A Series of Unfortunate Events

Many apologies for the missing September issue (and trying desperately not to let the October issue slip.) After many unfortunate events of this past summer, September was particularly special in that my body exploded, illness took me down and my computer had a heart failure. I honestly feel like I'm living in a biblical story. . . Every day I get up and think to myself, "I can't wait to see what's gonna happen today!" Humor aside, I will not be surprised if it starts raining locusts inside my house. Thanks to all of you who gave me much needed support in these past couple of months!

Designarchy is hiring

Designarchy has experimented hiring a couple of designers in the last couple of months for about 10 hours each, but it has been a difficult road due to software incompatibilities and clients’ expectations. We are not giving up! This is a trial and error process. We have now posted an internship opportunity for a production artist at a Bay Area college. We want to be able to expand our client base, meet our deadlines without pulling our hairs and grow at a healthy pace.

Design Spotlight: Untours catalogs

Untours has been a client of mine long before I found out they were Co-op America members! They are an European destination tourism company that is also environmentally and socially friendly. You stay in an apartment instead of a hotel room, and with staff support you immerse yourself in a particular community and have a really unique travel experience. Plus, nearly all profits go to the Untours Foundation dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged people across the globe. Every year we print 3 sets of a total of 290,000 catalogs on 100% recycled paper, which they purchase from a paper company specializing in ordering recycled paper. Since recycled paper can still be a little more expensive than virgin paper, this is a cost-saving solution. Last year Untours sales were up by almost 10%. You can check them out at www.untours.com.

Green Festival in San Francisco

Co-op America and Global Exchange host a unique event every year with dozens of speakers, hundreds of exhibitors and lots more. This year they've extended the festival to three days, from November 10-12th at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center. You can see what's the latest in what green businesses have to offer and get inspired by talking to people and connecting with those that are striving to make a difference. Check out www.greenfestivals.org for more information

Ok, this is not just a design tip, but after losing a buncha files this month, and not having the most up-to-date of everything, I can't stress enough how important it is to backup. Having an external drive is no guarantee ( I have one), but get in the habit of copying your files every night and backing up important documents periodically on CDs or DVDs. If you get a software that does synchronization, you're in good shape too.