“…If you could escape now, where would you go?”

We love the ingenuity and creativity of this interesting project. Check it out. Tell us what you think!

… Oh, and where would you go?

Sometimes it just takes what it takes to get the job done. Entrepreneurs have to be a bit crazy (by definition) just to do what we do! When the plates are all spinning gracefully, that is not the time to stop. The plates will come crashing down in short order, but for those few seconds (weeks, months, etc.) that they are in harmony it is tempting fate to interfere. A sustained attack of that kind can really take its toll on your health.

We are no strangers to manic cycles of production. Deadlines happen all the time. They happen for clients, galleries and vendors. Most recently they happened for ourselves in a big way. Sometimes being one’s own client is such a huge challenge that it practically feels insurmountable. That was the case for us in the early part of this year while we were redesigning our website.

This was not the type of project we were able to bang out in three weeks, it took months. Months of long days filled with design sessions and even longer meetings. It took too damn long! It wasn’t easy, but we got it done and we lived to tell. There were times when certain adages about working with one’s own spouse were ringing loud and true. Though the process was occasionally painful, it was productive overall and we are pleased with the end result.

After such a busy time we have spent the past few weeks endeavoring to get back to a normal rhythm of life and to cut down on 12 hour days. A recent study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, followed nearly 7,100 British workers for 11 years and may be a “wake-up call for people who overwork themselves” according to Mika Kivimaki of Britain’s University College London who led the research. During the 11-year study, 192 participants had heart attacks. Those who worked 11 hours or more a day were 67 percent more likely to have a heart attack than those who worked fewer hours.

Striking while the iron is hot is important in business and life, but take care not to burn out because that is a strike out! With that in mind we took advantage of one of the nicest spring days we’ve had this year in the pacific NW and headed to the Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR for some colorful rest and relaxation! In a word, the fields were spectacular. It was the perfect way to spend a Tuesday afternoon rewarding all of our recent hard work. Plus, it was good for our hearts!

We could not agree more:

” …Turbulence causes opportunities for success, achievement and pushes us to discover new ways of doing things.”

How many of you reading this blog post found yourselves making an unplanned career change in the last three years? Sign of the times, seriously. Happily, we’re in the same boat with you. When our situation changed we embraced it and saw it as the opportunity we had been waiting for to finally create the business we had been talking about for years.

Before we knew it we were helping like-minded,scrappy entrepreneur types build their own businesses. This gig isn’t for everyone, but the hard work and freedom tend to balance each other out. Besides, more than ever before people don’t seem to be suffering from the illusion known as ‘job security.’ Being your own boss puts you in the drivers seat of your own career.

A few months ago we got to view a short film on this same topic by Eric Proulx of Please Feed the Animals. The film is called, Lemonaid – It’s not a pink slip it’s a blank page. It features a handful of creatives who have lost their jobs in the recent economic decline and what they’ve done about it now. Most of them are still working in a creative capacity and most of them report a much deeper sense of personal satisfaction, otherwise known as happiness.

What do you do when life hands you lemons?

Pixel Lab pdx turned one at the end of March, 2011 and as a gift to our little endeavor we’ve designed a brand new web site and streamlined Pixel Lab pdx’s online presence with an expanded branding campaign. We spent the better part of the last year developing our identity expansion and marketing program. Our central design concern was honing a method for the build out of future categories on our website as our business grows and changes. Through careful consideration and testing we arrived at a design solution which allows for expansion in a variety of ways. Navigation tabs have ample room and slide players on individual pages allow for continual portfolio updates with ease.

We have opted for an art directed blog as we continue to extend our branding legacy while showcasing our illustration skills. We once heard a wise designer (whose name eludes us at the moment) say that branding is never done and we agree. As soon as the assets have been created they must take on a life of their own. Our electronic blueprint, retro, vector, glow icons lend themselves to endless exploration, so prepare to see a stream of them in blog posts to come. We hope you’ll enjoy meeting each new illustration as much as we enjoy making them.

Back in March of ’10 we were in the fortunate position to take on a very exciting 8 month partnership with Hanson Inc. in Toledo, Ohio. We handled cutting edge work assignments in social media implementation and management for a variety of corporate clients. Additionally, we were tracking specific industrial materials trends relating to the housing industry and writing technical reports on our findings for one of the top building materials supplier in the nation. All of this was fascinating, but perhaps the most interesting element of our job was listening to online chatter and compiling that data for several well known brands of top known fortune 500 companies.

We were as close to ‘up close and personal’ with the online voice of the American consumer as one can be and we learned that it was very compelling to hear what they have to say through online media channels. We listened for and reported on tough news like plant closures that affected hundreds of Midwestern factory workers. And we also had the pleasure of moderating a fairly steady steam of positive comments on the Facebook page of a brand that was especially loved by its customers, celebrity spokesmen and company employees. It was an exciting time to be pioneers in applying social media to marketing metrics. We used the opportunity to found our little boutique digital firm which we incorporated and named Pixel Lab pdx on March 26, 2010.

A year later we’ve expanded to offer a full range of design services for print and digital media, as well as; copy-writing, photography, and consultation services. We truly enjoy the opportunity to offer our many years of entrepreneurial experience in the arts, small business and the spa and wellness industry to fellow creative entrepreneurs. Growing up, both of our families were fueled by family run businesses and as adults entrepreneurial endeavors have always been our most rewarding work. It is our mission to help other creatives build thriving professional business by using their talents and doing what they enjoy most.