Judi Lake's Blog (9)

Anyone who has ever worked with me can attest that there is usually a method to my madness. As in painting, I study the composition and take in everything. Starting from the outside in, I get to know the author and their work so I can add the ‘heartbeat’ to their work. Sound strange? It isn’t but it creates an awful problem for me… authors are not patient clients.



I have heard it all and it always ends with: ‘… but I am so impatient’.



Well, think of this: it is very… Continue

In order to see things from different perspectives, I have been known to ‘experiment’ at times.



When I was 19, I wanted to see how handicapped people were really treated. I went to Manhattan with a girlfriend and ‘posed’ as a blind person for a day. It was an extremely enlightening experience. Only a ‘non-New Yorker’ will stereotype a typical New Yorker as being heartless for that day proved to me why I am proud to be a New Yorker. I had strangers help me on all counts with not one… Continue

My business has no boundaries creatively or demographically. Thanks to 21st century technology, my virtual team is scattered throughout the United States: I have proofreaders and editors in New York and Texas, IT personnel in California, Philadelphia and South Carolina, camera crews on the west and east coast, public relations associates throughout the country and the list goes on. The irony of my business is that within a team of many, I have only personally met two members but our connection… Continue

LIKE ANYTHING ELSE, you hire a designer for their expertise and their insight. If your car didn't run, you wouldn't tell your mechanic how to fix it. Your mechanic knows the best way to make your car go. A

good designer will help make your business "go," and if you are willing to trust in their expertise, they will likely lead your project in a direction that will benefit you. In most cases, your role in the process of working with a designer should be one of information delivery and… Continue

Presently a topic within the Forum, I thought this worth blogging by BMN member Amaal Tokars for better visability:



'All,



A suggestion was submitted this week regarding the development of a book review club where those interested are COMMITTED to buying, reading, reviewing and posting a review about the book (there could be other benefitial efforts).



Now this appears to be a grreat idea. That's the easy part. The hard parts???? Getting this off of the ground AND… Continue

I am a die-hard Mac user. Have been for over twenty years and it only gets better. The PC certainly has its place but for creative projects well… the Mac is superior and the good news is is that Mac’s do not get viruses.



My partner is a die-hard PC user. If you ever viewed the recent Mac commercials then you can imagine our relationship. I have recently added creative video production to my advertising agency’s services and my partner began to feel a bit competitive. I have always… Continue

Graphic Design is not 'playing'. Graphic Design is a business tool that exists to enhance communication of ideas, messages and thoughts. A professional design firm knows the importance of turning clients into partners in the process and show them how to see design as an investment for their long-term business goals. Design firms need to think more like consultants and less like Wal-mart: "Attention All Customers: book cover designs can be found in isle 3, Websites found in isle 8...… Continue

Design = Perception = Communication.



Graphic Design: a combination of words, pictures and concepts

creating visual communication.



THE WORD DESIGN is both a verb and a noun. Thus design is both an

action and a product. Designing is a process organizing the various

aspects of a work—line, space, light and color, texture, pattern,

time and motion—creating a unified communication product. One

can recognize in the finished process of its… Continue

In the 20 years that I have been in advertising, oftentimes than not, clients approach me having absolutely no idea how to begin their project nor what is entailed. Having had come from the ‘pre-computer generation’, quality has always been my main concern as well as developing relationships and educating each client. With technology moving so quickly, design firms are truly a ‘dime a dozen’ and the most common question:‘where on earth do I find a firm who will not only deliver what I need but,… Continue