Voting for next year’s SXSW panels opened this week. I submitted an idea called Collaboration Nation: How Side-Projects Can Keep You Relevant that will discuss topics such as ways to collaborate, how to balance a side project amidst your work and home life, and how the process of working on something for yourself can be personally and professionally rewarding. If that sounds interesting to you then I’d greatly appreciate you taking a few minutes to vote for it.

There have been more submissions this year than ever before and browsing through all of the options is daunting. Noah recently posted a few that caught his eye and I’d recommend checking them out as I think they sound solid as well. In addition several of my coworkers at Springbox submitted proposals that cover a variety of topics.

Next year will be my 4th SXSW and I’m already looking forward to it. It’s 5 full days of content and conversations. Go if you haven’t before!

I recently decided to give Formspring a shot to see if any of you would like to ask me questions. A few have come in and they’ve been thoroughly entertaining to answer. I welcome more if you’re so inclined. They can be about design, photography, life, whatever.

Yet another amazing photo essay by Joshua Longbrake of a recent trip he took to San Francisco. Reminds me that I have a Nikon sitting in a closet at home that needs to be used. I also need to stop whining that it’s not full frame or, even better, a Hasselblad like Joshua uses. I also need to stop wanting so many things.

A little over a week ago I entered one of Cameron Moll’s iPad contests and found out yesterday that I won the 2nd contest with my entry! This morning he made the announcement public. Obviously I’m beyond excited about winning and getting an iPad. I’m also happy to hear that my entry drove the most traffic to Cameron’s Colosseo promo site, so it’s a win-win situation!

Once the iPad gets here and I’ve had adequate time to use it I’ll post my thoughts. I’m also anxious to build out some custom iPad wallpapers which I’ll be sure to post for download.

Thanks again Cameron for a great contest and to my competitors who kept it fiercely competitive to the very end.

Recently my posting has slowed up more than I would like and it has nothing to do with a loss of interest or lack of content. Since SXSW I’ve been fairly busy both at work and with a few side projects I’m currently working on. One of those projects is a logo for a new local business, which has been great fun to work on and one I hope to wrap up soon. The other three are top-secret, but I can give you a small taste as to what they are and where they currently stand.

Top Secret Project # 1
Driving home one evening I had an epiphany for an iPhone app that I believe has the potential to be both fun to build and use. While I often thought and hoped that my first genuine iPhone app idea would be a utility app, this one is pure entertainment. I’m looking forward to working on the design of the UI as well as the elements that support the concept. A friend of mine will do the programming.
– Status: Research and Discovery Phase

Top Secret Project # 2
Back in September I was approached by Noah Stokes to provide design support on a side project he’s been working on. At the time I had to pass because my schedule couldn’t support any freelance work. I hated to pass on it because I loved the concept and the idea of working with Noah sounded awesome. After finally meeting for the first time at SXSW (and subsequently rocking Cog’aoke to it’s core regardless of what the judges said) I approached him about the project and found that he still needed help. I have since comped out the site and am very enthusiastic about it’s progress. You can see some sneak peeks on Dribbble.
– Status: Development

Top Secret Project # 3
Several weeks ago I sent out this tweet, from which I got positive support for the idea. Since then I’ve been working on how to go about making the videos and collecting notes on ideas for content. In addition the idea has grown beyond just creating videos and into something that I hope will provide even more value to the design community. The project has a name and, after a few sketches and constructive feedback on Dribbble, a logo:

By the name alone you might get an idea as to what the site is about. I’m starting design for the site now and Mr. Stokes will be lending a hand with development.
– Status: Design

I’ll be either posting, dribbbling, and/or tweeting updates as they surface, so stay tuned for more info.

No doubt the majority of you are already familiar with Cameron Moll’s beautiful new type poster Colosseo. In case you aren’t, this project took roughly a year to create and is a complete re-imagining of the Colosseum using type. The final piece is letter-pressed and available for sale. With the launch of this poster Cameron created this short film showing it’s trip through the presses as well as a brief interview of himself talking about the project:

I swear every time I see a film shot with a video-capable DSLR I want to buy one.

Cameron is also on Dribbble and released sneak peeks at his progress on this poster. Creating something like this boggles my mind, mostly because I don’t have the patience to work on something for this long. In fact I had the opportunity to meet Cameron during SXSW and when discussing this project he asked if I would ever consider doing something like it and without wasting a breath I said “No.” I love details and all, but this is outside my comfort zone. That’s why I commend Cameron for having the vision, doing the research, and sticking with it all the way through to the end. It’s extremely admirable.

On a related note meeting Cameron was a real pleasure. This year at SXSW I made it a point to connect with colleagues I admire and have been intentional about getting to know online over the past year. For whatever reason when I meet people who are well known and respected in our industry I brace myself for whatever ego I may encounter. Cameron was easily one of the most genuine and laid-back persons I met at the conference. Easily. We didn’t get a chance to chat long, but it left an impression on me.

In fact that one experience was just part of how pleasantly surprised I was overall at how welcoming and friendly everyone was I met during those 5 days. Maybe it was the good weather, free drinks, or the tacos from the One Taco stand…or maybe I was just unnecessarily wary of my fellow geeks. Regardless, I had an absolute blast talking to so many people that I’m already ready to roll for SXSW 2011!

So here’s to another year of virtual conversations & collaborations with those of you I now know in person and those I have yet to meet. Cheers!

SXSWi is little over a week away and I’m really looking forward to attending. To coincide with it’s 6th anniversary and the conference, Springbox is planning an open house on Monday, March 15th. If you’re planning on attending SXSWi or know someone who works at Springbox (waving back at you), then head over to the site and RSVP. You’ll have a chance to check out our offices, get an idea of what we do day to day and enjoy some free drinks and entertainment. Do it!