Designerly Conversations, Part One Putting words to the visual process Working with designers can sometimes feel like a mystery. There’s a lot of lingo, some intricate and downright formidable tools (what even is a Bezier curve?), and a completely different way of thinking about communication. By understanding a few key principles of graphic design–many of…
All summer I’ve had a stall at the local farmer’s market. You don’t sell design services that way so what the heck am I doing? My core services are still all about advertising, corporate marketing, and communications graphics. Don’t worry, dear clients, I’m not giving that up. I’m adding to my skillset with a side…
Relic or powerhouse? Do you use business cards or do you consider them a relic of a bygone era? For me, they are a networking power tool. I nearly ran out of them after a recent event which got me thinking a little more deeply about it. I often take them for granted and I…
I am a chronic doodler. Since I was a student in high school I doodled. I covered my notebooks with ink, they looked like the work of a tattoo artist with a full body suit. Page after page of doodled notes fills the sketchbooks of my professional life, as well, as I sat through hours…
Do you like planning and goal setting? I do. I love to plan and organize but if I’m not careful, I can get bogged down with planning. So this year, my goal is to develop some specific habits instead. This habit strategy came to me during a workout. Which is a new exercise habit I established…
One of the notable episodes of my summer in the garden was the discovery of this horned worm on my tomato plant. This was my first encounter with such a bug and our acquaintance lasted less than a day. I found it while visiting my garden. There was an area of a tomato plant completely…
Are you ever frustrated that certain marketing or business efforts seem to always get pushed aside by more urgent projects? Or maybe there are so many things to do that it’s hard to decide what to work on. Maybe you need a plan. Last week, I had the distinct privilege of sharing how I applied…
We all remember the story of the race between the Tortoise and the Hare. Although outmatched for speed, the Tortoise had endurance in its own plodding implacable way. The hare ran circles around his poor opponent but still [spoiler alert:] lost the race in the end. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. It…
Palindrome I’m a word-nerd. And I still have a Webster’s dictionary which defines our word of the day: Palindrome: a word, verse, or sentence or a number (such as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward Today is 22822 the last of the palindrome dates for a while. So you can’t add any dashes or slashes to…
One of the best New Year’s Resolutions I ever heard was from a news personality who said his resolution was to “Pet more dogs.” Sounds like a worthy undertaking to me. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? There’s still time! I must admit, I am a sucker for making New Year’s Resolutions. But I am…
In this busy season, have you stopped and thought about what gives you joy? In The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, she recommends regularly going on an “Artist’s Date.” The concept is to schedule weekly time away so that you may engage in activities that bring you joy and inspiration. It’s a great idea. My creativity often…
Grenseløs is an interior design-and-build team that needed a logo to project their design esthetic and unique approach. The name is a Norwegian word meaning boundless, limitless, immeasurable. This is the inspiration for the work they do. The logo needed to create the same feeling as their interiors. Of space and calm with a modern…
Do you make resolutions? More importantly, do you keep them? According to researchers, nearly 80% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by February. Sometimes the annual business or departmental planning can be susceptible to the same pitfalls for failure as our good intentions made at midnight January 1. So, if you have plans to…
Hasn’t everyone asked that question? I know I have. Just when it seems it can’t get any worse, it does. We are in an ever expectant state of what next? … and that became less a question and more of a resigned statement as 2020 wore on. But people are wonderfully resilient. I found to…
My momma always said, “Bloom where you’re planted.” She was full of colorful idioms. And her sayings come to my mind often. This one has come to mind more often these days. Especially since I feel “planted” in this hothouse of a pandemic. The wisdom of it rings clear. Now especially, is the…
For many of us, things have slowed down in these uncertain times. And that’s true for me too. There’s not too much in the shop right now–finishing up some branding work and teaching classes at the community college—suddenly online which I’ll save for another post–and there’s always the upkeep and self-marketing associated with running a…
Coloring and doodling is a very “in-the-moment” activity that is both meditative and mindful. Both are kinesthetic activities that help calm and soothe. In recent years adult coloring books have become very popular. Doodling has been elevated to an art form that is highly accessible and very relaxing. So while we are in quarantine, I…
Conduct a Designer Review A freelance graphic designer is a valuable resource when work demands are high and deadlines are tight. Hiring one can help with staff morale by reducing the burden of having too many projects and too little time. It keeps your internal clients happy by delivering projects on time and it helps…
You’re not alone. Branding is boring. Yes, that’s right. Branding is boring, especially for the in-house marketing team–but only if you’re doing it right. Good branding execution requires a cohesive, consistent look that adheres to guidelines that support and enhances the logo. It is achieved by reproducing the same visual elements in all communication products across…
A farm-to-table style restaurant needed a logo. This client had definitive ideas and a story behind the logo. A real weather vane had been a special gift from the owner’s grandfather to his grandmother. It still stands proudly atop the family home and is perfect for the restaurant concept. A cast iron skillet makes the…
In 2008 an historic flood consumed most of the UI Campus. Eight years later the campus community would celebrate the completion of three major new buildings to replace what was destroyed: Hancher Auditorium; Voxman Music Building; and the Visual Arts Building. This campaign promoted the dedications, open houses, and other opening events. A newspaper campaign (pictured…
The concept behind this annual report was the impact of Unversity of Iowa Health Care on Iowa and the entire world. The cover was embossed with a multi-level image of the world, and dimensional letters. A clear foil was used on the world embossing, and a pearlized foil was used for the letters. The result…
Eastern Iowa Art Academy uses these booklets to showcase the programs, kids, and special populations they serve with instruction in art, music, and dance. Shown here are the cover and a few spreads out of this 20-page booklet.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and this is one of the finest. The common grocery bag, upended and floating in the water looks every bit the iceberg it was intended to emulate. And the meaning is not lost either, the problem with plastic waste is huge, and this bag is only part of…
The June 2018 issue of the National Geographic magazine came to subscribers in a paper wrap instead of the typical clear plastic sheath. It is part of a multi-year campaign “Planet or Plastic” to raise awareness of the plastic pollution threat to our world. By replacing the plastic sleeve on magazines mailed to subscribers in…
AHA! Coaching with Andrea business + appointment card
Balanced Fitness & Health sponsored a corporate health event and asked L.A. Eddins Design to do a banner for the vendor show that accompanied the event. After a more detailed conversation, it became apparent that there were more opportunities to make a lasting impression on potential clients. A table drape was designed to increase brand…
This annual report revolved around the concept of the speed of light changes in Health Care and that UI Health Care is helping to foster that change. Featured here is the cover and a few spreads.
To celebrate their history of service to the City of Cedar Rapids, the Civil Rights Commission wanted a display. Its purpose is to inform and create conversation points during educational public events and speeches by the Commission. As a traveling display, this s-curve deign is a lightweight, simple to set up configuration. The fabric is…
A newspaper spadea, or exclusive wrap, was designed to promote each building’s open house. It was added to all delivery subscriptions of the Sunday Des Moines Register the week prior to each opening. Two-page special features were published in other Iowa papers. Shown here is the Hancher spadea. The layouts for the other buildings followed…
During a phase of construction at UI Hospitals and Clinics the volunteer gift shop was moving and expanding. As part of the renovation, a more elegant reception area and storefront was created. It was time to rebrand the hospital gift shop into something special. The name was selected because Iowa’s State Flower is the Wild…
