Things in Melissa Ott Design Land have been going swimmingly lately. Looking back on last year, I saw a lot of growth, met a lot of great people and got to work on a lot of really cool projects. As expected, I slowed down a bit in December, but not as much as I did in December 2010, which is fine with me. Once January welcomed us in to 2012, everyone seemed to go full steam ahead with a lot of really great projects that I am so excited to be a part of. So far on my plate for 2012 is a big product launch, lots of various types of print work, and the full illustration and design of an amazing children’s book I am incredibly excited about.

My goals for this year all boil down to one thing: continue to thrive and beat the odds that are stacked against me as a young female entrepreneur. In May of 2010, I was flat on my tush with no idea what the future held. I didn’t have a job, I didn’t have any money and I didn’t know what each day would bring me. The past two years, I’m pleased to say, have brought me exponential growth, not only in terms of business but on a personal level as well. I think I am starting to get a grasp of what my passions are and what direction I want to move in.

In order to truly embrace this new mindset I’m in and to stay true with who I am NOW as a designer (because it’s forever evolving!), I’m planning on totally revamping the website. I have no idea when this will actually happen, but it will and I can’t wait. I’m also really determined to force myself to post here more often. Even if no one reads the ramblings of little ol’ me, it’ll be a good catalog for me to look back on in the future.

What’s the good word for you? What’s happening, what are YOU up to, where are YOU headed? I want to hear all about it!

1. What type of work do you do?

First and currently foremost, I am a print designer for local small businesses, startups and non profits. I love doing work for smaller companies because it’s less about managing people’s egos and more about creating beautiful, effective print collateral.

Second, I am an illustrator which is great because it allows me to play with new color palettes and styles that I can eventually bring into my design work.

2. When and why did you become a freelancer?

I became a freelancer a little over a year ago. I’d worked as an in-house designer and loved it, but then left for a studio gig that I just wasn’t as big a fan of. I had a pretty good client base started for myself and I decided to just take a leap of faith and become a freelancer. So far, it’s been one of the hardest experiences of my life but also the most rewarding.

Read the rest of my interview here.

I’ve been getting a ton of questions lately from fellow designers and others who want to start working for themselves, and I came to realize that in the last year, I’ve developed a wealth of knowledge that I would love to share. But I think it needs its own platform. I’m going to be starting a blog dedicated solely to offering information on how you, or anyone else, can go into business on your own. I’ll be sharing things I’ve learned the hard way and things I’ve learned from other, incredible talented, individuals. I won’t be claiming to be an expert, because I’m not, but I would love to share my journey into this life and hopefully inspire others to do something similar. As soon as it’s up and running, you’ll be the first to know!

I’m turning the blog here on melissaottdesign.com into a place for me to share projects I’m working on, inspiration I come across and links to things I think are super interesting. I want this to be a personal look into how a designer (ie me) works day to day and month to month.

Depending on how all of this blogging goes, I’m hoping to set up another one to focus on design in relation to small businesses sometime within the next year or so.

To kick off this new way of doing things, I wanted to share an illustration that I just wrapped up for Pittsburgh’s very first Sangria Fest. The brainchild of Chris Momberger of Pittsburgh Marshmallow Factory fame, Sangria Fest will be a big gathering in the park for people who love fruit with (and in) their wine. An event like this requires a shirt so that the attendees will remember that they went to it, right?

In addition to upgrading on the technology front, I felt I needed to liven up my office and get organized. I’ve been bored with my workspace for a while now. It felt cluttered and didn’t really make me feel inspired. I wanted to get all of the pens, pencils, tape, xacto knives, paint brushes, etc off of my desk, but I also wanted them to be close by since I use all of that stuff on a regular basis. I don’t really have space to get more shelving, so I decided that utilizing the wall behind my computer would be the best option, but had no idea how to go about turning it into desk storage space. Enter Ikea.

Two Lamplig kitchen trivets, four Blecka wall hooks and six Bygel hanging cups later, I’d hacked together a unique, stylish and functional wall organizer for under $18.

Next up, I needed a mousepad and also some fun wall art. I cut an Ikea Dralla bendable chopping board into the size I wanted and used 3M Super 77 spray adhesive to wrap the it in Gunilla fabric. I bought a full yard of the fabric, so I had plenty to wrap two large and three small already-stretched canvases which I then organized on the large wall next to my desk.

A total refresh of my office set me back less than $50 and created a space I am totally inspired in and by, which is great because I have loads of work to get done this week!

I think we all go through phases where we feel all alone, trying to perform on the stage of life. Maybe we are, but there’s beauty to be found in being alone.

Vector illustration of a delightful little hippopotamus.

Hand rendered and digitally colored.

Admit it; you’ve always wanted to live next door to a family of penguins. No? That’s just me? Well, okay.

This illustration was inspired by a blog post by Pittsburgh mommy blogger Burgh Baby. She takes amazing photos of her adorable daughter who does adorable things that are perfect inspiration for drawings.