Hohensalsburg Castle, Salzburg Austria

Salzburg the land of Salt, was such a wonderful trip! It took us a while to get there, but the long voyage was well worth it. We left after work on Friday and hopped on a train which took us to through various Swiss towns until we arrived in Austria. We arrived at our hostel at 4am and a sleepy eyed but friendly receptionist greeted us and gave us towels and keys. Patrick was his name and he would later join us in in our Salzburg adventures and show us some authentic Austrian cuisine.

Our Saturday was a shmorgisboard of activities including walking around the old part of the city, up to a gorgeous Fortress called the Hohensalzburg Castle, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. It was so beautiful and we were able to see the sunset from one of the terraces. Accross from us the Austrian Alps, which were perfect and untouched rose in the distance.

Spring is cominngg

Spring is definitely peeking its way into the mountains in Switzerland. When I woke up today and opened my window, The sun was shining so bright and the winter chill that ive felt for months was gone. Brief update: Bianca, Kat, Rachel and I went to Salzburg in Austria last weekend. OBSESSED. So gorgeous, and charming. More on that later. Work is continuing on, and I am working on a website design for an organization in Switzerland called ApHS which helps people cope with what the Swiss call, Burnout; depression stemming from the workplace. Ive been enjoying designing for the web and like the change from print- i like the challenge of creating more of a dynamic and interactive environment rather than something final and exact like some of my print projects.
I hope everyone can smell spring already! I sure can
Chao,
El

Give me a break

Taking breaks to watch these really important videos is necessary for our well-being at the office. Here are a few videos that have been keeping us all giggling and oggling at the office lately.

Hey Gais

Gruezi!

Life in Gais is moving along. Work has been tough lately, as the pace is very fast. I have assumed some responsibility for one of our big clients, SIGMA, a Life Sciences, analytical biology company (woohoo) and have been working on a trifold brochure for their products and services. This is my first time using strict style guides to design print materials, and its quite a process. The immense detail and attention that must be paid to alignment and consistency is challenging at first but really is a language that becomes easier to use with time. Kat and Bianca have been incredible resources and support for me as I adjust to the work and I thank them for that. For sure the experience so far has been challenging in different ways, but challenge means growth and growing rocks.

The weather was nice and springy for a few days and almost all the snow had melted...until today when it blizzarded all day. Peering out of the office windows, we felt like we were sitting in a snow globe. Hopefully soon spring will stay for good because the little taste we had was so nice and refreshing. Rachel, a new intern arrived on Monday. This weekend we all are going to Salzburg, Austria. We will stay in a hostel and explore Mozart's hometown!

Valerie left to go back to the States last week. One of her last nights we went to a concert at The Palace (quickly becoming one of my fave spots in St Galen (See sidebar on the right).

Real Estate

was the opening band (so good!) and

Shabbaz Palaces

was on the main stage. They were so great and we danced our Swiss pants off. Ive included video content for your viewing pleasure.

Looking forward to a fun, relaxing weekend in Austria. Has anyone been to Salzburg? Any suggestions for things to do and see?

Ill post again soon,
-El

keeping in touch.

KHOI VINH- ON THE GRID

Thinking about grids lately. Using a lot of grids lately. Feeling like grids are the worst thing ever before they become the best thing ever. I recently watched an interview with Khoi Vinh who was the Design director at newyorktimes.com from 2006-2010. One specific thing he said has stuck in my mind and wanted to share:

He spoke about his attraction to design because of its' objectivity. Using a grid, he said "imposes order" and is a framework to follow and adhere to. He said that to design gives you the chance to remove all subjectivity. By doing that, he said "you can arrive at some essential truth, some core idea that is not clouded by inaccuracies or subjective feelings. It may be impossible to get there", he said, "but getting to that core idea is a worthwhile pursuit."

This is so well put. When we design something using a framework or a grid, we anchor our decisions to the corners and the edges of this grid. We have a reason behind every placement and spacing. These reasons are based on a set of objective rules. We see these corners and eges, and we no longer "feel" the right placement, we know it, we see it. I like how he said Design "gives you the chance" to remove all subjectivity. While it may be impossible to get there completely, arriving at these core ideas and truths has definitely been worth pursuing.

Khoi Vinh - on the grid from The Color Machine on Vimeo.

The Masks of Fasnacht

Luzern

Work at ICON

Hello everyone! I just finished my second week at Icon and things are going well so far. It definitely feels good to be working in design again and to be using my skills/ learning tons of new ones. The work pace is really fast and that forces me to learn quickly and to not second guess my design decisions. This week I worked on designing a format and spreads for the University of St. Gallen's Executive School Annual Report. Normally, the work that Icon does, is designed using strict style guidelines that the client has prepared for the Graphic Designers and Marketing team. In this particular project, the client wanted to stray away from the established grid system and try something different. Because of this, we were given more freedom to set up our own grid and come up with the concepts for how the information would be presented. I was glad to have been a part of this process, as I was forced to learn tons of new tricks and tools to knock out multiple spreads in order for them to be sent out and recieved back for feedback. I learn so much even from sitting down and listening to Jon and Lori (my bosses and owners of ICON) give us feedback on what absolutely doesnt work and what is successful etc. Their design perspective comes from an impressive background working in top marketing and corporate agencies. I not only find what they say interesting, I am beginning to see a different side to design than I've never seen/used before. More on that when I figure it out...haha. There are definitely a lot of things I need to learn, and I still feel a bit slow at certain things but I know that with the amount of work I will be doing, I am bound to improve and get faster.

Tomorrow Kat, Valerie (two of the other interns) and I are taking the train to Lucerne and then continuing on to Geneva! We will spend tomorrow night in Geneva with one of Valerie's family friends. Sunday we will explore the city and then head home for work on Monday. Im excited to take my first Swiss trip! I'll be back with photos and stories later!
Have a great weekend!
-E

An Icon Valentines Day

For Valentines Day us gals made an ICONic brunch.

Piano Heaven

My new German friend, Dustin, brought me to a music store in St. Gallen called MusikHug. As we walked to the back room, he said "and now you enter heaven". We floated into a quiet room with all kinds of pianos. Me and my giddy self started to gallop around to touch all of them. THEN, we took an elevator to the third floor where this video takes place. If that was heaven, this floor was Heaven's sage old Father. I was wondering before coming to Switzerland, where I would find my music outlet here. I think Ive found it. I cant wait to go back and play more. Listen to Dustin play!

Appenzell Run

Bianca and I kicked ourselves into gear today, after an ungodly late night out in St. Gallen and we ran to Appenzell and back--which ended up being about 10 miles...although it probably would only be 6 if we knew where we were going. woops. Oh well, really good run and great pictures to show you. Enjoy!

Elephant EP by Billy Dodge

ELEPHANT, BILLY DODGE

Please check out my friend Billy Dodge who just came out with his new EP "Elephant"! Billy's tunes makes me so nostalgic, and I love his poetic and narrative lyrics. I was honored to have recorded the backup vocals with him for his song "Illusory", which is a beautiful tune. I hope you enjoy him and follow him as he continues to produce amazing music.

-E

Accidental treasure

In the midst of a stressful day at work, I went to start some research and accidentally stumbled upon this which causes me to stop. and re-asess my outlook.

Desiderata


Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

The Morning Runs

Take a look at my route!

My very first Swiss Chocolate Bar. omg. Denner is the market across the street. a little pricey, but they have everything you need, including cheap wine and all the chocolate you could ever imagine. The girls that work there are super nice and Im forcing myself to practice my German on them...even when they look really confused, I just keep going. Can't wait for a breakthrough then maybe I can actually have a conversation with them.

My new room in The Faulken.

Gais, my new home

I have arrived safe and sound to my new home! Bianca picked me up at he train station and showed me back to our home The Faulken in Gais. This town is absolutely picturesque and beautiful. Its been snowing hard ever since I arrived and the town is covered. (this is the most snow theyve had in a month since Bianca arrived). I brought me bags into my room, which looks out over a church, and I have a perfect view of it from my window. Its bells ring at times throughout the day and its always a lovely sound. With 9 franks I bout some pasta, an orange, apples, pita and some tomato sauce. I took a good 6 hour nap and got up, strapped on my boots and took a walk through town. It was getting dark and I could see families sitting down to eat dinner through their lit windows. There are all of these winding roads that take you every which way through the village. Everywhere I look there is another rising peak and flickering house lights. I strayed off to a path that took me to a farm and a big field. Two white rabbits were hopping around in the snow and I stopped to watch them for a while- they weren't afraid, as if putting on a show for me. There are little cheese shops and candle stores tucked into the sides of streets and I cant wait until daylight to explore this area some more. I arrived back to the Faulken and in front in the center of the village there were three ice sculptors chipping a way at a huge block of ice. One man spoke broken English and told me that they are sculpting two wheels? He said it was a recreation of an image found on a vase of grandmother's .I couldnt quite understand, but tomorrow I guess I will find out if they have completed their masterpiece.
I met the other interns and I am anxious to experience for myself what they tell me about. Now I will get some sleep and get up early to explore some more. I have the weekend to settle and than I start work on Monday!

Love from Gais,
Eleanor