Here is your freshly squeezed design inspiration for the week of July 24th, 2023.
- SOMETHING GORGEOUS: Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus Lego Replica
- PORTFOLIO OF THE WEEK: Jacek Janiczak
- Crying in the Club Zine by Eva Malley
- Earth Rated by Layer
- Noile by Jacek Janiczak
- ONE TOK: Big Red Boots but Soccer
- ONE LESSON: Double Down on What Works
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Resource of the Week
Envato Elements
As a designer, I am constantly on the lookout for new mockups and assets to use for projects and lately I have seen some pretty crazy prices for said assets. While there are definitely assets I don't mind spending on, I also like to be price conscious when I can.
I just learned about Envato Element's monthly subscription for only $8.99 per month. In my mind that is about the price I spend on just one mock up file. And to make it even better, if you are a student, you get a 30% off discount.
The math makes sense, and after looking at their library of assets I don't see why I wouldn't take advantage of this subscription service as a designer.
If you're someone that is tired of using the same mock ups and template files, take a look at Envato Elements!
Get Started with Envato Elements Today
Something Gorgeous
Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus Lego Replica
As someone who was raised on legos and electronic music, I was not letting this slip under my radar. Lego designer, Tomasso, has submitted a custom project containing 2,628 piece to recreate the industry standard DJ deck, the CDJ 2000 Nexus. This is a part of Lego's IDEAS platform, similar to a kickstarter, where users can submit projects to be voted on for Lego to create a real set.
I still get excited whenever I visit a store and purchase a small lego pack. It is my version of completing a puzzle or knitting a scarf. While this project may not be in production just yet, Tomasso already has almost 4,000 votes. I believe 10,000 votes are needed for the opportunity to have the Lego experts review the project so if you're interested in seeing this project come to life. Make sure you sign up and support Tomasso so I can buy one of these for my office!
Portfolio Of The Week
Jacek Janiczak
Hailing from Poznań, Poland, Jacek Janiczak is a designer that grabbed my attention for their recent work completed for Noile (which is also one of this week's creative finds). Noile is a diesel car oil company targeting car owners and enthusiasts that require high-quality lubricants for their diesel-powered vehicles. While I'm unsure if this project was completed for a client, or if it was developed by Jacek on their own, the identity created for this brand is stunning and stands out magnificently in an industry that is plagued with design such as this.
I'm gonna continue to assume this project was developed by Jacek on their own and use it as an example of how you can generate powerful case-studies for your portfolio website cause Jacek took it to the next level with this one. I scrolled through some of Jacek's other projects and loved how each of his recent projects maintained the same level of attention and detail. And let's not forget to mention that his portfolio is built entirely on Behance. I can't emphasize enough how helpful Behance can be as a tool for your portfolio website if done right and Jacek's work is a great example of this.
Portfolio Rating: 7.3/10
Built With: Behance
View Jacek Janiczak's portfolio here.
Creative Finds
Crying in the Club Zine by Eva Malley
A university project turned viral social media zine. I love seeing projects like this get visibility and continues to support the idea of create things that you are passionate and have a connection with.
Earth Rated by Layer
Dog toys made from recycled plastic? Why didn't I think of that? And I also love this rebrand done by Layer. Really digging that dog tail in the h of the logotype.
Noile by Jacek Janiczak
Bringing new design life into the automobile oil industry, Jacek creates a very vibrant and considered identity.
One Tok
Big Red Boots but Soccer
Jon Paul has been one of my favorite accounts that I've followed on TikTok for a while now and this big red boots ball project was great. Jon Paul is obsessed with experimenting, developing, and creating balls. He explore different materials, and different patterns all in pursuit of the mission to make the perfect ball. Not only was this awesome for taking the viral boots and absolutely destroying them to create something new. But I love Jon's dedication to his craft and mission and enjoy all the experiments he shares.
One Lesson
Double Down on What Works
This past week I realized out of all the things, ideas, and tasks that I have been experimenting with over the last few months, some things are actually starting to stick with the social-mediaverse. I want to share with you two things that stick out to me that I think are valuable.
First, over the last couple of months, while traveling and settling into my first full year freelancing as an independent graphic designer. I made it my mission to try a bunch of things. Experiment. Mess up. Learn. And see what other possibilities may be available to me to support myself. In my mind, I don't want to be a graphic designer all my life. I have goals of owning a business and growing something larger than me one day. Also during this time, I have had the opportunity to have conversations with so many different people who are trying to do the same thing in different industries with different skillsets. This period has allowed me to find new interests outside of graphic design but also solidify the things I enjoy so much about design that I want to continue to do.
Second, I've started to see what I'll call "signals" that people are starting to gravitate towards them and I'm getting feedback. And this is great! But, and this is the important part, I don't think this would have happened if I wasn't trying out so many different things over the last couple of months. Learning about new ways of working, or even what I would do if I wasn't a graphic designer.
So what's next? Well to be honest, I'm a little exhausted from trying all these new and different things. I'm a little tired from experimenting and getting excited and staying up trying to master a new shiny thing. So it's time to double down on what is working.
I am hopeful that I'll be able to share some of these things soon but in the meantime, have some fun and experiment.
I hope you are feeling inspired this week and ready to make some cool sh*t!
PS. What is something new that you would like to try out over the next week, month or year?
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