Who says art director's can't write headlines? Does anyone really say that? I don't know, but I recently worked on a back-cover ad for UC Santa Cruz's Review magazine. I had fun with it too. In case you were wondering, the mascot at UCSC is the mighty Banana Slug. It's an endearing oddity of a mascot that garners a lot of pride.Take a look and, please comment, like, and subscribe!
Here's a fun comp that I made to encourage participation in a campus survey. The idea is that by taking part in the survey, you not only get to say what you think—but you could also win an iPad. Winning an iPad is some serious incentive, so I wanted to make that a central theme to the message. By the way, the fun folks in the pictures are some good sports from around my office—I love the people I work with! Especially grateful to Carolyn Lagattuta for her lightning shutter speed and fine, photo prowess!
It's amazing how easy it is to help, http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_nolnav_text2help
I'm not usually one to get swept up in entertainment-media crazes, but this one pretty much created itself...
I'm just going to gloss over how long it's been since my last post and introduce the next design thing:
Jeremy Brown is not only a life-long buddy, he's a hell of a jazz percussionist and from what I've gathered—a popular one too. When he's not teaching, he's sometimes found playing in a hip Temecula, CA spot, called the Public House. I had the chance to hear the trio play once and have to tell you—it's truly intoxicating. By the end of the night I was drunk with the soulful pleasure of a vibrant class-act. And I had a few tequilla gimlets too—which you might actually remember if you were one of the lucky people I don't remember calling that night. (that's another design.)
The last couple of posts have been related to California State University, so here's another one. The state of California is broke. As a state employee who just watched his wife's state job vanish, I'm not feeling the peace of mind here. A lot of people are concerned about job security, and when some budget proposals for our department were posted online last week, tensions took off pretty quick up in here. Who's next? In the end, cuts never feel good. But when you're the one left bleeding, suddenly it matters more than ever. Working in a climate where nobody seems to have any answers doesn't do much to boost confidence either.
I guess blessings don't always come packaged in a pretty little bow, sometimes they come in the form of an x-acto blade. We'll see what happens, right? As for me, I'll bleed for the right projects, but don't ask me for a limb.
Springtime in the Central Valley ... allergies, perfect temperatures, and an alumni reunion from a university celebrating it's 50th anniversary.
Graduation, butterflies, and a hand crafted message about changing the world. This would be cover for the commencement program was just a little too fluffy for the dignity of the event. But oh well, maybe it will find something meaningful about being here on the daily design list. Number 12, after all is lucky.
The copy was influenced by Arie Pencovici, who said, "Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference." Congrats to the grads!
The Way I See It …
I've noticed that the biggest shifts in thinking can come from the most simple adjustments to our point of reference. Take the contact lens. It's a little piece of silicone that's so small, it can sit on top of your cornea without causing you pain. If you wear them, you probably don't even think about them at all throughout the day. But, if you lose one —it's suddenly a big problem. Likewise, things like a bunch of looming deadlines, an overflowing in-box, computer crashes in the 11th hour, these things can seem like big problems; unless you look at them through the contact lens you just found, then the big problems seem smaller and more manageable, maybe even cute. The point? Keep your lenses in your eyes and get back to work you slacker. Maybe someday you'll earn enough to pay for that lasik surgery …
