Sometimes a client knows exactly what they want, and we can get right down to business! When I recently worked with Pro Guitar Shop to create some merchandising logos, the direction from the client was wings, wings, and more wings! It’s the same thing I chant when I go out to dinner with Jen, so it wasn’t hard to get into the mindset. Plus, drawing lots of wings is a nice illustrator workout for designers.
Drawing inspiration from retro signage, hotrods, and vintage cars and of course guitar parts (all things the main audience would dig), I created a few winged logos for Pro Guitar Shop to use on their wares. Below are the two final logos. It's a neckless guitar...at least it has wings to get around. The Guitar Pick Grill, where guitars and cars mingle over shakes and curly fries.
Last month I had the opportunity to work with the team at Liquid on an Adidas project. MEGA is a new product line-up, and Liquid was tasked with creating a range of in-store displays to sell the new shoes. Photography, which was based on the commercial, included celebrity appearances by B.O.B and Paul Iacono. The campaign was centered around a diner theme, and I worked with the team to expand the MEGA print and in-store branding with typography, graphics and 3D ideas for the displays.
Above are a few of my contributions and digital sketches from the project (not all of it made the cut). Thanks for having me Liquid!
When friend and food blogger Jen Stevenson of Under the Table wanted to start her own writing business, she came to me asking advice about collateral. She had chosen Wordcake Communications as her business name and needed a logo, business cards and a simple website to get the business going. “I was thinking I could have a big cake, with the word Wordcake on it!” she said, giving me creative rein with a theme. I replied with a somewhat muffled “Let’s see what we can do with that…”, and got to work.
Riffing on the idea of frosting, I found this typography sample in an ornaments and borders book and transformed it into Wordcake.
BeforeAfter
The idea of a sophisticated take on a “cake on a platter” appealed to me since Jen is the epitome of a hostess with the mostess, even when she is stuffing your gullet with stinky cheeses and sweet confections. However, Jen wasn’t rolling in dough from creative writing (yet), so an economic solution was needed that would still help her stand out. I scoured the internet for an oval punch that could take the place of a diecut. Turns out, crafters have thought of almost everything, so after a bit of sleuthing I found several oval punches, perfect for the miniature platter shape that her business cards would become.
The cards were printed digitally and then hand punched by Jen in about an hour, after which she claimed she’d sprained her thumb. I told her she would have to toughen up, because once The Onion started calling and she had to churn out snarky story upon snarky story in record time, her thumb would have no reprieve.
Punch, punch.Punch, punch, punch.Many punches later.Little paper hors d'oeuvres.Wordcake Communications : Jen Stevenson : Pen for Hire
For the past six weeks I’ve been contracting on-site at Ziba, a multi-disciplinary firm here in Portland. Six weeks is as good as marriage in the freelance world, so I took full advantage of their awesome new HQ building and learning from the plethora of interesting people who work there.
We're not in Kansas anymore, Lucy.
The project I was put on was very interesting, but unfortunately mum is the word. In fact, here is a recreation of the confidentiality agreement I signed. Continue reading “Ziba: A Not-So-Sordid Exposé”→
A while back I helped James Westby, director of Film Geek and The Auteur, put together a trailer site for his new film. Check it out at www.ridofmemovie.com. (Update: looks like the site has since been revised by Bitclone).
