Happy Monday! I'm getting biblical this week with branding of a church that sings to the angels, black and white photography that brings me back to uni, and the best damn job application I've seen from anyone in the last 2 years. Let's get those creative juices flowing.

Creative Juice is a weekly newsletter published every Monday morning so you can start your week feeling inspired creatively to make cool sh*t and get paid for it. Every Monday I share something gorgeous, a portfolio of the week, three creative finds, one amazing post from social media, and one lesson I learned recently.

If you have an idea of how I can improve Creative Juice and make it better, feel free to submit your feedback here.

TL:DR

SOMETHING GORGEOUS: International Black & White Photography Contest

PORTFOLIO OF THE WEEK: All You Really Need Is A Homepage

CREATIVE FIND 01: Branding The Church

CREATIVE FIND 02: Meet Marta, The Product

CREATIVE FIND 03: This Kitty Says Sleep Now!

ONE GRAM: Spring is On The Way

ONE LESSON: How to Drop a Design Client

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Something Gorgeous

International Black & White Photography Contest

Monochrome Awards 2023 Winners Gallery

DRAMA. This is the first word that pops into my mind immediately when I look at any BW photography. Try this test. Take any photo from your camera roll and apply a BW filter. See how it immediately changes the vibe? While it can add emotion, it can also become a crutch if not used correctly.

These images from the 2023 Monochrome Awards are phenomenal. Truly masterful examples of BW photography, composition, and light. Since uni, I've loved the work of Robert Mapplethorpe, and over the years have collected photographers via Instagram and blogs to inspire my design work.

View more here

Portfolio of the Week

All You Really Need Is A Homepage

Lorenzo Rodriguez

YES, a homepage is really all you need for a design portfolio website. Think of it as the big window display of your storefront. Inside that window: a header, thumbnails of your work, and some info about your services.

Lorenzo has done just this. His website is only a homepage. Everything else links out to projects on Behance or social platforms. And guess what. There is nothing wrong with this execution. Portfolio websites are all about first impressions. Lorenzo covers the basics: header, about, work section, services, contact info. With these covered, he can focus on visual decisions such as project thumbnails and aesthetics.

Score: 8.4/10

Built with: Webflow

View portfolio here

Creative Finds

Branding The Church

Hackney Church Branding by OMSE

Even a church needs a facelift every once in a while. OMSE created an angelic branding package appealing to a younger generation.

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Meet Marta, The Product

Across the world, the jobs market is tough. Marta Puerto took matters into her own hands to secure a callback with this video.

"Desperate times call for creative measures"

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This Kitty Says Sleep Now!

Hello Star Branding by Hellocean

One of the biggest projects I've seen on Behance. Hellocean created an entire retail store of sleep aid products. A great example if you’re stuck thinking about what assets to create for branding projects.

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One Gram

Spring is On The Way

@generativeartstudio

Stand up, stretch, and get ready for brighter days (Northern Hemisphere). You don’t need a huge brief to experiment and have fun with visual exercises like this.

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One Lesson

How to Drop a Design Client

Last week I made the tough decision to end a client project early. Why? It just wasn’t for me. Let me explain...

Before the end of 2023, I didn’t have many new projects lined up. I reached out to previous clients with ideas for 2024. One client responded, offering a partnership creating social content—a good chunk of change.

So why did I give it up? After the first month, other exciting projects came in. I realized focusing on social content for others wasn’t enjoyable.

Am I upset? No. I’m proud of myself and glad to focus on what I enjoy.

PS. If you haven’t noticed, I’m experimenting with the newsletter timing. What time do you normally read this? Reply and let me know ❤️

If you would like Creative Juice sent directly to your inbox every Monday, you can subscribe here.