Category: Graphic Design

The Occupy Message

Do not ignore the [extreme] income disparity
Get smart
Take the money out of the politics
End corrupt government
Help those in need
Recall corrupt officials when and where you can
Keep corporate hands off government
Stop greed
Wake up
End corporate “personhood”
Stop funding war
Start funding education, health and safety
Repair and maintain existing infrastructure
Design/build a strong, modern infrastructure
End corporate gangster activity

Put these issues on peoples screens.

Educate, inform, discuss.
Speak and write clearly.
Know your issue(s).
Apply pressure to government officials:
through numbers, petitions, voter registration and votes.
Remove the “evil doers.”
Install those who “care” about “we the people.”

Get yourself some Occupy Love and Get Occupied

Starfish Foundation – New Site Launched

The Starfish Foundation supports our military veterans and their emotional healing through sponsoring the Vets Journey Home program, a non-profit program staffed entirely by volunteers. One hundred percent of the funds raised go to program delivery, making it possible for veterans to attend at no cost.

The Starfish Foundation has funded $250,000 worth of scholoarships as of 12/2010. The funds have gone directly to:

  • Veterans to help them deal with the trauma of military situations through the Bamboo Bridgeand Vets Journey Home programs.
  • Sexual abuse survivors to help them deal with that extreme trauma and move forward in their lives through the Renewal weekend.
  • Others that have experienced various trauma in their lives through the Taking It Lightlyweekend.

I’ve worked with both the Starfish Foundation and the Vets Journey Home for the last 5 years; as both a web and graphic designer; as well as photographer and videographer. We launched the Vets Journey Home new web site in the last quarter of 2009; and launched the newly designed Starfish Foundation web site July 25th.

Please take a look at these new sites and seriously consider donating to these dedicated 100% volunteer organizations. They provide very important and high quality services for people who really need them; just check out the testimonials.

Taking a photograph to make an illustration

I’ve posted this first example, of using a photograph as a jumping off point to create a digital illustration which suggests a work created with traditional art materials (such as pencils, brushes and/or paints), as a response to a conversation with another photographer. I contend that one has to use the digital tools to move the photograph sufficiently beyond what a photograph “looks like” and enough toward what a drawing or painting “looks like.” I believe this requires the use of hand gestures of sufficient quantity and quality (and well beyond just hitting filter effect buttons) in order to fool the eye and mind. Does this example achieve that desire? I think “just.”

Wacom Tablet, Photoshop, and Painter

Below are two of my early attempts at drawing on the iPad; examples of taking it the other way. Meaning “drawn” on the iPad and exported through Lightroom. We find ourselves in truly interesting digital imaging times.

Griffin Stylus on iPad (drawn from life)

Riding blind and loving it

This morning my friend, Kevin Meyers, competed in the Double Bong 40k, ABR Wisconsin State Time Trial Championship, Kansasville, WI. Kevin lost his sight in 1987 when his racing boat hit a wake at 60 mph, threw him into the water, where he was hit by another boat. Lucky to be alive; and living to the max; he now races bicycles (with a tandem pilot). A couple weeks ago, at the Wisconsin State Track Championship, he and his pilot, Bob Springer, took the Gold Medal in Kilo and Pursuit, in the Tandem category. Kevin said, “My bike, Chariot of Fire, almost literally caught fire!” This morning he worked on his record times to qualify and participate in the 2012 Paralympics. Over the years I’ve worked with Kevin on a promotional video and designed the logo for his web site, stationery and motivational speaking work. Kevin’s simply an amazing human being. His web site is well worth taking a look at to discover just how amazing.

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Kevin’s “warm up”

Setting up the “Chariot of Fire”

At the line.

And they’re off to the races.

Coming around the fourth turn, completing the first of two laps.

Leica M8, 50 and 35 mm Summilux asph

This small world traveler seeks surprises

The macro (and even micro) world attracts my attention (again and again); wanting to get ever closer; seeking to discover forms, shapes and lines which my naked human eye fails to appreciate. The constant struggle to achieve both depth and visual poetry simultaneously frustrates and seduces the optical explorer of the world; whether one travels the globe or looks within a few inches of this amazing planet. So I continue to peek through my old Bausch & Lomb binocular microscope, and try every lens, tube, bellows and sensor I have, to discover an occasional aesthetic slice out of 10 to 50 mm of space and 1/100th to 1/1,000th of a second of time.

“The details are not the details. They make the design.” — Charles Eames

This particular “event” surprised this small world traveler and momentarily satisfied the insatiable curiosity which keeps him constantly searching for the next discovery.

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R8/DMR, 100 mm apo macro elmarit on bellows with maximum extension

Temkin-Taylor Design web site launches today

Over the last 6 months Kim Temkin-Taylor and I worked diligently to find the correct tone and accuracy in both words and images; to effectively reflect her commitment to detail, quality and customer service. Today we went live at temkin-taylordesign.com.

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Richard Taylor provided photography for Kim’s site (with some interior photo and art direction, and post processing from me to achieve what Kim required). I began working with Richard on his corporate identity and web site in the spring of ’05, as he began his new “Life Journey Photography” business.

New poetographs and twitter

A couple days ago
the following poetograph arrived,
uninvited, to my mind:

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I announced its viewability on twitter and received a request for a poetic collaboration from Parasputin.
I went to his site and reviewed the last year’s work; the following poem struck my visual mind:

I must say that these twitterized collaborations truly hold promise for international, creative communications — let’s keep them alive and healthy.

Panning for gold in the stream: twitter 4 months later

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My friend, David White, introduced me to twitter. As a web designer and marketing consultant I felt a need to know; to keep up with trends. I began following people that David followed; and posted my first brief message on November 22nd, 2008. It took a lot of time to read what seemed banal and/or narcissistic 140 character messages from people I didn’t really know. Occasionally someone would post a link to a web site or blog which actually had value to me or my business. Mostly I read messages about the value of twittering and social media as marketing and PR tools. It seemed strange; sort of like people calling each other on their phones and constantly talking about how the telephone is a great tool for marketing and PR; or handing out flyers which state over and over again that flyers are great marketing and PR tools. Obviously I wasn’t following the right people. Another crazy thing: we’re only seeing one side of conversations. You have to follow the people that those you follow talk to in order to receive the whole conversation; such as it is. This all feels quite tedious. And for what? An occasional useful link or bit of knowledge.

Then there’s my little messages going out there with links to my work or blog posts. Most times I get no response. I have no idea if anyone found it useful or interesting. Feels quite weird. However, lately I’ve found myself finding and following filmmakers, designers, artists and musicians; as well as buddhists and zen practitioners. And things have become more interesting; at least for my sensibility. All of a sudden I began to receive some positive feedback and participate in conversations which I can actually relate to.

Last week I created a new web page-site poetographs.com to post work which puts words into a graphic context that, hopefully, enhances meaning. I put the link out on twitter and received a number of retweets (RT). Bing Futch, a beautiful and generous musician, responded and RT’d the link. I had some poetographs from back in 2004 which I wanted to resurrect as a series. I put them into a movie form and sent the link to Bing. Within 24 hours Bing returned a link with sound added to the movie. Now that’s gold my friends. Perhaps a small nugget. But solid gold nonetheless. Here’s our collaboration. Thank you Bing. Strange as it seems; thank you twitter; I get it.