What I Designed Today: Slide Deck for Healthcare Client Strategic Talent Group

Wednesday, February 21, 2024Sunday, February 25, 2024 by Sparkbark | Leave a comment

I picked up a new client late last year and designed a deck for them in December. Normally I’d design anything and everything in Adobe (well, almost), but when they needed editable forms with limited resources they could revise on the fly, I designed a form for them using Master Slide feature in PowerPoint. It’s not how I’d normally do forms but there is a use case for those who only work in presentation software. Random sample slides from the deck below — including a sample of the Candidate Presentation Template form.

Stay up-to-date with these 3 Marketing & Social Media Newsletters

Monday, November 13, 2023Monday, November 13, 2023 by Sparkbark | Leave a comment

I’ve subscribed to thousands of email newsletters over the years (more than one person has been amazed at the amount of written material I can consume — it’s actually quite shameful and a way to procrastinate, but I digress…). Out of all of them, these 3 have been adding more value lately than many others and keeping me up to date on marketing and social media marketing trends, news and entertainment. Hit the subscribe button and see if they’ll be a keeper for you, too.

1. LinkedIn Social Media Newsletter by Katie KcKiever
2. Stacked Marketer
3. Marketing Millennials

What do you subscribe to? What’s not on this list but should be??

Advanced Reader Copy Book Review for Net Galley: Agatha Christie Plots, Clues and Misdirections

Monday, October 30, 2023Monday, October 30, 2023 by Sparkbark | Leave a comment

Book Review: Advanced Reader Copy for Net Galley for Agatha Christie Plots, Clues and Misdirections book title

As an Agatha Christie devotee, I found this book by Sally & Tony Hope through The Book Guild Publishing (a subsidiary of Troubador Publishing) to be a thorough collection and analysis of the mystery-genre literary devices she uses in her works. If you’re an Agatha Christie fan as well, or an aspiring murder mystery writer, this book is for you!

Want to get Advanced Reader Copies of books?

Join Net Galley.

What I Designed Today: Print Shop Docs with Horrible Fonts

Friday, June 5, 2015Friday, August 21, 2015 by Sparkbark | Leave a comment

I’m loving the interesting flow of work coming from Bartlesville’s local print shop. There is, however, the problem of recreating things to print EXACTLY as a client requests — but that is ugly as all get-out. It nearly killed me the other day to save a print-ready file using the Hobo font. The project here called for Rage Italic and a graphic with lines that I absolutely do not understand (It’s so abstract, it could mean anything!). Kill me now. But, such is the life of a print shop — the client’s requests always come first! And if you are the client and you happen to read this: take it from an experienced designer — it’s time for an update on your logo and materials. You don’t even have to hire me. Just, for the love of all that’s holy, refresh your brand.

Exhibit A: Rage Italic in all its horrific 1980s glory — letterhead and envelopes. Because a small town rec center is nothing if not thorough.

Riverside Park & Ralph Mitchell Zoo in Independence, Kansas

Monday, March 9, 2015Monday, March 9, 2015 by Sparkbark | Leave a comment

I’m writing an article about the Riverside Park, Ralph Mitchell Zoo & Riverside Aquatic Center for the upcoming Visitor’s Guide & Travel Edition of Bartlesville Magazine. It is one of our family’s favorite places, so we took a quick trip up on Saturday to get some great photographs and finish up the article. I’m including a few fave photos here, but the entire set can be viewed in our Zoo & Park Set on Flickr.