Well. That was interesting.
Let’s see a show of hands: Who has a hard time doing work for themselves? I had to rein myself in. It wasn’t pretty.
The hardest part in doing this new website was arranging the work that has come through my door; as a sole proprietor I’ve worked on everything from coffee to tug boats. While putting together the pages for the graphic portion of this new site I felt like I was assembling a folk art, Crazy Quilt.
Having a home office over the years while raising two daughters has been an interesting journey. I have not been afforded the portfolio esthetic of everything looking like I was working for one company… because I wasn’t. The work here also doesn’t all look the same with a few font changes because that’s all I know how to do either.
I was classically trained in drawing, color theory, typography, composition, photography, communications, and everything else afforded to you at an art college. We were taught that you should communicate what is the best for the client, product, or service. It’s something you hone over the decades. For example, just because you’re personally wild about a certain popular graphic treatment trending recently doesn’t mean it’s right for the client that hired you to do the entire exhibit design for an upcoming installment on Poverty with a capital “P.” If you nail it on that job, they come back and ask you to design something for a permanent exhibit on covered wagons and they plaster your artwork all over the walls. Over time you get asked to do a book. And branding. And catalogs. And packaging. All while you’re still raising those awesome kids.
That being said, along with my graphic work, I am really excited to share what I’m currently developing for the surface pattern design industry and children’s picture books. It’s a new wrinkle in how I use my skills and I promise you that that will be 100% Bridget; sort of sassy and a little bit sweet. I’ll keep you posted.
Feel free to send feedback. I’m looking forward to what’s in store.