Jason Moderates AIGA LA Blueprint Event

Hexanine Co-Founder Jason Adam Moderates AIGA Los Angeles Blueprint Event

Last week I had the privilege of moderating the panel discussion at the premiere event in our AIGA Los Angeles Blueprint series. We brought four of LA’s finest independent designers to NextSpace in Culver City, CA for a two-hour discussion on the business of freelancing.

While freelance designers love to talk about their creative work, they’re often less fond of talking about their businesses. Such “boring” topics as accounting, taxes, legal issues, business strategy and client relations are often considered necessary evils, reflected by their time spent in the conversational spotlight.

And that’s no good.

Read on…

Interview at Freelance Unleashed

Hexanine: Tim Lapetino Interview at Freelance Unleashed

Hexanine partner Tim spent a little time talking to Chris Green of Freelance Unleashed, about the joys and challenges of building a design firm.

Here’s a snippet:

Be a designer because you love it. This profession is a little crowded with people who thought design was just cool, or who believed that this was a more practical path to an artist’s life. But Design with a capital D needs people who get jazzed about strategy and beauty combined.

Talking Design Strategy With HOW


Hexanine partner Jason Adam is featured in the latest print issue of HOW magazine, one of our favorite design publications. In the March International Design Awards Annual, he talked to our friend Terry Lee Stone about what makes design strategy compelling and crucial for all successful projects. Pick up a copy of the latest issue in print, or download it in the App Store.

Designing the End of the World

Hexanine: Apocalypse Survival Kit

Well, the world didn’t come to an end in 2012. But our clients and friends were well-prepared, just in case. We made sure if it, sending out Apocalypse Survival Kits with all the necessary elements to ride out any random cataclysm. Check out more of the details and design, armageddon be damned.

New Work: Kia & Gruppo Cordenons

Hexanine: Kia Motors Open Road Magazine and Gruppo Cordenons Stardream swatchbook

We love the work we do (and our great clients) so it’s always a happy moment when we share projects with the world. Two new projects come with their own blood, sweat, and tears of accomplishment. They include our first issue of Open Road magazine for Kia Motors, as well as the Stardream digital printing swatchbook for Gruppo Cordenons. Check out our portfolio links above for more details on each. Voilà!

Tim Speaking At RMU

Hexanine: Tim Lapetino speaking at Robert Morris University

I (Tim) will be speaking next week at Robert Morris University in Chicago, as part of the Call To Action Design Symposium, presented by RMU’s Institute of Art and Design. My talk is titled “Yesterday’s Tomorrow: Preparing For the Future of Design,” and focuses on what designers and other creatives can do to face tomorrow’s challenges — both within design, and for the greater world. Also, it’s always nice to share the bill with another awesome designer and friend, Justin Ahrens. Both Hexanine partners are available for speaking engagements, and you can reach out to us with requests at connect@hexanine.com.

New Work: Golden Apple Holiday Cards

Hexanine: Golden Apple Holiday Card

To wrap up 2012 and give a heartfelt thanks to supporters, Golden Apple Foundation asked us to create a holiday card for their donors and friends. To stay within the project’s modest budget, our team opted to use digital printing provided by our excellent partners at Elk Grove Graphics. But despite the small quantities and budget, our team still wanted to utilize premium production techniques of the piece, making it feel even more special for recipients.

Read on…

New work: AIGA Chicago Voices Art Prints

Hexanine: AIGA Voices Art Prints

We had the great opportunity to work with the Chicago chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design. This set of pieces served both as art prints, and also marketing pieces for AIGA Chicago. Take a look for more details on the project.

Writing For HOW: Writing and Designers

Writing for HOW article

Some designers seem to conveniently disappear when writing and copy are discussed, and I think this relates to our overall visual natures. Many designers think, relate, and communicate in images — it’s one of the skills that leads to great design and better designers. But while a picture is supposedly worth a thousand words, text isn’t going away anytime soon. So, it’s up to us, as designers, to wrangle the written word and to make the work we do even greater by engaging with the copy.

That’s a snippet from an article I wrote for HOW Magazine, about the fear that many designers and creative types have when it comes to writing. We find it’s a common issue among peers and others we rub elbows with, and I believe I’ve got some helpful thoughts to consider. Check it out and comment either here, or at HOW directly.

 

Logo Work Included in LogoLounge 7

Hexanine logos in LogoLounge 7

We’ve grown up as designers with the LogoLounge book series. It’s great to see the beautifully-redesigned, newest volume. Also awesome to see that we’re part of it, with work from projects like BevReview and Plastic Highway. Our work was chosen from 34,000 selections, which is an honor.