Older Posts
November 2011
> Design For My Future Self – Part 2: 11/22/11 - Designing a website to promote a new book on “aging in place” or design for later life has me thinking again about this specific area of design focus – design for aging boomers.
> Closed For The Season: 11/20/11 - Visiting a lost-in-time Maine beach town in the off-season – photos of motels, inns and vintage signage.
October 2011
> Media Branding’s Digital Conundrum Is So Today… Ready For Future Challenges?: 10/02/11 - Developing and implementing creative strategy for media brands – planning with an eye for what’s next.
September 2011
> Gimme Shelter: 9/24/11 - Photographing fanciful shelters built by children in a Maine forest – contemplating how the structures reflect the real world.
August 2011
> Curious Anonymous Stories – Part 7: 8/14/11 - Observations on instructional drawings – a vintage illustration depicting hand-to-hand combat is the inspiration for this brief story on trust – trust in information presented in visual guides.
> Wild Temperature Swings – Loving the Hots, Warms and Cools: 8/7/11 - The importance of experiencing colors in order to truly understand them – keeping a personal digital color reference library instead of relying on the internet for color research.
July 2011
> Bringing Soulful Back, A Tactile Approach To Design: 7/4/11 - Incorporating found textures and patterns into motion graphic projects – adding instant depth and personality in the process.
May 2011
> Mind All Your Ps And Qs While You Still Can: 5/16/11 - The art of cursive, like shorthand, may soon be a quaint relic of yesteryear.
April 2011
> Designing For An Alternate Reality – All Aboard The Transmedia Train: 4/28/11 - Looking for design’s place in an emerging entertainment format – and finding it everywhere.
> How A Gazillion Readers Made Me A Better Designer: 4/21/11 - Using viewer feedback and insight gathered from blog to better inform your design process and presentations
> Remember The Future?: 4/18/11 - contemplating new uses for old design concepts and drawings – digitally archiving film slides before they deteriorate and the work is lost forever
> Six Covers In Search Of A Book : 04/14/11 – Using narrative imagery to design book covers – for books that haven’t been written.
March 2011
> Curious Anonymous Stories – Part 6 : 03/30/11 – Souvenirs and keepsakes from a collection take on new meaning over time – an “installation” of sketches and notes becomes the subject of this sixth part in a series.
> Naoki Terada – Freshly Cut : 03/15/11 – As a follow-up to the previous post on creating story boards without using software, a post on the cut paper scale models of Japanese designer Naoki Terada – inspiration for animation
> Now Ready for Boarding – Please Turn Off All Electronic Devices : 03/14/11 – Creating motion design story boards without the help of software – pen, marker, photography and modeling examples
> Black & White and Blues – Three Takes, Two Colors : 03/06/11 – Winter blahs expressed in black and white – inspiration from photography, film and illustration.
February 2011
> Six Tips for Hitting a Design Brainstorm Bull’s-Eye : 02/28/11 – Suggestions for improving quality and quantity of useful and innovative ideas in design and creative brainstorms.
> A Design “Education” With Fries and a Large Soda : 02/12/11 – The false promise of a 3-month design “education” – why learning to be a designer isn’t the same as learning to use software
> Truth In Advertising …And Production …And Design : 02/06/11 – A little inside humor – videos from the web
> Hurry Up And Wait – How To Patiently Register A Trademark For Under $300 : 02/04/11 – Easy steps necessary for applying, links to helpful information, overview of process – no lawyer necessary – DO IT YOURSELF
January 2011
> Curious Anonymous Stories – Part 5 : 01/29/11 – Renaissance still life painting used as inspiration for a film shoot – fifth in a series
> Has Anyone Seen the Remote? Allowing Creative Employees to Work Via the Web is Smart, Efficient and Easily Manageable: 01/23/11 – Utilizing web-based collaboration and screen sharing tools
> The Skinny on Briefs – How to Write Creative Direction for Designers: 01/09/11 – Constructing thorough and insightful creative briefs for design projects
December 2010
> Good-Bye to All That – Pining for The New Year: 12/30/10 – New Year’s Eve in NYC – photos of holidays past.
> Lost in China, a Follow-Up: 12/26/10 – a follow-up to Matt Gross’ letter to Chongqing, China – New York Times travel
> Two or Three On A Match: 12/24/10 – two and three color printed matchbox covers from mid-century Belgium
> In Search of Color: 12/22/10 – finding inspiration in the light and colors of the Maine island of Monhegan
>The Customer Is Always Right-Wing – What To Do?: 12/06/10 - Presenting fresh or cutting edge designs and concepts to clients with conservative taste – how to make sure they resonate
October 2010
>Employee vs. Independent Contractor – The Classification Saga Continues : 10/28/10 - Proposed laws and fines to stop employer misclassification of employees – further notes from the business owner’s perspective
>Drawing From Experience: 10/10/10 - Keeping a sketchbook while on vacation – drawing, painting and retaining travel memories – give the camera a break
>Contemplating Patterns Over Vinho Verde : 10/04/10 - Portuguese tiles provide endless variations of color and pattern on houses, storefronts, churches and public buildings in Portugal – a posting of 25 photographs from a recent trip to Lisbon and the country’s southern coast
August 2010
>Good, Old-Fashioned & Computer Animated : 8/29/10 - My Dog Tulip – a film that was drawn by hand with the help of computer software – will hopefully bring more idiosyncratic stories, by a wider range of animators, to the screen
>10 More Lessons Learned From Running a Creative Business : 8/23/10 - more lessons, tips and advice on running a creative business
>10 Lessons Learned From Running a Creative Business : 8/15/10 - lessons, tips and advice gleaned from running a creative business for 11 years – to be continued…
July 2010
>No Glamour In The Slammer : 7/22/10 - images from the Ohio State Reformatory (OSR) in Mansfield, Ohio
>MAD MMX and Visible Humans : 7/14/10 - cadavers, medical research and motion graphic design
>Obsessed and Diffused : 7/5/10 - the rituals of preparation for new projects
>Chaos and Order, or What Big Bambu Taught Me : 7/1/10 - a visit to the Met, a site-specific bamboo installation by Mike and Doug Starn and a Sol LeWitt sculpture inspire a little thinking about systems, structure, order and perception
June 2010
>Curious Anonymous Stories – Part 4 : 6/6/10 - a set of vintage Spanish postcards – written, but never sent – is a mystery and an anonymous story
May 2010
>What Would William Morris Have To Say Now ? : 5/31/10 - wondering what Morris would think about computers as design tools – samples of textile, china and furniture
> Curious Anonymous Stories – Part 3: 5/5/10 - stories told with randomly grouped travel photos – third in a series
April 2010
> Freelancing 101.2 – Employee vs. Contractor: 4/5/10 - classifying freelance designers and animators as either employees or independent contractors – from the I.R.S., employer and freelancer perspectives
> Bahrani’s Plastic Bag: 4/1/10 - Ramin Bahrani’s short film “Plastic Bag” – recycled from “American Beauty” but compelling and impactful
March 2010
> Feasts For The Eyes – Part 2: 3/22/10 - tips for photographing food
February 2010
> Freelancing 101.1 – Do’s and Dont’s: 2/28/10 - pointers for freelance designers and animators
> Feasts For The Eyes: 2/13/10 – art, design and the culinary world
> Designing For My Future Self – A Prologue: 2/11/10 – looking at design from a more mature perspective and thinking ahead about the type of design I’d like to see and have available to me in the future
> Curious Anonymous Stories – Part 2: 2/11/10 – story told with photos – second in a series
> Curious Anonymous Stories – Part 1: 2/7/10 – stories told with randomly grouped photos
January 2010
> Is Design Software Killing Creativity?: 1/30/10 – contemplating the effect of design software on creativity, guessing what future innovations might be necessary to put emphasis back on creativity over technology
> Michael Jackson, Louis Vuitton and Branding in the Wild, Wild East: 1/20/10 – Chinese business, design and branding without copyright protection, knockoff businesses in Shanghai and Beijing, logo look-alikes
> Renovations and Resolutions: 1/15/10 – taking a look back at a past house renovation and planning future projects
> Selling China Short: 1/11/10 – censorship in media and the future of Chinese business
> Art, Architecture and Enchiladas: 1/3/10 – Fort Worth, Texas, museums and restaurants
December 2009
> Trivial Pursuit With Chairman Mao: 12/19/09 – China business, the cult of Mao
> Lessons From The Commune: 12/11/09 – China travel, modern architecture near great wall
> Outmaneuvering Super Girl and the Great Firewall: 12/4/09 – China travel, addressing media promotion and censorship, CCTV
November 2009
> I’ll Take That To Go: 11/23/09 – China travel, dog meat and street food in Wuhan
> Over the Yangtze River and Through the Woods: 11/16/09 – China travel, a trip to the ancient village of AnYi
> Everybody Nanchang Tonight: 11/13/09 – China travel, working in the city of Nanchang
> Brainstorming in Technicolor: 11/4/09 – China travel, creativity and brainstorming
> Offal – Mostly Awful: 11/2/09 – China travel, Sichuan style Chinese food, eating adventurously
October 2009
> Walking, Standing and Other Risky Behaviors: 10/26/09 – China travel, commuting in Shanghai, traffic and congestion
> Wuzhen, The Village of Wu: 10/24/09 – China Travel, a day spent in a small Chinese village
> A Land of Lost Girls: 10/23/09 – China travel, Chinese university students and creativity in education
> Minnie, Kitty and Puzzling Chinese Names: 10/22/09 – China travel, use of western names by Chinese
> A Glimmer of Good Things To Come: 10/21/09 – China travel, Shanghai food
> Breakfast of Champions: 10/20/09 – China travel, 3Kou Branding, hotel in Shanghai
> And Just Like That… China: 10/19/09 – China travel related, the start of an extended business trip
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