Work

Back to Work

December 31, 2007 by joewatts

Well, sort of. Ann’s off today, so I’ll only be doing a little bit of “real” work. We’ve got plans to do a bit of yard work and go for a walk. And we’ll be struggling to stay up until 12:01 tonight. Hoping we can make it.

I’m working on a logo for the Alabama Scenic Byways program–haven’t gotten it just where I wanted it, but there is interest in showcasing the pine tree somehow on the signage, so here’s one of the designs I’ve come up with so far. The font for “Alabama” is the standard font used by the Tourism Department, so I went with that for the whole sign. I’ve also done another using a sans serif font for readability. I’ll talk with the sign department at ALDOT on what they think will work.

ACA Calendar: A Last Minute Christmas Idea

December 20, 2007 by joewatts

Here’s an idea for a last minute Christmas gift, and one that really can make a difference. Give someone a calendar for 2008 from Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama. Okay, it’s a plug for something I worked on, but still, pretty worthy when you think about it. The proceeds from the calendar sales go to fund the mission of ACA–which is to help people with Alzheimer’s and the people who care for them. Visit www.alzca.org and you can buy the calendar online (using paypal, so you are safe as can be).

The brightly colored flowers of the cover art were created by 86 year old Dapsie, who was born in Briarwood. Her family of four children, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren tell us that she was a wonderful seamstress and cook. Dapsie, who has lived in Tuscaloosa for over fifty years, is known for having a smile as bright as this artwork and for being very generous with hugs!

All the art is created by Alzheimer’s patients–several area nursing homes have art therapy programs and reportedly the creation of art gives the patients something rewarding to work on and can help them have a more enjoyable life.

Just a thought!

Website In Progress

December 18, 2007 by joewatts

Just finished designing a website for an insurance company in town. The site still needs to be built out, but the overall layout and template are completed. Now, all that’s left is gathering the information and deciding the best way to handle some of the submenus–but that should be pretty straightforward.

I’m also in the process of developing a couple more sites. Got a really nice compliment the other day on one of my personal favorite sites (not so much from the design, but from the actual content.) www.yourtownalabama.org/news/index.php. I was giving part of a presentation on marketing strategies as they relate to tourism and was introducing myself. I explained what I’d be doing as part of the team of people working on the Southwest Alabama tourism initiative. Someone who knows me also chimed in that I do work for Your Town Alabama, the Alabama Scenic Byways Program and a few other things. About an hour later, we went around the room and asked everyone to talk about themselves and explain what they did. One of the people stood up and said that, before she started talking about herself, she wanted to thank me for the Your Town Alabama newsletter. She went on to say that it was full of useful information–everybody loves to find out about grants they can apply for and what’s going on in communities around them. It is always really cool to have someone thank you for something–especially something that you enjoy working on.

Finishing Up

December 16, 2007 by joewatts

Always excited to finish a project–even though this one comes around fresh each month with a new issue. I’ve been doing the Sierra Club’s newsletter for several years now and it is one of those projects that I really enjoy being involved with–lots of interesting information to read and sort through when deciding what fits. When I started, the newsletter was mostly filled with national, and even international, news. As it has grown and become more a part of the Alabama Chapter, more and more people now contribute to each issue to the point where (other than a little short filler here and there) it is almost entirely about Alabama and the Southeast.

Best of all, as I was finishing this issue up, I got a great compliment sent my way:

“I wanted you to read the message that a long time Sierra Club member sent when she mailed the clip out card regarding improving fisheries management to Gov. Riley.

She sent a Sierra Club card (with an adorable sea otter on it) and the clip out regarding fisheries, the card read:

I’m using this clip out message to Governor Riley to express my appreciation to all who produce the splendid “Alabama Sierran” newsletter. It is the best publication ever and I always enjoy reading it from cover to cover! The message to the governor is an example of making it easier to contact officials which I don’t always do on my own. As a long time member who is not able to be active thanks for keeping me informed.“

That was pretty nice.