Adios LA

From the "I love this or hate it" file: John Jackson is moving to New York to take a CD position at HUGE/NY and is marking the occasion by leasing out 5 billboards throughout Los Angeles graphically advertising the breakup. The boards are beautifully designed and an attention getter which I'm sure will gain him some (positive/negative?) attention on both coasts. Check it out here .

The Influencers

Influencers - How Trends and Creativity Become Contagious is a nice little film exploring the art of influencing society and taking a concept from a small kernel of passion and exposing it to the world. Beautifully crafted the 13 minute online docu is a Poloraid snapshot, and shows New York creatives talking about those who are shaping todays pop culture. Inspiring. You can see it in it's entirety here.

Gabriel Moreno

Just a quick post regarding some beautiful work by Gabriel Moreno. An Illustrator, engraver and painter based in Madrid. His work is glorious and definitely worth a look here.

Projeqt: A Creative Storytelling Platform

Responding to the creative, advertising and marketing community mantra to tell better and more engaging stories, TBWA has launched Projeqt , a “creative storytelling platform.” Projeqt provides users (currently only TBWA employees) with a multi-media and social media-driven vehicle in which to capture and tell their complete story. The site was built in HTML5 and is device-agnostic, allowing for mobile phone access.

While Projeqt is currently available primarily to TBWA employees, the wider creative community can sign up for a beta account. Beyond being an interesting Content Management System (CMS) – it also powers the relaunched TBWA Worldwide website. Projeqt is also a step towards helping the advertising and marketing world better tell their own stories to the industry by showcasing not only the imprint it has made on behalf of its brands across the web (and off), but the creative talent that resides in their offices – whom are capable of creating their own stories. Projeqt aims to provide the technology and tools by which to more seamlessly do that.

One of the projects posted on Projeqt is called "Love Letters from New Orleans" which was created by one of my favorite designers here in Los Angeles, Nessim Higson. He is a master of typography, his work is beautifully designed and always carries with it a proprietary illustrative quality. Pack a lunch and hold your calls as there is a plethora of great work to admire here .

F Bomber

Recently, I have been working on a wine label design for a hot, fresh Napa Valley wine group (headed up by wine genius, James Harder) called The Dirty Pure Project. The idea was to create a wine so ridiculously good that the drinker of the wine would be dropping F Bombs (Tourette syndrome?) all over the place declaring what a truly delicious find it was. The very talented and great illustrator of our time, Tavis Coburn brought to life the idea and this is the result. An intoxicating image to shake up the wine crowd and spark a heady conversation regarding the product.

Typography Great Wins

Exciting news for all type-geeks everywhere! Today, typography legend Matthew Carter won a $500k Genius Grant. The MacArthur Foundation honors a graphic design legend, who created Verdana, Georgia, and dozens of other fonts we have used many times over the years. “Matthew Carter is a master type designer who crafts letterforms of unequaled elegance and precision for a seemingly limitless range of applications and media,” the MacArthur Foundation’s Web site says. “Throughout his career, which spans the migration of text from the printed page to the computer screen, he has pursued typographic solutions for the rapidly changing landscape of text-based communications.” A true craftsman and founder of Bitstream (a powerhouse type foundry), the 72 year old has been a prolific designer unassumingly crafting hundreds of faces that succeed precisely because you don't notice them. From early projects like AT&T's Bell Centennial typeface, to more recent work adapting to digital media with screen-friendly typefaces like Verdana and Georgia, his style is characterized by simplicity and readability. He has produced type for a raft of publications. Among them: Time, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Wired, and Newsweek. The New York Times’s headline typefaces were designed by Carter. "Matthew Carter is often described as the most widely read man in the world," the New Yorker wrote in a 2005 profile

Miller High Life, Tasty!

Earlier this year, Miller High Life introduced a whole new look for all of its packaging and graphics designed by the San Francisco office of Landor, with illustration assistance by Chris Mitchell.

First brewed in the mid nineteenth century by Frederick Miller in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Miller High Life is one of most well known American beer brands and (coming from the midwest) I have a long standing relationship with the product and am quite a fan. I really love what Landor has done as far as updating the entire product offering as well as all visual touch points. Everything has been handled quite nicely from the revised logo to the packaging and illustrated Miller "Moon Girl". This is one of those dream projects and you can tell whoever had an opportunity to work on it really enjoyed the process.

Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity

At Arizona State, I had an instructor named Rob Roy Kelly who was heavily influenced by many of his instructors at Yale, one of whom was Joseph Albers who was an instructor at the Dessau Bauhaus campus. It was evident that Rob carried with him that connection and it made a deep impression on me early on, though it took years for me to fully understand that impact.

Hello Design (a fantastic interactive agency here in LA) has created a beautiful site for MOMA - Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity, highlighting over 400 works by some 100 teachers and students of the Baushaus that reflect the extraordinary broad range of the school's output. Additionally, it gives a historical overview of the school, it's workshop and faculty.

Bauhaus 1919-1933: Workshops for Modernity is on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York from November 8, 2009 through January 25, 2010. It will not travel so catch in person if you can.

David Carson on Ted

Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that David Carson has created a body of work that has effected a generation of designers and made it look fun in the process. Here is a great video of David at the 2003 Ted Conference explaining his process and insights regarding typography in the world and his views on it's impact. Definitely an engaging speaker with a great sense of humor.

Vania Zouravliov

So, I've discovered yet another genius creator of well drawn images. Vania Zouravliov, a Russian who is a master draftsman, is able to conjure up illustrations that are haunting and beautiful with exquisite detail. His work is rife with hidden meaning and symbolism and the longer one stares at the piece, the more is revealed.

Once again I find myself tempted to take a rock and tie it around my sketchbook and throw it into the ocean out of pure jealousy...

Communication Arts

Very excited to announce that Communication Arts recently selected my label design for Ex Nihilo Vineyards to be included in the packaging section of the upcoming 2010 Design Annual. Ex Nihilo is actually Latin for "creation out of nothing" so, I chose a typographical solve to best communicate the term. Photo credit goes to Trevor Pearson.

Iron Fist

Hey! I'm back! Yes, after a long break (work coma...). Not that anyone actually reads this, but if you are - I am ready to post some more work and expound on the various theories and ideas that I've collected lo these many years.

So, let's start with an easy one. Iron Fist Clothing needed an identity and the only requirement is that you can't use imagery of iron or a fist, or a fist made of iron, or iron with a fist imprint, or anything remotely resembling a scull. Here are a couple of logo treatments that have been happily rejected by my heavily tattooed and pierced clients from down south in SD. Cheers!

Pure Bar Sweetness

Currently at a photo shoot for Pure Bar, a brand that I was asked to reinvent top to bottom. From the logo, packaging, shippers and marketing materials. In 3 months, the whole thing came together pretty tight and they are now in production. Special thanks to Mr. Adam Graves for making it all happen. Check em out on a Whole Foods shelf near you!

David Choe opened his first show in Los Angeles in six years last week, on Friday, April 24th. The show title, Nothing to Declare, is appropriate as David Choe leaves everything he has experienced as an artist culminated into the canvases, water colors and inflatable sculptures on the proverbial table. The show is impressive it is to catch a glimpse of this exhibit. The show is at Lazarides, a pop-up gallery on Beverly Drive which was formerly an Anthropologie store. The curator of the show, Lazarides himself, is the proprietor of Lazarides Gallery in London, best known for showing and being closely tied to Banksy — which puts Choe in some rarefied company. Drop in and check it.

Mike's Giant Bike

Street artist Mike Giant has teamed up with Cannondale to create the Cannondale X Mike Giant Graffiti Bike, a one-off cycle to be auctioned for The Bahati Foundation. Their Giveback program works to inspire cycling in youth. A tasty ride that would look nice in my garage. Pick it up on eBay for a slick $30,000 and help kids learn to love biking.

Are you DEVO?

It's been 20 years since DEVO released their last album and they are ready to drop another one. Deviating from the norm, DEVO, is enlisting the help of their fans to cull through 16 tracks and curate the list down to 12. Tracks of the new album can be found online and interested parties can go to their Song Study website and listen to 30 second versions of the tracks and vote. A great band back in the day and always experimental in their music as well as their relationship to the audience. DEVO, Proves that innovation never goes out of style. Glad to see them still rockin' it hard after all these years.

I LOVE DUST!

Nike chase from ilovedust on Vimeo.

One of my favorite UK design firms, I LOVE DUST, teamed up with AKQA/SF and created this fantastic 1:20 second animation for Nike's Sister One. Illustration, design, typography, product design - it's all there in one beautiful package named "I Love Dust" and yes, it's true, I do love these dusty fellows...

Go Puma Go!

In an effort of reduce it's carbon footprint, Puma has enlisted the aid of designer Yves Behar and his team at FuseProject to create an alternative to the age old cardboard shoebox. After 21 months, 41 prototypes and 2000 ideas, Puma has unveiled it's "Clever Little Bag" shoebag concept. This is in complete alignment with the companies progressive chief exec Jochen Zeitz's maverick attitude and a great example of a big company stepping up to make a positive change for the better.

Sweet Spot

One of the things that is most enjoyable about working in design/advertising is the opportunity to see some pretty amazing spaces where people work day and night to produce great work. A work space that is well design and considered is important to the creative spirit of the agency and a constant reminder that the company cares enough to communicate it's ethos through it's choice of materials and aesthetics. Here some "nice examples" of agencies from around the world that execute this brilliantly.

James Roper

Spotted this amazing image on the interwebs recently and I really love this artists work. His name is James Roper and his paintings are beautiful depictions of Heaven? Hell? or maybe some other galaxy giving birth to a new star. I'd love to talk to him about it only I think he's locate in the UK. Check him out at http://www.jroper.co.uk/

Beautiful LA

It's no secret that Los Angeles is a challenging place to live with regards to our eclectic and disjointed topography. One of the common complaints here in Los Angeles is the heinous and offensive use of the ugly outdoor billboard. It invades our skylines and byways with traditional billboards as well as the digital glowing billboard (a giant flat screen...) that changes ads every 30 seconds. As of this week, a new program by the MAK Center called "How Many Billboards?" has commissioned 21 contemporary artists to create art instead of ads. Now as motorists navigate through the interior of LA, they'll be exposed to artists such as: Kenneth Anger, David Lamelas, Kerry Tribe, Yvonne Rainer and a host of others all using the almighty billboard as a canvas from now till the end of March. I love this idea and would like to see more of this happening in our public spaces.

Refresh Everything

Every January people gather around the TV to watch the Super Bowl as two teams battle it out to see who will rein victorious. In addition to some (hopefully) great football, many people are also interested in seeing what TV advertisers have created for the coveted 4 hour time period. To advertise during the game, it costs 2.5 million dollars for a 30 second spot. Invariably during the game - there is always someone in the room that states "Wow! That's a ton of cash!! What if someone actually did something good with all that money?"

Well this year someone actually did. Instead of running a Super Bowl ad, Pepsi has decided to donate from $5k to $250,000k to projects that will make a positive impact on their communities. People wanting to make a positive change can drop into Pepsi's Refresh Everything Facebook (social networking!) page and vote on their favorite causes. This move by Pepsi has been closely watched by the Advertising community at large and whether or not it's successful will be a difficult thing to determine. Will is sell more soda? Will it finally climb proudly above Coca Cola and become the dominant brand because of it's intent to do good? Only time will tell, but in the meantime - how great is it that someone actually did something good with all that money...? Go ahead and Refresh!

Champagne Valentine

The first time I ever saw a David Lynch movie, drank my first beer, listened to The Pixies Doolittle CD, touched an iPod, looked at a painting by Chaime Soutine, mushrooms, etc... These were all very "first time" experiences and today was another one of those experiences.

I've been to the site several times now and I'm still not quite sure what I am looking at or how they created the work in the first place. Champagne Valentine is a digital agency out of Amsterdam and is led by Anita Fontaine and Geoff Lillemon, interactive directors originally hailing from Australia and the US respectively. They have blurred the lines between commerce and art quite nicely and to say the work is "other worldy" is an understatement. Champagne Valentine specialize in expanding/twisting the digital terrain by combining facets of interactive new media, motion and gaming into compelling and technologically advanced works for a diverse group of clients such as Diesel, vh1, T-Mobile, Scion XB, Comedy Central and (RED).

Bestor Architecture

Currently keeping me busy is a ongoing branding project for a chain of Los Angeles based artisan pizza parlors, Pitfire Pizza. As we entered the architectural phase of the project, I was able to encourage the partners to use Barbara Bestor of Bestor Architecture. Bestor, the chair of graduate studies at Woodbury University School of Architecture, has a formidable reputation in Southern California for her loose and eclectic style and has a fantastic book out chronicling her projects called Bohemian Modernism, Living in Silver Lake.

As the Pitfire Pizza, Culver City build-out comes to an end, it's really exciting to see how it turned out and how well Barbara and her team interpreted the brand's tone and voice and brought it to life. Increasingly, brands are looking to their creative partners to help deliver an immersive and memorable experience that separates them from the competition at eye level with the consumer. Starbucks, Nike, Apple are all up there in the front and executing a holistic brand experience from the second you walk into the establishment to the moment you get back to the car with whatever that brand is selling. Barbara's vision for PP, is really going to assist Pitfire in being a fantastic eatery here in Los Angeles and elsewhere. You can see more of Barbara's work in the current issue of Dwell, as she created a surfer's paradise in Venice, California for TBWA/Chiat Day's MAL creative director Eric Grunbaum.

Credit for Sherlock Holmes movie credits

The movie industry is having a banner year in a somewhat dismal economy and I cannot pinpoint the exact reason for it but, Danny Yount is significantly doing his part by breathing new life and energy into a lost art - the art of the movie title. A self-taught designer, (I always love hearing that...) Danny has developed his own creative style as Creative Director over at Prologue and has collected many awards for his work on Six Feet Under, The Grid, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man and RockNRolla. The work he and his team created for Sherlock Holmes is amazing with brilliant imagery, storytelling, typography and attention to detail. Danny is a powerful master of his skills and he has truly brought a higher aesthetic to realm of title sequences and credits. The interview with Danny Yount + Sherlock Holmes movie titles can be viewed here.

The iPad

Apple released it's new iPad this week and it seemed to catch everybody off guard. Steve went public and stated that it was "the most important product he has ever developed". I spoke to a pretty tech-savvy friend who owns many Apple products and his comment was "Huh, I guess it solves a problem I never knew I had..." That pretty much sums up what the rest of the world seems to be saying.

Apple is one of the world's most innovative and progressive tech company and have taken us all by surprise many times over the years. One of my favorite quotes is by Alan Kay "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." I think Steve and Co. are doing just that with this new device. It functions much like an iPhone only bigger and has the same open source platform that allows developers to create apps for it. Apple just made it, but it will be We the People who will determine how to use it. This isn't another Newton but rather a bold move by Apple to be in a place where we'll all want to be soon enough. (and no, I do not work for Apple...)

Second Story

Second Story. is a interactive story-telling factory located in Portland, Oregon and originally launched by interactive pioneer Brad Johnson. Since it's inception in 1994, Brad and team have been leading the charge by bridging the world between technology and design. Second Story's ability to take large pieces of information and distill it down to a beautifully architected design experience is nothing short of amazing and they have truck loads of awards to prove it. The image above is from a site created for The City of Santa Monica called Beach Stories. In the site, visitors can cull through page after page of visually rich stories related to a stretch of beach in Santa Monica steep in history and colorful characters. It's engaging, informative and smartly delivers a tremendous amount of information in a entertaining fashion.

Dave Kinsey

I have a new favorite artist and his name is Dave Kinsey. A traditionally trained designer/artist originally from Philadelphia with a McGee vibe and a powerful application of color. I want an original and I want it now...

18 Rabbits

Packaging done well should tell a story that hooks the consumer on the spot. Currently, I am working on a energy/health bar product and have been doing a lot of research related to the category. This beautiful package, 18 Rabbits, was created by the very talented Christine Celic Stohl, a design phenom who is operating out of Mucca's SF branch and doing an amazing job as you can see here. Christine's solutions all have a common mastery of retro/fresh typography, brilliant design choices and sophisticated color pallets. It's evident that she is clearly in her zone and having fun which translates to a happy brand that is quite memorable.

The Tempest

Once in a great while Los Angeles has weather that is on par with what the rest of the country is experiencing. This photo by talented local photographer Karl Polverino, captures the vibe quite nicely.

Pitfire Pizza

Above is a new identity I developed for the Pitfire Pizza chain last year and it's finally going live. It's always exciting to see one of your babies take it's first steps into the world.

Studio On Fire

As the world we live in becomes increasingly more digital, I find much to love when presented with a well executed, tactile, old-fashioned printed piece that has been loved by both designer and printer. Studio On Fire is actually both a design firm and a letterpress printer. Studio On Fire's website has a lot of visual stimulation and prime examples of beautifully printed work that makes it difficult not to find a reason to employ letterpress on the next print assignment.

London Calling 30 Year Anniversary

In what was a seminal piece of Rock and Roll history, The Clashes', London Calling was released 30 years ago this week. Always located on music critics Top 10 List's and referenced countless times by musicians worldwide as having been influenced by the album. London Calling, spoke to a generation of punk rebels and opened the door to thousands of voices who joined in and produced a wave of creativity (i.e. Fashion, Film, Surf/Skate, etc. etc..) sparked by the Punk Generation.

Prior to it's official release, I remember London Calling first appearing in the Art Department as a homemade cassette tape that made it's way via a student hailing from New York City. It was simply awesome and more than a just a musical offering. To all of us it was a call to action that gave everyone permission to throw out the rules and look at everything in a raw and feral perspective. There was no early media push like a movie soundtrack single, Facebook page or a YouTube video - it was virally passed around and copied by all those who "got it" and wanted to be a part of this anti-establishment movement. I Loved it then and I love even more now.