We are excited to launch our second private label product Deal Current.
Deal Current is a private label daily deal software solution for media partners.
Read more about Deal Current and we appreciate your feedback.
Archive for the 'Mel & Michelle' Category
New Daily Deal Software Product – Deal Current
Published April 10, 2010 Inspiration , Mel & Michelle , We Hub You 4 CommentsTags: Daily Deal Software, Daily Deal Solution, Deal Current, DealCurrent, Private Label Daily Deal Software
Peek-a-BOO Party @ The Pearl
Published October 28, 2009 Events , Mel & Michelle , Uncategorized Leave a CommentTags: contest, costume, halloween photo contest, landmark events, party, pearl hotel, peek-a-boo
What are YOU doing for Halloween? Come to the Peek-a-BOO Party at the beautiful Pearl Hotel in San Diego. Our friends at LandMarK events are putting on a great night of drinking, dancing and of course – costumes! So if you don’t want to fight the downtown crowd, join us for a night no lines, no cover and all fun.
Here are the deets:
WHEN: October 31, 2009 > 8:30pm – 12:30am
WHERE: The Pearl Hotel
HOW: No Cover – Thank the Pearl Hotel 
RSVP to: info@landmark-events.com
PLUS – Share your best Halloween Photo of ALL-TIME in our Halloween Photo Contest! The Pearl is giving away a 1 night stay and a $100 for food and drink to the photo with the most votes. The Winner is chosen by the public, so submit your photo today and tell your friends and family to vote here.
This was Michelle and I last year and we have some great costumes lined up for this year!
Hope to see you @ The Pearl.
-Mel
Worth a Click 09.11.09
Published September 11, 2009 Art , Events , Funny , Inspiration , Mel & Michelle 3 CommentsTags: Art, click, Funny, Inspiration, news, poster, print, san diego events
40 Stunning Tilt-Shirt Images or Urbanity – interesting photography
Horizontal Navigation Menus: Trends, Patterns and Best Practices – another helpful article from smashing mag
FFFFound iphone app – Don’t know about you, but im getting this app RIGHT…. NOW…. FFFFound is one of my favorite things in life.
Six fonts that piss people off – funny article about typefaces that cause RAGE haha
Poster Cabaret – buy gig posters and artist prints – a good collection
Practical Tips for Taking Design Inspiration without copying – we are so saturated with the media and internet today that it’s hard to define your own style – good tips for newbies and oldies
NEW Design contests from Veer – $50,000 in prizes – holla
Remembering 9/11 – NBC’s photo gallery from the service today
SAN DIEGO NEWS
8th Anniversary of Ray at Night – art, music and good people THIS SATURDAY – see you there
Art Walk by the Bay: Sept 12-13
2009 San Diego Music Award WINNERS
Have a good weekend everyone ~
Worth a Click
Published August 28, 2009 Art , Funny , Graphic Design , Inspiration , Mel & Michelle Leave a CommentA collection of links that we loved this week.
Incredible Retro Work of Mathiole – holla at a local SDSU student 
– REALLY beautiful work
Typedia – an encyclopedia of typefaces – a typographers dream!
25 Sites with Lighting Effects – A 3-part post with a great collection of beautiful web design – good inspiration
8 ways to drive a graphic designer man – absolutely hilarious
Marketing Rules and Principles for Freelancers – good tips from Smashing on how to market yourself
20 Fresh & New Design Galleries – really good source for new inspiration – unique because they include inspiration sites that are specific.
EX: inspiration for portfolios/website footers/shopping carts/html5/type/blogs and more…
20 awesome Illustrators for Inspiration – i love the illustrators – their brains work differently
<Funny things for your lunch break>
Don’t Judge My Hair – a.ridiculous b.funny c.disturbing d.all of the above.
Photoshop Disasters – see hideous photoshop mistakes on real ads – funny
Can you see whats wrong with this photo? Let’s hold hands…
We hope everyone has an amazing Friday -
I Can Read: images with words
Published June 26, 2009 Inspiration , Mel & Michelle Leave a CommentTags: blog, i can read, Inspiration, Michelle, rss, twitter
Mel is always telling me about awesome blogs I should be following. My new favorite blog is I Can Read. Everyday there are several simple text-based posts with inspirational, beautiful and thoughtful sayings creatively shown through photographs, drawings or design. Here are a few of my favorites:
Subscribe to i can read here.
-michelle
@mybell
@dailydesignfix
25% OFF Collar Free Tees and Party TOMORROW
Published June 25, 2009 Events , Mel & Michelle Leave a CommentTags: t-shirts, collar free, sale, collarfree, artistic hub, patrick dillon, tshirts, syrah, discount
It has been a while since we threw a killer party. We know you miss the fun and we do to and we have two reasons to party this summer. The first is the 1 year anniversary of Collar Free launching. The second is that Pat is turning 30!
Come join us for a night of food, wine, friends, and fun!
We are hosting the event this year at Syrah. Syrah is an awesome wine bar in downtown gaslamp with a cool atmosphere inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Syrahwineparlor.com
Hope to see you there!
And don’t forget about the awesome discounts at Collar Free! Use code: “anniversary” SHOP NOW
You know you work at a start-up when…
Published May 22, 2009 Funny , Mel & Michelle 10 CommentsTags: artistic hub, start-up, company
1. Your boss actually lives at the office and sleeps 10 feet away from your desk
2. Your conference room “D” is actually the dining room
3. Your work attire now includes your entire closet
4. You have phone cords running throughout the room
5. Your supply closet doubles as a skype call center
6. The co-founder of your company is your proof reader
7. When they ask for you, you have to say “hold on one minute” and pretend you actually have an assistant answering your calls before you come back and say “Hello”
8. The sales team brings eggs to cook for breakfast
9. You have actually taken a nap in the boss’ bed
10. You use your neighbor’s garage door as the back drop for your photo shoot
11. You have more food in the office fridge than your one at home
12. Your default password is the office dog
13. You drink with the boss on Fridays
14. You never know who will be there when you walk into the office
15. Your web developer keeps a trampoline in his trunk and you take lunch breaks in the park (or maybe that’s only artistic hub)
16. You leave your slippers under your desk
17. You bring your plant from home to live on your desk
18. You recycle birthday decorations
19. You have so many roles your job definition is impossible
20. You wake up wondering what emergency will arise today
21. You’ve wrestled with a dog in the office, unsuccessfully trying to pry a condom from its mouth
22. You keep extra changes of clothes at the office for days you need a run, or get too sweaty making calls
23. Your office cleaning lady cleans your home, and does the shopping for both
24. Every spare wall in the house has a marker board on it
25. You laugh your ass off everyday because you are working with your best friends
26. You don’t remember who comes up with the next big idea anymore – your meetings are electric with ideas bouncing off the walls
27. And sometimes, when everything comes together just right you move at the speed of light
-written by Team Hub – Artistic Hub.com
Feel free to share your start-up adventures! Add a comment and keep the list going…
20 Questions with Andy Hixon
Published May 21, 2009 20 Questions , Art , Inspiration , Mel & Michelle 3 CommentsTags: 20 questions with, andy hixon, artist interview, Inspiration, mixed media, photography, sculpture
So we are starting a new series of artist interviews called “20 Questions with…” We will be talking to painters, sculptors, designers, animators, filmmakers, you name it! We love to learn more about the people who inspire us so we can see the heart behind the creations. If you have any artists that inspire you, hit us up on twitter @dailydesignfix and we will get in touch with them. Enjoy!
When I first saw Andy Hixon’s “The Bedroom,” (seen above) I was overwhelmed with emotion. I think I held my breath for a good 12 seconds. Sometimes you come across compelling art and I truly believe that is what we have here. Now, more about Andy: 
1. Name: Andy Hixon
2. Location: Manchester
3. Date of Birth: 18/06/82
4. Height: 5.7 (I think)
5. Whats your favorite medium?
Mixed media & Digital
6. Whats your work environment like?
A total and utter cramped mess full of cable wiring and clay everywhere
7. About how long do you spend on your art pieces?
Anywhere from 1 day to a month
8. Whats messages or themes do you portray in your work?
I like to portray the ‘everyday’ aspects of life through a slightly warped visual style.
9. What is your first art-making memory as a kid?
I used to have a fascination with drawing Big Rig Trucks with Felt Tip’s when I was about 6 or 7.
10. What are you doing when you are not doing your mixed media projects?
Usually going down the pub with my mates
11. Something about yourself the average person wouldn’t guess?
Emm… I’m a Left Handed, Half Irish ,Diabetic that can cook an awesome curry!
12. If you could be a color what would you be?
Purple I think
13. What makes you smile?
My girlfriend and her increasingly bizarre scenes of humour
14. Can’t stand:
People that talk too much and really have ‘nothing to say‘ and pretentiousness
15. Can’t live without:
My head
16. Words to live by
Humbleness = Happiness
17. Last passport stamp:
Berlin
18. Most played in your itunes?
At the moment Protest the Hero, Minus, Head Automatica and Cult of Luna
19. Who are the designers/artists who have influenced or inspired you?
There are loads!, but I suppose Dave McKean , Jordin Isip and Henry Moore are the main ones
20. Have you any advice for new and aspiring illustrators?
Yes, don’t follow trends too closely that you see in design/illustration etc, especially if you are studying, gather a wide and varied source of influence/inspiration. That and loads of experimentation, make a total mess learning your craft and have fun with it but also learn from your mistakes, and most of all and by far the most important thing is to enjoy what you do!
-Andy
Learn more about Andy here:
www.andyhixon.com
www.behance.net/andyhixon
www.myspace.com/andyhixonart
WE HUB: Absolut Vodka
Published April 27, 2009 Mel & Michelle , We Hub You Leave a CommentTags: 100 absolutes, absolut, absolutkindness.com, ad, mel and michelle, recognize the moment, vodka, we hub, world
WE HUB: Absolut Vodka
WHO IS ABSOLUT?
Every bottle of Absolut Vodka is created in Ahus Sweden and it’s rich, smooth taste has given it global recognition. Absolut was introduced in the US in 1979 and their bold, yet simple advertising campaigns have won them numerous awards – including a rank in the “Top 10 Campaigns” by Advertising Age in 1999.
WHY WE HUB THEM.
Positivity, creativity, simplicity and community involvement. Their commercials are positive and funny! No 1/2 naked girls riding a bar bull here. No way… OH and their vodka isn’t bad either!
What if we used kindness instead of money? I love this commercial.
See how they are turning the idea into a movement: Absolutkindess.com
They also just launched a new campaign promoting responsible drinking habits called “Recognize the Moment.” Stay classy Absolut.
HOW WE CAN HELP.
Absolut has run a few campaigns calling for community involvement and we would love help out with our voting application. Their “100 Absolutes” competition reportedly brought in 330,000 votes but with our voting application, we could knock it off the charts! (We have had over 839,000 votes for the Eteamz Photo competition in only 23 days.)
We could run a design competition for a limited edition bottle for their favorite charity, event or cause. “Absolut Art.” Their bottles have already become collectors’ items and having a bottle designed by someone in the art community would be a unique addition. See the limited edition “Summer” bottle they created for the UK and the “green” bottle they launched in Greece in 2008. Absolut has also released a limited edition bottle supporting the LGBT community. CA loves Absolut.
We could have the public creating, and voting on their favorite bottle designs. All of the designs in voting, can go directly into an online store to be purchased on-demand as posters. The Absolut website is already interactive and fun and our quick and simple application would integrate seamlessly as a great way to help them break into the interactive marketing sphere.
Don’t want to do bottles? How about posters only?
Their Absolut World campaign is hilarious and it would be fun to open it up to the public to create and vote on their own. These could also be purchased on-demand during the campaign. They have a similar contest running on Absolut World where you can create your own commercial and submit it onto their YouTube site.
Their witty and unique campaigns have a positive vibe which is WHY WE HUB THEM!
-M&M – Design Duo @ ArtisticHub.com
How to Design a logo > Creating Artistic Hub
Published April 23, 2009 Graphic Design , Mel & Michelle , Tutorials 3 CommentsTags: Inspiration, typography, Graphic Design, david airey, artistic hub, Mel & Michelle, how to design a logo, artistichub.com, tutorial, process
Creating a logo is creating an identity. What does your logo say about your company? The kind of people you work with? The kind of business you do? Would you be approachable? Are you strong? Are you fun? WHO ARE YOU? When we launched Artistic Hub, we knew we needed a new identity that emcompassed these things and more. Michelle and I are the graphic designers for Artistic Hub and we think it’s easier to learn about the design process when you can SEE it, so here you go.
The making of the Artistic Hub logo.
1) The Design Brief
We met with Jimmy and Pat to decide what our main goals were for this new identity. We have learned from experience that is is very important to include the necessary people in this meeting (the first time) and allow some time to chat. Taking time to discuss the identity of the company, the goals, the clients, the work and the design ideas are all necessary to ensure that we have a clear direction.
What is Artistic Hub?
Artistic Hub focuses on on-demand merchandising and virtual design. We create interactive campaigns to engage our client’s fan base by coupling our custom built design competition application with the market leader in on-demand printing. This technology creates engagement, validates new product potential, creates measurable return on investment, and most importantly turns the expense of design into a revenue stream.
Who are the clients?
Bands, Brands, Major Corporations and Interactive Agencies.
How would you describe Artistic Hub?
fresh, innovative, approachable, fun, interactive, helpful, global, supportive, community, smart
Main goals for the Artistic Hub logo:
*Must represent a hub – we want people to get it
*Easily recognizable
*scalable (standard for all logo design, but an important aspect here)
2) Research
Michelle and I spent time with some books and Google to get a better understanding of what a “hub” is and how it is expressed in other logos.
What is a hub?
dictionary.com says: 1. a center around which other things revolve or from which they radiate; a focus of activity, authority, commerce, transportation, etc. 2. the central part of a wheel, as that part into which the spokes are inserted.
3) Sketching
It is important to put pen/pencil to paper to shoot those ideas out of your hand. I’m a strong believer that the ideas don’t come out the same when transferred directly to a mouse. Don’t be afraid to sketch EVERYTHING. Michelle and I both sketched until we had at least 60 ideas each. It’s good to try everything so you know you have exhausted all of your ideas and you are choosing the right one in the end.
4) To the computer!
We scanned in our favorite logos to trace in Adobe Illustrator. (We don’t have wacoms in the office yet… hint hint 
)
Adding Text:
Adding color:
5) The Final Logo
We chose this shape because it represented a hub and the negative space shows a group of heads coming together. Unity and global expansion are represented here and the green color has that light, fresh feel. Jimmy and Pat were very pleased with this logo design and we went from concept to live website in 3 weeks. See how this logo is used in our company identity: (web, promotional materials, business cards and logo versions)
Check out ArtisticHub.com for more info.
Other GREAT blogs about Logo Design:
What Makes a good logo design?
6 Reasons Why a Logo Should Cost More than your lunch
My Logo Design Process – David Airey
or hey – just go to 81 of the best logo design resources
Good Source for Logo Inspiration:
-Mel & Michelle
