Monday 27 October 2014

November 2014 Free Printable Calendar

Happiness is... November 2014 Free Printable Calendar

It's that time again.. calendar time! In case you missed it, I recently designed a free desktop wallpaper pattern for Hello Pretty's #WDC2014 Desktop Wallpaper Project.  The pattern was so popular and well received that I decided to bring it across to the November calendar as well, so you can have it printed out! (Get the desktop wallpaper here if you haven't already!)

If you haven't got your November free printable calendar yet get yours now, below! (Lucky Packet subscribers get theirs first PLUS an extra freebie). And do share this post with others who might enjoy it :)

Happiness is... November 2014 Free Printable Calendar
Happiness is... free printable November calendar and planner 2014
Happiness is... free printable November calendar and planner 2014 (black and white)

I love when people share pics of their calendars in use! Share yours via twitterfacebookinstagram or pinterest using the hashtag #happinessis_calendars. 

Enjoy your calendar 
& have a wonderful November!


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Friday 17 October 2014

Great Advice from James Victore


If you're an artist, illustrator or designer, or anyone creating your own work really, this is for you. James Victore has a fantastic video series called Burning Questions where he answers lots of commonly asked questions from the creative field. They're done in a way that's super inspiring, and gives you the conviction to stand your ground if you aren't at that point yet. Great advice for those just starting out, or thinking of starting out, or those who are in the game and need some reminders. Here are just two that I feel strongly about and could go on and on talking about myself...




"James Victore is an artist, activist, author and firestarter who teaches creatives how to illuminate their individual gifts in order to achieve personal greatness. Described as "part Darth Vader, part Yoda," James is widely known for his timely wisdom and impassioned views about design and it's place in the world."

Check out the rest here, they're really worth a watch!


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Thursday 16 October 2014

Recent work and a look at my process: Branding for Nicola Tweed

Branding for Nicola Tweed, by fathima kathrada illustration and design

It's been such a while since I've shared some work with you on here! I've been busy with lots of awesome projects, which I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks.

Much earlier this year I had the opportunity of working with friend and colleague, Nicola Tweed. She's a fantastic local web designer and developer, and she wanted to get some branding done to take her business to the next level along with launching a new blog and site.
Nicola contacted me about this while she was in the planning phases of this project, and she had lots of questions before we began. This is great, because it helped her plan herself for the project and work out budgeting. Once she was ready, we chatted again and she chose a branding package from my options that suited her needs, and we got going.

The first part of the process is signing a contract between us and providing an initial payment. Contracts often get a bad rap, but I believe they're vital to a good working relationship. They fill the role of putting everything down so that both sides know exactly what's expected, what's ok and what's not. Without a contract problems may arise later, not due to malicious intent, but just misunderstandings or miscommunication. They can also make sure things stay on track and move along smoothly, and they protect both sides. I keep my contract in plain English, free from jargony legalise and easily understandable, so that you can be sure there's nothing scary or uncertain in there.
Payments are usually split into two, 50% upfront and 50% on completion. However, depending on the project and budget this may get divided further if necessary.

At this point in a branding project I'll send through a questionnaire which gives me a full overview of your brand, your goals for the brand and what you'd like to see as an end result of the project. This helps me make sure I design something that serves your purpose and is in line with your goals, and that you're happy with it. I'll also ask for reference images from you so that I have a clear idea of what you envision. These are either sent through via email or shared on a Pinterest board.
Here's some of Nicola's reference that was initially sent through for her branding...

Reference Mood Board for Branding for Nicola Tweed, by fathima kathrada illustration and design

After this I'll get started on some ideas and create a few initial options. These are then sent through for you to have a look at and provide feedback: are they on the right track, which one do you like most, which one is most suited to your target customers/clients, etc. From there I'll take your feedback and work on a more specific option, and we continue with that process a few times until the design is where it needs to be. For some people a design speaks to them from the first draft stage and it ends up being a pretty quick process, while for others it takes a bit more work, but it's all part of the process.
Nicola's was a pretty quick process as we found a look she liked almost immediately. Here are some other looks that we went through...

Logo options for Nicola Tweed, by fathima kathrada illustration and design

Nicola's chosen branding package involved  a comprehensive set of elements that she can now use across anything she does in future, as should be done with good branding. This includes a colour palette, font recommendation, logo alternates, a custom pattern design and a one page brand guide as seen below. This is useful to have a general overlook of your brand elements to keep in mind, and is also great to have for when you need to take your work to anyone else to work on, i.e. printers, packaging people, web designers, etc. You'll need them to keep to your brand guidelines, so providing them with this sheet makes that easier.
Brand Guide for Nicola Tweed, by fathima kathrada illustration and design

This is what Nicola had to say when we were done:
"I don't know how or where I stumbled across Fathima & her beautiful work but I am so glad I did. It was Illustration love at first sight and I knew she'd be the perfect person to design my new logo & branding. Working with Fathima was a truly great experience and I am so pleased with my awesome new logo & branding. Fathima is an extremely creative individual and throughout the process she was truly professional and honest. Having a branding guide to work from has really helped me develop my website & business making it more professional and recognisable. Thank you, Fathima!"

Nicola has since created a lovely site for herself where she shares her work and also provides some really useful information on her blog. It's worth checking out, and if you're looking to get some web design work done, you know where to go :)

Branding Process for Nicola Tweed, by fathima kathrada illustration and design

Stay tuned for more posts like this on more projects I've worked on.


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Wednesday 15 October 2014

Anthology, Durban

Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban

Anthology is the name of a lovely new store at Windermere Centre in Morningside, Durban. It's the creation of super talented Durban artist, Terry Angelos, and started off as a pop-up store. It now has its own permanent space and is looking great! Terry has a natural eye for decor and curation, and I love how the shop is relatively small yet holds so much in a way that's not cluttered, but rather has little areas of detailed interest that you can get lost in...

Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban
Happiness is... Anthology Pop Up Store by artist Terry Angelos in Durban

Friday 10 October 2014

Desktop Wallpaper Free Download

Happiness is... Free Desktop Wallpaper, illustrated cats and florals pattern, for HelloPretty and WDC2014

Freebie time! I had the opportunity to create a desktop wallpaper for Hello Pretty's WDC2014 Desktop Wallpaper series, so I went with a hand illustrated pattern of cats and botanicals. Of course.
Yellow is the official colour of WDC2014, hence the brightness :) Nicely suited to get some spring vibes going on your desktop!
Head on over to their blog and download yours now!

Happiness is... Free Desktop Wallpaper, illustrated cats and florals pattern, for HelloPretty and WDC2014
Happiness is... Free Desktop Wallpaper, illustrated cats and florals pattern, for HelloPretty and WDC2014


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Tuesday 7 October 2014

The Boiler Room Café

Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant

Yesterday I popped by the much anticipated new Durban eatery, The Boiler Room Café. It's the latest venture by the people behind the popular 9th Avenue Bistro and is based in the original boiler room of the historic Lion Match Factory building. 

It's got a really nice open and airy vibe, and I especially love the indoor trees. Probably the main feature is the awesome mural on the back wall created by local Durban artist, illustrator, graphic designer and painter, Wesley van Eeden, a.k.a Resoborg.

I ordered a lemon meringue milkshake, which was thick, creamy and delicious with a tart lemony flavour and a little meringue on top, served in a jar. Unfortunately I didn't have time to try the food, but I'm sure I'll be back to experience more. They offer a varied selection of sandwiches, salads, breakfast, coffee, smoothies, milkshakes, sweet treats and more. 

Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
 Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
 Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
 Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant - Mural by Wesley van Eeden, aka Resoborg


Here are some process pics of the mural taken from Wesley's Twitter feed and EatOut's article on the place. Pretty cool to see the concept illustration and the translation of that onto the wall...
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant - Mural by Wesley van Eeden, aka Resoborg
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant - Mural by Wesley van Eeden, aka Resoborg
Happiness is... The Boiler Room - Durban Restaurant - Mural by Wesley van Eeden, aka Resoborg

You can find the Boiler Room at the Lion Match Factory, through the main entrance on Umgeni Road, straight through and around the corner to the left. They're open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 3:30pm, and Saturdays from 8am to 2pm.


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