After doing research for the product photography how-to post over at StyleSampleMag.com, I decided to try my hand at building my own bootleg lightbox. It was pretty simple, and I had most of what I needed just laying around the house:

1. Find a box. Cut holes in it.

I used scissors (an X-acto knife probably would have worked better) to cut out opposite sides of an old shipping box and a smaller “flip up” opening on top–all the better to take overhead shots with, my dear.

2. Cover the large cutouts with something translucent.

I used some white muslin from the time I thought I’d create my own patterns (ha!), and taped it to the box with packing tape. Be sure to pull the material tightly before securing it to the box! You could also use white paper or a different type of sheer-ish material.

3. Cover the inside of the top of the box with white paper.

I glued plain ol’ printer paper to the inside top of the box with a glue stick, and covered the inside-facing portion of the “flip up” opening with aluminum foil to encourage light reflection.  For giggles, I also created two small “reflectors” using paper, foil, and the leftover cardboard cutouts.

4. Tape a piece of white posterboard inside for the backdrop.

I got a large piece of posterboard at CVS for 99 cents and taped it to the inside of the back of the box. It naturally curves down to the bottom, resulting in a seamless background.

5. Light it up!

The ‘hood hardware store closed early (go figure), so all I had available were two desk lamps. No matter! These lights were free and seemed to work pretty well.

Results

I tested the setup by putting my camera on the macro setting and taking pictures of small jewelry and cosmetics items. The results:

They turned out pretty well! A few required simple color and exposure adjustments, nothing too elaborate. These images could easily be used to sell crafts and jewelry on etsy or small items on eBay, or turned into simple business cards:

Total cost: $o.99. All in all, not a bad project (unlike the great hemming debacle)! If you decide to try it or have done something similar, let me know how it goes/went!

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Friendboy started a software development company earlier this year, and after only a few months of coaxing, he agreed to take five minutes to talk to me about a logo for his company. I don’t know what his deal is. Half the fun of starting a business is branding.

He named the company Toliman, after one of the three stars that make up Alpha Centauri. Yeah, he’s a geek. He’s also fairly traditional, having worked in computer programming and law–two industries not exactly known for wild creativity. I figured I’d keep things simple and fairly tame.

Since Alpha Centauri is often designated using the α symbol, I knew I wanted to include it in the logo. After playing around with several fonts, I settled on Georgia, a classic serif typeface that works well in print and on the web:

It doesn’t look like much, but this is where the tips I talked about in how to design a simple text logo come into play. I adjusted the kerning, elongated the letters just a touch, and replaced the letter “a” with a green (his favorite color) α symbol.

Can you tell what else I adjusted?

I created two versions of a standard business card–one simple and one slightly more design-y–as well as basic stationery. Do people even communicate via paper any more?

Surprisingly enough, he liked it! I guess if you don’t have a creative brief, it helps to really know your client.

I love these types of projects!

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Last week, I headed over to LPK (which is housed in a gorgeous historical building, by the way) for a talk called Memo from 2015: What the Future Wants from Designers. The event was sponsored by the Cincinnati AIGA and led by adorably baby-faced-but-apparently-brilliant LPK trend analyst Brian Meyers.

Call me shallow (you’d be right), but I’m much more likely to listen to an analysis of future trends from someone who looks straight out of a photo on The Sartorialist. And I have to say I was floored when he referenced Comme des Garcons and Nicolas Ghesquiere in practically the same breath. Finally, someone who speaks my language!

Brian started off by telling us a bit about how the LPK team distills socio-cultural trends into specific “future states”—Star Trek-ish* versions of the future—and the necessity of designing for those possible worlds now, instead of getting stuck in the present and playing catch-up later.

Future States

Simplistic slowdown: Slower experiences; higher emotional engagement

Curate & collect: Living highly selective and purposeful lives

Maker culture: The producer and consumer are the same person. In this case, designers will need to distinguish their value as people are more apt to do things on their own (e.g. create a magazine, even if you don’t really know what you’re doing)

Embracing the ugly: Palates adjust to accept and appreciate the amateur aesthetic

Death and destruction: Damage and desolation as art

Computers as competition: Humans vs our increasingly intelligent robotic rivals

Images: Wit + Delight, lauren gaudart, etsy, ffffound

I noticed distinct correlations between several of the states mentioned. For instance, being selective (Curate and collect) takes time and energy (Simplistic slowdown) in order to sort through the rabble for things that are personally meaningful. In a Maker culture, people are more apt to embrace something they’ve made (ugly as it may be), due to the emotional attachment formed during the creation process.

Backlash

Most of the trends are clearly a backlash against the 24/7, always-busy nature of the web. People are growing tired of the constant stream of information, ideas, and imagery thrown at them via social networks and digital media. We’re already seeing a proliferation of hand-crafted goods and clean and simple design.

The point: designers need to learn how to create imagery and experiences that are engaging to the people living in those worlds. Now.

It was an interesting talk.

What do you think the future holds? So you see those changes starting to take place now?

*I’m kind of a Trekkie. Add that to the list of things you never asked and didn’t really care to know about me.

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After wasting spending time watching reruns of My Name is Earl on Hulu, I was inspired to dress like Jamie Pressly’s character who, let’s be honest, is a l’il trashy. Trashy can be fun when it’s done right, though! Let’s take a look at some of the key elements:

1 & 2 “A-line” Tank top Shown: American Apparel 2. Hanes
To keep it simple, go for the ol’ standby classic: a ribbed cotton wifebeater. If you don’t like the idea of wearing such violent-sounding clothing, try to find something that looks like it was procured at an impromptu roadside biker rally. I picked up my combination tie-dye/bald eagle flyin’ atcha duck! ribbed tank top from a mall in New Jersey. ‘Nuff said.

Bonus points: Tube top or bikini top–anything that opens the possibility of “accidentally” exposing boobs.

3. “Gold” accessories Shown: earrings, girlprops.com
You can’t go wrong with a cheap gold accessory in this case, so I say doorknocker earrings for the win! You could also try hoops the size of a small foreign car–as long as they’re not real gold. Because really, what would be the point then?

Bonus points: Wear a several pairs of said oversized earrings.

4. Cutoffs Shown: Ksubi, LaGarconne
I made my denim cutoffs from an old pair of jeans–my “8th grade jeans” to be exact. I remember roaming the halls of WWMS thinking I was hot stuff when I wore those jeans, but eventually I, er…”outgrew” them. Not to worry! A few rough measurements and handy pair of scissors took care of that in less than two minutes. You can buy ‘em or do it yourself–they’ll fray and fade nicely after a few washings.

Bonus points: Cut the leg higher than the bottom of the pocket lining for a Britney pre-comeback look.

Note: If you stop here, you’ll probably fall into “trailer” side of this look, which just so happens to be all over the runways right now so score! If you prefer to add a bit of chic, keep going.

5. Add a cover up Shown: Lux, Urban Outfitters
I know I said the point was to show skin, but limiting the exposed skin to one body part (legs, shoulders, back, etc.) will keep you from getting arrested while standing on the corner waiting for your bus. I chose a black open cardigan because it’s easy to put on and remove. For when I get hot, not to fool the cops! Jeez…

Bonus points: Wear a well-cut designer piece like Nini.

6 & 7 Keep the remaining accessories sleek Shown: Belle by Sigerson Morrison sandals, Shopbop; Michael Michael Kors belt, Bluefly
A simple black belt with a gold buckle, strappy black sandals, a vintage cuff…I wore these because black leather is always trailer-appropriate, but also because of the streamlined silhouettes. In this case, too many accessories can look busy and distracting.

To achieve style harmony you must balance the trailer and the chic, grasshopper.

Do you ever get inspiration from unusual places? What are your tips for mixing seemingly disparate styles?

Read these, too:
Fashion Math
Style: Like the Boys
What I Would Wear if I Had a British Sugar Daddy

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I’ve been obsessed with fashion magazines since I was 10, now online mags have taken over my already depleted sense of reason.

Initially, I thought about condensing the posts on this blog into a monthly “digital digest,” but now I’m thinking I’d like to spread the love a bit and include other bloggers. Everything can’t always be just about me (I know– I’m just as shocked as you are).

Since there are soooo many lovely/thoughtful/stylish fashion bloggers, and since there’s a magazine for darn near everything else under the sun, why not create a mag for and about fashion bloggers? If anyone loves the spotlight, it’s us!

There’s more background  info on the other blog, a screenshot below, and a quick example here (errr…the example only includes moi, since that’s all I have to work with!)

What do you think of the concept? Any ideas? Suggestions?

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Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

I was coerced into watching Disney’s Enchanted, which wasn’t the witty satire I expected it to be, but was fairly entertaining nonetheless.  Though I’m not really a pastels-and-flowers type of girl, I watched the end credits roll with an odd feeling of feminine power mixed with girlish vulnerability.

One part of me wanted to sing and dance while cartoon birds circled my head and bunnies hopped around my feet. This, of course, would be done while wearing long dresses (ooh, frothy ballgowns, mayhaps?) covered in floral prints and soft slippers with pink satin ribbons.

The other part of me (more in tune with the real Tamia) wanted to don a shiny black leather cape with a dramatic stand-up collar and navy blue eye shadow smeared up to my drawn-on eyebrows–you know, the better to consult my magic mirror.

How to achieve a compromise between these fairy tale dichotomies?  How do you channel the light and dark aspects of your personality through your style?

Personally, I tend to lean slightly towards the dark side. The studded Louboutins and floral femme-fatale Lacroix dress would do the trick for me. What about you?

T

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So I decided to start a style blog (obviously). Something that would allow me to play with fashion, graphic design, web layout, digital marketing, etc.I figured I’d only need a few things: A computer, internet access, graphic design program(s), a decent camera, a basic understanding of HTML and CSS…pretty simple stuff, right?

WRONG. Man, was I wrong. Not about the  required basics–that still holds true–but the simple part? Not so simple! Especially when:

• The camera goes from “pretty decent” to “piece of crap that won’t work even with new batteries.”

• The Photoshop free trial expires in only 10 more days. Yeah, I have The Gimp, but I’m an Adobe gal, and it just ain’t the same!

• I can’t seem to get the hang of style sheets within the context of WordPress. Darn this CMS!

Am I the only one?</whine><

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