Method to the Mayhem

Mayhem Studios contributes to an article, Marketing Your Pro bono Work: It’s All About You, for BoDo, written by wordsmith Thomas Stephan.

Stephan shows how to promote and make your pro bono projects work for you, using press releases, blogs, e-newsletters, forums, social networking and social bookmarking web sites. When writing press releases it should consist of the "Five W's," Who, What, When, Where and Why.

Calvin Lee, of Mayhem Studios, gives his thoughts about self-promotion.

"If you’re a freelancer, self-promotion is a must. How else do you expect a potential client to know about you? Most new designers—even some pros—don’t view self-promotion as an option. Many frown upon self-promoting, as it’s bragging and name-dropping. In a way, it’s bragging but to me it’s more about letting people know who I am and what I can do to help them.”

You can read the full article at Bodo: Marketing Your Pro bono Work: It’s All About You

About Bodo
BoDo: Business of Design Online, blogs about the business of design including: starting your own design business (online or off); marketing; dealing with clients; working with printers, photographers, copywriters and other surrounding industries; pretty much anything to help a design business grow.

About Thomas Stephan
Thomas Stephan carries more than a decade of experience in non-profits of various sizes and venues, and has freelanced for the past 5 years in various creative areas including copywriting, web design, custom graphics for print and web and marketing. He has designed for TT Electronics, The Texas State Aquarium, The University of Texas Law School and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, and has written for the Art Museum of South Texas, The University of Montana, Korby Imagery and the United States Navy.

Stephan current position is Director of Communications with the largest non-profit social service agency in the state of Texas, where he manages content on four websites, print design, marketing and public relations for seven satellite offices, three residential treatment centers and three retirement facilities, not including the identity and promotion of five annual fundraisers.

Thomas Stephan can be contacted at dyer9380_at_gmail.com for any wordsmithing.

Labels: BoDo, Calvin Lee, Design, Mayhem Studios, Networking, Press Release, Pro Bono, Social Bookmarking, Thomas Stephan

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, June 09, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

In the past, I have written about Networking and Marketing On-Line with business, design and portfolio web sites along with forums.

Another great way is Social Bookmarking. Social Bookmarking is sharing your content like articles, blog posts, press releases and personal bookmarks on bookmarking web sites. It's a good way to bring more traffic to your web site.

By bookmarking on these web sites. It's the easiest way to get registered on search engines. Search engine spiders crawl all the major bookmarking web sites and will lead to links on your web site.

Another important thing to remember is to include keywords, labels and tags on the bookmarking web sites. Makes it a lot easier for people to find your bookmarked links.

A few resources to Social Bookmarking web sites

+ Digg
+ Del.icio.us
+ Stumble Upon
+ Reddit
+ Design Float
+ Yahoo
+ Technorati
+ Blink List
+ Furl
+ Simpy
+ Spurl
+ Newsvine.com
+ Blog Marks
+ Ma.gnolia

Labels: Blink List, Blog Marks, Del.icio.us, Design Float, Digg, Furl, Magnolia, Marketing, News Vine, Reddit, Self-Promotion, Simpy, Social Bookmarking, Spurl, Stumble Upon, Technorati, Traffic, Yahoo

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, May 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Calvin Lee, Principal and Creative Director of Mayhem Studios, a small award-winning design studio located in Los Angeles, was interviewed by the FreelanceSwitch website written by Kristen Fischer, Self-Promotion Made Easy: An Interview With Calvin Lee. The interview discusses self-promotion and spec work with the designer.

The Studio would like to also thank Jeff Fisher, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives for writing about the Studios FreelanceSwitch interview on his blog, Identity Crisis. It's very much appreciated!

About FreelanceSwitch
FreelanceSwitch is a site for freelancers. Whether you’ve been freelancing for years, have just started or are considering making the switch, this is the place to get all the information and support you need.

About Kristen Fischer
Kristen Fischer is a freelance writer living at the Jersey Shore. She began writing Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs during 2004, after experiencing many trials and triumphs while forming her copywriting business. She released her second book, Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life in Spring 2007.

Labels: Calvin Lee, Design, Design Competition, Design-Awards, Freelance, FreelanceSwitch, Interview, Jeff Fisher, Kristen Fischer, Marketing, Mayhem Studios, Self-Promotion, Spec Work

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, May 12, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Mayhem Studios, award-winning design firm featured in Jamie Freeman's book, 500 Simple Website Hints, Tips, and Techniques. Make Up Media and the Studios' own website design will be included in the book. 500 Simple Website Hints, Tips, and Techniques is currently in book stores.

You may view the table of contents HERE.

500 Simple Website Hints, Tips, and Techniques is a jargon-free handbook on the basics of website design. The book offers advice on planning your site, with an introduction to information architecture, tools, scripting basics, file and image formats, choosing and buying a domain name, and methods of testing websites. Key design aspects, such as colors, typefaces, and rollovers are also explored.

The book includes essential advice on following web standards, ensuring a site loads quickly, achieving a high ranking on search engines, and offers tips on marketing strategies. Once you’ve got a website that works and can be easily found, the book explains the best way to add creative and fun extras, such as Flash animation, movies, audio, blogs, and podcasts.

Jamie Freeman is a website designer and has also written several articles about designing for the web. He currently works for Message, a company that designs and builds websites. He lives in Hove, UK.

Labels: Business, Calvin Lee Design, Jamie Freeman, Make Up Media, Marketing, Mayhem Studios, Promotion, Website Design

Posted by Calvin Lee at Saturday, May 10, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Mayhem Studios is recognized for its logo design work. The Studio' are among the contributing artists, agencies and designers for inclusion in David E. Carter's, The Big Book of Logos 5. The Big Book of Logos 5, a collection of logo designs from around world. 12 logos from the Studio' are among the winning logo designs that will be featured in the book, now available in book stores.

Mayhem Studios clients include Downtown Entertainment, ET Products, Baca Sigala & Associates, Applied Dialing, All Sport, Sports Bar, Dermatologic Laser Institute, Calvin Lee Design and Southeast Student Film Festival are among the logos featured in the book.

Labels: Business, David E. Carter, Design, Logo Design, Marketing, Promotion, The Big Book of Logos 5

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, April 06, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

I'm not a tax expert, please consult a tax professional.

I do have a a few tips on what you can write off. It's basically anything for your business. Make sure to keep all your receipts, just in case you get audited. You can also use credit card statements, credit card sale slips, bank statements, canceled checks, invoices and paid bills as proof.

A Few Samples of What You Can Write Off

+ Hardware/Software
+ Training/Conferences
+ Books/Magazines
+ Subscriptions/Memberships
+ Office Expenses
+ Advertising/Promotions
+ Mileage
+ Web Hosting/Internet
+ Office/Cell Phone
+ Research

A Few Tax Resources

+ The Internal Revenue Service
+ Business Expenses
+ Self-Employment Tax
+ Tax Strategies
+ Hang on to that Receipt!
+ Deductions Your Small Business Shouldn't Miss
+ How to Keep the IRS From Knocking on Your Door
+ The Truth About Receipts for Business Purchases

Labels: April 15, Audit, Expenses, Taxes, Tips, Uncle Sam, Write Off

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, March 31, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

When starting out in your business, it's very important having your logo, business cards or stationery looking professional. It's equally important having forms that help in organizing and running of your business, like a contract or creative brief, which I have talked about in previous posts.

A few resources of free forms to use for your business

+ Creative Business
+ Entrepreneur
+ BoDo
+ AIGA

Labels: AIGA, BoDo, Business, Creative, Design, Entrepreneur, Forms

Posted by Calvin Lee at Friday, February 29, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

The Studios latest blog post, On-Line Copyright Infringement is featured on Create Magazine's February 18th Create Cast, Podcast, Blog Spotlight. The article explains 4 simple things you can do to have work stolen from your site removed.

Be sure to check out Create Magazine's website. It's a great free resource to help promote yourself. Create Magazine gives you many free tools: posting your portfolio, your latest news, blog posts and the opportunity to network with other creatives.

Listen to the Create Cast Podcast now!




The Create Cast
Create Magazine's free weekly podcast, provides interesting interviews with leaders in their particular creative field. The Create Cast is another way for Create to fulfill on our mission to inform, connect, inspire and educate the creative community.

Create Magazine
Provides creative professionals with an insider's perspective on the people, news, trends and events that influence the local advertising and creative production industries. Articles and features, written by local creative leaders and influencers, keep Create readers well-informed about the changing climate of business and competition. The magazine prides itself on not only its content, but also by the way that it is displayed. Create is published bi-monthly and gives creative professionals a great medium for sharing information that facilitates strategic partnerships and career growth within their respective communities.

Labels: Blog, Copyright, Create Cast, Create Magazine, Design, Infringement, Marketing, Podcast, Promotion

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, February 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

If you're on the internet and post your articles/designs for blogs or websites. Sooner or later the work will ripped off and/or even posted on the thieves website and claiming it as their own.

There are 4 things you can do to have the work removed.

1. Send a friendly email to the site owner, requesting the stolen material be removed. Give them a few days to respond. If there is no response, go to the next step.

2. Send a Cease & Desist letter to the site owner with a deadline for removal of the copyrighted material and will be contacting their host if they don't remove the material. If there is still no response, go to the next step.

3. Send a DMCA Violation Removal Request to Google, requesting a removal of the links from the index.

4. Also send a DMCA Violation Removal Request to their host. Under DMCA, they're required to shut down the site, if you've followed the above steps and they have not responded.

Labels: Business, Cease, Copyright, Design, Desist, DMCA, Google, Infringement, Stealing, Thief

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, February 03, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

The Studios' works, Dermatologic Laser Institute Logo, Fagerholm & Jefferson Law Corporation Stationery Design and ET Products Stationery Design are among the winning entries featured in David E. Carter's, American Corporate Identity 2008, Now available in bookstores.

Several hundred creative design firms have work included in American Corporate Identity 2008, ranging from the well known to the up-and-coming. Many trend setting styles have first appeared in this series since its inception, making this book a must-have reference for every corporate identity designer’s bookshelf.

David E. Carter, best-selling editor/author in the history of graphic design books. Since 1972, he has produced more than 100 books; all David E. Carter graphics books are published by HarperCollins of New York City, with distribution in more than 120 countries around the world.

Labels: American Corporate Identity 2008, David E. Carter, Dermatologic Laser Institute, Fagerholm and Jefferson Law Corporation, Graphic Design, Marketing, Promotion

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, January 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Every Christmas over at the HOW Design Forum, we have a Secret Santa gift exchange. It was fun waiting to see what I would receive and from whom.

The Wait Is Over! Thanks Tess, Jasmine and Karma for all the gifts.

• The Creative Business Guide To Running a Graphic Design Business
• Walking Robot Pencil Sharpener
• 9th Wonder Heroes TV Show Tee

Labels: Christmas, Design, Graphic Design, Heroes, Holiday, HOW Design Forum, Promotion, Robot

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, January 06, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

We are shutting down the studio next week for the Christmas holiday and spending some time with family in Vegas! I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe holiday.

Labels: Christmas, Family, Fun, Holiday, Snow, Vegas, Winter

Posted by Calvin Lee at Saturday, December 22, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Most of the time you never get to meet friends you've met on-line. Recently some of us from the HOW Design Forum got together for dinner, drinks and good times.

This is our 2nd annual get together. It was great seeing everyone again from our 2006 get together. I hope we can get together a couple times a year instead of just annually.

Labels: Design, Friends, HOW Design Magazine, HOWie, Networking

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, December 16, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

The Studio unveiled its new Radio Control (RC) Car in their new promotion. We thought it would be fun and cool way to use a custom built Radio Control (RC) Car in our new promotions.

It all started when I gave a buddy of mine, Chris (No.e Studios), 2 iwata airbrushes I never use anymore. As a thank you, he custom painted, decal and built the Radio Control Car for me. I thought that was very cool. Thanks Chris!

Labels: Marketing, Mayhem Studios, No.e Studios, Promotion, Radio Control RC Cars

Posted by Calvin Lee at Saturday, December 01, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Mayhem Studios published in the Nov/Dec issue of Create Magazine, Scoops Section, reporting on the Studios latest accolates. Contributed to an article for Home Business Magazine, 12 logos published in the Big Book of Logos 5 and 3 website designs in 500 Simple Website Hints, Tips and Techniques.

About Create Magazine
First published in 2001, Create Magazine is an award-winning, bi-monthly publication that provides creative professionals with an insider's perspective on the people, news, trends and events that influence the local advertising and creative production industries. With five regional editions nationwide, each issue features articles by local community leaders who are the trusted source for information and commentary on the Advertising, Design, Printing, Photography, Film and Video, Animation and New Media industries.

Labels: Articles, Create Magazine, Design, Home Business Magazine, Marketing, The Big Book of Logos 5

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, November 25, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

These days I do a lot of my networking and marketing on-line. The web reaches more people than any brochure or media kit, with less time and money. The two that really helped me are, on-line networking/directory web sites and posting in forums.

Having a profile/account/portfolio on any free networking sites like Facebook, Linkedin, or Creative Hotlist will get your name out there. Posting on forums will also help to build relations and trust that may bring you potential clients.

That's how Create Magazine contacted me to design their 5 page featured article. I have a portfolio on thier site. After looking at my work. They thought I might be a good fit for the magazine.

Another example, I post on design forums pretty often and have built many relations. As a result, Jeff Fisher, Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, asked me to submit some of my work for his new book, Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands.

Business Networking Web Sites

Biznik
Facebook
Myspace
Linkedin
Jump Up
Zoodango
Start Up Nation
Ziki
Meet Up

Design Networking/Porfolio Web Sites

Design: Related
Creative Hotlist
Create Magazine
Designer ID
Coroflot
Flickr

Design Forums

HOW Design Magazine
Freelance Switch
About.com
Graphic Design Forum

Labels: Graphic Design, Marketing, Networking, Promotion

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, November 05, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Jeff Fisher's latest book, Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, featuring two case studies by the Studio, is now available at your local Borders book stores, Barnes and Noble or online at Amazon.com.

For more information, please visit Identity Crisis Book

About Jeff Fisher
Jeff Fisher, author of the "Savvy Designer's Guide to Success" is the Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. He has received over 550 regional, national and international design awards for his logo design efforts. His work is featured in over 85 books about logos, the business of design, and small business marketing. Fisher serves on the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, and the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council. In addition, Fisher also writes for CreativeLatitude.com and HOW Magazine.

Labels: Case Studies, Design, Identity Crisis, Inspiration, Jeff Fisher, LogoMotives, Marketing

Posted by Calvin Lee at Tuesday, October 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Mayhem Studios logo design for client Calvin Lee Design will be included in David E. Carters next book, Big Book of Design Ideas 3. The book will be released by HarperCollins in late 2007.

Big Book of Design Ideas 3 is an endless stream of fresh design ideas, readers can turn to this reference source containing numerous inspiring examples of fine graphic design for projects of all kinds. The book contains an assemblage of visual concepts from all over the world. Categories include designs for annual reports, books, calendars, catalogs, editorial layouts, exhibits, labels and tags, letterheads, menus, outdoor advertising, packaging, posters, promotion materials, shopping bags, T-shirts, and even more.

With over nine hundred examples culled from the work of leading professionals in every area of the graphic design field, this volume can become a brain-storming partner on a daily basis for professional and students designers alike, and also come to the aid of entrepreneurs, freelancers, restaurateurs, consultants, and anyone else who needs ideas for designing personalized printed materials.

About David E. Carter
David E. Carter is the best-selling editor/author in the history of graphic design books. Since 1972, he has produced more than 100 books; all David E. Carter graphics books are published by HarperCollins of New York City, with distribution in more than 120 countries around the world.

Labels: Big Book of Design Ideas 3, Calvin Lee Design, David E. Carter, Design Competition

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, October 29, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

The Sept/Oct issue of Create Magazine with our 5 page design/layout featured article, "Agency Roll Call," hit news stands. The layout only appears in the West Coast regional issue. I received my copy the other day. It came out looking great!

You can read the article from the downloadable pdf.

Labels: Ad Agency, Create Magazine, Design

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, October 01, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Mayhem Studios is among one of the creatively self-employed contributors interviewed in Home Business Magazine, "How Young Artists, Writers and Other Creative Types Embrace Self-Employment," written by Kristen Fischer, author of "Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs."

It’s inspiring when you hear about people making their dreams a reality. Even more so when they’re doing it before they even turn 40.

You can also download the article HERE (3.91 mb).

When Fischer was promoting her book, "Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Career Ups and Downs," she found that most interviewers were more amazed by her than the 65+ creatives she interviewed. They seemed stunned when Fischer told them that she was 28 when the book was released, and started working on it at 25. She didn’t think it was a big deal at first, but  then realized what a profound thing she had done by writing that book—and how astonishing it was because she hadn’t even hit 30 yet.
 
This led her to become intrigued by others around her age who are doing extraordinary things. It’s hard enough to do it as a mid-lifer, but to do it just out of college or with only a few years of experience in the traditional working world? That is really awe-inspiring! So, how do they do it? And are more people considering this career platform?

For more information, please visit Kristen Fischer's website at www.creativelyselfemployed.com.

About Kristen Fischer
Kristen Fischer is a freelance writer who specializes in creating marketing collateral for a wide array of businesses. After more than three years of working 9-to-5 jobs, she started her copywriting business in 2003. She has contributed to Men's Health magazine, Philadelphia magazine, Skope magazine and College Bound magazine. She lives in Manasquan, New Jersey.

Labels: Creatively Self-Employed, Design, Home Business Magazine, Kristen Fischer, Marketing, Mayhem Studios, Writing

Posted by Calvin Lee at Friday, September 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

There is great article on BoDo, written by author Neil Tortorella, "Building Your Media List." The article is about building your prospects and contacts list. Simple things you can do yourself by checking local newspapers, business magazines and local book stores. Using your contact list to distribute your news and PR.

Mayhem Studios August e-newsletter, which list a few online syndication services is featured in the article as well.

About BoDo: Business of Design Online
BoDo blogs about the business of design including: starting your own design business (online or off); marketing; dealing with clients; working with printers, photographers, copywriters and other surrounding industries; pretty much anything to help a design business grow.

Labels: BoDo, Business, Marketing, Mayhem Studios, Media Press Kit, Neil Tortorella, Newsletters, Press Release, Promotion, Self Employed

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, September 03, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Los Angeles, Calif. – The work of Mayhem Studios, an award-winning Los Angeles-based design firm, will be featured in Create Magazine's Sept+Oct 2007 West Coast issue. The Studio designed the 5-page West Coast regional feature article written by author Jaimy Lee, “Agency Roll Call: West Coast Agencies Purvey The Changing Landscape of The Advertising Industry.”

The article and design showcases local agencies, getting the scoop on what they are up to and their philosophy on the future of the ad biz.

Create Magazine prides itself on choosing talented contributing designers through out the country to represent their region,” says Kristen Schaeffer-Santoni, art director for Create Magazine. “Calvin embodies that sentiment and it was truly a pleasure collaborating with him for the feature. His passion shows through in his work, and his vision adds to the story for an easy and interesting read.

The Sept+Oct issue hits newsstands in September 2007. To find out more, visit Create Magazine at www.createmagazine.com.

About Create Magazine
First published in 2001, Create Magazine is an award-winning, bi-monthly publication that provides creative professionals with an insider's perspective on the people, news, trends and events that influence the local advertising and creative production industries. With five regional editions nationwide, each issue features articles by local community leaders who are the trusted source for information and commentary on the Advertising, Design, Printing, Photography, Film and Video, Animation and New Media industries.

About Jaimy Lee
Jaimy Lee spent nearly two years as a reporter for a local newspaper in San Diego County until she quit her job for five weeks of Eiffel Tower photos, Oktoberfest steins and Roman rainstorms. After returning, she has worked for a freelance writer out of San Diego, contributing to the “San Diego Business Journal,” “San Diego Home/Garden & Lifestyles,” the “San Diego Union-Tribune,” Today’s Local News, Carlsbad Magazine and 944 Magazine. The Point Loma Nazarene University graduate has covered sports, arts, business and hard news and still isn’t sure what her favorite topic is to write about.

About Mayhem Studios
Mayhem Studios is a small, award-winning design firm located in Los Angeles, California, developing identity and brand recognition for the business sector across the nation. The Studio uses strategic and creative design with effective messages targeted to the client's specific audiences to produce identity and branded collateral pieces, annual reports, brochures, logo design, advertising and interactive web sites.

Calvin Lee, principal & creative director of Mayhem Studios is a graduate of Platt College and serves as a member of the Platt College Advisory Board for the Visual Communications Department, NO!SPEC Committee and on the Creative Latitude Management Team.

Labels: Agency Roll Call, Article, Create Magazine, Design, Jaimy Lee, Marketing, October, Promotion, September

Posted by Calvin Lee at Wednesday, August 29, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

I would like to give Jeff Fisher a big Thank You for dedicating a blog post to me and my press release, Identity Crisis! Contributor 'Toots' His Horn. On his blog, Identity Crisis Book. Regarding using press releases to promote yourself.

Jeff's Fisher's blog, Identity Crisis Book is promotion for his next book, Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands, will be released in September 2007, by HOW Design Books.

Identity Crisis!' takes a fresh look at 50 before and after case studies by exploring the process of redesigning existing identities to help businesses refine their image, communicate with customers, and find success.

Readers will get an inside look at the challenges of redesigning identities. They'll see the creative and strategic thinking behind fresh design work as well as have a powerful tool to show clients what a difference a professional can make to their image.

For more information, please visit Identity Crisis Book.

Jeff Fisher, author of the "Savvy Designer's Guide to Success" is the Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. He has received over 550 regional, national and international design awards for his logo design efforts. His work is featured in over 85 books about logos, the business of design, and small business marketing. Fisher serves on the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, and the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council. In addition, Fisher also writes for CreativeLatitude.com and HOW Magazine.

Labels: Design, Identity Crisis, Jeff Fisher, Marketing, Promotion, Redesign

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, August 06, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

When running a business, small or large. At some point, you'll need to write a press release, sales letter or articles for promotional purposes. Hiring a professional copywriter is ideal, but can be very costly. If you enjoy writing and write well, it's a benefit to your business.

A great book on writing for business is "Writing for Design Professionals: A Guide to Writing Successful Proposals, Letters, Brochures, Portfolios, Reports, Presentations, and Job Applications," by Stephen A Kliment.

A few helpful writing tips.

+ Be concise and to the point
+ Write the way you would speak
+ Use grammar/punctuate correctly
+ Spell correctly
+ Keep sentences short
+ Make sense in your writings
+ Keeps things simple
+ Don't use technical babble, it will confuse

Labels: Articles, Press Release, Tips, Writing

Posted by Calvin Lee at Sunday, July 22, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Los Angeles, Calif. July 10, 2007 - Mayhem Studios, award-winning design firm will be featured in Jamie Freeman's book, 500 Simple Website Hints, Tips, and Techniques. Make Up Media, Calvin Lee Design and the Studios' own website design will be included in the book. 500 Simple Website Hints, Tips, and Techniques will be released by RotoVision in 2007.

500 Simple Website Hints, Tips, and Techniques is a jargon-free handbook on the basics of website design. The book offers advice on planning your site, with an introduction to information architecture, tools, scripting basics, file and image formats, choosing and buying a domain name, and methods of testing websites. Key design aspects, such as colors, typefaces, and rollovers are also explored.

The book includes essential advice on following web standards, ensuring a site loads quickly, achieving a high ranking on search engines, and offers tips on marketing strategies. Once you’ve got a website that works and can be easily found, the book explains the best way to add creative and fun extras, such as Flash animation, movies, audio, blogs, and podcasts.

Jamie Freeman is a website designer and has also written several articles about designing for the web. He currently works for Message, a company that designs and builds websites. He lives in Hove, UK.

Labels: Business, Calvin Lee Design, Jamie Freeman, Make Up Media, Marketing, Mayhem Studios, Promotion, Website Design

Posted by Calvin Lee at Tuesday, July 10, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

Los Angeles, Calif. July 2, 2007 - Mayhem Studios, Award-Winning Los Angeles based design firm client, Fagerholm & Jefferson Law Corporation and the Studios' own identity will be featured in Jeff Fisher's next book Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands. Identity Crisis will be released by HOW Design Books in 2007.

Identity Crisis takes a fresh look at 50 before and after case studies by exploring the process of redesigning existing identities to help businesses refine their image, communicate with customers, and find success.

Readers will get an inside look at the challenges of redesigning identities. They'll see the creative and strategic thinking behind fresh design work as well as have a powerful tool to show clients what a difference a professional can make to their image.

For more information, please visit Identity Crisis Book

"It's a pleasure to include the crisp, contemporary design work of Mayhem Studios in 'Identity Crisis!' Calvin Lee's efforts are a great example of a one-person design firm being able to compete successfully with much larger design entities on the international creative playing field."

Jeff Fisher, LogoMotives, author of Identity Crisis! 50 Redesigns That Transformed Stale Identities Into Successful Brands.

Jeff Fisher, author of the "Savvy Designer's Guide to Success" is the Engineer of Creative Identity for Jeff Fisher LogoMotives. He has received over 550 regional, national and international design awards for his logo design efforts. His work is featured in over 85 books about logos, the business of design, and small business marketing. Fisher serves on the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, the UCDA Designer Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, and the HOW Design Conference Advisory Council. In addition, Fisher also writes for CreativeLatitude.com and HOW Magazine.

Labels: Award-Winning, Book, Branding, Corporate Identity, Graphic Design, HOW Design Books, Identity Crisis, Jeff Fisher, Marketing, Mayhems Studios, Promotion, Redesign

Posted by Calvin Lee at Monday, July 02, 2007 | Permalink | Comments

If you have a design question, need a critique or just hanging out in the lounge. The HOW Design Forum is the right place for you. I really enjoy interacting and learning from all the forum members, aka HOWies. It's really fun when HOW members participate in creative projects like the "Our True Colors" HOW Poster.

Jasmine Wabbington was the head honcho on the project with Jroz, serving as project manager. Both amazing ladies rounded up 37 members to participate. The results were amazing!

The poster came out great! Congrats to Jasmine, Jroz and all the HOWies.

Other sightings of the HOW poster were spotted on Jeff Fisher's blog, blog-omotives and Jroz's blog, From The Drawing Board

Labels: Graphic Design, HOW Conference, HOW Forum, HOW Poster, HOWies, Jasmine Wabbington, Jroz, Marketing

Posted by Calvin Lee at Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | Permalink | Comments