Thursday, November 15, 2007

Nest is Best

It's been a while since my last post - feverishly working on many exciting projects and one in particular which could have a significant impact on childhood obesity. This diagram, a work-in-progress, shows the connections being made through a collaborative project I led with visual communications seniors at Washington University in Spring '07. The Design School along with the Brown School of Social Work partnered on a creative and social marketing campaign for the Healthy Youth Partnership, a member of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. For an entire semester we researched, interviewed, studied, investigated, brainstormed and presented our findings and strategies regarding childhood obesity, its effects on youth and innovative creative strategies for getting kids to make healthier choices. We connected with a lot of interesting people and hope to form alliances that might never exist if not for this project. My colleague and Brown School practicum student, Stephanie Kilstein, initiated the idea and I'm visually exploring ways it might be realized. I sort of like the egg and nest-like appearance so far. This diagram will be part of a larger case study documenting the collaboration with the goal of securing additional partners to help realize the proposed program. More on this project in future posts.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Guess Who?

I just completed the design of a poster which invites high school students to attend a portfolio review day at a local university. My colleague, DB Dowd, illustrated a set of characters each with their own unique creative trait. I cropped in on them, individually, to pique the interest of the reader as the piece unfolds. This image, in particular, is mysterious in many ways. The poster will print using fluorescent inks.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

This Is

"This is Simpson Park (?). And this is the slide and hiking trail. This is the boat and this is where the fishies swim. This is you and the doggy. This is the jungle gym. This is for you, dad." This is beautiful Grace, thank you.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Double Trouble

It's fascinating to watch your child (any child) grow and develop. But with twins, it's a bit more fascinating (that's a nice way of saying incredibly challenging, mystifying and rewarding). Clark and Grace are quite the pair. Extremely connected, yet couldn't be further apart. They were recently separated-Grace now has her own room and Clark shares a bunk with big brother-yet crave to have sleep-overs every weekend. It's a sweet vision until one scratches the others face in a demonic-like rage. The journey continues...

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Beak to Beak

Concept sketch for a locally-owned bakery and cafe. The overall brand story revolves around two birds who can't stop talking. We gave the client some starter conversations to build upon, which was fun: "Heads up, the kid at table six dropped his cupcake."; "You've got a poppy seed stuck in your beak."; "Quiche me, I'm yours."; "Forget the worms, baby."; "Early, late, always good." The new brand debuts this fall...more to come.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Wild Onion

Some historians theorize Indians named Chicago after the strong-smelling vegetable, Checagou, but many St. Louisians believe the smell originated in Wrigley Field! The city is an incredible tourist destination as we've gladly contributed to its economic development each summer. We also enjoy visiting our Uncle Dave - a promising architect who chooses the very best places to eat (thanks, Uncle Dave). The Congress Hotel was a good home and our visits to Navy Pier, MCA, Millennium Park and Lincoln Park Zoo were memorable, too. Our must-haves: The Corner Bakery and IKEA.






Saturday, August 4, 2007

Comp Time

Like many of my colleagues, I live for creating tiny renditions of my projects (called comps or thumbnail layouts) to share with my co-workers, students and/or clients. These are from a recent project I'm working on for the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis - my former employer and current client. The dean was traveling and couldn't attend our concept meeting, so I had Laura model the tiny layouts as well as the full-size paper dummy so he could see how they open and fold. I'm currently in the process of creating a 'hybrid' of these concepts. Gotta love those hybrids!


Friday, August 3, 2007

Wii Had Fun

My friend Bill and his son Josh moved to the twin cities about six years ago. I recently took my oldest son, Reid, for a visit. To put it mildly, this is the ultimate bachelor pad - big screen TVs, dish network/sports 24/7, trampoline, XBox and Wii (I won't mention the not-so-glamorous stuff!). Bill's friend Robert is living there at the moment along with several male animals. We discovered the Wii toward the end of our stay and really never did anything else. Laura and I have always made a point to read, play and create with our kids so our gaming skills are quite low. But after four-six hours of bowling, Reid upset Robert and scored a record 155! Dad may have to rethink what Santa brings this season...
Note: Just after we returned, the tragic bridge accident took place there. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones affected by this tragedy.