our toolbox

10 years ago Billy bought his first computer. It was an Apple imac in graphite and at the time it was pretty cutting edge.

4 years later he picked up an Apple ibook to begin his student years at Chico State.

Sadly, a little over a year later the ibook died and we picked up an Apple MacBook Pro.

Now that we are less than a week until we move into the studio, it's time to upgrade again.

27 inches of pure Apple goodness with customized upgrades. Can't wait for it to get here and to set it up at our new studio! It's fun to see how much technology has changed just in the past 10 years...but that's Apple for you! Always leading the way through innovativeness and plain old good design.

*stock images from google search

our toolbox.

I remember the day Billy came home and said he had to purchase a $300 marker set for school. I thought it was absolutely absurd.

Well. After watching Billy create with these markers, it would be safe to say I have since changed my mind and now view them as a worthwhile investment.

We spent this weekend doing many things including organizing Billy's PrismaColor markers and for the first time ever, purchasing a Sam's Club business membership.

People often asked Billy what kind of discount he got for being a manager at Sam's Club and the truth was he didn't! Sam's club employees get a free membership...so you know...you can actually shop at the store you work at...but that's it!

After a productive and restful weekend we are ready to tackle this week! Happy Monday everyone!

adding to our tool box...

Earlier this month a long awaited package arrived on our doorstep. It was our Pantone color guides and I can not tell you how much easier having these has made controlling the accuracy of colors once we send designs to print.

The Pantone web site states, "The PANTONE COLOR BRIDGE® GUIDES coated and uncoated compare solid PANTONE Colors to their closest possible match in CMYK four-color process that can be achieved on a computer monitor, output device or printing press."

Because it's most cost effective to do process color printing (CMYK) we usually select this print method for our client's print needs.

However, some colors do not translate accurately (like our orange for example) in process color printing or a client will want a specific color carried across the board on all print collateral for cohesiveness (because different print methods, inks, and paper can effect the colors). These guides provide us the codes to have colors printed with the Pantone Matching System to get the controlled result we want.

These guides help us make the most accurate decisions regarding print quality for our clients and we are thrilled about adding them to our "tool box".