nate update

And I’m not talking about the kind under the bridge over on Bonneville Street.

I got a funny call this morning from a salesman at Pitney Bowes – announcing a super deal on postage meters. I was thrilled! Not really.

When I briefly explained that we use an electronic workflow – with PDF billing and all,  he tried to tell me that – get this – postage is cheaper! With his system – free for 90 days -  he could save me money on stamps (vs. not using any stamps).

I hope nobody falls for that. Just use PDFs, people. It’s better for your wallet and the trees.

We updated our company page on MySpace last week. Check it out and add us as a friend. http://www.myspace.com/blackdiamonddigital

Myspace is somewhat juvenile, some say, but I like it. Heck, I advise some of my clients to use it. Especially start-ups, nightclubs, models, makeup artists and freelancers. It’s a free online portfolio, blog, and bulletin board. Pretty cool, really.

Recently, I used MySpace to help me track down a model for a quick-turn casino campaign. We got the order on a Thursday night. Friday morning, we built the backgrounds and added the type. I spent the weekend searching MySpace, OMP, and craigslist for models. On Monday in the studio I shot the beautiful model in a quick 1 hr session. Then I retouched, clipped and inserted the images to the designs completed on Friday. Thanks to our solid friends at the printing company, the client hung the signs on Tuesday – A day before our deadline.

With the evolution of LinkedIn and Facebook, it will be interesting to see how MySpace competes with these newer online communities. We’re on all three, and try to keep up with them at least once a week to tag up with some of our friends and clients. Join in, and we’ll all keep in touch.

Hey, be sure to check out our new website that launched today. www.blackdiamonddigital.com.

It looks like the Las Vegas Weekly took notice when we collaborated with Wicked Creative last week to help launch McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon, the new Irish Pub at the Rio – and now it seems ready to become one of the new Hot Spots to visit for locals and guests to the city. The management, PR director and the staff were great, and the shoot went off without issue. We did another session yesterday for another Vegas publication. Tomorrow, we’ll test out the Black & Tans. Cheers!

Here’s the Las Vegas Weekly Article

…this website wouldn’t be so necessary. Feel free to print it and use it as you wish. Kudos to the design police.

So, I got an email today from the executive director of the AIGA about a new initiative to photograph polling places during upcoming elections.

Similarly, I got this one last week from MoveOn.org, petitioning for paper ballots to replace the “flawed, insecure, and hackable electronic voting machines.”

Personally, I’m relieved that someone is paying attention to polling places, but a little confused. I think the AIGA should be involved in a different manner. I’d love to see a 100% design overhaul – not only to the ballot, but the polls, the medium, and the people who run these polls at the local level. (I’d like to see a entire electoral system overhaul, but that’s a different post). The AIGA’s email even touches upon the “richness and complexity of voting in America.”

Complex is right. I like the involvement, but I’d be more excited about this partnership if the AIGA could offer a 100% recycled paper ballot solution, design new e-ballots, better solutions for disabled voters and and use the photo blog system to hold people accountable for poorly designed ballots, missing paper trails, and other voting irregularities.

It’s a cool concept, so certainly check it out at http://pollingplaces.nytimes.com/. I will. More importantly, though, be sure to vote!

I get this newsletter and I love it. If you don’t already – subscribe to this newsletter and buy some fonts.

It’s a really great way to keep up with trends in typestyles. Nice job, MyFonts!

Top 10 Fonts of 2007 by MyFonts.com

Holiday Rehab Party this Friday night at our studio with eurie creative. Come by and grab a drink, then go see some galleries or bars (or both).

2007 was a pretty good year for graphics nerds and the schwag that we use every day. Here’s my humble opinion of the best stuff from the last year.

1. Canon 5D. Still the best Canon for the buck with a full-size sensor.
2. Mac Pro. One Mean mofo. Toss some RAM in it (see 3) and watch your productivity go.
3. RAM is finally cheap.
4. iPhone. Cheaper than a secretary. Just get one.
5. Adobe Lightroom. Changing the way retouching works forever.
6. craigslist. One man’s ceiling is another man’s lens, printer, or camera on the floor.
7. UDMA RAW CompactFlash cards. Fast as lightning!
8. Photoshop User Magazine. I’ve been a reader for 10 years now, and it’s better than ever.
9. Facebook. Pretty cool pro-version of MySpace. LinkedIn is nice, too.
10. iWork 08. Mac users, you probably don’t need your Office 2001 anymore. Only $99, too!

What did I forget? Let me know…