cathyclarke.com

Happy Holidays!

Cathy Clarke — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:43:34 +0000

Cut-out cookies are a huge hit! My mom and I decorate them together every year.

Christmas time is special because of the little traditions we have. I love to decorate the house and the way it feels so cozy and warm. This year we’ve barely had any snow and unusually warm temps, but most years the cozy warmth of the tree, garlands and decorations throughout the house at Christmas time is so welcoming after coming in from the cold and blustery snow!

Our tree, fully loaded! Find the blue pedal car, the first in the series from my Dad.

Giving ornaments as a gift on Christmas eve has always been one of my favorite traditions. We each give and receive an ornament, either marking some event or activity, or just really beautifully made keepsakes. Now, my boxes of ornaments tell the story of all the things that have happened in my life, from pets to high school sports and beyond. My Dad collected pedal cars and every year, he gave my sister and I pedal car ornament. They are now undoubtedly the most treasured. These days, our tree is absolutely loaded with beautiful shining ornaments; I think we may need to add another tree eventually!

Wishing you and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and here’s to a wonderful New Year!

Save 13 Cataract Street!

Cathy Clarke — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:32:31 +0000

One of Rochester’s historic buildings, once home to Standard Brewing Co., has been slated for demolition to become a parking lot. If you’re into history, I recommend driving down to High Falls and checking out this building (not to mention the stellar views of High Falls and the Rochester skyline). The architecture is really unique. This is the kind of building that would never be built today. The roof and the ornamental towers are so visually interesting. Not to mention, Rochester has a rich brewing history and this building is a major part of that. You really have to wonder why we haven’t learned our lesson about ruining an iconic part of our history to save money and take the easy way out.

I’m only jumping on the bandwagon here–others in Rochester are making a serious effort to preserve this building. There are still hurdles to overcome before demolition, so it’s not too late. Chris Schiffner started a petition, and it needs your signature!

Sign the Petition

Chris also wrote a post with the building’s historical background, the current plans for the site, and a ton of great photos at Schiffner.com.

RochesterSubway.com also has a great post about some proposed solutions and development plans for the building and surrounding area.

Where did that idea come from?

Cathy Clarke — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:31:27 +0000

When I interviewed for my current job, part of the process was a one hour presentation to the department to showcase my work and skills. The audience was a mix of creative types—photographers, videographers, designers, programmers and instructional developers. I showed a poster I designed that was part of a campaign to encourage sign language use in public spaces. During the question and answer session, I was asked where I came up with the idea for the poster. It is so rare that I am ever asked that question—usually a client is focused on their reaction to the work. Even in design school crits, I rarely recall my peers taking interest in where the idea came from. To me, that is the most fascinating stage of any creation. Back to my presentation and this great question—I was so pleased that my future colleague asked me that, for a few minutes I forgot that every word I spoke was being judged and analyzed.

Rand's logo for Wallace Puppets, 1938

I went on to explain that the poster was to remind people that when in public, you should respect the communication preferences of others, and in this particular place, that was American Sign Language. Initially I was thinking about the message—remember to respect others, and possibly using hands or a sign to illustrate this. I was flipping through a book about the designer Paul Rand, and I happened to see a logo he created in 1938 for Wallace Puppets. He used a simple line drawing to write out the name, mimicking the bouncy string that animates a marionette. The idea was in my head immediately—a hand making the “r” handshape in sign language, with a string tied around the finger to serve as a reminder. The string spells out the rest of the word “respect”.

In terms of impressing the group—this question was great for me because it was sort of a fun process to explain and I was enthusiastic about it (and the fellow designers in the audience were encouraged to hear me bring up Paul Rand).

Some of the books I keep in my office for inspiration...

I have a large collection of books that show artists and designers sketchbooks. Deeply intrigued reading about the creative process of others, sometimes for me that is more interesting than the final piece. Not just designers or artists, but inventors, engineers, architects, industrial designers, the list goes on. What better insight could there be into the creative process than going on that journey from start to finish?

Personally, I start out writing down long lists of words to describe the project. Then, I go straight to my books. I have the problem or goal or message in my mind, and I nearly forget about it but keep it somewhere at the back of my mind. Pulling out whatever seems relevant, I page through and stop on whatever looks intriguing. Usually, something will catch my eye and that will be the spark I need. Next is sketching out the idea and seeing if I feel it’s going to work. It’s not like that every time for me, but when everything lines up just right, that’s the perfect process. I have other sources of inspiration too, other methods of collecting thoughts and ideas in a way that I can go back to them in the future and pluck out some little spark.

What inspires you? When you are trying to think of an idea, where do you go to spark the creative process?

First!

Cathy Clarke — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:30:31 +0000

It’s been almost ten years since I bought this domain for a senior design project in college—my first personal website. So much has changed since then (I wonder if that old version is still around somewhere on a hard drive or even zip disk?). That makes this new version timely, albeit long overdue.

What I want this to be is a place that I might stop at and take a look if I were to stumble upon it. So if I happen to have an identical twin out there somewhere, perhaps she will be my faithful reader.

I’m a web designer and developer, so I like great design and typography and some coding and development stuff too. My favorite section of the app store is productivity—like Evernote and to do lists. I love music and think everyone would be better off if they listened to the same bands as me (The National—my favorite band of all time). Especially at this time of year, I am hooked on watching hockey (Let’s go Amerks!)

So…the kind of things that I expect will show up on here will probably be a mixed bag, but I’ve never been good at sticking to just one thing. Looking forward to the journey!