You might be a hardcore graphic designer if…

1. You’ve ever had a fender bender because you were analyzing a font on a billboard.

2. You find yourself wanting to hit “Apple Z” when you mess up in real life.

3. You consider meals to be inconveniences.

4. You wake up in the middle of the night with logo ideas.

5. You have more fonts than you do songs in your iTunes account.

6. You’ve learned not to use the word “final” in any file name when saving.

7. You keep your monitor cleaning cloth on your desk at all times.

8. You dream in CMYK and RGB.

9. If you have to politely explain one more time why you can’t blow up your client’s 14 KB gif file to fit on an 11×14 poster…

10. You and your colleagues went out to celebrate when Adobe acquired Macromedia.

11. You recognize istock photo models featured in ad campaigns and other printed material.

12. You’ve actually paid money for a font.

13. You’ve featured an early version of a design project in your portfolio (you know, the one before your client made their change requests).

14. You can’t eat at a restaurant without critiquing the menu design.

15. You know who Paul Rand is and he is your hero.

16. You use words for Papyrus and Comic Sans that normal people reserve for serial killers and animal abusers.

17. You know more than 10 color codes by heart (OF COURSE #9a4b0c is burnt orange!)

18. You just opened Photoshop to look up #9a4b0c.

I milked a goat named Doris

Years ago, when I was 12 years old, my family and I had the incredible opportunity to visit an exchange student we had hosted in Switzerland. Many things about the country intrigued me, but one of the memories that stood out to me was the amazing garden and community that the family had. They had raspberry bushes, apple trees, lettuce, and all kinds of vegetables growing in their backyard.

One morning we woke up and walked down this cobblestone path alongside the Lake of Zurich and down into a little valley where we purchased fresh yogurt and milk for breakfast. I wasn’t raised anywhere near a farm, so the idea of getting dairy products straight from an animal that we could still see walking around was pretty incredible to me. I guess it put “two and two together” in my mind.

One of Doris' friends

Since then, I’ve wanted to milk an animal. I am CERTAIN that many of you think I’m nuts at this point, but what can I say? I am who I am.

I recently got my chance! On a trip home to visit my parents, we visited a nearby farm where you can get fresh goats’ milk. We arrived, and much to my delight, the nice lady asked if I wanted to milk the goat, not just buy her milk.

Below are photos of the experience. As you can see, I was quite tentative at first, but I got the hang of it pretty quick. Doris was a lady about the whole thing, even though we had just met.

I squeeze where??

Goat boobies are surprisingly hairy

Nate and I have enjoyed healthy, fresh goats milk yogurt, made naturally in our own kitchen. Thanks Doris!

Reviving a Cherished Photograph

A client recently approached me with a special request: To revive an old photograph that meant a lot to her. The photo was water damaged, stained, and faded. She wanted it to have new life, but wasn’t sure if it were possible.

I set to work! With Photoshop, an hour of my time, and a little persistence, I was able to present her with a new photograph.

I love doing this type of work, so please contact me if you’d help with your own photographs. I can either send the revived photos digitally, or re-print them and have them mailed.

See another photo below that I recently restored of my Mom. This photo was taken back in 1974, and it was a joy to present this to her as a reminder of a wonderful day she had years ago: