Hourly Rate

I have calculated my hourly rate and it turns-out as i want it to be. Atleast a target - a sort of motivation and a reminder. How i wish i could work for only 3 - 5 hours a day and meet my family savings quota. It would be good to tour and be with my fast growing children.

Calculate your hourly rate here.
They also have some interesting articles that may inspire and change the way how designers should work.

Words to Ponder

I just wanted to share some 'easy-to-chew' words that are good for your wisdom tooth.


You would achieve more, if you don't mind who gets the credit.

Don't fight too much, Or the enemy would know your art of war .

The only job you start at the top is when you dig a grave.

If you don't stand for something, everything will fall.

If you do little things well, you'll do big ones better.

Only thing that comes to you without effort is old age.

You won't get a second chance to make the first impression .

Only those who do nothing do not make mistakes.

Don't try to get rid of bad temper by losing it.

If at first you did not succeed, skydiving is not for you.

There are two kinds of failures. Those who think and never do, and those who do and never think.

Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.

Change your thoughts and you'll change your ways... soon, you'll change the world.

Understanding proves intelligence, not the speed of the learning.

There are two kinds of fools in this world. Those who give advise and those who don't take it.

Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.

Friendship founded on business is always better than business founded on friendship.

Macs Gone Wild

My 'coffee-buddy' goes crazy - KERNEL PANIC. It forced me to off and restart every 5-10 minutes, even there is no application running. I searched on the net regarding the problem, and found similar issues on macoxhint forum. I just sent it for repair, maybe it's the logic board problem. Last time, it was a defective heat-sink. I'm wondering what's next?

More apple defects can be read here.

In spite of this, i still love Mac compared to Windows or Vista that are very prone to viruses.

If you are a designer planning to buy a laptop, macbook is not the right answer. It's just good for frequent traveler who need it for blogs, emails , surfing, and managing photos. Macbook Pro is quite better but if you don't want to work mobile and wanted a more stable one without turning your fan on (because of overheating issues on macbooks), it is good to have an iMac or the super computer - Mac Pro.

Web 2.0 Logo. What does it really mean?

Samples of web 2.0 logos here.

Someone asked me to do a logo for his auto-works business and he wanted it to be in web 2.0 style. His inquiry goes something like this: "I have seen many logos on the net and most of them called it as web2.0. I don't really know what does it refer to, but i think that's the modern way of web look and branding, so I would prefer something like that... I will be using this on my signage, letterhead and staff shirts, soon on my website...."

To educate my clients and blog readers, web 2.0 logos from those examples on the link (above) are mainly for website use. Whenever i heard web2.0, i think of; Gradient, 3D, Translucent, Shadow Effect, Trendy, sometimes Minimalist and sometimes colorful. Those are keywords that recognize the web2.0 logo style based on my experience and exposure to the world wide web.

According to wikipedia: [read the complete definition here]

Web 2.0, a phrase coined by O'Reilly Media in 2003 and popularized by the first Web 2.0 conference in 2004, refers to a perceived second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which facilitate collaboration and sharing between users. O'Reilly Media titled a series of conferences around the phrase, and it has since become widely adopted .

Although the term suggests a new version of the World Wide Web, it does not refer to an update to Web technical specifications, but to changes in the ways systems developers have used the web platform. According to Tim O'Reilly, "Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform."

Some technology experts, notably Tim Berners-Lee, have questioned whether one can use the term in a meaningful way, since many of the technology components of "Web 2.0" have existed since the beginnings of the internet.

Business Name vs Logo

Your business name is very important as your logo. What ever image you want to portray, both should go hand in hand. There are plenty of businesses putting their complete name as their company name. Sometimes even it is hard to spell and remember, these so called businessmen are still trying to be proud that they have their own business registered and they themselves owned it and is one of a kind. Well, that won't harm you, but will surely harm your business.

Remember that your personal identity is very much different from the business you are trying to establish. Unless, you have a very simple name and is very much business-sound-like, ie: "Landor" or "Oscar Collumbus and Associates" there is no problem with that. But if your name is too long to pronounce and hard to understand that even you had a hard time writing it down in school, better not use it.

Think of Hotmail, FedEx, CoffeeBean and Tea Leaf, etc... just by their names you can guess what products and services they are offering. There are also names such as Yahoo, Google, Nike, Apple, that when you first hear it you'll be confuse of its meaning. But HOW these companies have established a very strong identity and image around the world? HOW did they reach their target market and vice versa? WHY they become part of our lives and some sort of a need? That's where research, marketing strategy, branding and many more aspect in business had worked together, and with an overflowing budget just to sustain their market presence.

So, if you are 100% business minded but not creative enough to come-up with a good business name and design your own logo, don't be afraid to hire a professional or consult a creative director or go to advertising/design firm nearest you. After all, it's an investment. Having your logo and company name trade marked (or service marked) is a PLUS, especially if you aim to reach wide range of international market.

In Brunei, the only person i know you can consult regarding intellectual property, copyright and trademark is Atty: Sebastian Ang

Creativity in Our Blood

My brother, Rainier (not to mention his age.. he he) is also into logo design. Actually, he's more addicted than i am. Learning some Adobe Illustrator tricks and techniques is his favourite past time. His calling has just started last year but you can see his potential. Now i am trying to do something else aside from designing, but when my phone rings and sees his name I'm sure it's about logos.. Everytime i look at him i can see a moving check mark (nike - swoosh). It's better than smoking and beer though. Cheers Bro! Good luck, "work less, earn more".

He'll be launching his personal website soon.
You can check-out his work at http://rainrob.carbonmade.com
Contact him at rainrob[at]gmail.com

Quotable Quotes - Art and Design

"Art is an experience, not the formulation of a problem." - Lindsay Anderson 1923-, British Film Director

"Art is a passion. Design is a problem solving." - Rongen Robles

Plagiarism!.. It's obvious

The Fitness Zone logo in Brunei looks very familiar to me so I did a little research. The orange one (which I believe is the original) was designed by Bill Gardner of Gardner Design

Being a member of international graphic design community and exposed to hundreds of logos everyday is not just a credential but a benefit - an advantage that helps creative juices flow freely... actually, i always think of logos, branding and marketing strategies on every occasions and things around me.

Is intellectual property and copyright law practice in Brunei? BE THE JUDGE!

This screenshot was taken from LogoLounge.com - international logo database

Yet Another Photography

Client: Fleurdelys' Bakeshop

Designer by day, Photographer by night. Taste-test after each photo sessions. :) hhhmmm. yummy. I really need to invest on a professional camera.

Fitness Photography

Designers should not only stick on what they know. Trying another field can hone skills and creativity. Taking you away from the routine work for a moment and breathing fresh air can help fight 'blank-page syndrome'. I didn't mean to be a "jack of all trades", but experience makes a difference.

This time i was asked to take another challenging job - fitness photography. More photos to be posted on their site soon.

LadderGolf Branding

Client: Brent Doud
http://www.laddergolf.com

Illustration, design and layout of laddergolf product sleeve-packaging as part of their branding.































..and a brochure made for their new product, LadderBag. I am very much impressed on the business creativity my client Brent has. Developing their existing product worth much more.

Directory of Brunei Darussalam Products

This was the very first book publication I've done for Brunei market, back in 2004. A bloody work and sleepless nights that was really a learning experience for us. My wife did some right-ups and interview while she was pregnant with our first son and i did the photography aside from designing and layouting the whole 300+ pages book. It took us 6 months to finish including client's revisions and requests.





















Recently, I was asked to give a quotation for another book design on which a company won by tender. Upon doing plenty of publications for Brunei, I've learned my lesson. It was a very nice feeling that i didn't get the job... haha! They were afraid of my charges i guess. Well, it was a long story and very much confidential. I wonder if they've found a designer-in-cheap (did i say cheap?) who'll work for them for 2 months rush inside their premise with 2 very slow PCs and smoking area environment.

Podillow Logo and Brochure

Client: Podillow.com

Pinoy Podcast - Mascot

Client: Alwin Clores
http://pinoypodcast.com/

2D Caricature

An illustration gift to one of my special client.
It was photo developed and framed.

Endorphin Sports Media - Logo Design

Client: Angelo Matheou
President and CEO
http://endorphinsportsmedia.com

This was my first initial concept based on the client's project brief.





























Chosen concept incorporated into their different product brands.



















The final corporate identity materials.

Introduction

My name is Rongen and i'm here to blog - with the purpose to share my skills and to help newbie designers to pursue on their first step. Like me, i always admire great ideas, designs and techniques of other creatives around the world. Every art and design masterpiece is my inspiration. I hope that this could also bring inspiration or somehow education to others with the same passion and bring new clients too... along the way, friendship.

Thank you for visiting my blog and my other websites.

Godspeed.