Author Archive

Welcome to Nate Creates!

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

You’ve stumbled on the creative workshop of Nate Sullivan.

Yes, that’s me, and for over six years I’ve worked in a variety of media, pushing around pixels for various clients. While I’ve focused primarily on web and interactive design, my specialty is not the media. Design is foremost about communication, and all effective communication is grounded in a solid strategy and effective storytelling.

What I hope to achieve though this digital workshop, is to share what I’ve learned, hopefully inspire, and foremost, to continue the practice of being creative.

Aside from this website, you can follow another project I’m currently working on, an Anime-inspired short film, Little Red Kap, based loosely on the fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood.

Thanks for stopping by.

- Nate

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What’s Wrong With Crowdsourcing

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010

The Gap logo debacle put crowdsourcing on my radar again and this time it wouldn’t leave for whatever reason. Perhaps it was the stagnant economy. More likely the reason behind this stickler sticking me resides in the fact that it’s a direct threat to an industry like design where the value provided is knowledge based, easily copied, but not easily discovered.

There are numerous reason crowdsourcing is bad – in fact I’d actually say it’s unethical, that those participating in it are participating in the sincerest form of thievery. Here are my top five reasons.

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Shooting From the Hip

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

There are times as a photographer that it’s helps to take the camera away from your eye and really look at what is going on around you. When I take photos in a foreign city, or I’m documenting an event, I like to take a good selection of candid shots without holding the camera to my eye – instead shooting from the hip.

There are several benefits to this approach. First, you appear more causal, inconspicuous, and this means you’re able to capture moments you’d likely miss for fear of being rude. Second, your subject, being oblivious to your camera, don’t do the typical camera response, and look away. There’s also the benefit of instantly getting a better perspective. It’s surprising how much better photographs can appear when you change from eye level. And finally, it reintroduces some of the surprise lost with digital photography by not being sure exactly how the image will turn out. Just take lots of photos and look for scenes you can leverage into creative work. (And of course it doesn’t hurt to study the work of masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson).

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First Impressions: Adobe Flash CS5 Top 5 New Features

Friday, August 6th, 2010

Illustration to Article

Every year I’m lured by awesome features to upgrade Adobe Creative Suite. And as a true sucker for the latest and coolest, I usually bite. This year I decided to put these expectations to the test and put each product I’m familiar with through a gut check gadget – is it cool, will it inspire me to do better work? and will I work better?

The review series will focus on the stuff Adobe promotes as great new features. I’ll be doing a post each week, focusing on a different product, working my way, first through ones I’m most familiar with (Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, InDesign, AfterEffects, Premiere) and then moving to those products that are new (Flash Catalyst) or abandoned (Dreamweaver, Fireworks).

This week it’s Adobe Flash CS5…

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Ditch the Pitch and Focus

Monday, July 19th, 2010

The Win Without Pitching Manifesto, by Blair Enns, is an inspiring read, especially for creatives that have felt for the longest time that there has to be a better way of engaging with clients and finding creative solutions that were both innovative, successful, and on target. Blair puts into words what most of us likely wash away with a few drinks after hours, accepting the pitch as part of our fate, and scratching our heads at the downward pressure on rates, and the crazy busy work that seems to slowly overtake a profession we love.

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