I’ve been reflecting and have found the time to recap some of the things I worked on in 2017, filling in some of the gaps. So far it’s been about crafting and volunteering.
From a Business Perspective, I’m proud to report 2017 was one of the most profitable for Subalpine Design; and the first Quarter of 2018 has stayed on trend. It all boils down to opportunities and relationships, the synergy of orbits colliding and helping each other along. A good spoonful of motivation hasn’t hurt.
You can never go home again? Subalpine Design pulled our roots in closer last year and transplanted ourselves from our office in Aspen Village back home. It had been growing more convenient to meet in-person clients in places of their choosing. Most of our business transpires over the web. Developments in cellular tech and connectivity are paving the way for more mobility; and there are ideas to work from the road and eventually expand the home office.
A substantial portion of our time went to working with my husband’s employer, Rydin Decal, to redesign their parking permit software. It’s not something I can share the designs on. It’s been a heck of a learning curve. I’ve not always faced the challenges well. I’ve dipped my toes into the realms of SCRUM and Agile development; been exposed to new modalities to communicate and document; reverted to fewer alerts and distractions to try to root; and metamorphosed through my technical skills to come back to my most valued work is communicating graphically.
While I appreciate the access of working with the Product Owner, one-on-one in most of my other projects, I miss and am challenged by the exposure to many points of view by working in a team. I quickly learn where my edges are and which ones I’m willing to push. Evolution is not always beneficial. If given the choice and ability to envision the outcome, sometimes we choose not to adapt. Sometimes our endurance comes from recognizing and refocusing on our strengths.
There were local relationships expanded with projects like Four Ravens Farm’s logo and label design. Look for their honey, jams, soaps and more handmade goodies at the Pagosa Farmer’s Market.
I also attribute Subalpine’s bounty to dedicated and dynamic partners like Red Silk Essentials. Cindy continues to push the possibilities while respecting my boundaries. We collaborate well. She’s allowed me a lot of artistic free reign with her brand, while maintaining her vision. We recently went through a wordpress theme redesign, that from the technical perspective of cloning and upgrading an active site with its database and files went smoother than anticipated.
There were several other projects from cultivated partnerships that have contributed. I was able to lay out a few CD covers for my good friend Mark, and continued to support a community of entrepreneurs: Art & Framing Center of Pagosa Springs, Stephanie Morrow, Synergy Support Systems, Santa Fe Classic Limo, Alpine Leadership and Margit Deerman.
Since 2016, I’ve been transitioning the scope of the company away from web design and back to where I feel my strengths lie in graphic design, while continuing to support a handful of clients with their existing sites. I do like coding css and basic html and am thinking a post on my Tech journey might be next.
On the other side of the spectrum, with all the fun I’ve been having with fonts and remembering how much I like typography, I’m slowly finding some time to play with hand lettering. Subalpine has also expanded our toolbox over the last few years to include more tablet options, with the intention to start a regular digital sketching practice. No examples to share just yet…
