Here’s to transparency and shared resources that can help inform and improve our lives, collectively. Because knowledge really is power.
Not to over-hype the following list, or anything. These are some of the resources I often turn to. Hopefully, they’ll be beneficial to you, too. Please share resources of your own!
Design Resources
Tips, tricks, and resources I’ve picked up along the way. From color to stock imagery, inspiration, and everything in between.
Skillshare is a great spot for anyone looking to continue their creative education or learn something new. Take classes from the greats like Ellen Lupton, Aaron Draplin, Seb Lester, Jessica Hische, and so many more!
Brand New A running commentary on brand refreshes and design.
The Dieline One of my all-time favorites for packaging inspiration.
Awwwards Great website inspiration.
Creative Mornings The world’s largest global creative community.
Local events. All talks are available for streaming.
It’s Nice That Championing creativity since 2007
Eyeem Stock photos and thoughtful insights.
Eye On Design And AIGA in general…
Good Moods has great curated collections for many mood board needs. What can I say? It’s a vibe.
khroma is a fun way to explore color
Paris Musées “free” Images for Unrestricted Public Use
Graphic Burger has great affordable/free mockups.
Mr Mockup More mockups, as the name implies.
Growing list of Resources by Caio Calderari.
JPEGmini Compress files for web w/o losing quality.
Websiteplanet is another image compression option - compress your PNG/JPG files by up to 80% and retain full transparency
Shorpy American Historical Photo Archive
Weekend Creative has photography resources from everything from prop styling to proposals.
Type Wolf is a great site for what’s trending in type,
as well as font pairing and inspiration.
Action against gun violence
Saying gun violence is a problem is a huge understatement. SCOTUS is stripping us of our bodily autonomy while elevating gun ownership to a fundamental constitutional right… I am feeling helpless and hoping to channel this into something more productive. Here are some ways to get involved.
Gun Violence Archive In searching for statistics about gun violence I came across this massive source on all the mass shootings and gun violence from the past 72 hours, to yearly statistics. It is deeply upsetting, and importantly illuminating.
Sister District I admit, I am exhausted about the “go vote!” response to anything horrendous happening in our country. but before I digress, it’s worth acknowledging that while we are sad, tired, and feeling defeated… we do need to vote, and activate voters in key swing states - especially now, as 2024 quickly approaches! Sister District is a great group of people making it easy to phone (or text) bank in key places. They provide education and support while you make calls, and are just a really lovely community working to make positive change.
Moms Demand Action A good friend of mine has been highly active in this organization. They have local chapters and make it easy for anyone to get involved (you do not have to be a mom).
Everytown for Gun Safety Every day, 120 people in America are killed with guns. We’re counting on people like you to take actions that will help us pass common-sense laws and implement policies that will save lives. This site promotes plenty of ways to take action to help end gun violence.
Hope for Uvalde While I really do not like that the website leads with a bible verse, there are a ton of links to help support the community - meal trains, monetary donations, counseling support, and more.
Sustainability
Between working on product and package design, watching the global temperatures and sea levels rise, learning more and more about trash islands – it’s hard to ignore the importance of reducing our personal imprint through self education and buying power. Just ask my partner, who refuses to shop with me…
Ridwell MY NEW FAV. A subscription service for highly specialized recycling for all those tricky everyday things like grocery packaging, films, plastic bags, takeout containers, etc. They partner with communities for themed hauls, and help you actually, properly dispose of those old batteries and lightbulbs!
Good on you A brand directory with sustainability ratings and alternatives. Highly recommend!
dropps Dishwasher detergent with eco-responsible packaging, no unnecessary fillers + dyes, + FREE carbon neutral shipping.
who gives a crap Sustainable toilet paper that gives back 50% of their profits to build toilets for people in need. Comes in cute paper wrappings as an added bonus.
By Humankind Designed to reduce single-use plastic waste in your daily routine.
DIRTY LABS - Recommended to me by the lovely founder of SF’s Laundré, Dirty labs has a sustainable, biobased approach to cleaning that’s rooted in science and aligned with nature. It smells pretty amazing and is biodegradable, too.
KANSO The most beautiful, reusable, drool-worthy travel tumblers and water bottles.
The Reboard Cutting boards without virgin plastics. Nice colors, too.
Reusable floss holder Because I HATE flossing. And those little disposable picks are so wasteful but I loved them.
Blueland I haven’t used it yet but my friends rave about it. Home cleaning goods without plastic!
Epilators Maybe not the most popular suggestion, but the results last WAY longer than a razor shave, and you never have to throw out razors and shaving cream again. Tolerance for pain required.
Black Lives Matter Movement
There’s nothing more I can say here that hasn’t already been said, but it is a critical time to organize and participate in the advocacy for real change.
VOTE. LISTEN. DONATE. CALL. EDUCATE.
These are all things I’m actively working to do. To check myself and use my privilege for good. Here’s a small list of petitions to sign, funds and charities you can support, and resources for information and educating yourself and those around you.
Black Lives Matter Make a donation, sign the petitions, learn about resources, and take action.
Ways You Can Help Direct link to actionable items via Black Lives Matter.
ACLU Is paramount in fighting for the most pressing civil liberties issues of our time, including but not limited to; racial justice, immigration, LGBTQ rights, reproductive rights, voting rights and more.
10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship by @mireillecharper
Fair Fight Democracy depends on free, fair elections. Make sure people's voices can be heard. Chip in today.
Nationwide Bail Fund splits your donation between 38 community bail funds for marginalized people impacted by systemic violence.
100+ Black-Owned Fashion Brands and Businesses to Shop.
An amazing list of brands, businesses, and shops via Hypebae.
Campaign Zero We can end police violence in America.
A List of Resources Surrounding the BLM via It’s nice that.
How to Protest Safely during the Pandemic via vice.
Reclaim the Block is a Minneapolis coalition investing in community-led safety initiatives; supporting protestors with medical supplies and care.
I Run with Maud This fundraiser was designed to assist Ahmaud Arbery’s mother and his immediate family with financial support during this extremely difficult time in their struggle for justice in the wake of his murder.
Justice for George Floyd Sign the petition at change.org
Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup via prettygood.
Accessibility
Adobe Color Analyzer Plug in your palette between two colors to see if there’s enough contrast for type, type size, and graphics. You can import your palettes!
Accessible Palette Builder Enter up to six colors to test proper combinations for legibility
W3C In-depth, all-encompassing guide to building accessible websites for everyone.
Colorsafe.co Enter a background color, and determine the styling of your text. Accessible text colors are generated with WCAG Guidelines recommend contrast ratio of 4.5 for small text or 3 for large text which is 24px or 18px bold.
Creative Womxn
It feels a little tone-deaf to highlight difficulties as a woman/woman identifying in advertising… the creative industry has a very long way to go for race/gender/age inclusivity.
That said, here are some resources that highlight groups that encourage conversation or highlight talented directors, designers, illustrators, typographers, writers and more.
I personally longed for mentorship – especially from a woman’s perspective (and still do!). If you’d like to grab coffee or chat please reach out. I may not have the answers but I’ll listen and we can work through things together.
Women at work 2020 Insightful new survey series…
Free the Bid A non-profit advocating for women directors for equal opportunities to bid on commercial jobs in the global advertising industry
Ladies, Wine & Design Empowering women & non-binary creatives around the world.
Women Who Draw An open directory for womxn illustrators.
The Clock A zine started by a friend of a friend with a thoughtful newsletter I always look forward to.
What do we do with the art of monstrous men? Claire Dederer via The Paris Review
How Ageism Really Affects Women
Alphabettes Cute name, great thinking.
The Rise of Female Empowerment from the Birth of Languages Interesting read.
FortheWomen Swift’s case study and results.
Girls Night In A fun newsletter with ideas and resources, (and sometimes too many #sponsored vibes).
Diversity & Inclusion
As a white designer making my way in the world, it is imperative to learn and to think outside of my privilege and personal experience.
Black Coffee with White Friends I have learned so much through BCWF. Marcie has an important perspective and incredibly considered, intentional IG account for conversations.
Uplifting Diverse Genders: Beyond “Women and Non-Binary”.
Gender Inclusive Language via UNC Writing Center.
Portland In Color disrupts the homogeneity of Portland arts and media landscape by highlighting the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and/or POC.
Another Lens A great tool for conscientious creatives.
What’s it like to be gay in Adland?
What can we do? Becoming part of the solution.
What diversity can bring to the creative industry.
Worth a listen.
Rachel Cargle building an intellectual legacy through teaching, storytelling & critical discourse.
The End of #Girlboss an excellent read by Leigh Stein about how girlboss didn’t change the system but thrived within it. Now that the system is breaking, so is the icon of millenial hustle.
Let’s talk about Money
I feared doing my taxes for years and never really grasped what a 401k vs an IRA was or why either were important. High yield savings account what? I was young! I’d live forever! So here are some $$$ resources I’ve learned about through savvy friends, financial transparency, job advocates and well, out of necessity.
Freshbooks. Been using them for years for time tracking, management and billing. Easy to use, and free.
Ladies Get Paid. As the name suggests, helpful resources and events.
She Spends. A helpful resource on all things $ related.
Your Rich BFF Vivan is delightful and informative about all things money related. She’s the BFF I always needed!
High Yield Savings Account. This a good article on why you should consider one if you have savings. I use Ally, where you can create protected savings and get a high yield %. With higher interest rates, % goes up, too. Which is nice.
The Points Guy. A great resource when considering what kind of credit card you need, with values reviewed.