today’s third biz ladies post comes from ryan deussing of elsewares.com. i’ve read this post over several times since ryan first submitted it and i can tell you, it is chock-full of fantastic ideas. 15 ideas to be exact. ryan interviewed 15 indie business owners who shared their secrets for making the best of an economic downturn and their tips are incredibly helpful and inspiring for not only surviving but thriving in the recession. it’s a must-read. thanks so much for ryan and all of the business-owners for sharing their great advice!
i wanted to take a brief time-out between biz ladies posts to share two things rattling around in my head today: the first is happy sthlm’s collection of tea towels and runners i saw over at katy’s blog (click here for a sneak peek of happy sthlm designer katarina andersson’s home) and the second is this amazing video that julia rothman sent over.
the department of eagles debuted a new video directed by patrick daughters and marcel dzama. as julia put it, it’s like dzama’s work come-to-life on screen. it’s amazing- a must, must watch. it creeps me out a little bit but i’m totally mesmerized.
today’s second biz ladies post is all about visuals. debi ward kennedy, a retail designer based in seattle, has kindly written a very detailed guide to maximizing visual impact for your business. she covers everything from logos and branding, to business cards and fonts used by your business. it’s a great look at how powerful a strong, timely and unified look for your business can be. thanks so much to debi for her wonderful tips!
today i’m thrilled to share an interview with lena corwin and maria vettese (who’s our d*s guest blogger this week!) of lines & shapes. to celebrate the launch of their latest volume- volume seven: BREAK- and their second year of publishing small arts books, lena and maria were kind enough to sit down with me over email to talk about what inspired their series, what it’s like working on a collaborative project from different cities and to share their advice on self-publishing. it’s always fun to hear what these two talented artists have to say, so i hope you’ll enjoy their interview as much as i did.
in addition, volume 7 of lines & shapes at the lines & shapes website today. volume seven’s theme is “BREAK” and the contributing artists are reka kiraly, wayne pate, lia saile, george song, and molly wizenberg- a mix of illustrators, photographers, and a writer. maria and lena also contributed their own new work to volume 7, including photographs, some writing, and two recipes! click here for more information and to order a copy of lena and maria’s latest lines & shapes series, volume 7: BREAK.
CLICK HERE for the full interview (and photos from the new book) after the jump!
today’s first biz ladies post (stay tuned for 2 more!) is something many of you have been asking me about at the biz ladies meetings over the past few years- licensing. since it’s not a field i know much about, i decided to go straight to one of the best in the business- lilla rogers. lilla represents some of the best artists in the industry and has helped them license their work with companies like ikea, target, land of nod, barneys, crate and barrel, pottery barn, conde nast, teneues, and nickelodeon- just to name a few. when it comes to licensing surface design, lilla knows her stuff. so i was thrilled when she agreed to answer your questions over the past few weeks. so, for those of you who submitted a question (or just wanted to see others’) lilla’s answers are ready! she’s touching on many aspects of licensing so if you’re curious about licensing (or working with an agent) at all, this is a must-read. thanks so much to lilla for taking the time to answer these questions and thank you to those who submitted them!
i’ve never been a big butterfly person, but i’m loving these new prints from brainstorm. colorful, fun and only $35 each. click here for more info and to shop online.
A quick trip to Ferdinand always cheers me up. Even before I lived in Portland I made sure to get a visit in when I was out this way. It’s just a fun place to be!
Diane, the owner, has curated the most delightful and light-hearted goodies into her casual and easy-to-browse little spot on the East End. And it’s always changing. Diane says: “You have to see it to believe it.” It’s so true. These days she says that she is doing a lot more creating than worrying about selling. When I visited Ferdinand last week we talked about how if you’re in the moment and just making stuff that you enjoy the rest will work itself out. Diane has many local followers here in town who stop in to browse her vintage clothing and sweet little handmade goods. I think she makes people happy; I know she makes me happy.
On my recent visit I was drawn to the little box of copper bobby pins as well as a few short runs of silkscreened tees and tanks. Diane had just made the tees and tanks. Her inspiration: just going out and having a drink and a dance. What could be more simple than that?
I asked Diane for her “favorite inexpensive treasures” and here is her list:
