It’s definitely interesting being on the other side of the job application. Searching for a job can be quite an arduous task. For starters, there is no standard online application form; each employer has their own format, making online applications quite cumbersome. Some forms ask for a cover letter, others have questions for you to answer in essay form. It can be downright scary!

But folks, these things are included in the application for a reason. A stellar portfolio is worthless if you don’t get pass the application review. And those application questions are a fantastic way of weeding you out.

As University of Baltimore’s 2010 Ampersand Award winner, I was tasked with designing the 2011 seminar and portfolio reception invitation. I debated about posting the result (and restarting this blog) due to all the conversation generated with 2010′s invitation. But, inquries into what I came up with rolled in, so without further discussion, here it is. Click the image to see a larger view.

I hope I’ve done the class of 2011 (and my own fellow 2010 graduates) proud!

Obviously, I’ve totally neglected my  blog! Which, looking back, is actually a good thing. Life happens. That, and I’m slowly weening myself off the dependency of the Internet. I took my first trip with no laptop packed in many, many years. I’m proud of myself. All that being said, I am going to give this another shot. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll have to do some clean up, but let’s see how things shake out, shall we?

Class is finally done. Hoorah! Pat yourself on the back, boys and girls, because we’ve made it. Enjoy your holiday and winter break. Before you know it, it will be January and the start of a new semester. I hope  we’ll all keep in touch. For those of you going to the Sketch Crawl, I’ll see you out in the cold!

A bubblegum ad created by Leo Burnett in Sao Paulo for Arcor bubble gum. A great find by The Cool Hunter.

By now, everyone has seen the spoof on YouTube teasing Microsoft’s packaging habits, and mocking the company using a fictional redesign of the Apple iPod box. If you haven’t seen it, here it is:

The spoof above is over two years old. And in that time, I think Microsoft has done a better job at packaging their product. Just take a look at their case for Vista. Microsoft has slowly, over time, gotten to this point.

I don’t think the casing is bad, and I rather like it. It is much cleaner than their earlier brands, and that’s a good thing. I’m not sure if I’m liking the big ol’ Windows Vista icon though. It looks like it was an afterthought.

I came across this ad on the Web today. At first glance, it is a little interesting and a little disturbing. When you realize that the ad is for a soap company, the reaction turns to disgust. I’m pretty sure that’s the point. I’ve got to go wash my hands now.

In my search for art for our narrative project, I came across the site Crestock. When you open and fund your account, you’ll get a discount of 50% off. That is an impressive savings. If you are married to the stock at iStockPhoto, check to see if your chosen art is excluve to iStock. If it isn’t, you may be able to find it on Crestock…and save.

When you select a font, you are selecting, in short, a personality. So, just what kind of personality does your font of choice exude? Find out at the “Font Conference”.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. And happy birthday Mom! Every few years, Thanksgiving falls on my mom’s birthday. The last time this happened, I ditched the family shortly after our Thanksgiving feast and drove down to First Mariner Arena to see the P. Diddy and the Family concert. Sorry, mother! I’m older and wiser now.