Design in the Real World

*blows the dust off Thought Munch*

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything here, and there have been
changes in my life. One big change is that I am currently working for
Auntie Anne’s Inc. as a (temporary) graphic designer. I started out as
an intern and when the assistant designer went on maternity leave I
was promoted to take over her position until the end of the year. I’m
really liking it here, and it would be nice if I could get hired full
time, but all the positions are filled right now so I’m not counting
on it.

The point of bringing this up is that a project I recently did for
Auntie Anne’s became my most wide-spread artwork so far in my life, and
I’d like to toot my own horn about it.

This project was to create a paper icon that people can purchase with a $1 donation to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. The bottom portion is a tear-off coupon for $1 off their next AA purchase, and they can sign the banner around the lemon and an AA employee will hang it up on the store walls.

Now to be fair this isn’t an incredible piece of design work. It’s pretty simple and could probably be improved upon. The reason I’m sharing this with you though is just to take some pride in how many people have seen and interacted with something I designed. Not that the design had much to do with it – this campaign was in the works before I even started working for AA. But I still think it’s pretty cool. Here are a couple pictures of the icon being displayed in stores. It’s even been on the “Good Morning Arizona” television program. You can see the clip here.

So, if you see this little piece of paper at your local Auntie Anne’s store, think of me.

 

*toot*

P90X

As of this new year I have started up the workout routine P90X again. I tried it last summer but after I was 5 weeks into it I started working full time and felt as though I didn’t have enough time for both. Now I am attempting to do the workout in addition to work. It feels good to start it up again.

I highly recommend P90X to anyone who is serious about getting into shape. There are three different types of programs: Classic, Doubles, and Lean. I am doing classic, which is 60-120 minutes of exercise a day. Doubles is twice that amount, and Lean focuses more on losing weight and uses a lot more cardio than weight lifting. The program targets different parts of the body each day as well as different styles of fitness such as yoga, and kenpo (a type of martial arts). This wide range of activities does a good job in rounding out your over all body fitness.

This isn’t a body building program. So if you want gigantic muscles try something else. You will definitely gain muscle mass, but this is geared more toward athletes so it will be hard, lean muscle. It also includes a diet plan to use if you want to.

So if you lead an active lifestyle and would like to up your game and try something new this year I recommend P90X.

2012

Another year, a new beginning. I don’t know if it’s because I want to prove the Mayans (or their translators) wrong, or just an extended burst of motivation; but I have a good feeling about the new year. Plans, lists, goals… I’m excited to begin 2012.

There are two movies that match my enthusiastic mood that I recommend watching. They are Limitless and Yes Man.

Limitless is by far my favorite movie of 2011. I’ve seen it twice and acquired the soundtrack to it. The basis behind the movie is a new drug that was invented that enables you to use your mind to it’s full potential. Anything you have ever seen, heard, or read – even if you had “forgotten” it – becomes at your disposal. Learning a new skill or language is as easy as going to sleep. You become an unstoppable force of logic, finesse, and comprehension. Of course since this is a Hollywood production there have to be side effects, plot twists, and bad guys. But the reason I like this movie so much is just the concept. Not the fact that you can take a substance to achieve greatness, because that’s a load of horse doo-doo. But I like to think of it as a state of mind rather than a drug. Motivation, willpower, and determination are incredible weapons for success. Now you probably won’t be able to triple your money in a day, or learn a language just by listening to it a few times, but the age-old phrase of “You can do anything you put your mind to” holds an incredible amount of truth. Watching this movie always gives me a great boost of motivation and makes me antsy to get out into the world and start living and doing.

Yes Man is more on the comedic side which in itself makes it a good movie (Jim Carrey is always funny.) But the plot of the story is a man who basically hates his life and feels like he has no purpose. He finally decides to try a personal-development system which involves saying “Yes” to everything, no matter what. This opens his eyes to all the experiences he’s been missing out on by being too afraid or lazy to try new things. Of course by the end he realizes that there are some things he should say “no” to, but it teaches him how life can be so much more enjoyable and beneficial if he reaches out, tries new things, meets new people, etc. This is a great concept and a lot of people can learn from it. Too many people just go through the motions each day, each week, each year. Do something new; this is your LIFE. Don’t you want it to mean something? There are so many things to do and see in this world – way too many for one lifetime. So why waste time doing the same things you hate over and over?

My word for the new year is “Fresh.” Fresh as in the exhilarating sense you get when you step outside to a glorious sunset and take a deep breath that smells like dew and new life. Fresh as in a blank sketchbook with limitless possibilities. Fresh as in breaking out of old stale habits and seeking new experiences. Here’s a typographical representation I created.

Here is another version ( in its earlier stages ) that I also liked. Which one do you prefer?

If you have any plans, resolutions, or thoughts on the upcoming year, I’d love to hear them! Happy New Year!

11:11:11 11/11/11

It’s just a date and a time, but the fact that it is the only day in this century that there will be that many 1’s in a row gives it some substance. Unfortunately I didn’t do anything special to commemorate the occasion because I was working during the AM occurrence and had to get up at 5 the next morning. However I did manage to snag this sweet screenshot, and then take a screenshot of it because the file title at the top is the good part. Where were you for 11:11:11 11/11/11? And on a side note, this post has exactly 111 words in it. Count them all if you don’t believe me.

WWII ‘shopping

I wanted to try my hand at creating a vintage-looking picture so I swiped this one of my brother and sister at a WWII memorial dance, added a background, and went at it. Let me know what you think.

Oh, and a bit of irony for the day – for a little extra flare I added the date that WWII ended to the bottom corner and realized it was today, Sept. 2nd, 66 years ago. What are the chances?

Credit for the vintage texture goes to Deviant Artist Elliot Cash.

Mac-Man: Devouring the competition since 1984

Just an idea I had so I decided to turn it into a wallpaper to show my allegiance. Feel free to use it if you like it. As usual, click for larger/better view.

Photoshop Phun

As a graphic designer Adobe Photoshop is a key tool in the industry. So skills in the program are pretty much a necessity. I’m always looking to expand my abilities so I decided to have some fun and see what I could create using some new found techniques, and some discovered along the way. What do you think? Any tips or suggestions are welcome. The original photo was me and my friend fooling around. Click on the manipulated one to view full-sized.

Original:

Manipulated:

Poetry

What do you think it would sound like it dogs wrote poems? Probably something like…

Roses are grey,

violets are grey,

I can’t see colors,

and I don’t understand syntax or how to rhyme

 

Threadless Tattoo Challenge

So I entered another Threadless challenge. This one was to design a temp tattoo that they will give out to everyone at their annual “family reunion.” It would be totally sweet if you went here and voted it high so I could take the gold. Thanks! Also let me know what yo think!

 

Quick add-on: I made another design for this competition, check it out, and as with the last one, high scores are always welcome!

Everything is Possible

The human body is AMAZING! “Impossible” records are being broken all the time. Hicham El Guerrouj ran a mile in 3 minutes and 43 seconds. David Blane held his breath for over 17 minutes. No matter how ridiculous Olympic world records get, each year dozens of them are beaten by new athletes. Our bodies were so skillfully designed that we can accomplish nearly any task as long as we treat our bodies right. Everything is possible with training. Check out this video I came across.

You see these things and think to yourself, “Well I could never do that. That person is just good at it.” I think natural talent has a lot less to do with it than people believe. Not one of these people could do these things without training for hours, days, or even years. If you want to be able to do something, try it, and then try it again! Then keep working at it till you get it. You also have to go into it with the right mindset. Will power is half the battle. I don’t know about you, but I love adding to my personal repertoire of skills and abilities.

You could end up like this guy, and be good at all kinds of things. Or you could concentrate on one area and be like this unbelievable stuntman.

So what do you want to be able to do? Ride a unicycle? do a backflip? Swim the English Channel? You can do it. And I dare you to try.