Team Gravity does the Warrior Dash.
Mud, Sweat, and Beers.

July 18th, 2011 § 0

gwarriors-dash-it-all

Dateline July 16, 2011. North Bend, Washington:  3.5 miles of mud, beer, fire, mud, tires, walls of rope, walls of…well…walls, sweat, tutus, mud, capes, bananas, barbed wire, boas, kilts, beards, mud, dogs, music, turkey legs, determination…and did I say mud? The graviteers took it all on with style and grit and mud. Check out the video here. And don’t forget to turn up the sound.

Video stars Team Gravity: Kirk, Brijean, Lindsay, Huy, Carla, Sean, Sarah, Mateo, Jessie, Merrie and Pedro.

team gravity

more-mud

trio-backs

-Barbara Combs

Reprise: Top 3 Interview Blunders you can easily avoid

December 3rd, 2010 § 1

dontscrewup

Now that we’re interviewing for a new designer, I’m reposting this article from last year in hopes it helps our candidates and any others out there looking for the perfect design job:

Congratulations! You have now actually secured an interview for a design position. The competition was fierce, but you studied their qualifications carefully, spelled the word stationery correctly and didn’t respond to the question: “How big was the last department where you worked?” with the answer “Three stories.” (an actual response from someone’s application).

Of course there are lots of things you should remember to do when you bring your precious book in for a portfolio review:
• DO be on time for the meeting.
• DO wear good shoes. (Really. Cool shoes are the new skinny glasses).
• DO post your work in an online portfolio so the agency you’re interested in can easily browse your work and resumè.
• DO bring business cards to leave behind.
• DO research the place and the kind of work they do so you can not only tailor your book accordingly but speak intelligently about their projects.
• DO send a follow-up note or another small collection of samples with a personal comment that will help them remember you.

All good DOs. But today we’ll elaborate on three DON’Ts that have happened all too frequently over the past millenium that I’ve been interviewing designers. The following are actually pretty easy to get right and I hope they help your next portfolio review go swimmingly.

» Read the rest of this entry «

Reprise: “I’m great with the pubic”
and other resumè blunders to avoid

November 30th, 2010 § 0

turquoise-puggi-art

(This is a reprint from earlier in the year): Right now, we’re in a search for a new designer at Gravity and once again, I’m reminded how important it is to proof your work. PROOF YOUR WORK, PEOPLE! Whew, had to yell for a minute there. Design is a detailed profession. Get the details right or you look less than competent.

The truth is, you don’t stand much of a chance to get to the interview stage, much less get hired, if you make dumb mistakes on your cover letter or resumè. The following tips are just a few things I expect in a qualified designer candidate and hope they help you polish your profile and portfolio:

» Read the rest of this entry «

Doggy Style.
Coolness for your canine.

July 30th, 2010 § 1

mutt moddy doggy

If you’ve ever visited the culture section on our website, you may have noticed that we are very much into dogs. That’s Bailey, Kirk’s dog on the site. Barb even used a pug in three of her blog illustrations. Take Your Dog to Work Day is not just a yearly event at Gravity—it’s every Tuesday and Thursday. We even have clients who schedule their meetings on those days alone.

gravity bailey

Recently I have been fortunate enough to have a couple of my dog house designs (Mutt and Moddy Doggy) featured on the popular dog blog, Dog-Milk. Moby is pictured in the first image. I haven’t been to a lot of these pet-focused blogs but am discovering how popular they are. It’s cool to see how much designers love to make products for their pets. I am tickled with the humor and the cleverness of the things they come up with. Here are few of my favorites:

gravity-blog-dog-houses
Magis Dog House (top left) – I loved this even before I started designing furniture. The Magis Dog House was one of the first ones out there and a definite inspiration.


One of Barb’s favorites from Straight Line Designs (top right). She wants to get one for Moby.


Simple is always the best. I really like this one by Archimania (bottom row).

The funniest toys I have ever seen:

gravity blog Humunga

Humunga Tongue Toy and Humunga Stache Toy


Thanks to Jaime Derringer at Dog-Milk for all the great finds.
-Jesse Doquilo

Celebrating 20 years of the Web

June 30th, 2010 § 0

Blog-graphic

“…at the end of 1990, a revolution took place that changed the way we live today.”

Even though there is no virtual yardstick to measure advances made within the World Wide Web, there is no doubt it has come a long way.

Blog-pull-image1

In 1990, a physicist, Tim Berners-Lee finalized a proposal to build a “Hypertext project”  as a “Web” of “hypertext documents” to be viewed by “browsers”. Or, in other words, a common information space in which we communicate by sharing information. Originally it was created to allow physicists to track each other’s progress. The idea was that people working in different places could learn what each other was doing by looking at a hypertextual document set up on a computer that could be accessed through the Internet.

What would this new browser be called? The Mine of Information and The Information Mesh were two names considered. When they settled on a name in May 1990, it was the World Wide Web. Can you imagine using the alternative, “Just surfin’ the Mesh”? » Read the rest of this entry «

A passion for modern:
Type, furniture, and home remodel

June 16th, 2010 § 0

x lounge

As a graphic designer for the past 25 years I have an appreciation for all aspects of design and how it integrates into my life. There are two things that I have identified that I am very passionate about – typography and mod furniture.

The two came together around five years ago. My artist wife Laura Zeck and I remodeled two houses and a condo during that time. We gradually got better at being handy and gained lots of confidence with power tools. Our last endeavor was a former gang/crack house that was a massive 4500-square foot, four story mansion built in 1904.

The house needed major renovation at every level. For instance, when we moved in there was no kitchen and a barely-working toilet. There was so much space to redesign and fill that we decided to take a shot at making some of our own furniture. » Read the rest of this entry «

Battle for the Internet: HTML vs. Flash

May 19th, 2010 § 0

FlashDebateAt Gravity we’re  slooooowly starting the process of doing a major update to our own website. We love our current site and we get so many compliments on it that sometimes it’s hard to think of changing it, but the reality is times are a’changing and sites based in Flash (like ours) are becoming something of the past.

Just as we’re contemplating the use of Flash in our own site, the tech world as a whole is also in a huge debate over the role of Flash. Apple has made a strong stand against using Flash on the iPhone and iPad, and Adobe is trying its best to fight back.

Here are a few articles I’ve been reading that will help you get up-to-date on the current debate:

Thoughts on Flash by Steve Jobs

We Heart Choice (Apple’s response to Steve Jobs)

Adobe, You Brought An Advertisement To A Gun Fight

Flash, iPad, Standards

Why It’s Not A War, And Why Flash Won’t Die

-Brijean Brennan

Top 3 Interview Blunders to Avoid

May 10th, 2010 § 3

dontscrewup

Congratulations! You have now actually secured an interview for a design position. The competition was fierce, but you studied their qualifications carefully, spelled the word stationery correctly and didn’t respond to the question: “How big was the last department where you worked?” with the answer “Three stories.” (an actual response from someone’s application).

Of course there are lots of things you should remember to do when you bring your precious book in for a portfolio review:
• DO be on time for the meeting.
• DO wear good shoes. (Really. Cool shoes are the new skinny glasses).
• DO post your work in an online portfolio so the agency you’re interested in can easily browse your work and resumè.
• DO bring business cards to leave behind.
• DO research the place and the kind of work they do so you can not only tailor your book accordingly but speak intelligently about their projects.
• DO send a follow-up note or another small collection of samples with a personal comment that will help them remember you.

All good DOs. But today we’ll elaborate on three DON’Ts that have happened all too frequently over the past millenium that I’ve been interviewing designers. The following are actually pretty easy to get right and I hope they help your next portfolio review go swimmingly. » Read the rest of this entry «

“I’m great with the pubic”
and other resumè blunders to avoid

April 22nd, 2010 § 0

turquoise-puggi-art

Right now, we’re in a search for a new designer at Gravity and once again, I’m reminded how important it is to proof your work. PROOF YOUR WORK, PEOPLE! Whew, had to yell for a minute there. Design is a detailed profession. Get the details right or you look less than competent.

The truth is, you don’t stand much of a chance to get to the interview stage, much less get hired, if you make dumb mistakes on your cover letter or resumè. The following tips are just a few things I expect in a qualified designer candidate and hope they help you polish your profile and portfolio: » Read the rest of this entry «

Retail = Rebuild

April 5th, 2010 § 0

030610a_headerThough the devastating earthquake struck over two months ago, Haiti is barely beginning to rebuild and will need aid for years to come. There have been many calls for donations, especially through organizations such as the Red Cross, but you can also support the recovery effort just by shopping.

The Haiti Poster Project has launched what they describe as a “collaborative effort by the design community to help effect change through our work. Signed and numbered, limited edition posters have been donated by designers and artists from around the world. All money raised will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.” Browse the stunning collection here.

030610b_haitiposters

» Read the rest of this entry «

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