Fresh Bike Illustration

I created this illustration for the SLO Cyclocross 2011 series. I did my best to keep it gritty, show the torture and create a compelling poster with complementary color, linear and pattern dynamics of a Japanese woodblock print.

Below is a slideshow of the process I go through to crank one of these out. Yeah, key word here is crank (touch of sarcasm).

Jade Jackson CD art

CD front and inside

CD artwork

Under the CD

CD case back

Jade Jackson is our local talent in Santa Margarita who does such a great job of singing, performing and writing her own songs. I was fortunate to compose the visual material on her first CD and used Oasis Disc Manufacturing for their services. The process was almost effortless.

Stationery Case Study

Posters from the WPA

Posters from the WPA website features this beautiful calendar from 1938
It was created by the New York City Poster Division to show government officials the skilled artistic work the Federal Art Project was doing for the WPA. Shown above is July.

Five Common Client Phrases Decoded

As a Designer and visual interpreter, I have heard these terms before. It's always a breath of fresh air to read that I'm not the only one who hears this. www.freelanceswitch.com has a good article on interpreting client language into something you can use to communicate professionally.

Typography Enhances the Message...

I remember a project in design class was to trace a typeface. What was the point? To get familiar with the anatomy of type, the conscious aesthetics, mechanics and fittings that make type work as a family, and create a visual voice on the pages of a book, paper, the screen monitor or other literal surface. It's comforting to know there are still designers out there who can match the typeface to the message.

How to Choose Colors Everyone Likes

Sweet?


Sour?

Is it color intuition? The argument is not whether you have good taste or not, it's whether your color palette, like taste buds; know what's sweet and what's sour. Read Igor Igor Asselbergs interesting color article on Creativepro.com

It's been ten years...

I worked at Computer Currents Magazine for four years while living up in the San Francisco Bay Area. At the time, the computer industry was booming and this newspaper /magazine tabloid was riding the wave. It had a top notch editor and good writers contributing regularly to what was basically an advertising catalog for companies like EggHead. Computer Currents was one of the magazines to have a website and sell banner ad space to its advertisers.
In 2000 Computer User bought them up and folded the doors. The last year I was there in '99 I did all of the covers. Below are most of them in their Photoshop 5.0 glory:

Freelancing

Sometimes I feel like I'm working in a bubble - Ok, most of the times. This helpful site reassures me of things I know, and always the articles are just long enough to keep my attention. It's called Freelance Switch.

Death and Taxes 2009 is now available!

I am a visual person and love information graphics. Complicated subject matter boiled down to a visually compelling graph is an art form. Jess Bachman, the creator of "Death and Taxes" is a talented information graphics designer and his poster really helps visualize just how our government spends our money. Check out http://wallstats.com and order your poster TODAY!

Retro is my motto!

Everything old is new and I'm still on a nostalgia kick. I'll be looking for these in my local thrift stores and wearing them proudly because "I'm recycling!" Find your favorite pair here.