The great state of West Virginia is know for colorful characters, and I was aware that UFOs made frequent visits to our cornfields, but I had no idea how deep in our history they went. In the 1950’s Gray Barker was reporting-some say inventing-strange events around the state, and crafting some of the most well-know mythology surrounding it. From Men-in-Black to the Mothman and his presence at the collapse of the Silver Bridge to the Philadelphia experiment. Gray was willing to go to great lengths, believe the eye-witnesses and co-op a good story for print in his magazine or others no matter how outrageous or incredulous it may sound. (more…)
I finished my latest business card this week, without exception, it never fails to be a gut-wrenching experience. There are many ways that I can define myself, but my business card never captures any of them. This time the decision was made that Silver ink would be used as a 5th color. It was a natural fit, as it holds a special place in my heart and I am trying to sell the idea of the extra ink to every odd client. Note: Silver edge and text.
The ubiquity of silver in most forms of commercial design makes it a great second color for logos, promotional designs, etc. and with this in mind, we will be venturing through my imagination as I remember and illustrate a few good silver ideas. Note: as most monitors can’t display silver, I will be representing it with the gray from illustrators 877c swatch in the Pantone Coated Library. Additionally, all of these designs are vector as Raster Metallic effects will be covered in another article. (more…)
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 not a big sports fan, but that hasn’t stopped me from developing print work for all kinds of sports. When I received an e-mail from Randolph-Macon about a homecoming packet, I understood that this was an alumni event to bring people back and maybe help the coffers a bit. I included a download-able version of the booklet for web use and really enjoyed working with the school. They were very professional and had a large number of photographs for use on the project. Thumb links to gallery.
These are a few of the things that I did for MetroValley Magazine. I was a designer, photographer, photo-editor, compositor and illustrator as well as being responsible for the development of the layout of the magazine. I will have an in-depth discussion of the blueprint/prototyping process for MetroValley Magazine. The logo was not designed by me.
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.”
The great state of West Virginia is know for colorful characters, and I was aware that UFOs made frequent visits to our cornfields, but I had no idea how deep in our history they went. In the 1950’s Gray Barker was reporting-some say inventing-strange events around the state, and crafting some of the most well-know mythology surrounding it. From Men-in-Black to the Mothman and his presence at the collapse of the Silver Bridge to the Philadelphia experiment. Gray was willing to go to great lengths, believe the eye-witnesses and co-op a good story for print in his magazine or others no matter how outrageous or incredulous it may sound. (more…)
