Over the past few months we’ve been getting up with the roosters to tend to the farm. Well, OK, not really, but sort of. We’ve had the privilege to get to update the interior of an IFA (Intermountain Farmers Association) store based in Utah, who to date, used only customer service or hand written signs to guide a customer within their stores.

Our first step was deciding on the floor fixture layout to group like inventory within areas, as well as to consider challenges such as forklift maneuverability in restocking, and important items in prominent areas. Then came designing a wayfinding system for the store that was both interchangeable to the shifting floor inventory, as well as being visitor friendly but held visual appeal.

In the above image, you see our original conceptual as provided to the client. Our thinking: IFA has had a long history, adapting and growing each era with the changing times. In a new period of growth, now seemed like an appropriate time to celebrate, honor and embrace their heritage by using visual cues of nostalgic period typefaces, color stories and natural materials to evoke an air of nostalgia for reminding their visitors of both IFA’s authentic roots that began in 1923, and a throwback to simpler times. In an impersonal digital age, this nod to years gone by will set them apart from competition yet welcome their guests to take part in their history

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My friend Shirley, changed my life a few weeks back. She turned me on to a handy internet utility called Google Reader. (It’s free!) Before being hipped, I lived in the internet Dark Ages; I had dozens & dozens & dozens of design, food, tech & culture Blogs bookmarked, but it was always an every day reminder and all day commitment to stay on top of checking each & every one of them for updates to get my inspirational fix.

In steps the aforementioned Google Reader, and now, I have all of the sites I want to follow in one handy place.

In the image above, note on the left side, there are titles of the sites in my “subscriptions”. The light blue means that site hasn’t updated since I last viewed it. The dark blue means it has updated since my last view session, and tells me with how many posts. I can click on the entire folder (such as DOE Family) as in my above example, to see all updates within that particular folder, or I can click on only individual websites. Whatever you click on, the update will appear on the right side and you simply keep scrolling down until you’ve caught up.

Add new sites at any time, “unsubscribe” when you want to move on, or use the title of the site to go directly to the site to view. Time is precious and any time I find a tool in efficiency, my insides tingle. This is one of my top 2 of the year, thus far…Very intuitive to use (I didn’t need a tutorial to figure it out!) and bonus-it can be accessed from any computer.

Here’s to all reading the Skip Report out there-Hope you had a safe & fantastic 4th of July, full of amazing memories & lots of good eats & drinks. The above spread shows what yumminess can still be created on ‘no notice’ and determination-because I thought I had no plans for the day and therefore wasn’t prepared for a get-together. But in the late afternoon, a few people came together in my kitchen and created magic with what was in the fridge (and believe me, as can be attested, there is generally very little in my fridge!). The lesson-let pressure & spontaneity bring out your creativity, even in the kitchen!

taking a break from slow illustrator. ten minutes to open/twenty minutes to save/thirty minutes total time of bah!

additionally. illustrator has chosen to crash approximately three hundred and thirty two times. it makes it hard to get mad anymore. you just become borderline suicidal. 

if you can’t tell by the illustrator rant, we have been continuously cranking on creative concepts and crap for our lovely clients who need to take a hint on time (via this blog) in concern to their own ridiculous timelines and deadlines. (sidenote: in no way, shape or form is this blog meant to be intentionally mean)

in the midst of it all we are welcoming a new intern Kate. thus far she has been exposed to a dead squirrel on his on board of driftwood. ironically the piece of taxidermy is related to one of our projects. she has also exposed to multiple words that when written have asterisks in them followed by exclamation points (ie F*CK!!!!)

with those words WELCOME KATE.

and per jynn’s best advice: you get a lunch break. so take advantage of it.