The day after I send out an enewsletter featuring my recent projects is always encouraging. The next morning I usually have about a dozen emails from friends and colleagues responding positively to the work I’ve shown. As a designer you never get tired of receiving affirmation in relation to the work you create, and I always appreciate when someone takes the time to respond to something I’ve done.

This last week I got an email from my former art director at the first creative agency I worked for. It was just a short, simple note complimenting my work and congratulating my success. But it meant the world to me, because as an intern at Perich + Partners in Ann Arbor, Michigan — John Pappas was the person I looked up to the most. His work was distinct, compelling and smart. Unlike many of my instructors up until that point, he was actually practicing professionally – creating relevant work for real clients. And the amazing thing about the summer I spent working there is that he gave me the time of day at all.

In between my junior and senior year in college at U of M, I was completely unqualified and totally inexperienced. But Pappas gave me a shot. As he was designing ads and annual reports and brand campaigns he went out of his way to include me. Not a man of many words – all he’d say was, “Hey Ty, I think I’ve got something for ya.” They were small tasks and I am 100% sure that nothing I did was ever seen by a client, but I approached each one like it was the most significant project I had ever worked on (which was true at that point). Looking back, I don’t even remember what the projects were, only that I was on the team. That summer I gained the priceless experience of having worked alongside talented, creative professionals. And it shaped the rest of my career.

So this weekend I am thankful. Thankful for John Pappas, and for all of the people that helped me become a designer. As much as I’d like to think that I create work as an individual, the reality is that there are hundreds of contributors to everything I will ever design. And I am thankful for each of them.

Thankful for

… my parents who encouraged and supported me.

… my teachers and instructors who invested in me.

… my former employers who created the space and the environments where I worked and learned.

… my co-workers and colleagues who inspired me and raised the bar on excellence.

… all of the other designers and creatives who produce inspiring work that challenges me to make mine better.

… my clients who have trusted me with their brands and given me the opportunity to collaborate and create.

… my amazing wife who tolerates the consistently-chaotic schedule of a spouse in a creative field of work.

In many ways this has been a challenging year – but it has also been one of the most incredible. In the last 12 months, I feel like I’ve done some of the best work in my career. But I never could have done it alone.

Later this month I will be speaking on design at CalBaptist University. I was honored to be asked to share and I’m looking forward to meeting the students in the program. Hopefully I won’t be too boring. The plan is to keep it short, show lots of work and get to the Q & A. Should be fun. Go CBU! (What is the CBU mascot? I’m writing this on a plane so I can’t check. It’s a Christian school so I’m going to guess it’s an Eagle.)

I had the opportunity to spend the most of the day yesterday in Utah, at Daybreak. We’ve been working with Daybreak, developing their online brand, for the last few years, so I’ve seen photos and renderings of all of their new developments, but to actually see them in person was really incredible. They’ve integrated several new modern residential products that are very progressive…and an amazing mixed-use retail and commercial area. If you’re anywhere near South Jordan, Utah…you should definitely check it out. Here are several photos from yesterday’s tour.

These are some of the new modern products.

This is the North Shore Cottage which serves as the Village information center.

The community topographical map is in the floor, which is cool.

This striking environmental art piece — “High Wind Advisor” — presides over the SoDa Row area.

SoDa Row Village Center is defined by an eclectic mix of architecture that fuses traditional forms with modern materials to create a vibrant streetscape. Each of the 5 buildings in the 68,000 sq. ft center is built to the LEED® Gold standard.

Looking down Daybreak Parkway toward the Daybreak Corporate Center building. The center was awarded LEED® Platinum Certification by the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the first LEED Platinum building in Utah.

Last week I read an article on the FastCompany blog, wherein the author decries his eschewal of the business card in the name of efficiency and the environment. As a designer, I couldn’t disagree more.

You can read the post here. Basically, the writer describes an exchange where he is asked for a business card. In lieu of  presenting one, he instead requests to collect his prospect’s contact information and writes it in his iPhone in order to follow up later via email. He then accepts praise for being cutting-edge and environmentally conscious.

But he’s missed the point.

If you see your business card as nothing more than a means to convey your employment data and contact information then it makes perfect sense to go without a card. Technology will continue to improve information exchange and make data transfer easier and more seamless. Right now you can download Bump, an app that allows users to trade their email, addresses and phone numbers simply by tapping their iPhones together. It’s remarkable. But a business card has the potential to convey so much more than your contact information. When creativity and design are employed, your business card becomes an unique, tangible expression of your brand. And every time you hand one out is an opportunity to make an inspiring impression on behalf of your product, service or organization.

Here are 100 examples of business cards that are creative, unique and completely unexpected.

There are far more creative and compelling ways to demonstrate your environmental consciousness than forgoing your business card all together. Alternative substrates, inks and environmentally-friendly printing techniques are all readily available. My business card is printed on recycled aluminum and it makes an incredible impact when I pass it out. I regularly get requests for extra cards because people want to share them with friends and colleagues.



Another example of business cards that exemplify eco-conscientious creativity are Breakfast Cereal Box Cards. These are randomly cut from recycled cereal boxes, then letterpressed on the opposite side.



Or this business card that is embedded with seeds and actually sprouts into a small house-plant when dipped in water.




Last month I met sustainability expert, Adam Werbach. I love how his business card communicates his mission and values simply by its size.

The author of the blog post describes the difficulty of graphic design and identifies hours spent agonizing over typefaces and paper stock. Here we would agree. The process of creating an inspiring and original identity system is not easy. It’s a challenging, time-consuming process that often requires a considerable amount of resources. However, this is exactly what talented, professional brand identity designers do. They will explore, experiment, refine and define a unique visual language, so that your brand (and your business cards) make an indelible impression with your audience.

So, although you may feel that ditching your business card is an impressive demonstration of your technological proficiency or your environmental consciousness, more than anything it communicates a lack of creative vision.