• When I was in school, I went to my first AIGA portfolio review day thinking I was all that and a bag of chips. It was quite devastating when I got sub-par reviews. I didn't understand how if I was getting A's in my classes that didn't translate to a wow portfolio ๐Ÿค”. And I remember being so stressed at that time about my portfolio. I had questions like should my portfolio be a reflection of my personal style or are graphic designers not supposed to have a style? Will anyone hire me when I graduate? Is it okay to have all student work? These were the questions that boggled my mind. The second year of portfolio review day went much better, somehow I was able to forget about the grades aspect of school and focus more on actual design projects. And despite almost not making it because my car broke down, I got much better reviews and I got to meet with @amyhoodlum from Hoodzpah Design Co who gave me some very nice compliments and a little confidence boost. โœจ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € If I could go back the only thing I would change would to be less stressed. Many of you graphic design students are graduating and might have some of these same questions. You are not alone and I'm here to tell you you're going to turn out just fine. Probably better than fine. I see some of these young students' instagram accounts and I am blown away. โšก๏ธ So in honor of all that, I am hosting my own portfolio day next Saturday for designers and students alike. Click here to book your slot. Portfolio reviews will be done virtually so no need to leave your house or put pants on (though dressing the part might give you a boost of confidence). Hope to see you there! โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://calendly.com/aimeeguzman/portfolioreview/05-19-2018
    When I was in school, I went to my first AIGA portfolio review day thinking I was all that and a bag of chips. It was quite devastating when I got sub-par reviews. I didn't understand how if I was getting A's in my classes that didn't translate to a wow portfolio ๐Ÿค”. And I remember being so stressed at that time about my portfolio. I had questions like should my portfolio be a reflection of my personal style or are graphic designers not supposed to have a style? Will anyone hire me when I graduate? Is it okay to have all student work? These were the questions that boggled my mind. The second year of portfolio review day went much better, somehow I was able to forget about the grades aspect of school and focus more on actual design projects. And despite almost not making it because my car broke down, I got much better reviews and I got to meet with @amyhoodlum from Hoodzpah Design Co who gave me some very nice compliments and a little confidence boost. โœจ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € If I could go back the only thing I would change would to be less stressed. Many of you graphic design students are graduating and might have some of these same questions. You are not alone and I'm here to tell you you're going to turn out just fine. Probably better than fine. I see some of these young students' instagram accounts and I am blown away. โšก๏ธ So in honor of all that, I am hosting my own portfolio day next Saturday for designers and students alike. Click here to book your slot. Portfolio reviews will be done virtually so no need to leave your house or put pants on (though dressing the part might give you a boost of confidence). Hope to see you there! โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € ๐Ÿ‘‰ https://calendly.com/aimeeguzman/portfolioreview/05-19-2018
  • Another branding complete for yet another fabulous, stylish creative. Make Moves is a vintage shop, blog, interior design studio created by the visionary gal Autumn Hachey. I feel like there isn't a single category to put the brand in because Autumn is always up to new creative projects. One thing that sets Make Moves apart is the unique point of view and aesthetics when it comes to interior design and using vintage pieces to make a room look totally unique. The mission statement of the brand is write your own rules...and floor plans and dreams and that was very much the spirit and ethos of this branding project. ใ€ฐ๏ธ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € โšก๏ธBehind the Design๐ŸŒน Creating the mood board and vision for the brand design was one of my favorite aspects. I pulled inspiration from the 60s and 70s, glam interiors mixed with a more modern take like the interiors at The Wing, and especially took inspo from Autumn herself. The tone we were going for was quirky, unfussy, and super cute illustrations that make you feel like they're winking at you. ;) I loved including illustrations from actual pieces that Autumn owns like her vintage chandelier, her headboard and her cheetah statue. We also wanted the overall vibe to have a hint of vintage but not be too literal or too much like it was from a specific decade. Autumn's interior design style is all about taking different pieces that you wouldn't necessarily think go to together and somehow still make it work. If you've seen her Insta stories you'll know that she's always posting some odd fabric color that the majority of us will call questionable but somehow it comes out amazing. That's the vibe we kept in mind when creating the brand. I feel like I can go on and on with this one but I'll leave it at that! โœจ๐Ÿ’ฏ๐Ÿ‘
    Another branding complete for yet another fabulous, stylish creative. Make Moves is a vintage shop, blog, interior design studio created by the visionary gal Autumn Hachey. I feel like there isn't a single category to put the brand in because Autumn is always up to new creative projects. One thing that sets Make Moves apart is the unique point of view and aesthetics when it comes to interior design and using vintage pieces to make a room look totally unique. The mission statement of the brand is write your own rules...and floor plans and dreams and that was very much the spirit and ethos of this branding project. ใ€ฐ๏ธ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € โšก๏ธBehind the Design๐ŸŒน Creating the mood board and vision for the brand design was one of my favorite aspects. I pulled inspiration from the 60s and 70s, glam interiors mixed with a more modern take like the interiors at The Wing, and especially took inspo from Autumn herself. The tone we were going for was quirky, unfussy, and super cute illustrations that make you feel like they're winking at you. ;) I loved including illustrations from actual pieces that Autumn owns like her vintage chandelier, her headboard and her cheetah statue. We also wanted the overall vibe to have a hint of vintage but not be too literal or too much like it was from a specific decade. Autumn's interior design style is all about taking different pieces that you wouldn't necessarily think go to together and somehow still make it work. If you've seen her Insta stories you'll know that she's always posting some odd fabric color that the majority of us will call questionable but somehow it comes out amazing. That's the vibe we kept in mind when creating the brand. I feel like I can go on and on with this one but I'll leave it at that! โœจ๐Ÿ’ฏ๐Ÿ‘
  • When I was in design school there was a shift happening where designers were focusing less on print and more on digital. aka print is dead. Print isn't dead though. It's just evolved. Now when we see print it's like seeing that cool older cousin you only see once a year. It's special. It makes you want to spend just a little more time with it, touch it, feel it, cherish it. I created this monogram for my client, @laurenannephotography and she had the brilliant idea of turning it into an embossed stamp. So cute right! So now when she sends out thank you cards they'll be on-brand and have that extra touch of personalization and a little bit of a luxe feeling. And an embosser doesn't have to be expensive, you can buy one online for like 50 bucks and it'll make you look like a baller shot caller. Special thanks to @stitch_press for doing an amazing job on these ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ โœจ๐Ÿ’ฏโœ‰๏ธ
    When I was in design school there was a shift happening where designers were focusing less on print and more on digital. aka print is dead. Print isn't dead though. It's just evolved. Now when we see print it's like seeing that cool older cousin you only see once a year. It's special. It makes you want to spend just a little more time with it, touch it, feel it, cherish it. I created this monogram for my client, @laurenannephotography and she had the brilliant idea of turning it into an embossed stamp. So cute right! So now when she sends out thank you cards they'll be on-brand and have that extra touch of personalization and a little bit of a luxe feeling. And an embosser doesn't have to be expensive, you can buy one online for like 50 bucks and it'll make you look like a baller shot caller. Special thanks to @stitch_press for doing an amazing job on these ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ โœจ๐Ÿ’ฏโœ‰๏ธ
  • ๐Ÿ‘€ Life Lately ๐Ÿ‘€ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € Been working on a personal project inspired by La Belle ร‰poque. ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € Thinking of having a portfolio review day for students that are about to graduate or anyone that wants an outside perspective. (let me know if youโ€™re interested๐Ÿค—) ๐Ÿ–ฅโšก๏ธ๐ŸŒˆ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € Currently chillin in Cali. I had a few glorious hours lounging underneath a palm tree in my bathing suit. Note to freelancers, when work is slow book a trip. ๐ŸŒด
    ๐Ÿ‘€ Life Lately ๐Ÿ‘€ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € Been working on a personal project inspired by La Belle ร‰poque. ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € Thinking of having a portfolio review day for students that are about to graduate or anyone that wants an outside perspective. (let me know if youโ€™re interested๐Ÿค—) ๐Ÿ–ฅโšก๏ธ๐ŸŒˆ โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ € Currently chillin in Cali. I had a few glorious hours lounging underneath a palm tree in my bathing suit. Note to freelancers, when work is slow book a trip. ๐ŸŒด
  • I've been quite the regular at @stumptowncoffee, @acehotelchicago and @citymousechicago lately. Yesterday I went to the Ace Hotel's Coffee Chat which happens every Wednesday at 2pm. One of the people I met I instantly connected with because we both grew up in Southern California (Inland Empire to be exact) and moved to Chicago from LA and she invited me to her new moon group so we were like both woo-wooing all the way. If you like free coffee, hanging out in hotel lobbies, and meeting new interesting people in the creative industry this is where you wanna be. Shout out to @presenceagency for hosting and curating these coffee chats. โœจโ˜•๏ธ๐Ÿฉ
    I've been quite the regular at @stumptowncoffee, @acehotelchicago and @citymousechicago lately. Yesterday I went to the Ace Hotel's Coffee Chat which happens every Wednesday at 2pm. One of the people I met I instantly connected with because we both grew up in Southern California (Inland Empire to be exact) and moved to Chicago from LA and she invited me to her new moon group so we were like both woo-wooing all the way. If you like free coffee, hanging out in hotel lobbies, and meeting new interesting people in the creative industry this is where you wanna be. Shout out to @presenceagency for hosting and curating these coffee chats. โœจโ˜•๏ธ๐Ÿฉ
  • After being featured on @welovebranding earlier this week I've gotten a few dm's asking about my story and how I got started as a graphic designer. So here it goes! ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿผ - In 2010 I got fired from my marketing job because I was slacking. Not knowing what to do with myself I booked a one way ticket to Mexico City. I spent that summer interning/volunteering/hanging around a travel magazine (@travesiasmedia). I knew I wanted to do something more creative but I didn't know what so I soaked up everything creative around me. I took a lithography class, and an illustration class. I made friends and got drunk with writers, photographers, fashion designers, directors and just soaked in as much as I could, embracing all the possibilities. ๐Ÿป๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿป - When I got back from that summer trip I decided to pursue graphic design for real. At that time I had people tell me that I could just learn it on youtube or take a couple community college courses because I already had a BA. And on the one hand they were right. But it's funny how we have no problem acquiring multiple purses, shoes, gadgets, tv's but acquiring two BA's seems silly. Anyway I enrolled in a second BA and finished in two years. โœ๏ธ๐Ÿ“š - My first official graphic design job after that was as at Pressed Juicery where I designed everything from postcards to web pages all while drinking green juice. It was a very LA type of job and chapter of my life and I loved it. ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ–ฅโ˜€๏ธ - About a year and a half into the job I was trying to see what my next move would be and made a list of places I'd like to work. That list was made up of boutique studios that did the most darling branding for their clients. But after sending out a few resumes I wasn't getting any callbacks. Being an in-house designer is a great experience but it left my portfolio with all sorts of rando pieces that didn't leave me in the ideal position to work at a branding studio. So I simply quit and started up shop with zero clients, and a dwindling bank account. It was my naive thinking that got me there because I thought it was going to be easy. It hasn't been easy but it's been quite the ride. โœจ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿฆ„ photo by: Gretchen Mars
    After being featured on @welovebranding earlier this week I've gotten a few dm's asking about my story and how I got started as a graphic designer. So here it goes! ๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿผ - In 2010 I got fired from my marketing job because I was slacking. Not knowing what to do with myself I booked a one way ticket to Mexico City. I spent that summer interning/volunteering/hanging around a travel magazine (@travesiasmedia). I knew I wanted to do something more creative but I didn't know what so I soaked up everything creative around me. I took a lithography class, and an illustration class. I made friends and got drunk with writers, photographers, fashion designers, directors and just soaked in as much as I could, embracing all the possibilities. ๐Ÿป๐ŸŽจ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿป - When I got back from that summer trip I decided to pursue graphic design for real. At that time I had people tell me that I could just learn it on youtube or take a couple community college courses because I already had a BA. And on the one hand they were right. But it's funny how we have no problem acquiring multiple purses, shoes, gadgets, tv's but acquiring two BA's seems silly. Anyway I enrolled in a second BA and finished in two years. โœ๏ธ๐Ÿ“š - My first official graphic design job after that was as at Pressed Juicery where I designed everything from postcards to web pages all while drinking green juice. It was a very LA type of job and chapter of my life and I loved it. ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ–ฅโ˜€๏ธ - About a year and a half into the job I was trying to see what my next move would be and made a list of places I'd like to work. That list was made up of boutique studios that did the most darling branding for their clients. But after sending out a few resumes I wasn't getting any callbacks. Being an in-house designer is a great experience but it left my portfolio with all sorts of rando pieces that didn't leave me in the ideal position to work at a branding studio. So I simply quit and started up shop with zero clients, and a dwindling bank account. It was my naive thinking that got me there because I thought it was going to be easy. It hasn't been easy but it's been quite the ride. โœจ๐ŸŒˆ๐Ÿฆ„ photo by: Gretchen Mars