I’ve used this phrase for years to describe changing jobs. Maybe I was wrong…
This post was originally posted on May 8, 2017 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
Every place we work has its own dysfunctional elements. And when you change jobs, you move from one group of challenges to another. Every job has challenges. You choose which challenges you’ll face.
I had coffee a couple of months ago with some friends and one of them was in the midst of a job search. I relayed my standard “choose your dysfunction” advice. One of our friends piped up:
“I don’t know. I think that sometimes, we bring our dysfunction with us."
I still haven’t been able to get that thought out of my head.
Yes, it’s true that each job brings unique challenges. But it’s equally true the we cause many of our own issues. Too often, we blame the environment around us for something that we, ourselves, are causing.
The key to addressing those issues – to finding happiness or fulfillment or whatever you are looking for – is being able to tell the difference between the dysfunction you find and dysfunction you carry with you.
Bob Wertz is a creative director, type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
Birds eye view for USC Commencement. Congrats @beeshealy!
This post was originally posted on April 30, 2017 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
Reflections on the Atlanta Pen Show
My wife and I made the trek from Columbia to Atlanta last weekend to catch the Atlanta Pen Show and the live recording of the Pen Addict Podcast. We went last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. (I wrote a post about last year’s experience, too.) Some quick thoughts on our new annual tradition:
A post shared by Bob Wertz (@sketchbookb) on Apr 22, 2017 at 4:13pm PDT
The Pen Addict Live. We wanted to go to the Atlanta Pen Show, but the live recording was the main reason we made the trip. The Pen Addict is a great show and I listen to it every week.*
The episode they recorded was excellent, as usual. Once again this year, Myke and Brad were joined by the equally awesome Ana Reinert. But they also had a couple of interviews on the show, too. Vito from Story Supply and Brooks from Carolina Pen Company both talked about their businesses. It’s always great to see and hear from people who are so incredibly passionate about their craft.
Seeing Vito and Brooks on the live show crystalized something that I’d been thinking about for a while. Yes, the Pen Addict is about pens (and ancillary stationery products), but it’s also a celebration of entrepreneurship. Myke and Stephen took their mutual love of podcasts and started their own podcast network. Brad and Jeff started NockCo and are building an amazing case business. Ana has a new product for sale, the Col-o-ring. Vito talked about what drove him to start the Story Supply Co. And I honestly have no idea how Brooks combines polymers and makeup to make the beautiful pens that he sells through Carolina Pen Company.
Myke and Brad routinely bring in creators to talk about their products and creations. They support, encourage and build up the creative community.** I really do think that support is a big part of what makes the Pen Addict — and the larger pen community — amazing.
NockCo Sinclair. I enjoyed the show, but I didn’t buy much. (I’m still working my way through all the ink I bought at last year’s show.) I checked out some vintage pens, but didn’t see anything I had to have.
One of my favorite purchases was the NockCo Sinclair. I was in the market for a smaller case… I love my NockCo Brasstown, but I wanted a smaller case for carrying with me to meetings. NockCo had some exclusive colors for the pen show circuit. I was eyeing the olive/lime Lookout. I seriously love the olive/lime colorway and you know how I love my bright greens… But once I saw the Sinclair with a black waxed canvas exterior and a garnet*** interior, I was sold. I’m a lifelong Gamecock fan and the creative director at the University of South Carolina. For a case to carry around campus, the garnet and black case is perfect. I’ve really enjoyed using it this week and I’m thrilled with my purchase. Hopefully, they’ll make some more pieces in this colorway, because I will buy them all.
A post shared by Bob Wertz (@sketchbookb) on Apr 23, 2017 at 6:58am PDT
Waffle House. There is a Waffle House in the parking lot of the hotel and we decided to grab a bite Saturday morning before we left Atlanta. (Myke and Brad have mentioned on past shows that they tend to frequent this Waffle House during the pen show.) It was packed. We found our way to a couple of open stools at the counter. The waitress told me that the weekend had been one of their busiest ones of the year. I guess we can blame the Atlanta Pen Show for the crowd. Next year, they should completely hook Myke and Brad up with some free coffee or something.
* I listen to a bunch of other Relay FM podcasts, too. I’m a Pen Addict, but I’m also a fan of the whole network.
** Unless your product is a bogus Kickstarter rip off. Then Brad will tear you limb-from-limb.
*** Officially, the color isburgundy, but I’m sticking with garnet.
Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, creative director, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. In his spare time, he is trying to figure out how to use all the ink he has purchased. Follow Bob on Twitter, Instagram and Micro.Blog.
This post was originally posted on April 5, 2017 on Sketchbook B. It’s reposted here as part of a project to move some of my favorite writing to my new site.
As a rule, I don’t normally critique work by other firms. I don’t know what they discovered in their research. And I didn’t work with their clients and deal with their constraints. I will say that like most designs, there are things I like and things I don’t like. But this blog post isn’t about the new Columbia logo.
Instead, it’s about how we rollout new identities.
It occurs to me that more than ever, the rollout of a logo is a critical part of it’s reception. New designs spread quickly across social media. Opinions form. Criticism starts immediately. And people start asking questions.
I first saw the logo on the article from the Free Times. And the main image was an ad, that used the new Brick C* as an element in the word “crafted.” Of course, it read “rafted.” Much of the early criticism I saw was centered around this ad… not the logo. There was confusion about how much was spent on the logo and research. Questions about why the work wasn’t done in Columbia. Every question about inspiration, cost, how the vendor was chosen could have been easily predicted and shared proactively on a web site at launch.
Would it have eliminated criticism? Absolutely not. There are people in any community who are going to hate anything you do and complain about any money you spend on design.** But being more strategic about the rollout might have helped rally some support, especially from designers and communications professionals.***
In today’s world, design firms need to start building extensive rollout planning into their budgets and plans. It’s not good enough to do the work for the client anymore — you have to help sell the final solution to stakeholders.
And clients need to accept that their audiences may be resistant to new identities and be prepared for strong — and likely critical — opinions. An extensive rollout plan is going to add to the time and cost, but is a critical part of your overall investment.
I don’t know when I’ll rollout a brand new identity again. But when I do, I will spend as much time planning the rollout as I do the fine tuning the design.
* USC’s athletic logo is the real block C. So I’m calling the new Columbia logo the brick C, since bricks are the inspiration for the mark. A local firm would have known that a prominent mark in town was already referred to as the block C.
** I saw some comments on social media asking why we couldn’t have a design contest like we did for the new flag. Sigh… it’s a slippery slope, y’all.
*** This week, the IABC chapter in town had a presentation on the new identity. I didn’t get to go, but from the reaction on Twitter, it seemed filled with insights and explanations for the approach. Imagine if the IABC presentation had been given the same day as the rollout. Or even the day before as a sneak preview…
Bob Wertz writes about design, technology and pop culture at Sketchbook B. Bob is a Columbia, South Carolina-based designer, creative director, college instructor, husband and dad. He’s particularly obsessed with typography, the creative process and the tools we use to create. In his spare time, he attempts to be diplomatic.
Champs!
Team Wertz after church…
Windy in Asheville.
Ghost sign
Ice on car
Little brother patiently waiting for his sister’s gymnastics class to be over.
