I do not want to say bad things about anyone as a person, or about their craft, or their experience and imagination but…from where I’m standing, even if the tools are brilliant and the resources are flawless, without even thinking at the grate ones, I can say that the web is becoming more and more alike from website to website, everybody is copying from everybody, a continuos loop.

I’m a Visual Designer so I constantly need to be up to date with allmost everything that is new, thus continuosly browsing the web and spoting what I am about to say.

From what I am seing the web is starting to repeat its designs…more am more websites are alike, positioning, color schemes, used elements, fonts, and even the media in some of them are identical (I am so sorry but I do not want to give any examples cause I do not want people getting angree at me, this is my opinion deal with it) it is simply stupid. I know you need to do it fast and for the money, most of the times, I do it as well, but with 10 minutes extra you can create something simple and original.

Have you seen those sites that have the search on the right, the big sliding/fading/freakingout media slider in the header, that have that boring menu on a well streched line beneath the slider and the links are just plain old text? If you are doing that you need to be extremly good or you have to be a master at what you do, to make that look very good…I can continue with the details but the web shows it best.

These kind of things and the lack of free imagination in the designing process, also the overuse of some design rules out there are creating this repetition, this look-alike process which is rasing the bordom line thus making the user to head on to the next website and so on untill: 1.He gives up (shuts down his laptop) or. 2.He has the luck to find something professional and further more ORIGINAL and stick to that.

Yeah I know what you will say, that the user is used to that layout and so on and so forth BUT the users keep up from evolving, in order for our skills to evolve we need to teach the user our new technologies, our new skills, our beautiful layouts because we lead the way, we say what happends and when…the just point-click and scroll.

We all know that something pure original and amazing will stop you in your track and capture your undivided attention.

But amongst these repetitions there are only a handfull of daring web/print designers that have the guts and the imagination to bend the rules and create something which is not tied to that baseline or to those standards that are imposing these layouts, and something which will not sustain this monotness state of the web. They should be your teachers and the work they do should be your starting inspiration.

I one to them I’ll bow, keep on fighting the fight guys & girls!!

1. They are very weird people.
2. There are billions of them in the world, like colors on the screen of your computer.
3. They will analyse conversations in layers.
4. You will spend the day assembling furniture from IKEA.
5. They drink and eat all kinds of weird shit just because they like the packaging.
6. They hate each other.
7. You’ll come out the last out of the movies because you have to see the full list of credits.
8. They cant change a light bulb or without making a sketch.
9. They fuck up all the tables with their cutters.
10. They rather study the paisley pattern on your outfit than listen to what you have to say.
11. They will fill your house with magazines and whatever is out there that has drawings.
12. You never know if it is really an original or a copy.
13. They make collages with your photos.
14. They do not know how to add and subtract, they just understand letters.
15. They idolize people who nobody knows and speak of them as if they were his colleagues.
16. They take pictures almost daily and all are cut in weird shapes.
17. They ask your opinion about everything but  they do whatever they want.
18. Everything is left justified, right or center unless they arrive late.
19. They hate Comic Sans with the same passion they love Helvetica.
20. They use iPhone for everything, because everyone has one.
21. You can not decorate the house without consulting them.
22. They steal street signs.
23. Always carry their hands painted with something.
24. They buy dolls unfinished for them to paint.
25. Everything becomes something other than what it really is: cards as tickets, cards as …
26. When arguing, you will be nicknamed like the OSX spinning wheel (not affectionately)
27. Do not know how to dress without consulting the Pantone book.
28. They hate Excel.
29. They read comics.
30. They want to save the world only with a poster.
31. You will spend the day brainstorming.
32. On vacation they will take you to countries that you do not know exist and have no beach.
33. Museums are their second home.
34. They know more positions than the Kamasutra.
35. They can’t go to a restaurant without secretly critiquing the menu design.
36. They listen to music you have never heard of.
37. They can´t cook a normal dish, they always have to experiment with new ingredients.
38. They read rare books: stories of children, Semiotics …
39. When you are going to tell you something, everyone has read it in their facebook and twitter.
40. They have own iPods before you knew they existed.
41. The orgasm they remember is when they heard that Adobe was acquiring Macromedia.
42. They have their own shops just for them and there are the most expensive in the city.
43. They want to spend all the money in the Apple Store.
44. You will never understand their gifts.
45. They see ordinary objects and laugh.
46. You wake up in the middle of the night hearim them screaming “When is the deadline?”
47. They see CMYK and RGB like Neo sees the Matrix.
48. They dream of the day nobody will make a single change to their designs.
49. They rather pay for a font than for a special birthday gift.
50. They are always sleepy because they work 24/7.

Original source @ABurbonForSilvia

I always went on the idea that as long as the ones that have built the foundations of your childhood still live, you will always can go back to that time, to them and relive it, you will always have that childhood living within you…

But when those people are gone, I one believe that the bridge between you and the essence to your childhood collapses and you are forced to recognize that you have grown up, and the teachings passed to you by those that have passed away must now take effect to keep you straight and focused on you being happy…it is somehow of a paradox I think, and that is because when I got the news that my grandmother from my mother side….passed away….something also died in me, still I can not believe it is true and I certainly do not comprehend what has actually happened yet….but in time it will sink in.

And yes it is a paradox, it is a paradox because keeping focused on your happiness while those that thought you how and where to find it have passed, is terrifying for me…but still I know that keeping those lessons alive in me acting on them and letting them drive me, I keep a part of those persons with me everywhere, anywhere, always…how and why I can not explain.

It will be hard for me for a while, I’ll probably keep hidden and rethink some things, but a word of advice, make every action count and start enjoying even rainy days, even dark times have their role in this life, stay focused and always keep what makes you smile, never what pulls you down and if you lose be wise and do not lose the lesson stay strong, keep strong remember those that matter and forget those that do not and as a guitarist would say “Forever trust in who we are…”.

Gonna miss you grandma…much respect and honor….thank you for everything.

This year is crumbling to it’s end at last…it has been fun, it has been torture, and so much more educational….maybe….probably, but never the less it has been a huge turn around for me.

This one really drove me so close to my braking point, that I honestly thought I would crumble down and retreat or worse, give up. Some things were lost, some friends now are gone, something I regret, but despite this, many things were gained, learned and achieved in such a manner that they are carved in my mind and heart.

Till this year I was simply just testing the ground underneath me, searching the steadiest part to step on in order to reach that which I really longed for, to better understand what really drives me and gives me the need to evolve, to learn more, to do something that will stand strong in the face of time and dumb-ass criticism…to be me, to be my purest form, my emotionally weird creative self (thank you Alina Bucur for teaching me that).

This year has thought me a lot…thought me what the price of freedom is, what you can gain alone and what you can not, how high one can extend his mind and how deep can one fall in his own uncleaned clutter without even wanting. How deep some things go and how much some words weigh…

Some things have been amazing, but with a necessary end in order for other to replace them and push me harder to achieve what I wanted. As always, summer to me has always had a huge impact, throwing me in situations that I would not expect or predict or be prepared for…..but this summer has been, without sounding to drastic, life changing…this summer has showed me that one can change his hardheaded concepts and regain his soul and start using his feelings…I fell in love! (yeah I said it).

I fell in love with someone that I still believe is pulled out of an amazing story…someone who has showed me that I can stop being a prick and start living my life the way I dreamed it. Thank you baby!

Also this year in October I finally launched my Freaking Portfolio and redesigned this blog, and for this again I want to thank my sweet girlfriend for putting up with me, I can be difficult probably…

Beside all of these, I would really like to thank all those who opened their door to me when I didn’t have where to crash…I will be forever in your debt guys…

And yeah I moved in with my girlfriend, or she moved in with me, who cares we’re staying together and that is that…

With all these said I wish you wisdom in life charging choices and have your fun, have your fun without that society imposed mask, be true to your self, be free!

This is by far one of the most amazing videos I’ve seen since I’ve started surfing the web…amazing!