September 28, 2011 I'm a humongous fan of Lost Type Co-Op. I eagerly wait for updates on when they launch new fonts. As soon as I saw this one, I HAD to try it. Like a new toy. And it was fun. I just had to take a 10 minutes break at work to whip this up.
May 10, 2011 It turns out my other design was the one that was chosen. I think the t-shirts are scheduled to arrive soon. I'll post a pick once I get my hands on one. Thanks, Minted.
May 6, 2011 So a friend of mine and I got into a long discussion about design and the creative drive that artists and designers have. It sparked me to make this little venn diagram. Yes, I know venn diagrams are so 2009, but it doesn't mean I love them any less.
To put it simply, my drive comes from 3 things: creating an "Experience", problem solving, and making life pretty through design.
I believe my approach to design is founded in two sides that I had growing up.
1. Viewing art and design through analysis.
Growing up with a father who was always drawing and painting, taking us to museums, and saying cheesy things like "wait wait wait! just stop... stop and look at the sky... isn't is amazing?" (now you know where I get it from my dear wife). I loved art. I loved it with the amazement that an astronomer has as they gaze into a newly found nebula.
I knew a work of art was created by another human that made these decisions because of some reason, either subconscious or conscious. To me growing up, those two were equally as important (my father was also a psychologist, go fig.) From an early age I started looking at paintings with questions: "Why did he put that stroke there?" "Why did he decide to use that color there?"
This represents my approach to art and design. While I brainstorm ideas, or execute, I try (*try* - it doesn't always happen) to think about the reasons why I'm doing something, how someone will experience it, and how can I experiment with it to alter those experiences.
2. Playing video games and solving puzzles.
I started playing NES when I was around 6. Something in video games sparked this competitiveness towards problem solving. Mega Man would kill me again and again but for some reason, I wouldn't back down. I sat there like a broken record - die. die. die. die. die. die. die. I would say "OK. Who ever freaking built this game wouldn't make it so that it was unbeatable. THERE HAS TO BE WAY". Imagine playing games and working on puzzles like cryptograms your whole life with that mentality. I'm kind of surprised I'm not crazy yet.
In any case. This problem solving awareness I've gained through years of digital torture has helped me analyze experiences and problems in design/ UX/ UI and all around Branding interpretations.
So long story short: Along with that never-ending thirst for design, technique and new technology; problem solving and a technical but creative approach to art is, basically, how I do.
May 26, 2010 Hi-Fi Weddings contacted my wife, Junia Isabel, to share a Guest Mix on their site. She nailed the mix! I can't stop listening to it while I'm at work. To complete the whole package of the lo-fi Summer she was envisioning I designed the cover and back art for her mix. It's definitely going to play on repeat when we're lounging outside in the sun this Summer. Listen to the mix here.
