Happy Birthday Dad

This is the invitation that I designed for Dad's last birthday (the BIG 5-0). It was fun to take my mom to Paper Depot to pick out paper, and isn't the picture of little Kenny so cute?

 

Happy Birthday Dad, love you!

Read more about how to do your own invites here.

Auggiesaurus

In 2007, I was asked to design a dinosaur for the Diggin' Dinos Citywide Summer Celebration to Honor 100 Years of the Science Museum of Minnesota. My dino was sponsored by Augsburg and lived in Murphy Square located in the center of campus for the summer. Murphy Square, the oldest park in Minneapolis, was also turning 100 that year, and the park and surrounding community became my theme. You can read more about the Auggiesaurus here.

 

 

Creating this dino was the most unique experience I have ever had! It was also a TON of work.  I even made a small model of the dino where I drew out where everything would go before I went to the "paint-off" at the River Center in St. Paul. I spent a few days working on him, and it was rewarding to work side by side with other local artists and their dinos. We all started from the same mold, but it was surprising to see how different they all looked in the end.

That fall, Auggiesaurus was auctioned off with the other dinos and taken away from Augsburg and Murphy Square.  A year or two later my dad saw a green dino on the banks of the Mississippi during a kayaking trip near our home. He couldn't quite tell if it was Auggiesaurus, but I like to believe he has a new home overlooking the great Mississippi.

Studio Art Portfolio

I've been digging back into my old art projects recently, and it has been fun to see what I was busy with a few years ago. It also makes me a bit sad that I don't have time to do this type of work now. After an eight hour day trying to be creative on the computer, I just don't have the brain power to paint a watercolor. Hopefully after I finish my psychology classes I will be able to use some of my free time to get back at it!

A piece of work, like a good song, can bring back some great memories:

 

Eggs was one of my first projects for a drawing class freshman year of college. I was encouraged to enter the piece in the Student Juried Art Show and it got in. It was so exciting to get recognition as a freshman. This piece now hangs in my mom's sewing room, and every time I see it I chuckle because it's just a drawing of eggs.

 

This is another favorite. This was my last drawing for a life drawing class I took the summer after my sophomore year.  I felt like this was the first time I really "got" how to draw a face.  Of course, I don't think I could do one now since I am so out of practice, but it feels good to know that I was capable of this. I call this guy Captain because he reminds me of Captain Hook, and he might just have a hook for his right hand—you never know!

Addicted to Instagram

 

I love instagram... and it's a free iphone app! It doesn't get much better than that. Here are some photos I took on our recent trip to Vegas.

Recollections—Alumni Juried Exhibition

A new show in both campus galleries features the artwork of Auggie alumni. The collection is a great mix of style, medium, texture, and subject.

 

The postcard announcing the juried show was a recent project of mine. Usually designing a postcard with multiple images (that typically don't work well together) is a huge challenge. The art for this show varies in color and style which can make the design process even more of a struggle. However, using small thumbnails of the many images and choosing a highlight color that can be found in many of the thumbs worked well. Even better, each artist in the show has at least one image featured on the postcard and the final product gives the viewer an idea of what to look forward to when visiting the exhibition.

Stop by if you get a chance. The show is open until late October. More information about the exhibition can be found here.

This is Making Me Smile Today

This cutie is posted on my Pinterest on the "Made My Day" board.

 

I am continuing to fall in love with Pinterest. I now have the app for my iPhone so I can browse updated boards on my way to work (Don't worry, I don't drive and Pinterest—I ride public transportation). And I am finding more and more great boards to follow. It's amazing how many laugh-out-loud funny, insanely creative things you can find on the internet.

Featured in the Now

The cover story of the new issue of the Augsburg Now tells the stories of seven Auggies—some international students and other students who studied abroad—all who have global connections. Auggies are truly everywhere!

I designed the layout for the story and am so pleased with how it turned out. The first spread, a full-page map highlighting the students in the story, is my favorite.

 

 

This was such a dynamic layout to work on. It's always exciting to have a design idea/look in your head and be able to realize it on the page.

The Finished Quilt

It's done! And the wedding is today, so it's also safe to post photos...

Wrapped up and ready to present as a gift. Doesn't even require wrapping.

 

This was such a fun project. It is a little bit hard to let this one go, but I know Erin and Nelson will take very good care her!

Again, I know I'm no photographer, so the real thing is stunning (if I do say so myself :) while the photos are just OK. Can't wait to see the reaction from the newlyweds and to boogie the night away at their big party!

Watch Those Auggies SOAR!

Today is the first day of SOAR (summer orientation for first year students) on campus. It's nice to see some energy back on campus and the orientation leaders certainly have no lack of enthusiasm for the start of a new year and a new class of Auggies!

Here's some fun collateral we did for SOAR (those water bottles will come in handy this week!):

 

The wonderful thing about working on a college campus is that in mid-spring when we feel tired and in need of some peace and quiet, the students leave for summer break. By August, however, it's nice to see some young Auggie faces again.

Welcome Class of 2015 Auggies!

Another T-shirt Design

This one is a bit of an old project, but I was waiting for the event to pass before posting and instead forgot all about it. This spring, I designed a t-shirt for the Big Lake High School Grad Party.

 

 

I presented two designs on the theme "Round 'em up, Move 'em out" and the sheriff's badge was the one the committee chose. I haven't had the chance to see a final t-shirt because I didn't coordinate the printing, but I hope to see one walking around Big Lake soon.

Pinterest Anyone?

I just recently got started with Pinterest, and I love it. It's such an easy way to organize your inspiration. Before I was always seeing things on the internet (paintings, decor ideas, recipes, etc.) and then forgetting where I saw them when I was finally ready for a new project. With Pinterest, you just "pin" these pieces of inspiration to your "boards"—and you can have multiple ones!

I don't have full boards yet as I don't get a lot of time to surf the web. I don't expect anyone to really want to follow me for that reason, but for now it is a great tool for me to use. And I do have a few projects that I hope to tackle soon:

 

Left to right:

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Filled Crescent Rolls from For the Love of Cooking

Star Quilt from Quilt It

iPad Cupcakes

Twin Cities Tandem Club

I'm ready to share a freelance project I have been working on lately. It's a bike jersey for the Twin Cities Tandem Club (TCTC)! I have done a few jerseys before using a semi-custom design option with ATAC bike, which really just involves gathering logos and figuring out where to put them. This full custom design for the tandem club was much more fun.

 

 

It was the club's idea to incorporate the "TC" logo of the MN Twins baseball team, and it was fun to give it a biking spin with handle bars and a bike tire.

Below is a photo from this year's MS150 ride (a 150 mile ride from Duluth to the Twin Cities to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society) where you can see how nice even the semi-custom designed jerseys turned out. I can't wait to see the TCTC jerseys!

Wedding Thank You Notecards

The thank you notes I ordered as a shower gift for Erin just arrived! See her invites here.

It's fun to use a wedding invite design as a springboard for other wedding projects (thank yous, programs, table numbers, name plates, the list goes on...)

Quark Monster

Today I was working in Quark and using some keyboard shortcuts. I must have pushed the wrong combination (shift + option + command + K, if you want to meet the monster yourself). A small monster/robot appeared and marched across my screen. He then proceeded to attack my image box and delete it. Weirdest thing ever.

Photo Failure

I failed yet again at getting a "final product" photo. The day of the Lakes Run I was so busy getting everything organized and working the registration table and the Fun Run that I forgot to get some action shots to the shirts. Here is a shot of Tony modeling this shirt this morning though... again, I need some work!

 

Overall, I was happy with how the shirts turned out and I did hear quite a few people comment about how nice they were. Now it's time to start pondering the animal for next year's shirt; both a frog and a porcupine have been requested.

They've Arrived!

The Lakes Run 8K shirts are here. It's so fun to see the finished product. I will share more photos (from the event) after the weekend.

Happy 80th Grandpa!

This weekend I was in Illinois celebrating my Grandpa's 80th birthday.  He had a huge party and my uncle (who works for a water bottling company) and I worked together to make custom water bottles for him! Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo of the actual water bottles—too busy eating yummy picnic food. Luckily my aunt had her camera out and I was able to find a few photos with the bottles in them. So here is a shot with my hand and one of the bottles ...

 

Let this be a lesson to me to remember to photograph more "final products."  I will share a photo of the finished Lakes Run shirts later this week when they arrive.

Minneapolis Map

I finally found a Minneapolis map that I love... now if only I had a place to put it!

From Ork posters

Read more about my map love here.

It's Wedding Season!

I have another wedding invitation that I have been dying to share. I got my hard copy in the mail this weekend, so I think it's safe to do a post. Here it is (with some blurring to protect the identity of the innocent :) — No, we just don't want any wedding crashers at what is sure to be a fantastic day!

 

This invitation was so fun to work on because the Erin (the bride) is a close friend, and she is on the opposite end of the spectrum from a Bridezilla—honestly, nothing has gone to this girl's head. 

You might notice the art from this post. I like to reuse and repurpose designs and when Erin mentioned that she was going to use purple wildflowers for her bouquet, I thought immediately of the design from the Spring Social, so I thought, why not?

I even got to do a Spanish version of this invite because the groom is from Venezuela. I've done multiple versions before and it is a great perk of printing your own invites. Read more about the process here.

Lakes Run Shirts

Here's a new "friend" I have been working on recently. For the past few years, I have designed the t-shirts for the Lakes Run 8K in Big Lake, Minn. and this turtle is the newest star of our t-shirt collection.

He looks fabulous on the shirts and I can't wait to see the final product when they arrive from the screen printer in mid-June.

 

This freelance project is one of my favorite. The fact that my dad is the race director and therefore I get full creative reign might have something to do with it. Mostly though, it's fun to do something for your hometown and to be able to attend the event and see how people like your design.

I'm Famous

You can now see my face on marketing materials for Augsburg's weekend college... a hazard of working in the marketing office, I guess!

Wedding Cards

One more wedding post:

I like to make customized cards for weddings that I attend. Not only does it save money but I think that it's a small way to make an impersonal gift (like a gift card) a bit more personal. Plus, it's always fun to find a quote that works for the couple and to try to determine wedding colors to use from the invitation.

 

I even made one of these for my husband and I (upper right) for the day we started dating (cute—I know!) and plan to hang it in our home somewhere when I find the time :)

I'm looking forward to making more of these for our upcoming summer weddings!

Wedding Invitations

People have been asking if I do wedding invitations lately, so I thought the topic warranted a post.

I have designed invitations for weddings, birthday parties, baby and wedding showers, graduations, basically anything that people use invitations for. SO... I have some good tips for you:

Step one: Paper
The only place I will go for paper—and the first place I go when designing invites—is Paper Depot in Minneapolis. It's like a little taste of heaven for me because of my strange love affair with paper. But, for those with ordinary paper relationships, it's still a great place to get invitation ideas and help. The Paper Depot has countless samples (many have pockets for RSVP and map/accommodations cards) and the friendly staff is willing to walk you through the process and create an invitation mock-up to take home with you.

Step two: Design
Once you get home with your beautiful paper mock-up, you are probably going to wonder how to make the design and wording as pretty as the package—that's where I come in! I can work with you to give your blank invitation the look and feel of your special day. The invitation is important because it is the first chance for a guest to get an impression of what your event might be like.

I've even designed custom maps to help direct guests to the wedding location. (It's usually my favorite part of the project.)

Step three: Printing
The most economical and stress-free way to print your invitations is to use your home office inkjet printer. If you don't have your own printer I have found that friends will let you use there's if you buy them an ink cartridge or two. I will set up your designs with crop marks and include instructions of how and where to cut so that your invites turn out perfectly.

Step four: Don't forget the small stuff
Carrying the standard you set with your invitations throughout your event is very important. Once the invitations are in the mail it is time to start thinking about programs, table numbers, place cards, thank you notes, etc. All of these pieces should match your invitations so that the guest experience is cohesive—and you'll get tons of compliments. Plus, it's not a hard thing to do once you have the design pinned down.

So, if you are in the market for invitations (congrats on whatever  it is you are celebrating), give me a call or send me an e-mail. I would love to chat with you about how I can help you create just the invite you want.

Quilt Design

One of my creative hobbies is quilt making. Here's a sneak peek at my current project:

The pattern is from Anna Maria Horner.

The photo above is just the center of the quilt. I designed the rest of the quilt myself (more pictures coming later), and I call it "Hacienda Chic." I wanted it look like a old family scrap quilt because it is for a friend's wedding and I hope that it will be a keepsake for them.

It's nice to get away from the computer every once and a while and to be creative with actual tactile materials. But I promise the next post will be more design-related :)

A Map of My Own

Finally, a map of my own to share, although not nearly as pretty as these.

Recently I worked on maps for one of our campus buildings and they are now up on the walls and ready to help people find where they are going.  It's so satisfying to see a highly visible project like this come to completion.

Tweet. Tweet.

I have been tweeting (on Twitter—for those of you not up on the lingo) on and off for the past year or so and this spring decided to attempt to make it more of a habit.

I feel like I have written hundreds of tweets.
I have 68.

I find it difficult to come up with messages that are important enough—exciting enough—for other people to want to know. Instead, I mostly end up retweeting what others say.

But, I guess I have to start somewhere, so here's to more original tweets in the future.

Follow me @jmnagorski to hear some good stuff (other) people are saying.

Hop on the Auggie Train

A few years ago, I got the awesome opportunity to work on a design for the lightrail train wrap to market Augsburg College. I worked the project collaboratively with the Creative Director and it was one of my most memorable creative experiences for a couple of reasons.

1) What is cooler than having creative control of a 90 ft. long train?
I so appreciated that my colleague and I were trusted with such a huge, important branding and identity project. In fact, the college had given a branding firm a shot at the design first and then decided that the project should come in-house. And we knocked it out of the park!

2) The only thing cooler is working on a fun project with a great partner!
We truly do our best design when working collaboratively, and honestly, it's the most exciting way to work. When you tackle projects in teams not only do you have double the creative power, you also have the support you need to be innovative. Trust in your colleagues enables you to push the limits of your creativity.

 

I will never forget the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment I felt when I saw the Auggie Train roll into the station for the very first time. We held our breath as it came to a stop and we got our first close look and then with a sigh, thought "Wow, that's one big Auggie."

EXTRAordinary Maps

Ordinary people don't get very excited about maps. Well, I am not an ordinary person and neither are these maps:

A map designed by Lena Corwin for Purl Soho. 

More map loveliness by Anne Smith. 

 

Paris? Yes please. The Alice Tait Shop 

 

 A typographic marvel found here. Where's the Minneapolis version?

These are just a few of the maps I have stumbled upon recently and swooned over. I love the idea of maps as art. I wonder, what other ordinary items could become art? I'll keep my eyes open for inspiration.

New, Improved Spring Social

I am coming close to my final days as Staff Senate Co-Chair and I plan to go out with a bang!  This year, we are replacing our Summer Picnic with a Spring Social for staff and faculty. This new celebration is modeled after the very successful Christmas Party, and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. One thing I know for sure—I plan to be first in line for the mini burger bar!

I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve as a senator and as a co-chair.  I have met so many kind people across campus, ones who I hope to partner with again in the future. Staff Senate aims to recognize and support staff as well as to tackle challenging dilemmas as advocates of staff at the College. I have grown in countless ways from this invaluable leadership experience and wish the very best of luck to Staff Senate 2011-12.

MOO postcards

Who doesn't love MOO?  I ordered some business cards through them recently and just love them.  It's amazing what quality printing does to a project. Here are some postcards I dreamed up that I hope to order soon.  The best thing about MOO is that you can order a range of quantities but each piece can have a different design.  This is a great way to get variety while still meeting minimum quantities.