Special thanks to Lettercult for adding my name to the terrific list on their “Letter Makers” page. I’m very honored to be included on there with so many talented letterers and designers!

We’re happy to announce our latest packaging project for Rich’s Farm Fresh Eggs – and would like to thank The Dieline for including it on their blog. The Dieline is the most comprehensive packaging blog that provides the world’s best packaging design. They also provide the packaging design community with a place to review, critique and stay informed of the latest design projects and industry trends.

This is my submission for the “To Resolve Project”. You can check out other submissions and learn more about the project at www.toresolveproject.com. I chose to keep it simple. When I noticed a typo on the template, it didn’t take very long to decide what I was going to do more of in 2012 – Fix more typos! It’s a simple as that. Happy New Year!

We’re pleased to sponsor December’s AIGA Philly’s Pop-Up Happy Hour. Come on out Friday, December 9th at 6pm to 3potato4; this month’s Pop-Up venue. It’s part of a series of informal social happy hours, held every month, at non-traditional places. 3potato4 is located at 376 Shurs Lane, Building A in Philadelphia, PA. Co-sponsored with HERE Snowboards.

I was recently asked about the topic of design certification by a Philadelphia University student of mine. I supplied her with my thoughts and want to share them with you as well. Her questions and my answers below:

1.  Do you think the graphic design profession would benefit from a voluntary certification system? Perhaps. Only if it were a certification process that shows a designer is properly trained to perform quality design. A voluntary process – not so much.

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2.  Why do you think that graphic design certification does not exist in the United States? I’m really not sure. Probably due to the fact that the average person doesn’t know what design is – whether it’s good/certified design vs. bad design.

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3.  If certification was to occur should it be done through an existing body such as the AIGA?  Or some other option/quango? Yes – probably through AIGA. I’m currently not a member of AIGA, but they are definitely the go-to authority for designers and are the appropriate advocators of the design field as a whole.

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4.  Would certification help a graphic designer advance in their profession? Why or Why not? Maybe. It really depends on what the certification is telling the audience – or the public. There should be different levels or categories.

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5.  Do you believe that certification is a way to measure talent or creativity? Again, it really depends if there are specific categories – like a checklist. One of my favorite designers, James Victore, is self-taught. He’s certified in my book because he thinks conceptually and can design really well. Would he certify as a college design graduate holding a design degree? No.

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6.  What do you think would happen if all graphic designers became certified? The same thing as if there weren’t any certification. It wouldn’t mean anything. It’s like if you design for ALL audiences, you’re really designing for none. It becomes generic and meaningless.

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7.  What are your personal opinions on graphic design certification? What do you feel are the pros and cons? It could be good. There is definitely much potential. I never really thought about it until this interview to tell you the truth. Therefore, I must applaud you for picking such a topic. It’s a very interesting thing to discuss and research further.

I am participating in an upcoming exhibition called Penmanship that is part of Design Philadelphia. It features many talented local designers.

“A man’s penmanship is an unfailing index of his character, moral and mental, and a criterion by which to judge his peculiarities of taste and sentiments.”

—Philip Dormer Stanhope, Man of Letters

Penmanship, the exhibition, is a product of this idea—the idea that ones penmanship is a window into his or her character.

The opening reception is Thursday, October 13th from 7-9pm at the Vox Populi gallery and runs through October 23rd.

Vox Populi, The Aux, 319 North 11th Street #3, Philadelphia, PA. Come and check it out!

On Wednesday, September 28th, 2011, I put on my first design lecture event and invited Aaron Draplin from Portland, Oregon to fuel the fire of 150+ East-coast creatives. We had designers attend from Philadelphia, Reading, Bethlehem, State College, Baltimore, NYC, New Jersey, Delaware and Chicago. Thanks to everyone who came out and/or helped support the event! Images by Sam Fritch Photography.

Just about one week to go until Aaron Draplin of the Draplin Design Company tells his “tall tales” right here in Philadelphia. Come on out to the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia on Wednesday, September 28th. Lecture begins at 6pm followed by questions, merch, and hanging out. Tickets can be purchased here: http://draplinphillylecture.eventbrite.com