Holly Marie Gibbs

I’m posting this to enter a contest offered by MeridaHome at Design For Mankind! I want to win the iPad 2! (and I love Erin’s shoes!). Head on over and enter, because who doesn't want an iPad?

As for where I've been? An update on that is on it's way.

February 26, 06:45 PM

Parcel post

I have to have these. Can you imagine getting something wrapped in such great stuff? I'm already dreaming about what I can send.

The Classics Gifting Kit by knotandbow on Etsy.

February 13, 02:19 PM

For Valentine's Day

I can't stop watching this video! It is so charming and the colors and imagery feel like I'm in an afternoon dream.

January 24, 09:35 AM

Seize the day!

I've been beating myself up about not writing more often, but I have to say that I've been busy doing things I love (not that I don't love blogging, quite the contrary! I just have many loves in my life) and creating and just enjoying myself. So this morning I decided I would just celebrate the fact that I am creating and happy and being productive — and enjoying it all the while. Are you doing what you love, at least a little bit, every day? Life is too short not to enjoy it!

December 25, 11:35 PM

Merry Christmas

What a wonderful, fulfilling Christmas I've had. I'm so very thankful for all of my blessings. Here's hoping that you are all feeling the same way!

Untitled (Let's Get Lost)

December 20, 01:20 PM

The winner is...

We tallied up all of the entries and plugged the total number into random.org in order to determine the winner of TheCre8ive + embracedbabies giveaway, and the winner is:

Stacy Tilton (Mom in Training)!

Congratulations, Stacy! You get to choose a chapstick cozy and a reusable snack bag from the embracedbabies Etsy.com store.

Heather and I both would like to thank everyone who entered the giveaway! It was a lot of fun seeing everyone's favorite items, and we're already thinking about projects and giveaways we can do in the future, so stay tuned!

And, if you didn't win, remember that Heather is offering Cre8ive readers a 10 percent discount at embracedbabies! Just use coupon code Cre8ive10 at checkout.

Have a wonderful holiday, everyone!

December 13, 10:27 AM

Before and After... and a GIVEAWAY!

When I went down to my brother's house for Thanksgiving last month, my sister-in-law Heather prepared me for a project. She runs an Etsy.com shop called embracedbabies, and has been looking for some inspiration to work on some new projects. She needed her work area to be organized because she just wasn't being as productive as she knew she could be in the space. Well, she didn't have to ask me twice! I love an organization project, and I know first-hand how powerful a clean, easy-to-navitage home office and/or studio can be.

I am not, however, someone who can just organize part of a space. No sir. It is all or nothing with me, and if I'm going to tackle a project I'm going to do a complete overhaul. And this is what I was working with:

Needless to say, we had our work cut out for us. We spent the next four hours cleaning, throwing away, organizing, dusting, compartmentalizing, rearranging, and completely overhauling her work space. I know you're dying to see the after, and let me tell you, it's totally worth the wait.

The best part about the whole project was that she has been super productive since we finished! One of the cubbies above her desk was filled with 'items to list,' and since she has a clear inventory on what she needs to post and it's right there, she knows exactly what needs to be done.

So, to celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway from her Etsy.com shop! That's right: We did all of the tough work and you get to reap the benefits!

One lucky winner will receive both a chapstick cozy and a reusable snack bag (you can pick which designs you'd like).

Here's how to enter:

1. Comment on this post with your favorite item from the embracedbabies shop (include a link!).

You can also do one or both of the following (for a total of four entries per person):

2. Become a fan of the embracedbabaies Facebook page. Comment on this post with "I'm a Facebook fan!" and your Facebook name.
3. Follow me on Twitter (@TheCre8ive). Comment on this post with "I follow @TheCre8ive on Twitter!" and your Twitter name.
4. Follow Heather on Twitter (@hgibbs76). Comment on this post with "I follow @hgibbs76 on Twitter!" and your Twitter name.

You can enter from today until midnight on December 19. I'll pick the winner randomly (using random.org) and announce it on Monday, December 20.

AND, in case that wasn't enough, embracedbabies is offering a 10 percent discount to The Cre8ive readers! Just use coupon code Cre8ive10 at checkout. How's that for super awesome?!

November 27, 12:14 AM

Pretty plates

Aren't these dishes from Anthropologie just gorgeous? They make me want to do a breakfast photo shoot.

November 22, 11:02 PM

Working hard.

I just love this illustration, titled 'Hard at work,'by Etsy.com seller blackoutwell.

I'm also loving these:

November 21, 02:44 PM

The holidays are on their way!

I am so excited for the holidays, and I've just ordered the most adorable holiday cards from Eggpress. I can't wait to get them in the mail and send them to my friends and family!

I also can't wait for my return address stamp to come in; it's so cute! I'm going to use it on all of my cards and letters, and I'm going to kick it off with my holiday cards. There were tons of designs to choose from (I ordered mine from Paperwink) and I definitely had a hard time picking one!

November 18, 12:11 AM

Floral fever

I am loving the florals with a hint of preppy/equestrian/librarian/anthropology major that's going on over at EmersonMade. I'll take one of everything, thank you :)

November 17, 01:29 PM

I'm loving Artrise!

Hello there, cre8ives!

I know it’s been a while, but there have been some big changes going on in my life! I started a new job as creative director with educational travel company Holbrook Travel (currently working on getting the website redesign launched; it should be up in 3 weeks!), and have basically been meeting with my new coworkers, learning the ropes and diving right in to several projects. I’ve even taken a trip and attended a conference already. I have to say, I really love what I’m doing with them, and I’ll share more about the things we are doing in a future post.

I did want to take some time to talk to you about a new service I signed up for and have been trying out, called Artrise. My dear friend Erin Everhart, who currently works at 352 Media Group and used to work with me, introduced it to me. It’s a social networking site for creatives, similar to the Behance network, dribbble, and other popular sites. What makes it unique and awesome is that it combines all of the things I love about all of those separate services into one easy-to-use interface. I can post my work and education information in my profile, connect with other users and network (like with LinkedIn), update my connections with what projects I’m working on, and even post images of my projects right there on the website (similar to dribbble and Coroflot). What I love about it is the vast network of users that are on there — everyone from other designers like myself to musicians, actors, singers, painters, and people from a variety of locations and fields. It's also got great listings for art-related jobs and art events.

So, why am I sharing this with all of you? Well, I found it to be a wonderful marriage of all of the functions that sites that I like provide without having to spread my information out over several different avenues. I find the amount of sites, services and networks I am a part of to be somewhat daunting, and they often create a digital ‘noise’ that becomes unbearable. There’s no way I’m going to be ably to fully and effectively utilize all of the services I subscribe to and to monitor what’s going on with each of them. There’s just too much to keep track of! So I’m totally in love with the idea that I can do a ton of stuff in one place, and it’s much more manageable that way. I mean, I can remember to check one site every few days and to keep up with that’s going on there. It’s my digital life, simplified, and I’m all for a little (OK, a lot!) of simplification. The common adage of ‘less is more’ certainly applies here, and I’m so very happy it does.

Want to learn more about Artrise? Sign up! It just went public on Monday. You can also read more about it here, on their ‘About Us’ page.

Happy creating!

I should probably point out that neither of the images I've used in this post are by artists affiliated with Artrise. They're both from Etsy.com (images are linked to their pages) and just happen to be of pretty things that I'm currently digging.

October 15, 01:54 PM

Dream Job :: Marketing/Merch/Swag designer for Veer

I've long been a fan of Veer, ever since I got my first design job and got a look at one of their activity books for creatives. I immediately thought, "Wow! There are people out there who get just as geeky about design, typography and stock photography as I do." And not only do they get geeky about it, they use punny humor, create amazingly fun marketing materials, send me the coolest things I've ever received in the mail and have the most covetable stock art on the interwebz. (No, this isn't a paid plug for Veer. I really do love them that much.)

Most of what I love about them is in the little things: They use a classic type-foundry style in their font promos, they are great at editing down what's going to have an impact and what is just fluff, they've got good taste, they clearly have a good sense of humor.

I'm also a big fan of the merchandise they design. Wouldn't it be great to get to design clothing, home stuffs, portfolios, desktop wallpapers, mugs, etc. for other creatives? You get to talk about things like kerning, FPO, Lorem ipsum, ligatures, serifs, baselines, the pen tool, and white space, all while knowing that not only will your audience understand you, they'll appreciate the message you're getting across. Brilliant.

I can just imagine what working there would be like, too. Constantly being surrounded by people you respect and admire, being urged to think outside of the conventional 'box' that most design falls into, constantly being inspired to come up with witty, meaningful designs that have an impact on people, being encouraged to take chances and risks in the name of doing something amazing... It's like you can almost feel the creative energy that's happening inside this company from the outside. They have fun. They love what they do. They're passionate. I want to be surrounded by that.

Another reason I'd love to work for Veer? They're located in Calgary, Alberta. I've always wanted to live there. It's a creative hub of excitement, and it has seasons! That's more than this Florida girl could ask for.

October 15, 12:54 PM

The future of linking content is here.

I just shortened a link on bit.ly, and went to the link info page to copy it again. When I got there, I noticed this barcode; a new feature to the service.

I thought it was a great chance to try out the barcode scanner app I have on my phone — and lo and behold — it took me to the link I had shortened!

What does this mean? Well, for starters, it was really easy. If I'm reading something and want it to be on my phone, all I have to do is scan this barcode. It's also really cool. Go ahead, try it. Scan this barcode to read about the JetBlue campaign I tweeted about earlier today, and enjoy how wonderful technology has become!

October 15, 12:17 PM

Proust commercial

I really like the play between type, colors and illustration that's happening in the Proust promo commercial.

An Introduction To Proust.com from Proust on Vimeo.

October 13, 09:32 PM

Dexter posters

Have you seen these posters over at Mattson Creative? Because they're perfect, and I want them all.

October 06, 04:00 PM

Are you listening, Gap?

The design community is all abuzz about Gap's logo redesign, and the overwhelming majority of people seem to really dislike it.

I have to say, I'm not impressed, which is hard for me to admit. I've been shopping at Gap since I was a child, and I've traditionally loved everything they've done. I'm also a fan of iconic Helvetica. In fact, I even tweeted about some 1969 promotional signage they did that — in my opinion — was really successful.

So why doesn't this one work? It's that square. It's so oddly placed, and doesn't feel like it makes any sense. I think the logo would be much more successful without it. Plain, and possibly nothing to write home about, but leagues better than it is now. And, honestly, part of what I like about the Gap is the simplicity — if I'm ever looking for wardrobe staples, timeless pieces, or trendy items that will last past this season, that's where I go. That's what their logo should reflect.

And, I've got to say, I'm sure they paid a pretty penny for that logo. But it's just not working. I hope they're listening to what people are saying.

September 29, 08:36 PM

Ferm Living love

I came across this site the other day over at newly-launched Rue magazine and haven't been able to stop visiting. It's the site of Ferm Living, and their wallpapers, textiles, wall decals and children's toys are just perfect. The textures, patterns, colors and slightly nerdy wares have me dreaming about designing my own line of wallpapers and fabrics one day. I think my favorite ones are the mushrooms and the leaves. They are just so perfect.

I just can't get enough. Not only are the products beautiful, but the styling is just spot-on. It makes me want to redecorate my entire apartment. Isn't it just inspiring?! I even love the stuff for kids.

I really did try to pare down my selections to my absolute favorites, but I just couldn't. Everything was so great.

I'm really loving the typography on this laundry bag. I've long believed that even things like laundry bags deserve to be beautiful. If anything, something boring and mundane like doing laundry can be just a little cheerier if you've got something beautiful to look at.

Can't get enough, like me? Check out their blog, with fresh posts. My favorites are the ones where they show their wallpapers in people's homes. It makes the idea of wallpapering seem less ominous.

September 18, 03:06 PM

Currency redesign

I love some of the entries for U.S. currency redesigns! They looks so cool. Here's a article on the competition.

September 17, 05:42 PM

Anthology magazine is here!

I have been SO excited about the arrival of Anthology magazine; I can't believe I missed the big announcement on the 12th. If you haven't heard of Anthology, you need to check out their website as soon as possible. As in, click over there now, silly!

And, to give you a taste here are some amazing photos from their blog:

They also created a super cute stop-motion video, which I'm going bananas over. How great are her tights?

Print Is Not Dead from Anthology Magazine on Vimeo.

September 13, 06:39 PM

Dream job :: Designer for FAME

I'm starting a new series, called Dream Job. I'll be talking about the companies that are on my list of dream jobs, as well as why they're on that list and what makes the ideal work environment for me.

There will be a few companies that won't be any surprise (coughChronicleBookscough), and a few that I've kept under wraps but have secretly been pouring over and bookmarking the work of for years. Part of the reason I'm sharing them is because I want to inspire other people to think about their dream jobs and why they would love to work them. I'm a firm believer in working towards whatever goals you may have, and I try to do at least one thing every day to help me get closer to whatever goals I may have. My blog is one of the way I try to reach my goals; I use it as a tool to hone my eye for design as well as a source for inspiration — I often come back and look through my archives when I'm working on a project to see what types of things have caught my eye and to look for ideas for new projects.

So, without further adieu, I present my first dream job: I'd love to be a designer for FAME, a group of extremely talented branding, promotions, and advertising professionals who crank out some amazing work. And it's not their rock-star client list (including Target, Time Warner Cable, Select Comfort, La-Z-Boy, etc.) that caught my eye; it's an attention for design, an always-fresh color palette, a true harness on typography, a love of letterpress and an overall feeling that the work they produce is meaningful, meticulous and lasting.

You can tell their designers are having fun from looking at the work they're producing. It's modern without being trendy, it's vintage without being dated, it's minimalist without being stark, and it's the perfect blend of design and function. Because, let's face it, design for design's sake usually doesn't work, and neither does utility without good design. The two have got to meet somewhere in the middle. This team has found that middle ground, and is quite cozy there, thank you very much.

What first drew me in was the website. Like any good and effective website, it made me want to poke around a little. Granted, I'm a sucker for shiny things, but all it takes is a little bit of allure — just enough to get someone to click to the next page — and your website is a success, generally speaking. It doesn't hurt that the site is easy to navigate, filled with tons of beautiful work, and — what I liked best about it —a little sassy.

It was all admiration from there. I started looking at their work and drooling over every project. I'm not even exaggerating. The designs created by their team are just unbelievably refined and perfectly tweaked. My favorite part is that almost all of them have that little gem; that tiny little aha! element that makes you glad you took a closer look. Here are some of my favorites from their portfolio:

My favorite project, however, is the branding for Pastrami Jack's. And while the restaurant might not be in business anymore, the design for this project is certainly memorable.

September 09, 06:22 PM

The study of hair accessories

Aren't these just gorgeous? They're the first of a line of hair accessories that ban.do will now be selling in Anthropologie stores! I love their hair accessories, and Anthro is one of my favorite stores. They have similar aesthetics, so I'm not surprised that these two companies paired up.

September 02, 07:32 PM

Fashion + Fiction

You know how exciting it is when you discover one of your favorite designers is designing a collection for one of your favorite stores (like when Liberty of London and Orla Kiely did their collections for Target) or when one of your favorite actors is starring in a movie based on one of your favorite books (hello, Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love!)? Well, that's kind of how I felt when I found out that Kate Spade was designing clutches inspired by great literary classics — The Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, and The Importance of Being Earnest. They're just adorable. And literary. And I love them.

And here they are:

And, if you can't get enough (or if you can't afford the clutches), you can get one of the clutch-inspired wallpapers from the site, as well. They're super cute, and I possibly have one on my desktop right now.

September 01, 04:57 PM

For the love of mail

I love getting mail. There's something about opening my mailbox and seeing a letter addressed to me that just makes me all giddy. Especially if it's handwritten — I'm always eager to see what's inside, what someone has taken the time to send me via post instead of electronically.

It's because of that love that I recently send out change of address postcards to my family members and friends across the country. I'm hoping it inspires them to send me something in the mail!

August 29, 01:42 PM

Kodachrome Lovely

I just ran across this video, which was from a 1922 Kodak Kodachrome film test. It's just beautiful.

Video found on Chateau Thombeau.

Blog :: thecre8ive.blogspot.com

Updates

@noelness That's what my mommy always said! :)

17 hours ago from Twitter for Mac | Reply, Retweet, Favorite
@noelness As opposed to goggles on my forehead, which was the cool way to wear them for like a week.

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@noelness Mine was "most unique," which is basically the same thing. I took my photo with googles on my eyes.

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@miked_up I know, but the wrong has now been righted. And it was delicious.

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I'll be eating my first Burrito Bros. burrito today. I know. #forshame

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@NadiaNB They had better get it! Happy Friday, love!

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@NadiaNB I blame the Twitter robots.

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"Don't be afraid to listen to your heart + intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want 2 become. Everything else is secondary."

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You are naturally creative, and you should let your ideas fly. Strive for self-efficacy + creative confidence. http://t.co/vBgFCpzB

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Ian Hickson's life policies: http://t.co/yWSyDNne

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I love this post by @zeldman. http://t.co/f8P66ouH

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@GreggyBennett Game of Thrones!

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I love this suitcase at the @holbrooktravel front desk! http://t.co/dvapPQmv

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@noelness @magzalez Ahaha, that's so funny, I thought the same thing! I went to elementary school with three girls named Daenerys.

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@kylesteed Oh man, I saw that post you had earlier that was plastered with them.

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@BeParticular Yes! So far "A whole pint of ice cream sounds like a great dinner." is my fave. I can't stop clicking!

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Holly Gibbs

Creative Director and Marketing Coordinator at Holbrook Travel

Graphic Design | Gainesville, Florida Area, US

Summary

I am a graphic designer who has worked in marketing and branding as well as in the magazine and book publishing industries.

Specialties: graphic design, branding and identity, environmental marketing, corporate responsibility, magazine design, pre-press, 4-color process, HTML, multimedia

Experience

Oct 2010 - Present
Creative Director & Marketing Coordinator / Holbrook Travel

I was hired at Holbrook as Creative Director and soon moved into the Marketing Coordinator position, as well. I developed a five-year marketing plan for the company, as well as a comprehensive budget for the marketing department based proportionally on revenue streams. I developed an e-mail marketing and social networking strategy, a corporate blog, an internship program and oversaw the launch of the company’s website redesign. I also directed the marketing strategy for conference attendance and updated the company’s booth and collateral materials. I worked with printers to reduce print collateral costs and increased ordering and inventory efficiency.
May 2008 - Present
Freelance Graphic Designer / various companies

I do graphic design for whomever enlists my services.
Jun 2008 - Present
Freelance Graphic Designer / The Cortina Agency

I design graphics, posters, logos, business cards, web sites, e-newsletters, flyers, tee shirts, advertisements and a variety of other collateral for the agency's clients.
Jul 2010 - Present
Production Assistant / University Press of Florida

I prepared artwork for press, including digital and print photographs, slides, illustrations, line drawings, transparencies, scans, and an array of other media. I also prepared books to be sold for digital readers, including transferring PageMaker files to Postscript files, combining PDFs, bookmarking and linking text, and applying settings specific to eBooks.
May 2010 - Present
Web Design intern / 352 Media Group

I'm learning how to design for the Web and getting more practice with coding Web sites.
Mar 2009 - Present
Lead Designer / Atlantic Publishing Group Inc.

I design the interiors and exteriors of books for print. I also do all pre-press, photo correction and prepping, and am the resident Mac guru.
2004 - Present
Summer Journalism Institute / University of Florida

I have been a camp counselor and design teacher at the Summer Journalism Institute every summer since 2004. I also design the branding for each year's camps, including tee shirts, brochures, name tags, registration signs, door signs, etc.
May 2008 - Present
Lead Designer / The Florida Engineer

I helped re-design the alumni magazine for the College of Engineering at the University of Florida. I also worked in the marketing and communications office, where I helped with campaigns, designed print collateral, worked on the Web site, wrote stories and produced interactive media (SoundSlides, podcasts, etc.) and also performed typical office duties (database management, mailing lists, etc.)
Jan 2008 - Present
Art Director / Orange and Blue magazine

Graphic design, concept, branding and art and photography direction for the University of Florida's College of Journalism and Communication's student-run lifestyle magazine.

Education

2003 - 2008

University of Florida

Bachelor of Science in Journalism - Magazine design and management

Activities: Get Carded Marketing Director, Summer Journalism Institute counselor
1999 - 2003

Coral Shores

HS Diploma in General