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Freshened-up portfolio.

I’ve been under the weather for the past couple of days and I didn’t really have the mental energy to do real work, so I used the opportunity to freshen up my portfolio site a bit. I have very little patience for or interest in designing stuff for myself, so I’ve been putting this off for ages.

I think I might actually get around to having some real business cards printed up, too. Can you believe I’ve never* had business cards? I’m forever scrawling my name and URL on the backs of receipts and cocktail napkins. Part of me feels like being able to say, “Here, take my card” will be a true certification of grown-up-ness, and that freaks me out a little. Okay, a lot. The only thing left after business cards are nude pantyhose, and I’m definitely not going down that road.

*That’s a lie. Last year I printed a sheet of 12 cards in a fit of panic before an “industry” party I went to. Then, as I was frantically trimming them down, I sliced off a huge hunk of my left thumb with an X-Acto knife. I then proceeded to bleed all over the cards. It was all very Cheese Monkeys.

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35 Comments

  • Reply 'col September 10, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Holy crap! I sell books, and these are SO FAMILIAR. Some of them I *love*. It’s so neat when two bits of my world collide.

  • Reply js September 10, 2011 at 8:42 pm

    Psssh. Business cards and panty hose are not symbols of “grown up.” They are merely practical solutions to problems. I started wearing panty hose before I could drive! Neither are necessary; both have benefits.

    • Anna @ D16 September 10, 2011 at 8:43 pm

      I dunno, man—you show me a 16-year-old that needs either of those things! 😉

      (At least I don’t know how to drive yet! So there’s that…)

  • Reply fremontfaris September 10, 2011 at 8:52 pm

    I love seeing your work in my local library. How fun to have your talents seen by so many random people.

  • Reply victoria September 10, 2011 at 8:59 pm

    illness becomes you, my dear. 🙂

  • Reply Dan @ Manhattan Nest September 10, 2011 at 11:54 pm

    Oh, it looks SO GOOD, Anna! Really, truly, such a nice job. I feel mega-special to be on the websites page. Probably more special than even Shania.

  • Reply Jill September 10, 2011 at 11:56 pm

    I second Victoria’s comment! Beautiful work — your website is not only visually stunning, but so simply functional. That auto-loading cover business is very cool. (jQuery? Ajax??) Is that a WP plug-in?

    I’ve been trying to build jQuery sliders for iPad / iPhone interfaces lately and it’s tough to do!! Anyway, . Awesome job and thanks for sharing!

    • Anna @ D16 September 11, 2011 at 2:27 am

      It’s a jQuery plugin! http://www.infinite-scroll.com

    • Jill September 11, 2011 at 1:35 pm

      aaaaaawesome. Thanks for sharing! I can imagine this could be pretty cool for photography portfolios as well. I friggin’ love WP and its development community.

  • Reply Jill September 10, 2011 at 11:57 pm

    Apparently, WP doesn’t like my use of .

    • Anna @ D16 September 11, 2011 at 2:27 am

      (What were you trying to type?!)

    • Jill September 11, 2011 at 1:34 pm

      Ha! It still didn’t work, grr. I was just trying to include a fake HTML end tag for ‘geek’.

      … wow, most awkward joke explanation ever. 😉

  • Reply Heather Lea September 11, 2011 at 12:55 am

    Very nice work. Putting off designing your own portfolio obviously worked in your favor.

  • Reply ellen September 11, 2011 at 1:24 am

    I am probably one of the few designers (or people on earth for that matter) that doesn’t have a website-so I totally get it about you not having business cards. The last thing I want to do when I’m done working is work on my website. Very counter productive however-in fact kind of stupid on my part. Do you manage the photo shoots for the book covers with photos, or does someone provide you with the images and you do the rest? Do you do the illustrations for the covers without photos? Just curious.

  • Reply sRa September 11, 2011 at 4:39 am

    is it weird that because I work in a book store I feel like I know you? 😀 a bit huh. ha.

  • Reply callie grayson September 11, 2011 at 10:26 am

    Anna, I call them calling cards and it makes me feel much better!!

    and nude panty hose…eeek! The only time I have ever worn them was at a funeral in the South and my cousin’s made me by declaring “that is disrespectful, cover your legs!” and I normally wouldn’t have but the I was a bit distraught with the whole funeral thing so I wore them. I will never wear them again!
    they kinda freak me out.
    xx
    callie

  • Reply Marta Spendowska September 12, 2011 at 12:26 am

    Gorgeous work, Anna.
    I seriously am going to take a trip to B&N to see them in person 🙂

    :: Marta

  • Reply Nina September 12, 2011 at 4:52 am

    Hey Anna, for me it also took 3 1/2 years to get business cards… For me it is always hard to design something for myself. Most of the time I don´t like the design after a short time and redo it. So a lot of projects are a neverending story… 🙂

  • Reply susan September 12, 2011 at 9:04 am

    You should do moo cards for your business cards. You, in particular, could do something really interesting.

    • Anna @ D16 September 12, 2011 at 9:59 am

      Do you mean because of the multiple options for the backs? I thought about that, actually. I think I’d probably just do a variety of colors!

  • Reply L September 13, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    As a certified AARP member for xxxx years, I remember nude hose before there were pantyhose. And trust me, you don’t want to go there, either!

    Anna, bet you could design yourself a lovely calling card with just typography: All that’s really needed is your name and a way to contact you. Tres simple. And classy. Like you.

    • Anna @ D16 September 13, 2011 at 2:57 pm

      Thanks, L—that made me smile. 🙂

  • Reply nat September 15, 2011 at 10:31 am

    Anna, I TOTALLY understand with updating your own stuff…let’s not talk about my blog 😉 But I can recommend moo mini cards (http://us.moo.com/) – takes two seconds, you can upload pictures like off your book designs and they come in a pretty packaging …have no affiliation with them but i print a rainbow of colors and a very simple Natalie – Title – Email – Phone – Website layout and I just love them.
    (although I do quite love scribbling on paper too ;))

  • Reply jodi September 15, 2011 at 11:15 am

    so great! i’ve been seeing ads for “then came you” and was intrigued by the cover alone. well done you!

  • Reply frannie September 19, 2011 at 3:03 pm

    your logo is looking totally snazz! love it!

  • Reply christina September 28, 2011 at 6:59 am

    Hello Anna! I love your work,blog designs and book covers, everything! I wanted to ask you, because I really loved the idea of designing book covers, how does it work? I mean you make some designs and go to publishers/editors to offer your work, or do the editors ask you to make the covers? It must be a fascinating work,especially if you get to read every book before you design the cover!

  • Reply Shelley October 9, 2011 at 11:33 pm

    LOVE your new portfolio! Tis beautiful. Did you use a wordpress plugin for the display of the gallery? I love the way it works with the hover, kind of like cargo collective, but better!

    • Anna @ D16 October 10, 2011 at 8:07 am

      Thanks, Shelley! The site is Wordpress-based, and the hover states are just done with basic CSS. No plugins.

    • Shelley October 11, 2011 at 10:29 pm

      Oh, impressive!

  • Reply emily October 11, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    what beautiful work. i love seeing your covers grouped together as a collection — certain themes and your own personal style very subtly emerge. very interesting!

  • Reply Alma November 13, 2011 at 11:45 pm

    I just subscribed to your blog after stumbling across it when searching for a wall-mounted folding desk and just fell in love with the simplicity, yet elegance of your apartment. Now I come to find out you designed the covers of many of the books I have read!!! How awesome! Keep the blog posts coming!

  • Reply becky January 12, 2012 at 9:10 pm

    Wow Anna, I am just catching up on blog reading after a long time of getting so far behind I didn’t know where to start,and doorsixteen was one of my first stops. Anyway, WOW. I remember admiring your work awhile back but I’m really blown away by what you do from 9:30-6:30 in addition to your aesthetic at home.

  • Reply Kristine January 21, 2012 at 8:36 pm

    Hi Anna! Your book covers are beautifully designed. Love your blog too.

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