Salute | Logo Comps

One of the many things I love about my job is that it's really never boring. My work is ever-changing because the industries my clients are in are across the board. The Salute work I've been doing is by far the most masculine project I've been on. Salute creates steel shooting targets. The current industry landscape is generally unprofessional, outdated, gaudy, boring and expected. My goal in rebranding Salute is to give them something that stands out from the rest. Here are what the rest look like (including their current logo on the bottom right):

Blech, right!?
The marks I created (below) are still militant and masculine, but much more clean and professional. Based on research, the Salute logo needs to represent durability, strength, innovation, quality and integrity. In one of them there's a secret 's', too. Can you find it?

University of Bridgetown | Prepress

The printing process is pretty complex. I went to Bridgetown this afternoon to learn a little bit about one part of the process: prepress. Every month University of Bridgetown hosts a couple events (which means they also order in lots of Elephants Delicatessen sandwiches and Diet Coke - yum). They're working on the upcoming schedule now; you'll be able to find it here.

I learned about color, transparency, creep, the pros and cons of saddle stitching, bounding boxes and RIP (As Tom at Bridgetown put it, RIP is where they put your files to rest in peace...what it really means is Raster Image Processor/Processing). It was fun. I left full and enlightened.

The Things You Would Have Said | Design Concepts

Jackie Hooper and I only met a couple weeks ago, but we've already accomplished so much together! She needed a look and feel pulled together for her project, The Things You Would Have Said. I was commissioned to figure out what that look and feel should, well... look and feel like (in the form of a website header). While doing research I was struck with the drama of the project. Not only is it dramatic in a personal and emotional manner, but it's theatrical in the experience (whether you're the speaker or  the listener). The words Jackie used to describe the project are the same words used in describing the theatre: "personal, emotional, self-revealing, cathartic and therapeutic". One thing I strove for during the design process was the creation of drama using color and texture. Here are the three options I presented:

If you want to see where we ended up, visit The Things You Would Have Said twitter profile, facebook page, or website. WARNING: If you visit the website, you better have some Kleenex at hand. Don't say I didn't warn you. If you'd like to contribute your own letter, email it to wouldhavesaid@gmail.com.


This project has been noticed by many and written up by The Oregonian, The Oregonian again, The Oregonian a third time, and Portland Monthly. There are many other inquiring (such as SELF Magazine, and newspapers around the nation) so this isn't going to be the last you hear of Jackie and her phenomenal project. If Oprah wasn't leaving her show I'm sure Jackie would get there, too. 

Green Goose | Photoshoot + Beta Launch

Green Goose has officially launched! It's been in the works for a loooooong time, but the beta has been released into the wild as of yesterday. Check it out at www.greengoose.com. One of my roles was photography art direction. I called up Mark Coffin of Mark Coffin Photography and asked for his assistance. He primarily works in fashion photography, but handles product well, too as you can see here:

If these little eggs make you a curious cat, pop over the the Green Goose site to learn more. 

Muddy shoes, locked doors and typography. At George Fox.

Yesterday I had the great privilege of speaking at my alma mater, George Fox University. I've gone back to speak in a few design classes over the last three years and it's always great to get back on campus and see the things I used to zip by everyday going to and from class like a chicken with my head cut off in a new, slower light. The grounds are just gorgeous. It smells wonderful. And the sounds...bustling students and professors, hushed rooms, laughing, the bell tower....I love it all.

Before the Typography class I was scheduled to speak to was in session, I scuttled over to The Coffee Cottage to get my caffeine fix. In my hurried way I cut across some grass and had an odd sensation I was sinking. Because I was! It was SO muddy. Before I knew it my black heels had completely sunk into the ground and my feet were moving on without them. Gross. Needless to say, I had to accept that my black shoes would be brown for the day.


Once I got to class, everything went smoothly. The students had great questions and I had a lot of fun filling them in on my journey and my work. After class I roamed through the art building, Brougher, to say 'hi' to a few people and track down some professors.

En route I saw the above pieces on the wall and they caught my eye because I designed those postcards for Mark Terry's Alchemy Show (which is currently on campus). I thought it was so cool that from my making art with Mark's art, someone took it and made yet another iteration of art. I don't know who did it, but whoever you are, I say, "Cool." My next stop, naturally, was the gallery to view Alchemy. I couldn't find Mark anywhere, so I trekked over there alone, super excited to see the show in person. Alas, the gallery doors were locked. Locked!

I peered through the doors best I could and then went around the other side of the building to peek through the exterior window. And peek sadly...

So close, but so far away. At least it made for some intriguingly layered photos...!? The black walls were gorgeous behind the signage and Mark's work is breathtaking, really. So besides the muddy shoes and the locked doors, yesterday was really nice. The end.

Quote | Coco Chanel

Coco? Oui, oui!

Coco Chanel (born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel) lived from 1883-1971. In those 88 years she went from being essentially a poverty-stricken orphan to one of the most influential people of the 20th century. I've wanted to watch the American television movie Coco Chanel on Lifetime Television for a long time. I took my recent flight to South Dakota as the perfect opportunity to get some movie time in. The movie stars Shirley MacLaine as a 70-year-old Chanel and Barbora Bobulova as the young Chanel. 

It was really interesting and totally inspirational. Not only did it make me want to start calling my studio mon atelier and my dog mon chien, but it made me want to go out and actually make an impression - not do things like everyone else and not be afraid to stand out.


They say it takes hard work to be successful. I read about hard work in Seth Godin's book Small Is The New Big last week. He says, "Hard work is about risk. It begins when you deal with the things that you'd rather not deal with: fear of failure, fear of standing out, fear of rejection. Hard work is about training yourself to leap over this barrier, tunnel under that barrier, drive through the other barrier. And, after you've done that, to do it again the next day."


That's what Coco did!


In the film, Coco and her sister travel to Deuville on holiday. While there Coco asks,"Why can't women be as free as men?" to which her sister replies, "Because that's the way the world is. I don't think you can change that." Coco responds, "Really?" with a twinkle in her eye. She proceeds to restructure the way womens' wear is approached. Completely. In doing this she pushed the social boundaries as well as fashion boundaries. (Think confused stares, dirty looks, and rude comments.) 

What she was promoting was branded 'indecent' and 'grotesque' but she knew it would work: "Women have to wear clothes even in times of war, don't they? Women need to be comfortable - rich women because they no longer have their maids to dress them and the poor because they need to work. and they'll all be dressed in the same way." 

I must admit, even considering the sentimental love story and endearing character development, one of my favorite parts of the film was when Coco was designing her own logo:

The next film on my list: Coco Avant Chanel

To see more of the empire Coco began, visit www.chanel.com.
All images captured from the film.