I love unconventional design

While at the grocer's today, I almost bought some bottled water just because I really like the packaging. Fiji and Smart Water has some great design, but today I saw some new brands I liked. Wat-aah! This design is super fun, not minimalist or earthy. In fact, if you go the website (which is taking forever to load for me) the fonts almost look Comic-Sans-y? God forbid..

Also- Does anyone else have an opinion about Arizona's horrible PNG cutouts on all their 99cent drinks? Ok- I actually kind of love it. 

They have a ton of new products. (If you check out their site, they have some super sick music too.. All these pics are screen caps from their website.)

Their recent Rickey's product line is looking pretty snazzy. Busy and colorful.

I'll say this- I think brands like AriZona and Urban Outfitters and Trader Joe's, etc, are a really cool example of some very creative design. I think that it's really easy to get caught up in the whole minimalist, clean cut, simple type of design. Some people pull it off well, but I'm definitely more impressed with portfolios that are super unique with their own style while still looking great. 

I think minimalist design can be an easy way out, or extremely difficult for people. It's really hard for me to grasp simplicity. I naturally want to put a lot of effort into a piece, and usually that ends up in me over-doing it.

What's your opinion? (:

Wedding Video: Zach & Lupe

After a bit of a hiatus, I'm back with a video that went live this week featuring Zach and Lupe's wedding!
I love working with Jon and I knew this would turn out great (:
Check out more of his work here



Zach + Lupe from Jonathan Niega on Vimeo.

New Workspace

Ahhh. Finally! I've been wanting for so long to just have a desk and nice workspace. When I moved into Tacee's, everything was a bit clutter-y with the promise that things would be moved around eventually. Today she totally blessed by moving a huge dresser out of my room and replacing it with a nice desk and an awesome chair!

With CCAD, I expect this desk to be drenched in blood and tears soon. ;)

Part Two: Zach & Anshea Engagement Photos

Here's the second installment of Zach and Anshea's engagement session.

These are more heavily edited compared to the first installment. With my first wedding that I did, the bride was disappointed that the pictures weren't as edited as she thought they would be. I had already edited all 200 of her photos the way that I did, however, so I could only go back and edit more the pictures she specifically liked.

This is a huge problem in my mind. It's like designing a whole website without first giving your client a mockup or moldboard- it's subject to them hating it.

I needed some sort of "moodboard" test run for photography, so I gave Zach and Anshea two engagement shoots. The first one was edited one way and the second was edited in another way.

They now have the option to tell me what they would lean more towards for their wedding photos (which I will be taking June 22, congrats!)

While most photographers have a set standard of editing, I tend to be all over, so I think this will help improve my customer's satisfaction (:

Here's a link to the first installment of engagement photos for this couple: Here

Project: Kacey Lanier

This past week I've been cramming to complete a project for my friend in Florida. She's been wanting a new website/blog to replace her old tumblr layout as well as a logo. I decided to code her a custom wordpress theme, as it's been something I've been wanting to learn and I didn't feel like stealing code and modifying it.

I followed this great tutorial for EVERYTHING: The Ultimate Wordpress Tutorial
Pretty easy to read, easy to follow, even if you don't fully understand everything she's saying. Definitely recommend. (:

Kacey Lanier is a brilliant photographer and worship leader, as well as well-written. It was so much working with her.

Here's some snaps of the project.

Sierra Cora on DIY High-waisted Shorts

This past week I've been working with Sierra Cora to come up with a cool little lookbook to show you guys one of my favorite trends: DIY high-waisted shorts.

I've been following Sierra for a long time. It's hard not to notice her taste in fashion and the affordable way of going about it.

Styling: Sierra Cora

Photography: Sierra Cora

Model: Rebekah Cora

                           

1) What inspires you the most about thrifting?

Thrifting is not just a one time experience it's a try-every thrift-store-in-your-area kind of experience. Thrifting has really inspired me to think outside of the Box and keep an open mind with Fashion and art in general, because with what I've learned about the art of thrift shopping is that you'll never find exactly what you want, but sometimes you can alter that into something different that you might not have thought about before.

2) What's the best tutorial for DIY high-waisted shorts?

 The best tutorial for DIY High waisted shorts would be, 1 don't give up when there's nothing in the Shorts section, but check the pants section. As long as the pants/shorts work for your upper body type then you can cut them into the length that fits you best. Usually for the style I prefer, I cut it a slight downward angle from the upper outer section pointed down to the inner section.

3)What are your favorite patterns?

My favorite patterns of clothing right now would have to be floral, hawaiian, and stripped prints. I just think that these patterns are a fun and different way to spice up a pair of simple high waisted denim shorts.

4)Do you shop anywhere else besides the thrift store? Any recommends?

I actually rarely shop else where because Of the lack of money, but like most teenage-wanna-be-hipsters, I enjoy the sale rack at Urban Outfitters or H&M.

5)Number one favorite fashion icon?

My all time favorite fashion Icon is, undoubtedly, Marilyn Monroe. She had the perfect classic pin up look and always set the trend.

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