Cochrans / Aldi

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I saw the Aldi logo, and immediately thought of the Cochrans ski resort logo in Vermont. (I apologize for the terrible image quality, it's the best I could fine online.)

I appreciate the 'old school' nature of them both. I wish I could say what era or genre of design history that they come from or inherit their style from, but I can't. In fact, I can't tell you the history of much design at all. I probably should have paid better attention in Graphic Design History class in my BFA, and read the book(s) for that matter.

Anyway. I love the muted flat colors of both logos, as well as the flat two dimensional nature of both logos. They both make good use of geometric shapes, typography, and subtly asymmetrical layouts.

Pretty in Pink

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Here is the latest 'piece of work'.

I'm sort of on a pink kick. Pink in my blogs, in my graphics, in my email color templates, etc. I've even considered purchasing a pink dress shirt, and or tie; perhaps even a t-shirt. I'm not convinced yet that it is a good idea, we shall see.

I took some time to experiment more with some traditional methods & styles that I have seen lately online in vector artwork. I am continually trying to add layers of detail, texture, and form.

The piece is sort of at a critical mass, so I needed to end it somewhere. That 'somewhere' is here. It's a 'first stab' of sorts.

The title was inspired by my good friend J.

Enjoy.

(No tunes right now.)

Jewelry Design

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Below is a photo of my wife's and my wedding rings. (That grammar sounds so messed up ... is it? I can never figure that crap out.)

With my wedding ring, finding nothing on the market in my price range, I tried my hand as jewelry designer. I think it turned out pretty well.

Below is the sketch from my trusty Moleskine that I made of my ring as I woke up one morning. It was April 12th, 2008 to be exact. I just woke up with this idea for a ring in mind. And sure enough, 2 weeks later, I had the ring in the photo before me.

The jeweler and I went through about 7 different edits to the ring, mainly surface treatments. But I think it turned out well. There are 2 diamonds, and 1 natural ruby between them. (The same three stones in my wife's ring) The surface treatment to the right of the stones is a hammer finish with a satin finish over the hammer strikes.

Tunes: Spybreak by Propellerheads

Moleskine

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Love the Moleskine.

For those of you who do not know, it is the legendary notebook used by many famous writers & painters such as Picasso, Hemingway, and Chatwin. You can read about the history on the website.

If you have never experienced a Moleskine notebook/journal, I would highly recommend. It is a superb tactile experience.

If you are a Moleskine aficionado, then you must find out the rank of your addiction here. I am quite sure that it will help you cope. I am a level 4 addict, 'Apprentice'. (Because I embossed my name on the cover. Sweet. It was my first shot at it. I've gotten much better at it since then.)

I wanted to post a few photos of my Moleskine experience, and a sketch as well. The sketch below is the small beginnings of some of the work I posted months ago, the 'New Jerusalem'.

Check out the Moleskine website, you can get all sorts of journals, city guide journals, weekly planners, graph paper, Japanese according books, watercolor sketchbooks, etc. It's amazing. They also come in small, large, or extra large. You can pick them up at Barnes & Noble, Borders, stationary shops, and online of course.

I'm thinking about getting a pocket sized one for sketching design ideas ... enjoy.

Tunes > b.hantoot Cix-piy
Check it out, free download.

Dictaphone's Lament | Video

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I don't care. I'm gonna post two Tycho videos in a row. Yep. Even though I referenced a link to this one in the last post. I feel bad for not posting anything in so long. Hah.

Peace.

Tycho | Live

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Brokenbeat > July 2007 This is a good example of one of Tycho's live shows. He's got some pretty sweet visuals, all his own design of course. Check it out.

Also, this is a tight video made specifically for Tycho's song 'Dictaphone's Lament'. Directed by Will Jones. Check it out.

Latest Work Update

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I wish that I had more to show for my absence than this, but hey, whatever. I've got some other stuff in the works, we'll see how it goes. But for now, here are 2 new pieces. Ever since I made those last 2 city landscape vector pieces, I have been thinking about new ways to work it. J put the bug in my ear about making a 'New Jerusalem' vector-scape. (referencing Revelation chapters 21-22) The idea intrigued me. So here is the outcome. I hope you enjoy it.

I'm workin' on some other stuff, possibly reiterations of already posted work. But I am hoping to rework them with muted colors & post process them in PS. We'll see, I'll probably come up with something new anyway.

Tunes: Temper by Dabrye GhostlySwim compilation record [Free Download] There is the latest Tycho single on this album, a track off his up and coming new album, slotted for release in mid 2008. Enjoy.