Niki Brown (@NikiBrown) & Liz Andrade (@LizAndrade) are the design duo behind The Pagebreak Podcast. Niki & Liz are both solo designers, working independently. Together we discuss tools of the job, the state of web design and text editors, and how they got started in podcasting.
Somehow, the topic of cats failed to come up, but we’re all cat owners.
Armin Vit (@ArminVit) is a design entrepreneur and blogger. He and his wife Bryony Gomez-Palacio founded their company, UnderConsideration, in 2002. The duo have since left their jobs at prestigious New York-based design firms, relocated to Austin, Texas, and have made a name in the design business as authors, conference organizers, writers, speakers, and designers (of course).
This conversation covers what it’s like to run a company out of his home, how he and his wife share office and household duties, and how he manages to cope with all that email. There’s also an odd jab at rookie designers and even some tips on how to track your marathon training, if that’s your thing.
Joel Duggan (@JoelDuggan) is an illustrator & cartoonist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In addition to his web comics and illustration commissions, he co-hosts several podcasts. We spoke a bit about his training in art and illustration, his current workflow, and his podcasting endeavors.
From Fast Company comes a snappy little article about productivity — creative or otherwise. Some of these you’re probably already doing, but otherwise, take a quick look and get busy. My favorite is perhaps the toughest one to implement, and one that I am rather trying to adopt myself.
GET AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER
“The promises we make to ourselves are easy to break,” says Laura Vanderkam, frequent contributor and author What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. “It’s much harder to call a friend on Friday and inform her that ‘I failed.’” She set up weekly check-ins and which kept her motivated to complete the first draft of a novel in 2013.
11 Expert Tips to Help You Be More Productive in 2014 on Fast Company
Ladies and Gentleman of the Internet, I present to you episode 1 of The Busy Creator Podcast!
In this inaugural episode, I chat with Charles Penn, music producer and audio engineer. Our discussion meanders and covers topics as diverse as microphones, audio software and sound manipulation, and even some backup strategy. It’s the first episode so we’re still figuring out some sound. Thanks for joining in the fun.
All calendars suck. This is due in large part to their inability to see how the months stitch together. Often, the final days are crammed onto the same last row as the previous week. And what happens in a fortnight? Who knows.
A few years ago, I created for myself a simple calendar, which I’ve been updating ever since. Creatively, I named it SimpleCal. It features a seven-week view of each month, with weekends grouped on the right side, and shaded out to emphasize the working week. American holidays are marked with a simple underline. Just made the 2014 version, and it’s here for free.
I’ve also included the InDesign file so you can remix and create your own. Add colour, change the fonts, make it horizontal — whatever. The usual rules apply — if you make a new version, let me know so I can give you props! And it would be nice if you shared a link back to my site.
Download Simple Calendar 2014 (PDF, 121 KB)
Download Simple Calendar 2014 (InDesign CS7, 2.7 MB)
Download Simple Calendar 2014 (InDesign CS7 Markup, 146 KB)
My recommendation for printing is that you use the back of some already-printed paper. Thicker stock works better. Then just use a binder clip and hang the calendar at your desk, or in your kitchen, or wherever it’s more appropriate.