Interface Inspiration from 37signals on Vimeo.

These dudes are so brilliant it really grates my cheddar. I can’t wait to look for my own interface inspiration in real world objects. I wish more web designers would do things like this, I’m bored by the huge portions of the web that are just remixes of the same tired layouts.

Via Signal Vs. Noise.

I have precisely 15 minutes to push out this missive, so I’m just going for it! Here’s what happened in the last month.

Chad & I went to Minnesota to hang out with my fam and do some co-working at Loose Cubes. But we also got a really stellar behind-the-scenes tour of the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Designer Dante Carlos showed us their incredible library, archives, design offices, and introduced us to the rest of their design team. It was so incredible! I could have spent the whole afternoon pawing aroung in their library. Dante had the librarian pull some handmade pop-up books by one of my long time favorite artists, Tauba Auerbach. Wow, right? We even made the Walker blog too!

+ I started working with Aeolidia, I’m designing websites with them on the reg now.

+ Personal milestone: I turned 30! Pie-themed party (with requisite pie-eating contest, of course) was held at my co-working space Rational Park. (Semi-related, also designed & built Rational Park’s website with my super hero studiomates this month. Adding this ‘un to my portfolio, yepper.) Even though I’m thrilled to be 30 and enjoyed the heck out of my birthday, this milestone hasn’t come without some challenges, not going to lie. Growing pains as I spent these weeks not only evaluating myself but every aspect of my business, my process. Checking myself trying to make sure I’ve got my goals in focus. It’s exhausting, but man, so worth it. This is definitely to blame for my hard fall off the social media train too. And once you break the habit it’s really hard to get back into it, so I’m a bit breathless as if I were taking up running again. Plus, for the first time I noticed I had stage fright about what to post, which I admit is suuuuper lame, but there you have it. Blogger identity crisis. Progress is being made though, starting in five days, when I’ll be presenting about this exact process, on stage in front of several hundred people at WMC Fest. Either way I’m putting myself out there then, so I might as well bring it to this space too you know?

Bring it, Cleveland. Bring it, internet. Let’s tangle.

+ 20×200 just launched a new print series of Valerie Roybal’s collages. That color is exactly how I want to start my Friday.

+ This roundtable discussion on the future of professional blogging written by some of the industry’s bigwigs is on my weekend reading list. (somewhat related, more Bitblogger interviews in the works too!).

+ Have you Bought Some Damn Art yet? Nothing’s better than an original artwork for your home. Go.

+ Portfolio alert: my newest project just launched this morning! I did all the design & strategy and about a third of the development. Coding is still not done yet (there is still lots of empty content areas, obvi) but everything should fill out by next week. Plus I just love these clients so much, they stand for a cause that means a lot to me so I just couldn’t wait to share! Major thanks to Word Couture for supplying the copywriting, Matt Barnes for the late night CSS help, and Shayne Miel & Brian Tucker for doing most of the code-wrastlin’. You dudes made my vision happen. Thank you.
 

For extra-last-minute-fun-times, I’ve submitted some of my collage books (like so) to an art show which is opening tomorrow night. We’re blowing the doors off of my buddy Sam Rosen‘s brand-new web design shop/co-working space as a part of the gallery district’s 1st Thursdays Art Walk. I didn’t get it together to take any in-process shots though, so you’ll just have to make do with your imagination that this is gonna be boss. If you need more convincing, just look at all the other wonderfuls who have work in the show too:

Andy Luce, Alex Fuller, INDO Projects, Stephanie Bassos, Plural, Rod Hunting, David Sieren, Jesse Hora, Delicious Design League, Bud Rodecker, Ben Speckmann, and Julia Stotz & Brian Guido.

230 W. Superior Ave, 2nd floor
5-11pm
Free!

+ These Flatpack Globes are a nice twist on the vintage globe trend. You can even color them yourself if you so choose. Via Design for Mankind.

+ If you don’t know Lisa Congdon’s illustration work, you should. She’s just relaunched her site and it’s looking reaaaaaaally purty. Girlfriend is a rockstar.

+ Listen to an absolutely charming interview with Herman Miller creative director Steven Frykholm.

+ Read why writer James Chartrand on why she (yes, she) chose to use a male pen name and what that’s done for her work. I was particularly grabbed by this story, as a female business owner that I am. Still mulling over my reaction, but it’s fantastic piece regardless.

+ Ooh la-la! L’Affiche Moderne’s got a pretty new website. It’s a major step up, and really makes me itchy to buy many arty things.

+ Chronicle Books is having a spring sale! Enter code SPRING11 at checkout to get 30% off. I’m seriously considering The Art of McSweeney’s which showcases all of the printed issues through the years.

+ I love that April Fool’s is viral prank day online; the silliness makes me want to kiss the internet on the mouth. Here’s a list of Google’s tricks for 2011.

{Image Credit: Karma Is the Shit by Carolyn Sewell.}