sugabelly’s Neighborhood

The one sole thing I've been looking forward to this whole year is now pretty much down the drain.
Right now, I just feel so goddamn sad :(

I like where I am right now. I'm pretty comfortable with how my life is. Of course sometimes I want more things in life, but that mainly revolves around money, shoes, bags, clothes and watches. So yeah, I'm happy. And that's a good thing. Duh ;)

Anyway, that aside, baru tengok tumblr Zai, nanti aku pon nak buat cam ang ahahahaha sebab bosannnn kekeke. Ok nanti nanti la. La ni nak tidoq. Byebyebye.

Sebab dah lama tak buat, so it's time to prektis lagi. Tapi sikit ja la and guna balik apa yang aku dah tau without referring to Google that much haha. Agak lame la blajaq through Google. But it's okay. Asai tau la sikit sikit tadak la tebangang bangang sangat nanti ye dok. Haha

Kamek suka menar la nangga design kat internet ya. Mun la kamek ni pandei guna Illustrator menar menar. Yang kamek tau guna pencil tool jak. Sik boleh molah banyak sangat pon. Lukis biasa biasa boleh la. Ya pon sebab kamek ada graphic tablet tu senang nak guna. Iboh ikut la apa kamek buat. Patutnya kamek boleh jak blaja guna tutorial kat intenet ya. Tapi kamek tok malassss gilaaakkkkkkk! Haha. Anyway, kamek suka nangga card designs. Kacak menar la kalo nangga nya kat iDiy site tok. Kamek tauk la ya a site about wedding stuff. Tapi mun dah design nya nang kacak sik salah kan mun kamek cari idea kat sia. Menar sik?

Hari ya kamek nang boring gilak. Asyik main game Facebook yang Word Party tu jak haha. Main sampai lejuk la. Dudi kamek pon bukak la site iDiy ya. Abeh segala macam font kamek donlod haha. Kamek suka cursive fonts. Ha and kamek donlod free templates untuk packaging barang juak. Mun ada event nanti, guna basic shape ya then print jak. Heheh. Iboh la guna design pattern sama. Adjust la. Kadang kadang kamek rasa macam miak paloi sebab kamek sik pandei nak molah design cun cun macam yang kamek nangga kat tenet ya. Nang jeles menar. Haih.

Translation:

Aku suka betui la tengok design kat intenet tu. Kalo la aku ni pandai guna Illustrator betui betui. Yang aku tau guna pencil tool ja. Tak boleh buat banyak sangat pon. Lukis biasa biasa boleh la. Tu pon sebab aku ada graphic tablet tu senang nak guna. Jangan ikut la apa aku buat. Patutnya aku boleh ja blajaq guna tutoral kat intenet tu. Tapi aku ni malaih gilaaaaaaa! Haha. Anyway, aku suka tengok card designs. Cantik betui la kalo tengok kat iDiy site ni. Aku tau la tu a site wedding about wedding stuff. Tapi kalo dah design dia memang cantik tak salah kan kalo aku cari idea kat situ. Betui dak?

Hari tu aku memang boring gila. Asyik main game Facebook yang Word Party tu ja haha. Main sampai jemu la. Pehtu aku pon bukak la site iDiy tu. Abeh segala macam font aku donlod haha. aku suka cursive fonts. Ha and aku donlod free templates untuk packaging barang jugak. Kalo ada event nanti, guna basic shape tu then print ja. Heheh. Jangan la guna design pattern sama. Adjust la. Kadang kadang aku rasa macam budak bodoh sebab aku tak pandai nak buat design cun cun macam yang aku tengok kat intenet tu. Memang jeles betui. Haih.

Panjang plak. Haha ok bye kamek mok tidoq petang sebab bosan bhaiiii. Haha bye!

Write 5 things you'd like to say to 5 different people in your life. There's no need to write any of their names to make it more interesting ;)

1. I love love love you! Cepat la balikkkkk. I cant wait to meet you after one whole year being apart heheh. Cepat balik cepat. Plus, it's much cheaper to call you when you come back ^^;; Luv ya!

2. Congratulations! I cant believe that you're actually getting married so soon! And to think you used to come to school with your zit cream on haha (we went to all girls' school, so it was no biggie anyway XD)

3. You've somehow evolved into the kind of person that you'd once hate. 'Grats.

4.  I like wasting time and talking crap with you when I'm bored. And the talks we had are so "educational"! Hahaha.

5. You can suck my non-existent balls. I wish someone would just beat the shit out of you. You totally suck. I want to shove your crap up your arse.

Ok bye let's tidoq.

Freelance life can be tough. Long gaps between commissions. Accounts departments who just can't seem to find your invoice. Not to mention the ever-present need to get your work seen by the people who count.

Jonny Wan, a freelance illustrator from Sheffield, knows all about that. A graduate of the Manchester School of Art, he's constantly striving to ensure his unique illustrative style (think abstracted facial expressions, patterns, symmetry and hand-drawn lettering) snags the attention of creative directors everywhere – and he does so via Business Cards and Postcards from MOO.

MOO first caught his eye at his university degree show, where he noticed that all the students' cutest promo materials were produced by the same company – MOO! Then we tempted him with a free Business Card sample, giving him a chance to try our ordering software ("simple, logical and gives the user complete control") and evaluate our print quality and finishing ("very pleasing"). Duly hooked, Jonny ordered a set of Postcards and some Business Cards featuring a range of his work, and is preparing to send them off to art directors as we speak.

As an illustrator, working in a visual medium, presentation is very important to Jonny. "I like to make little promotional packs of my postcards and business cards", he says. "I send them out packaged in self-seal clear bags. It's good to put real thought into how the art director receives your promo materials – it's boring to just whack some cards in an envelope."

Like many creative types, Jonny's happiest when he's working, even between commissions. An example of this is his self-initiated "Can't Afford It" project. Whenever he wants an item of clothing he can't afford, he draws it instead! Eventually to be self-published as a book, working like this helps him improve his work rate, hone his Photoshop and Illustrator skills, and keep his unique style fresh and ever-evolving.

No matter how his style develops, MOO's short print runs means that his promotional materials are always in step with his latest work. "As an illustrator, your style is always changing and improving. The last thing you want is to end up with a thousand cards of the same design. You need to keep existing and future clients up to date with your freshest, latest work, because essentially they will hire you based on what they see on your promo material. It's no good for an art director to commission you only to find that your illustrative style has changed or moved on." He laughs. "After all, you wouldn't be happy buying a Jay-Z CD to find a Metallica disc inside, right?"

When designing his cards, Jonny also took advantage of a new feature that allows users to upload images for both the front and the back of the Business Cards. "Anything that gives you more options allows room for creative control – and it's that kind of flexibility that keeps me coming back to MOO. The ability to upload images for both sides of the Business Cards enables you to make the cards completely unique."

"A business card is usually the first point of contact between a new client and an illustrator, so it's important your card jumps out at people while being straight and upfront with your contact details. The fact that the cards can be individual rather than generic also gives a sense of professionalism – people can be impressed that you've put the effort into designing your own cards. A little effort can go a long way."

Jonny's constantly thinking of new ways to promote his work using MOO products. "I love the Stickers – I can see them being a very unique selling point. They're a little different and unexpected, which is beneficial in an industry where everyone strives to promote themselves in a unique way."  

MiniCards appeal to him for the same reason. "MiniCards are great because they get straight to the point and don't take up a lot of space. Art directors get bombarded with samples every morning. They open their mail and have to make snap decisions about what to keep and what to chuck."

"They're more likely to pin a MiniCard onto their noticeboard than, say, a leaflet, because they know it won't take up a lot of space. And if your work's on their noticeboard, they're more likely to bear you in mind when it comes to commissioning. And that's what it's all about!"

Thanks for talking to us Jonny! We look forward to seeing more of your work soon.

Like Jonny's work? He's available for commissions so get in touch, and say hello from us too.