manAlive design

For Print Only: My DTP Book Project

2012-02-15T07:00:00.013-05:00

(click image to link to original FPO post)

"Achingly elegant design elevates metal musician Devin Townsend’s image to a much higher octave in this deceivingly quiet box set. Bejgrowicz visually distills Townsend’s work into a museum-quality presentation, helping us see the melody behind the noise." – Jessica Mullen, For Print Only

What a fantastic dose of (blush-inducing) love for Valentine's Day! While I don't enter design contests, I did submit this work for consideration by FPO – one of my favorite inspirational design sites on the internet today. Much respect and many thanks for the kind words.

Draw On! (2012)

2012-02-08T07:00:00.004-05:00

(click images to enlarge)

Dorothy Frey and the fine art department have been putting on the Draw On! for a couple years now, and this was the first time I had the pleasure of joining in. A great showing of students, adults, and faculty alike worked on figure drawing, mono prints, and still life work – all without the worry of being graded!

I went straight to the sparsely-populated still life room and sunk my teeth into meshing a tea pot, a corn cob, and some beautiful drift wood with my pencil, pen, and ink styling. Normally I don't draw objects that actually exist but after I shook off a little rust (and a few nerves resulting from drawing in public once again), I had a lot of fun hanging out with my fellow roommates. Not until I got home did I realize just how much I was channeling Georgia O'Keeffe and her male counterpart (pun intended) that day! Wow.

Great conversation, pure passion for the craft, and an incredible turnout fueled by pizza and snacks – I left feeling like I better spend a lot more time sharpening my skills (pun intended) for next year's event.

Ice Cube Celebrates Eames

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

For a set of fun, typographical wood blocks for children of all ages – go here.

The "Contain Us" Stop Motion Video

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

(For best results, click on the "Vimeo" logo to watch in HD)

In celebration of the Devin Townsend Project's Contain Us deluxe package being released just in time for the holidays, I created a stop motion video for both my archives and for promotional use by the record label. I shot it on-site in the photography section of PCA&D and had a blast doing it.

Over 3,400 views in just 2 days and another 1,600 over the next week for 5,000+ in the first 10 days out there. It's a lot of fun to share something I did on my own one afternoon with Devin's fans around the world. When this was posted on Blabbermouth on December 22nd, the first comment made me smile: "awesome... reminds me of classic Sesame Street." Indeed.

During the actual shooting, I came up with a few impromptu ideas while, in hindsight, I have several more I wish I integrated as well. Not surprising, of course, seeing as how this was my first-ever attempt at stop motion. Oh well, life and design are always works in progress, right? Right.

(click images to enlarge)

I [Heart] Communication Arts!

2012-01-18T07:00:00.009-05:00

(click to enlarge)

While I pass around criticism occasionally, most of what I do on this blog (besides post my own work, mind you) is highlight or praise the art and design world's successes; both contemporary and historic. Today's a praise day, if you will…

Year round, I preach to my students to be an all-around artist and not simply a designer. For example, within my plans for our yearly New York trips, it's never enough to simply line up a studio visit, head to the AIGA, and call it a day. In my eyes, that's a failure.

For me, both the viewing-of and experimenting-in hand-made art, photography, fine art and beyond are essential in one's evolution in the arts. In order for us to see things beyond our monitors, even if more often than not that's where we find ourselves, we need to see beyond our profession's cold, digital realm and once-again discover the textures, the smells, and the unpredictably exciting ways of other art forms.

You know who also gets this concept? Communication Arts. This year I've received six issues, all "annuals" of one sort of another. Namely Illustration, Photography, Design, Advertising, Interactive, and Typography. I don't care if it's simply the smell of the freshly-inked pages of their latest Typography Annual that has me all happy about CA right now. The bottom line is that this past year's issues have been inspiring. And when you consider that…

There was once a time when I viewed CA as the boring, stiff, secondary subscription. That time is long gone, of course. If anything, they've proven to me that they're the essential magazine in the industry for those of us always looking for more. And that's worth writing about.

Modern Vintage (Banners)

2012-01-11T07:00:00.006-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

Every 18 months or so, Jennifer asks my assistance in designing new banners and buttons for her Sally Jane Vintage blog and Etsy shop. For the 2012 (and beyond) version, the only request I received was to have the imagery complete itself while going to white around the edges. Thus giving the graphic a free-floating feeling, as opposed to a cropped look.

I wanted to create something that didn't look like any other vintage fashion site. There are many stylish blogs out there and after checking out a few of them, I dove back into my world. In the end, I'm only ever successful at what I do if I'm doing what feels right to me. With that said, Jennifer loved it and went live with it on January 1st.

Notes: I used the same beautiful font I used for the look book that I both shot and designed for Sally Jane Vintage late in 2011. That brought some consistency along with fresh new colors that can work year round.

(the 2012 color palette, including typography [l, r])

The Science Of Color (In 2012)

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

(Fig. 1; what color looks like to designers)

Hot on the heels of 2011's Honeysuckle, Tangerine Tango (a.k.a. PMS 17-1463) is Pantone's 2012 Color of the Year. From the official Pantone website:

"Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy."

Um, yeah, what she said. Regardless of the art speak, this color is very much in vogue right now. In fact, the it's strikingly similar to that of PCA&D's official color – which I designed a color scheme around earlier this year for the school's 2011-12 Admissions Department materials.

(Fig. 2; the 2011-12 color scheme for PCA&D's Admissions Dept.)

So while I never endorse the forcing of a color into a design equation, it does seem to be an excellent choice of warmth with an understated sense of positivity in these tough economic times. And who can't use that right about now?

For more information about Pantone LLC and
PANTONE® Products, visit www.pantone.com.

The Best Music Of 2011

2011-12-28T07:00:00.013-05:00

(click to enlarge the awesomeness that is Sweden's Ghost)

Music plays a major part in both my personal and design lives, of course. Could I forge forward through a long night or a tough day of design without the help of music? It's possible but very, very hard to imagine.

2011 was the year that saw Ghost's debut album being released in the U.S. and subsequently locking in my Album of the Year award. With that said, here's an overview of my favorite music released in 2011.

THE TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2011:
• Adele, 21
• The Atlas Moth, An Ache For The Distance
• Book of Black Earth, The Cold Testament
• The Civil Was, Barton Hollow
• Ghost, Opus Eponymous †††
• Graveyard, Hisingen Blues
• PJ Harvey, Let England Shake
• *Shels, Plains of the Purple Buffalo
• Thrice, Major/Minor
• Times of Grace, The Hymn Of A Broken Man

††† Album of the Year

THE 2011 MIX-TAPE:
• Adele, "Rolling In The Deep"
• Anathema, "A Simple Mistake"
• The Atlas Moth, "Holes In The Desert"
• Book of Black Earth, "Road Dogs From Hell"
• The Civil Wars, "20 Years"
• Death Ray Vision, "Get Lost Or Get Dead"
• Fucked Up, "Ship Of Fools"
• Ghost, "Ritual"
• Graveyard, "The Siren"
• My Morning Jacket, "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)"
• PJ Harvey, "On Battleship Hill"
• The New Recruits, "What Have We Got To Lose"
• Radiohead, "Codex"
• Rival Schools, "Shot After Shot"
• *Shels, "Butterflies (On Luci's Way)"
• Thrice, "Blinded"
• Times of Grace, "Where The Spirit Leads Me"
• Chelsea Wolfe, "Friedrichshain"

Happy New Year, everyone!

I've Got This House Under My Skin

2011-12-21T07:00:00.013-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

Commissioned by a Chase Manhattan Bank heiress and completed in 1951, this beauty is all I'm asking for come Christmas this year. For a mere $12 million, I could be living in the long-time home of crooner-turned actor-turned cultural icon, Frank Sinatra.

He began renting it from Dora Hutchinson in the 1950s, during the height of his Rat Pack days, and lived within the 10,000-square foot, four bedroom main house that features a pool, a 1,000-square foot, one bedroom guest house with its own pool, and painstakingly gorgeous views all found on 14 acres that also include a vineyard and parking for up to 200 cars. It's surrounded by 3,000 acres of nature preserve and can apparently only be seen by helicopter due to its unique, hilltop locale. Did I mention Frank used to sublet the guest house to his close friend, Marilyn Monroe? Her pool was also the site of her final photo shoot while the the guest house is rumored to be the meeting spot for the late Monroe and President John F. Kennedy's affair.

How amazing is this place? Very. Now, if I could only reach 12 million people willing to send me just $2 each, I'll be able to not only buy the property but also pay for the taxes, upkeep, and a slew of great parties to thank everyone!

For more images and insight into the property, visit the Forbes online story here.

Also of note, for a post by Steven Heller featuring beautifully designed pages detailing the vision behind "The Town Of Tomorrow" at the 1939 World's Fair, go here.

Hipsters In Print (Magazine)

2011-12-14T07:00:00.027-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

I received the 2011 Print Magazine Regional Design Annual before the Thanksgiving holiday. With that said, I've got good news and bad news. Good news first, you say? No worries, let's have at it (hoss)…

GOOD NEWS #1:
The first bit of good news is that the Regional Design Annual is void of any mis-guided, sophomoric guest art direction and design. It's been an awful year for Print in this matter and I'm still trying to figure out who was worse: Metahaven or Kokoro & Moi. In the end, it wasn't the idea that was bad, it was simply who they picked to execute it that was.

GOOD NEWS #2:
Our second nugget of good news is that, as always, the design competition section of the book is chock-full of inspiring design work. I've always loved how the annual is split into sections by region, seeing as how each section of our country is greatly affected by its own vast and varied cultural influences. It's great stuff, by enlarge, despite it's largely hipster-leaning tendencies – which is nothing new for Print. And that leads me to the bad news…

BAD NEWS #1:
The hipster frenzy within the design world of the 21st century continues to spiral out of control. Mind you, even the biggest hipster in the world isn't a hipster – or at least in their own mirror. To a hipster, it's always somebody else that's a hipster. It's funny how that plays out, but I digress…

In the design sense of the term, "hipster" is commonly defined by, but not limited to, your college pedigree, your musical tastes, where you live, who you know, how ironic you attempt to be, and – in recent years – your use of letterpress. For example, when we "Meet the Judges" on pg. 44, we meet 8 people chosen to review the work submitted this year. Here's a breakdown:

The Far West was curated by a German-born NYC-based designer who studied at SVA. The Southwest by an LA-born, Brooklyn-based designer. The Midwest by an NYC-based RISD graduate. The South by an NYC-based MICA graduate. The East from another couple of NYC-based designers who studied at MICA and SVA respectively. Ironically (and hipsters love irony, by the way), the NYC region was judged not by an NYC based designer but by Pam & Jake from Washington D.C.'s fantastic Design Army. Breaking all of the molds, they attended Radford and Penn State and are the exception to every rule set forth in this commentary. A welcome, and well-deserved, respite from the predictable patterns found in the other judges.

Now, this is not an indictment of the judge's themselves or their obvious talent, it's an indictment of Print Magazine and its limited, metro-bubble approach in representing both the graphic design world and all of the tunnel vision its actions generate. Three-quarters of the judges combine to represent only one city and 3 different schools. That's about as fair and balanced as network news. Which, in fact, is not balanced at all. That is, unless you believe there's nothing more balanced than NYC's design community judging the entire country's aesthetic from their cramped studio quarters while sipping coffee, eating vegan sushi, and bitching about the rest of the country's failures. Mind you, all of this is coming from a vegetarian designer who's lived 11 fantastic and inspiring years of his life in NYC and LA.

BAD NEWS #2:
There's more hipster-related bad news that punches even harder at your (not-so) humble narrator's heartstrings. On pg. 21 you'll find "The Best Album Art of 2011," as chosen by a certain Portland, OR-based music critic named Douglas Wolk. It's worth noting that Portland is second only to Brooklyn in the world of hipster-mania. It's also worth noting that the quotation marks around pg. 21's headline in this paragraph were placed there as much for sarcasm as for proper punctuation.

Not unlike Pitchfork Media, a scenester-ridiculous website he also happens to write for, Douglas also breaks out of his 80% hipster band list with a token hip-hop title in order to show us just how well-rounded he is. Now, the Jay-Z and Kanye West album cover may be the cream of Douglas' crop this year but the Roseland and Battles covers are absolutely horrid and uninspired selections. His other titles, Fucked Up and The Weekend, are both solid work but not exactly "best of" material when culling from an entire year in the music industry on a worldwide scale. Assuming, of course, that that was what Douglas was indeed doing (which it certainly was not).

In the end, while album art is a creative outlet that faces different challenges than it did even 15 years ago, this is not a proper "best of of 2011" by any stretch of the imagination. Next year, Douglas might consider getting out a bit more and experiencing music beyond that of the elitist bubble of indie rock. And finally…

BAD NEWS #3:
Typographical widows, or orphans, seem to not be a problem for the in-house staff at Print Magazine. Now, perhaps I'm missing the new trend here. Perhaps this wave of typographical anti-discipline that Print is cunningly generating in 2011 will make its way to the backwoods of America where the rest of us can join in one day. Until then, however, I'm going to continue both believing and knowing that widows are the result of lazy designers who are willing to accept less from their work.

There, I said it. I feel better.

You Say You Want A Revolution?

2011-12-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

Photos by Srfrjff

I recently spoke on the "Digital Media" panel at the Revolution Music Conference at Lebanon Valley College. Created and run by the students of the college, the conference featured live performances and 12 panels covering everything from music therapy, law, publishing, and beyond.

I joined fellow designer Mat Samuel, also a professor at LVC, and Andrew Pomeroy, a sound designer for MTV Studios and a former LVC student, to discuss the concept of visual and audio design and their influence in the industry. Moderated by Carrie Becker, a student seeking a dual-major in both Digital Communications and Music Business at LVC, I found that I wore two hats during the near-hour-long panel, drawing upon both my experience in the music industry as well as my design career.

After fielding a couple questions from the attendees regarding shifts in the industry and what an average day is like for us, I spoke at length with a father of a young man attending the event as well as another group of students with interest in the future of music. If only we knew what that was exactly, of course.

Overall, I had an excellent time spent on a beautiful campus with the politest group of young people I've been around in a long, long time. Oh, and a free (vegetarian-friendly) lunch to boot! Good stuff, for sure.

Contain(ing) My Excitement!

2011-11-30T07:00:00.011-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

For more images from the package, go here.

I had the immense pleasure of creating a very deluxe package for the Devin Townsend Project which is now being shipped to fans around the world. What a treat to work on a project of this levity and intensity, for sure. The package's features include a 12" x 12" charcoal linen slipcase, a 64-page book, a 45.5" x 11.75" gatefold centerpiece, 6xCD, 2xDVD, and more.

Throughout the process, I received nothing but the fullest support for my concept from everyone involved – most notably Devin and the almighty Steve Joh. Much respect and many thanks to two of them and so many others. Now that it's made it through production, I'm beyond excited for fans to pick up a copy, dig in, and have fun experiencing everything for the first time.

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My quotes from the press release:

Upon getting the call to work on what would become the "Contain Us" collection, I saw this as a chance to bring everything – both released and unreleased, seen and unseen – together in one clean, elegant, and utterly deluxe package.

I immediately began the process of developing a plan to bring that vision to fruition. As we all know, Devin is anything but cliché so eliminating dripping blood and the "none more black" approach was easy. Instead, I leaned away from all things metal and turned my aesthetics toward that of fine art, museums, and high-end printing methods. From the texture of the book and its slipcase to the feeling of the paper itself, I wanted everything to exude "class."

Devin & Co. were touring the states this past summer and I joined him in Philadelphia to both review my plans and to make sure we're on the same page. From the get-go, Devin & I were 100% in sync. To put it simply; the meeting could not have gone any smoother. For instance, the DTP albums and their concept inspired several aspects of my design concept and seeing those musical and lyrical ideas shift into the visual realm excited us both.

Hanging with Devin that day also gave me an opportunity to photograph both himself and the band behind the scenes. Several of those photographs can be found inside the album-sized book that contains approximately 250 rare or never-seen-before images culled from the band's personal archives, professional photographers from around the world, Devin's hand-written lyrics and studio notes, tour laminates, and pretty much everything in between.

"Contain Us" was no small task to coordinate, for any of us involved. However, seeing it all come together made it all worth it. Especially for me when I received an email from Devin saying: "Beyond cool. Seriously, way to knock it the FUCK out of the park bro!" Worth it, indeed.

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The "Modern/Vintage" Look Book

2011-11-23T07:00:00.005-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More fashion

Note: To view properly, click to "expand."

Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph a vacant building in the Financial District of Manhattan, NYC. Known simply by its address, 5 Beekman, the building had me wanting to not only capture my own photographic work but also to shoot something special for Sally Jane Vintage. Upon doing so, I put together a "look book" with a focus on the fashion and photography.

THE HISTORY: Designed in April 1881 as The Kelly Building (after builder, Eugene Kelly), christened Temple Court in March 1882, and built to completion in 1883 of brick and terra cotta, Temple Court was 165,000 square feet featuring 212 office suites, a vault of safe-deposit boxes, an atrium topped with a glass pyramid, and much more. It was the first-ever fireproof building in the city of New York and the third with an elevator. Due to (of all things) fire code violations, the atrium was boarded up in 1940. Hidden behind the drywall, tenants from that point on would never even know of the atrium's existence. This drywall, despite its sad aesthetic, served to help preserve the railings and their character for future use. Vacant for the last decade and obscured in the New York skyline until 2010, the (likely) future hotel is now in the midst of finalizing its ownership and subsequent plans for redevelopment.

Zombie Boy vs. Dermablend

2011-11-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

Whoever conceived this is a genius…

Dermablend takes you behind the scenes at the "Go Beyond The Cover" video shoot with Zombie Boy (a.k.a. Rico Genest), shot on location at the Tuxedo Agency in Montreal.

In The House Industries Cul-De-Sac: Pt. 2

2011-11-09T13:32:00.015-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

As part of our annual retreat, this year the Typography 1 students, Maria Cummings-Miller, and I traveled through Amish Country en route to Yorklyn, DE and the House Industries studio. This year, co-founder Rich Roat headed up the tours that also included fantastic insight from type designer Ken Barber, illustrator Chris Gardner, and all-around guru Brian Awitan. It's worth noting that co-founder Andy Cruz is in Japan for a month working on projects with Hermes, Vogue Japan, and much more.

Much was discussed regarding their business' history, internal process, present and future projects, and how they've approached type and the letterform as works of art. I love having a yearly excuse to hang with old friends while introducing the students to a world where type is seemingly limitless! Overall, we had a beautiful day for the field trip and while I didn't bring my dSLR this year, these photos will do the trick this time around.

Note: The post for last year's visit can be found here.

AIGA Central PA: FEED 2011

2011-11-02T07:00:00.005-04:00

(click image to link)

This past week, the Central PA chapter of the AIGA hosted their annual FEED Conference. Featuring booths for Finch, Mohawk Neenah, the .918 Letterpress Club, and more – I also discovered a local letterpress printer in that of Thomas-Printers. The night also hosted the Moveable Type Truck, which got professionals and students alike super-psyched. One of my students, Jessica Messerschmidt, actually won Adobe CS5.5 in the drawing. Too cool. All in all, a nice night to nerd out with the regional design folk.

The Process Behind: Gone Forever

2011-10-19T07:00:00.004-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

Back in 1999, upon receiving a freshly-mastered copy of the band's Reject the Sickness album from long-time friend, Alan Douches, I began the process of signing God Forbid to Century Media Records – where I was then Director of North American A&R.

Three years later, for their sophomore effort, I put together a futuristic/apocalyptic concept based on the original ideas set forth by guitarist Dallas Coyle for the "Better Days" single artwork.

As art director and designer for the project, I brought in Travis Smith to illustrate my ideas. I wanted a tri-fold front cover for the booklet that, when folded inside the jewel case, would display only one of the panels but when opened up would reveal the entire 3-panel landscape. On the back cover, we move forward slightly in time as the raven flies into the distance towards the ruined city.

In order to aid Travis in my vision, I created some seriously non-epic sketches in which he turned into several ridiculously epic illustrations! However, the sketches were a major part of the process and therefore set the tone for the final packaging.

Like A Rolling Stone (And Far Beyond)

2011-10-13T15:47:00.008-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

Best known for her 15 year stint at Rolling Stone magazine where she started as an associate and eventually became senior art director, Gail Anderson not only spoke at PCA&D's graduation ceremony but she returned this month to speak to the college as a whole.

An AIGA Medalist, Gail worked at length with fellow medalist, Fred Woodward in her years at America's longest-running and most influential music magazine. Later, she joined SpotCo, an entertainment design agency and has since written several books with Steven Heller (who may or may not have written several hundred himself) on my beloved topic of Typography.

She was honest, raw, and spirited – like the life of an artist should be. I laughed, I cried, and she even played some music that had a beat I could dance to. Not a bad way to spend a Monday morning, let me tell you. For photos and insight into her post-speaking engagement time spent with several juniors and seniors in the classroom, go here.

(All designs by Gail Anderson, or Gail Anderson & Fred Woodward)

…WERE WRITTEN ON THE STUDIO WALLS

2011-10-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

(Sketches and notes for Contain Us [click to enlarge])

I revamped and rearranged my studio this past summer in order to give myself a more inspiring workspace. New paint color, found objects, new (old) furniture, and a slew of framed collectibles and photographs now adorn the walls. The best part is that I also covered the main wall in black chalkboard paint. This allows me to sketch, make notes, and paste up inspirational pieces.

Above is a photograph of the current state of things immediately surrounding my computer monitor. It's the sketches and notes that really helped me organize an upcoming slipcase-bound, 8-disc, 64-page hardcover book that I both created and designed. With so many pieces to keep track of, I relied on these quite a bit to keep my head straight. The book will be out in time for the holidays and is now officially 100% into production. Fingers crossed that it's the beast it's lined up to be! More on this project soon…

(With my constant companion, Buddie [click to enlarge])

Field Trip, NYC Style (2011)

2011-09-24T17:45:00.015-04:00

(Matteo Bologna @ Mucca Design in Soho)

(click collages to enlarge)

As part of PCA&D's yearly trip to New York City – along with department chair, Pam Barby – I put together a day of art and design for our graphic design students. We split up into 2 groups; my group stopping by Mucca Design for an agency visit and Pam's to 2x4. These studios represent two of the best in the city and both students and faculty alike were thrilled at this opportunity.

For the record, Mother Nature did her best to rain on our parade. Literally. However, let it be known that although she succeeded in roughing up our plans and soaking all of us to the core, she failed at dampening our spirit.

I headed up the Mucca Design visit and we were able to spend nearly an hour with founder and principal, Matteo Balogna. Filled with all the vim and vigor of an Italian ex-pat and an undying love of custom typography, design, branding, and style – Matteo delivered an inspiring talk about all things modern graphic design. Before leaving, I shared with him a few locally made "thank you" gifts Pam & I put together; namely 2 PCA&D mugs, Wilbur Chocolate Buds, and 2 half-pounds of cheese made here in Lancaster County. Good stuff.

Although we then stopped by one of my favorite families of galleries in that of Morrisson Hotel Gallery, I did not take any photographs there. Just know that if you're ever in NYC, find one of their locations and hit it up! Only the best in music photography from the likes of Jim Marshall, Hendry Diltz, Danny Clinch, Clay Patrick McBride and more.

(@ the AIGA Design Effectiveness exhibit)

After walking to the fountain in Washington Square Park, we dispersed for 2-3 hours in order to grab lunch, shop, and dry out in cafés. Myself, Sally, and Kirk made our way over to one of my favorite restaurants in the world; Vegetarian Paradise. Pure bliss, great company, and lots of excited discussions about art, design, education, and family.

We met up again and forged forward in the (thankfully) lighter rains as we made our way up 5th Ave. to the AIGA Design Center. Launched this past week was their 365 exhibit; Design Effectiveness. The students were immediately immersed in every single piece of the display, which thankfully allowed you to pick up each work for a truly hands-on inspection and experience. And although the exhibit was curated with effectiveness as their first and foremost trait, the design aesthetic was incredibly high. Overall, an inspiring and fun exhibit that left an impression on the whole lot of us.

(@ the AIGA Design Effectiveness exhibit)

The final "official" stop of the day was the Center for Book Arts in the Fashion District. Loaded with several, excellent small exhibits that opened only 2 days before we arrived – the Center also surprised all of us with a fully-functioning letterpress print shop. We spent a bit of time comparing our favorite ampersands from the drawers of lead type and enjoyed hand-made books featuring gorgeous wood block prints, custom-process music packaging, paper works by Su Blackwell, and more before we settled on plans for the final 2+ hours before the bus was to pick us up.

I decided to march nearly everyone up to Times Square (a tradition in the making, mind you) for people-watching and to share in the spectacle that is one of the most famous couple of city blocks in the world. This year, we ran across Japanese television cooking shows being filmed (think "Iron Chef") and a big ABC promotion for the upcoming "Pan Am" television series.

This trip, like several other events throughout the school year, offers a chance for me to lift the veil off the classroom and to form a deeper bond with both students and fellow faculty alike. Already my head's already spinning on what to put together for next year… starting with a Sunny, 70º fall day!

(@ Center For the Book Arts [top] and Times Square [middle, bottom])

THE ART OF THE MUSIC POSTER

2011-09-21T07:00:00.010-04:00

(click on image to enlarge)

I was asked to submit art for a book titled Classic Rock Posters 1952-2012 which "aims to cover all the key musical genres, graphic artists and performers during the last 60 years in poster form." It's worth noting that it's being written by Mick Farren (Underground Press, NME) along with Dennis Loren (artist, former art director for Creem magazine).

When push came to shove, however, I found that designing posters is something I haven't done a ton of to-date. Well, that's not entirely true, I did a lot of designs for record labels that were very product-driven and not gallery-ready. I've also worked on so many catalog projects that never required a poster or I was Project Manager for the bands and hired out collateral designs. In-between all of that, I found some time to create a few posters I was proud of.

Regardless, in digging through the archives, I dug up a few of my favorites to submit (several of which have been seen here). I may even dig into the rolls and rolls of music posters I've kept since the 1980s and see what I find! Ah, a trip down memory lane…

A World Of Color (Courtesy Of Buck)

2011-09-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

This is exactly how I see the world; inspirational color everywhere. Here's a series of 3 beautiful commercials directed by the Buck agency for HGTV's line of paints with Sherman Williams. I always stop to watch when these commercials come on (in my DVR-less lifestyle). If only these were Pantone chips, you know? Anyway, stop by Buck's library and check out their deep and rich portfolio of work. It's well worth your while.

Immerse Yourself In The Floyd

2011-08-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

In the season of Pink Floyd that my summer has been, I was called upon to quickly create a 4-page series of new release book pages for several upcoming Pink Floyd collections. These are very sales-oriented pages but I try to never approach them in that dry of a sense. Instead, I also hope to treat them more editorially, or book-like.

To sit back, crank up non-single classic Floyd tracks like "Summer '68," "A Pillow of Winds," "San Tropez," "The Gold It's In The…," and "Childhood's End" while working on these "rush job" pages is something to embrace. For full details (of which there are many), click on the images to enlarge, and go pre-order them from your local record store or Amazon.com.

It's worth noting that the Immersion sets for the legendary Wish You Were Here album hits stores on November 8 while The Wall sees the light on February 28, 2012. It's also worth noting that I'm creating the sales pages for these titles as well.

Inspirations 2: Wood Block Printing

2011-08-24T07:00:00.006-04:00

Target teamed up with the monstrously beautiful Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. After the design team caught Typeface, a movie documenting the museum, they became focused on creating a line of clothing based on Hamilton's aesthetic. For more on how they came together, go here. To view the collection, go here.

An extended trailer for Typeface, the movie. See it…

Inspirations 1: India Block Printing

2011-08-17T07:00:00.003-04:00

"After meeting the world's great hand-block printing artisans on a recent trip to northern India's Rajasthan, we asked them to make a special collection of quilts just for us. Watch here as they create an array of striking designs, all printed using intricately carved teak blocks and richly colored pigment dyes."
– West Elm's Craftmark Collection

The Process Behind: Admissions Poster

2011-08-10T07:00:00.000-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

Every year I have the pleasure of working with Natalie and the outstanding Admissions department at PCA&D. Every other year I get to redesign the look for their office, which is also coincidentally the best year! This year was of the "every other" kind so I dug in and began the process of tackling the first piece we dive into every year; the poster.

(click image to enlarge)

STAGE 1: You've got to start somewhere, and for one reason or another, I often start conservative. However, the color scheme, fonts, partial obscuring of imagery and general guidelines of the final piece appeared instantly in the process.

(click image to enlarge)

STAGE 2: I'm all about type-driven design so I busted the type out of the box and began to arrange it flush-left then flush-right and scaling it up and down all the while. I wanted to create a grid but then smash it, while also respecting it. No small feat.

(click image to enlarge)

STAGE 3: The break-through stage, for sure. Back came the horizontal strip, now with a friend, and a healthy dose of a -11.75º angular tilt. I pictured this on the walls of schools and offices, knowing the tilt will demand attention and cause it to leap off the wall. Also, my goal now was focused on creating the sense that this poster captured merely a small segment of an otherwise on-going, ever-growing massive world of student artwork created at PCA&D. The poster, unlike previous years, was not about a few pieces – but the student work as a collective.

(click image to enlarge)

STAGE 4: Naturally, I had to try the positive 11.75º angle as well. Unlike the -11.75º attempt, where I was all about it and attempting every logical type alignment I could muster, it didn't take me long to know this was not the better solution of the two.

(click image to enlarge)

STAGE 5: And finally, instead of angling the bars and type, what about angling the artwork? This brought an all-new feeling to the poster, while utilizing something I was gravitating towards all along with the tilt. It came down to a matter of playing with the composition of type over top the imagery and the removal of specific artwork for reasons such as theme, content, and redundancy. The changing out of imagery was trickier than in previous years, of course, and often times I wanted to kick myself for painting myself into a corner with this approach. Regardless, I was very excited that they picked this version while, honestly, I also would have been very happy if they selected Stage 3 (far right). A good position to be in, for sure.

And with the final approval, the poster set the tone of typography, color and composition for the rest of the Admissions materials to follow. I truly do love this project.

For Your In-Flight Pleasure.

2011-08-03T07:00:00.004-04:00

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For the first time in my life, I created an ad for the legendary magazine of extreme in-flight consumerism; SkyMall. Psyched. Thousands of people bored to tears whilst stuck in an over-crowded tin can at 30,000 feet will be able to check out just how precisely and artfully I squeezed a headline, 5 pack-shots, 486 words via 2,284 characters into a 7.375" x 10.5" ad (minus the SkyMall footer, as required by the publication). Lucky bastards, all of 'em.

I'm actually very excited to have something in the magazine but, all kidding aside, Tom Recchion & Co. are delivering some beautiful special editions. I had a great time this past May sitting with Tom in his office in Los Angeles, exploring many of his present and future projects. Much respect.

Man Alive Creative: The Portfolio

2011-07-27T07:00:00.006-04:00

(click images to link to the portfolio site)

I'm excited and proud to have created a portfolio site that, for the first time ever, sees my design and photography together in an easy to navigate, beautiful fashion. It's a thrill for me to see all of this work together under the moniker "Man Alive Creative." I welcome you to stop on by and tour the new portfolio. Feel free to share it with your friends, your family and (without hesitation) utterly complete strangers. I do love having good company stop by. Enjoy!

The Great Gig In The (Summer) Sky

2011-07-20T07:00:00.010-04:00

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This summer has been filled with lots of great work; be it creative or production design. Some projects have been both.

Case in point; I was hired to design a series of merchandise boxes for one of my Top 5 all-time favorite bands, Pink Floyd. At first, due to the major rush status of the job, taking the straightforward "flat color, no playing around" route was looking like the best option. However, as I explored the artwork – I simply couldn't help myself. With approval from my contact, I began to play with texture, album imagery, and more until the series quickly came together. Look for these shirts on an end-rack in Target stores soon.

Not unlike getting approvals from Apple Records before, receiving the band's management's approval brought both my life and musical journey full circle.

P.S. After catching the most incredible live production I, or anyone else, has ever seen with Roger Waters The Wall tour – I beg of you to watch this historic event unfold.

Art Imitating The Lives Of Heroic Women

2011-07-13T07:00:00.007-04:00

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Vintage war posters have always been a favorite of mine. They're truly the result of true artisans; rich in high typographical and design aesthetic. And although I, like many, tend to drift towards the striking imagery of war and political intrigue – I recently found myself enamored with the imagery of the woman's role in World War II. Imagery that sought not only to attract women to get involved in the country's efforts but to reflect their importance to the men on the front lines. To take things further, I wanted to connect the dots between the artistic styling of the posters and the photography of women actually performing these tasks. The result is imagery that is often equally as striking in reality as it is in fiction. Those were exceptional times for both the U.S. and the world, and exceptional times make for exceptional efforts. To unveil their full detail, please click on the images to enlarge both the manufacturing and nurse collages.

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What's New Is What's Old

2011-07-06T07:00:00.004-04:00

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With packaging on my mind more than ever right now, I found my way over to Dieline where I found their 2011 Dieline Awards gallery. While there's many styles to be found, I find myself wrestling with the fact that many of today's most lauded pieces (be it Dieline, Print, CommArts, etc.) are simply rehashes of 19th & 20th century design works.

While I age or distress much of my work in addition to occasionally reaching back to utilize vintage imagery – I maintain a goal of achieving a feeling via select elements, not an overall replication. How disappointing it will be one day to have someone review much-heralded work from these times – only to discover that the innovation behind the work was done 100 years prior, by hand no less.

With great reason these early 20th century works resonate with today's designers. Their innovation and craft launched themselves within the wave of the industrial revolution, and changed the shape of the applied arts forever. But now, more than ever, I'm conscious of allowing only inspiration – not imitation – to enter into my works.

The Summer Is Heating Up!

2011-06-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

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Some projects are at the printers, some have just been given the green light, and others that have been in the works for quite some time are now peeking their head up on the horizon. With 3 book designs coming together between now and the fall (and another before year's end) and tons of creative marketing materials on the plate right now – this summer is going to be one of my favorite design seasons in a long, long time. Until I can post more on these works, enjoy the…

Communication Arts Photography Annual 2011 online gallery, here. Also, I've been posting new photography taken on my latest visit to Detroit here.

The Art Of Printing: Tree Of Codes

2011-06-15T07:00:00.003-04:00

Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated and Eating Animals, created Tree Of Codes – a book that utilizes the entirety of Bruno Schulz's The Street of Crocodiles. The unique manner of the book's creation rests on the shoulders of its innovative printing, as illustrated beautifully in these short videos. Note: Please view them in order, from top to bottom.

An Education For All Seasons.

2011-06-08T07:00:00.005-04:00

(click image to enlarge) *

As part of the 2011 marketing material redesign campaign between myself and the design college, the Continuing Education department was looking for a new look for their quarterly catalog. By representing each of the seasons on the cover, while spotlighting the current, the school is able to let everyone know that classes run year round – a crucial message to the education of the potential student.

The original design was more muted and linear but after we all agreed it was overly corporate looking for the program as a whole, I adjusted the color palette to be more vibrant as well as adding an organic, artistic mark to loosen up the crisp lines. This resulted in something that was more approachable, fun, and attention-grabbing.

A sampling of an interior spread is below, featuring page folios that continue the theme of artistic marks throughout.

* All designs contain "for placement only" images.

The Process Behind: The War Within

2011-05-25T07:00:00.020-04:00

(Above: The final cover. Click to enlarge.)

While new designs are being created (but not yet finalized), I dug through the archives to – for the first time ever – compile and post the "process" behind one of my favorite album cover projects, Shadows Fall's The War Within.

Prior to this album, I had both signed the band and created the artwork for their first Century Media album, Of One Blood. This time around, I worked exclusively with singer Brian Fair – having him send me both the lyrics and his thoughts on the album followed by my diving into both naming the record and conceptualizing the visuals for it. I recall that we originally agreed upon another title I had suggested but, due to a band (whose name I can't recall for the life of me) coincidentally announcing their upcoming release of the same name, we moved towards The War Within.

The idea for The War Within turned to one man – any man, mind you – and the chaos and beauty that surrounds each of us here on earth. Birth, death, love, hate, riots, pollution, power, religion, nature, corruption of the mind, the soul, and so on. By simply living, we are open and susceptible to them all – to confront each of them, from within.

(Above: The process of building the cover's box. Click to enlarge.)

I wanted to create this without the help of the computer and without looking like every other metal album cover in that era. The first idea that struck me was to create a box that would be hung by screw eyes and metal wire, photographed, and then compiled into a cover design. Beyond that, I grabbed public images that reflected the forces of the world around us, selected a couple key photographs from my archives, dug up some found objects, and – most importantly – bought an antique Topp Cola soda crate to house everything in.

I spray painted the interior crate black, wet tinted the background imagery for an aged look, compiled the central imagery, mounted them on the backs of broken row dividers from the crate, and sent it off to Justin Borucki to be photographed in macro detail (back cover, interiors) as well as in full (front cover).

Released September 21, 2004, and reaching #20 on the Billboard charts, The War Within sold over 350,000 copies for Century Media – then the label's best seller ever and three times as many as the band's previous release. They also received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Metal Performance for this album. To this day, The War Within remains one of the great albums from the New Wave of American Heavy Metal movement of the 2000s and I'm proud to say I played a part in it.

(Above: Detail photography by Justin Borucki. Click to enlarge.)

When In Rome…

2011-05-18T07:00:00.013-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

While I lived in Los Angeles for 7 years, I foolishly never stopped by the former Neutra offices on Glendale Blvd. in Silver Lake. However, I made sure to stop by when we were visiting the City of Angels last week. I wonder if the building is still on the market? Seriously, I need to win Mega Millions ASAP. And by "win", I mean actually play! Speaking of spending some quality cash viewing some superior architecture in LA, go here.

Overall, the trip out west was filled with great friends, excellent food, old (and new) haunts, clients, and Joshua Tree. Great stuff, to say the least. For select images from my trip, I'll be posting them on my Tumblr page as the days and weeks pass. And now I'm back home, working on freelance projects, and getting back to business for the summer.

(Note: Bottom photo by Jennifer Martin.)

Good Cover, Bad Cover

2011-05-11T07:00:00.010-04:00

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THE (REALLY) GOOD:
This is what classic, balanced, and yet challenging typography can do over top (pun intended) the right imagery. If only I had more opportunities to work with indie bands who allow for such minimalism, right? Anyway, this is utterly gorgeous and striking on all levels. Love it. And while I heard this image was used in Cosmopolitan for an article titled "Is This The Most Satisfying Sex Position" (and no, I'm not kidding), I'm still a big fan. Just be careful what you license art directors and designers, is all.

(click image to enlarge)

THE BAD:
I'm sure the rabid Radiohead fanbase will cry foul at my labeling this as "bad" but… well, it just plain is. In fact, it's the worst artwork featured on any Radiohead, or Radiohead-related, album or single since the regretful 1993 Pablo Honey album itself. While art, like music, is subjective – whoever might claim this as good is simply exercising their right to be wrong.

(click image to enlarge)

THE (REALLY) UGLY:
Like hipsters walking around in Iron Maiden shirts, believing their pseudo-love of metal and hard rock to be as painfully ironic as their headbands and mustaches, this cover is a joke that has no laugh track. Even for someone like Lady Gaga who's far more relevant to ridiculous dresses than great music, I hope this is simply a bad April Fool's joke or something.

All Quiet (On The Surface)

2011-05-04T07:00:00.004-04:00

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It may be quiet these days on the blog, and I sincerely apologize for that, but that doesn't mean that I haven't been very busy working on several projects that will see the light in both 2011 and 2012. In fact, between the final days of the spring semester's classes, the mighty, year-end faculty vs. student softball grudge match, and freelance projects in the book, CD, logo, and marketing/promotion realms – it's been an extremely busy season so far.

More to come from these projects as they mature throughout the year, for sure. In the meantime, here's an inspiring video I found whilst researching materials for inclusion in my Typography 1 syllabus this coming Fall. Enjoy!

When Designs Become Reality

2011-04-13T07:00:00.010-04:00

(above: T-shirts and hats, featuring our team's
designs on sale at the museum's gift shop.)

As part of 2011's Designathon, two of our many designs went immediately into production in order to arrive in time for their new exhibit, The Grid, opening at the Quilt & Textile Museum on March 15th. Recently, team member Josh Yinger & I met up with Executive Director at The Heritage Center of Lancaster County, Wendy Nagle, to pick up a couple samples, take a few photos, and view the original (and ridiculously beautiful) weather vane that inspired our design. What a great moment for Josh to see the work we labored over during those 24 hours come to life, for sure. I tell you, holding your work once it gets printed never, ever gets old.

(above: Josh Yinger wearing and holding printed
merchandise in front of the Heritage Center's
weather vane that inspired the hat's design.)

Self-Promoting (The Heck Out Of Yourself)

2011-03-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

Earlier this year, I worked with a friend/client's husband to help him promote himself out of the freelance consultancy business and into the realm of full-time employment.

First, I photographed him for the better part of an hour against a neutral background. All the while, I held a conversation with him so his form, figure, and gestures would feel more natural. Second, I chose my favorite image and based on the design on its composition and tone.

In the end, he chose to go with another, more light-hearted photograph from the session that represented the voice he wanted to project on the card. The design itself adjusted accordingly but remained intact, which I was happy about as well.

Dirty, Dirty Bobbins

2011-03-16T07:00:00.011-04:00

(click images to enlarge)

As part of my aptly-named, extremely naive, and I'm-far-too-busy-for-all-of-this-and-yet-here-I-go Photographers for Architectural Preservation organization, this Saturday sees the first of 4 weekly events at the former General Textile Mill in Western Maryland. In order to make this more of an event instead of a simple money-for-access fundraiser, I designed a commemorative t-shirt (above) for each participant that was inspired by a 1950s-era note still inside the mill (below).

FYI: If you're a serious photographer and are either interested or feeling spontaneous, I have a few spots available for the morning of March 19th and the afternoon of March 26th. Otherwise, it's a sell-out! Just drop me an email ASAP if you'd like to join the event.

Designathon 2011

2011-03-02T07:00:00.010-05:00

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For the third straight year, I participated in PCA&D's annual Designathon as faculty adviser to a design team of Central PA AIGA graphic design student members. Each year offers us new challenges, new experiences, and without fail – zero sleep, occasional hysterics, junk food, caffeinated beverages, and good times.

This year was no exception as I had the pleasure of working with former students of mine, and fellow type nerds, seniors Paul Sullivan and Josh Yinger. Our team was assigned to work with both Wendy Nagle and Mike Donnelly on merchandise designs for the fantastic Heritage Center, Quilt & Textile Museum, and the .918 Club – all historic and integral places of interest in my hometown of Lancaster, PA.

In order to ready several designs for their debut at the upcoming quilt show opening, 3 designs were chosen, revised, and finalized already for production – with hopefully more to come in the future. To view the complete set of designs in their original form, go here. To read more about Designathon 2011, go here.

(l-r: Paul , Josh, yours truly, and client Wendy Nagle)

Local Advertising & Design, Circa 1892

2011-02-23T07:00:00.006-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

This designs have roughly 5-10 different fonts each, hyphenation, and an excessive use of commas but still I'm 100% enamored by the styling of these advertisements dating from 1892. I found them while looking up my family's listings in the Lancaster, PA phone directory and they really make me yearn for learning the printing press (if only time was on my side). As a whole, you can tell the same group of men put together all of the ads in the directories as the look and feel of the book has an incredible continuity despite the eclectic nature of the design elements.

Collaborating With Old Friends…

2011-02-16T14:25:00.010-05:00

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Friends and family, let the fraternal brotherhood once again rise from the ashes. Organizing and uniting on the soils of Europe and the United States in 2011.

Call For Entries! Um, No Thank You…

2011-02-09T07:00:00.017-05:00

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It's that time of year, people: Everyone from How and Print magazines to the AIGA and Society of Illustrators are sending out their "Call For Entries" emails and promotional mailers. What an exciting time to be a communication artist, right? Wrong. Instead of buzzing about putting all of my entries together, I'm recycling all the mailers and deleting the emails immediately like I always do. Why, you ask?

I value my client's praise and their willingness to hire me over and over again above and beyond anything else. Be it a book design, an ad, a marketing tool, or an album cover – that's all I'll ever need to be happy doing what I'm doing.
I value my money and with fees of $65 per entry, I'd rather play the state lottery for $1 and have a better chance of winning.

But most of all…

I've never been a schmoozer and when it comes to competitions, it's all about who created it ("Oh, wow, their agency is fantastic – I love this!") and what the subject matter is ("Check out this Elvis Costello CD and this Vampire Weekend tour poster!"). I can't tell you how many times I've seen the worst turd of a piece appear in these "best of" annuals that I wouldn't have even shown the client – let alone submitted for competition. Good luck finding anything that strays from the political left (that isn't mocking it), underground (that isn't ironically trendy), or non-hipster (that isn't ironically non-hipster) in the winner's pile – and that's not mere coincidence.

Now, I understand that it's exciting to see your work in print and that many people live for this time of year – for whatever their reason. For me, however, it's just not my concern and 2011 isn't going to see that change.

Puttin' The "Neutra" In Neutraface!

2011-02-02T07:00:00.016-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

Inspiration for the wildly-popular Neutraface font by House Industries, architect Richard Neutra (1892-1970), a native of Vienna, Austria, moved to Los Angeles in 1925 to work with Rudolph Schindler on Frank Lloyd Wright's Barnsdall Park project. In 1929, Neutra became famous in his own right with the completion of his landmark Modernist Lovell House in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles. Over the next 20 years, Neutra became one of the recognized innovators and leaders of Modernist architecture.

We're talking Neutra today because I recently came across a real estate flier that listed the Neutra Office Building in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA. Listed for auction with a starting price of $3.5 million, the office may or may not still be available for purchase. While the attached photo doesn't do it justice, here's the full details from the real estate flier:

"The Neutra Office building, a pristine example of the work of one of the seminal architects of the Modernist movement in Los Angeles, has come on the market. It is where Dion Neutra, the present owner, has presided over this creative epicenter for the past 40 years and where the Chavez Ravine housing, US Embassy in Karachi, Los Angeles Hall of Records, Gettysburg Memorial, Orange County Courthouse, Huntington Beach Library and many other masterpieces were designed. It is a City of Los Angeles Monument, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a focus of pride for Silver Lake where so many Neutra buildings have defined the area. Dion Neutra, son and partner of Richard Neutra served as Project Architect supervising Red March, the Neutras’ favorite contractor.

"The incomparable value of this property derives from the fact that it is literally the only remaining example of Neutra commercial design, still with its original look. This is a Trophy property for an owner/collector who will carry the Neutra legacy proudly into the future, co-branding their own ventures and mission with the power of this icon."

For a jaw-dropping, mouth-watering, awe-inspiring exploration of all Los Angeles real estate listings linked to Richard Neutra, go here.

And, of course, to buy the Neutraface font, go here.

New Release Book Pages (a.k.a. NRBs)

2011-01-26T11:13:00.008-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

The NRB, the ultimate sales tool. Or something like that. When employed in-house at EMI/Capitol Records, I was in charge of overseeing, scheduling, and designing many of the New Release Book pages for use by the sales department. What often felt like a chore, we were given a great deal of creative license when designing the pages. This, despite the massive amount of copy, bullet points and required elements of course. Looking back, I'm pleased to have found a selection of titles that I think rose above a simple marketing tool.

The Design That Didn't Make It Home

2011-01-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

(above) The original cover and title treatment I created.

(above) The revised cover I saw, for the first time, online.

(click image to enlarge)

Whilst digging in the archives putting the portfolio site together late last year, I came upon some files from the spring of 2006 that reminded me of what can go wrong for a designer.

I art directed illustrator Travis Smith and designed the package for a band on High Impact Recordings, an imprint of Metal Blade Records. The band was named A Love Ends Suicide and I worked with the band directly on creating their package. Everything was approved, I delivered the files to Metal Blade, and invoiced them accordingly. Done deal.

Weeks later I saw a press release on a music website about the album coming out and followed the link to see if they posted the album art as well. What I found was extremely disturbing: the original layout for the cover was completely different. I immediately emailed the label president who hired me in the first place to ask "was there a problem?", "was it all changed?", and to let him know that I was upset about not being contacted to make any revisions and nor was I aware of any revision requests from the band. I was even more upset because what tainted the new version of the cover was "basic, sophomoric, Photoshop, small-time stuff" and that "I hope my name isn't attached to all of that." I would never have assumed it was my contact's fault but I simply needed to find out more.

He wrote me back saying that "the band decided that they wanted to use a different logo that they would be using for this record cycle. I assumed they had spoken to you about possibly using a different logo. Nothing else on the record is changed other than the lyrics which were added to the tray card." He kindly added: "It was not my intention in anyway to upset you or be sneaky. I wanted to go with a logo that the band was happy with and I assumed everything was communicated. Knowing the situation know I would have handled things differently." He then mentioned that the band were "copied on this email so we can all communicate about this" and then apologized once more.

I replied to all, thanked him for the note, and told him it was greatly appreciated. After all, it wasn't his fault – it was the band's. He was just left to clean it up for them. I added that "I just needed to air my concern to those involved with the project. The bottom line is that what my name is attached to I want to actually be my own work... and I think that makes sense." To which he replied to all saying that "I absolutely understand."

The band got the emails, of course, but never had the decency to reply or apologize. I wasn't surprised, to be honest. In the end, although the album didn't do well and the band broke up, perhaps they'll be in another band one day, send their album off to the record label only to have the label remix it without their knowledge. Maybe then they'll know what it's like.

New Artwork For 2011

2011-01-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

This is the first in a minimalist series I'm working on this winter featuring organic noise and digital composition. So many sketches and compositions coming to mind. The hope I have for this series is a CD package comprised entirely of these works and typography.

How Not To Be An Art Thief.

2010-12-29T07:00:00.017-05:00

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a.k.a. The Ballad of Thomas Porostocky vs. Dave Warren

First, don't steal another person's artwork. Second, don't lie about stealing another person's artwork in a public forum while belittling the original artist and boasting about your apparent legend.

Further, when not stealing their artwork, don't arrogantly state that you came up with it yourself via "free clip art" only to later admit that you had someone else at your agency in charge of this – and that they obviously did steal the artwork. So there you go, a lesson on how not to be an art thief.

Enjoy, and follow the paper trail…

Dawn Of The Modern (Caffeinated) Santa Claus

2010-12-22T07:00:00.014-05:00

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Thomas Nast, famous illustrator and cartoonist, is credited with creating the modern image of Santa Claus. He first drew Santa Claus for the cover of Harper's Weekly in January 1863. He was shown clothed in the Union flag, memorializing the sacrifices made by the north early in the Civil War, and bringing gifts to the troops encamped on the battlefields. Nast is also often credited several Santa Claus traditions, including his workshop, writing letters to Santa, etc.

Essentially, Nast combined the tradition of Saint Nicholas with another German folk tradition, elves, to draw his Santa. Luckily for Coca-Cola, Nast chose red and white for Santa's "color scheme" and they began integrating Santa into their holiday advertising in the 1920s. Up until this point, Coca-Cola was considered a summer drink but Coke's "Thirst Knows No Season" campaign quickly changed that forever.

2010: A Reading Wish List

2010-12-15T07:00:00.008-05:00

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From the legendary Alvin Lustig and the beautifully agitating James Victore to Cees De Jong's collection of Typography from the early 20th century, I'm filled with consumerism-based desires for these three books released in 2010. Admittedly I'm not as much of a reader like I used to be, but I never tire of visual inspiration and I'm thinking we all need to hop on these for 2011.

"Graphic design is a big fucking club with spikes in it, and I want to wield it."
– James Victore

"I make solutions nobody wants, to problems that don’t exist."
– Alvin Lustig

Thin the Herd, the Great Cull is Coming Down…

2010-12-08T07:00:00.008-05:00

(click image to enlarge)

While I worked this past week on my brush lettering typeface, I found myself inking the name "Killing Joke" (and later, the cover graphic) while playing their outstanding new album, Absolute Dissent. There's nothing quite like the feeling of putting that brush to paper and seeing the ink come alive. It's something a Wacom tablet never will – no matter how hard it tries – be able to replicate.

"Thin the Herd, the Great Cull is Coming Down…"

In Memoriam: Peter Christopherson

2010-12-01T07:00:00.006-05:00

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Peter Christopherson – legendary commercial artist, designer, photographer, videographer and musician – passed away last week on November 25.

In 1974, Christopherson joined forces with Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powerll at Hipgnosis and went on to create many famous album covers including Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Animals and Peter Gabriel's first three solo albums – most notably the legendary "melting face" artwork. For the record, Christopherson said this regarding his time at Hipgnosis:

"I worked as a free-lance photographer and contributor, then promoted to an assistant to Hipgnosis before becoming a partner, and continued to act also after I officially left the organization. So my contributions range from attempted but rejected artwork or design work, to partial contribution in either/both as an assistant, to being fully responsible for all design and artwork, such as the Peter Gabriel LPs. What you wish to document is up to you."

Christopherson went on to form Throbbing Gristle, early pioneers of industrial music, only to later join Psychic T.V. before forming his own group, Coil. As a music video director, he worked with Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Robert Plant, Rage Against the Machine, Sepultura, Paul McCartney, The The, Van Halen, Yes, and many more.

Information Graphics: Government Style

2010-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a redesign of its Fuel Economy and Environmental Comparison labels that are legally required to be posted on all new vehicles for sale in the U.S. Information graphics are a challenge on any given day but especially so when it's dealing with such a hot button topic.

FROM THE EPA:
All new cars and light-duty trucks sold in the U.S. are required to have a label that displays fuel economy information that is designed to help consumers make easy and well-informed comparisons between vehicles. Most people recognize the current label (or “window sticker”) by the gas tank graphic and city and highway Miles Per Gallon (MPG) information. EPA has provided fuel economy estimates in City and Highway MPG values for more than 30 years.

EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are updating this label to provide consumers with simple, straightforward energy and environmental comparisons across all vehicles types, including electric vehicles (EV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and conventional gasoline/diesel vehicles. The agencies are incorporating new information, such as ratings on fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions, and other air pollutants, onto the label as required by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007.

The agencies are proposing two different label designs (see right) and are eager to gather public input. Specifically, which design, or design features, would best help you compare the fuel economy, fuel costs, and environmental impacts of different vehicles.

I voted already! For your chance to do the same, go here.

The House That Nat Built.

2010-11-17T07:00:00.002-05:00

(click images to enlarge)

While working for Capitol/EMI as an in-house Production Designer, our Creative Services department was eventually moved into the legendary digs of the Capitol Records tower in Hollywood. I couldn't have been more thrilled, of course, especially when I was granted my own office on the 8th floor with windows and a full view of the Hollywood sign and its rolling hills.

And not unlike Richard Dreyfuss in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" with Devil's Tower, I had a penchant for drawing the tower during meetings, at home, etc. Thankfully, of course, I never worked into mashed potatoes or worse. Included above is one such drawing of mine from 2008, done from memory.

As a buff of both history and music, I reveled in the every square inch of its circular interior, as designed by architect Welton Becket. From attending staff mixers in the historic Capitol Studios having access to Frank Sinatra's microphone and Nat King Cole's piano to seeing the likes of Barry Manilow and more in the lobby and thinking of every artist who walked those halls from The Beatles, Beach Boys and Les Paul to The Band and Beastie Boys. Indeed, the tower and its past were a constant source of inspiration for both me and my design.

* All photos by yours truly except lower right, taken by Steve Silvas.

To download a 34 page, 4.5mb PDF I created featuring historic images, postcards, beautiful pages from the grand opening booklet from April 1956 and more – simply email me at baygrowits@yahoo.com and I'll send it your way.

A MAN ALIVE DESIGN PORTFOLIO SITE

2010-11-14T12:55:00.008-05:00

(click image to visit portfolio site)

Looking ahead to a new calendar year, I wanted to create a PORTFOLIO-specific site that would allow my work to be viewed with ease while also allowing the blog to stand on its own exclusively as a blog. New work, along with a weekly blog, will continue to appear here at the Blogspot address of course. To visit the portfolio in the future, feel free to click on the links to the right to access the portfolio site at any time.

While always a tedious venture, going through one's professional archives is a fun experience to see what pieces stand out after all of these years. Naturally, I focused on work over the past 3-4 years but occasionally an oldie-but-goody will appear now and again for good measure!

Check it out at your leisure and, as always, thanks for stopping by. – Cheers, Tom b.

Roger Gorman & I at PCA&D

2010-11-10T07:00:00.015-05:00

(click on image to enlarge)

On Friday, November 12th at 10:00 a.m., I'll be hosting an open-to-the-public Q&A between Roger Gorman & I in the Atrium at PCA&D. Roger's work has been honored with design awards from the Art Directors Clubs of New York and Los Angeles, the Society of Publication Designers, the American Institute of Graphic Arts, ID magazine and Print magazine. His music clients range from Metallica and Helmet to David Bowie and John Lennon while his corporate clients include MTV, VH-1, Coca-Cola, Bacardi, Exxon, and more.

As the founder of Reiner Design, graduate of St. Martin's College of Art & Design in London and Grammy-winning designer of David Bowie's Sound + Vision box set – Roger & I worked together on several projects, most notably the highly-acclaimed coffin box set for The Misfits where Roger brought to life my vision for the packaging as I cared to my A&R duties.

Together Roger & I will be discussing his entire career, sharing anecdotes of designing for the music, corporate and publishing industries, and delving both verbally and visually into many works from his archives..

2010 Collage Annual Report

2010-11-03T07:00:00.002-04:00

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Featuring cover art by students Sean Marley (left) and Julianna Jordi (right), the 8-page, the 2010 Collage Annual Report is complete. Front cover art is above while the back cover is below.

A Momentary Gap In Reason

2010-10-27T07:00:00.002-04:00

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Regardless of whatever Marka Hansen, Gap North America's President, has to say – the idea to update the Gap logo isn't the problem. In fact, the idea makes perfect sense after all this time. It's the design itself, however… well, that's another story altogether. Whose fault that is, be it Gap's, the agency who drafted the logo or a combination of both, is not mine to decide. Only those involved in the process will ever truly understand where the blame lies. And in a design sense, there's plenty of blame to go around.

A logo that has more to do with "actual student work" than an iconic clothing retailer has no business seeing the light of day. As a teacher, I wouldn't have accepted its cold, bruised blue and black scheme, its pedestrian use of Helvetica (including the bastardized "G") and its overall lack of imagination from a 2nd year design student – let alone an art director and subsequent team of designers doing work on behalf of a multi-billion dollar company.

In the end, Gap Inc. clearly don't get what happened here. “We’ve learned a lot in this process,” Hansen added. “And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community.” No, Ms. Hansen, you went about this the right way but did so with the wrong design. It's that simple.

With that said, good luck to Gap Inc. as they pander to their customer base with both withdrawn crowd sourcing and statements like the one above. They've started sliding headfirst down a very slippery slope and I, for one, applaud the public for bashing this horrendous work of design.

For more, go here and here.

In The House Industries Cul-De-Sac…

2010-10-20T07:00:00.011-04:00

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WHAT: Field trip for the History of Communication Arts studio class
WHEN: Friday, October 15th, 2010
WHERE: Brandywine River Museum, House Industries

The classroom can be a bubble if you you don't get outside of it once in a while, of course, and this field trip created a powerful combination of traditional applied arts, materials, techniques and contemporary work steeped in tradition. After a morning spent at the Brandywine River Museum, soaking in American works from both the fine and applied art worlds, our group moved to House Industries for a personal tour of their offices. Although I've had a relationship with the House guys for 13 years and even had them to PCA&D as guest speakers back in 2008, I hadn't visited their headquarters. So, for me as well as for the students – this was a treat.

The ever-gracious Andy Cruz (co-founder, co-owner and art director) and Brian Awitan (security, muscle and all-around ambassador) were joined by Ben Kiel (type master, teacher) for both a 2:15 and 3:15 tour for our students. During the 3:15 tour, we were joined by Rich Roat (co-founder, co-owner and operator) and Ken Barber (type master, teacher) as well. Hijinks ensued throughout the afternoon, for sure. Stories, laughs, inside jokes and memories of grandiose mistakes made along the way were shared with the students. There's no one single path to success and it's safe to say that House paved their very own unique one.

As a collective, the students were presented with a variety of image and business-based concepts including press sheets, illustration originals, type design, printed finals, the soon-to-be-launched Photo-Lettering website and – most importantly – the passionate philosophy that made House Industries one of the elite studios of our generation.

It was a lot to soak in, for sure, but hopefully everyone left looking at typography and illustration in a whole new way. For as much as I already knew about House already, I know I did…

"You had better watch your back
When you're in my cul-de-sac.
'Cause there ain't no goin' back
If your mom's Volvo gets a scratch."
– Badneck "Suburban Curse"
(taken from the Blaktur font package CD)

A "Double Elephant" Folio for the Record Books

2010-10-13T07:00:00.006-04:00

(above images by Lefteris Pitarakis / AP)

As both an environmentalist and a vegetarian, I consider John James Audobon's illustrated works in Birds of America to be both inspiring artwork as well as works of reflection. Bold and brilliant in every way, Audobon's beautiful pieces showed the world what natural and mesmerizing beauty inhabited this country's shores – still largely free of human influence.

(click illustrations to enlarge)

Published as a series of sections between 1827 and 1838, No. 11 of the 100 or so remaining copies is going up for auction on December 7th at Sotheby's London. The collection of 435 hand-colored prints, created from engravings of Audobon's illustrations, measures more than 3 feet by 2 feet because Audobon wanted to paint the birds life size. By doing so, Audobon was quoted as calling this edition the "double elephant" folio.

Interested? Expect to bid between 4 million and 6 million pounds, or $6.2 and $9.2 million. After all, a copy sold at auction in 2000 for $8,802,500, which remains to this day a world record for any printed book.

(click illustrations to enlarge)

This Boy Loves Country Design…

2010-10-06T07:00:00.011-04:00

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Hitting the stores on October 12th on Capital Nashville is Trace Adkins' The Definitive Greatest Hits: Til The Last Shot’s Fired 2xCD collection. Please note that for anyone buying the album on iTunes, I created a digital booklet featuring the full package art for this release as well.

Overall, I wanted the collection to have a cohesive look and in order to help me achieve that, I worked exclusively with a beautiful photoshoot by Kristen Barlowe. Without question, the quality of the images allowed me do so much more with the design as they truly captured the essence of Trace's character and image.

Field Trip, NYC-Style (2010)

2010-09-29T07:00:00.021-04:00

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Every year the students and select faculty of PCA&D's Graphic Design department venture to NYC for a day of art in the big city. This year, we arrived a little early so I led some of the students through nearby Times Square. Sadly, due to limited time, we had to turn down an offer from Extra who invited our group to gather around the set of their upcoming interview with Motley Crue's Vince Neil. Only in NYC, right? We missed you, Mr. Neil.

The official festivities, all rock and roll escapades aside, began when Pam Barby started the day off with a visit to the offices of multi-media giants, Firstborn. Dan LaCivita, President of Firstborn, gave everyone a fantastic presentation of their cutting edge work – and the process behind it – for Doritos, Sobe and the Titanic. Coming from a self-proclaimed "visual engineer of the printed matter," my brain was exploding at all the cutting edge, multi-media experience conceptual work the agency creates. To say the least, the students truly enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look into how the marketing of major brand products is both conceived and executed.

After we departed Firstborn, I took a group of 15+ students with me on my "Chelsea Experience" tour of the city's storied and art-filled west side neighborhood (and my former home). It's my opinion that designers should be artists first and foremost and the goal of my tour was to expose students to a balance of design and fine art.

Art was put aside for the moment, however, as our first stop was Patsy's Pizzeria on 23rd for lunch. So much for the starving artists, right? Patsy's, while very different than St. Mark's Pizza on the L.E.S., bakes up some of the best crust and sauce in the city.

Our second stop was Printed Matter; the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of publications made by artists. For those interested in the avant-garde, the alternative printing processes and the feeling of unique books and packaging – Printed Matter is a dream of a book store. Next, we took in Pace Gallery's "50 Years at Pace" celebration. Pace have 5 spaces throughout Chelsea and each featured a unique look at the work they've represented over their five decades of art in NYC. Between the 2 spaces we stopped in, we were able to observe iconic works by Close, Johns, Rothko, Rauschenberg, Steinberg, Pollock, DeBuffet, Nevelson, Oldenburg, Warhol, Lichtenstein and beyond – most of which were on loan from the Tate, Whitney, MOMA, National Museum of the Smithsonian and beyond, unlikely to ever be hung together as a singular show again.

And finally, everyone on the trip was to reconvene at MOMA for Target Free Friday nights there. Thankfully my group was able to soak in legendary mid-20th century art at Pace because MOMA's 4th floor exhibit of their work from this period was closed. MOMA's highlights included the "Shaping Modernity: Design 1880–1980" and "Underground Gallery: London Transport Posters 1920s–1940s" exhibits. After a couple hours at the museum, it was time to head home and while I was loving the day of art, my body was telling me it was time to rest.

Overall, NYC offers up so many unique experiences and I was happy to share some of my favorite places with my students. I'm already thinking ahead to next year's trip and what we'll be able to put together in 2011. Until then…

A Week In The Life…

2010-09-22T07:00:00.005-04:00

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I, like 10 quadrillion people before me, hold Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr close to my heart. Since first entering the ranks of the music industry, my life has been full of fantastic moments that brought my childhood adoration full circle. From meeting, working, eating, drinking, designing for and traveling with musicians I grew up idolizing – I've lived a blessed life.

The latest moment for me was being granted the privilege of doing production design on CD + T-shirt box packages for The Beatles and John Lennon that will hit the stores later in the fall. To have Apple Records come back and say that these "look really good" is a truly surreal moment for me. After all, as far back as the early 70s, I can remember holding The Beatles records and staring at the green apple on Side A and the exposed, white apple core on Side B. And now I'm placing that very apple into a production design of my own. Life is pretty good…

Photo-Lettering, Revived

2010-09-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

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In yet another unique endeavor, the certifiable type nerds over at House Industries have purchased the archives of Photo-Lettering and plan to launch a design web-service where designers will be able to build custom headlines, logotypes and more. Here's more information on the venture, from the H.I. press release:

"House Industries, a Yorklyn, Delaware-based independent type foundry, purchased the entire physical assets of Photo-Lettering in April of 2003. Through a partnership with Ken Barber, Christian Schwartz and Erik van Blokland, House Industries is carefully digitizing select alphabets from the collection and plans to offer them through a modern web-based interface.

"Photo-Lettering was a mainstay of the advertising and design industry in New York City from 1936 to 1997. PLINC, as it was affectionately known to art directors, was one of the earliest and most successful type houses to utilize photo technology in the production of commercial typography and lettering. It employed such design luminaries as Ed Benguiat and sold type drawn by the likes of Herb Lubalin, Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast as well as countless other unsung lettering greats. The company is best known by most of today's graphic designers for its ubiquitous type catalogs."

Look for the web-service here later in 2010 and sign up to be the first to know! In the meantime, there's a great set of 20" x 26" plywood prints and serigraphs available here.

2010 PCA&D Faculty Biennial

2010-09-08T07:00:00.006-04:00

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Although open to the public since August 6th, the artist reception for PCA&D's 2010 Faculty Biennial exhibit was held on Friday, September 3rd. I had 3 items on display: the Century Media 20th anniversary series of CD covers, a photograph taken at Spring Grove Hospital and the Misery Obscura: The Photography Of Eerie Von (1981-2009) book.

Thanks to everyone for coming out on First Friday. It was a gorgeous night to see fellow faculty, friends, family and students out on the town in support of the arts.

(The 3 photos below were taken by Jennifer Martin.)

2 Artists, 2 Portraits

2010-09-01T07:00:00.007-04:00

(click images to enlarge)

Whilst digging through my archives of works on paper, I came upon a couple portraits from the early 1990s. One of a great artist and inspirational figure in my life, illustrator Ralph Steadman (above), and the other of an old friend and neighbor in New York City, photographer Horacio Salinas (below).

I sent the work of Mr. Steadman to his home address in England around 1993, along with a photo of myself, in hopes of exchanging portraits with him. Instead, I received a letter from his wife, as well as my drawing and photograph, politely declining my request stating that, "Ralph doesn't do this kind of thing." If only I could find that letter some 10 moves around the country later. Anyway, I digress…

Horacio's portrait was based on a photograph I took of him in around 1994 during our time as neighbors in my first apartment in Chelsea, NYC. Horacio and I lost touch many, many years ago now but I recently found his website packed with truly inspiring, high-end work. I'm not in the least bit surprised, mind you, even in his youth he was a ridiculously talented photographer.

For more on the artists themselves:
Find Ralph's work here and Horacio's here.

Out of Print Clothing

2010-08-25T07:00:00.005-04:00

(click image to link to shop)

I saw a few of these in an Urban Outfitters store in Philly a couple years back but inexcusably forgot about them until my friend Gregg recommended the Out of Print Clothing site to me. Low and behold it was the same folks only with more classic designs by the likes of George Salter, Paul Bacon, the utterly brilliant illustrator Rockwell Kent and arguably the 20th century's greatest graphic designer, Alvin Lustig. The problem is picking just one or two to buy, you know?

PCA&D Admissions Viewbook 2010-2011

2010-08-18T07:00:00.004-04:00

(click to enlarge image)

Also receiving a 2nd go-around this year is my design for the PCA&D "viewbook" for the Admissions department. It features the same proportions but different imagery than the 2009-2010 version, of course. As with the accompanying poster, a brand new design concept will come together for next year's edition.

PCA&D Admissions Poster 2010-2011

2010-08-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

A set of new imagery combined with an alternate, vertical layout resulted in the PCA&D Admissions 2010-20011 poster. The 2009-2010 edition was horizontal in composition but Natalie & Co. wanted to change things up this time around. The process resulted in a shifting of the title copy and, naturally, a new alignment of student artwork. Overall, the poster is folded into 6 panels per side with the front being full color and the back being B&W with the latter broken down by the folded panels for both mailing and reading purposes.

All told, I'm very pleased with how the original look is holding up in its 2nd full year of use. With that said, however, watch for brand new design concepts to come together for next year's PCA&D Admissions materials. I'm looking forward to it already…

What's Old Is New Again: Sign Painting

2010-08-04T07:00:00.002-04:00

FontCast #12 — Damon Styer from FontShop on Vimeo.

Unused Artwork: The National

2010-07-28T07:00:00.004-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

I was in contact with The National's management about a year before their fifth album was to be released (known now as High Violet). At the time, I was told they were commissioning a different poster design for every single show on what would be their first full U.S. run in support of the upcoming album and that I should get back in contact around the end of 2009 when things were coming together. Long story short; I rang them again but no one answered or replied. With that said, although not fully developed or explored, this was the first idea I had worked on.

Family History: George Wiegand

2010-07-21T07:00:00.017-04:00

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Whilst working on my family history this summer, I've procured quite a collection of historical documents. One of my favorite things about these documents is their handwriting and/or typefaces, of course. For example, here's a sampling of the use of the name George Wiegand from my archives. There were three George Wiegand's in a generational row, mind you: George Casper (1804-1834), George Adam (1830-1887) and George Anthony (1870-1929). These are the direct ancestral links to my past and are my great-great-great, great-great and great maternal grandfathers, respectively.

Legend (top-bottom):
• October 16, 1857 – Passenger sheet from "The Shippen"
• 1890 – "Surviving Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines, and Widows, Etc." census
• 1900 – Lancaster City Directory listing
• April 14, 1910 – 13th Census of the United States
• 1827 – Kurhessisches Heads of State and address manual
• June 7, 1880 – 10th Census of the United States
• October 24, 1887 – Newspaper obituary listing

Ah, the lost art of cursive, handwriting, letter presses and typewriters…

CM20: Vols. 2 & 3

2010-07-14T07:00:00.002-04:00

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The 2nd and 3rd installments in the CM20 campaign for 2010. Only one more to go and then it's on to the expansive box set, and its limited edition version, for holiday release.

WARNING: Contains Adult Language

2010-07-07T07:00:00.006-04:00

Note: As a self-professed font snob, this is hilarious. However, its ability to make me laugh out loud doesn't change my opinion on the matter…

I'm Comic Sans, A#@hole.
By Mike Lacher

Listen up. I know the s#@t you've been saying behind my back. You think I'm stupid. You think I'm immature. You think I'm a malformed, pathetic excuse for a font. Well think again, nerdhole, because I'm Comic Sans, and I'm the best thing to happen to typography since Johannes f#@king Gutenberg.

You don't like that your coworker used me on that note about stealing her yogurt from the break room fridge? You don't like that I'm all over your sister-in-law's blog? You don't like that I'm on the sign for that new Thai place? You think I'm pedestrian and tacky? Guess the f#@k what, Picasso. We don't all have seventy-three weights of stick-up-my-a#@ Helvetica sitting on our seventeen-inch MacBook Pros. Sorry the entire world can't all be done in stark Eurotrash Swiss type. Sorry some people like to have fun. Sorry I'm standing in the way of your minimalist Bauhaus-esque fascist snoozefest. Maybe sometime you should take off your black turtleneck, stop compulsively adjusting your Tumblr theme, and lighten the f#@k up for once.

People love me. Why? Because I'm fun. I'm the life of the party. I bring levity to any situation. Need to soften the blow of a harsh message about restroom etiquette? SLAM. There I am. Need to spice up the directions to your graduation party? WHAM. There again. Need to convey your fun-loving, approachable nature on your business' website? SMACK. Like daffodils in motherf#@king spring.

When people need to kick back, have fun, and party, I will be there, unlike your pathetic fonts. While Gotham is at the science fair, I'm b#@ging the prom queen behind the woodshop. While Avenir is practicing the clarinet, I'm shredding Reign In Blood on my double-necked Stratocaster. While Univers is refilling his allergy prescriptions, I'm racing my tricked-out, nitrous-laden Honda Civic against Tokyo gangsters who'll kill me if I don't cross the finish line first. I am a sans serif Superman and my only kryptonite is pretentious buzzkills like you.

It doesn't even matter what you think. You know why, j#@off? Cause I'm famous. I am on every major operating system since Microsoft f#@king Bob. I'm in your signs. I'm in your browsers. I'm in your instant messengers. I'm not just a font. I am a force of motherf#@king nature and I will not rest until every uptight armchair typographer c#@k-hat like you is surrounded by my lovable, comic-book inspired, sans-serif badassery.

Enough of this bulls#@t. I'm gonna go get hammered with Papyrus.

[ Ed. – You can contact Mike at mike@mikelacher.com ]

Mesmerized by the hand of another…

2010-06-30T07:00:00.001-04:00

THE DIRTY SOUTH: Samuel Mockbee

2010-06-23T07:00:00.016-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

“The goal is not to have a warm, dry house, but to have a warm,
dry house with a spirit to it.” — Samuel Mockbee

This post was spawned by a fantastic story and slideshow on Design Observer titled "Rematerial: From Waste to Architecture" featuring several amazing designs throughout the world, including Hale County, Alabama. And you can't speak about Hale County without mentioning Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio. No, sir, you cannot.

In 2003, I sought out and landed the job of designing a book for a traveling Mockbee retrospective exhibit named Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio: Community Architecture (details seen throughout here [out of print]). An artist in his own right, Mockbee is best known for his creation of the Rural Studio, a sustainable architecture program based out of Auburn University. Over the years, students involved in the program have both designed and built dozens of honest and innovative structures of all kinds for the residents of Hale County. The key is that each of the highly resourceful designs is constructed with readily available – often salvaged, sustainable or recycled – materials.

There's an exciting new documentary, Citizen Architect, that just premiered at SXSW this past spring and will air on PBS in 2010. To view a dozen short videos capturing the beauty and grace of the Rural Studio's projects including the Hay Bale House, Windshield Chapel, Patrick House, Animal Shelter, Butterfly House and more – go HERE. Both yourself and your soul will be happy that you did…

FORGET AQUEOUS, CHECK OUT COROBEX!

2010-06-16T07:00:00.009-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

Aqueous coating, schmaqueous coating – I say!

Sally Jane found this deck of late-50s/early-60s vintage Cheer-up playing cards that are "doubly protected by Redi-Slip finish that contains Corobex." Sure, aqueous coating is a "fast-drying, water-based, protective coating that provides a high gloss surface which protects the surface from dirt, smudges, fingerprints and scratch" but can it protect you from germs? I thought not.

From playing cards to contact lenses, food service, catheters, fibers, textiles, monomers and polymers – Corobex is on the job. And there's just something sweet about their logo and that metallic ink, isn't there?

TIL THE LAST SHOT'S FIRED…

2010-06-09T07:00:00.008-04:00

(click image to enlarge)

I'm in the midst of designing a 2xCD greatest hits collection set to arrive in stores (of all kinds) later this year. More on the final cover selection, layout, etc. as we approach the approved street date.

A WORLD RECORD FOR CRITICISM?

2010-06-02T07:00:00.001-04:00

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So, the Olympics are coming to your home country? Think you'd like to design the logo for the games? Be careful what you wish for.

In its official press release, the 2012 London Olympic Committee had this to say about the London 2012 Olympic Logo: “The new emblem is dynamic, modern and flexible, reflecting a brand savvy world where people, especially young people, no longer relate to static logos but respond to a dynamic brand that works with new technology and across traditional and new media networks.”

However, it's going over like a lead balloon to the masses. Case in point; The Daily Mail, the second highest selling newspaper in Britain, actually ran a story requesting anyone – and I mean anyone – to create their own design for the Olympic logo. Upon viewing these public-based options, as I always say, just because you have a computer doesn't mean you should be using it! (see below)

Sebastian Coe, London 2012 chairman has stated this about the reaction, "It won't be to be everybody's taste immediately but it's a brand that we genuinely believe can be a hard working brand which builds on pretty much everything we said in Singapore about reaching out and engaging young people, which is where our challenge is over the next five years."

Toss in the fact that the logo's animated version was dropped from use after complaints that it induced epileptics to suffer fits and Sebastian's been doing a lot of PR work for the logo. Apparently the short sequence featuring a diver plunging into a pool contained high-speed flashes of color that lead a man to attest that he blanked out after see the commercial on television.

Oh, and did I mention Wenlock & Mandeville, the London Olympics mascots? They're taking a lot of heat these days as well, even though I find them endearing and kind of adorable. See them in action, with some more from Sebastian Coe, here.

In the end, it's hard enough pleasing one person or ten with a design, let alone millions. Especially when laymen get a hold of it without any knowledge as to what was discussed both before and during the design process. In the end, there's tons of bad designs floating about in Britain but I'm not quite sure this is one of them.

TYPOGRAPHER-ENVY

2010-05-26T07:00:00.020-04:00

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A little while back, while in the midst of a serious drawing phase, I took aim at creating my own alphabet. An alphabet of my own, based on my artistic style. An alphabet, not a typeface per se. I got through the "O" and ran out of paper, I believe. These things happen.

Designing type and the letterform – especially on the level of Hoefler & Frere-Jones or House Industries – is serious, disciplined and challenging business. Like any design nerd, I am in awe of a beautiful font. After all, without great typography, true design is incomplete. And even if I never finish my alphabet or formally design a typeface, typography will continue to – and always will – play a major role in my professional life.

Acme Color Chip Bulletin

2010-05-19T07:00:00.007-04:00

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I recently happened upon an antique Acme Color Chip Bulletin #29 binder from 1961. Unlike Pantone binders today, these colors were created exclusively for one product; the great American automobile. Featuring fully detailed information regarding the Lacquers, Color Names, Enamels and Car Manufacturer's Color Codes – the Detroit-based Acme Quality Paints, Inc. offered every dealer and shop in the country the tools to match any paint on the market. From makers like DeSoto and Edsel to Buick and Cadillac, from colors like Mojave Yellow and Desert Sage to Beaumont Beige and Argyle Blue Metallic, Acme was at the forefront of all that was America's true explosion of color in design.

If You Could You'd Sleep the Days Away…

2010-05-12T07:00:00.007-04:00

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Connected by a mutual friend, The Shape of the Earth & I have a shared vision of the arts. Every so often, you work with people who truly are in sync with each other – and that is most definitely the case between us.

With that said, I introduce you to the cover for their soon-to-be-released digital release, The Romantics EP. Previously I worked with the guys on their Do I Dare Disturb the Universe EP and, by gosh, we already have their next full-length album cover done and in the can (so to speak). It's simply a matter of when they're ready to roll with that, of course (2011, perhaps?). In the meantime, stop on by their MySpace page and get a preview of the EP with the lovely title track, "Romantics."

Note: The color scheme for the EP cover was inspired by the Helen Super Market in Detroit (below). I recently visited and photographed the city and you can view the images from that trip here.

Cass Tech Graphic Arts Club

2010-05-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

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Upon a recent photographic exploration road trip to Detroit, I discovered the Graphic Arts wing of the former Cass Tech High School building. While Cass Tech was built a new, modern home across the street, it's the old school materials in its former building that excited me. I could have spent all day in the design, photography and graphics wing, of course – but could not. Lead type, wood type, California Job boxes, graphic arts literature from the 50s to the 90s, etc. – it was all here. In other words, a time capsule of the process of graphic design in the latter half of the 20th century.

"Until 1977, Cass was Detroit's only magnet school and the only non-neighborhood enrollment school in Detroit. Today, Cass is one of four magnet schools in Detroit. Entrance to Cass is based on test scores and middle school grades. Students are required to choose a curriculum path—roughly equivalent to a college "major"—in the ninth grade. Areas of study include, but are not limited to, architecture, music, graphic arts, business, human services, and chemical/biological sciences." [Wikipedia]

Famous alumni include Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn, musician Donald Byrd, automotive legend John Delorean, actor David Alan Grier, singer Diana Ross, comedian Lily Tomlin, musician Jack White and more.

A Fantastic Thrift Store Find: Venture

2010-04-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

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VENTURE: The Traveler’s World Magazine. Bi-monthly and subsequently monthly (1960’s-1970’s) publication of Cowles Communications, Inc. October 1964 issue.

As found at the Salvation Army, I recommend anyone interested in classic American design and advertising to pick any issue of Venture up if you see them. Every time I view an ad in these pages, and there are many, I ask myself: "What would Don Draper do?"

A Complex Visionary & Salesman

2010-04-21T07:00:00.008-04:00

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As many of you know by now, Malcolm McLaren passed away on April 8th at the age of 64. The famed and oft-hated hype-machine, marketing (and apparent royalty) swindler and ego maniac was the stuff of legend. Co-founder of the 1971 London fashion shop, Let It Rock (which changed its name to "Sex" in 1975), with fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, McLaren also notably managed the Sex Pistols, New York Dolls and Bow Wow Wow. Alongside Vivienne and artist Jamie Reid, McLaren created a look that will always be synonymous with punk rock.

“For me Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. Above all else he was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you.” — John Lydon

CM20: The Official Press Release

2010-04-14T07:00:00.003-04:00

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Century Media Records’ North American Office Celebrates Its 20 Year Anniversary, Releases New Compilation Series

"Century Media Records is recognized around the globe as a dominating force and premier label for metal, hard rock and hardcore. The label is extremely proud to celebrate 20 years of metal excellence this year and have put together a special series of compilations that will highlight their 1st 20 years in North America. Four double discs will be released over the coming months, each representing a five year span to provide more focus and in-depth flashback coverage. The tracks for each reissue were meticulously chosen by previous Century Media President, Marco Barbieri, and are housed on 2 CDs in a beautifully crafted and designed digipack. Former Century Media A&R, Tom Bejgrowicz handled all the art direction and coordination, from designing the cover art, to choosing 100% recycled materials for the packaging. Each release will contain liner notes from Century Media employees, past and present.

"Volume one of this series hits shelves on May 18th. The remaining discs will be released throughout the year culminating with a massive box set at the end of the year."

Production Design, In Full Detail

2010-04-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

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I've been doing more production work for EMI over the past month, including turning blank templates (above, center) into full-fledged layouts (above, right & left) for sale at Best Buy. The challenge is to take pre-existing design from the CD package and introduce it, warp it, adjust it and do whatever it takes to make it work in this new format.

In most cases, I have the most fun coming up with spines that both compliment the package and feature graphics not used in the same way within the original designs. Case in point, the Slash package has some killer spines utilizing artwork from the booklet's interior itself. I like the idea that, regardless of what side you're looking at – Slash is checking you out!

These projects are a lot to sort out; new barcodes, ICPN numbers, adjusted legal copy, native files created by someone else (who doesn't always know what they're doing), etc. but in the end I put it all together in a way that acknowledges the original but offers up something unique as well.

With Photography Like This…

2010-03-31T07:00:00.014-04:00

• Johnny Cash, San Quentin Prison, 1969
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…how could you go wrong with an album cover?

Jim Marshall
February 3, 1936—March 24, 2010

As someone who's designed album covers utilizing classic, editorial photography – I know how much of a difference it makes to have something iconic to work with. Jim Marshall, and his photography, made life easy for many designers and inspired the legend of many classic rock musicians in music history.

I had the pleasure of viewing much of Jim's work in person at the Morrison Hotel Gallery on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood during my second stint living in the City of Angels. Awe-inspiring and legacy-worthy, to say the least. His work will live on forever. For more, go here.

• John Coltrane, Queens, NY, 1963

• Miles Davis, New York City

• Grace Slick & Janis Joplin, San Francisco, 1967

• Rolling Stones, Los Angeles, 1972 "Exile…" sessions

• Jimi Hendrix, Monterey Pop, 1967

Nerd Out On Design, Online!

2010-03-24T07:00:00.008-04:00

While I like to design utilizing my own creativity, every artist desires some immediate visual stimulation now and again – especially between projects or on an uninspired day. You're probably saying to yourself; "Tom, that's so true – but where, oh where do I find such stimulation?" Fear not, friends, here's four of my favorites to nerd out on…

• The Book Cover Archive
Is there a more creative outlet than book design?

• Design Observer
An ultra high-end design site covering a world of possibilities.

• We Love Typography
This site inspires all things typography, both past and present.

• I Love Typography
A fantastic blog that spotlights the world of typography.

Something big is in the works…

2010-03-17T07:00:00.013-04:00

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A series of projects I'm designing will (literally and figuratively) unfold throughout the summer, culminating in a box set for the 2010 holiday season. A killer project, great music and an even better client. Yeah, I'm pretty excited about it, to say the least. More soon…

When Worlds Collide

2010-03-10T07:00:00.005-05:00

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Throughout the year, typically on a bi-weekly basis, I explore and photograph abandoned architecture throughout the Northeast. I've amassed quite the archive of images including, but not limited to, former mental hospitals, schools, factories, homes, hotels and power plants.

The one thing missing in my design portfolio, however, is a package design utilizing this photography as its visual concept. With that said, out of curiosity – while between projects, I employed a photo from Pilgrim State Hospital that I shot this past January as the subject for a design. In the end, I enjoy its clean, editorial feel and lack of computer effects.

With that said, I'm feeling more confident than ever that I can take this design, or any other, featuring my photography and create something viable for a client. It's all simply a matter of finding the right circumstance for it, of course.

24 Hour Designathon

2010-03-03T07:00:00.010-05:00

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The 24 hour Designathon takes place once a year at PCA&D and is organized by the college's AIGA student chapter. The event offers non-profit organizations the ability to receive professional-quality design services, free of charge. Beginning at 6PM on Friday night, the design teams meet with their non-profit to discuss their project needs. After that, it's 24 hours of non-stop design mayhem in order to conceptualize, design and evolve the best ideas into a piece that's pitched to the client at 6PM on Saturday night.

Acting as a faculty team leader, I worked with three fantastic students – Vanessa Leddy, Adam Delmarcelle & Josh Spence – to design a playbill, DVD cover, and 15 second bumper for Michael Hoober & the Rumschpringe Short Film Festival. Many other great students who I taught last year took part, including: Sarah Solak, Nicole Weaver, Sara Warfel, Jason Getz, Amanda Wolfe & Paul Sullivan. Andrew Herzog, a current (and most excellent) student of mine, is the lone sophomore participant this year.

For more, check out the Podcast for the event that I was part of here, along with photos from said Podcast here.

The Evolution of an Icon

2010-02-24T07:00:00.006-05:00

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Artist: Peter Saville & Chris Mathan
Client: Joy Division
Year: 1979

The front cover image comes from an edition of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, and was originally drawn with black lines on a white background. It presents successive pulses from the first pulsar discovered, PSR B1919+21—often referred to in the context of this album by its older name, CP 1919.

PSR B1919+21 is a pulsar with a period of 1.3373 seconds and a pulse width of 0.04 second. It is notable for being the first radio pulsar ever discovered (in July 1967 by Jocelyn Bell Burnell). Its original designation was CP 1919 and it is also known as PSR J1921+2153. It is located in the constellation of Vulpecula. – (various sources)

For more from Mr. Saville, view below and go here.

Unknown Pleasures
Iris print, 2003
89 x 118cm

Unknown Pleasure
Chemical wood, polyurethane paint, 2003
32 x 32 x 14cm

Unknown Pleasure, Telegrey
Chemical wood, polyurethane paint, 2003
32 x 32 x 14cm

Unknown Pleasure, Hot Pink
Chemical wood, polyurethane paint, 2006
32 x 32 x 14cm

In Appreciation of the Stylists of America (video)

2010-02-17T07:00:00.001-05:00

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"As a Tribute to Men and Women Who Design" (Pt. 1 of 3)

Produced in the 1950s by Handy (Jam) Organization (and sponsored by the Chevrolet division of General Motors), this Populuxe film documents automotive, industrial, interior and architectural design from the last truly great era of American design.

Links: Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3

This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

The Cost Of (Bad) Client Relations.

2010-02-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

In response to my "The (Up-Front) Cost Of Design" post on January 20th, Jeff King wrote: "I think it would be interesting to see a follow-up on the net value of your skills and gear if you're unable to create and sustain good relationships with your clients under real-world conditions. I've worked with designers who do incredible work, but I will not hire them anymore because they are consistently unable to meet agreed-upon deadlines."

The reasons for being successful in your chosen field are many-fold but there's only one way to achieve success year after year, project after project, and client after client; remain focused on your client's needs, day in and day out. If you cannot manage to produce the most basic of tasks including, but not limited to, being communicative throughout the process and meeting deadlines, you'll lose clients – regardless of your talent level. And the last time I checked, losing clients doesn't do much for one's net value.

In an era riddled with laziness, apathy and self-entitlement – courtesy, logic and common sense are sadly taking a back seat. This is not merely a symptom of the graphic design vocation, of course, this is society as a whole. Simply because that is the case, however, we need not join the sheep at the trough of irresponsibility. Instead, we need to sustain good relationships with clients via a responsible, courteous and conscientious path based in respect for the other person's stake in the relationship.

That sounds simple and basic, I know, but we humans have a slew of basic, inherent defects – and not caring as much for others as we do ourselves is most definitely one of them.

Country By The Grace Of Design

2010-02-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

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Coming out this Tuesday, February 9th is the first "greatest hits" collection by Chris Cagle, aptly titled Best Of Chris Cagle. Featured here is the final, selected cover as well as a sampling of textural details from the package design itself. The package features loads of texture and vintage effects that Art & Creative Directors Susan Lavoie & Tom Reccion encouraged me to push to the limits. Now… pick yourself up a copy, ya' hear?

Wood, Jerry. Wood.

2010-01-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

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Here's a postcard design I whipped up for my long-time friend, Joe Pinter. He has a one-man show coming together in Reading, PA at The Goggleworks. Without further ado, full details on the artist, the upcoming show and artist reception are below.

Hello, I’m Joseph Pinter
Pennsylvania-born Joseph Pinter’s work delights the eye even while it remains fully and ingeniously practical. Whether he’s creating cherished heirlooms from traditional woods, or producing exquisite woodturnings from more exotic varieties, Pinter reveals a truly unique vision that finds the extraordinary in what seems self-evident.

The GoggleWorks
201 Washington Street
Reading, PA 19601
610.374.4600 ph.
goggleworks.org

Opening Reception,
Meet Artist Joseph Pinter:
Thursday, February 4th
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

The (Up-Front) Cost Of Design.

2010-01-20T07:00:00.010-05:00

In order to be a designer of national or international consequence, and not that of a local designer doing coupon-paks, local brochures and the like – designing can be something of an overwhelming budgetary experience at first. And while that's typical of starting nearly any home business, before you go into it thinking it's simply about buying a computer, check this out…

COMPUTER EQUIPMENT –
MAC PRO 8-CORE:
• Two 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
• 12GB (6x2GB)
• 2TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 512MB
• One 18x SuperDrive
• Apple Cinema HD Display (30" flat panel)
• Apple Mouse
• Apple Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (English) and User's Guide
• Microsoft Office Mac 2008 - Home and Student Edition
• HP OfficeJet 6500 Wireless All-in-One Printer, Copier, Scanner, Fax
• AppleCare Protection Plan for Mac Pro - Auto-enroll
• MobileMe Membership (One Year)
Cost: $6,326.90

SOFTWARE –
ADOBE CREATIVE SUITE 4 DESIGN PREMIUM
Cost: $1,799.00

FONTS – ADOBE FONT FOLIO 11 (2,300 fonts)
Cost: $2,599.00

50-65 FONTS (House Industries, Hoefler & Jones, etc.)
Cost: $7,500.00

ACCESSORIES –
FILTERS, IMAGE ARCHIVE, EXTERNAL HARDDRIVES,
BACK-UP DISCS, BUSINESS CARDS, COLOR GUIDES, ETC.
Cost: $2,625.00

TOTAL: $20,849.90

Figure in that new fonts keep coming, computers have a life-line of 3-4 years, software updates every 18 months, etc. – and this is indeed simply the basic, upfront costs of having your own freelance business. It can be somewhat overwhelming, especially for those entering the workforce out of college with student loans hovering like wolves at the door.