Events

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Brom

April 1, 2010 in Events, Illustration, Personal

Attended a really interesting presentation last week by Brom. Speakers like these always want me to get involved with illustration again, good reminder to make a more concentrated effort to be sketching.

Working in sci-fi and fantasy illustration, he cited inspiration from Waterhouse, Rockwell, Frazetta, and the punk scene—I like that variety. He commented about surrounding yourself with good art that you enjoy, learning by imitating it; and a good variety such that your work doesn’t become a knock-off. Sometimes I think I get some design and illustration ideas by osmosis, seeing the same (and hopefully good) work often such that those techniques come naturally when designing. Not to say that I don’t study specific interpretations of subjects similar to a project at hand.

I’m enjoying when illustrators show some early work or projects that they didn’t necessarily enjoy doing, recount early rejections, and describe some of their nonconformist paths. Additionally, there are some habits that Brom, like some other illustrators, have indicated, that I identify with. He spoke about employing non-academic techniques, such as sketching from imagination, sketching out the concept into detail before gathering reference to keep from becoming limited by the scrap. He largely works in traditional media: sketching, photoshop comp for approval, detail drawing on gessoed masonite, acrylic underpainting, and oil finish with digital tweaks. As some illustrators have indicated before, different approaches to illustration styles and new types of projects keep the work fresh and enjoyable and also keep one active in the market.

There were other details in his work that I enjoyed from my graphic vantage point, such as unified color schemes and the stylization of single figures, and symmetrical elements. I enjoyed how he denoted the mindset you have while working out concept contrasted to the mindset during production work. For example, I really can’t listen to music while brainstorming, but often remember the song or movie I listened to while rendering the design.

Post-SXSW

March 18, 2010 in Business, Events, Graphic design, Personal

Overwhelming. My first word for SXSW. After five days of the interactive conference, I have a long list of sites, apps, and ideas to be checking out for awhile to come.

Originally in the mindset of handing out some business cards, I found that far better than networking to simply toss cards around in hopes of scoring jobs, it was an opportunity to exchange ideas and expand by everyone sharing their work. There are some new contacts with intriguing businesses that I need to check out. Incidentally, I’m happy the QR codes on my cards seemed to be a point where I was up with tech trends (surprising, I know). It was a rare chance for me to share how something worked to a few people. I also appreciated the codes SXSW attached to everyone’s badges as a means to follow them online. Another bit of knowledge I have to credit Brad McCall with relating to me, and another subject of brought up in sessions—”finders”—those people that are early adopters, that find all the cool new items going on and spread that knowledge. Brad is a finder.

I got into a few sessions on the design side such as making websites more beautiful, sketching out concepts pictorially with clients rather than noting keywords (quote: sharpies smell like ideas), dashboard and app design. The balance was jumping into more technology-heavy sessions (which gave me some homework). I particularly enjoyed the panel about the pros and cons of HTML5 Canvas and Adobe Flash. Augmented reality, technology ideas from sci-fi, crowdsourcing science, and a couple hours of infographics and maps (I am a geek after all) added some apps to play with. (Foursquare anyone? Gowalla, Dopplr?). There were a couple particularly good discussions on self-promotion. Excellent thoughts from Peter Shankman that are simply good general rules for life, but are always helpful to remember and apply to professional situations.

There’s so much said about social media, very much the center of nearly every discussion. One intriguing axiom reiterated was that there isn’t a distinction between your personal and your professional “brand”. Also funny to see the focus of social media manifest with an audience with their heads down on mobile devices and laptops while listening. I’m an oddball in that I don’t have a twitter account. So far, I haven’t felt a compelling need to have another vein of social media to maintain (while I ought to be working or developing my direct professional skills)…for the moment, anyway. I get tempted to apply myself to it for awhile, or rather I think I’d spend more time following and pulling design and technology information out of it.

There’s not a chance I could relate all that got my mind going, in a single blog anyway. Though I hope to expound on those new lines of thought in future posts as I start to follow up on what I jotted down. For now, I’d better hush up and get back to some design work.

Omniture-Adobe Summit ’10

March 11, 2010 in Events, Freelance, Graphic design

For the third year, I was fortunate to be involved with designing for the Omniture Summit, which wrapped up a week ago. Odd to replace the familiar green Omniture branding with the grey and red Adobe preferences.

It’s one of those projects heavy on the production side with a lengthy list of similar pieces, though I enjoyed working with Steve Gustavson and Ben Child from the marketing team mocking up the creative imagery around the new year.

I’m thinking sometimes there ought to be a good balance between projects that are thoroughly creative and energy-intensive on idea, and ones where I can just sit down and push through the production of the design.

With the event finished, I’m hoping to be able to post some photos taken of the actual pieces from the event.

New plans

January 17, 2010 in Business, Events, Illustration, Personal

New year and going out for some new things. On the smaller side is a portrait/portfolio contest by Artists Wanted. It’s one that I don’t really think I’m going to fit too well, but I figure there’s a better chance of something coming of it by entering than by taking a pass. Check it out and vote.

Further down the road, I’ve registered for the South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin. Really excited about this one despite the fact that I don’t quite know what I’m up for. The basic aim is to get out, make new associations, acquire some knowledge that’s a bit out of my experience, and have a good time in a new city (travel is always good). This moves up another portfolio project—business cards. Postings to come on that as they progress.

Scott Gustafson

December 4, 2009 in Events, Illustration

UVU hosted the second illustrator program I was able to attend this week. Scott Gustafson, children’s illustrator, presented a contrasting style to Jon Foster from the other night. These oil or acrylic pieces and series involve weeks and months of devotion to a single project, with so much rich detail. It was interesting that he presented some examples of his early work, the kind many of us would want destroyed once we achieved higher proficiency; though it’s great to see the progression. Like other night’s program, Scott showed the process on a particular piece, pointing out one instance where he would leave a difficult, unresolved spot alone to come back to it later. I can relate to doing that when I burn out on a particular section or project.

Jon Foster

December 2, 2009 in Events, Illustration | 1 comment

This evening, I went to a program hosted by the Illustration Department at BYU by fantasy/sci-fi illustrator Jon Foster.

It was fascinating that although highly proficient with computer software for his work, he doesn’t seem set on any one medium, process, or combination of media. Sometimes entirely computer-rendered, though sometimes he’s combining or entirely using gouache, sometimes oil, occasionally rough and loose, while other pieces are detailed and finely rendered. That odd evolution of pieces and styles while maintaining a consistent steampunk flavor was particularly intriguing.

Where Jon mentioned being focused on figure work (which i can identify with), I was noting that the background elements are often silhouettes.

From the beginning of his program, he was remarking that he had had to move past the caring about outside rating and comparing of his work to that of others’, judging it a wasteful and inhibiting endeavor.

I found it interesting that he not only uses himself as a model, but does so frequently. I always remember that being one of the cardinal rules of scrap—to never use yourself as a model. Even when using other models, he’s drawing from the same small group, but he’s able to make it work and adapt it for the piece.

Green to the Extreme: Omniture to Adobe

October 23, 2009 in Events, Freelance, Graphic design | 2 comments

Omniture Timeline

This past evening was the “Green to the Extreme” Omniture celebration party remembering the past thirteen years and marking Omniture’s transition to an Adobe company. As a contractor, it’s fantastic to be invited and mingle with the sea of green. I have acknowledge and congratulate my friend Brad McCall, of course, for his creation of the Omniture brand.

For the event, I was able to work on a large banner commemorating Omniture’s history to date and really pleased with how the seventy-foot banner turned out. Steve Gustavson and Ben Child of the marketing department had a great concept for having a shape underscore the flow of time (using the signature green, naturally). As the banner is being sliced into year-sections, framed, and auctioned off, I wonder somewhat how much a design I worked on is being sold for all told. And yes, I used Adobe products to create it.

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Details at Buckingham

June 9, 2009 in Events, Personal | 1 comment

Again I was a bit touristy yesterday and visited Buckingham Palace. The State Rooms won’t be open for a few weeks, I went over to the Queen’s Gallery, not quite sure what I was going to see. Not that I’m normally into dishes, but the porcelain exhibit there was particularly interesting. One of those displays of intricate detail and really cool color. The French pieces involved some serious detail and fascinating flowing shapes in both the decoration and the shape of the dishes, vases, and such. The Royal Treasures were also tight with intricate detail, which I’m all over.

It’s always a shame when photography isn’t allowed that the supplied books on the exhibit are small on images, long on analysis, poor on reproduction color, and usually don’t print the pieces you really want to remember. I’m finding this to be a common affliction with so many museums, or maybe I’m just a bit picky.

The British Museum

June 1, 2009 in Events, Personal | 3 comments

During my visits to the British Museum this last week, there were a couple times that I was struck with how much history we have exemplified by rooms filled with categorized items which, of course, only make a small sampling of all physical evidence we now have of the course of history. I was also thinking how much of our historical knowledge is derived from artistic expression— paintings, sculptures, literature, clothing, architecture, music, etc. Obvious thoughts, perhaps, that have occurred to me before, but one of those ideas that has more depth to it when standing in a room with shelves upon shelves of books, artwork, sculptures, and cataloged history.

I also went and checked out the Shah ‘Abbas exhibit. I always enjoy Islamic calligraphy and was glad that BYU had such a great exhibit a few years ago. I’m drawn to the attention to detail and the beauty of letterforms intertwining and used not only for their verbal meaning, but for the design of the shapes. I had to be amazed at the detail achieved in the small format of the paintings also.

Good thing to be able to visit repeatedly. Last trip out this way, the one visit I had to museum was marked by being so tired from jet lag that somehow I managed to view the Egyptian collection and miss the Rosetta Stone.

“Smash your brand”

February 19, 2009 in Business, Events, Freelance, Graphic design, Website | 3 comments

After a couple intense weeks of working on pieces for the Omniture Summit, I was able to attend some of the events yesterday. It’s an interesting sensation to walk into the event venue and be surrounded by all this signage I’ve been collaborating on. That’s a lot of green.

The closing session for the day featured Martin Lindstrom who related many great things to work into professional practice. One in particular is the idea of “smashing your brand”– that is to say, having recognition of your company and product without the logo at all and more so by the smallest elements used in building your brand (i.e. a familiar color, sound, or the way photography is used, etc.). I was sitting with the UXD team who had to credit my friend Brad McCall for his handling of the Omniture brand in it’s initial conception such that many elements are recognizable as signature Omniture to people who have worked with them. For a session at a conference for a technology company, I was thinking how much of it was directly applicable to design, which gets me fired up to design and examine some new ideas.

I’d like to think that I’m building my identity fairly well so far. Of course, I don’t have a logo as yet, but feel that the use of sketched elements that I create almost subconsciously sometimes that I used for the buttons, borders, and menu items on my site make it unique as something identifiably me.

Addy’s People’s Choice

January 17, 2008 in Business, Events, Graphic design | 1 comment

Last night I went up to the Utah State Fairgrounds to vote at the “Night of the People” for the Utah Advertising Federation Addy’s. I’m grateful for the post about it from from the Utah Graphic Artists Forum. I’ve never been before, but was impressed by the kind of work coming out of Utah. I arrived in the latter half of the event and hoped that there were more people attending earlier, as the turnout was a bit slim. I often hope to have a better association between colleagues in the area.

Some of the ads or campaigns that I remember particularly were for Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, I like how the elements came together in the various components of the campaign. The Route 66 era, National Park look excites thoughts of travel and tourism. The Utah Film Commission had a gorgeous book of photography that was ordered by color. Richter7 had some very fun, but quickly read billboard designs. Bajio has always had some fun ads which interest me despite that fact that I generally shy away from that kind of food. I thought the writing and the creative placement for Utah Opera were strong points. I would also liked to have seen more for Bountiful Bicycle, which plays well off of the current environment. There were also quite a few PSA’s that appear to allow for more creativity.