I got a job!!!!

I got a job at an ad agency. I will let you know how it goes!

Time to speak

The vote is coming. A great way to speak out on issues that are getting under your skin is to use your first amendment afforded to you by your constitution. You remember what that is right?

Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Listen, I voted for Bush in 2001 and now I need to rectify my actions. I was wrong.

If you like check out my shop
for this artwork on clothing to make a statement yourself. Don't stay silent!

New Blog Design

Hey Blue Bikers! I had some to to redesign and wanted to know what you thought. Be cruel you know I can handle it. Especially you CVH!

New tee shirt

Here is the new tee I did for Sweet Japonic, a local band here in Grand Rapids, MI. Their music seductively mixes old funk,jazz, and blues with modern elements and lyrics that inspired this concept of a female figure mask with modern type and old amp equipment. Thoughts?

Well here we go…

I have an interview tomorrow at 8:30am. Here goes nothing, as they say…

Personal Identity Revision

Here is the revision. I find it works better because it is more simplified. I also like it better because it is more geometric. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks again.

Niagra Challenge

So I challenged you all to come up a collage for the picturess I posted. Here is mine now that I have more time to do what nobody else seems to want to do. Hope you like it.

New personal logo

A start. I need some feedback. Hit me people, hit me!

So I got layed off and bought a new Mac? So!?

Yes its true my friends, I got pink slipped my friends one week ago. So I did what any good designer would do; turn around and by a new 24" imac and loaded it up with new software. Silly you say? Maybe, but hey I need to get an updated résumé out there and I ain't going to do it on my 400 Mhz 2001 laptop!

Here is me installing software:

Just Kidding… Seriously though I need your help. I need some input on projects. Keep your eye out there is more to come very soon.

I call this one "ode to Adam Sandler":



And the ever famous three-eyed, two-mouthed man:

No time to write/post

I wish I could show you some work but there is no time for the rushed.

Vacation

So it seems I've traveled not much of anywhere in my life. For some design inspiration this is needed. So here you see me in Niagara Falls, Canada smoking a cuban in front of a wax museum dedicated to famous criminals. Yeah I had to do it. I mean, when will there be a photo-op like that again?

Speaking of photo-ops the following are some contrasts of the natural beauty and the unnatural junk that surrounds Niagara. My wife is working on a collage art piece displaying the contrast between the two. Feel free to take these pics and do something up yourself:

Freedom of Speech

As the very few of you who read this blog know I took down a post last week that pointed out questionable graphic design/computer practices. The fact is I heard some feedback and there was concern for what was posted, that it would come back to haunt me. I took it down because I really didn't think the post was worth any tension.

BUT… this does bring up a much larger issue which my Dad and my Grandfather went to face wars (Vietnam & WWII) for; our freedoms of speech granted to us by our U.S. constitution. We are truly blessed to live in a nation such as this—but we must never leave the vigil of guarding these rights. Certain organizations/people may think they have the right to silence their own fellow citizens in this country, but they are dead wrong.

As designers/visual communicators and as U.S. citizens this issue is so very important, especially in this booming information age. Imagine having this information controlled/filtered by the elite few. You may think that the media already does this filtering, which may be true, but there are many increasing ways to get information through alternative news/information/viewpoint sources such as (in a smaller extent) this blog. These venues must be bolstered with our support as citizens to send a clear message that the common citizen ideals, thoughts and ideas still makes a profound difference in this country.

Wikipedia explains freedom of speech as this:

Freedom of speech is the concept of the inherent human right to voice one's opinion publicly without fear of censorship or punishment. The right is preserved in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is granted formal recognition by the laws of most nations. Nonetheless the degree to which the right is upheld in practice varies greatly from one nation to another. In many nations, particularly those with relatively authoritarian forms of government, overt government censorship is enforced…

Freedom of speech is still on of the many things that makes this country great. Lets all do our part to keep it that way.

Screened Bitmaps with Gradients

I seem to be drawn to work with bitmaps with a slight gradient or color variation in the background. I'm feeling that it may be going back to the 80's or early 90's but people/clients seem to like it. Below is an web ad/banner I am doing for my company (an adoption agency). Should I continue using this technique (I don't mean all the time) or is it cliché?







Detail:



















What do you think?

Having Fun with the Forcast

Okay so it is like mid-April here in Michigan. So it snows 8 hours then it rains 8 hours then it snows again. It was 70º one day a few weeks ago, then the next day 35º. Literally the state is so confused with the weather. So what should we do? Laugh about it.


Here is a illustration of our weather (of biblical proportions) done by Chris a fellow Graphic Designer at my wife's work. It really captures a Michigan's resident's feelings of this type of freakish season we are experiencing here. If Michigan was a designer it would be the most inconsistent designer of all time.

Snow

I'm starting to hate snow. Again, just thought I'd share.

Tuesdays

I hate Tuesdays. Just thought I'd share.

To freelance, or not?

So I've come to an interesting point in my life—stressful really. I need to be creative, this is how God created me an artist through and through. I also need to provide a living.

While I've always loved the thought of freelancing; the creative freedom, setting your own hours, feeling like your work is really your own, etc… I've always have been afraid of the loss of dependable, residual income. In some ways I currently feel like a sell-out chicken, or a "life-er" if you will. I feel like I'm not being true to my calling of creativity and that my talents are being stunted. In other ways I feel like a responsible adult who is building work credibility in a real job environment. So I'm stuck in deliberation with creativity and responsibility

What are your thoughts on this?

Fun at Game night

Colleen and I belong to a boardgame club and we posed for a picture that looks like a game called Kill Docter Lucky. I'm starting to think about designing a game myself—could be fun. What do you think?

New Logo/graphic

Just been working on a new logo for my friends group.

His site is: www.boardgames.meetup.com/349/

Deceptive Wages and Quixtar

Any of you that know me know that I am thoroughly against a subsidiary company of Amway/Altecor called Quixtar. I could write all day about what is wrong with this company but I will just shorten it to the basics.

Quixtar is an online store which supposedly uses its only promotion/marketing in the form of word of mouth or personal relationships. Not the open market. When approached by one of their Independent Business Owners (IBOs) they are trying to get you to become one of them. At first people would introduce their link to Quixtar, but now they've graduated to using strange business group names that have international flair. The IBOs "market" has been saturated with the name Quixtar which in turn has created a bad name for Quixtar.

What does this have to do with design? Everything.

Quixtar IBO's have to operate under a "low radar" with their "groups" so first off they pay for low rate materials even though they are associated with a multi-billion dollar company. So bad/cheap design is prevalent. Moreover staying out of the open marketplace prevents hi end design projects to convey the value of the product. And above all that the product design can be really nothing because the consumer (the IBOs) is "forced" to by what they offer. So no product innovation (why would you?)

So the next time you are approached in a store (reliable marketplace) by a person being too friendly who invites to tell you about their "company/group" yell out SOLICITOR! and see what happens.

"The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward."
Proverbs 11:18 (NIV)