July 2007

Recently a contact of mine from Razor Data asked that I design some logo concepts for a business he was starting up: Epic Experiences, an outdoor adventure tour company. His original thoughts were that of a circular shape including a mountain, another mountain with a rockclimber, a river, and a forest. I indicated that that many elements would likely be difficult to incorporate into a legible logo.

I attempted one logo involving the different elements, focusing on the rockclimbing figure, and simplifying the two mountain concepts into one central one. I also variated many other simpler designs, again focusing on the figure and the mountain. Sketching out ideas triggered ideas of aboriginal-type designs and mirrored E’s to form the mountain. Having further feedback from a graphic designer family and friends, I added texture and focused more on the facing E’s, being among the favorites.

Last week I enjoyed a trip to northern California with faculty and animation students from Brigham Young University. In contrast to other such trips I’ve been on, we visited very few studios and museums, rather, we spent a lot of time stopping off at sites along the way to San Francisco and in the city to sketch and paint. I’m finding that while I have limitations in sketching from life rather than from scrap, I’m not quite as limited as I may think I am, and as with everything, it’s only a matter of practice. Even still, I took a lot of photos (never as many as I think at the time) for later resources.

We did visit Pixar, and while I’m not an animator, the experience was still enjoyable. Aesthetic rules still apply, of course, whether in animation or traditional illustration. I also have to admit that I enjoyed the workspace– open and full of light, with a large atrium purposefully designed such that everyone has to go through it to get around the building, with the intention that employees from different areas will interact often and therefore not become isolated.

For me, interacting with other creatives increases energy for projects and fuels ideas. Who progresses alone? Aside from the students that went, the three faculty comprised of one of my professors when I was in school; one that was a co-worker and pier at that time also, Peter Sakievich; and a new acquaintence, Ryan Woodward.