Inspirational Art/Design

Herbert Matter. The first time I saw his work, I was blown away by how fresh, almost timeless, it looks. Some of his work looks as if it was created a few years ago. He revolutionized design concepts.

Clifford Bailey: A California artist working with oils, who does incredible paintings/illustrations of musicians. I love how he captures the mood, energy, and sophistication of the characters.
www.cliffordbailey.com

Waffle Press Type

Design Trends

Large slab serif type, as well as type used as the primary focus of a design. Slabs are often used for short phrases meant to grab our attention. These are not always the most beautiful to look at. To me, they can be heavy and slow, but in moderation they can be used effectively.

Hand-drawn images and type. These are great because they often stand out better and can draw our attention better than a photograph. People will always be impressed by a great drawing. And hand written type can feel more personal.

One page web layout, as well as websites that are inspired by print or magazines. These websites can be difficult to look at. Muck like magazine covers or content pages, every bit of information is crammed onto one page in fear that you will never find it elsewhere. It is a challenge for designers to make these pages look good with so much information.

Waffle Iron Letterpress Type

Here is my first attempt at my Waffle Iron Type. It has actually worked out better that I could have imagined. I used Sculpey (the white things) to fill in and connect the gaps in the waffle squares. I had initial concerns about the Sculpey burning, or sticking to the waffle batter, or worse yet, sticking to the waffle iron and rendering it useless. None of that happened. In fact the Sculpey hardened (as it does) and was easily removable from the iron. Not only was it removable, but I am able to reposition the pieces (sort of like a letter press) to make new letterforms. As it turns out, the syrup is needed to create enough contrast in the letterforms (see last photo). I have at least 18 more letters to make and then photograph, but hey, it makes the house smell good.

Cool Type Examples

iQ font - When driving becomes writing / Full making of from wireless on Vimeo.

Furniture Type.

Bad (just bad) and Then Some Good Design

(Above) It's either really bad... or genius.

You can find some stunningly beautiful design at mattsoncreative.com

And of course, amazing design at www.pentagram.com/en/ where Michael Bierut and Paula Sher work.

Timeline & Self-Portrait Designs

Above are my concepts for a "self portrait." They are both a look at what lead me into studying graphic design. The Recycle Bin focuses on my life from quitting college in the early 2001 to today. The Guitar String delves more into what influenced me, especially early on, and lead me into design. While designing these, I took a difficult look at my past. I tried to remain upbeat and hopeful, but each are not without regrets. I want them to be a representation of honest mistakes and, ultimately, redemption.