Alexandra Roche

Just for fun. Here's a collection of books I’ve read and enjoyed. Some recent, some not. 🤓 The Creative Act   By: Rick Rubin   Illuminates the artist's path for everyone. Guns, Germs, and Steel   By: Jared Diamond   Explores the geographical and ecological factors shaping the modern world. Greenlights   By: Matthew McConaughey   Insights from the actor's life experiences and personal diaries. Talking to Strangers   By: Malcolm Gladwell   Discusses the tools and strategies we use to understand people we don't know. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike   By: Phil Knight   The story of Nike's evolution into a global brand. Why We Make Things and Why It Matters   By: Peter Korn   Explores the rewards of creative practice and the search for meaning. Never Split the Difference   By: Chris Voss   A former FBI hostage negotiator's approach to high-stakes negotiations. Every Tool's a Hammer   By: Adam Savage   Creative lessons from the star of Mythbusters. Paddle Your Own Canoe   By: Nick Offerman   Anecdotes and lessons for a fulfilling life. The Path Made Clear   By: Oprah Winfrey   A guide for discovering your life's direction and purpose. The Danish Way of Parenting   By: Jessica Joelle Alexander, Dissing Sandahl   Advice on raising happy, well-adjusted kids. Call Sign Chaos   By: Jim Mattis, Bing West   The story of Jim Mattis' leadership roles and career. Folks, This Ain't Normal   By: Joel Salatin   Thoughts on sustainable living and practical life changes. Die with Zero   By: Bill Perkins   A guide on maximizing life's experiences over accumulating money. Quench Your Own Thirst   By: Jim Koch   The story of Samuel Adams' brewery and the craft beer revolution. Radical Candor   By: Kim Scott   A framework for building better work relationships and achieving results. Outliers: The Story of Success   By: Malcolm Gladwell   Explores the external factors that contribute to extraordinary success.

12

3 Comments

Did you know it's perfectly legal to discuss your salary? Companies often discourage this and may try to intimidate you if they find out. So here goes. 15 years experience. Sr Art Director, 163k year, left with 125k/RSUs vested and about 80k unvested. In a tough job market, it’s crucial to ensure you're negotiating what you're worth, not just what they say they can afford. Often, they can pay more. Don’t settle out of desperation. Your pay is significant—I didn’t even get a raise this year, so I understand how important it is. I was shocked to learn that some, women especially, I previously have worked with made nearly 40-50% less than I did. While there are reasons for different pay scales, the pay range for the same roles shouldn’t have a $60k-$100k disparity. Pay disparity remains a significant issue, particularly for women, with black and Latino women facing even greater wage gaps. On average, black women earn about 63 cents and Latino women about 55 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. This disparity is influenced by systemic biases, discrimination, and limited access to higher-paying jobs and opportunities for advancement. Addressing these inequalities is crucial, not only for achieving fairness and equity but also for fostering economic growth and stability. Ensuring transparency in pay and advocating for equal compensation are vital steps toward closing this gap. Go get your money. Don’t let a company gaslight you. If it takes nine interviews, you’re worth it.

421

4 Comments

Launch day for a new feature is always a queasy bundle of nerves and excitement. I cross my fingers that nothing crashes, that all the teeny visual details are accounted for, and, ultimately, that the feature delivers real value to our users. Today, in collaboration with Instacart, my team at The New York Times Cooking launched a new shoppable recipe integration! 👩🏻‍🌾 We aim to save busy home cooks even more time and energy so they can focus on the things that matter: Enjoying delicious meals and the act of creating them. What you see of a feature is always a black box. The final designs in the NYT Cooking and Instacart products eclipse the massive effort from everyone on both teams. We spent hundreds of messages, emails, hours, and meetings nailing down every little detail—from the language on the buttons to its placement to all the marketing we’re doing to promote this integration. I could not be happier or more proud of the work that we’ve put it! I hope you take advantage of this integration to whip up something delicious and share it with someone special! 💕 Learn more about the partnership here: https://lnkd.in/eX3bmJY8

76

18 Comments

There’s still time for folks to sign up for my Fundamentals of User Experience Design class at SVA which runs three weeks, meeting twice a week, starting next Tuesday. That's six weeks of UX goodness packed into three. More information below if you're interested or want to pass this on to someone else who may be. #UX #UXdesign #IA

4

🎈Pretty colors aren’t good enough. Color needs to do the hard work of balancing brand voice with utility and accessibility. Fortunately there's color tooling to help designers with the complexity of managing contrast across multiple colors, tints and shades. A valuable color tool should allow you to do a couple of things: → Seed your palette with brand colors → Provide sufficient tints and shades with documented accessibility contrast → Generate output that can be leveraged by design and engineering team members 🌈 Genome Color Tool by Kevin Muldoon The Genome Color web app allows you to create custom color scales from brand colors by leveraging recommended tints/shades from proven color systems. The thinking behind the tool is so smart it makes my head spin and the video tutorial provided makes it super easy to use. Writeup: https://lnkd.in/gjAmBJq6 Tool: https://lnkd.in/ggumsweN Figma plugin: https://lnkd.in/gr6B_Cpi 👨‍🎨 Leonardo by Nate Baldwin Leonardo is a web app that allows you to build out multiple color ramps for a uniform theme that share the same contrast ratios. It offers a number of slick visualizations, accessibility options and ways to export everything. There’s even a plugin that allows you to pull your palette directly into Figma. Writeup: https://lnkd.in/gufQhmFT Tool: https://leonardocolor.io/# Figma plugin: https://lnkd.in/g-FFqJuW 🎨 Supa Pallete by Angelo Libero Supa Pallette is an elegant Figma plugin with a paid option. I’ve tested a fair share of Figma plugins, and this one is packed with features and worth the license. Starting with a seed color, the tool allows you to customize WCAG or APCA accessibility contrast scale, export visual color tiles for preview and even generate Figma variables. Tool: https://lnkd.in/ge92ND2N Figma plugin: https://lnkd.in/gX7sq25U 💎 For as complicated as color can be, we’re lucky to have access to so many resources. Some takeaways our team at Exygy now uses to make color decisions: → Align the team on accessibility guidelines like WCAG or APCA → Meet with designers to find out what Figma tooling and color method, including HEX or HSL, are the most intuitive for them → To ensure adoption, talk with engineering to find out what a valuable output format looks like, whether that’s CSS or tokens I’ve posted about managing color before including more helpful resources: https://lnkd.in/g6E3zYjA #color #ui #design #designsystems #figma #accessibility #branding #color

67

4 Comments

What books would you add to this stack? During my summer job sabbatical and while pursuing my next adventure, I’m taking the time to read a lot of design-related books. Are there any you would recommend? #graphicdesign #creatives #typography #upskilling #jobsearch #laidoff #learning #alwayscurious

7

9 Comments

Mechs. So many mechs and so many styles. I started exploring --sref again looking for additional good graphic novel/comic book styles. In my testing, I would bounce from mechs to some of my weird west prompts to see how it handles humans and creatures. Some work great for both, some not so much. #aiart #aiartwork #aicc #aicccreators #midjourney #midjourneyart #midjourneyai #illustration #nijijourney #NIJI #characterdesign #characterart #generativeart #generativeai

29

6 Comments

In a recent Spotlight interview with DesignRush, I discussed how clients can get the best out of their studio collaborations. In the article we discuss: - Client prep - Research - Our creative process - Risk mitigation - Pivoting campaigns - Using AI and more Check it out for yourself here: https://lnkd.in/eqp5RgcS #graphicdesign #marketing #collaboration #designrushmag

11

1 Comment

Great article. We need more of this.

12

As a Creative Director I do a lot of presentations. And just because a client is silent doesn't mean they’re understanding what you're talking about. Don't assume the client gets it and is following everything you're discussing. Take a breath periodically and ask if everything makes sense so far and if there's anything you can repeat. It ensures you're on the same page and prevents expensive misunderstandings later. #yesterlearnings #meetings #presentations

3

Day 2/30 of posting my work or ideas. Idea time - Random one today, but what if someone created an open-source betting site, that wasn’t sport-centric? I want to bed on the next CD for Chanel, and what John Galliano is going to do now he’s leaving Margiela, not the Euro’s…⚽ And here’s the thing, what if the money people bet wasn’t hoarded by a conglomerate, but was reinvested into the industry through grants to champion emerging talent who need funding? Bets i’d make: 👉 Dilara Findikoglu or Vivienne Westwood to style Chappell Roan at the 2025 Grammys 👉 That bootcut jeans will be a major norm core trend in the upcoming future, replacing the balloon pant 👉 Demna to leave Balenciaga in the next 2 years and start his own brand If anyone wants to steal the idea, please do, just tag me so I can place my bets! 😂 #Euros2024 #fashionbetting #ChappellRoan #TrendPrediction #JohnGalliano #ChanelTakeover

8

Good UX tells us that the simpler the task, the more chance you have of the user completing that task. So when creating entry forms for a sweepstakes it's tempting collect the minimal amount of info. However, when the promo is over and the winners need to be contacted (and sent their prizes) you're going to need more information. Address, email, phone are all necessary to provide ample contact points for the winners. You need to collect that information anyway—just depends when you do it. #yesterlearnings #UX #sweepstakes #webdesign

1

🔔 Portfolio update! I’ve added a "new" project to my collection — well, it's from 2021, which might seem like only a moment ago to some of you, and I can relate! Time does fly. 😊 Yet, in the brief span from then to now, I feel like I have come a long way as a designer. I’m grateful for each experience from my past work, as it has paved the way to where I stand today. Have a look and see the milestones that have shaped my professional path. Minster Law **Objectives: The project aimed to develop a new, versatile website for Minster Law, featuring components adaptable for use across the brand's web presence. A key challenge was designing components that served the content needs of both websites, despite their varying volumes of content. **My Role: As the lead designer, my role spanned overseeing the design direction, from usability and interface to post-rebrand digital adjustments. My focus was on providing strategic guidance to align the previous design work with the new branding, ensuring efficient use of time and resources without compromising the achievements already made. **Design Highlights: The FAQ section was a cornerstone of this project. It presented a chance to refine an often-overlooked section and transform it into a practical, user-friendly resource. Tailoring this tool to the specific needs of legal advice seekers was an engaging challenge that broadened my design perspective. **Outcome: The project culminated in a distinctive end product, where the rebranding injected personality into the design. It was a testament to the synergy of cross-collaborative efforts, drawing on diverse expertise and viewpoints to enrich the final outcome. #OpenToWork

4

3 Comments

Cross pollination/Multitask It takes what it takes. If I am to multitask---my visuals can too. To illustrate: Here’s “BRUTUS” my Chevy G/10 from 669’s “Respect the Van” series. He was re-dressed and branded for another group’s application. “WHY?” They were looking for something different, yet they needed wiggle room within the budget. To accommodate those efforts, I offered up one of the RTV vans to play assist. No creating from scratch—the boat (in this case a van) was already built! Multitask/Cross pollination is not a water-down---- It’s stepping UP and stepping into possibilities and opportunities. In business, wiggle room and redirect are vital. Afterall, it’s more than a van in a visual—it’s a “team player” and a visual that will speak to their avatar audience. It also hit a price point that was favorable for all involved. That’s a WIN. You’d be amazed how many different scenarios happen within the studio. Every project has its own needs, and no request is (EVER) off the table. You don’t know unless you ask! ----------- I’m Scott Fisk---from Studio 669, I create visuals that knock DOWN the doors of “normal”, making YOUR audience scream for more. DM me “Go Time” -Let’s discuss getting YOUR brand next level. It’s a (FREE) no obligation conversation.   💥 If you enjoyed this post, give me a follow! And I’ll drop cool into your feed on the daily. That's a promise. #designwork #branding #strategy 

22

3 Comments

Here's why I stopped looking at other designers' portfolios for inspiration: As designers, we’re trying to get companies to look at us and say “we want them” for a salary 💰 that makes us smile. But, when it comes to updating portfolios, we may face a few challenges like... - being a team of one - having a surface level understanding of branding & copywriting - being more confident our UX skills than our UI skills - a time crunch - and simply...just wanting to get it over with. Plus, a lot of our "competitors" aka other designers, often have sites that look pretty similar in terms of branding, layout, copy, etc. So...who have I been looking at for inspiration lately? Agencies! Agencies have a similar goal of wanting clients to pick them out of a sea of competition. But, what’s the difference between a designer creating their website and an agency crafting their own? - They are vying for multi-hundred thousand dollar to a million dollar contracts. - They have cross disciplinary teams who can focus on design, development, copywriting, branding, SEO and more!!! - They likely have a budget and timeline for their website redesigns, so staying on track and meeting deadlines is imperative. Overall, agencies do exactly what we’re trying to do: showcase their work in an impactful way. There’s a lot of commonality in terms of content and goals, so why not look at what a team of 8 created to attract the attention of Fortune 500 companies? An agency websites I have personally really liked while digging around and trying to find inspiration for my own is https://yesandagency.com/

8

Great article on illustration use by companies to not only stand out but also foster a bond with the user. Yes, custom illustration comes at a price and no, you don’t see direct revenue from it but it’s far more than a pretty picture decorating the page. It can enhance the UX by directing or helping users with your product, complex ideas can be simplified and explained easier than text and, most importantly make your brand recognizable so users have a connection and think about your product even when they’re not interacting with it. Three cheers for illustrations!!! Hehe.

4

Thank you Nancy Ruzow for for sharing "how to quit multi-tasking" on the Creative Roundtable! If you struggle with the endless to-dos and don't know where to focus, check out my top 3 strategies for managing overwhelm on Nancy's blog: https://lnkd.in/gQCuwNi4