Take a look and while you are at it…download one! It’ll make your cubicle a little cozier.

Any other goodies that you would be interested in seeing? Let us know! Leave a comment or email Laura at laura (at) jollydesign (dot) com with your ideas.

Reliant Construction is a company headquartered in Central Texas that specializes in remodeling and restoration projects for homes that have suffered damage as a result of insurance-covered events.

Filing insurance claims can be a confusing, frustrating process, and Reliant Construction really wanted to give their customers the information they needed. We came in and designed a comprehensive sales kit to help their customers work through the overwhelming and stressful situation of a destroyed roof, hail damage, etc.

You can download a PDF of the brochure here.

4/1 – West End Gallery Night
Gallery hop 6 galleries on the West Side
West End Galleries
6-8 PM
www.inthegalleriesaustin.com/westend.html
FREE

4/1 – 4/24 – The Art of Grace Slick
Come check out artwork by Grace Slick, former lead singer of Jefferson Airplane
Art on 5th
1501 W. 5th Street
See website for more information
www.arton5th.com
FREE

4/1 – 4/24 – Lance Letscher, The Perfect Machine
Colorful collages and collaged objects by the local artist, Lance Letscher
D Berman Gallery
1701 Guadalupe Street
Opening reception on 4/8, 6-8PM
Book signing and gallery talk with Lance Letscher on 4/24, 1PM
www.dbermangallery.com
FREE

4/21 – 4/25 – Art Week Austin & Art City Austin
739 public displays & 109 exhibitionists
Various locations in downtown Austin
See website for more information
www.artallianceaustin.org
FREE

4/22 – Pecha Kucha
Local artists present 20 images of their work at 20 seconds/piece
Location TBA
8:20PM-10:30PM
www.pecha-kucha.org
FREE

4/21 – 5/2 – 6th Annual Fusebox Festival
Contemporary art and performance festival featuring over 40 presentations both large and small.
Various locations in downtown Austin
See website for more information
www.fuseboxfestival.com

4/22 – 5/27 – Marina Zurkow, Slurb
Colorful animation depicting creatures inhabiting a flooded world
Women and their Work
1710 Lavaca Street
Opening reception, 4/22, 10AM
See website for more information
www.womenandtheirwork.org

4/25 – 4/30 – The Texas Show
Work selected from 509 entries from the state of Texas. Judges include Karin Fong, Paula Scher, and Joe Duffy. Presented by AIGA.
See website for more information
www.aigatexasshow.com

4/28 – American Artifact & Local Artist Poster Show
Documentary focusing on rock poster artists from all over the country
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown
320 E. 6th Street
7-9 PM
www.americanartifactmovie.com
$7.50 for AIGA Members and UT Students, $8.50 Non-members

If you’d like to tell us about your event, please email Laura at laura (at) jollydesign (dot) com.

The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life

I just finished reading this gold mine for creative inspiration and I really can’t say more positive things about it. While Tharp is a dancer, she has a wonderful, well-educated way of speaking about a number of different artistic mediums that transcend her craft. You can easily mold her tips, exercises, personal stories of growth, and the other featured artists’ stories to fit your own personal creative endeavors.

She has so many great ideas for pushing yourself as a creative professional from surrounding yourself with a “task force” of brutally honest friends to setting yourself up for success by building creativity into your everyday life with rituals and/or daily practices.

Beyond the general inspiration, it was incredibly refreshing to see another artist’s thought process in creating her own work. There’s a certain amount of research, judgment, and consideration that goes into every successful artist’s craft and Tharp really emphasizes the procedures by which an artist gets to a higher level of mastery.

If you’re looking for a book to inspire you in your creative pursuits or just need some help in developing and perfecting your ideas, The Creative Habit is a great place to go. I highly recommend it for every artist.

Our office is a beautiful two building property located at 17th and Nueces (1701 and 1705 Nueces). 1701 Nueces is an 1,800 square feet, two-story historic Victorian with mature Pecan trees and a covered porch. 1705 Nueces is a mid-century Modern with a verdant courtyard, enclosed backyard, and covered parking. It would be perfect for a studio or a tenant investment. You can learn more by visiting jollydesign.com/nueces.

If you’re interested, get in contact with our real-estate agent, Jeff Coddington at 512.370.2423 or
jcoddington@oxfordcommercial.com.

Know anyone who is looking for a new commercial property? We’d appreciate you forwarding them our website.

Here are some tips to make Twitter a success for you:

1. Find your unique voice.
   This is what will keep people coming back to your Twitter page and will get people following you It seems like everyone from the restaurant down the street to your grandma has an account, so you should figure out a unique approach to make your Twitter page stand out.
2. Don’t tweet about every little thing.
   People won’t be inclined to follow you if you tweet, for example, about each thing you eat every single day, unless perhaps you’re a dietitian and have a very interesting diet you share with your clients. This leads us to the next point of advice.
3. Tweet regularly.
   Find a balance between too many and too few tweets. You don’t want to be forgotten, but you don’t want to be taking over someone’s entire twitter feed page. Depending on your goals, once or twice every few days should be sufficient.
4. Give some substance.
   Make your posts informative,interesting, educational, etc. You could tweet a compelling quote you heard, a statistic you saw, or a clever use of something in your industry.
5. Follow others.
   To establish your twitter account, you’ve got to make connections. Also, you may get inspiration for how to approach your Twitter from other people’s posts. The most important thing to remember is that Twitter is a SOCIAL media tool. The goal is to create conversations with people, thereby building strong customer relations and a real sense of credibility.
6. Brand continuity.
   Twittter allows minimal visual editing, but you can use what they offer to your advantage. You can insert a background and include an image or logo. Have your designer create a background for your Twitter page. Check out these unique approaches to twitter background designs for some inspiration.
7. Keep everything connected.
   You can program your tweets to show up on your Facebook page, LinkedIn page, and blog. Also, promote your Twitter on your website with a twitter badge or widget. People visiting your website that have a Twitter can instantly add you.

Twitter can be confusing at first, but by following these tips, you’ll be sure to make it worth your while.

French Paper Company

If you or your company follows sustainable practices, choosing a paper to print on can seem like a complicated task. All the labels and certifications can be confusing and misleading.

Not to worry. Following is a brief guide to some of the common environmentally friendly standards to look for.

Is the paper processed with chlorine or chlorine derivatives?
Chlorine and chlorine derivatives are hazardous to the environment, especially aquatic environments and are known to be carcinogens, a substance capable of causing cancer. Some bleaching alternatives include oxygen, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide.

The following are common paper certifications to be aware of:

Totally Chlorine-Free (TCF) –
These papers have not been bleached using any chlorine or chlorine derivatives. Unfortunately, the wood pulp used for this paper comes from virgin trees.

Processed Chlorine-Free (PCF) –
This is paper that can be up to 100% post consumer waste and has not been re-bleached using chlorine or chlorine derivatives. It can’t be listed as Totally Chlorine-Free as the recycled paper content most likely contained chlorine. Any new wood pulp added to Processed Chlorine-Free paper is Totally Chlorine-Free.

Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) –
ECF paper is bleached with chlorine dioxide, a form of chlorine, in the first stage of bleaching. Since a form of bleach is still used, this process is not quite up to par with TCF or PCF certified paper, but it is a step up from conventional paper.

Was the paper manufactured with Post Consumer Waste (PCW)? If so, what percentage of PCW was used?
Post consumer waste is any waste that has been collected to be recycled into something new. Recycled paper has come a long way. Many recycled papers are no longer more expensive than the brand new sheets. Also, there are recycled papers that look identical to conventional paper, so you don’t have to sacrifice the aesthetic you wish to achieve in order to use recycled paper.

Does the paper mill follow sustainable practices and/or use renewable energy?
Some paper mills have started to use only renewable energy to manufacture their paper. Check with the paper mill or ask a paper company representative to find out if they use renewable energy and how they dispose of waste.

For example, French Paper Company has been using 100% hydropower since 1922. Monadnock built a solid waste treatment facility to recycle 100% of their solid waste and reprocess it for use as agricultural compost and animal bedding.

Is the paper Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified?
The FSC is a non-governmental organization that sets international standards for using resources found in forests. The standards they set take economic, social, and environmental concerns into account. Look here for the FSC’s complete list of principles.

Simply claiming that sustainable forestry practices have been followed can be misleading, because it simply means that trees have been replanted after they were cut down. However, without the FSC certification, you can’t know for certain that the replanting of the trees was well managed. The company may have torn down an old forest that would take years to replace in its entirety.

The FSC certification is far more stringent in determining how sustainable the practices really are, because they take into account related factors such as conserving fragile eco-systems.

Make sure to let your designer know you’d like to print on an environmentally friendly paper and we’re sure they’d be able to help you find a good fit for your needs.

What’s your favorite paper?

Company Name. This may seem like a no-brainer, but you need a good company name. Not just any company name, but a thoughtful one. It should tell consumers who you are and what you do. You have to look at the industry and determine how a consumer might go looking for what you have to sell. For example, if you have a company that sells computers built from recycled parts you don’t want your company name to focus too closely on the recycled part of your business. It’s computers you sell, not the recycling.

Logo. A logo is a visual representation of your company. It can either help you towards the next step in your business or hinder you to a disastrous result. Overall, your logo should make people feel good about coming to you with their business. It should be professional, clean, and easily readable on both a small envelope and a huge billboard. This is the cornerstone of your brand and therefore should be handled by the experts.

Paper System. If nothing else, this means a business card. It’s what you hand to people so they have your contact information. If you plan on sending invoices or mailing anything for your company, then you will also need a professional letterhead and envelope. This helps you establish credibility, because it puts a level of professionalism on your brand that you otherwise wouldn’t have.

Overview Brochure. This is a marketing piece that tells people what you do or sell and how it can benefit them. You can mail it to prospective clients, use it to illustrate your point to a client in a face-to-face meeting, or use it as a leave behind. This piece will also help lend to your credibility.

The Rest Depends on your Business. If you sell a product, then you need professionally designed packaging. If you are a service provider, then you might need a special design for your trucks or uniforms. Beyond a company name, logo, paper system, and overview brochure, it really depends on what you do.

Take a close look at your company and how consumers will see and interpret your brand. Make the most of your awesome logo and use every opportunity to make prospective clients feel good about you and your company.

Splatterbeat! by Lauren Marek

Understanding. A graphic designer is not just someone who makes you look good. They spend time getting to know you, your business, and your competitors. They ask lots of questions in preparation of designing a marketing campaign or piece that best embodies your message.

Oftentimes, by asking all these questions, designers help their clients reach a higher understanding about what their message should be or what the real problem with past marketing efforts has been. The combination of their experience as marketing professionals and all the information they’ve collected from and about you allows them to build a marketing plan they know will be successful.

Expertise. Many businesses know they need to do something to make more sales or get more market exposure, but they’re not sure what needs to happen or why. Good designers will help you determine what the best steps will be for your goals. For example, you may come to a designer thinking you need a website for your business, but they might suggest also refreshing your logo to maintain (or establish) a strong, approachable brand.

Time. Many people don’t realize the amount of time it takes to create a successful marketing piece. Research is an invaluable step in the process and one that is often overlooked by non-professionals. Not only does missing this imperative step not prepare you with the information you need, but it can make your marketing message confusing or undefined. That all takes time.

There’s also the technical aspect of creating a design with professional software. For a non-professional with no training, it can be confusing and difficult to use. You already have a full-time job managing your business, let the professionals handle the software and research. You’ll come away with a much better product.

Money. Time is money and based on the last point, you’ll clearly you’ll spend more money than necessary by doing any design work yourself. A design professional should already have an arsenal of reliable photographers, copy writers, and printers they can depend on for affordable, quality work. That saves you a ton of time in interviewing and money if you have to have another photographer re-shoot your products. Plus, you won’t have the cost of expensive design software which can easily be thousands of dollars.

Leave the design and marketing up to the professionals and listen to their recommendations. They want to help you be successful and will only give you the best advice and design.

3/4 – Gallery Night
Gallery hop 6 galleries on the West Side
West End Galleries
6-8 PM
http://www.inthegalleriesaustin.com/westend.html
FREE

3/5 – 3/6 10AM-6PM – The Art of Mackenzie Thorpe
3/7 Noon – 5PM
British artist that focuses on the theme of children and childhood.
Art on 5th
1501 W. 5th Street
http://www.arton5th.com/
FREE

3/12 – 3/14 — 2010 SXSW Film Poster Show
AMOA, Downtown Community Room
Opening reception Friday, March 12, 4:30-6:30PM
4PM-8PM
Admission to the Gallery Show is free to SXSW Conference Attendees and AIGA Austin members; $5 for the general public.
http://aigaaustin.org/events/2009/03/detail/1075

3/13 – 3/14 – Jeremy Fish : The Road Less Traveled
His artwork deals with the relationship of all things cute and creepy, and the balance between the two.
Okay Mountain
1312 E Cesar Chavez St. Ste B
FREE
http://www.okaymountain.com/exhibitions/jeremy-fish–the-road-less-traveled

3/18 1PM-6PM – Flatstock 24
3/19 – 3/20 10AM-6PM
Posters on display and for purchase by more than 100 artists
Austin Convention Center Level 1, Exhibit Hall 1
500 E Cesar Chavez St.
FREE
http://sxsw.com/music/collectors/flatstock

3/20 – 4/22 – Lady Monsters
New Work by Katy Horan
Domy Books
913 E Cesar Chavez
Opening reception 3/20, 7PM-9PM
FREE
http://domybookstore.com/austin/atx_invites/katyhoran.html

3/27 – David Sedaris
Paramount at The Long Center
713 Congress Avenue
Doors at 7PM, Show at 8PM
http://www.austintheatre.org