nate update

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.

Check out what this guy did to remodel his basement. Here’s the article. Thanks to Guy Kawasaki for the twitter post.

Catching up on some blogging after a crazy busy 3 day week…

Today at a demo at Casey’s Camera’s in Vegas I had my hands on the new Canon 5D Mark II. This is the camera I’ve been waiting to upgrade to (from the first 5D) for quite some time. There is a huge production shortage of these, so I have to settle for a waiting list for now, but it’s a certainty that I’ll be owning one of these suckers.

For those of you interested in this camera – here’s the skinny… The 5D has a full-frame sensor, which was the first of it’s kind when it was introduced 3 years ago in the Pro-sumer (Professional meets Consumer, yeah, “prosumer” sounds dumb, I know, but there’s no other way to reference the $2K – $5K price range. Sorry.) division. The flipside of having this giant sensor is that it collects dust. Lots of it. The pro-grade Canon cams clean their own sensors – but I figured it’s chocked into that $8K price tag. Not anymore! 5D Mark II cleans itself for about $2700 (body MSRP). Also, it’s upped it’s size from roughly 12 Megapixels to 21, it’s ISO range is insanely high now, and it’s shoots HD video!

I feel like Homer Simpson over a donut. Hurry up, Canon, get your elves busy!

I’d like to thank Erika and the folks at Glaceau for calling me to shoot for them at VooDoo Friday night. Check out the link below to view the gallery photos. There are some silly ones, and some sexy ones, and probably some stuff that you might not want your co-workers to see… perfect ingredients for a good party!

Here’s the link to the web gallery.

Barack and McCain were there...

Friend of Black Diamond Digital, John Hawkins, reviews cameras and other cool stuff on his blog site. This time, it’s the Lomography 35mm Colorsplash camera. Personally, I’m already a fan, since I have a Holga, and some film that needs developed, now that I’m reminded of it….

Read all about it here, on John’s website.

Watch Big Bang Theory. When it’s over, pause your TV on the Chuck Lorre Productions blurb. You won’t be sorry.

Tonight’s post was about Las Vegas, so I felt obligated to represent. I got a laugh.

Check it out here.

In 2008 at Black Diamond Digital, we’ve been designing a lot more apparel than in years past. Currently, we have dozens of shirts for sale at the Cannery Casinos through our partners at TransAction Holdings. We also have BDDI-designed shirts in Colorado with Outdoor Depot, in Massachusets with the University of Nantucket, and we’re waiting to reveal the most fun ones yet, nationwide, with Fuego Star (stay tuned!).

Jake (Brother and BDDI New Media VP) and I visited our parents in Wyoming last week, and my mom busted out a box of our childhood shirts. It really came full circle when I saw that she held onto my first screen printed designs, and a few just for fun. Enjoy!

I was 13 when I sold my first shirts at one of my Dad’s Photo Conventions. Luckily, I’m a much better Illustrator and Designer at 32 than I was at 13. Here’s the back. It’s dated, but decent, I think.

I introduced “insanity” in 8th grade (I think). I sold hoodies and t-shirts to my friends so I could buy hair band tapes, skateboards, Vans and Chuck Taylors. I even had a brochure and some stickers that I made in Aldus PageMaker 4 in the Library, because we didn’t have a computer at home. In fact, nobody really cared if you used a Mac or a PC in those days. The fonts were such a headache back then, and the internet was actually just a network for researching (read:plagiarizing) homework.

I recycled the “i for and i” design in college as a lino-cut print in printmaking class. Looks better in color. As you can see in the “blob” wraparound below it, I sucked at registration, so I used one-color designs most of the time.

Finally, we can see that the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree in our family. Here’s a design my dad did in the 60s for Brush Poppers Motorcycle shop in Morrisson, Illinois. These sell at Lucky Brand right now for about $60! (this one’s a little ratty, so it might go for $40 – just kidding!)

Finally, here are a few shirts from which we pulled inspiration from over the years. These are like an autobiography. Part embarrassing, part cool as hell! You’ll see my first Denver Bronco shirt, my first Lollapalooza shirt (Rage still rules!) and Jake’s first Vision Street Wear shirt, and a Lucero skate shirt from ’86! Old School!

Finally, a tribute. None of this would be possible without my awesome parents, John and Gayle Ludens. Two hard working middle-class Americans who busted their asses for their kids. Thanks Mom and Dad!

It’s been a while since I posted this, and I think it’s more relevant than ever that we stop abusing our privileges as typists.

BAN IT.

I am a sucker for the newest innovations in web design. Wawa, what is that you ask? Well I had no idea when I came across their new website for Hoagiefest. Yes a website promoting sandwiches. Not only that the are bringing back the 60′s.

http://www.hoagiefest.com/

Enjoy the song as it gets stuck in your head! Can anyone from the East coast let us know what Wawa is?

Some of my favorite memories as a kid were sneaking into my Dad’s LP collection and playing “Class Clown” with my friends. We got a hell of an education from George Carlin. Not the stuff you learn in school, but you know, the real stuff. Not all of it was so serious, of course – his “New! Nabisco Tits!” line from the 7 Dirty Words (“ShitPissFuckCockCuntMotherfuckerandTits” – which I would recite at parties at ages 15-28) was a huge hit for me. I think it may have gotten me out of getting my ass kicked by an upper-classman once.

It’s fair to say George Carlin was a lot like my grandpa. Both were fans of quality stand up comedy like Lenny Bruce, Cosby and Pryor, both were extremely well spoken, opinionated role models and scary as hell to a kid, what with their dry, sarcastic senses of humor and all. As a grown man, I appreciate them more and it’s the people like that you want to spend more time with, but never really do.

George, you were right – life is a series of dogs. One dies, and you go get a new dog. Though I’m not sure the new dogs can ever live up to the legacy of the ones before them. Only time will tell, I suppose. I still have no idea how much the fake dog crap in the window costs, though, by the way.

Friends of mine talk of meeting George Carlin while he was doing shows in Vegas, and they’re always fond of it. Some celebs are a true pain in the ass off stage. Carlin was reportedly very cordial.

Thanks for the good times, George. Never met ya, but I wish I did, so you could sign my copy of Brain Droppings and I could thank you in person.