Knolling Stone

TABLE OF Contents TABLE OF Contents

Bryan

Big

Buehner

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Educate yourself on what every designer needs for this fall, and learn more about knolling and the title of this magazine!

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Learn about this month’s article and hear a story from the maker of this magazine.

Immerse yourself in Sioux Falls small businesses and learn about this town’s best bagels.

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tells us about the work that goes on at

Frog Custom T-Shirts and More, as well as his journey of becoming a designer.

GET YOUR GAME ON!

A Letter FROM THE EDITOR A Letter FROM THE EDITOR

Warm up your gaming hands, because we’ve got all the classic games you love! Get ready for the throwback of your life and reach for the high score on your favorite games. Most of our games are 25 or 50 cents. Or, sit back and relax with a beverage and a nice slice of Sunny’s Pizza. Stop in today & get your game on!

Two years ago, I was sitting at a table in my high school, writing a paragraph for a theatre handout. I only needed to write a few sentences about myself, but it was a difficult task for me. There were lots of simple questions, such as; what was your favorite play you were in, and who was your biggest inspiration? But the last question: what do you want to do in the future, had me stumped. It made me take a step back and think. What DO I want to do with my future? I sat there for nearly ten minutes thinking about what to put down. I always “wanted” to be a journalist or English major since that was what my dad did in college. I even took a journalism class in my senior year of high school to prepare myself for this path in life. However, my heart did not want to go down this path, only my mind. Alas, I put down journalism as my future pursuit and went on with my day, but I never stopped thinking about my future from that point onward. Then one day, it just hit me. I realized that I had a passion for creating things, and that was what I wanted to do with my future. All of these memories from my past flowed into my mind of things I’ve made. Paper signs for my neighbor’s playground, a logo I made in middle school in Microsoft Paint for my dad’s company he was starting, a story I wrote when I was eight about a Pokémon game I played, and birthday cards I made for friends and family. Even though these things were never professional and were made just for fun, they helped bring me to where I am. All these projects and more

helped me to realize what I want to do with my future. I realized I wanted to create!

I have some advice for those in the same boat I was in: unsure about the next step in life. Instead of forcing yourself to take your next step forward into something you may not enjoy, take one back. Reflect on your past, listen to your heart, and put thought into what’s next. Make the best possible choice that can make you reach your full potential. Also, don’t be afraid to break out of your comfort zone! I did this when deciding to change my life path, and it’s one of the best choices I’ve ever made.

READY UP PLAYER 1 3

Trey Choate Editor & Designer

COZY THINGS that every DESIGNER needs this FALL

Now that fall is finally in full swing, it’s time for us designers to prepare ourselves best for the upcoming months. I like to prepare by doing some “fall cleaning”. I take all of my summer clothes and move them to a different area of my closet, and make my winter clothes more accessible. I do all of this in order to prepare my self to be all snuggled in nice and tight under a soft blanket, staying nice and warm fighting off the heat.

Speaking of all snuggled together, I felt that now would be the perfect opportunity to do a knolling photo shoot of some fall necessities! Knolling is the art of arranging objects in a photo so that they are parallel and creating 90 degree angles. It is a great way to clearly show each product in your shoot while linking the items to each other. All of these products I put together in one photo because they could be great essentials for any designer that is preparing for the next couple of cold months! Enjoy!

1. Blue Light Glasses

These are great for extended periods of looking at your computer screen to avoid headaches.

Gamma Ray Optix - Amazon - $14.99

2. Snacks

Every designer should have a snack nearby while in your chair designing!

Mountain Trail Mix - Aldi - $4.99

3. Sketchbook

My friend gifted me this sketchbook. It helps me keep all of my sketches neatly in one place.

Target and Walmart sell sketchbooks

4. Laptop Case

Protect your files, keep your laptop warm and protected, and customize to your liking!

MOSISO Case - Amazon - $17.99

5. Post-it Notes

I use sticky notes to keep track of important information about different designs. Target and Walmart sell post-it notes

6. Drawing Pad

If you enjoy making drawings on your computer, this is totally worth the money!

Huion H640P - Amazon - $29.99

7. Spotify Subscription

Listening to music helps get those creative juices flowing while designing!

Spotify - $9.99/month

Background. Warm Blanket

A necessity to help you stay warm while you work. It’ll keep you cozy! This blanket was made by a family member

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Leaping into Designs at

If you have ever looked for something special for you or someone in your life, I’d recommend you to Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More. Big Frog specializes in taking customers’ ideas and turning those ideas into physical products. They use different programs to create, print, and embroider designs on articles of clothing and objects. I had the opportunity to explore the Big Frog company deeper by interviewing one of its employees. Let’s get to know about this Sioux Falls design company!

Bryan Buehner

is one of the designers at Big Frog Custom T-Shirts and More located here in Sioux Falls. Despite only being 21 years old, he has had nine years of experience working with graphic design. His interest in design has been with him ever since he was young. “My dad was a graphic designer, and I’d watch him do things here and there. My grandpa was also a photographer, so I’d watch him edit photos in Photoshop. I thought both of these things were pretty sick.” Since then, Bryan has been following in the footsteps of his family by designing things for the world.

A Designer’s Beginning

Bryan didn’t just hop into Big Frog. He had lots of prior training before starting his career as a graphic designer at the company. When Bryan was in middle school, his school offered graphic design classes that he took. “My class had lots of opportunities to learn different areas of college design and different mediums of arts.” This middle school class he took drove him to become a designer. He continued practicing design throughout middle school and even took design classes in high school. However, not everything was smooth sailing in this field at first for Bryan. “My first year taking a graphic design class in high school, I failed hardcore.” Bryan never lost determination, stating, “Design was a passion in me that was just always there, and it didn’t leave as other passions would.” Looking back at his portfolio, Bryan acknowledges that he was not great initially. However, he tends to look back at his old work, proclaiming, “I’ve come a long way from the first time I started making things”. That motivation and drive to

improve from where he started encourages Bryan to keep going in this field. Bryan thrives on getting better from his old work, making sure he can create even better designs and creations to put into his personal portfolio.

“Design was a passion in me that was always there, and it didn’t leave as other passions would.”

A Leap into Big Frog

Once Bryan developed a portfolio for the work he made so far, he was on the hunt for a job. Bryan had always been in the graphic design field but was having trouble finding a place he loved. “I used to work in a school district, but hadn’t been doing graphic design for about three years. I couldn’t find anything.” Bryan was stuck. He was unable to pursue his graphic design career as he had dreamed about so many years ago. He was giving up hope until he heard an ad while listening to the radio that the Big Frog in Sioux Falls was looking to hire. Bryan gave them a

call, questioning whether or not they were still hiring. They weren’t hiring at the time he called but gave Bryan the hope that they might be hiring soon. A month later, Bryan receives a call from Big Frog about a job position, and he accepted the position as a designer for the company. Bryan was so thankful for receiving this spot, and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. “I like making t-shirts. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Big Frog’s Technology

Before Bryan makes anything at Big Frog, he consults with his clients. “When a customer walks into Big Frog, sometimes they have no idea what they want,” Bryan explains, “So, we give them 15 minutes of brainstorming with our team to come up with ideas for a final product.” Even though these 15 minutes might not seem like much time to come up with multiple ideas, Bryan has had enough practice in this quick-paced environment.

This shortness of time would give him headaches at first, but now he loves this process. Bryan describes the process; “Watching the ideas come from the customer to me as a graphic design artist, then moving that into production and being printed, then giving it back to the customer, it’s like a big circle. It’s fun!”

It can seem like quite the process of getting a design into the product, but Bryan knows how to make it simple. As stated earlier, Bryan spends time with each customer to create the perfect design. This time

“Watching the ideas come from the customer to me as a graphic design artist, then moving that into production and being printed, then giving it back to the customer, it’s like a big circle. It’s fun!”

Above: Bryan is pushing a button on a machine. This one moves the t-shirt back and forth in order for there to be no wrinkles on the shirt.

spent could be creating something from scratch or using something the customer has already provided. After brainstorming, a design gets developed on the computer. “We work with lots of different systems like Illustrator and Photoshop, but we also use Corel Draw too, which I hadn’t heard of since a few years ago.” Once Bryan and the customer are happy with the design, the magic happens: turning a design into a physical product. Many different machines get utilized in the process of making clothing, posters, or other items. Based on what a customer is looking for and what works best for the design, a product can be either: direct-to-garment printed, screen printed, ultra printed, have a vinyl application, be dye sublimated, or embroidered. Each method of application has its benefits, so

Bryan and his customers collaborate to pick the best option. Once the products are all printed, they are neatly packaged and returned to happy customers. When Bryan sees the happiness on his customers’ faces, he feels extremely rewarded, and that he has helped make someone’s day a lot better.

Pondering Projects

Bryan has been working on many different projects since his start at Big Frog. “We have lots of parent-related projects come in around Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. I work on lots of sentimental projects and memorial projects, which is also a very rewarding part of working here at Big Frog.” Doing these projects for customers to remember is one of his favorite parts about working here. Not only does Bryan work on these sentimental pieces, but he does lots of other works too. “We are working on aprons for someone’s wedding, which is interesting.” Bryan also has quite a big, challenging project he is working on for a longboarding club at the University of Sioux Falls. He explains that he must try printing on a brand new material, and the challenges that he may face.

Above: This machine at Big Frog is a vinyl cutter that cuts out designs to go onto shirts or other objects.

Below: Bryan uses a steam-pressing machine to prep the t-shirts before applying a design to them.

“I like making t-shirts. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

“I have another project that I have been working on for 605 Longboarding at the University of Sioux Falls. They are a longboarding club that reached out to us recently. They said we only have a rough idea of what we want, so please come up with something for us. That has been a really fun project, but also a challenging one since we’ve never really printed on longboards before. However, it’s been my favorite project I’ve worked on so far. I can’t wait for the final product.”

Looking into the Future

Bryan has enjoyed all that he has learned and made while spending time at Big Frog. “I plan to stay at Big Frog as long as possible. It’s a stable job here, only working five days a week with a weekend to recharge.” Bryan also enjoys the ability to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather: being able to create art. However, if Bryan life changes and he ends up moving, Big Frog has multiple locations across the United States. He will hope to find another location to work at if that’s a path he needs to go down.

Bryan has a strong future ahead of him. He gets to do the things that he enjoys while satisfying the needs of customers. Bryan said he could see himself at Big Frog for the rest of his life, because he loves what he does there.

Advice for New Designers

Every designer starts somewhere. Bryan admitted to not being the best at design when he first started, but he did not give up on his dreams of becoming a graphic designer. “There was lots of confusion at first.” Bryan did not let this confusion stop him, and he put in lots of hours of practice. “I started with photo editing, which made me familiar with many Photoshop tools. Once I

felt comfortable with my Photoshop abilities, I moved to Illustrator. I’d find photos of cartoon characters and trace them out with the pen tool to get used to the feeling of the pen. “Tracing characters was extremely helpful for me when first starting since the pen is a little weird when initially using it.” This practice and determination put Bryan in the position where he is at today. Working at Big Frog was Bryan’s dream, “something I’ve always wanted to do”. His determination helped Bryan spring into an amazing career working at Big Frog.

About the Author

Trey Choate is often described as a free, artistic soul. He can often be found drawing in his sketchbook, taking photos of every animal plant, and sunset that he sees, and bringing his out-of-the-box ideas to life. Since learning more about graphic design and pursing it as a career, Trey's mind has been flowing with creativity and ideas, and he is always looking for the next project to start.

Above: These are some of the t-shirts that Bryan designed for the 605 Longboarding group. The shirt on the far right is the design that the group ended up liking the best and is using for the club.

“Show-Biz” to “Dough-Biz”

If you’re ever craving some carbs, Bagel Boy in Sioux Falls is a great place to stop. Bagel Boy specializes in creating New York-style bagels from scratch. Mike Dinsmore, the owner of Bagel Boy, takes us through the bagel-making industry. He teaches us about how Bagel Boy came to be, how Bagel Boy bagels differ from store-bought bagels, and some fun experiences he’s had while owning the store.

Before Bagels

Mike Dinsmore is the man behind the bagel counter at Minnesota Avenue. Originally from Reading, Pennsylvania, Mike wasn’t always in the bagel industry. “I originally had a background as a television host for 12-13 years.” This job being a television host for the show “America’s Funniest People” made him travel all around the world looking for funny people. While traveling, he’d always end up in a bagel store. Mike loved bagels, and the vibes of each bagel store he visited kept him returning for more.

needed to know about bagels. Mike took this advice into his new store and sold it after five years before moving to South Dakota with his wife: Brenda. They made this decision since they wanted something new in their lives, and Brenda was from Mitchell so they were familiar with the area. They said goodbye to Take Two Bagels and set out for a new life!

The New Owners

Brenda made a great connection once the husband and wife moved to South Dakota. They discovered that the former Bagel Boy owner, Chris Pappas, was selling the business. The couple took the offer and became the new owners of Bagel Boy. Mike says that he got very lucky, saying, “There was a need for a bagel place in Pennsylvania, and the previous owners already got Bagel Boy started up. All I had to do was not screw up and improve the business.” When Mike took over Bagel Boy, he made sure not to change anything that was already established but instead add to the menu.

Improving Bagel Boy

While on one of his trips around the United States, Mike met Craig Cole. “He told me that he was a ‘bagel consultant’, that he opens bagel stores.” Mike got the idea; what if I open a bagel store in my hometown? There’s a demand for it, so it would go well. He was right, the store: Take Two Bagels, took off. Craig was able to teach Mike everything he

Mike and Brenda did some brainstorming to get more people coming into Bagel Boy. They added new menu items to their menu. They became a breakfast and lunch joint. And the holy grail: they changed locations! “Our building used to be further up north on Minnesota. We quickly realized that it wasn’t going to work. There wasn’t much space to work or for customers to park. So, after that place being open for about 8 years, we moved down the street to this Minnesota and 33rd location. When we moved down here, we basically tripled

Above: Mike Dinsmore, the current owner of Bagel Boy, standing in front of a mural located in the store.

“It’s a little Bagel Boy family here, and everyone treats everyone right. I especially remember when, 20 years ago when a little girl would come in with her family and they would be regulars, then 20 years later that little girl is now all grown up and bringing her family here. It’s a great thing!”

the business we were getting.” These improvements over the last few years to the Bagel Boy business help make it one of the best places in Sioux Falls to get a bagel!

The Bagel-Making Process

Well, how do we get such great bagels? How does Mike claim to have the best bagels in all of Sioux Falls? The key is kettle-baking the bagels. “You boil the bagels before baking them. We are the only place that does that.” By kettle-baking the bagels before throwing them in the oven, the product is a bagel with a crusty outside and tender inside. Another thing that makes the Bagel Boy bagels so great is their simplicity. “The recipe we use only has five ingredients. It’s water, yeast, flour, malt, and salt. But try to do that on your own! It’s a tough process!” Once you try one of these bagels, you’ll definitely be hooked. These simple ingredients combined with fruits, veggies, meats, or spices make for a delicious breakfast or lunch pickme-up. There are hundreds of delicious bagels, cream cheeses, and sandwiches available for you to make the perfect meal!

“The recipe we use only has five ingredients. It’s water, yeast, flour, malt, and salt.”

The Bagel Boy Experience

Not only are the bagels good, but the environment that Bagel Boy provides is amazing. Bagel Boy is a buzzing, comfy place to be. Mike says that one of his favorite things about being here is the

community and friendly environment that has developed in his bagel store.

“It’s a little Bagel Boy family here, and everyone treats everyone right. I especially like when, 20 years ago when a little girl would come in with her family and they would be regulars, then 20 years later that little girl is now all grown up and bringing her family in here. It’s a great thing! Good products, good experiences, and good customer service. That’s the things you need to run a successful business that has people coming back for more.”

Mike Dinsmore takes great pride in his business. He loves talking with regular customers and being active in the bagel community. The transition from showbiz to dough-biz has changed the lives of many Sioux Falls and surrounding area residents by bringing people together with the help of a bagel.

Below: A rack of cinnamon crunch bagels cools down on a rack before being served to customers.

Take a swing at axe throwing! Start out with some practice by throwing at our wooden boards, then compete against other people and earn the highest score. We promise a safe and fun environment that will be tons of fun for all of your friends and family! So, give it a shot and stop on by!

Birthdays • Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties • Events

Corporate Meetings • Special Occasions • Just for Fun

Book an axe throwing now and swing on by!

3718 S. Westport Avenue (escape rooms and axe throwing)

119 W. 10th Street (axe throwing only)

Pumpkin Spice is in the air!

Our Pumpkin Pie Avalanche is back in season! Scoops of tasty pumpkin pie mixed with our vanilla ice cream make for a creamy, delicious, pumpkin-y treat. The whipped cream and pumpkin spice on top tie it all together. Come in to B&G Milkyway during the fall season to grab your own Pumpkin Pie Avalanche! Limited time availability.

YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP FOR DELICIOUS

Our pizzas are freshly made every day. We start with a handmade and hand-tossed dough made from scratch. We then add fresh, homemade ingredients to each pie. Our pizzas then bake in our brick oven to crispy, gooey perfection that’s tasty every time.

Customize your own pie, or try one of our specialty pies:

MARY LEE

Marinara pie with ricotta, mozzarella, romano, caramelized onion, fresh parsley, and black pepper.

Grab a slice today!

Sioux Falls (5 locations)

BROOKLYN-STYLE BRICK OVEN PIZZA • PIZZA BY THE SLICE • CUSTOM PIES

New york style bagels… Any Way You Want!

Blueberry Bagel with Strawberry Cream Cheese,

2. Everything Bagel with

3. Sun-Dried Tomato Bagel with Veggie Cream Cheese

Our bagels are always freshly baked. We have a wide selection of sweet and savory bagels, cream cheeses, and bagel sandwiches to give your taste buds the feel of New York. There’s always a tasty New York-Style bagel waiting for you in the comfort of Sioux Falls!

Featured Bagel and Featured Cream Cheese EVERY WEEK!

Stop in at one of our locations for a bagel today!

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HARD JEWELRY Lasts Forever. love is temporary,

Hard Jewelry was created for the younger generation so they could feel more like themselves. Every single piece of jewelry is made with either stainless steel or sterling silver. This ensures that your skin won’t turn green after wearing our products. We also put tons of time designing each ring, pendant, and chain. Each piece is unique, affordable, and accessible, so you’ll be getting a high-quality piece of jewelry every time.

1.

Barbed Wire Ring

This smooth and sleek ring fits comfortably while having a sick design wrapping around your finger.

2.

Flooded Grill Ring

Part of our NIGHTMARE collection, this ring embodies the cycle of life and death.

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Butterfly Ring

One of our best selling items. The butterfly symbolizes growth and transformation, making this ring a great reminder of all the progress you’ve made so far in life.

4.

Astrology Ring

Hard Jewelry’s most iconic piece. Gaze into the eyes on the ring and go along the path of deeper meaning.

We offer free shipping on all orders in the United States and promise a lifetime guarantee on all your jewelry.

Visit our website to order your jewelry today at www.hardjewelry.com and follow our social media pages for drop announcements and updates @hardjewelry