Where is Derek?

Hello everyone;

Things are getting better in Tokyo. Everything is almost at 80% capacity. My neighborhood has not been hit with the rolling blackouts and the supermarkets are stocked with everything except instant noodles, natto, sliced bread and milk. Today there is some radiation found in the ground water in the area, but the level of radiation is not harmful for human health. Despite what the authorities say, I am sticking to bottled water, pretending it’s Vietnam. They restored electricity to the reactors but were scared for a bit when black smoke was emitting from the reactor but that subsided and repairs have resumed. They are monitoring the situation constantly and as long as the temperature doesn’t increase, I am confident the Japanese can handle the situation.

On another note: my new business cards came in last week and I have been networking a lot but since Tokyo’s foreign community basically deserted the area, my networking opportunities have been slim but despite this, I received two requests for spec work in less than a week! Also since I have a month off until I resume work, I have been concentrating on creating more new work for my website. I am a long way from where I want to be but if I don’t start, I will never get there.

Last note: if you have an iPad, I have added a plugin to optimize this blog for the iPad, I want to see how the design works so I can migrate design elements to my portfolio site.

All is well. Carpe Diem.

I am trying to revive this blog from death but a long over due post. It’s been 4 years since I left home to come to Japan and I couldn’t be happier. I visited home for the first time last November for my brother’s wedding and NYC hasn’t changed much since I left but I sure have. Also, I received another 3 year extension on my visa and I plan on staying the duration. Japan has been very good to me. My plans for this year will be moving into a new place in an even cooler neighborhood and transitioning out of English teaching back into design. I have been networking a lot lately, trying to get my name and business cards out there. Instead of doing web based work, I decided to focus on illustration and identity. Also I have new business cards which should be coming in any day now. Here is a preview:

Currently, I have been obsessing on patterns, so I designed my new cards with diagonal stripes on the front and a plaid pattern on the back. I really like chevrons but couldn’t figure out how to make them work for what I was going for. The colors are all bw and I am going to color the edges, my signature orange.

As for my skills, I plan on networking the design scene and will start this by going to the Tokyo Type Directors Club and network there. All my efforts will not be for naught but I am wondering how long it will take. I realize I need a project manager to get on my ass about cranking out new work because I have a bunch of unfinished work but no new completed projects as of late, this all changing because of my business cards. I started my fire up again. We will see how long it will last.

[ Life.Iz.Good ]

The letterhead for TokyoKaleidoscope. The white space on the lower right is supposed to be, behind the business card which is clipped to perfectly match the dimensions of the contact info.

What do you think? The bottom pages with the business card in the center is the overleaf.

[ Life.Iz.Good ]

What do you think?

[ Life.Iz.Good ]

Hey yall, a little update about my designs. i am a finalist in 2 out of my 3 designs. I am so excited. One of the potential winners has the makings of an actual client that I will work with for the life of the logo so I am so excited. I am churning out business card designs first to try and seal the deal then possibly I could be commissioned to do the companies corporate identity. Woah! I dont want to get ahead of myself but I am so excited right now. Forget the money, I want the recognition. Well, okay… The money is definitely a plus.

[ Life.Iz.Good ]