Pro Tip for Hiring and Creative Workplace Culture
2014.09.11 by Prescott Perez-Fox
When adding new members to your team there’s often a fair amount of training required. This is especially true of younger workers who may not have the practical experience in your particular field. The tip here is actually a question. Before you spend days and weeks training this person — not to mention the associated costs — ask yourself:
Are we training a future partner, or are we training the competition?
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 22 with Graphic Designer and Entrepreneur Brandy Shea
2014.09.08 by Prescott Perez-Fox
Brandy Shea (@MileOneCreative) is the founder of Mile One Creative, an independent design practice serving entrepreneurs and small business owners with brand development and marketing design. In addition to her design services, Brandy recently created the Quality Thrives project, an online video series and forthcoming book showcasing ordinary, hardworking business owners who provide craft and quality in their professional offerings.
Here’s a teaser of the Quality Thrives project, which begins in earnest October 10, 2014. (Press release) Check out the full show notes to get all the contact details.
Level-Up Strategy for Starting a Project Right
2014.09.04 by Prescott Perez-Fox
When meeting a new client, there’s often nervousness and questions in your mind about how smoothly the project will go. Even if the client seems committed to the project at hand, it’s hard to tell if everything will go well and result in success, however it’s defined. Here’s a technique to increase the likelihood of a successful project from start to finish.
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 21 with User Experience Designer Walé Ogundipe
2014.09.01 by Prescott Perez-Fox
Walé Ogundipe (@kopasetik) is a user experience designer who has worked in a variety of creative professions including the music industry, broadcasting, marketing, film & video, and now online and mobile application development. Lately, he’s been involved in several hackathons and embraced the philosophies if fast iteration and design sprints towards building apps for web and mobile.
In this conversation, we discuss how Walé arrived in User Experience, the point of view that a UX design takes when approaching a problem, and some books that we should all read for a better understanding of business and design.
My Two Favourite Tools for Quick-Saving and Quick-Sharing
2014.08.28 by Prescott Perez-Fox
As creative pros, we often find the need to quickly share an image, link, or document with our co-workers, clients, and friends. Could be a logo design in progress, an article on a topic we’re researching, or a case study PDF that’s part of our strategy. Fortunately for us, there are a number of software tools on the Mac and on the web that enable us to share these items quickly, or save them for future reference.
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 20 - Building and Growing a Small Design Firm, with Josh Miles
2014.08.25 by Prescott Perez-Fox
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 20, Building and Growing a Small Design Firm, w/guest Josh Miles
Josh Miles (@JoshMiles) founded Miles Design, an independent graphic design firm in Indianapolis, Indiana, after organically growing his freelance practice. Following some hi-profile work in a narrow sector, he’s grown his team to nine employees, taking care to build a healthy workplace culture along the way.
Josh and his team at Miles Design
In this discussion, Josh shares some of the challenges for growing and maintaining a design business, as well as some of the tools and tactics he uses to keep the team in sync and doing great work. You can read more about Josh on his site, JoshMiles.com
Prepare with Purpose for OS X 10.10 Yosemite
2014.08.21 by Prescott Perez-Fox
The new version of the Mac operating system, OS X 10.10 Yosemite is just around the corner. Many pro users are already running a late beta on their current machines. But before you wipe your system and install the new OS afresh, be organized and prepare. Here’s how to handle the change with minimal drama so you can get back up and running in no time.
What to backup
Many of us have continuous, automated backups in place, but when wiping your system down to zero, I recommend manually backing up a few things extra. Here’s a list of what you should back up before you go new.
Continue Reading →
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 19 with Online Video Host & Producer Shannon Morse
2014.08.18 by Prescott Perez-Fox
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 19 with Online Video Host & Producer Shannon Morse
Shannon Morse (@Snubs) is a producer and host of several online video shows such as Tekzilla and Hak5. Following early training in theatrical performance and hotel/restaurant management, she transitioned into new media. Across her many projects, she’s responsible for all research, writing, and production. Read more about Shannon on her site, snubsie.com
In this episode, we discuss Shannon’s origins in film/video production, the struggle of working for multiple employers with multiple studio workflows, and some of her outside (geeky) pursuits.
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 18 with Design Firm President, Author, Podcast Host, and Professor Debbie Millman
2014.08.11 by Prescott Perez-Fox
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 18 with Design Firm President, Author, Podcast Host, and Professor Debbie Millman
Debbie Millman (@DebbieMillman) is a design and branding industry impresario. She will, at any given moment, be involved in a multitude of projects and roles across the profession. For nearly 20 years, she’s been the President of Sterling Brands, a design and brand strategy firm based in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Since 2005, she’s hosted Design Matters, one of the most successful radio shows (now podcasts) about design and creativity. She also founded and chairs the Master’s in Branding course at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and has authored numerous books.
In this episode, Debbie speaks about the structure and workflow of Sterling — now a corporate agency, how she stays energized across her many endeavors, and how she’s still working to overcome awkwardness in her life and career. We also get to hear the story of how Debbie and Prescott first met.
The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 17 - Music Streaming Apps and Websites, with guest Charles Penn
2014.08.04 by Prescott Perez-Fox
The Busy Creator 17, Music Streaming Apps & Websites, w/guest Charles Penn
Charles Penn is a musician and music producer based in New Jersey. Together with Prescott he discusses the state of music on the Internet, including listening, buying, sharing, and the potential of collaborating world-wide. The conversation moves to music promotion and tactics for artists starting out. Check out Charles’s music on his website, The Sounds of The Underground.