Muire from Rogue Ales, and Adam McGinnis from Flying Dog Brewery. The audience was treated to a fascinating history of the breweries, their logos, designers and products, from the colorful characters of Newport, Oregon that gave Rogue the inspiration for its early ales, to the story of a climb to K2 that led to the birth of Flying Dog at a bar in Pakistan.

The presentations were educational, entertaining and even humorous. McGinnis told of how Hunter S. Thompson introduced the famous illustrator Ralph Steadman to Flying Dog’s owner George Stranahan. He also explained the challenges of coming up with a custom typeface to match Steadman’s illustrating style. Muire spoke of Rogue’s beginnings, mentioning the original landlady of the brewery’s building in 1989 – now immortalized on the bottle of Mom Hefeweizen – before explaining how the Rogue brand identity was inspired by industrial and post-industrial art of the 1930s.

In keeping with tradition established during the Art of Beer’s initial run (1997-2002), both Muire and McGinnis structured their talks with breaks for beer tastings. Five distinctive beers were served; Rogue opened with Morimoto Soba Ale, followed by Chatoe Rogue Single Malt Ale (made from barley and hops grown on Rogue’s micro farms), and capped by Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, a rich dark dessert brew. Flying Dog served their famous Doggy Style ale and Raging Bitch, their take on a Belgian pale ale. All the beers were served in special commemorative tasting glasses, provided by Dimension Promotions.

The Iron Horse is famous for its decor as a 1960s motorcycle garage. On regular evenings, patrons can enjoy beer, TV and games like skeeball, shuffleboards and pinball. With an impressive 20 taps on the main line, Iron Horse has no kitchen on the premises. For the event, the ADCMW arranged a meat and vegetarian chili buffet from Broad Branch Market in northwest DC. Beer for the tasting was provided by Rogue and Flying Dog.

The evening concluded with a question-and-answer session, and a raffle for door prizes of Flying Dog and Rogue memorabilia.

The Art of Beer is Back

One of the more popular ADCMW events from the late 1990s, discontinued in 2003, is making its comeback this year. The Art of Beer is about creativity – the inspiration that goes into making the brew, and designing and labeling the bottles that contain it. The result is a multi-sensory experience of tasting the beer, looking at the labels, listening and talking about the art with its creators. Presenters are chosen both for the quality of their beer and the exceptional nature of their label design.

This year’s event on October 25th will feature two powerhouse breweries: Rogue Ales from Newport, Oregon and Flying Dog Brewery from Frederick, Maryland. Both have a rich and fascinating history of both brewing and label design. We spoke with Penny Muire, principal designer at Rogue, and Ben Savage, Marketing Manager at Flying Dog, about their approach to beer and label design.

Penny has been the force behind Rogue Ales branding and packaging since 1989, designing over 70 labels, uncountable tap handles, apparel and more. She also worked on developing the packaging for Rogue’s collaboration with Ezo Beer (Sapporo, Japan), when Rogue became the first U.S. craft brewery to export its product overseas.

Cliff: Tell us a bit about your artwork style for the Rogue labels. Where do you get your inspiration?
Penny: Rogue was one of the first to package in 22 oz. bottles. They used screen-printed, hand drawn images with bold colors to create an innovative style that is a key element of the Rogue brand.

Rogue packaging was in part an economic as well as an aesthetic one. For a small brewery just starting out screen-printing had the advantage of small up-front investment in printing. Since no labeling machine is needed, the bottling process is quicker and simpler. You can do small runs or large runs. They are also incredibly durable so even if a bottle breaks in shipping, it won’t spoil the labeling of other bottles. I worked closely with the printer to learn the limitations of the rotary screen printing – how fine a line it can hold, registration can be off as much as 1/16 of an inch, and it cannot hold a tight dot screen. Yet, working with restrictions and design challenges can often lead to wonderful creative design.

I drew inspiration from printed materials from industrial and post-industrial periods – posters from WWII, typefaces of the early 20th century and handbills from all these periods (José Guadalupe Posada), and comic strips. Good line art is key to working with in this medium.

Cliff: Sometimes a design will spark controversy. How do you deal with that?
Penny: Rogue is very protective of its brand, but a little controversy can be good. When I designed a truck featuring American Amber Ale, I put a flag waving behind the Rogue Guy. At the time, I told the folks at Rogue that this might be an issue, but they went ahead and had the truck painted. They drove that truck around for at least 2 years before another brewery made a stink to the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau). It made it into all the local papers, on the front page of the business section, and the local TV and radio stations did interviews and commentaries. It was even picked up by the wire services along with a photo of the offending truck. All Rogue could say was “Ooops! I guess we made a mistake.” Sure, they had to repaint the background, but the attention was fantastic!

Rogue encourages edgy ideas. It won’t always produce them, but they will certainly entertain them. They won an award back in 1991 for promotional material with their custom condoms that read: Rogue Ales/coming soon

Cliff: How have the designs influenced your brand, from public perception to sales?
Penny: One of Rogue’s early slogans was “Dedicated to the Rogue in each of us.” Sometimes the Rogue on the bottle is the generic Rogue Guy, and sometimes he (or she) is a specific Rogue. What holds them together is a style of illustration and treatment that is the Rogue brand. There are now lots of screen-printed 22oz bottles, but Rogue is still readily identifiable on the shelf. The product is always excellent and the bottle a small work of art. A Rogue doesn’t always do things the easy way, but they do them the right way.

Cliff: What would you say are three things one would have to keep in mind when designing beer labels?
Penny: When designing for beer, think of the beer drinker. Respect the product and look for ways to show off its attributes. This requires lots of research, so make sure to learn about beer and beer drinkers. This may require consuming vast amounts of the product. Drinking beer is fun. So drink a beer and have fun with it!

In addition to giving us a run-down on Flying Dog’s approach to beer design, Marketing Manager Ben Savage introduced us to their Creative Director, Adam McGinnis. Adam describes himself as a “borderline sociopath with an unhealthy obsession with graphic design”, and his love for craft beer as a “chemical dependency.” Over the years, he’s created for clients such as Burton Snowboards, Marvel Comics, and Pan Am.

Cliff: How did you go about selecting the designer?
Ben: World renowned artist Ralph Steadman creates the art for our labels. We starting working with Ralph through our connection with Hunter S. Thompson, who was a great friend and supporter of Flying Dog. When we want to create a new label, we give Ralph a story about the beer and we let him run with it. Beyond that, we have a genius designer (Adam McGinnis) who helps utilize the art and our brand in applications beyond the labels.

Cliff: Sometimes a design will spark controversy. How do you deal with that?
Ben: We understand that our art isn’t for everyone, but we love it, and our fans love it. We have to stay true to who we are and what we like because if we compromise that, we stand for nothing.

Cliff: How have the designs influenced your brand, from public perception to sales?
Ben: We view making craft beer as an art form, and we push to make sure the art on our labels and on our materials reflects that passion and expression. I think our fans respect that and understand that we stand for something, and you can’t say that for every brand out there. I think customers find that refreshing.

Cliff: What would you say are three things one would have to keep in mind when designing beer labels?
Ben: Be unique, tell a story, and the weirder the better.

The revived Art of Beer is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, at the Iron Horse Tavern (Penn Quarter, Washington DC), with featured speakers Penny Muire (Rogue) and Adam McGinnis (Flying Dog).

Register for the event here.

©2011 Michael Glenwood Gibbs.

Creativity is a funny thing. For that matter, so is graphic design. It inhabits a weird netherworld of a profession where it looks really easy when done really well—I think of it as figure skating in that way—but is actually pretty demanding: requiring research, analytical thinking, discipline, constant practice, and ample amounts of intuition. All that before any knowledge of software.

Many clients have no idea, nor appreciation for, what we designers go through just to pull decent ideas out. We are an underappreciated profession, and thus our work is not valued as much as, say a lawyer or dentist, but I think we are all savvy enough to know the value we creative types bring to a brand. Nike gets it. For every item sold in a store a huge percentage of the cost of that running shoe covers design and marketing. Look at what Under Armor spends to compete with Nike in terms of marketing. Gobs of cash. A lot is at stake as brands compete for market share.

Who comes up with the design and marketing campaigns that support and promote products? Creative types such as ourselves. And the pressure to be creative on a consistent basis is hard. One week ideas are flowing and the next nada. Panic ensues as deadlines get closer and the pressure is on to stoke the creative fires. What to do when stuck? How does one feed and nurture creativity year round to keep ideas, and thus income, flowing? I am sure anyone who is reading this article who is a creative has had moments when the Creativity. Just. Stops. It’s just that our methodologies sometimes fail us.

Design is this weird profession that for the most part follows a process such as writing the creative brief, beginning a word list, sketching ideas, getting on computer, taking many coffee breaks, looking at design annuals for kernels of ideas that can be woven in to our design such as what we see in Communication Arts and Print magazine, coupled with intuition, whose cumulative effect will ensure a winning design. But sometimes none of that works.

If one has a tendency towards procrastination the instances of good ideas not coming to fruition are increased. Good design really does take time. No, really it does.

What happens when the ideas dry up?

Thoughts cross our minds such as, my well has run dry and my damn my muse has left, my ideas suck, I cannot believe anyone is actually going to pay me for this logo—I know I would not if I was the client, I stink—no really I do, I cannot believe I waited until three days before the logo was due to start sketching, maybe now is the time to consider another profession, more self-doubt and recriminations ensue.

Thoughts of us not being able to support our families and entire lives destroyed occur.  This line of thinking supports wine cellars nationwide called upon to assist at moments of creative crisis. I am not kidding here. I know of a Baltimore-based printer/designer who has wine cellar with the really aged, good stuff saved for dry times—no pun intended.

The thing about creativity, as far as I can tell, is it has to be nurtured all the time.

I figured the summer might be a good time to write about nurturing creativity given it is the time of the year most of us take vacation and recharge those batteries. It is when I take a vacation with eleven other people I call family for a week to the Outer Banks and sleep kind of late, read, drink good wine, eat great food, swim in the ocean and watch bad television. God it feels great. When I come back to DC to design again somehow I am better able to.

This down time—or think time as my friend Kathie calls it—with no pressure to produce anything, save respond to a few client emails, gives my mind time to rest. This is where I think the both conscious and subconscious mind soaks up information and kind of meanders around ideas, notions, half-baked ideas, and well just plays a bit.

When I am at the Outer Banks my mind just soaks up Pop Culture such as random factoids about True Blood including the backstory behind Sookie—played by Anna Paquin—and the wisdom to insist upon the preservation of the gap between her two front teeth as a child which is a key component of her beauty, talk about the Tudors, Weeds, Angry Birds, Harry Potter, trivia about M*A*S*H including the notion that my own father was more or less the Radar of his Army battalion in the Korean War (am I dating myself here?), talk about Barbara Kingsolver’s last novel, how partying in NYC is essential—or so he thinks it is—to my young cousin’s career in art, and the sum effect of all of this absorption of the brilliant and inane is… well… filling the well of creativity.

I decided to ask a few local creative types—mostly designers, but not limited to them, to volunteer how they stay creative.

How Do You Stay Creative? Local Designers share their sources of inspiration. Compiled by Kate Tallent

I am motivated by talking to strangers on the bus.  I am inspired by being in a room of peers from across the country and discussing our work, sharing our work. Taking class with teachers from other places motivates me.  I soak in as much art as possible; I seek help from friends to do this.  Every few months, a group of us gather at someone’s house and watch dance on films and then discuss them.  It is so relaxed and fun and stimulating.

Ilana Silverstein, Dancer and Community Organizer

Lots of concerts when I can. I also find books and comics do it for me. If I can get a good hour in that is great but rare (kids). On a day to day basis I go to the gym. It clears my mind of problems and allows me to focus on work. Lastly, I watch pro wrestling. There is something about watching an art else that people dismiss as silly and something everyone can do but in fact, they can’t.

Jeffrey Everett, Designer

I hit the road by car any weekend I can. Getting out and seeing the country helps me think outside the box and inspires new ideas or perspectives. also, something about driving in a car on a long stretch of highway occupies the active side of my brain, and allows the creative gears to start turning.

Alissa Taylor, Designer

To refuel and grow as a designer, I think trying new things and going to new places is probably the more rewarding way for me to expand my horizons and find new creative inspiration… going on road trips to new towns, visiting new restaurants and exhibits, participating in service work that allows me to explore new situations and meet new people, reading a book from a new author, trying a new recipe, etc. All of these new experiences give me a new toolbox of ideas, images, and thoughts.

Katie M., Designer

I find that walking around the city and going into different clothing stores, such as small boutiques and second hand stores, really helps to boost my creativity.  I find it easy to gain inspiration from fashion, probably because it is such a common and accessible form of creativity.  In particular, checking out small boutiques that feature up-and-coming designers really helps spark creativity for me.  Accessories and shoes are probably the biggest creative influences for me when browsing through stores.

This tactic is effective for me because it is a low stress way to recharge creatively.  I don’t even realize when I am browsing that I am taking in various creative influences and coming up with fresh, new ideas of my own.  It’s a great way to gain something free from a shopping experience when you can’t afford to splurge on purchasing the items themselves!

Sonya Elefante, Designer

I go sketching and water coloring on Fenwick Island. What really charges me is going to a small Latin American city like Grenada in Nicaragua where everywhere you turn there are vivid people and colors.

Carol Higgs, Designer

Pop culture: TV, magazines, retail. Just keeping your eyes open and talking with people is a huge reference for the latest and greatest. TV believe it or not is very visually savvy these days. Production studios and advertising firms know this and are always pushing the limits not only for the awards but to attract and keep viewers interest. Social media also plays a big part. To get the audience to play along in a contest or follow a story line will create much sought after memories. A product like Doritos or Burger King has proven this “marketing dance” works really well.

Visiting websites like: FeatureShoot.com, DesignisKinky.com, www.computerlove.net are a few of my favorites.

Holly Morgan, Designer

To recharge my batteries I color and draw with my nieces, ages 3 and 9. I get totally sucked into the vortex of their world that I forget to be an adult for a while. I like how kids see shape, color and texture with a different perspective. And there are no rules: they are not afraid to go out of the lines, add things to the pre-drawn pages of a coloring book or color Barbie’s hair blue!

Stefani Manowski, Communications Professional

EDITORS’ NOTE:

To celebrate creativity in our community, please join Kate Tallent and ADCMW’s FullBleed team for a pop-up happy hour Tuesday September 13, 6:pm, at Local 16 (1602 U Street Northwest) ! If you are interested in writing for FullBleed, contributing illustrations or photography, or want to connect with others about what you did this summer to recharge, come on out!

Michael Glenwood Gibbs’ work can be found at www.mglenwood.com and www.michaelgibbs.com

Attendees milled and mingled in the spacious Terrace Gallery, where the winning work was showcased (along with winners of The Real Show student competition). Annual reports to posters, illustrations to interactive — the show had it all. The best of it all. And at Artisphere, creativity is around every corner and on every wall — so this was the perfect space to house DC design’s best.

After a good measure of hob-knobbing and catching up, all were ushered into the iconic Dome Theatre for the awards presentation. Gold and Silver (the aforementioned lightbulbs) were bestowed upon six firms, most liberally upon Design Army. The award show stalwarts used their multiple trips to the stage to thank their tireless employees as well as spread the gospel of raising the level of design in DC. Preach on! Also bringing home bulbs were AU Publications, Freer Sackler Galleries, Fuszion, University of MD University Publications, and Viget Labs.

Recognition was also given to AARP for the Design Leadership Award, Westland Printers for the Design Partner Award, and Robert Wiser for the Lifetime Membership Award.

Congrats to all the winners, and thanks to everyone involved for continuing to make the DC design community the hot place to be!

Check out our Flickr photostream for images of the evening….

How the Annual Show Comes Together

We had a total of 352 entries for the 62nd Annual Show (310 print and 42 websites/interactive) from a total of 51 firms or individuals. We ended up having 85 pieces in the show, including 59 print pieces and 26 web/interactive, among which there were nine silver medalists and four gold medalists.

Each year, we bring in six established designers or art directors from around the country to judge the entries submitted, three for print work, three for interactive work. This year, our judges were:

PRINT

Jeffrey Conrad, President & Chief Creative Officer, AG Properties + AG Studios, Cleveland, OH,

Jessica Hische, Designer, Typographer & Illustrator, Brooklyn, NY

Craig Welsh, Designer, Educator and Principal, Go Welsh, Lancaster, PA

INTERACTIVE

Duane King, Designer, Thinker & Writer, Portland, OR, www.kingduane.com

Drew Ungvarsky, Owner and Creative Director, Grow Interactive, Norfolk, VA, www.thisisgrow.com

Chris Cashdollar, Creative Director, Happy Cog, Philadelphia, PA, www.happycog.com

To ensure unbiased judging, any information that would identify the firm that created the piece is removed. In the case of the print work, judges are asked to use colored, self-adhesive dots to vote on each piece — indicating “yes/in the the show” or “no/not in the show.” If a piece gets three “yeses,” it’s in the show; if it gets two or more “nos,” itt is removed from consideration. The judges then go through the pieces that received two yeses and discuss whether or not the piece should be included.

When they have agreed to the select group of entries that will be in the show, we then ask the judges to go through and pick out the ones they feel should receive the highest honors – silver, gold, and best of show, which may or may not be given. A similar process is used on the interactive side. Firms are notified if their piece has been selected and medalists are not disclosed until the night of the gala.

In addition to the medalists, awards are also presented for the Design Leadership Award, Design Partner Award and the Lifetime Membership Award. The Design Leadership Award is given out to an organization that has demonstrated a consistent recognition of the importance of great design — and really dedicated the resources to making it happen. The Design Partnership Award is given to a firm that has worked closely with the Club, and demonstrated a commitment to the well being of the local creative community. The Lifetime Membership Award is given to a person who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to the club and the design community over the years.

Winning pieces and interactive pieces are all displayed in a small gallery-type setting. Winners and members are celebrated with an awards show and a formal dinner.

I met Ross in type class. Talented, funny, tech savvy, I often saw him drawing comics for the school rag in class. (OK, I’ll admit to being his professor at the time). So it seems natural to me that this now professional designer would combine his love of humor, type, image and technology into a well-followed blog featuring some of the funniest comics I have recently seen (systemcomic.com and twitter.com/rosscott).

His “side” work seems aimed at designers at first glance. But it also transcends to corporate culture in a way that doesn’t seem snarky or trying. Ross taps in to an ethos that is beyond Dilbert cubical, for a generation cable-fed both irony and idiocy. Thank God he chose irony.

Labeled “a busy, nerdy man” by Brightest Young Things, Ross is not a guy who just coasts. In addition to the two jobs already described, there’s more. So try to keep up.

This year he accepted a one-year position as full time professor at American University. He has co-created and sustained “Super Art Fight”, a pro-wrestling styled art competition that is gaining in popularity around the country. He’s spoken at various conferences including the one from where I currently write, SXSW. And he’s only just begun. I grabbed a minute to sit down with Ross between sessions and caught up with what’s going on in this seemingly never-still mind…

How many different pots are on your stove right now?

I like to call them plates that I’m spinning… If I don’t keep spinning them, I’m afraid one will fall and crash…. Teaching, freelancing, the comic, Super Art Fight… (Think Pictionary meets pro wrestling). We actually go on tour like a band.

[aside: Ross doesn't seem to get the fact that these events were actually written up in Wired magazine.]

Is any of it sustainable?

Teaching is actually the least sustainable, as I don’t yet have a masters. That’s the one that’s destined to end, as much as I love it, because it’s on a contract.

How do you sustain yourself?

Most days I work on the comic in the early morning, then grade and teach later the day. I have odd hours, which works for me. Time management has gotten a bit out of hand though. In the morning I will always find a list of things I should have done the night before… But somehow I squeak by. But, even though I have “gotten away” from a normal schedule, I’m actually trying to work my way back into it.

What keeps you going during the madness?

The times these projects pays off. Like speaking here [at SXSW]… It’s the acknowledgment that things are working. Like, booking a burlesque act for an upcoming Super Art Fight while flying to Austin to speak, it’s all really just fun. But there’s also cycling to work, coffee and Netflix Instant, because I can do these while working. [Latest obsession: Farscape, it's Sci-fi with Muppets.]

Your work is being followed, tweeted, referred to…. With followers now, how do you keep it going?

Sometimes with the comics, I spend the least amount of time on is best received. A lot of people love charts so I’ll throw them those now and them. Last Friday I was a “guest chartist” for ilovecharts.tumblr.com.

Do you make any money off of The System?

It pays for the rare times I have to go out. Making money at something you love and didn’t expect to make money at is awesome.

So what happens after teaching ends?

Looking at grad schools. Then more teaching? I really don’t know at this point. It’s hard to say what of all these projects is going to pan out at this point. Maybe back to design, or maybe by then other things will start paying off as well.

Words of wisdom to pass on?

Stop talking about doing it and just start doing it. For months I couldn’t decide on all the little details of starting The System and that held me back. Some friends told me to shut up and just start trying something, and I finally listened.

Ross just can’t decide which avenue is better for him at this point. He is pushing on all fronts until one takes precedence (or until he’s brain dead?). But “no worries”, he told me, his passions are related enough that they actually benefit each other. “The more you get into any field, the more it relates to any other field. It’s all visual storytelling, just in different formats. And varying amounts of money.”

Well said.

Illustration by Donald Ely

A long time ago, I realized that I was an artist. Since first drawing Kimba the White Lion as a five-year-old kid in Philadelphia, I have always been painting, printmaking, and eventually designing. Somehow, this all led to me starting a design business in Washington, DC, in January of 2005.

And to this day, I still consider myself an artist first and an “accidental business-person” second. I only started the company because I wanted to be my own boss. But over the years, I have had some experiences I thought might be ideal to share— not because I am any great businessperson— but because I care about my profession and small businesses.

And here’s one: In 2006, my startup return was almost immediately selected for a Random Sample Audit by the I.R.S. also known as the Worst Audit Ever. There is no way of knowing why my return was selected. Thank goodness I was very on top of my books and records, and my company had been entering my information into QuickBooks the entire year. My accountant, Jonathan Mayo, had all the records we needed to win.

So I’m writing this article to highlight some basic bookkeeping principles in the event the I.R.S. audits you, and I want to describe how you can survive it without losing your mind (or your shirt).

Record-Keeping From the Start

When I started my design studio in 2005, I had just sold my house in Baltimore and, therefore, had a nest egg to live and fund the new business. That was huge because during my first year of business, I made little income — the firm was a complete start up. In total maybe 10-clients came through the door that first year. I was lucky that I got good advice before starting the firm from the free classes that SBA offers. I took to heart that even if I made a penny, I had to track it. The SBA recommended I use an Intuit product called QuickBooks. I diligently saved every business expense receipt as well.

Accurate books and records of business transactions are among the most indispensable keys to success for my design business. Keeping on top of the details helps me determine the amount of tax I must pay to the myriad of taxing and licensing authorities – and complete records always result in a lower tax bill. Plus, they help me plan for large business expenses and slow times, and project how much income is expected to (hopefully) be profitable.

But beyond these day-to-day benefits, complete books and records are essential to government audits. For Schedule C filers like me (who have self-employment income with gross receipts of $100,000-$200,000), the chance of being audited in any given year is about 4 percent (for the latest IRS audit rates, check out this spreadsheet from IRS.gov). For folks planning to be their own boss for a large part of their career span, those numbers indicate that a Schedule C filer will almost certainly be audited at some point in time.

Take a look at some of these IRS penalties:

• Late Filing Penalty Individuals – 5% of tax due/month up to 25%, minimum $135 (no penalty if refund isdue).
• Late Filing Penalties – S-Corporations $195 per month per shareholder, Multi-member LLCs – $195 permonth per member.
• Late Payment Penalty – 0.5% of unpaid balance per month up to 25%
• Fraudulent Failure to File – 15% of tax/month up to 75%.
• Bad Check used to pay tax – 2% of balance due.
• Accuracy related penalties (disregarding the rules, failure to make a reasonable effort to comply with the rules, substantial understatement of tax) – Penalties up to 40% of tax due.
• Fraud – 75% of tax due.
• Frivolous return – $5000.
• Willful failure to pay tax or file return – Misdemeanor – up to $25,000 fine and 1 year in prison.
• Willful making and subscribing to a false return – Felony – up to $100 fine, 3 years in prison or both.
• Willful attempt to evade or defeat tax – Felony, up to $100,000 fine and 5 years in prison or both.

Of course, interest will be charged in addition to all penalties. They have my attention.

All About Audits

Being audited is difficult. It doesn’t mean the taxpayer is a criminal, but the onus is on the taxpayer to prove the numbers shown on the return. Being audited is not necessarily an indication that the taxpayer has done anything wrong.

And obviously, we’d all like to prevent ourselves from being audited. Ways to avoid an audit include claiming all your income and deductions, keeping all your paperwork, and working with a good tax professional. Another more extreme way of trying to avoid an audit might be to change your form of business entity. Recent numbers indicate that S-corporations and multi-member LLCs have one-tenth the audit rate of sole proprietors and single member LLCs. The trade off is that S-corporations cost about $2,500 per year in extra professional fees to maintain, and multi-member LLCs about $1,500 more than a sole proprietor or single member LLC.

It is impossible, however, to be 100 percent audit proof. Some audits are purely random. Sometimes audits spread through communities, like when your biggest client gets audited and the IRS agent sees your name on their books. Individual items that are shown on your return — regardless of how correct or legal those items may be — might trigger some audits.

Audits are on the rise, too. The IRS has decided that billions of dollars of the “tax gap” is being caused by small businesses underreporting income. So increasingly, five basic types of audits are being conducted:

1. Letter audit – Taxpayer receives letter asking them to mail in additional documentation.
2. Office audit – Taxpayer (or their representative) must go to the IRS office with their documents.
3. Filed audit – A little worse than the Office audit. Agent comes to taxpayers home or business and examines all bank statements and most expense items.
4. Financial Status Audit – IRS uses standard of living, assets owned, credit reports, bills, loan applications, etc, to audit the taxpayer.
5. Random Sample Audit – The worst. IRS looks at EVERYTHING.

Get Representation. Seriously.

When I was selected for the Random Sample Audit, I must have spent 40 plus hours gathering the papers that the IRS requested. The audit itself took two full days. My accountant Jonathan charged me somewhere around $4,000 to represent me at this audit and he was worth every penny. Representation is a MUST at any audit. DO NOT go in there alone. The taxpayer and the agent don’t even speak the same language.

An agent could ask a question using some technical IRS wording, and if the taxpayer’s answer is based on a misunderstanding of the question, the taxpayer could technically be giving false information to a federal investigator. People rarely go to jail for what is on their returns. They go to jail because they got flustered and tried to talk their way out of something. Think Martha Stewart. She didn’t go to jail for insider trading, she went to jail for lying to a federal investigator.

Yes, representation is expensive, but the average cost to defend a tax fraud case is more than $50,000. Borrow the money for representation if you have to. Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Don’t forget that it is always within your rights to say, “I don’t understand this. I’m uncomfortable with this. While I’m really doing my best to cooperate, I don’t think I should any questions without representation present.” If the agent presses you, ask for his or her supervisor. Agents are required to treat you in a respectful and business-like fashion. Also, there’s an independent office within the federal government called the Taxpayer Advocate, whom you can call if you feel that you’re being treated unfairly.

The IRS had me gather (among other things) all of my bank statements, cancelled business and personal check and deposit items, investment statements, and records proving the expenses they always like to pick on for a 14-month period. Travel. Meals and Entertainment. Mileage. Advertising. Home Office. Just getting copies of the deposit items from the bank was a struggle, and expensive, as well.

The agent sat both my accountant and myself down at my dining room table, picked up a bank statement and said, “January 2, deposit. $200. Was it income?” If it wasn’t taxable income we had to prove it. I had a personal checking account, a business account, and a savings account, with money going back and forth between the accounts. Jonathan and I had to identify each and every deposit. The agent worked her way through all the bank statements. This went on for days. For the expenses, we had a spreadsheet showing each individual transaction that went into the number that was claimed on the tax return, and a pile of receipts that corresponded to each spreadsheet. Jonathan pleasantly argued points of law with the agent’s supervisor.

Why Record-Keeping Pays Off

The IRS confirmed our income number. They allowed all of our expenses, except for one. In the end you have to give them something, or they’ll never go away. Still, the adjustment wasn’t enough to result in any tax due. We won!

It was expensive for me, annoying, and stressful, but we defeated the most powerful police and confiscation agency in the United States, and we did it with good recordkeeping. And that’s a great feeling.