Compare and Contrast

In 2006, my friend and I did a photoshoot and she decided to get fake blood and pose like she had been murdered. We went to a local photographer's house in Utah and her vision became a reality.
Tonight, while surfing for more design inspiration, I ran across this photo from Portugal. See any similarities? Looks like there's a European connection here...
To check out JR's photos go to his blog here. To see Renaldo's intricate work, click here.

MAC Hello Kitty Makeup Ad

MAC's newest line of makeup. I appreciate the effort in the ad, but you have to wait to see the male models with giant Hello Kitty heads on. More like a WTF effect here, but the makeup on the girls is impeccable. This company always is able to show their edge not only through the girls' makeup, but also just the creativity of the commercial. Well done MAC. Maybe I will head over to Nordstrom and get some of the cute and wild eyeshadows or accessories.


See the naughty and nice gear here

pass it to the left

even my teddy likes a little somethin' somethin'

Bittersweet Time for the Utah Jazz

These last two weeks were both amazing and horrible for the Utah Jazz. While they made EXCELLENT victories against the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics (come on now...they both had do be taken off their pedestal of glory) they also had a great loss.

Larry H. Miller, the owner of the Jazz passed away on February 20th. After suffering from diabetes, a heart attack, learning of his other condition calciphylaxis which led him to have calcium deposits in his veins that led to tissue death. After all that, he had to get his legs amputated below the knee.

He has left a legacy in Utah, and no one will ever forget him. The Jazz and his many car dealerships really led many people to actually understand the phrase "Afterall, you know this guy!". We will miss you Miller, and if the Jazz know whats good for them, they will win the NBA championship for you.

To read up more on Larry Miller's legacy and death, go to the Salt Lake Tribune website.

Cut & Paste : LAX

Buried beneath the glitz and the glamour, Los Angeles has a soul.

The City of Angels, its claim to fame is its star-spangled status as an A-list enclave. But contrary to popular belief, there’s more to Tinseltown than meets the eye. People come to here with fame and glory on the mind, and the ones who stay refuse to let anyone cut them down to size, which might explain how LA turns out some of the quickest, slickest designers we’ve ever seen. Populated by media visionaries, this town operates with a partygoing philosophy that overwhelms the senses. Loud music, dim lights, massive crowds? All in a night’s work, kids.

Los Angeles will host competitions in 2D, 3D, and Motion Graphics for Digital Design Tournament 2009. See the Competition Formats page for the rules and details of each of these platforms. When you're ready to roll, enter the Call for Competitors here. Judges from all three design disciplines will be announced in the coming weeks and currently include Chevon Hicks of Heavenspot and Adina Sales of Blacklist.

The competition is held at the Avalon Hollywood, and after, there is a party. Those that are 21+ can attend.

where is the love?

let's all play nice now

From Comedy Central to AIGA

Looking for inspiration in making my science book for typography class, I went to the AIGA website. Not looking for anything that I would actually recognize, I found one of the winners for the 2008 Design Awards in Book Design. Lo and behold it was Stephen Colbert's "I am America, and So Can You!." The design firm, Doyle Partners, was praised in the following way:

"We think of this project not so much as one of book design, but rather more along the lines of a typographic brain transplant. Doyle Partners served merely as midwives to the volcano of acuity that is Stephen Colbert’s mind. The book, like the character, had to be completely saturated with self­aggrandizement (hence the radiant Colbert case binding and the endpaper pattern of Stephen confronting himself) and self­importance (like the almost life­size head on the cover). No surface of the book could escape being drenched in his ego, which led to the idea of the Republican­red edge staining. The reference stickers validate the book as something that the reader will return to time after time, and the stickers for nominating other books for the Stephen Colbert Award for the Literary Excellence was our lighthearted attempt at benign bookstore vandalism. Long live the values of the Colbert Nation!"

I have to agree with AIGA. This satirical novel did an amazing job in representing everything that Colbert was trying to say. From the images to the type itself, they did Colbert and the American nation proud.

To see more of AIGA's Design Award Winners, click here.

Murakami at the MOCA, but no longer...now in Spain

Murakami, one of my favorite designers was on exhibit at the MOCA. His work can be seen on some of Kanye West's album covers. He is one of the most thoughtful and thought-provoking Japanese artists of the 1990s. His work ranges from cartoony paintings to quasi-minimalist sculptures to giant inflatable balloons to performance events to factory-produced watches, T-shirts, and other products, many emblazoned with his signature character, Mr. DOB. Not just that though, he also collaborated with Marc Jacobs, the art director of Louis Vuitton and re-designed their signature monogram as well as including different caricatures like the cherry blossom or cherries in his unique style. Sadly, I thought that the show was somehow continued, but it ended up moving to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

EURO TRIP ANYONE!?!?

Bring Them Back

After watching the NBA All-Stars Dunking contest (yes, I followed my own advice) I got to thinking about the old school jerseys that get brought back every once in a while. I love the old designs. They really do represent everything that used to be great in basketball. Before the obsessions with the larger paycheck and who was getting traded to what team just to make a bigger buck. Last night really showed the great competitiveness of the sport, and brings the fun back. So, make sure to watch the good ol' east vs. west tonight! Hopefully, we will be seeing the rad vintage jerseys that I still kind of remember. You can find them all over the internet with just a little searching, and they have a pretty good selection on the NBA store online.

Check them out here

Still Love College

I may be behind the times, but I just heard the Asher Roth song, "I Love College". I have to say, that though at times far fetched, the song and music video do remind me of some of those parties I have seen, with a touch of Animal House or Van Wilder. The kid from PA sounds so much like Eminem, but of course his time at West Chester University influenced his styles. Rapping in a middle class status, he says what he wants, what he does, and does it all pretty damn well.

Happy V-Day

The day of amor. I must say that it is horribly commercial, but once you step outside of buying things for your 'boo' Valentines day can be a very special one. Just get a bottle of good ol' dom, or even just some martinelli's. Sit down, turn on the All-Star Basketball, and make your man a happy one. However, if one does feel like giving in and spending some gouda and you want to put a smile on the ladie's face, stop in at Tiffany's and get her a little special something. Check out this special necklace made for the holiday, and on their website you can find many more gifts for under $250.

Click here to get to Tiffany's.

Big Bang Theory?

Fashion comes in with a bang or maybe a grumble of a chainsaw? Peter Gronquist thinks its okay to plaster couture designer lables on mk-47s or whatever. I don't know guns, but I'm not sure if they should be covered with respected names of the fashion world.

Check here for more examples.

First Blog of my Life

So today I decided that I was going to join the blogging craze. Basically, I have been inspired to show others what I think is design. I want to explore, learn and then teach. With the blog, I will be posting my work as well as other designer's work that is currently inspiring me or stuff that I just plain out like. I may stray from design too, going over to music and other things that are influencing me every day in the studio.