Weekend Design & Wellness Project

What has been the nicest compliment, recognition or notion of gratitude that you’ve ever received in your life?

What has been the hardest lesson that you’ve had to learn?

This weekend take a few minutes a write yourself a thank you note or a letter of recognition. Writing kind things about yourself may feel uncomfortable so try to think from the perspective of those who praised you in the past. A simple way to achieve this is to expand on what has already been recognized about you until your own words start to flow more naturally.

Reflecting on your life lessons and valuable mistakes every once in a while will help you to accept your whole self on another level. What the heck does that even mean? It means that the things you dislike about yourself and those cringing moments you hate to be reminded of will slowly transform into gratitude for the experience to grow into a wiser, more compassionate version of yourself. Instead of feel depressed over the past, you will feel accomplished for having survived through tough times. You will get to a point where you welcome new challenges that arise to see how many opportunities you’ll get to use the wisdom you have gained.

Enjoy your weekend and be sure to do something for yourself.

Photo by: Mohamed Nohassi @coopery

Impact Design

Photo by: Krisztian Tabori @ktabori

Design is more than aesthetic beauty with user friendly functionality. There is a whole behind the scenes of design that starts with problem solving. Endless hours go into brainstorming and troubleshooting long before a human gets to interact with the “solution.” Regardless of your profession or your claim to being a type A personality, you too create solution in your everyday life. Think about the behind the scenes of your personal or professional life and what you put into everything that’s manifested into your job title, business or your family and home. That’s a ton of solution making so you can now consider yourself a creative person?

There is a solution to everything, especially if there is a desired goal at the finish line. Sometimes the solution goes down a whole new path that has an even greater impact. One major ingredient in this process is to remain flexible and open minded for a variety of possibilities to formulate. The best solutions usually happen at unexpected moments. The finished product is bittersweet for the creators as it is a much anticipated time and also the end of the whole ideas/solution birth. This is possibly similar to what parents may feel when they send their children off to college or into adulthood. It’s a beautiful mixture of sadness and pride. And so a new beginning and creative cycle starts again. Happy problem solving or solution creating!

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Gestalt Design

Photo by: Markus Winkler @marjuswinkler

Gestalt Design Principles

Six of the Gestalt Design Principles are:

• similarity

• continuity

• proximity

• symmetry & order

• figure/ground

• closure

Photo by: Pierre Chatel-Innocenti @chatelp

The human brain is wired to see patterns and structures to decipher elements in the environment for survival. Gestalt theory explores the idea of how the human brain subconsciously arranges separate entities into an organized whole image. Symmetry, grids and patterns become simplified images informing the brain how to act and react.

Design with Gestalt is important for creating an effective visual and user experience (UX) to communicate instantly while giving the brain an exercise. Understanding how the brain interprets images is important for a designer to deliver an instant message. There are many successful and recognizable logos that follow the gestalt theory. Some examples are; the FedEx logo (there is an arrow between the E and the x), World Wildlife Fund’s panda logo uses “closure” where the eye/brain assumes the connection where the curved lines are open. Stadium and theater seating are also examples of gestalt design using similarity and symmetry and order. To keep this simplified, I have chosen to feature the figure and ground principles to highlight with a well known image that leaves a lasting impression.

Figure/Ground

The brain interprets the smaller area of an image as the figure and the larger area as the ground. This illusion created by Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin, demonstrates figure/ground perfectly. This is the exact same image with reversed use of negative space. The faces are seen almost instantly in the image to the left whereas the right side is clearly a vase. These are the types of graphic images where once you see an alternate image, it’s hard to revert back to the first impression.

Illusion created by Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin

Weekend Design & Wellness Project

Photo by: Diana Schroder-Bode @yolo_berlin

Do one personal care act this weekend; gua sha, massage or apply a face mask. Then take a look through your closet to see how your clothing could be more tailored for your body and reflect your personality better.

Be sure to make a healthy snack and listen to your favorite playlist throughout the weekend.

Perfect Fit

Wouldn’t it be nice if…

Photo by: Kristina Kruzkova @kruzkova_k

clothing fit perfectly on the first try? Do you want your clothing to last for years? Have you ever thought about what style of clothing would you wear if sizing and cost were not factors?

Ever thought about how great would it be to have all of your clothes custom made to fit you perfectly? That is a daily fantasy for some people, including myself. After many years of purchasing a mixture of high and low priced clothing, I have realized that how clothing fits is the most important feature and it does not have to be expensive. Find the clothing you love within your budget and have it tailored to fit your body. The total cost of this process is still much, much less than buying a designer version of a similar piece. Hemming dresses or pants and adjusting the sleeves may be all some items need to fit just right.

Depending on where you live, alterations may range from $12 to $75 and up with more intricate adjustments of coats or embellished formal attire.

Here are a few tips on how to make affordable clothing look custom made for your body. These steps apply to everyone.

1. Find a local tailor or seamstress along with a price list of their services

2. Understand your body type and measurements so you can find the shapes of clothing that are best suited for you. It may also help to learn what colors compliment your skin tone and hair color.

3. Choose a mixture of discount stores that have assortments of clothing for your lifestyle needs. Start to notice which fabrics stand out to you and how they feel on your skin. Make a list of designer or luxury brands that you admire. Purchase timeless pieces from high-end brands once a year as a birthday gift for yourself so your lifestyle does not compromise financial goals. (For saving on designer brands, Poshmark has gently loved luxury brands at affordable prices.)

4. Create a list of all of the clothing you need for your daily and occasional activities. It is great to have “go-to” pieces for events that pop up at the last minute. Keep this list simple and classic.

5. Make an appointment with your tailor or seamstress to have your clothes fitted and altered.

How we feel in our skin and clothing effects our confidence and how we interact in the world so enjoy this process, you deserve to feel great!