death of a hero.

here is another easy way to showcase my progression as a designer.

i will start by showing you my old idea and art:



and then, 2 or more years later now, the idea cycled back through my brain. this time i had a better idea for execution and design:



i think i like the new one better.

hank the handsome hippo head.

i doodled a bit in the sketch book and came up with something odd, but fun enough an idea that i decided to try and put it on a shirt.

i was running with the classic cartoon design's idea of "everything is anthropomorphic" and mixing it with the stuff that usually runs through my head.

is that scary that my head came up with this?



there are other color options here.

here is the newer version in all it's flash presentation-y goodness. i've fixed up the ears to be more hippo like and mocked up a poster print for the submission as well.

the big time.

i have achieved another goal in my graphic design career.

any designer can tell you how elated they were to first see their work printed out, brochures, magazine ads etc.

i have seen all the small print possibilities (brochures, store displays, magazines, newsprint) and i've been waiting for my first billboard.

i got close once, but now i've actually reached the goal.



since this is a horrible nighttime camera-phone pic, i guess i should describe the details, the line through the middle is a power line, the background of the board is a concrete wall that darkens to black behind the braggame rights logo, and the logo is actually crisp and clean, but the photo doesn't tell that same tale.

i was the hands on this one, the copy and vision were dictated, but despite the donors, it's still my baby.

there are two billboards, this one is in superior, the other is in duluth and has the line "game on!" (game on was on a list of ideas i had once the single line, logo, location, web address layout was okayed by all parties)

some earlier versions were more ornate and used some of the design elements of the braggame rights' shopping bags.

i'm rambling.

cube your illusion.

after seeing glennz latest masterpiece, i scoured the web for fun illusions, until i came across a cube with a shifting perspective that I had fun switching back and forth in my mind.

i liked it so much, i went about creating one, and then putting a rubik styled twist on it. then added doorways and a hole to enhance the perspective shifts.



i then spent a decent amount of time putting together a flash presentation for it as a shirt design or a poster print for threadless:



and then i titled it with a cheesy pun / homage(?) to guns 'n' roses... yeah.

i loves drawing!

my wife bought me a sketchbook for our anniversary last month, and i've had fun doodling.

it was perfect timing as well, as the threadless loves drawing contest had just started, and it's really put the pencil back in my hand.

i've given up on drawing since i was introduced to photoshop. i also was never amazing at drawing, so it was easy to set aside.

lately i've found the happy middle ground of not caring that others can draw 10,000 times better, there's no point, there are designers that design 10,000 times better, and i haven't quit the adobe creative suite.

here's my last ditch effort to join the threadless loves drawing contest:




a lot of layer effects and the like were tossed in, so the drawing portion is kind of hidden, but i like thqat it's a part of the design and not just the design.

here is a video i put together to detail the creation:

norris v. transformers

i've had a lazy labor day afternoon awaiting a visit to my parent's place for cheddarwursts and cheesedip.

so i decided to piece this video, transformers starring chuck norris, together for poops and heehaws.



i was very surprised to see the referral videos that come up after the initial video is done, i had no idea that so many transformers fans have envisioned a universe where shape shifting robots and chuck norris lived side by side.

citizens bank sucks.

my family recently had to purchase a new vehicle after our last one was totaled in a car accident.

we wanted to get the loan through our local credit union, as we're aware that the interest is usually decent due to credit unions being non-profit and all that jazz.

but the dealer we purchased the car through found a better interest rate through citizens bank. normally , when i throw out a name of anyplace, i'll link to them, but this bank seems to have no web presence at all. (unless the name change to charter one is permanent, but they're still mailing out the old citizen's letterhead in an equally moronic move)

strike one.

i received a call last week that our payment was past due, despite having purposefully set the due date to the 26th.

strike two.

we get our money together and call to make a payment, but they only take checks or they can use a check routing number for a one time payment for $12.95.

strike three.



i don't use checks, and i'm getting sick of these companies and corporations trying to save a buck to their bottom line by not paying out the fees necessary to set up credit card and debit card payments online or even simple paperless billing where they keep our numbers on file. (care credit is another notorious company)

so we called back, asked what we owe to date on our as of yet untouched loan, as we will be refinancing through another bank due in whole to their shoddy billing / payment practices. to which the phone rep. stumbles over himself trying to explain that if we refinance the loan this that or the other way, we could save more than the $12.95 a month and make the payments over the phone at our leisure. so, in reality, he told us we are paying too much for our loan, but it could be cheaper and we could pay the same amount. that is weapons grade ignorance.

so i am pleased to say that they just lost a single paying customer to what i can only imagine is a slow growing business (again, i point out that they have no web presence.... mom and pop cookie bakeries have freaking web sites!) and i hope enough people are annoyed with having to write checks in an ever expanding check free market.

citizens bank was built by simpletons.