http://colinismy.name Sustainable design, illustration and web development Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:15:15 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Website Design/Development Kristin Norris, owner of geo•gia massage, was in the midst of upgrading her business to incorporate personal training as well as massage. She came to me to revitalize her branding and build her a new website. This new site would have drastically more functionality than her previous site, including ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/geogia-health/ Online Magazine Site Design/Development The University of Southern California's Public Diplomacy Department needed a website built. This website was to serve as the online edition of their brand new magazine, the aptly-named Public Diplomacy Magazine. See the live site here. The site needed to be a fully interactive online magazine, so I ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/usc-pdm/ New, Untrained Designers and Developers Will Not Kill Industry Arguably one of the most unsettling movements in technology today is also one of the most promising. The way an individual feels about the Open Source Initiative (OSI) is generally determined by whether or not they own or work for a company ... http://colinismy.name/blog/opensource/ Being 'Interesting' Without Being 'Good' It cannot be overstated just how much a well-trained designer is ingrained with the concept of 'good' and 'bad' design. From the very first day of class you are coached through critical-thinking routines and tense critiques, all with the intended end result of developing a new ... http://colinismy.name/blog/baddesign/ Bones Bones bones bones bones BONES! http://colinismy.name/portfolio/sketch/bones/ Evolution in Action Usually evolution is a VERY slow process. Sometimes it's not. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/sketch/evolution-in-action/ The Writing on the Wall is Stupid Like a well-woven tapestry or epic oil painting, it has the power to inspire and amaze. Like a broken window, it can drag a bad neighborhood deeper into disrepair and violence. It can be found in the ruins of Pompeii and on the sides ... http://colinismy.name/blog/graffiti/ Moleskine Front Page These sketches greet any who browse through my Moleskine sketchbook. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/sketch/frontpage-sketch/ Cavemen Games What did our ancestors play with? They had to make up their own games (perhaps to their fellow animals' detriment). http://colinismy.name/portfolio/sketch/caveman-games/ Relatively Speaking Some people become designers because they love creating artwork, but don't want to be broke all their lives. Some become designers because they like the lifestyle and trappings of an aesthetics-based profession, or think that designing SOMETHING will help them leave their mark upon the world. It could be ... http://colinismy.name/blog/relativelyspeaking/ Identity Verdant Collective is a dynamic studio of designers, editors, writers, photographers, coders, directors, actors and other creatives that coalesce to take on projects that are too large and complex for any one of them individually. Members also have similar ideas about aesthetics, sustainability and work ethic. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/verdant1/ Identity Green Loves Gold is a budding blogging network focused on sustainability, health, professional upward mobility, design, and the intersections of these topics. I wanted to create something simple that would immediately speak to any viewer of a more calm, but bold, existence. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/greenlovesgold-identity/ Magazine Ad This full-page magazine advertisement was created for sustainable, Los Angeles- and San Deigo-based company, Eco Caters. This is a company that takes great pride in the taste and beauty of the food they create for their clients. That in mind, I decided to use their food as a piece ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/ecocaters-ad/ Magazine Ad I designed this full-page magazine advertisement for eco-friendly shoe company, Charmoné. Taking their current look and feel into account, I was about to apply their color scheme, illustration-style and typographic sensibilities to the ad, along with an evolution of the brand. The idea was to invoke a sense of ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/charmone-ad/ Small, Medium or Large? Having worked in large bureaucratic environments, small boutique studios and as a freelancer, I've sat and listened to arguments from all sides about which is the superior set up for optimal design quality and efficiency. Those designers who namelessly punch their card at 9am, juggle dozens of projects ... http://colinismy.name/blog/what-size-studio-is-the-right-fit/ Creative Direction I recently had the pleasure of working with an ambitious and talented group of people on an up-and-coming publication that I think is really going to knock everybody out, Coco Eco Magazine (click here to see the whole second issue). I was asked by Anna Griffin, Coco Eco's Editor-In-Chief to ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/cocoeco-creativedirection/ Identity Way Below Status Quo is an exclusive networking group for young professionals based out of Los Angeles. The WBSQ logo was developed with industriousness in mind, with the gear representing the ambition of WBSQ members and the plants and birds representing the growth and freedom members plan to achieve. The ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/wbsq-identity/ Promotional CDs From time to time I take a break and put together a mix CD, design album art for it, and distribute it to my friends, colleagues and clients. Is it an excuse to discover new music? Is it a promotional tactic? You be the judge. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/colin-promocds/ Special Offer Page Jazz singer/songwriter Marilyn Scott was in need of a static webpage to promote a limited-edition special offer to her fans. Her management company wanted something that kept to the Marilyn brand, while at the same time branching out a bit to add some freshness to the look. To ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/marilynscott-downloads/ Identity and Business Card The owners of In The Loop, a new event coordination company, needed a logo that was fresh, sophisticated and modern. Using a combination of granite-based, powerful colors and a geometric-yet-organic shape, an identity was born. Loving the logo they received, they then asked for a business card. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/intheloop-bc/ Business Card Design The owner of Crystal Clear Cleaning was looking for a business card that would catch potential clients' attention, but without being loud. Aiming for a 'clean' feeling, I created a business card with elegant, clean typography that is printed on a transparent, rounded piece of plastic that is ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/crystalclearcleaning-bc/ Comp Card Ty Earston, entrepreneur, businessman, recent contender on The Amazing Race, and aspiring model and actor came to me looking for a comp card that would help him stand out in the extremely competitive LA landscape, while still adhering to professional standards. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/ty-compcard/ Blog Banners The Whole 9, a social network for creative people, recently started up a blogging network with an impressive number and variety of people in its stable. I was asked to create the blog headers for each of the different bloggers, using a different look for each one, depending on ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/thewhole9-blogbanners/ Newsletters The creative social network, The Whole 9, asked me to design several newsletters, including a template that would be used for a weekly blogging network mailer. I kept the colors and typography use consistent, but spiced things up a bit by juxtapositioning text of different sizes and colors, along with ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/thewhole9-newsletters/ Banner Illustration The Whole 9, and a social network for creative people based out of Los Angeles, sends out monthly newsletters to its members, each bearing an illustration from a different member in the banner. I was asked to create a 'manly hand' which would be reaching out to touch a ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/thewhole9-manhand/ Onesheet Lisa Schultz, head of the social network for creatives, The Whole 9, asked me to create a onesheet for her business that would display the demographics of the community that she's built, along with advertising costs and a brief description of the network. I kept it simple, slightly evolving the ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/thewhole9-onesheet/ Poster A client of mine asked me to create a poster for an Obama fundraiser she had put together and I had to say yes. Political beliefs aside, the Obama camp ran a fantastic campaign, had great design sensibility, and was inseparably associated with revolution. A poster-maker's dream! This is another option ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/obama-poster/ Site Development / Animation A fellow designer named John Coulter asked me to develop in Flash a site he was designing for a company that builds lithium-ion-powered scooters. I agreed immediately, and after seeing his design I was happy that I did. The name of the game with this site was to ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/skeuter-web/ Onesheet nvohk, an eco-friendly clothing company with a unique management structure, asked me to put together a press-release/onesheet that they could send out to announce their first line having been printed and made available. I kept it simple, straight-forward and consistent the brand's look and feel. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/nvohk-onesheet/ T-Shirt Illustrations nvohk, an eco-friendly clothing company managed by the people who wear it, asked me to create a series of illustrations which would be voted on, with the winners becoming the graphics on their first line. I aimed for a handmade feel for this series, with a playful-but-masculine feel and dealing ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/nvohk-illustration/ Site Design After their deciding on a simple, easy to read but very basic logo, I was asked by the nvohk management team to design a website for their brand. The logo made the project somewhat of a challenge, but I was able to take the clean black and white look ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/nvohk-web/ Identity Development nvohk was an eco-friendly clothing company managed by the people who wear it. 'Member-owners' contributed to all decisions made within the company, from what logo would be used to what graphics would go on the shirts to how and where the clothing would be sold. When I first heard about ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/nvohk-identity/ Business Card Design Award-winning independent filmmaker Mischa Hedges came to me wanting a new look and feel for his personal business cards. Living in Los Angeles, a big issue that Mischa has to deal with in his field is the intense competition from the thousands of other filmmakers in the area, ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/mischa-hedges/ Site Design / Development Health industry entrepreneur, Kristin Norris, tasked me with branding and building a website for her message therapy business, geo•gia massage. Because her business is special within the field - providing mobile (on-site) massage therapy to businesses and individuals - and because she uses eco-friendly supplies, I ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/geo%e2%80%a2gia-massage/ Site Redesign The young and incredibly ambitious gentlemen at Factory Green contacted me about giving their expanding business' online presence a makeover. Their older was very static, and because their customer-base is largely college students and twenty-somethings, they needed a bit more movement and flair. The biggest challenge for this site was ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/factory-green/ Site Redesign DataFusion Technologies, Inc., creator of law firm accounting products and services, came to me looking for an aesthetic overhaul for their B2B website. Their site was beginning to look very dated and they wanted something with a bit more aesthetic appeal, while still maintaining a professional feel and ease ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/datafusion-technologies-inc/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various9/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various8/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various7/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various6/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various5/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various4/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various3/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various2/ Editorial Illustrations Illustration work for various clients and projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/various1/ Calendar Page Illustration This is a 3-D illustration that was created for a slightly-disturbing nursery rhyme-themed calendar. I created a twist on Humpty Dumpty, with the spin being that he is thinking of jumping. The model was created out of toilet paper, india ink, wire, glue and spray paint. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/calendar1/ Practicum Gallery Poster Poster created to advertise the Missouri State University Design Program BFA Practicum Show. Illustrations created to show creative process. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/galleryposter1/ International Poster Competition This poster was created for the 18th International Poster Competition in Chaumont, France. The theme was global climate change. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/chaumont2/ Short Story / Editorial Illustrations Book illustration work for various projects. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/paintings1/ Creative Direction / Design In what turned out to be the last issue of Stim Magazine, the publishers had just relocated to Los Angeles and took on a full-time day job which, regrettably, made the continuation of Stim exceedingly difficult. In issue 6, however, the Look Book got classy. Meghan got illustrated ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/stim6/ Creative Direction / Design Stim Magazine, Issue 5 displayed some of the strangest and most innovative publication layout techniques ever gracing the pages of a zine. [caption id="attachment_317" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Stim Magazine, Issue 5"][/caption] Making use of giant word bubbles and pictures taken after giving him a few drinks, set designer Daniel Heinke ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/stim5/ Creative Direction / Design The fourth issue of Stim came out during a major natural disaster which was an ice storm that exploded all the trees in Springfield, Missouri, where the magazine was published. The electricity was out for weeks, most smart people fled to other, nearby towns that weren't hit ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/stim4/ Creative Direction / Design Issue number three of Stim Magazine less us through a period of adjustment; one that led to more freedom down the line and valuable connections down the line. We were also able to share some of Kyle Lane's fantastic photography, an evolved Look Book by Meghan Spalding, and ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/stim3/ Creative Direction / Design With the publication of the second issue of Stim Magazine, things started to get a little more legit, but the spontaneous and creative look and feel of the first issue remained intact. In this issue we had a fashion section put together by the fabulous Meghan Spalding, a ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/stim2/ Creative Direction / Design For the first issue of Stim Magazine, a culture zine out of Springfield, Missouri, I was really able to have some fun as advertising was taken care of (and designed by me, so even the ads fit with the look of the publication) and the audience had ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/stim1/ Identity Package The i GIVE a damn! network, a social network and charity connection tool, brought me in early on to develop the identity and marketing materials for the organization. This included a logo, business cards, stationery and style guide. Big, bold, san-serif typography was used in developing the logo; partially because ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/igad-identity/ Book Jackets This project entailed making a series of book jackets for a trilogy of short story collections, and each series had to be done in a unique but consistent style. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/shortstories-jacket/ Site Design / Development The website I built for my first design studio endeavor, 2and2is5 Design, was simple and nearly static, but it kept the brand consistent and displayed my work in an intuitive fashion. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/web/2and2is5-website/ Marketing Collateral My first company, 2and2is5 Design, was founded while I was in college. The idea was to create a look that was nearly brandless, represented not by an icon or logo, but by a look, a palette of colors, an aesthetic. A résumé, a business card and a leave-behind were ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/design/2and2is5-bc/ Cover and Editorial Illustrations I created a series of cover and editorial illustrations for social issues magazine (2)two, with topics ranging from abortion to war to coal power. http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/2two-illustrations/ International Poster Competition Though I seldom enter competitions, I did have a wonderful time creating this poster for the 17th International Poster Competition in Chaumont, France. The theme was the highly-publicized uprising in the Parisian banlieues, or ghetto, that arose from the police-killing of two teenagers. This poster was a finalist in ... http://colinismy.name/portfolio/illustration/chaumont1/