Entries about Lifehacks

Jun 15, 2010

Having trouble pre-ordering your iPhone 4? Use the Apple Store app instead

I’ve been trying to order an iPhone 4 since 1am this morning. But AT&T’s crappy networks and Safari’s session expirations were preventing me from getting closer to My Precious. Thankfully, the new Apple Store app on the iPhone worked like a breeze. It took me two minutes to pre-order. Give it try. After you make […]

May 19, 2010

Does your portfolio have to be fancy?

On June 5th, I’m reviewing portfolios for AIGA SF Portfolio Day. While I love talking to students, I’m already dreading one thing: the “fancy” portfolio. By fancy, I mean a hardbound book with embossed lettering, ultra expensive paper, and precious unreadable typography. Or maybe it’ll be encased in a large metal box with tricky clasps […]

May 7, 2010

Don’t check your work email at home

Four years ago, I started forwarding my work email to my personal email account. The reason? One inbox for all email is easier to manage. It’ll my make life simpler, right? Not. Turns out, all it did was stress me out at home and on the weekends. There’s always an annoying email about a problem […]

May 6, 2010

When to quit your job

When you’ve stopped learning on the job, it’s time to quit. After looking at all the jobs I’ve had, I realized one thing: when I stopped learning, I became much more keenly aware of other job factors like salary, office space, and vacation time. Boredom makes it way easier to obsess about money and perks. […]

Apr 28, 2010

My iPad came with condom holders

I’m home sick today. So I thought I’d end my sabbatical and return to LifeClever with an iPad post: Like a lot of folks, I pre-ordered the iPad for an April 3rd launch-day delivery. Big mistake. UPS didn’t deliver until 3pm. And by then, my friends had picked up their magical iPads from the Apple […]

Aug 30, 2009

Where’s Chanpory?

I haven’t posted new articles in quite awhile, but I want to let you know I’m still alive. I don’t delve much into my personal life here on LifeClever, but here’s the short story: My partner and I broke up. After five years, it feels like getting a divorce. I’ve had a rough year. And […]

Jun 10, 2009

The “Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight” Giveaway—Winner Chosen!

Thank you everyone for the great comments. I’ve selected a winner and it’s Jimmy Vu Nguyen. We’re looking forward to that mind map! I’m running a little contest for my friends at Art House Films to promote their new documentary, Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight. Yes design nerds, that’s the Milton Glaser“the designer who […]

May 6, 2009

Meet me at AIGA SF Portfolio Day 2009

I’ll be reviewing portfolios for the AIGA San Francisco chapter on Saturday, May 30, 2009. It’s an all day event, and it’ll be my sixth year as a reviewer. I enjoy it every time, and I’ve yet to make someone cry. Am I too nice? Perhaps, this will be my lucky year. ;-) It looks […]

Apr 22, 2009

Say bye bye to Hallmark!

Can’t find greeting cards that live up to your design standards? Check out Paper Culture, a new greeting card company co-founded by my friend and former MetaDesign colleague, Hui-ling Chen. The cards are modern, cute, and delightful. Best part, you can even personalize them with your own photos or text. Right now, a majority of […]

Apr 2, 2009

Why design is political

Here’s a little something I wrote ages ago which I should have shared with you. Never too late: Simple problems (problems which are already defined) are easy to solve, because defining a problem inherently defines a solution. The definition of a problem is subjective; it comes from a point of view. Thus, when defining problems, […]

Apr 1, 2009

How to write a positioning statement

I don’t have a prank or joke for you today. But, I do have a new post on the SMB Marketing Guide blog. It’s a short, but practical, guide on how to write a positioning statement. I even wrote it like a poem. Here’s a little teaser for you: Your product is one among millions. […]

Mar 31, 2009

What is the creative process?

It’s a tough question to answer. But let’s try to answer it anyway—visually! Check out Dubberly Design Office’s new concept map, A Model of the Creative Process: Here’s DDO’s brief description of the concept map and poster: The creative process is not just iterative; it’s also recursive. It plays out “in the large” and “in […]

Mar 24, 2009

Why receptionists are your best friends

When hunting for a job, it’s really easy to woo only the key decision makers: creative directors, senior designers, managers, supervisors, and partners. Since they decide whether you get hired or not, that makes sense. Just don’t forget the receptionists, too. Why? Because they’re the gatekeepers to the decision makers. More importantly, they hold a […]

Mar 23, 2009

The Do’s and Don’ts of D-I-Y Design

I know you thought I was dead and buried, but I’m slowly crawling my way out of a grave of cliché depression and angst. Thankfully, it’s not all’s gloom and doom. I’ve got good news to share: I now have a gig with HP on their new blog, Small Business Marketing Guide. It’s only for […]

Feb 17, 2009

1000+ book covers to delight your design soul

Addicted to book cover design? Get your fix at The Book Cover Archive, a collection of 1000+ fairly well-designed book covers. Curated by Ben Pieratt and Eric Jacobsen, the site features work by prominent designers such as David Pearson and Chip Kidd. I quite like the site’s clean and simple layout. Each book get its […]

Feb 2, 2009

Will Google Quick Search Replace Quicksilver?

I’ve been pretty bummed about the development death of my favorite Mac utility, Quicksilver. But now I have a glimmer of hope. Nicholas Jitkoff, Quicksilver’s original developer, has just teamed up with Google to create Google Quick Search. It’s still a prototype, but the resemblance to Quicksilver is unmistakable. No, it doesn’t yet have the […]

LifeClever is Chanpory Rith's website on how to live and work better as a designer. You can check out the archives, grab the RSS feed, or send me a love letter. ;-)