nate update

Sometimes a client comes to me with a project that is a perfect fit. This is a fun project I have been investing a lot of time with lately:  I shot on location and in studio, designed the logo and now I’m working on the finishing touches of the DVD booklet. Soon we’ll have decals, shirts and DVDs ready to roll out…What the hell is it, you ask? Well, here’s more information from the mastermind behind the project:

“So it hit me like a brick one day, this DVD idea I had…why not make a snowboarding instructional DVD?!  I like to snowboard, but am not all that good at it, and I know that there are TONS of people just like me out there.  And theres probably even MORE that want to learn to snowboard but are maybe too intimidated by the idea of asking someone to teach them or to even take a personal lesson.  So after a little research, I found that there are already a few snowboarding instructional DVDs on the market….but there was one fatal problem with almost all of them…they are ALL way too technical, and VERY…VERY boring!!  So after getting together a small group of friends that are snowboarding instructors and brainstorming for a few weeks, we finally shot all our footage and are now in the final editing process!!!

Im very excited about this whole thing!!  I dont want to give it all away, but it is going to be awesome, and not only will the DVD be informative, but it will be entertaining as well!  Cause lets be honest, who wants to watch a boring narrated video?  Not me.  Plus we are having all sorts of extras to go along with the actual instructional DVD.  Again, it will be AWESOME!!!

I just wanted to forward you all a link to the splash page for the site, which will be up soon!!  Please check it out, enter your email address if you would like, and please…forward the link or this message to all of your friends!!  (especially any friends that are interested in snowboarding) Help me get the word out!!

Please help me make http://shutupandsnowboard.com/ a success!!!”

For sale as a body or as a package. Email me for more information: info (at) blackdiamonddigital.com.

Here’s Canon’s Product Page for this awesome camera. It treated me well for 2 years, typically in a studio environment. Just bought the new 5D Mark II and had this cleaned by Canon Service Center in Irvine, CA. (I have the official paperwork to go with it). Has not been used since it’s return from Canon, except to pose for this shot.

Canon 5D Package

Here’s the YouTube of the debate we discussed intensely at our last DIALOGUE event last Friday night here in Las Vegas. People are passionate about this, and I’m no exception. Spec sites like crowdSpring take food out of my family’s refrigerator by dropping the perceived value of design. My comments are under the video below. Watch it first! Watch it 17 times like I did. Then, watch it again.

Play it back and listen to David Carson from 4:37 – 5:42. He’s absolutely brilliant, albeit coming off a bit snobbish to the non-believers, without a doubt. I don’t care, though. I think the AIGA’s willingness to listen to the spec sites and potentially reverse their anti-spec policy is insane. Lydia Mann’s comments at the end were equally brilliant to Carson’s. They go something like this:

“Spec is design in a vacuum. Actual design emerges when a designer … has a unique ability to understand the client’s specific needs, goals and challenges. [A good designer is] … able to then extend from the consulting and problem solving processes, [and] extend a solution that addresses that [ability]. Posting a project without that kind of give-and-take precludes that relationship. Money or compensation is the representation of the client’s commitment to that relationship.”

Awesome!

I’d like to make a prediction. I don’t feel that spec sites are democratizing anything. They’re creating a very wide gap between cheap, quickie designs and quality designs. It’s unfortunate that clients will have to find out the hard way what the difference is.

EDIT:  This conversation heats up over at the forum on Design Democracy. Join in!

Special thanks to the creatives who joined us at last night’s DIALOGUE event at our studio. We had a great turnout, and unbelieveably great conversations. I got tremendously positive feedback from several of you! Here are just a few topics that were covered, in no particular order…

1. Social media pros/cons – facebook, twitter, myspace, etc. – Special thanks to Hernan (The Construct Creative), whose impromptu Twitter intro was really cool. You should be on their payroll, Hernan. Nice job. We talked about the launch of R+W-live.com for their new “siteless site” that takes advantage of real-time social networking under the skin of their own site. Pretty cool concept.

2. Spec work and crowdsourcing – I’m pretty passionate about this topic, and I talked to some creatives who are participating in some of the online spec sites. I can see their point, but I still think it’s ruining the graphic design industry, and the PR behind the sites peddling spec work is nauseating.

3. Membership Organizations – pros/cons. Some big fans, some not so much. I’m an AIGA member, and I fielded several questions that I’ll have to forward to the local board of directors, because I’m unable to answer any of them. AdFed was not represented last night, but the Addy Awards are coming up in a couple weeks, and it was discussed. IABC had some folks there, and we talked about the several Bronze Quill Awards Victor and the gang at eurie recently earned. Congratulations to the gang across the hall for that. Las Vegas Graphics Group and a few other Meetup groups and Yahoo User Groups were strongly represented, and brought some great folks. UNLV’s SAGA students came by, and it was a great pleasure for me to speak with some of the near-grads who are the future of our industry.  I’ll be looking at some of their portfolios in the coming weeks.

4. Myself, Krystal Hosmer (Spark Creative) and Martin Lapid (Pixel Pusher Media) plugged our upcoming UNLV Continuing Education Classes coming up this summer, and we were all glad to see that they all got considerable interest. More details on that next week.

5. Lots of buzz about who’s hiring and who’s laying off creatives.

6. Awesome impromptu showcase by the Rowlands from S2 and their insanely awesome fine art duplication services using 8×10 photography and high-end inkjet processing. Very impressive!

7. Third Thursday is coming up in Henderson. Thanks to photographer Nicky Watts for representing – and for bringing by some killer sweets!

8. Many of us felt that the event was a success, so much of the later part of the evening was spent discussing what’s next for the DIALOGUE events. Nothing is set yet, but I’ll be posting details on this blog and via Twitter. We’re going to build off the momentum and keep the “dialogue” going.

The plan was to connect, talk some shop and to fuel the fire of area creatives. I think collectively, we did that. Those who attended last night have my sincere thanks for being a part of a pretty special evening.

Thank you,

Nate

I consider myself a professional, therefore I don’t do spec work. I’d like to do my part to educate other creatives about the risk they take by participating in spec “contests.”

There’s a website dedicated to the cause here.

The AIGA agrees with me, too. Check their response here.

There are 2 exceptions: 1) If I voluntarily agree to do a job for no compensation, (shame on me) I probably want to practice on new software or something – knowing full well I won’t be compensated from the word “go” – or 2) it’s a non-profit job that’s for a cause that I believe will change the world for the better, and I’m proud to be a contributor to the cause. That’s it. Period.

If you are a designer who does spec work, expect a response from the rest of the industry. Namely, the part that has to pay bills and taxes and pays for their software, fonts and computers.

Also, expect them to not be too happy with you. You see, you’ve driven costs down and diluted the talent pool, in some cases. In other cases, you’ve duped the world into thinking design can be “good enough” and you can get paid “just enough” to buy your new Wii game or an Affliction T-shirt. Grow up, see the bigger picture and think about what your time and talent are worth.

Here’s an article that agrees with me by Andrew Hyde.

*EDIT: For some reason, this debate is really heating up. Okay, in my world it’s heating up. However, there are a few great articles I’ve read that support crowdsourcing and spec-model businesses. But, in the interest of debate, I’ll post the links and let you decide for yourself.

Here’s an article that has a solution, albeit quite extreme.

Please join me in watching the streaming debate this weekend at SXSW.

DIALOGUE

A new get-together for the Las Vegas creative community

This is an informal announcement for an anti-formal gathering of local creatives, artistes, and other self-styled non-conformists. Hosted by Nate Ludens and Alex Frazier, this get-together isn’t about creating a formal group; it’s just about creating a space for good dialogue to happen. Everyone who’s creative is welcome. That goes for all you designers, art directors, photographers, writers, fine artists, not-so-fine artists, everyone. This get-together is also open to anyone who’s in the LVGG, AdFed, AIGA, IABC, or any of the dozen other creative organizations we forgot to mention. We promise, there’ll be no formal structure (unless you want it). You’ll be able to break the rules and regulations. And above all, no stuffiness, no grand-standing, and no idea-dissing. Just good conversation. Oh, yeah. There’ll be an after-party, too. Join us and you’ll find out more.

When:    Friday, March 13, 2009

Time:    5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Where:    Black Diamond Digital & eurie creative

1001 South 3rd St. (1 block north of Charleston on 3rd).

To RSVP:             What? RSVP? Man, that sounds so formal. But hey, we’ve gotta know how much soda and brewskies to get. If you think you’ll be here, drop an email to Cat (at) euriecreative.com