Thursday, May 3, 2012

Nygel's Nerdy News


Our Mission: 

To build the Coolest Nerd Nation one Nygel Patch at a time! 

Why Patches? 

We want to keep it simple and yet do a little something different. We are not reinventing the wheel- it's an awesome way to let people know who we are and offer them a really cool product that we believe in so deeply and that they will love to wear!!

 I Join Now What? 

Here's one on my favorite parts of what we do! When you join Nygel's Nerd Nation, you are now a part of our Nerdy family. Nerds are some of the most creative people I know, so it would only be right to feature our fellow nerds, their stories of inspiration, events, photos and accomplishments right here on our blog! Nerds have always had the stigma of being socially unacceptable...well- not anymore! This site is truly for us nerds. Here is ourplatform to be seen and heard not only by our fellow nerds, but all the "cool" people too! Nygel's Nerd Nation is endeavoring to make Nerdy the new Cool! Look out "cool" people! Here come the Nerds!In addition to this, we have some other cool features:
  • Enter to win contests
  • Nerd of the month contests
  • Discount Days
  • Nygel's Nerd Nation gift cards
  • Design-A-Nerd Contest
  • Other Cash & Prizes!!!
  • Trivia
  • Nygel's Nerdy News
So you see, we are more than just a Nygel Patch and a handsome face. We are Nerds doing some really cool things! 

Just for fun...here are some cool facts about Nygel... 

Nygel's Bio

Name: Nygel Anthony
Born:  August 4th
From: The creative minds and talents of Rashanna A. Battiste and Dan Miller
Occupation: Full time Nerd Machine
Mostly found: Nerdin' about and creating something
Contact: nygelsnerdnation@gmail.com
Home: nygelsnerdnation.blogspot.com
School: Nerd Nation Academy
Favorite Instrument: Guitar
Favorite Adage: "I make Nerdy Cool" 


What We Are Working On


Right now we live here on Blogspot Dr, but we are in the process of building our website for our full line of Nygel's Nerd Nation products! Please stay tuned for the awesome grand opening. We are diligently working to bring the very best products and service to you. It is going to be awesome! 


In The Meantime...


We are going to kick off our blog with..."What inspires you?" In 250-500 words or less. Send your stories to:

nygelsnerdnation@gmail.com


Cheers from Nygel and the Nerd Nation Family!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

My Interview With Dan Robinson- Miller



    Hi Everyone!!

    On July 16, 2011 I took to Twitter and I came across DerwentPencils and I tweeted: "Maybe you can help me. I am looking for someone to draw a project for me. A character in fact. Let me know if you can help." Well, from this tweet I got quite a few responses and one person showed an immediate interest- Dan Miller at: Losttimedesign.com. The rest, as they say is history. Over the next couple of weeks Dan and I swapped emails that detailed my vision for the character from the colors, posture, facial features, clothes selection, eye and foot wear. I changed my mind a few times-OK a lot, but the character had to be right on the money! Dan nailed it and he exceeded my time line and my expectations. 
    Well, It has been almost a year and Nygel's Nerd Nation is growing. Dan and I are still plugging away at ideas for the Nation. It's been a rather busy year, but I finally got to interview Dan. I hope you enjoy finding out a little bit about the man behind the character!!

    • Shanna: How did you come in contact with Shanna and the Nerd Nation? 
    Dan: I answered a call for help with the project she put out on Twitter
    • Shanna: What need did she have? 
    Dan: To create and bring to life a character to be the face of Nerd Nation
    • Shanna: What motivated you to take on the project? 
    Dan: I love to create characters and bring them to life, and this seemed like a really fun project to be involved with and from the brief and ideas Shanna had had, I knew what we created would be really cool.
    • Shanna: Where did you get the inspiration to draw the character and was the description provided helpful? 
    Dan: The descriptives were the main inspiration, but I did do a little bit of research to see how 'nerds' were portrayed previously, and then started to sketch out ideas.
    • Shanna: How would you describe Nygel's overall look?
    Dan: I think it is fair to say "Casual smart" - I think he is a pretty well dress little dude.
    • Shanna: How did you manage to mesh the thoughts of Shanna's vision of this nerd and your artistic abilities? 

    Dan: To start with I looked at Shanna's ideas and descriptions, and the very helpful examples she sent through. I then worked up a few sketches of different styles that I thought might work for this project - it was then very much a collaborative project, where I would work on him a bit, email it across and then work with Shanna's feedback to try and make Nygel as close to what was in her mind as possible.
    • Shanna: How would you rate your overall experience in working with Shanna in creating the face to the Nerd Nation? 

    Dan: She has been really great to work with, Shanna has had so many ideas, and even though the project is so close to her and she has a very good idea where she wanted it to go, she let me have the freedom to do what I do and create something we are both really proud of. My perfect type of client.
    • Shanna: Were there any special challenges during the process? Any frustrations? 

    Dan: Not really, I think it all ran pretty smoothly once we had the initial style and ideas in place. I think in the end we were both working from the same page so it worked well.
    • Shanna: Dan, if a perspective client wanted to reach your studio, how would they do so? And are there any other forms of social media that they might find you?
    Dan: The best way to contact me is by email studio@losttimedesign.com - or through my website www.losttimedesign.com where you can see more examples of my work.  As for social media I mostly use Twitter @losttimedesign I also have a Facebook page www.facebook.com/losttimedesign
    • Shanna: Are you currently working with any other clients or any other projects with Shanna and the Nation? 
    Dan: We are talking about a few more characters to add to Nerd Nation. As for other projects - I have been doing quite a bit of work for other agencies working on visualizations of ideas, as part of advertising campaigns. I have also been working on graphics for some 'promos' on tv programmes here in the UK. Plus the usual logo and graphic design work.
    • Shanna: Do your friends know about Nygel?
    Dan: I have mentioned the work, they will know a lot more when I get my official tee shirt!
    • Shanna: Nygel's Nerd Nation is still a pretty much unknown, how do youfeel about it's perspective success and how do you feel that you had a major part in it?

    Dan: I think it really could grow, it is still very early on in it's life but with the right care, right promotion and a strong understanding about what it is it offers, I think it could really have legs.
    • Shanna: Describe your overall artistic style. 
    Dan: Varied, I have had the opportunity to work on lots of different projects and in many different styles. I love to use colour and play around with ideas. I get bored as well so always experimenting. This has actually been really good for me, meaning I don't get put in to one box.
    • Shanna: Did this project take you out of your comfort zone?
    Dan: Not really, I had to get into a different comfortable position. I really love character/mascot design but I had not done it for a while, so I would not say out of my comfort zone, but back into a different one.
    • Shanna: What confidence did you have that you could produce the character? 
    Dan: I was really confident I could, it is something I have had experience with, and with all details and examples Shanna gave me on what she wanted - I was pretty sure we could do it.
    • Shanna: You live in the UK, Shanna lives in the Unites Stated, was this your first international client?  Would you welcome more international clients or was this a special case? 
    Dan:  This actually was my first international client. I would LOVE to work with more, especially from the US. I think there is such a huge exciting market to get in to.
    • Shanna: Having never met, did you have any feelings of apprehension doing business internationally? 
    Dan: No, I was really excited about it. In this day and age I don't think there are international barriers anymore. We both understood there was a time difference (which would really be the only issue in this case) and we worked round it. I can see that there could be difficulties if the cultures involved were totally different but I think  the UK/US relationship worked really well.
    • Shanna: How long did this project take?
    Dan: It is still going on - but for the first Nygel - I think in all it probably took about a week (spread out)


    Well, that is a wrap for now! Dan, I appreciate all your hard work and dedication to this very special project. I could have never gotten it done without you! You are truly a gifted artist, and designer. I look forward to working with you on our other projects. If you ever need anything- recommendation-anything, drop a line! Thank you again!

    I also have to thank Derwent Pencils for retweeting my request for help. You guys got the ball rolling! I hope you like the final Nygel!
    Thanks Dan! Nygel
























    What is Nygel's Nerd Nation?

    This answer is in an earlier post that I still have as a "draft" but things have changed with my outlook on the Nerd Nation and the direction that I want it to take. I initially wanted it to be geared toward to students, writing. recognition and rewards, but I wasn't 100% settled on my direction and so, with the cost of mental gas in this economy, I had to turn my idea into a Smart Car. It's small, but it is quite efficient. While I have not deserted the idea of what I initially wanted to do- it will not be my primary focus.

    So, that begs the question. What is Nygel's Nerd nation?

    Quite simple. We are transforming into a novelty store for all things Nerdy! This transition will not take place overnight, but as we grow you will see us here and our website that is being developed. So, what are some things that you will see?

    • Our official Nygel Tees
    • Bags
    • Buttons
    • Iron-Ons
    • Stationary, Notebooks, Posters
    • Life-Sized Nygel Cut-Outs
    • Book Marks
    • Playing Cards
    • Post Cards, Postage Stamps
    It's going to be a really awesome store, so please stay tuned. If you have an idea for us please drop a line at: nygelsnerdnation@gmail.com

    Visit follow us on Pinterest! http://pinterest.com/nygelnerdnation you will get to see a lot of the Nerdy cool stuff we love!!

    Cheers!
    ~Shanna & Nygel

    Definition Of A Nerd

    Hi everyone!

    So, I have always been called a nerd, but today I want to peek into the actual definition...

    Nerd is a derogatory slang term for a person typically described as socially-impaired, obsessive, or overly intellectual. They may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular or obscure activities, pursuits, or interests, which are generally either highly technical, or relating to topics of fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Other nerdy qualities include physical awkwardness, introversion, quirkiness, and unattractiveness. Thus, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and is a social outsider. In the stereotypical high-school situation, they may be either considered loners by others, or they tend to associate with a small group of like-minded people. As with other pejoratives, nerd has been reappropriated by some as a term of pride and group identity.


    Ok. I'm back!! That was pleasantly offensive. While there are some parts of this I can really agree with, there are some that are just not true, so here is my corrected definition...


    Nerd The intellectual that most people wish they were. Did you get that too:) I had to have a little fun with that one!


    Cheers!


    ~Shanna 

    Branding. Ouch!

    OK, so we hear a lot about branding when we start a new business. After all, our business is only as good as branding our company into the heads of people that we want to pay attention to us and eventually buy from us because we have a product/service far superior to the competition. Well, while that is true- branding and my personality seem to clash in these two areas. I can't help but visualize the actual branding process for animals. While I won't be going out searing people with a branding iron to get them to buy my products- the concept is the same in that as a business owner, we want to "burn" in the minds of our potential customer/audience that we are a here with red flashing lights.


    I have always danced to the beat of my own drum- largely in part because I can't dance and so I dance with my own shadow and so far I haven't stepped on my toes yet:) I love to take things that seem to fit into a box marked "boredom" tucked away into the corners of conformity and mediocrity. Hey, I may be a nerd, but I love to have fun and I love to see other people have fun. When it comes to this "branding" thing, I want to shake the box and see what rattles around (unless it is marked "handle with care") So, I asked myself. "How can I brand people and make it fun for all involved?" How can I become a permanent fixture in people's minds? You may laugh and it may seem unorthodox by branding standards. Ready? Iron-On patches! Yes, indeed! No one talks  about the old iron patch anymore these days, but they were so cool. Today I got online to see who could actually make an iron-on patch of my company logo and I found one that I liked and I'm just waiting for the proofs! I figure a start-up company can send me the coolest and fanciest packaging, but I tell you I have thrown more of that stuff away than I have ever kept. Think about it, when was the last time you raved over the packaging and just went bananas? Do you still have it? Did you call someone up and just fall back in your seat going on and on about the packaging? Did you shake it to see what was inside? Well, guys, I am a nerd trying to start my on business and I work full time, so I can't afford all the advertising, glitz and shimmer and believe me, it's no knock to anyone that can do all of that! When I can afford it, I may just start my own branding company, but for now I'd rather send you a well thought out 5x8 postcard that tells you briefly and concretely what I do, where I am, what I offer and the benefit to you annnnnd to boot an iron-on patch that is just too cute to throw away! Long after you have made a three point shot with my postcard, you will always have something to remember Nygel's Nerd Nation by and the best part- there is no shaking required! Our instructions are simple: Read. Peel. Iron-on. Visit. and join the coolest Nerd Nation coming your way! Now did that hurt?


    ~Nygel, The Nerd