At a recent meeting at the Grand America in Salt Lake City for Summit, I came across AtTask‘s WorkOut Summit, which I was able to do some work for before digging more heavily into Adobe’s. AtTask is actually going through a progressive rebranding process, and it was good to have a little involvement in that.

Sleep must be wearing thin today and I’m sure my writing isn’t as tight, not that it’s terribly so, being a designer. I’m thinking that the packed schedule is driving me a bit more for other projects, and hoping that momentum continues after the work load regulates. Just to get away from the computer, I’m getting back into sketching, realizing how badly I need to be more consistent with it. Last night there was also another guest illustrator speaking at BYU, C.F. Payne, and this evening I’m hoping to get out to an AIGA event with the local chapter. Definitely not in the doldrums, but looking forward to being able to breathe again in a couple weeks.  (Close Rambling Blog).

Realizing the ages that have passed since my last blog, and how long I’ve been working on continuing projects that I’m unable to display yet. I need to wake up from the summer coma and take some time again to work on the list of portfolio projects. I need to fabricate deadlines and play the role of art director as usually personal projects are so open-ended that the overwhelming excitement of many possibilities for any one piece mean that nothing ever gets started.

After a trip to New York City, I’m once again energized by the museums and the architecture by some of the usual interests (deco), and some more recent fascinations (had to buy a good book on Islamic art and architecture). A recent rash of job possibilities has been exciting, even if they don’t immediately solidify. Still feeling spoiled by freelance and weighing the hypothetical situation of full-time work again. After an all night haul that yielded a good amount of work done and a lot of fun with netflix, still leaning toward the bohemian designer life today. And now hoping for more posts and newer work…

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.

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.

Another project that’s been in the works for too long is now at the press. With the production of the snowboard and the approaching SXSW conference, I made a push to finish some business cards. Basically, I adapted elements from my snowboard to maintain that self-promo theme. Funny thing is, I now have both the snowboard and business cards using a kind of logo that I don’t intend on maintaining as a permanent logo. It’s really more of a branding element reflecting the kind of characters I draw, more of a style association than a specific mark. It is an abstraction of my initials, which makes me think more along the lines of creating similar characters or redesigns of my initials without any of them being a standard.

Through the design process, I considered many different print possibilities with the cards—letterpress, die-cut, specialty papers, foils and metallics, emboss, etc. I didn’t want to overdesign, though; the card doesn’t have to implement everything. I did go for rounded corners and a slimmer vertical format. Also, a qr code appealed to me with the interactive festival approaching and I’m hoping it’s not going to be something too trendy. Finally, the press run necessitating a higher quantity than I’m likely to hand out anytime soon, it seemed like a good idea to create some variety from the theme, resulting in the three different designs.

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.

After a couple years remaining on the list of portfolio projects to accomplish, I’ve finally succeeded in finalizing a snowboard design and sent it to production. Between obligations to client work and a perfectionist block about making the prime design, the project crept along for some time. About a year ago I got involved playing with fermat spirals and checking out surfboard patterns (which I often find to be more interesting in their streamlined design than the cacophony that sometimes clutters snowboards). Unfortunately, by the time I got enjoying those patterns, it was well into January and paying projects took center stage well into spring. Obviously, I’m a bit late this year, but at least there’s still plenty of boardable weeks remaining in the season.

From fermat spiral and surfboard-like stripes, I added a seven-pointed star (again built on the spiral) referencing the pinwheel at the opening of my website. (There is, actually, no particular branding basis for the shape, other than there being many such shapes and characters littering my sketchbooks, e.g. the extremely stylized glyph for my initals jjh on the base of the board). The next leap came with the observation that I ought to employ the planetary symbols created in the fall (thanks Brad), balancing them out with some new zodiacal glyphs at the tail end.

After that it was mostly an overly drawn-out debate on color, there’s simply so many great colors. Partial to blue, that was almost always assumed, but good bright reds, oranges, and even some greens, glow off the snow so fantastically. Still planning to put those colors to work in other snowboard designs (so much fun to do it once, why not go for it again… even if I don’t get to build them all), I went for the blue to tie in with my site and the red because of the striking contrast. I think it works with the blue being on the cyan side and the red having a fair bit of yellow in it, those colors, of course, being complementaries in subtractive color (light rather than pigment).

I’ve been down to Revolution Snowboard Manufacturing where I’m having it built and checked out the finished results of their last design competition. Going to have to watch for the next one. Now I’m holding my breath hoping the finished board looks so good when finished, which I’ll have to thoroughly photograph and post.

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.

Last year in Manhattan, I made a conscious effort to photograph what I could in museums in ways that aren’t available in books, and have been attempting to carry on with that here. For instance, with pieces that are so often reproduced in books and easily available for viewing without my own photos, I try to take detail shots, or in cases like sculpture, shoot from angles that are not face-on. Incidentally, I’ve thought it peculiar that the V&A allows flashes. Only museum I’ve ever encountered that goes for that.

I’ve also tried to take a cue from friends and family that are so perceptive about noticing interesting signage and people around town. Views that are sometimes not always typically beautiful, but are otherwise interesting. There are always those situations that are difficult to make a good shot, like in a crowded tube train when you see someone dressed fantastically odd that you just have to record it, if you could… and without being too intrusive in their space. Also, I think I had a few odd looks for taking pictures of the tiled floor of the V&A museum the other day. I seem to have a focus on patterns lately. Must be the designer side.

Oh yes, and of course I’ve been enjoying the artwork. The other day I was going for the exercise of sketching from paintings and sculptures. Something I ought be making a better habit of. I was also spending time the other day trying to re-interpret a painting into my own style, attempting to craft the same edges from the painting with my pencil technique.

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.