I’m pleased to announce the merch store is back up open for business! Some of you have expressed interest in it, so I’m delighted to finally make it available.

The primary motivation is to provide an avenue for those who enjoy my work to offer support, should you feel so inclined. I’m honored to provide a means for you to sport my brand, if you find it appealing. This also grants me more autonomy instead of relying solely on sites like Etsy, Gumroad or Artstation. One never knows how such platforms may evolve in the future.

Allow me to describe the products…

Currently there are some charming Mr. Doll shirts and stickers on offer. I must confess those simply emerged organically from illustrations I was crafting. Moving ahead, I aim to be more thoughtful by planning product releases, even if merely one item at a time. I admire how brands like Johnny Cupcakes methodically unveil new merchandise. Attempting to emulate such cadence seems a worthwhile pursuit.

I’m also judiciously increasing my collection of cartographic digital assets, including brushes, pngs and textures. I originally produced those for personal projects but opted to release them to other designers and hobbyists with an affinity for fictional and fantasy maps, like myself.

A subscription did not seem prudent…

I contemplated establishing a Patreon, Ko-fi or some variety of monthly subscription platform. However, in candor, that model does not align with my creative process. Much of the time I’m working on projects I cannot divulge prematurely. I do not generate new material with consistent monthly regularity either. I tend to flit between personal endeavors as my full-time occupation takes priority. Nonetheless, I’m optimistic this store and website will assist me in steadily creating and unveiling more of the passion projects I’ve too long neglected.

What is 90M Studio?

You may have noticed a few changes, especially if you follow my updates. I adopted the 90M Studio moniker in lieu of Cuban Nerd for pragmatic legal reasons. However, Cuban Nerd shall remain my personal design and development journal.

I appreciate your gracious flexibility during this transition! My commitment to crafting enjoyable goods for discerning patrons like yourself remains unchanged. Please advise if you have any other inquiries!

The post Store is back up appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

The Design Method

There is one section in particular that will contain steps on how I achieve the visual tone of the book we are working on. I want to emphasize the importance of establishing a replicable framework or workflow from start to finish. My personal design philosophy is that design is not art; art is just one of the tools involved in the design process.

There is a method, a series of steps a designer of any kind has to follow in order to create a product. No design process comes from random inspiration coming down from the muses; we have to extract that creativity through tangible actions. If you want to read more in depth about this process and way of thinking about design, I recommend a book called The Design Method by Eric Karjaluoto. He demystifies a lot of the preconceptions of the design discipline and offers a clear workflow for those interested in design. Give it a read if you want to clean up your workflow or if you are having creative blocks.

This method, or my version of it, is used in the creation of design briefs and style guides for rule books. In the module, I want to dedicate one section to teaching the reader how to create a design brief based on the input from a publisher or game designer. Then use this brief as a guide to create what is known as an “art bible.” This term is used a lot in video games and animation studios. These documents are vital to maintain that graphical tone and flavor across all pieces of the rule book, game components, and marketing material. It is what makes a game look like a real piece of entertainment media. In conclusion, it is what sells your game. People do judge books by their covers.

Main sections of Chapter 2

The name of chapter 2 will be something like “Design Foundations.” This part of the guide is meant for designers who are working from scratch and have no assets from an art director or publisher. Think of it as an intro to visual development for tabletop game design. The industry is very small, and unless you are working with big publishers, designers will most likely end up being the art directors themselves. Here are some elements that can help them have more control over the project:

Create a Design Brief. This document has all the essential information for designers to start their research phase. Don’t skip this step. It’s an important collaborative document, and having it for all parties involved is key.

Gathering References. Using some of the tips from the previous chapter and the information collected from the design brief, this section expands on it by giving you more tools on where to find these references.

Create a Mood Board. This section explains how to filter content from the library of references students will collect, how to make useful notes, and distill the content. This is key to form connections between seemingly unrelated pieces of media.

Create a Quick Mock-up aka The Blueprint. This is a very small section since the result of this quick mock-up layout is different for every project. But it’s basically using all the notes from the mood board and designing the graphics that will be used in the book.

At the end of this chapter, the reader will be able to confidently replicate this process to create their own designs and get feedback from the game designer and publisher. All of this process should be done before working on the actual layout and typesetting of the book.

The post Rulebook Guide Update #3: Visual Design Process appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

In my previous post, I outlined the modules and topics I plan to cover in my comprehensive Rulebook Guide. One section in Module 1 covers formatting manuscripts. While researching related topics I lack expertise in, I’ve realized the necessity of establishing writing style guides—an important aspect of rule book writing I want to explore further.
Since starting working at a small tabletop game studio with basic knowledge of publication processes, we’ve had to figure things out as we go. After 7 years, we’ve learned and improved a lot. Now we work with many designers—some have great mechanics but little writing experience. I want to help them, and myself, write better by establishing standards for experienced authors to follow. This led me to develop a quick style guide—critical for writers, editors, and designers alike to ensure clear, consistent communication.
As a designer, I’m still learning about style guides. But a section of my manual will cover this vital knowledge missing from design programs. Like typesetting—another under-taught area we often learn on the job. For style guide examples, I recommend The Chicago Manual of Style and Elements of Style. Major publishers like Wizards of the Coast use them to manage projects and people. These style guides provide cohesive communication for readers.

Here are some useful style guides tailored to tabletop games:

Stonemaier Games

This is a very specific style guide for tabletop games. Stonemeier specializes in board games. While these type of games have simpler rule books, the rule writing process share a lot of common ground with RPGs and Wargames. This guide is very concise and a great source to use in your manuscripts.

Wizards of the Coast D&D Style Guide: Writing and Editing

This comprehensive guide is a good starting point since D&D sets the RPG standard. But WotC uses the Chicago Manual of Style as its basis.

Other Writing Style Guide references from the web

https://www.errantdreams.com/2003/01/roleplaying-game-authors-style-guide-i-general-rules/

http://www.sjgames.com/general/guidelines/authors/author.html

https://peginc.com/about/writing-for-pinnacle/

Hopefully by the time I finish this Guide I can share a document with tips for authors who want to learn how to format their manuscripts properly.

The post Rulebook Guide Update #2 Writing Style Guides appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

Guide Modules

I decided to break the whole thing into modules, similar to how online courses structure their classes. I’m a huge fan of Domestika, and all of their online courses have a pretty defined structure. Maybe they just use an industry standard, but I believe they excel at breaking down content for an online course. Here is a rough breakdown of a typical Domestika course:

Module 1

This introductory module contains content summarizing the whole course, background about the instructor, their influences, and definitions of terms used throughout the course project.

Module 2

I call this the foundations module. Every design project has a similar structure: a brief and a style guide. This module will teach students my personal method for creating both.

Module 3

The technical module contains tutorials on using tools and software.

Module 4

The delivery module teaches preparing the project for hand-off to others – in this case, the editor and/or publisher.

Introductory Module

Module one is nearly complete. I’ve focused on where I draw inspiration from and described the types of games and books the guide will cover: tabletop RPGs and miniature wargames. This module will include formatting tips for authors’ manuscripts and a glossary of terms. Here is an outline for the module:

1. Guide’s Summary. This is a short introduction paragraph that will contain a summary of the entire course. How to get inspiration. What makes a game rulebook unique. Why using Adobe InDesign and its alternatives. Finally explain who is the guide for.
2. Finding the right Inspiration.
   1. Art and Design Books: A few examples of art books I use for inspiration. What elements I look for in those types of books the most.
   2. Reference and Coffee Table Books: These books are thematic and contain a lot of interesting information and images that can contribute to the theme of the game. History and Niche books are great to seek a particular visual flavor.
   3. Video Games, Films and TV Shows: Video Games, films and tv shows are a great source for visual references that designers can use as inspiration. Specially those pieces of media that share themes with the projects the designers are working on.
   4. RPG and Wargame Rulebooks: These are the last source of information. They should be only good to see how standards and formatting is used. However, I don’t advise designers to use these books as a visual reference from the get go.
3. Print or Digital Books. This section is to explain the differences between Printed Rulebooks and Digital Rulebooks. Why and how both format are used in tabletop games and finally some best practices for each format.
4. Game Types. This section is use to offer a brief description on the differences and similarities between RPG Formats and Wargame Formats.
5. Formatting Manuscripts. This section will include a series of tips to set up text manuscripts to make the importing of the content into InDesign as smooth as possible.
6. Glossary of common terms.

I have a lot of writing to do but I’ve already have quite a lot of notes for the rest of the modules. Especially on module 2 where I’ll be explaining how to create a Design Brief and an Art Bible aka a Style Guide. This covers my progress so far. Stay tuned for more updates as I keep making headway on this guide.

The post Guide Update #1 Chapter 1 Outline appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

The truth is that I have the tendency to jump around from one project to another without finishing anything. Other times, I have too many projects in cue that I feel overwhelmed and get bored of what I’m doing. I read once that this is a very common occurrence among creatives and the necessity to keep ourselves accountable when the boredom period arrives and a new exciting idea pops in our heads. This online journal is a prime example of me dropping the ball.

I had this realization earlier this month is that for a while I was doing a few things wrong.

Following someone else’s goals_

This is probably the worse thing I was doing. I would read about a design project or I would watch either a popular designer, illustrator, or creative talking about what they were doing or the potential of any given type of specialized work and I would find that idea exciting then jump into studying the theory right away. I was basically trying to become a different person to a certain degree.

Changing goals constantly_

This was also partly a result of over consumption of information. I’m the kind of person who has a diverse variety of interests and wants to try it all. Initially, I was trying to just improve my illustration skills because I find drawing fun and relaxing, then I wanted to do some pixel art because I love point and click adventure games, after that I wanted to create my own apparel line, then I realized that web design and development had changed completely and I had to get back on the train, that lead me into obsessing over branding and strategy, the story keeps repeating itself over and over. This lead to me becoming…..

too obsessed with learning._

The internet is full of high quality content to learn anything and even for free. If you want to become a designer or a web developer, now is the best time to do so without breaking the bank. I wish I had all the current information available back when I got to this country. However, just learning the theory is not enough if there’s no practice and it’s not recurrent. I was not getting enough practice and it was not helping that I was shifting my focus constantly so there was no space for going deeper into any given subject. Learning something new was all I was doing for months. I forgot to have some leisure time.

What I’m left with is_

I was exhausted and confused. I was not sure what the next step was. I had to stop, go back to the drawing board and do a self check about what I really want to accomplish next.

There are a couple of things that are very clear and dear to me. One is that I do like to learn new things but I also like to teach what I’m learning. I used to teach and I still do from time to time. I would love to keep doing that. The other thing is that I’m not enthusiastic about client work anymore and that is because I didn’t have a criteria for the people I want to work with. Now I’m working on that.

The post Feeling Overwhelmed_ appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

For most of us who went to design school, we are taught a print-focused curriculum. We learn to use these techniques as well as the terminology that printers use such as bleed, margins, registration, ink density, etc. This allows us to communicate better with the printers and be able to work with the specifications since not all printing techniques have the same requirements.

However…

Nowadays, design work has shifted rapidly toward digital media, web and app design. We, as graphic designers, are constantly told to learn how to code. It’s even specified as a required skill in job listings. The reactions to these requirements or suggestions are very diverse. If you went to a school with a digital-focused curriculum, or if you taught yourself how to design websites and applications, you might see these requirements as the norm. Unfortunately, that is not the case for a lot of students who are focusing more on print while in college. They are graduating and entering a market that is mostly asking for a different set of skills.

Some designers really freak out when they are told they should learn how to code. It’s especially discouraging when they are trying to get a job and most listings ask for some form of programming. This generates a lot of rejection and understandably so. I don’t blame them, a few of these languages will demand extra time and effort to learn. Some can also be hard to understand due to a high level of abstraction that most programming languages have.

That being said, the technology is there and it keeps moving forward. For this very reason, as designers, we see ourselves in a tough position and asking…

Do we have to learn how to code?

Then answer to that is not so straight forward. It depends on where you see yourself working. If you want to go for small startups, you most definitely should look into learning, not just HTML and CSS, but also some Javascript. If you want to work for big companies or agencies, they usually require more specialization. However, learning HTML and CSS always come in handy.

There’s a better way to explain why learning these languages is necessary. Think of developers as the equivalent of printers. Our task as designers is to learn the principles and techniques used by developers for the same reasons we learn different printing techniques, even if we don’t print our work ourselves. We need to be able to communicate better with them and learn their terminology. Their requirements are the equivalent to the printer’s specs.

This is, in no way, a one-sided adoption. Developers should also be aware of how designers work and our lingo, terms, and processes. This is in order for the final product to be optimized from UX/UI all the way to its frontend/backend.

What can we do as professionals?

1. Learn HTML/CSS: At least learn how to work with both languages since they are what the web is made of. Learning how they are used currently will allow you to design better layouts for user interfaces.
2. Understand how Javascript works: Learning it is optional, but it’s essential to know how important JavaScript is in current web and even mobile applications. It will help you understand what interactions to create and how they are implemented — how much your website can be changed and manipulated using this language.
3. Ask your developer friends: Chances of you knowing devs are high but if you don’t, go online and ask them questions. It helps to communicate with them when you are not sure if something you want to design can be implemented or not.
4. Follow Web/App development blogs and publications. Keeping up with what’s new and what works is a healthy preventative habit. It’s better to be informed in order to adapt and improve your skill set. Some good places to look for are CSS-Tricks , Inside Design and Webdesignernews. Reddit can also be a great source for news, updates, and interactions between devs and designers.

Focusing on these steps will help you learn how developers implement our work and, in the process, you will design better UIs and increase the control of our own compositions while respecting their guidelines, giving us more flexibility, and creativity.

The post Why designers need to understand developers? appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

Lilian here. This is officially my first email update.

2018 was a pretty intense year for me. I went through a big burned-out in the first few months. This made me realized two things. First, it was time to update and go beyond my design skills in order to become more efficient with work, and second I had to start working on my delayed personal projects. The rest of 2018 was dedicated to the first part alongside with personal development. 2019 will be dedicated to my personal projects.

This email update is just one of those personal projects. Now it’s time to take Cuban Nerd to the next level.

What is coming?

Cuban Nerd Rebranding
If you follow me on Instagram @cubannerd, you might have noticed that I have been toying with the idea of creating a new logo. The project is more than just revamping my identity but also how I am positioning myself as a creative consultant. More details on the rebranding project soon.

90&M Podcast
90&M is a project intended to document real stories from my time living in Cuba. I want to compare and contrast those to my experiences living in Miami. It’s a way to connect with Cuban Americans. Especially from my generation. I’m currently in the process of writing the 3rd episode. Stay tune for more updates about this podcast.

Design Machinations Journal
If you want to read some insights about projects I’m working on, my thoughts on design philosophy or anything related to the design process, product ideas or branding strategy then this blog is the right place.

Coming soon in January, Designing for Non-Hollywood Pirates.

The post A new year and a new Cuban Nerd appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

I know this sounds radical and print might not disappear completely, however, this is a warning and a wake-up call. I’ve been noticing for a while now that there are plenty of creatives peers who are getting complacent. I have made this same mistake too, specifically in the recent past. The worst thing was waking up from my pleasant sleep, and realize that we have missed the train. There are two common situations for graphic designers.

Are you still in school?

You are still learning the basics of graphic design and working, mostly on print projects. The big issue is that most art institutes, academies or public colleges with design programs suffer from a print focused curriculum. Digital oriented work is scarce and not promoted for diverse reasons. It’s not even well taught in most cases. You encounter that the real world demands a bit of a different set of skills. This happens to a lot of fresh graphic design graduates. Let’s face it, most of us couldn’t afford to go to Parsons, RISD or Art Center. So we are stuck with what we got. However, that is not an excuse for not improving on your craft on your own. The good news is that the foundation you are learning in school is still extremely useful. Learn how to learn.

Are you getting comfortable using the same formula and tools to complete the same type of projects?

I’ve been stuck on this one. Mind you, work has to get done and establishing some kind of automation is the way to go but as a creative you need to work on personal projects and also improving your process. Learning new software in order to make your work easier and faster is a must. If you are not careful, you can burn out. It happened to me. One day you decide to check some design blogs instead of checking memes on social media and notice that the industry have moved on and you are stuck with what you currently know.

Don’t Panic!

If you are reading this and feel frustrated or in panic, don’t be. It happens to all of us. I’m in a path to recovery from a similar situation and it’s the reason why I’m writing this. What can’t happen is you refuse to adapt and learn new tools and skills. The task of a designer is to keep up with these changes in other to do work that is relevant and effective. The basics are always going to be there. They are the foundation and are never going to change. Mastering principles of design is extremely valuable.

Now, what happens when technology is not your forte?

I have bad news and good news. The bad news is that new technology is implemented at a faster pace than you can learn it. We’re heading into Sci-Fi levels of technology. Machine learning, augmented and virtual reality are just examples of that. This might seem like a huge headache and alarming, but bare with me. The great news is that you learn what works and keep up with what is coming. Learning something new just takes a lot of patience and practice.

What can we do then?

The key is to specialize in an industry while adopting new technologies and new media. For instance, traditional advertising is no longer relevant therefore, you need to focus on branding and strategy. This is the new way your potential clients will sell their products or services. If you want to specialize in Logo and Identity then, make sure that you make your work dynamic and compatible with digital technologies. Basically for anything you want to specialize in, pick the design category and acquire skills for different type of media formats(Smart watches, Mobile, tablets, Screens, VR, AR, Video/Film, Print, Spaces). Print only just doesn’t cut it anymore.

What do you need to learn?

After you choose your focus then you get acquainted with the tech at your disposal. Don’t be a crazy lunatic like me and try to learn everything all at once. Just dedicate time to learn what you need and try to be the best at it. Then move to the next skill you want to learn.

Increasing your toolkit helps you enhance your work’s reach and capabilities. Think on what it is available that can help you produce something flexible and scalable. Going back to branding, identity systems to be more precise, doing static logos and business cards won’t get you the bigger client that you want or help a client or improve their product/service. Agencies like Sagmeister & Walsh, and Pentagram have been working on dynamic identities for quite a while now. Dynamism and adaptability are two keywords in developing identities. Most, if not all, brands are being discovered on the web and mobile devices first these days.

Keep all this in mind and keep learning you’ll get more opportunities. Let’s commit to be our better selves every day.

Cheers.

The post Missing the tech train. appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

Usually, those situations are:

1. When I’m driving somewhere. This one mostly happens in the morning while driving to work or in the afternoon while driving back home. This one was the easiest to solve. After remembering that I am a relatively smart person and realizing that I carry a powerful device as an appendix at all times of the day, I decided to make use of such device to record myself talking about my mental nonsense.
2. When I’m in the shower. Obviously, I can’t bring a notebook or any electronics with me inside it. The solution to this one came from a Google search and it’s kinda funny to me. I am amazed at how people come with solutions for these first world problems. Apparently, there is a product called Aquanotes that allows you to take notes in the shower. Brilliant! I haven’t even thought these were a thing and honestly, I’m totally going to get one.
3. When I’m about to fall asleep. I mentioned at the beginning because it’s honestly the most annoying one. It’s been happening for a few months now. I’ve been getting off my bed then walk to the opposite side of my room, turn on the lights, then look for a marker and then go to my closet’s mirror to write down my crazy ideas. It happens 3 times before I am able to go to sleep. It makes me think that I should go back to becoming a night owl and just work until 2 am. But I am valuing my sleep time more these days and I don’t want to ruin that. I think that the best way to calm my head a bit is to get some headspace and meditate before going to bed. I tried for a few days and it’s been working so far.

I hope my silly problem, and a good one to have, give you some tips on how to deal with noting down ideas.

The post The best ideas come at inconvenient times. appeared first on Cuban Nerd.

Design/Business Books

Biographies

Fiction

Science/Nonfiction

Brain Myths Exploded: Lessons from Neuroscience

Everything you knew about the brain is not quite right

It took me a bit to go through this book. Not because it was difficult to understand but because it has a lot of information. Very important information about how our brain works. Some of those myths explained in it are: Our memory is unreliable and most of us we can not remember things exactly how they happened. Having a bigger brain mass does not equal more intelligence and finally, the whole left brain is logical while the right brain is creative is false. Those are some of the myths mentioned in this book. All of these and more are explained through case studies and details on how sections of the brain work and communicate with each other. Overall, very enlightening. This is a book that needs to be read thoroughly and without distractions.

History & Philosophy

The post 2018 Reading List appeared first on Cuban Nerd.