Intelligent Dsign | A Design Blog

Christmas Window Display: All Things Remembered

2011-12-01T23:07:00.003-07:00

I was walking in the mall after picking something up from Neiman Marcus when I noticed a nice window display for All Things Remembered holiday. I'm not in NY or Beverly Hills, but I guess it's the next best thing. Sorry the video is sideways, if anybody knows how to rotate it let me know.

The Gift: A Vintage Take On Charity Cup's Benefit Dinner Invitations

2011-11-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

I was recently contact by Charity Cup, a non-profit organization, to make invitations and posters for their benefit dinner. Every year, they send a passionate and dedicated group of young adults to Romania to help the needy whether it's by caring for orphans, giving young girls tools to be strong and successful women, opening schools for the hearing impaired, medical missions, etc.

I've been fortunate to participate in one of Charity Cup's mission trips some years back working in an orphanage in the Republic of Moldova during the summer. So when I received their call, I of course was excited to contribute.

This project was a particular challenge because they wanted to combine two holiday themes: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thoughts immediately started swirling in my mind of how cliché and cheesy it could potentially turn out, not to mention even the possibility of blending the two together. They both have very different themes, color schemes, and symbols. I didn't want to create something that involved literal symbols such as fall leaves, or 'baby' Jesus. I needed to have both holidays equally represented.

The common element I saw was the act of giving. Thanksgiving is about being thankful for the blessing and gifts you already have, and Christmas is about giving to those who need, so I felt it appropriate to name it, "The Gift". I solved the design problem by color schemes. Thanksgiving was represented through spicy orange, warm yellow, burnt pink and a cool brown. Christmas was represented by a cool blue, lavender, gray, and evergreen. Instead of using typical holiday symbols, I chose ones that stuck with "The Gift" theme: light, love, peace, and grace. All of which God has given us as a gift, and all of which we should be thankful for.

Initial notes and concepts.

Love, AIR & Cartier

2011-11-10T23:53:00.003-07:00

French electro duo, AIR, collaborates with luxury French jeweler Cartier to launch their newest music video on Facebook. It's really a beautiful and captivating video telling the story of an artist expressing his inner desire of love through his painting. It lingers in his mind and drives him to the point where he will do anything to chase the girl he's been looking for. It's an obsession that blurs reality from fantasy. Is the woman in the painting a muse? A woman he loves? Or a representation of a deep desire?

Click here to watch.

"How far would you go for love?" - Cartier

Modern Phoenix Architectural Tour with Alison King

2011-10-09T14:54:00.004-07:00

Fall is upon us bringing cooler weather, and what better way to kick off the autumnal season than with an architectural tour with Modern Phoenix. Modern Phoenix is headed by husband and wife team Alison and Matthew King, dedicated to preserving the rich history of Phoenix's midcentury modern homes and buildings. This year, they've paired up with Phoenix Design Week instilling three amazing tours: midcentury modern homes & buildings, Frank Llyod Wright Biltmore, and studio tours.

The crowd yesterday was a mixture of architects, graphic artists, photographers, and anybody who had an appreciation for architecture. We started off in downtown Phoenix at the iconic Phoenix Financial Center, made our way through Paradise Valley, and the Sunny Slope area. Lunch was provided by The Vig, which if you haven't seen, is a popular local midcentury restaurant and tavern in Arcadia. It was my first Modern Phoenix tour, and as a lover of retro/modern design, I felt as if I were at Disneyland.

Being the smart guy that I am, didn't bring a real camera, so I opted to use my Retro Camera app for Droid (maybe not so bad?). Here are some photos I took.

Visit Modern Phoenix.

Visit the Phoenix Design Week for a full list of events.

Phoenix Financial Center

Phoenix Finiancial Center
Little known fact: the building was constructed in two phases. The first ten floors, then the top five floors. They masked the connection with a horizontal design element.

Phoenix Financial Center
Tunnels were used to bridge the different buildings together.

Alison King of Modern Pheonix and Marvin Forte of AIGA Arizona

Valley National Bank Building/Chase Bank

'Dendriform' tree shaped columns.

The bank's architect, Frank Henry, came to talk about the history of the building and design.

I disagreed with the statement above, but thoroughly enjoyed the patterns.

Pristine midcentury home in Paradise Gardens.

Midcentury modern home being revamped by 180 Degrees Inc. in Sunnyslope.

Front patio that seems to defy gravity.

Thread NY Fashion Week Invites Interview

2011-10-01T15:13:00.002-07:00

I was flattered not long ago when I was asked by one of NBC NY's fashion contributors to comment on fashion week invitations. As a graphic designer and packaging designer I was thrilled. I wanted to speak my mind about what it takes to create a successful fashion week invite, or any packaging design for that matter.

CLICK HERE to read the article. Preview below.

Dawn at Mingus Mountain: A Photographic Essay

2011-09-06T07:23:00.001-07:00

The Huffington Post & The Best of Anti-Spec Comments

2011-08-19T09:18:00.006-07:00

Amidst the flurry of controversy along with over 100 angry and sarcastic comments, The Huffington Post (HP) closes their 'design competition'. The outrage was in response to HP's offer :

"Do you know your way around Photoshop or other design programs? Have a cool idea for a logo that screams 'awesome politics coverage'? Enter it in the HuffPost Politics Icon Competition…If yours wins, your icon will be used to represent this channel all over the interwebs -- with credit to you, of course."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/01/huffington-post-politics-icon-contest_n_915374.html

The AIGA, the professional association for design, has an anti-spec position. In short, "AIGA believes that professional designers should be compensated fairly for their work and should negotiate the ownership or use rights of their intellectual and creative property through an engagement with clients"(http://www.aiga.org/position-spec-work/).

Cyber activist sites such as Antispec.com has lead exposure and initiative.

Soon after the Huffington Post was forced to make a public statement:

"UPDATE, August 15: We asked fans of HuffPost Politics to submit suggestions for social media icon designs as a fun way of enabling them to express their passion for politics -- and for HuffPost. As readers of our site know, we frequently engage our community with requests for feedback and suggestions. So while AOL Huffington Post Media Group employs an in-house team of more than 30 talented designers, we felt this would be a lighthearted way to encourage HuffPost Politics users to express another side of their talents."

Whether or not HP will go through with this disappointing, exploiting competition, one thing is for sure: designers both young and old have responded with a clear message. Here are some of my personal favorites:

BeaversDesign
AWESOME! I GET TO VOTE! LOLZ THATZ SOOO KEWL.

Here's how it plays out:
You send 5 different landscaping companies over to your house for 5 different weeks to cut your lawn, decide which one did the best job, congratulate them with a pat on the back and a handshake, and then credit them on your bi-monthly community newsletter for all their hard work on your lawn. But never paying any of those landscaping companies, including the one who "won."

melanie seibert
Spec work is the devil.

120pagemonster
Designers: Don't be a 'ho' for Huff-Po.

brianwjones
A designer runs into a high-priced attorney at a cocktail party who he had recently provided a quote to for his design services. She hands him her business card, which looks terrible, and says, "my nephew had a copy of Photoshop and made them for free! What do you think?" The designer hands the card back, smiles and says, "you get what you pay for," before turning to walk away.

#NoSpec

joeydi
Good design work takes time, research and expertise, not just a copy of Photoshop. Show some respect for your brand and the design industry in general, and do away with this childish competition.

Matt Morton
Absolutely terrible. Now a former reader of Huffington Post!

Philip Bliss
Here is my submission: http://imgur.com/Z68fy

MatthewOden
Keeping in the style of classic AOL Design Philosophy, I offer this humble submission: http://twitpic.com/66n5e0

timarmstrongdrek
AOL chief exec paid self millions in bonuses, and not a penny for a proper designer. This is a disgusting slap in the face.

jsb182
Wait! Wait, don't close it down yet. Certainly not because we graphic designers think we should be paid like anyone else. I'll enter! Here it is:
H
Did I win yet?

YRG
Sorry if I'm too late.
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i308/jag999/huffpoLogo.png

florenciard
unfortunate decision, Huffington Post. Why ask people to donate work when you are able to pay it? Do you ask cleaners to clean your offices for free? And the same goes for programmers, photographers, lawyers, accountants even cooks who make their meals, etc etc... Design is a job and designing an icon takes work and skills, HP people.

joseluis6000
I love working for successful companies for free!!!

jessicalikesyou
Here is my submission: http://twitpic.com/66o7t2

I am such a big fun of The Huffington Post that I would love to pay YOU to use this logo. Let me know where I can send a check.

Matt Morton
Here is my official submission: http://oi55.tinypic.com/nyzbec.jpg
I hope I'll win b/c I'm not a designer, and you totally grabbed my attention with this awesome contest!

Jarad Johnson
You should also consider crowd sourcing your upper management and writing positions, which are obviously in desperate need of an improvement.

pixleight
my entry to the Icon Competition: Please make sure to place my credit in #FF00FF Comic Sans or Papyrus, thx. http://twitpic.com/66kucm

Ric Grefe
AIGA, the nation’s largest and oldest professional association for design, strongly
discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted
on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project. The creative professionals that read the Post expect more from you.

This practice violates a tacit, long-standing ethical standard in the communication design profession worldwide for two reasons:

1. To assure the client receives the most appropriate and responsive
work. Successful design work results from a collaborative process between a
client and the designer with the intention of developing a clear sense of the
client’s objectives, competitive situation and needs. Speculative design
competitions or processes result in a superficial assessment of the project at
hand that is not grounded in a client’s business dynamics.

2. Requesting work for free demonstrates a lack of respect for the
designer and the design process as well as the
time of the professionals who are asked to provide it. This approach,
therefore, reflects on the integrity, practices and standards of the Huffington Post and AOL.

There are few professions where all possible candidates are asked to do the work
first, allowing the buyer to choose which one to compensate for their efforts. (Just
consider the response if you were to ask a dozen lawyers to write a brief for you,
from which you would then choose which one to pay!)

Bran's earlier comment captures the appropriate way to conduct a design competition.

drewoxide
HuffPost, I respectfully request that you reconsider holding this spec work competition. By now, you've seen in the comments plenty of great reasons for you to partner with a single designer / design firm for any and all of your communications design needs. But for good measure, I'll re-quote the best reason.

From AIGA, the professional association for design: "Requesting work for free reflects a lack of understanding and respect for the value of effective design as well as the time of the professionals who are asked to provide it. This approach, therefore, reflects on your personal practices and standards and may be harmful to the professional reputation of both you and your business."

Thank you for reconsidering.

Drew Davies
AIGA Board of Directors

Rem Koolhaas & Prada NY

2011-07-30T18:18:00.001-07:00

This past week AIGA Arizona put on it's monthly Film Series at the FilmBar in Phoenix. This month they featured Rem Koolhaas, a documentary about a revolutionary Dutch architect, theorist, and urban designer.

During the film, a scene caught my eye. It was talking about how Rem Koolhaas (OMA) designed the PRADA flagship store in New York. It caught my eye because I walked in to the store on my trip to NY with the RAD club. How cool is that!

Read about the trip here.

I remember walking in and being taken by surprise by the architecture, lighting, style...everything. It was an experience. The dramatic curves contrasted beautifully with the simplicity of the interior. I managed to snap one picture with my camera, afraid to get caught. Some retailers can be a little touchy about that.

For more information about AIGA Arizona events including the Filmseries at Filmbar, click here.

Paper Sculpture and Folding by Richard Sweeney

2011-05-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

"Hands-on material manipulation is very important to my practice; I like to be able to touch and feel a material, to see how it can shaped to realise three dimensional forms.

By exploring a process of manipulation, it is possible to find new ways of interpreting to the material to create forms that are truly sympathetic to the intrinsic properties of the medium, and make the most out of the methods by which they are shaped, whether through hand-craft, or the use of an industrial process.

Photography is an important part of my practice, both as a means to document my work, and to create compositions in their own right.

Richard is based in Westgate Studios, Wakefield, England."
-Flickr

www.richardsweeney.co.uk

Typo

2011-03-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Augmented Reality - Angels Walk Among Us

2011-03-25T18:51:00.002-07:00

In London's Victoria railway station, fallen angels walked among men. Although invisible to the naked eye, it's visible through a technology called augmented reality. People could either see it through their laptops, or through a large video screen. It was all to promote Axe's new scent, Lynx. Take a look and see some of the fun people had.

Folding Metal Bunny

2011-03-09T00:17:00.000-07:00

This is a Stanford Bunny model folded from one piece of sheet of Steel with lots of holes and perforation done with laser cutter.The pattern is designed using origamizer.

Collaboration work with Kenny Cheung, Erik Demaine, and Martin Demaine from MIT.Completed on January 1st 2011

Creative Connect & John Tuomisto-Bell Bronze Sculptures

2010-12-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

John Tuomisto-Bell & Creative Connect from robrepta on Vimeo.

TEDTalk: David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization

2010-12-17T10:18:00.002-07:00

Ralph Lauren's 4D Experience - New York

2010-11-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

The Official Ralph Lauren 4D Experience - New York from Ralph Lauren on Vimeo.
In celebration of 10 years of digital innovation, RalphLauren.com presents the ultimate fusion of art, fashion & technology in a visual feast for the 5 senses. Watch as the New York women’s flagship at 888 Madison Avenue disappears before your eyes and is then transformed into a series of objects and images rendered in 3-dimensional space.

Paris Books and Magazines

2010-11-02T23:44:00.000-07:00

Some books, magazines and nifty stuff I saw from my recent trip to Paris!

Bookstore

Busts at the Paris opera house

Gallery at La Fayette

Colour Mania

Nespresso #14 Paris Magazine

Nespresso

SURFACE: A Film from Underneath

2010-10-30T10:46:00.000-07:00

SURFACE : A film from underneath from TU+ on Vimeo.
Directed by: TU+// Varathit Uthaisri
Sound: Plum// Napat Snidvongs
DP: Jun Oshima
Production: Tong// Thitawan Chaiwong

Original Set design idea : Richi Owaki
(http://newclear.jp/?p=74)

Synopsis:

“What would the world be like from an underground perspective?”

SURFACE is an experimental film, exploring the emotional journey from an underground urban perspective. This 'urban symphony' transforms human actions and street objects into beats that harmoniously compose a grand audio and visual composition. The film emphasizes the ideas of ‘point of contact’, ‘human identity’ and notion of ‘live footprints’.

SURFACE is a part of UND-VIS, a thesis project for MFA Design and Technology, Parsons The New School for Design. UND-VIS : Under Vision Experiment; explores the new visual language of an unconventional perspective from below.

More info. + behind the scene : www.surfacefilm.com

The Teachers Were Right

2010-10-23T09:46:00.003-07:00

At Design Packaging Inc, just when I thought I didn't need math anymore.

Coming out of school you're not expecting to use math other than addition and subtraction. But the teachers were right, you need math for everything, even art. I had to do some calculations for a fragrance gift set for one of our clients and X and Y became my best friends. I needed to know how far the bottle sits in the PVC tray, how far from the bottom, how far from the top, the circumference of the bottle, the distance between the bottle and the lid, etc, etc. It was pretty intense, but when you love what you do, it makes even doing math fun.

You can follow Design Packaging Inc:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Twitter

Phoenix Design Week - Through My Camera Phone

2010-10-23T09:07:00.003-07:00

OK so it's not the new 13 megapixel camera phone, but it'll do.

What the HTML?

2010-08-19T21:47:00.001-07:00

A Graphical Explanation of HTML 5
By littlepixer on Flickr

Click to view larger

RhettandLink - From Youtube to TV

2010-06-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

They may not be as famous as Justin Bieber, but this sensational Youtube duo is one of few that have made it from internet to TV. Recently they were picked up by the McDonalds Corporation to create soemthing similar to their Tshirt War! video. Check it out:

Original T-Shirt War

McDonalds & Coke commercial

Portfolio Show at the Phoenix Art Museum

2010-06-20T22:37:00.002-07:00

It was a lot of hard work, but I finally graduated! It was so exciting to see everyone at the Art Institute ofPhoenix portfolio show that took place at the Phoenix Art Museum! We were all runningaround, getting everything finalized, staying up for 48 hours and running on athree hour catnap. It's been quite the adventure. It felt so surreal to begraduating. Looking back from when I first began up until now I can see howI’ve grown not only as a designer but as a person as well. From once being ashy kid afraid to come out of my shell, to a tenacious confident person.From once playing around in photoshop, to now taking ideas from sketches andturning them into reality through sophisticated software. From once thinkingthat my life was OK, to now knowing that it’s great.

View my website here

My mom had the chance to see me at the show, even though shehad to use a walker (she broke her ankle not long ago). But there isanother person that I wish would have made it. It is exactly one year to thismonth when my dad passed away from a massive heart attack. He would have beenso proud. Everything that has beengoing on, he would have been so proud. Being a guy that grew up on a farm andworked as a trucker, he didn’t understand design or what I did exactly. Butevery time I got good grades or received awards he would always give me a greatbig bear hug, pat my back and say congratulations. I so wish he could have beenthere to see me at portfolio, to see me win the ADDYS, become a board memberfor AIGA Arizona, to meet my amazing girlfriend. His loss is deeply felt.

I am proud to be one of the talented designers thatgraduated. I had some amazing talented people beside me. Over the past yearswe’ve been together through thick and thin. We’ve helped each other in class,traveled together to New York, and formed a bond that will carry through forthe rest of our lives. I have no doubt that some of my colleagues will exceland make me proud to know them and be their friend.

It's an exciting time to be part of the Phoenix design community. Wehave such an amazing group of leaders here that are moving Forward tonewer and better things. The passion from our design community is fuelingPhoenix to truly rise out of its ashes and shine like an inferno. You and I arewriting the future history of this great city, and I for one am very pleased totake part in it.

Thank you all for your support, encouragement, prayers, anda little butt-kicking!

Meet the new board member of AIGA Arizona

2010-05-03T21:48:00.002-07:00

Wow it's been a whole month and I haven't posted anything new since. I guess I've been keeping busy with finals for school (I'm graduating next month!), and freelance projects. More on graduation next time.

I am pleased to announce that I have been chosen as the new Membership Director for AIGA Arizona board! I'll be replacing the sweet Niki V (who is now Sponsorship Director) and will be working together with a really great team to move forward in creating a solid design community. I'm not yet familiar with all of my new team members, but I can tell that it's going to be a dynamic group of people that will take our exciting upcoming events by the horns.

Special thanks to outgoing board members Amy Lamp and Kelli Campbell for all their years of dedication, helping make AIGA Arizona what it is today.

I'll see if I can steal the group picture we took after our meeting and post it up.

If you haven't become a member of AIGA yet, shame on you! You don't know all the good stuff you're missing! I'll forgive you if you click here.

The AIGA Board

President: Jim Nissen

Vice President: Marvin Forte

Secretary: Tara Hetzer

Programs Director: Pauline Smee

Programs Chair / Prisma: Liz Magura

Interactive Director: James Archer

Education Director: Tanner Woodford

Education Chair – GCC – Michelle Bloomberge

Communications Director: Andrew Coppola

Membership Director: Rob Repta

Sponsorship Director: Niki Voyatzis

Archivist: Tanya Gagnon

PHXDC Director: Mark Dudlik

Business Outreach Director: Cathleen Mitchell

Sustainability Director: Dion Zeuss

Tucson Director: Aaron Reyes

2010 AAF METRO Phoenix ADDY Awards!

2010-03-25T23:38:00.013-07:00

Sorry this post is so late, but I’m still trying to work out some kinks with the photos from the event so I can share them with you all! I am super excited to announce to you that I have won five awards! Now when they first notified me of my winnings, they didn’t tell me what I won whether it be gold, silver or bronze. But let me just say, it was a pleasant surprise.

I, along with some of the other current and past students of the Art institute of Phoenix helped set up the event by arranging and organizing the awards, hanging up the pieces, and a lot more. Big thumbs up to all the volunteers that helped set everything up! There was a lot of organizing going down the list and checking it twice to ensure a smooth night.

Drinks and appetizers were served at the viewing room where the winning pieces were hung and placed for all to see. It gave everybody a great opportunity to mingle, schmooze, and catch up. After a while the walls were folded back to reveal the seating and stage area, high-energy music was pumped through the speakers and everybody took their seats. This year’s theme was “Can you bag the beast?”, featuring an honry Sasquatch. View opening video by Jusin Katz from Flock of Pixels below:

The night proceeded with a great list of deserving winners. It never ceases to amaze me the fresh, fun, and creative ideas some of these professionals come up with. When I first started at the Art institute of Phoenix I used to wonder if there can be an end to creativity. We’ve all heard the phrase, “it’s been done before”. I learned throughout the past years that there is no end to creativity, and when I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Milton Glaser from my trip to NY with the RAD club he only confirmed that. Every company/client is unique in their own way, and that’s what gives creatives the opportunity to flex and build their muscles.

OK so I got sidetracked, back to the story. So the student entries came last, and my stomach was in knots. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. When I saw my piece projected on the big screens with my name, I said to myself, ‘here we go!’. Getting up, walking toward the front where the spotlights were, having my colleagues hand my awards and hearing all of the professionals clap and root for me was a complete surreal experience. Imagine me, just a kid not even out of school yet getting support from award-winning agencies. It was humbling and moving. And yes, I did that five times. The awards I received were:

Gold: Khaldi Coffee Packaging [view here]
Silver: Evan Wood Hair Colour Packaging [view here]
Bronze: Photography for Altitude cologne [view here]
Bronze: Khaldi logo [view here]
Bronze: Terrazzo del Sol logo [view here]

Thank you all again for the support! I have a feeling this is only the beginning.


		Photography By Tony Blei

The Future of Publishing

2010-03-20T18:18:00.000-07:00

Khaki Films for DK Marketing.
For the interview with the maker of this video click here.

Granny's Baked Goods

2010-03-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

At the local antique store, lots of fun design and typographical stuff.

Who Copied Who?

2010-03-02T19:58:00.001-07:00

So I was sitting on my couch doing homework and watching TV, when Inoticed a couple of interesting commercials that seemed to stick out.Or more like, look alike.

The new commercials featuredGorton's Resealable bag and the Fresh Express bag. However bothcommercials had very similar concepts: representing the locked-infreshness by music escaping from the bag. Could it becoincidence? You be the judge.

Creative & Fun Typography Videos

2010-02-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Typographics from Ryan Uhrich on Vimeo.

Helvetica in HD from Nathan Monk on Vimeo.

From Shapes to Types! from irvandys on Vimeo.

Flicker from RVIZ on Vimeo.

UpperCase from Michael Hersrud on Vimeo.

Breathless 1960, Typography from Emanuel Cohen on Vimeo.

FANCY FOOTWORK TYPOGRAPHY from MAMMOTH on Vimeo.

Alexander McQueen & Brancusi

2010-02-11T12:10:00.005-07:00

Known for being one of the most avant guarde and dramatic designers in the fashion industry, Alexander McQueen was found dead today. Online sources allege the designer committed suicide in his London home, and the family is asking for privacy.

Aside from designing clothing, he was also well known for his crazy shoes that were coveted by women across the globe. Recently, one of his shoes appeared on another avant-guard artist: Lady GaGa, in her Bad Romance video.

Where am I going with all of this? Not many people know, especially the Romanian community that Alexander McQueen drew inspiration for many of his shoes from famed Romanian post-modern artist and sculptor Constantin Brancusi. The heel featured below is taken from the Bird in Space piece, which I saw at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) on my recent trip to New York. This is my little way of paying homage to two visionaries.

(Photo from TheShoeGoddess.com)

An Exciting Announcement

2010-02-08T22:03:00.001-07:00

I'm pleased and excited to announce that after submitting some items in the student categories, I have received awards for the AAF Metro Phoenix ADDY Awards. The categories awarded include:

package design
logo design
photography

There are 5 awards in total, but I don't know which received gold, silver, or bronze, so I guess it'll be a surprise.

The 25th Annual ADDY® Awards Gala will be held at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown on Saturday, March 6th, 2010. The celebration will continue at the Ad 2 Phoenix ADDY After Party. For ticket information please visit eventbrite. Now to figure out what to wear...

For more ADDY fun and info visit The Pixelated Prophet.

BONUS! Photos from the judging room, The Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale. Can you name that Sasquatch?

Photos courtesy of Ripe Creative

Wonderful Packaging from Tea Forte

2010-01-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

This delightful packaging comes from Tea Forte. I noticed them at this year's ADDY judging over at the snack table and was enthralled by them. It incorporates pallates of warm earth tones and different textures which is pleasing not only to the smell, but the eyes and touch as well.

NY Day 5

2010-01-09T19:56:00.003-07:00

Today was a more chill day, no tours. We went to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and it was amazing! We got to see the Tim Burton exhibition of his illustrations, films and sculptures. To tell you the truth I knew who he was and have seen a couple of his movies, but never realized what a brilliant artist he is. His use of balance, line form and color combinations are exceptional. Too bad we weren't allowed to take pics!

We also had the pleasure of seeing the Bauhaus exhibition and pieces by artists such as Picasso, Richard Avedon, Mondrian, Albers, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, and more. But can I just say how excited I was to see the sculptures of Romanian post-modern artist Constantin Brancusi? One of his pieces sold for 36 million dollars at a Yves Saint Laurent auction (via huffigntonpost). Really really great seeing the pieces in real life after studying 19th and 20th Century Art at school.

Too bad we have to leave tomorrow morning, I will definitely miss New York.

(above photo of interior of the Prada store in New York)

NY Day 4

2010-01-09T18:10:00.010-07:00

It snowed this morning! We heard on the news that there was a chance of snow showers friday morning, and then when I woke up, there it was! it wasn't a large amount of snow, but it covered the ground. Of course, being from Phoenix we just had to take some photos.

Our first stop of the day was the Behance Network, a free platform for the world's leading creative professionals. There, you can showcase your work, gain exposure, and advance your career. We met with Matias Corea, chief designer and co-founder of Behance. He is one of the most amazing, real, and smartes guys ever. He is very passionate about design, and takes it very serious. We sat around a table discussing a matter of different subjects. He was very interested in our personal passion and dream for the future. He gave very blunt but constructive responses. He encouraged us to surround ourselves with people that is passionate about design as we are. He taught us that we need to value ourselves, and our talent. We are so ever grateful and thankful for our time with him. (Matias if you're reading this you need to come to Phoenix!)

Our other stop later that evening was the Ogilvy agency. They took us on a more architectural tour of the building. It was very clean and modern, and they even had a painting painted in blood. I didn't take a picture of that. They were very cordial, and we thanked them for taking the time to show us around.

Chris and Amy had an appointment to see Matthew Waldman, owner of Nooka watches, a brand of watches that are modern and contemporary.

at Ogilvy...

NY Day 3

2010-01-08T16:35:00.001-07:00

This morning wasn't quite as eventful as the others, but it was still nice since we got to go in another part of the town for sight seeing. Since there was a last minute confirmation from one of our potential locations, we split the group: Chris, Amy, and Adrian went to Brooklyn to visit Swiss Miss, while Marc, Jessica, and i went to see CBS studios.

Tina Roth Eisenburg from Swiss Miss ("Swiss designer gone NYC") runs a design blog, and took a few moments to talk to Chris, Amy and Adrian. it was a rewarding experience from them talking to Tina. They got some insider info and made new connections. CBS however took Marc, Jessica and I on a little tour of their studio here in New York. We got to walk the hallways where the dressing rooms were located, see the props used in TV shows and saw where all the staging was designed and made. We even got to see the main news room!

From there we took a walk down to Central Park, and on the way got stopped by a CNN lady (not sure what her title was, but she had a microphone and a cameraman with her). Well, she was more interested in Jessica. She showed us a picture of a gentleman wearing a suit, tie and sunglass. She asked Jessica if she thought the man was attractive. She said that she thought he looked a little nerdy/sexy, and said he looked intelligent, hard-working and loyal. Little did we know that the photograph was of White House Budget Director Peter Orszag who is in a love scandal. According to the New York Post, Orszag sent off heiress Claire Milonas to give birth to his baby while back here in NY he got engaged to Bianna Golodrya from ABC news. If you guys see us on CNN let us know!

Later on that afternoon we had the honor and pleasure of meeting with JWT, an international advertising agency that has woked with clients such as: Jet Blue, Microsoft, Cadbury, Ford, Nike, Johnson&Johnson, DeBeers Diamonds, and more. The JWT agency was an entire world in it's own. They had multiple floors fully equipped with office spaces, meeting areas, game room, showers, and even their own bar lounge. The interior had a fun contemporary style to it with white walls, wood paneling and brightly colored floors and walls.

Lindsey Barnes, the human resources coordinator for JWT brought us in to one of their conference rooms on their pink floor (yes, the carpeting and some walls were a bright pink). We sat down around a large conference table where we were provided folders with information about the company and business cards. Carlos Fernandez, the Senior Art Director, along with Paul Fix who is a copywriter at JWT showed us some of their work, including pitches for clients. We met Carl again from the AdColor Awards in Scottsdale. We had a great Q&A afterwards. They were all friendly and eager to answer any of our questions. Paul Fix made an interesting statement saying that most people have the impression that these big agency people are jerks, but that the opposite is true. The higher the position, the nicer the person tends to be. They also predict that creatives will run the future of advertising, so we as students are in a pretty good spot right now, coming in to a work force when the economy is expected to pick up. One of the key things they made sure to stress was "don't burn your bridges." The best policy is to be nice and respectful. We also talked about having "360" items in our portfolios, meaning to show all the ways a product of service can be advertised successfully. Include only and only the good stuff in portfolios, and do it because its right and it works. They recognized the competitiveness of the market, but to keep pushing forward, work hard, be strategy-driven, and find a mentor.

After we had our meeting and tour of the company (which was described by a couple of the rad's as 'Disneyland' and 'Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory'), we all met at the lounge for drinks and to hang out with them and other employees. It was a more of a casual thing where Amy, Jessica, Carl and Lindsey played ping-pong, while the rest of us were sitting on the couch nearby chatting it up with Paul, Carlos and Danny (another copywriter). We talked about anything from work, to play, to family life, and future aspirations. There are no words to describe how thankful we are, and how awe-inspired we have become. The people at JWT are amazing.

JWT Fun Facts:

in 1939, JWT created the first television commercial
in it's 125+ years, J. Walter Thompson has sold more goods and services in more languages than any other single ad agency
JWT invented Kellogg's "Snap, crackle and pop"
in 1909, JWT hired Helen Lansdowne, who would become the first female creative director in the business
in 1957, JWT created the first color television commercial
in 196, JWT London established the first account-planning department in any agency

NY Day 2

2010-01-07T19:18:00.002-07:00

Wow what a day, we woke up and started off the day with some Starbucks coffee, a grande bold-blend. Our first stop was RJ Collective, an advertising agency that has worked with clients such as: Armani Exchange, Pepsi, Heineken, Toyota, W Hotels, and more. The place was transformed from an apartment area to a clean and contemporary working environment. Everybody was very nice and pleasant, and were interested in meeting with us. Matt, the creative director spoke to us a little about the company, and then handed it over to Jack who we talked to more extensively. They are a fairly young company, about 2 years, that started in Matt's old apartment. They pointed out that some companies enjoy working with small-mid level agencies because its more intimate and politics aren't as strong compared to a very large agency. We also spoke to the lead designer named Rob, who has worked there for a long time. He loves it there.

From there we walked around NY and stopped by Madison Square Garden. Inside they had images of all the legends that have performed there. i noticed a banner of Nadia Comaneci, and had to snap a picture. Jessica and Adrian went to the top of the Empire state building while Amy, Chris, and Marc went to Starbucks. I however went to the FOSSiL store and gave in to the urge to buy a watch. I should never be left alone in there. If I could I would buy just about everything there. We also stopped by the New York Public Library and snapped some photos.

After a few moments of rest back at our apartment, we left to meet the legendary Milton Glaser. His studio wasn't far from our place so we walked there. The building stood tall, and at the entrance was a sign that read "Milton Glaser 207 E 32." Scarlet, Milton's sweet and quirky secretary buzzed us up to his studio office. We sat in a private room around the table waiting for him. We were all giddy with excitement. "He's coming!" I whispered to the others.

Milton Glaser sat down at our table, folded his hands, smiled, and asked "So what are you guys worried about?" We had talked nearly an hour on a matter of different topics: what mistakes students make these days, design and modern technology, what being a designer means, and more. The wisdom he spoke was truly inspiring and thought-provoking. His thinking has changed in the recent years. Before there was a specific process to design. Now, you start developing your concept by just "letting the work lead you." In the end, the human mind has a way of unifying things ans making them come together.

Milton Quotes:

"Keep it joyful."
"There is no end to the nature of all you can discover."
"...let the work lead you."

He is currently working on some food packaging for Fairway Market products, and putting a book together of all his posters.

NY Day 1

2010-01-06T00:10:00.000-07:00

Wow what a day. We had a long, but safe flight to New York with excitement and butterflies in our stomachs. It was a treat for Adrian since it was his first time flying, but he was a champ and didn't act a bit nervous. New York wasn't as freezing cold like everybody initially thought. Don't get me wrong, it's cold, but bearable. We took a bus ride to our hotel and explored our room, and let me say, it's pretty sweet. 2 bed, 2 bath, living room, dining room, and kitchen...oh yeah.

We took a walk through New York taking in the sights and sounds of the big city. Phoenix just can't compare. We strolled down to Times Square and was overtaken by the sheer monstrosity of it all, it was wonderful. It was great seeing all the big signs and blinking lights, but I really enjoyed seeing the different methods that companies advertise their brands, from LED lights, to projection mapping, to huge billboards. Being surrounded but all of it was just amazing and inspiring to think out of the box of just the ordinary.

We also had our first (at least for most of us) subway experience. I don't know if it was because it was the afternoon, but it wasn't as crowded or hectic as you see in movies. As in matter of fact, a lot of New York really isn't like movies portray big cities. People here are pretty nice and willing to help. The subway didn't look as old, and the riders didn't care that we were being silly and taking pictures.

And that's all in half a day's time! Tomorrow adventure? Milton Glaser and RJ Collective!

I heart NY!

Sleepthief's New Christmas Track

2009-12-24T11:57:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite artist, Sleepthief, just came out with a new song called Veni Redemptor, Solamen Gentium, and he's offering it free for download for a limited time! An original piece, all in latin, features Jana Thompson (which by the way has an amazing operatic voice), is truly one of the most beautiful Christmas songs I've ever heard. The blend of solemn vocals is very peaceful and uplifting. Click on the image below to get your free copy today!

NY Here We Come

2009-12-18T12:36:00.005-07:00

Between January 5th through the 10th we'll (rAD club) be staring off the new year in New York! As previously posted, we'll have the honor and pleasure of meeting with some of the leading advertising and design visionaries. I thought I would post just some of the people and places we'll be rubbing elbows with. Make sure to check back soon as I'll keep a daily log of our week-long adventure!

radclubny.com

Do schools kill creativity?

2009-12-16T16:28:00.001-07:00

A very interesting conversation by Sir Ken Robinson at TED back in 2006.

Fossil Tin Boxes - the cities

2009-12-12T09:55:00.004-07:00

If you know me then you know I'm a Fossil fanatic. They have successfully blended the modern and the vintage together beautifully without making it look cliche, too old, or too new. They're still a fairly new company that have only been around for approximately 25 years, but they are making a big mark not only in the U.S. but globally as well.
When you purchase a watch, it comes with a special tin box that have quickly become collectible. They frequently change the designs, always coming up with one brilliant design after the other. Recently they featured top metropolitan cities such as London, New York, Berlin, Hong Kong, and if I'm not mistaken Paris. Unfortunately I could only get my hands on these 3 cities. If anyone knows where I can find the other cities let me know!
Fossil Website

Eyvind Earle - Winter and Christmas illustrations

2009-12-04T18:54:00.004-07:00

The first time I saw the work of legendary artist Eyvind Earle was when I was visiting Roswell Book Binding some months ago. They were working on The Complete Christmas Card Art of Eyvind Earle, a publication that was quite large, and full of beautiful color images of his holiday illustrations and famous Christmas cards. I was captivated by his style that is reminiscent of the art deco era.
If you haven't heard of him, you for sure have seen some of his work. He as worked for the Walt Disney Studios as an illustrator for productions such as Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and more. He also painted the diorama for Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland in Southern California.
www.eyvindearle.com

Some nice typography at Beverly Hills

2009-11-26T22:04:00.002-07:00

So while me and some family were walking off our Thanksgiving dinner, I came across this banner. I think the typography on this piece is pretty.

RAD Club goes to New York!

2009-11-26T17:25:00.004-07:00

This all started with an idea that seemed impossible, but then we asked...why not?
radclubny.com

We are honored, humbled, and beyond excited to be flying to New York! We'll be staying at a hotel near Madison Avenue to visit some of the greatest advertising and design agencies. We'll also be meeting the man himself, Milton Glaser. Yeah. Stay tuned for more details!

IKEA & Facebook: A different way of using social media

2009-11-20T22:34:00.003-07:00

Lets face it. When it comes to advertising on social networking sites such as Facebook, it's not uncommon to see cheap banner ads, requests to 'become a fan', or to add a 'page' created by some company. The problem comes when people aren't that interested in becomming a fan because they ask themsleves, "Is it worth it? What's in it for me?" Sooner or later he/she will more than likely end up hiding the updates.
So how did IKEA solve this problem? How did they get people to personally promote their company without even realizing it? Check out the video below. It's pretty brilliant.

Phoenix Design Week 2009

2009-11-14T21:57:00.004-07:00

Recently I attended the first ever Phoenix Design Week. A movement that brought together creatives ranging from student to professional. There were exhibits, mingling, conferences, and of course the after party at the Clarendon Hotel. It was a great turnout and a big success considering it's the first design week for Phoenix.

I attended the student poster contest at the Kitchen Sink Studio downtown. It was great to see what fellow students were submitting, their personal style, and the message each poster presented (supporting a cause or organization). Some were really interesting, while some I felt lacked the connection between the message and the imagery/type solutions used. Oh well, at least there were cupcakes and wine.

I also attended the exhibitions at the Santy Agency. They featured logos rejected by clients, illustrations by Daniel Davis from Steamcrow, posters submitted by designers around the valley promoting PHXDW, and much more. They also had an apple pie that was amazing, I thought I should throw that in there. I bumped in to Susannah Fields and Mark Anthony Munoz from Ripe Creative, who are just some of the greatest down-to-earth people I know (which by the way are working hard on putting together next year's ADDY Awards). It was great hanging out, meeting new people, and seeing familiar faces.

Friday was a big night, Typophile made it's debut. It was a full house down in Tempe. It was the biggest congregation of design nerds like me. Only we would watch short films on typography and enjoy it. Some made us laugh, some left us in awe, some made us think, and some made us scratch our heads. But, all in all it was a great film festival!

Typophile Film Festival 5 Opening Titles from Brent Barson on Vimeo.

I also had the honor of hearing Debbie Millman, head of the American Institue of Graphic Artists (AIGA) and President of the Design division at Sterling Brands, speak at ASU. She shared the top things she wish she knew when starting out. Needless to say, it was one of the most intriguing, eye-opening, and inspiring "lectures" I have heard. After her presentation, I shamelessly sneaked down and shook her hand.

The Saturday conference was an exciting and busy day. I attended a number of lectures including: Web Anatomy: Introducing Interaction Design Frameworks by Robert Hoekman, Talk to Your Client Like Your Mom by Russ Perry, and Design Solutions for the Fluid Web by Stephanie Sullivan. I was very impressed with the speakers, all were very down-to-earth, informative, and humorous. It was a breadth of knowledge and experience that was different compared to school courses. I always enjoy hearing stories, and learn from them. I think going to events like these, and talking to all sorts of people in the industry really puts one ahead of the game. I can't help but raise my eyebrows at some of my fellow colleagues that go to school, but don't attend events or network with others in the industry. Makes me wonder who really wants this and who doesn't.

Enough of my ranting. The after-party at the rooftop of the Clarendon was awesome. The weather was perfect, the music great, and the food delicious. I got to hang out with some great people, hand out a couple of business cards, and watch an arm-wrestling match by a couple of gents that may have had too much to drink. Design week was amazing overall (although I felt politics should have been kept out of panel discussion).

Big thanks to Arizona AIGA and Mark Dudlik, amongst a myriad of other determined industry professionals and students who helped put it all together. PHXDW 2010!

PHXDW Flickr Page

AdColor Awards 2009

2009-11-10T21:55:00.007-07:00

I recently had the honor of attending the AdColor Awards show at the Arizona Bilmore Resort & Spa. Amy Spitzer, Marc Patlan, Adrian Moreno and I, who are part of the rAD Club at the Art Institute of Phoenix were invited to sit at one of the tables at the ceremony. It was an experience I could never forget. There we were, graphic design rookies in a room full of well-respected, high-profile professional advertising agencies. We were excited, humbled, and inspired.

CNN's Soledad O'brien hosted the evening event, accompanied by industry leaders such as The One Club, Google, and the Omnicom Group. The awards were handed out to leaders in the community to "celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding diverse advertising, marketing, media and PR professionals of color." The highest honor, the All Star Award, was presented to Cristina Saralegui, from The Cristina Shot, Univision.

The evening continued on at the after-party, mingling and meeting some really great people. Special thanks to the good people at JWT in New York for inviting us.

Life Magazine Online

Photos from ADCOLOR on Flikr