In working with a variety of folks, you start to realize that everyone has a different level of priority they assign to printed material. Sometimes that level changes with the amount of exposure one gets, all I need is to be stuck without cards once. As a designer, that is not just professionally embarrassing, but a deal-breaker in some situations. Allegheny Image Factory is basically a one-horse business, Feast of the Seven Fishes, and are constantly in need of small things here and there, which is great for me. (more…)

I am excited by an upcoming project, Chopper Zombie. I enjoy working on comics very much, and this will be a web comic first and then printed in a Graphic Novel form sometime before spring. This gives me the chance to work with people I like and to flex my creative muscles. If I have a direction I would like to go, all I have to do is demonstrate how something will work and they give me a blank check on most design decisions. More to come as the production nears completion.

This should be an archive of Identity work that I created for people, it turns out it is more like a index of logos that aren’t in use save 3. This is unfortunate, and hints at a larger issue with the state and it’s economic growth. Setting that aside for a more personal post, there are a few identity pieces that I really like that never got to really see the light of day. Logo design is a primary job of the modern sign maker, and most businesses are more willing to set with someone who is making their sign that the person in charge of their stationary. Something about the physical location demarcated with a graphic appeals to people, and letterhead is for bills. (more…)

The Book ’n’ Bean is one of those trendy, indie coffee shops that hosts an open mic once a week where postmodern angst flows like wine. I miss that place so much. I was working at a sign business when the owners needed a new sign in front of the business. I was more than happy to not only develop a highly visible identity, but provide a full suite of identity materials. A suite that once delivered, was adapted by the staff as Stamps, Stickers and a host of other improvised identity pieces.

This is one of those projects that I like coming back to with fresh ideas. This flier was one of those, just to help out a bit. All of the art is original and my creation using Adobe Illustrator. It was inspired by both the air brush poster art of the Object Poster and a nod to Movietone news graphics. There has been a recent revival of this type of work in the Gevalia advertising in posters and magazines. I think it is a response to the complexity of much modern design, using abstraction to simplify and elucidate the message.

The Living & the Dead is a Graphic Novel that was written by Bob Tinnell and Todd Livingston and was Illustrated By Micah Farritor. At the request of Bob, I developed the logo, the look and feel based on Victorian Horror paperback cover styles. The Cover art was fantastic to work with and all I had to do was get out of the way.

I was responsible for the interior design, including using pieces of art created by Micah for the book. There were several pieces that I liked very much, but I used this for the primary title page. I also added an “aged” look to the pages and used an unusual typeface for the text. For most of the project, we wanted to eschew the typical comic look for something a bit more classic, while maintaining a darkness. To view the Flash trailer I designed for it, go here… and click on the “view the exclusive trailer.”