_Arnt Edvin Eriksen – Public Portrait – @arnteriksen

Website: http://arnteriksen.com
Twitter: @arnteriksen

Hello! My name is Arnt Edvin Eriksen,  Interactive Art Director and Social Media Strategist at Recommended Norway- I have been working in advertising since 1992. I am a self-proclaimed Mac and tech geek, would you believe I own a 1984 Macintosh and mind you it still runs on Mac 7.1 system. w00t. hehe.

As Interactive Art Director, I deal with all types of marketing, b2b, b2c, concept development, marketing strategy, branding strategy, viral campaigns,  direct-marketing, and guerrilla stunts. My newest and fascinating addition is – Social Media – in which I help my clients by creating strategies and achieve their goals.

My most recent venture which gives me great pleasure is my weekly show , SofaPrat (SofaTalk) a VideoPodCast where I discuss the latest and hottest news within Social Media. My passions include  graphic design, product design, typography, blogging, podcasting and photography (thecamstand.com) just to name a few.

I have learned to see life with all its beauty, in nature, family, and love. I cherish  every moment i spend with my three kids which I love and adore.

What you could say about me is that; Coffee is my vice and Creativity is my Virtue. My boat is my mistress who comforts me at sea and on the roads of life on my red Ducati Monster is my playmate.

My philosophy of life is:  to believe in myself, make friendships,  build connections,  have determination and dedication towards my purpose, and most of all to remember that anything is possible, including my dreams. 

”Keep me where the light is”

_Brian K. McDaniel – Public Portrait – @bkmacdaddy

Website: http://www.bkmacdaddy.com
Twitter: @bkmacdaddy

Hello! My name is Brian K. McDaniel, founder, president, janitor but mostly designer at bkmacdaddy designs. I’m a completely self-taught, always learning, wildly freelance graphic and web designer these days.

In the past I have made a living being a vocalist and keyboardist for nightclub bands in Hawaii and San Francisco, with opening gigs for The Cult and The Spin Doctors as high points. After that I spent 10 years as an ordained Southern Baptist Worship Pastor, but walked away from organized religion to return to my passion for creativity, design, great music and freedom.

These days I spend every waking hour creating and learning and loving my wife of 20 years and my 3 kids. Yes, I know I don’t look that old and I love it! My secret: avoid exercise, long walks, and any food that is so healthy it tastes bad. Instead I embrace life to the fullest extent, drink and eat whatever tastes best and involves an experience, and challenge the status quo with every breath. You should try it if you’re not already!

So those are the things I do, but I learned a long time ago not to be defined by what I do. Really, who I am is: a husband, a father, a friend, a creative being who is passionately pursuing the best that life has to offer with everything in me. Won’t you join me?

Brian

_Daniel E. Agee – Public Portrait – @danieleagee

Website : http://www.danieleagee.com
Twitter : @danieleagee

My name is Daniel Agee. I tell everyone I love peas, but if I can be honest with you, I hate them. I prefer honesty to being nice. I once tried out for the circus and failed miserably. I’m a designer to pay the bills, I’m a photographer by choice. Hopefully those two will merge and I’ll be able to pay all sorts of bills, but until then, I accept donations. No, really, I do. I’m being honest when I say that.

No, it’s not because I’m a cheap ass. I promise. This summer I’m going on a three month roadtrip across America. I have a photography internship somewhere in there, but the main part I’m looking for is the drive. Well, the experience of the drive. The random people I’ll meet along the way. I plan on sleeping on couches or in my car. Every donation over $2, I send them a postcard with a photo I’ve taken on the front and a lovely little letter on the back.

No, really, I do. Someone donated $2 to see if I would send it. I did. For every $100 donated, I send you a 16″x20″ print of a photo from the photoblog. Pretty good deal, if I say so myself. I want to meet you. If you aren’t along the drive, I want to talk to you. Send me an e-mail, a tweet, a telegram.

Let’s try out for the circus together. I’m sure your support is all I need.

Daniel E. Agee

_Misty Belardo – Public Portrait – @mistygirlph

Website :  http://digigirlmisty.blogspot.com
Twitter: @mistygirlph

“Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” – John Gardner

This statement explicitly describe my view on life. The experiences we go through in life – whether pleasant or unpleasant, shape us into who we are and who we strive to become. The flaws may be there and they will shape us based on how we choose to handle and respond to them. We can either stagnate or grow.

Hi I’m Misty Belardo and I am a Digital Activations Director for an ad agency.

My true love is design and self-expression.  I always encourage others to bring out their creativity to the surface and in whatever medium they feel comfortable with.

I am a designer at heart and I love hand drawn design.  I enjoy sketching, painting and doodling.  Watercolor, Pen and Ink, charcoal are preferred mediums.   I love creating avatars and hand drawn icons.  Started a weblog so that I can share my work with others.  I am very fortunate to be gifted with a very active imagination.

I try to make every moment of my existence fun. Share what I know and make an effort to make a difference in whatever I do.  Coffee is my drink of choice.  Music  inspires me.  Curiosity may have killed the cat.. but it’s a trait that keeps me exploring for new experiences and open my world to new learning’s.  Family and true friendships are important to me.  My Life is an artwork, it may have it’s imperfections, but it’s a work in progress.

Special thank you to @arnteriksen for helping me with the post and the layout. @bar0s for the photo.

Misty

_Marco Kuiper – Public Portrait – @marcofolio

Website: http://www.marcofolio.net
Twitter : @marcofolio

My name is Marco Kuiper. I was born on 07-01-1989 in Arnhem, The Netherlands and I still live there.

I have a couple of hobbies that I enjoy, which include:  scouting, playing on the keyboard, training at the gym, and, now that I have this site, blogging. On my blog I’m sharing my knowledge, news and fun items with the world.

At this moment, I’m a student at the College of Arnhem and Nijmegen Computer science Communication.

In my spare time, I also work as a freelancer for several projects. You can view my work as a freelancer in my portfolio. During the years I’ve managed to get knowledge from several programming languages and get some skill in some professional programs. To get an idea of what I can do, please visit my curriculum vitae (résumé).

_Joann Sondy – Public Portrait – @jsondy

Website: http://www.creativeaces.com
Twitter : @jsondy

Yes, that’s really me.  My husband behind the camera and styling done by a friend; the things we do for portfolio samples!

Ever since I can remember,  I’ve always wanted to be in some sort of creative field; after years of studio classes and forgotten projects I left college with a BFA proudly in-hand. What the heck was I going to do with a BFA? Who would hire me? How would I earn a living?

I was fortunate enough to refine my skills (which is an ongoing process, BTW) while working at one of the leading IR/PR firms in Chicago creating and delivering corporate materials for top-level management. For more than 15 years, I have produced distinctive communications that assist companies with building audience awareness and confidence amongst Wall Street.  I also work directly with some businesses who have very unique products/services: custom boat builder, luxury home realtor, vintage car restorer, events and a few others. My favorite projects are multi-page documents like specialty magazines, booklets, e-reports and annual reports.

I would like to formulate a transition from corporate materials into more fine art/photography with a vintage and classic flair.

_Jeffery Saddori – Public Portrait – @jefferysaddoris

Website: www.jefferysaddoris.com
Twitter : jefferysaddoris

I am a freelance designer-slash-art director living in Southern California.  I am also a mixed media artist, trying to find my voice and refine my process of combining analog and digital imagery in my art.  

On the design side, I started more than a decade ago at a small developer, ended up at Universal Studios as an Art Director and have now been freelance for several years.  The art side began in college, though I really didn’t pursue it seriously until last year.  I was fortunate to be able to take the bulk of 2008 off and really focus on my art, which saw my work in a couple group shows.  Now, as we start out 2009, I continue to pursue my art as well as a variety of Flash and New Media projects.

Jeffery Saddoris

_Erik Roberts – Public Portrait – @cryode

Website : http://cryode.com
Twitter : @cryode

Mine’s a little less creative and more… sneaky? =)

A freelancing web junky from Wisconsin, USA, I’ve been creating for the internet for around eight years.  After seeing websites for the first time, I decided to learn how to make them myself.  I’ve created sites ranging in subjects from high school to StarCraft, photography to recipes, machine shops to baby clothes, and it’s all been a blast.

I’m not much of a graphic designer, so I focus on the development side of web creation.  Front-end HTML & CSS, back-end PHP & MySQL and a splash of jQuery keep me occupied most of the time.  When I’m not freelancing, I’m working on one of a handful of side projects ranging from an automotive DIY database to a t-shirt ecommerce site.  Or I’m wasting the day away with Spider Solitaire (I’m addicted).  When my eyes aren’t glued to a computer screen, you can find me out on my sportbike, traveling, cooking, occasionally doodling, reading, or a handful of other (lazier) activities.

In 2009 I look forward to establishing a full-blown business identity, expanding my knowledge of usability and programming (and maybe a bit more artsy), finishing a bunch of personal projects, and lots more!  Hope you can be a part of it. 

Erik Roberts

_Elizabeth (Firggy) – Public Portrait – @firgs

Website : http://designbyfirgs.com
Twitter : @firgs

Also known as Elizabeth, Firgs has been an independent designer for over ten years, specializing in Photoshop art. Her favorite areas of design include photo-manipulation, company branding, and creating graphics for web use.

Currently, she is working as a freelance graphic artist in Chicago, IL. Her freelance client list includes some pretty big names. Often times however, her clients are lesser known photographers and businesses looking for a logo and brand identity.

When she isn’t “pushing pixels,” she attends to her second love, teaching Photoshop and design through her site: designbyfirgs.com. She loves people and loves to talk. Constantly she is using Twitter and her connections through the National Association of Photoshop professionals to teach, consult, and promote those that, like her, just sometimes need a little push in the right direction. Working with her fellow designers to help them grow has become a grand passion for her and she has a nice little, but rapidly increasing, fan base because of it. And she hopes she can continue down this teaching/consulting/promoting path for a long long time.

Firgs

_Jacob Cass – Public Portrait – @justcreative

Website : http://justcreativedesign.com
Twitter : @justcreative 

Hi, my name is Jacob Cass and I am the founder of Just Creative Design, Logo Of The Day and Logo Designer Blog. On Just Creative Design you will find my personal design portfolio as well as a blog on the main subject of graphic design which provides free graphic design tips, articles & resources on all subjects of design, ranging from, but not limited to; print design, logo design, web design, branding, typography, advertising & more.

I am self-employed as a graphic designer specialising in the fields of corporate identity (logo) design, web design, print design and branding with the majority of my time spent designing and implementing marketing promotions for small businesses such as logos, websites, brochures, letterhead, business cards and more.

I am 21 years old and I am in my 3rd year at Newcastle University studying Visual Communication (Majoring in Graphic Design) based in Newcastle, Sydney, Australia. Even though I am in my 3rd year at University I have had multitude of experience, gaining my first freelance design job at the age of 16. Since then I have never turned back…

My life is design, I love it and I surround myself in it every day.

I also love to travel and currently have been to over 31 countries, of which I have spent 1 year as an exchange student living, working, and studying in Gothenburg, Sweden. When I’m not looking at a computer screen you will find me on the beach, travelling, or listening to music – maybe even all at once. You can check out some more pictures and stories of my travels.

Jacob Cass

_Kashyap K – Public Portrait – @kgrz

Twitter : @kgrz

Hi, I am Kashyap, a 22 year old aspiring designer from Hyderabad, India. I work in an IT service organization in the morning and do my design and web-dev stints at night! I am self-taught in Photoshop, Illustrator (not quite there yet!) and web-design thanks to a lot of help online from some great people. I always look forward to learning new things about logo, graphic, print and web-design.

I used to dream about developing software even before the time I knew exactly what it meant! Even though it might take some time, I’d love to contribute to open-source application development as I strongly believe I have to give back something to the community.

Right now I am into java, exploring the vast expanses of it, partly because of my day job requires me to do so. Nevertheless, I love the language! Apart from designing, I am passionate about music, movies and photography. The tools I use are Ps, Ai, Aptana, NetBeans and Eclipse!

Kashyap

_Rob Barrett – Public Portrait – @robbarrett

Website : http://rob-barrett.com
Twitter : @robbarrett

Hi, I’m Rob Barrett, graphic and web designer, illustrator, backpacker, and serial tea drinker. I’m currently living and working for myself in South London.

I’ve always been creative, ever since I started scribbling on the walls, and — apart from a brief period of wanting to be an archaeologist, until I realised the difference between the reality of the job and that of a certain fedora-wearing adventurer — I’ve always aimed to be in an artistic line of work.

I’ve travelled pretty extensively in the last few years, and I think it was the eye-opening resulting from that that made me decide to opt for on-the-job training rather than the more usual university route. I feel it was the right path for me, as it allowed me to carry on indulging in my love of travelling, plus it let me justifiably sneer at layabout student friends.

Thanks to my dad, I’ve always been computer-savvy, and I can remember putting together my first websites back when Amazon was new and Geocities was one of the pinnacles of the web’s achievements. I’ve been playing around with web and design software ever since, and more seriously since I got my first proper agency job in 2004.

Most recently, I’ve been meeting some great people through Twitter, and I definitely feel that the contact there has spurred me on immensely over the last six months. I’ve been spending my time learning the ins-and-outs of WordPress, and I’d like to start generating more business on the print design and illustration side of things.

Rob

_Charise Glasson – Public Portrait – @charise

Website : http://www.cpginteriors.com
Twitter : @Charise

Well by my definition, I am a mother of one truly amazing little boy, a wife and an interior designer with unsatisfiable appetite and passion for all things design.  

You can find me on numerous occasions musing over any sort of accessories, furniture or acutuments of the the past and how to infuse them with a modern twist, a style that is if you will a bit eclectic.  I describe my style as Traditional, Classic and Chic with a slight splash of the unexpected or out of the box on a whim.  

I’m also a jewelry designer and I’m inspired by all things Beautiful in Life. I embody an energetic approach and an artistic mind that allows me to create well just about anywhere the path may take me… 

Charise

_Graham Smith – Public Portrait – @imjustcreative

Website : http://imjustcreative.com
Twitter : @imjustcreative

Yes, it’s true. I am behind MonoExpression. So figured it was about time to add myself to the gallery.

Graham, thats me. Im a Logo and Brand Identity Designer as well as enthused photographer, artist and general freelance graphic designer of over 20 years, focusing on clean, fresh and bold logo and icon designs and yummy photographs.ImJustCreative is my business identity and studio.

I love simplicity. I love minimalism. Yet, both can be so hard to achieve when you have more ingredients than you would like.

I set up MonoExpression as a means to further explore my fascination with black and white portraits, and it fuels my love for seeing new photographs daily.

I am also Creative Director over at FreshID.

Other websites in my portfolio include : LoveHelvetica, MonoExpression, WeAreJustCreative and SoulTweet. Not to mention the various Posterous ‘Junkies‘ blogs.

I am very fortunate to be able to work from home, for myself. Work for me is not just designing and being creative, Social Networking and media is crucial to the success of a hungry and eager Freelance Designer. This is me. I am a people person and love the brilliance of meeting new people on my online travels

_EarthXplorer – Public Portrait – @earthxplorer

Website: http://earthxplorer.com
Twitter: @earthxplorer

The world is such an amazing place!
The people, architecture, food, philosophy etc.

I have been very lucky to have traveled for work and worked for travel. Capturing these amazing places through video and photographs.

I have been asked – “what is your favorite place?” There are so many amazing places that are all interesting and my favorite for so many different reasons. I could never pick “one place” as my favorite… the world would my favorite.

I am passionate about learning everyday, philosophy, religion, art, languages, customs etc. I try to Create something everyday, anything! Some things turn out cool, some…not so much.

But no matter what – just create!

JD

_Mig Reyes – Public Portrait – @spigumus

Website: http://www.migreyes.com
Twitter: @ spigumus

I’m Mig Reyes, a young-gun designer hailing from the Windy City. Despite being a recent graduate from The Illinois Institute of Art, I’ve had the opportunity to work for a lot of great clients, including Barilla, Culligan, Hallmark, Harley-Davidson, Rand McNally, Sears and Valspar.

I was lucky enough to start working in the industry during school, collaborating with some of Chicago’s top design studios including Rule29 Creative, Inc. and Segura Inc.

I’m heavily involved within the design community, currently serving as the “Student and Young Professional Liaison” for The Society of Typographic Arts, as well as the “Social Media Liaison” for AIGA National. I have a serious passion for connecting with other creatives—especially other young designers. My work has been recognized with Adobe, AIGA, CMYK Magazine, HOW, Rockport Publishers and most recently, a nomination for PRINT Magazine’s New Visual Artists 2009.

When I’m not behind my MacBook, I’m most definitely on the hunt for the best homemade chocolate chip cookies. Care to collab?

Mig Reyes

_Kenroy George – Public Portrait – @kengeo

website : www.kenroygeorge.com
twitter :  @kengeo

Hello world! I am a self-taught web designer, developer, and system admin, I grew up in a small but beautiful island of grenada in the west indies. did not grow up with a tv so that forced me to find other ways to entertain myself and pass the time (I still don’t look at much of it today).

I guess I can say most of my youth was spent doodling random things and in the shadow of my architect uncle. I also have an interest in breaking down and putting back together electronics that I owned. In the end I believe my career choice was already set for me.

Currently I am a senior web designer and developer at MyWineDirect in NYC and once in a while would pick up a freelance project that looks interesting.

Kenroy George

_John Shanley – Public Portrait – @jshanley

Website : www.netplusmarketing.com
Twitter : @jshanley

I’m a Creative Director at a full-service digital agency outside of Philadelphia.  Been in a few punk bands back in the day, then started to get my writing published.  Went to graduate school and taught at Boston University for a few years before jumping into advertising. 

Worked my way up from copywriter at a full-service agency where I did broadcast, print and a little interactive, before finally moving into interactive full-time.

I appreciate beautiful design, crisp writing, great strategy, intuitive UX and smart marketing that doesn’t insult people.

My Sr VP of Tech and I have been working with some good national and worldwide brands and getting them to realize the sea change in marketing that’s been occurring in the past year or so. Any design peeps here are more than welcome to follow on twitter, LinkedIn or facebook—I’ll follow back.

John Shanley

_Kyle Steed – Public Portrait – @kylesteed

Website : http://KyleSteed.com
Twitter : @kylesteed

I enjoy the simple things in life, design and faith. The latter though is what carries me on and inspires me the most.

My name is Kyle Steed and I’m a 26-year-old designer living in Dallas, Texas. I own a home and two playful labs with my wife. Over the past 26 years I have loved creating things with my hands and visualizing ideas on paper. But over the past 15 months I have really grown in making things work for the web. And while I love the internet and all its glory I would still rather make art that is tangible. My dream is to one day have the opportunity to work in my own studio making art that is compassionate and meaningful.

When I’m not designing I enjoy writing, reading and listening.

Kyle Steed

_Emil Wisch – Public Portrait – @emilwisch

Website: www.emilwisch.com
Twitter: @emilwisch

Master of none. Servant. Community nurturer. Idea guy. I thrive on connecting people with information.

I grew up with the most supportive parents a kid could have in a suburb just South of Chicago. My blue collar work ethic and lack of finances kept me in town for college (never finished). I love my family and friends. I love animals and hockey. It’s hard for me to put a camera down and, like Simon, “I like to do drawings”. I want to develop this skill so I can show you my dreams. I write occasionally.

I co-created the, now defunct, social network for local, indie businesses: UrbanMelt.com. It prepared me for the work I’m doing with Fuel Your Creativity and the Fuel Brand Group and also with a new venture called Design Groupie. I’m not a designer myself but am highly attracted to the visual poetry of my friends in the design community.

My greatest passion is building relationships. I’ve met who I consider to be the most interesting people in the world. I know there are more of you out there. I will find you.

Emil Wisch