Here we go! The last week of the second month of 2024 and this week's edition of Creative Juice is right on time to get you inspired! If you are wondering where the second edition of the Portfolio Squeeze is, I'm sorry—it is on the way and should be in your inbox tomorrow morning.

If you haven't already signed up for it you can do so here and if you want to read the first edition of the Squeeze check that out here.

This past week I also gave a presentation to a graphic design and illustration club at a university. I discussed my previous experience as a graphic designer and what it's like now as a full-time freelancer. Full video in my One Lesson section, so make sure to check it out!

Creative Juice is a weekly newsletter published every Monday morning so you can start your week feeling inspired creatively to make cool sh*t and get paid for it. Every Monday I share something gorgeous, a portfolio of the week, three creative finds, one amazing post from social media, and one lesson I learned recently.

If you have an idea of how I can improve Creative Juice and make it better, feel free to submit your feedback here.

TL:DR

SOMETHING GORGEOUS: Cute Faces and Technology Go Hand and Hand

PORTFOLIO OF THE WEEK: This Portfolio Website Blew My Mind

CREATIVE FIND 01: How A Big Rebrand Happened In a Zap

CREATIVE FIND 02: The Gnarliest Typeface

CREATIVE FIND 03: Remember Movie Nights?!

ONE GRAM: Mini Ceramics that are Creepy and Cute

ONE LESSON: What You Put In Is What You Get Out

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Something Gorgeous

Cute Faces and Technology Go Hand and Hand

Rokid Pad by Kai Xia

Not sure if this is a concept or an actual product in the real world as I couldn't find it on Google, but slap a cute face on some high-tech gadgets and take my money already.

Kai is an Industrial Design Director for Rokid, which is based in China. I have a hunch this product may see the light of day in the future, but the simplicity and playfulness of the design is everything I'd want from a device like this. The Smart Pad is a smart home control speaker that can play music, videos, audiobooks, control smart devices, and more. It employs a simple and stylish design akin to old iPods with bright saturated colors. There aren't many details about how the cute faces would be initiated while using the device, but even if it just sat on my desk all day and made those faces at me, I would be one happy designer.

View more here

Portfolio of the Week

This Portfolio Website Blew My Mind

Robert Borghesi

Robert is a "creative coder," but clearly he also has some serious design chops. There are so many cool things happening with his portfolio website:

First, he has a very funny page loading animation. If you're not paying attention, you might think the site will never stop loading. The text below the loading bar goes from "pretending to load," to "wow this stuff is heavy," to "now just click somewhere." I love the cheeky-ness of this.

Next, when you get through the loading screen, your ears are greeted by a sound effect that makes the site feel like it’s being built by code in real-time—a futuristic sci-fi vibe. Hovering over projects or links triggers subtle sounds, showing some custom scripting wizardry.

The main part of Robert's portfolio is his project section, listing websites and digital experiences he has developed in the last 2-3 years. They aren’t case studies, but you can click to see them live—more than enough after being amazed by his site.

Robert's portfolio proves that treating your website like a client project can truly win over visitors.

Score: 9.8/10

Built with: Custom Code

View portfolio here

Creative Finds

How A Big Rebrand Happened In a Zap

Zapier Rebrand Case Study by Stephanie Briones

Stephanie, previously a principal designer at Zapier, shares a detailed case study of their rebrand. It’s a great read for anyone interested in branding and large-scale projects.

View more here

The Gnarliest Typeface

Gnarly by Formerly Known

I'm doing a lot of typeface digging lately for client projects and absolutely love this one. Not sure if I want to present it to a client or keep it for myself.

View more here

Remember Movie Nights?!

Movie Night by Matt Partridge

This short film brought me back to childhood memories of renting movies and purchasing snacks in stores, in a beautiful animated way.

View more here

One Gram

Mini Ceramics that are Creepy and Cute

@wobblystudio

I love objects with cute faces, and the tactility and polish of ceramics multiplies that joy by 100.

View more here

One Lesson

What You Put In Is What You Get Out

This past week I was invited to speak with the Graphic Design and Illustration Club at the University of South Carolina by friend and fellow designer Constance McCants. I shared my experience working full-time for the first 7 years and then going fully independent for the last two. I was transparent about my roles, projects, and income.

Watch the full talk here

During Q&A, one student asked about balance: How do you do it? Is it easier as a freelancer? Are there tips for better balance?

My answer: yes and no. I live by "What you put in, is what you get out", a lesson I’ve applied since high school sports. If something excites me, I put in the effort even if it affects balance.

Part of this is because I want to be the best I can at what I do.

PS. I shared how I stay organized with Notion and built a custom dashboard—feel free to reply if curious.

PPS. If you’d like me to speak at your school or event, connect me with your teacher, professor, manager, or colleague.

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