I have, this fall semester, the exciting opportunity of becoming part-time/adjunct faculty at the University of Dayton’s Department of Visual Arts. For one class, two afternoons a week, I will be teaching a Computer applications-design class. I am very excited and a bit nervous at the same time. It’s my first time teaching, and at a college no less. This ‘fear’ is to be expected right? I do have a bit of experience in teaching a few lessons here and there, to teenagers in a youth group for which I volunteer, but this will be new to me.

I do believe talking and working with my youth group kids has given me decent experience talking in front of people, maybe even toughened my skin a bit, seeing as how—well, you know how teenagers can be! I trust that college students are bit more focused. Lets hope I’m right!

All jitterbugs aside I am very excited to be teaching about four of my industry’s design programs of which I’m very passionate. In this class I will be covering the basics and essentials of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and just a touch of Dreamweaver.

I have already started to go over my lesson plan/structure, and can tell you right now I have to continually remind myself about keeping it to basics. There is just SO MUCH! I wish I had time to share it all with them.

Those of us who know these programs are probably already raising an eyebrow, or both, at the idea of covering the four of these programs in one class/semester. I will definitely be sticking to the basics, but know I’ll find time to share a trick or two along the way. My goal is to give them a good foundation on the interface, tools and palettes, along with decent knowledge of select essential features for each program.

Classes start August 26th. Wish me luck!

As I was checking my feeds a couple days ago and I find an interesting yet scary blog title, “Save Jon Engle”. Designer ripped off and sued for $18,000 over his own artwork!” Wow I thought without even reading into the blog, that has to be one of the worse designer/artist nightmares I can think of.
Here is the link to Jon’s original post but you might not get through right now as his server is down due to overload.
As I read his article about how he was not only ripped off, but being pursued over his own artwork I felt my blood boiling. My brain was going a million miles an hour thinking about how I need to protect myself, what I would do etc. As I read comments on the blog I was amazed at the support he was getting after only a couple days. To be honest since I ready this plea for help a couple days ago it has been festering in the back of my mind. How could this happen? I know life sucks sometimes and our legal system is more than corrupt at times as well but this is nuts!
To my surprise and almost relief I ran across another article on this subject that I believe is possibly shedding light on this matter.
I feel somewhat assured that I can now drop my torch and hop off of the Jon Engle support wagon as that last article seems to expose a bit more on this story. I plan on keeping an open fair mind for now, as I dont feel it has been revealed for sure who is right here. It is apparent that someone is lying big time! All I know is that for designers and myself alike, I want justice served.

A few months ago I received an email with a request to join a creative network called PNW (Premium Network Worldwide). PNW is an invitation only community that Selects, Integrates and Showcase global creative talent to art directors, commissioners, publishers and employers worldwide. They are fairly new but seem to be growing. I was thrilled to be asked to join as the site seems to have a lot going for it.

In January I was selected as Artist of the month and interviewed which was also a thrill. (Interview)
I can also be found on most of your most popular creative networks as well. Some include: Coroflot, Deviant Art, Behance, LinkedIn and then of course PNW. If you are an artist, writer, or illustrator and designer like myself, I encourage you to check out PNW. You can go to their site and request an invite. It Never hurts to keep working at getting your name out there, I know that has been one of my marketing motos. You never know who could run across you at the right time. Of course that is what Networking is all about.

Welcome to the official website of Link Creative. and Thank you for stopping by. Finally after many long hours of hard work and lots of code cramming, the site is finally up and running! As a small introduction, Link Creative is the Illustration and graphic design work of me, Lindsey Kellis Meredith. I would go on but it is all covered throughout the site. I wont spill the beans here! I encourage you to check out my work on the Portfolio page. If you are interested in my work please feel free to contact me via the information found on the Contact page. If you have time check out some of my previous blogs that showcase some of my other work, or contain my rambles about my passion for design and illustration. I plan on keeping the blogs rolling so always remember to check back soon.

I would like to add, I am not a professional web designer but I am proud to say that I not only designed but built this site myself. I really got my hands dirty and pulled out a few hairs learning to write the code (HTML, CSS). I do need to throw out a couple of special thanks. First goes to my buddy Michael at Cajebo design, and second to those who helped me out at CSS-tricks.com. Thank You!
A true professional web designer may look at my code and cringe, but it works and I am happy. I do need to share that there is one glitch that I know of in IE6 with the navigation and I have exhausted my option to fix it without comprising the design and its functionality in better browsers. I let it go for now. I apologize to those of you using IE6 but will use this as an opportunity to encourage you to upgrade or switch to much better browser like FireFox

Thanks again for visiting and I look forward to hearing from you with any questions, feedback, or if you just want to say hi.

Every project from Link Creative has a thorough creative process with essential steps. I like to share an overview of this process with prospective clients as it can be very informative and beneficial. Some steps may vary from one project type to another but this is a good general overview. As an example I will use a new logo design to show you my process.

The Brief

This first step is the most important and detail is key. This step involves me getting to know everything about your company, the project, and your creative needs/expectations. Most information can received by filling out a creative questionnaire. We can then communicate in a variety of ways, email, phone, or meeting. The initial brief ensures no time is wasted and focus is kept, ensuring the project’s effectiveness.

Research/Brainstorm

With the information I obtained in the first step the next step is to brain storm and research. I look at aspects like target market, competition, trends, what should set you apart, your history, and most importantly your future. The more detail obtained in the first step the more creative wings can expand in discovering the most successful ideas.

Sketching

After all is soaked in from above out comes the pencil. This is where a good number directions and ideas are beginning to be visually explored. I will be honest, some may be brought to life on a napkin at a restaurant but some of the best things are born in odd places! Nothing better than the true freedom to sketch and explore. These thumbnails are key to discovering. Below are some examples of thumbnails for a logo design.

Prototype Design

After refining select thumbnail sketch ideas I then take them into the computer (adobe Illustrator) to bring a few protype designs to life. Some clients want to see 2 or 3 versions, but it all depends on the project scope. Your options are first send to you via PDF in black and white versions so that we can focus first on the form and shape of your logo. Color is left for the end stages.
At this point it is your time to look over what I have provided and I am always open to questions and suggestions.

Finishing Touches

We are nearing home stretch as I follow your review. I will finalize the idea with color and apply any direction you may have given me at this point. My aim is to always work close with you to provide a logo that is perfectly fitting for the needs of your business or organization.

Supply

Last but not least is the final delivery. You need the goods right! Your project will be provided in the highest resolution and file format that is needed. Logos are provided in Vector format (which can be scaled to any size without loss of quality). If you have any other specific file requirements, just ask.