Octwelve - Blog of designer, MaryLuc Melgar

Graphic Design Basics Book

Luc — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:20:56 +0000

I have 9 years of design experience behind me but would you believe that I don’t have any idea about the fundamentals of design nor do I have a formal education of it. I just design based on what I think is beautiful and usable.

I felt like reading something I can bring anywhere with me. I’m tired of staring at the monitor. So I went to Basheer Graphic Book shop and grab myself a copy of Designs Basic Index by Jim Krauss. I found myself reading it every morning in the bus on my way to office. Just as the title says, it’s all about the basics of designs.

This book is not the ’show-off’ type which features the trendy and stylish designs out there. It covers the fundamentals of design from typography and color to layout and business issues. What I like the most is the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of designing. My design practices changed after applying what I’ve learned from this book. Designing is not about the rules, but knowing the essentials can help you come up with an aesthetically and effective design. I’ve learned new things on this book. It’s a worthwhile read for beginners and also a great reference for advanced designers.

Don’t stop learning! ^_^

The Nuffnang Blog Awards 2009

Luc — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:02:06 +0000

Finally, the carpet has been rolled and winners have been announced. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it. But I still want to thank you all for voting and supporting me. I know I’m the winner for you guys haha! That’s enough for me. Thanks! :) Too bad I didn’t have many pictures with my favorite bloggers! There were so many people that night. I felt so shy!! Ugh! Here’s a secret ….I hate wearing dresses!!

L on Nuffnang’s red carpet.

With my 3 friends and colleague, Jeff, Mischie and Raj.

With Jian Goh, a.k.a Akiraceo, also a Best Original Blog Design finalist. Check out his cute and funny blog. He’s great in cute illustrations. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as I do. :)

After the awards, all finalists gathered up on stage for a group picture.

Anyways…

Cheers to my fellow Filipinos, Mr. Gadget and Ironwulf for winning the Best Geek Blog and Best Travel Blog. And ofourse, congrats to Xiaxue.blogspot.com (She’s a Singaporean), winner of Best Blog Design, Most Influential Blog, and Best Overall Blog.

Congrats to all the winners!

I’m so honoured to be one of the finalist of the first ever Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2009.

Cheers!

Nuffnang Blog Awards Last Day of Voting

Luc — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:27:13 +0000

Hey guys! Today is the last day of voting in the Nuffnang Blog Awards. So I wanna say suppperrrrrr thanks to all of you who voted for me! No, this is not a victory speech. But being a part of this prestigious event, I feel like I’m already a winner. :) Please pray for me and for all Filipino bloggers to take home the victory! ^_^ Thanks for all your support. See you all!

A Red Carpet Event For Me, L, and Octwelve!! Yay!

Luc — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:28:11 +0000

L cannot express the extreme feeling of excitement I have right now for being one of the top 5 finalist for the Original Blog Design category of the first Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards 2009. But yes, L is excited and so am I. Because we are making our way to the biggest blog award in the region which will be held in Pan Pacific Singapore on October 23. It’s gonna be an event of glamour and prestige. I’m so proud and honored to be a part of this event and to be up against prominent bloggers. Foreign finalist are fully sponsored for a 3 days and 2 nights trip to Singapore to attend the ceremony. We get to enjoy a classy gala dinner at a five star hotel. And the following day will be an action packed itinerary of Uniquely Singapore experiences!! There are 7 more filipinos who made it as finalist in different categories. They are:

Please please please! We need your support so please vote for us! ^_^

How to Vote

You can go to http://awards.nuffnang.com/votes.php
Or you can also vote via the voting poll on the right > > > >

You can actually vote every 2 hours! ^_^ If you have a spare time plssssss vote for me and my fellow filipinos! Thanks!

PS: I actually didn’t even know I was nominated. A big thanks and a big hug to that sweet person who nominated me!! Give me a shout of who you are! :)

And thanks to Sherwin for letting me know. ^_^

L and Friends ^_^

Luc — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:15:03 +0000

Happy here in Singapore :)

Luc — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 08:13:37 +0000

It’s been 7 months since I wrote something in my blog. And it’s been 1 year and 4 months since I joined Comnet here in Singapore. It’s been a busy year for me. No wonder I can’t even update my blog. Even though, being an employee is not as comfortable as being a freelancer, what i can say is, I’m happy here. It’s the people around me, the colleagues, friends, the good and evil clients that you have to deal with, the feeling that people are relying on you, that you are an important player in the team, the joy we share whenever WE did a good job for a project, the knowledge that we pass on each other, and ofcourse, the craziness in the office! These are the things that I didn’t have when I was working alone as a freelancer.

My goal is to learn as many things as possible and be more effective with my work. How I wish I can free up some more time to study, blog, take photos with L. And how I wish to to have more salary so I’ll be even more happier hahaha! ^_^

L and Ben & Jerry’s

Luc — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 09:31:03 +0000

I know you guys have been waiting for ages for L’s journey series. Let me say that I’m terribly sorry that I wasn’t able to update on this. I’ve been busy with a lot of stuff here. L’s been neglected and to make up for it, we had these unworldly ice cream together :P We loooove this ice cream so much. For us, it’s a piece of heaven ^_^

Octwelve on .net magazine

Luc — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:50:14 +0000

I’m on the reader’s showcase of .net magazine’s january 2009 issue. I’ve been dreaming of being featured on publications and I never imagined it would be on my favorite magazine. I am soo honored! It’s a- dream come true! What a way to start my new year! :)

Technorati Tags: .net, magazine, designer, blogger, blog, showcase

Weekend Holiday in Malaysia

Luc — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:23:30 +0000

This is a long overdue post. Last November, my friends and I went to Kuala Lumpur and Genting Highlands, Malaysia. I didn’t have enough time to do photography. Most of the pics I’ve taken are my friends’ and ofcourse, myself haha But here’s a few shots of my trip to Malaysia.

Malaysia is just a border away from Singapore. Going there, we travelled for 6 hours by bus.

See you later Singapore!

We’re going to Malaysia!

The Petronas Tower

L is with me ofcourse!

Breathtaking view from the skytrain. I love this picture so much. It’s my current wallpaper.

Best sunset!

I hope you enjoyed these pics! ^_^

Singapore Countdown to 2009 Fireworks!

Luc — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:12:51 +0000

My 2008 has been great! And now I’m looking ahead for 2009. Cheers everyone! Happy New Year!
Here’s a video of the fireworks display we’ve captured at the Marina Bay.

It is quite challenging to shoot fireworks. I’ve only captured 3 good pics haha

Technorati Tags: fireworks, singapore, marina bay, 2009