Christine Rivera : GRD*BLG

Religion Infographic

2012-01-30T18:44:00.001-05:00

This is an infographic I am working on for Specialized Applications right now. The subject matter is a tough one to make visually interesting, I've come to find. I think it came out kind of nice though, despite Infographics not really being my strong suit.

Photography Cheat Sheet Infographic

2012-01-27T17:05:00.002-05:00

http://livinginthestills.tumblr.com/cheatsheet

Religion in the U.S. Infographic

2012-01-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

Here are some drafts/ideas for my infographic about religion in the U.S.

Xmas Cards

2011-12-17T11:00:00.002-05:00

I made my own Xmas cards again this year! I am excited to send them out to my family and friends! I think they really show off my personality and style. ;)

Trevor Project PSA

2011-12-06T11:14:00.001-05:00

The Illusion of Choice

2011-11-29T00:42:00.001-05:00

I came across this nice-looking and interesting infographic:

http://notforpublicconsumption.tumblr.com/post/13479210410/freedom-of-choice-more-nevver

5 Portfolio Pieces

2011-11-16T11:50:00.000-05:00

Here I've tried to show a range of different types of projects, although I want to focus mainly on print.

"Eat Well" Magazine Redesign
Innovative combination of photography and graphic elements to update the "Eating Well" Magazine brand to one targeted towards a more diverse audience.

Open publication - Free publishing - More cooking

Scarlet Letter Book Cover
Effective use of dramatic photography and simple typography to convey the juxtaposition of elements within the story itself.

Crayola Packaging Redesign
Updating the Crayola box with a fresh & colorful look to further the youthful, fun and creative branding Crayola promotes.

Converse Shoes Ads
Uses creative concepts to bring together found elements (from print & online) while maintaining the "alternative" brand aesthetic.

Kinetic Typography
Successful use of After Effects to create an engaging, dynamic type-oriented motion piece following a skit from the TV show Scrubs.

Portfolio Inventory In Progress

2011-11-15T00:44:00.001-05:00

MODA World AIDS Day Presentation (In Progress!)

2011-11-09T11:49:00.000-05:00

Good Grub Food Truck Wrap

2011-11-01T12:52:00.001-04:00

Also featuring the finalized logo. :)

MODA World Aids Day Poster (3 versions)

2011-10-23T19:44:00.000-04:00

The image is at face value a plus-or-minus sign. In this design it is meant to be a sign to everyone that, whether you are someone who has AIDS, you are a friend/loved one affected by it, or even if you don't directly know someone who has it, you can still retain a positive outlook on the situation. It is an all-inclusive symbol, calling for us all to stay informed, aware, and compassionate.

I have a few iterations of the design. I am liking the second version (hand-drawn) the most, I think.

Revised World AIDS Day Logo

2011-10-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

Business Card Progress

2011-09-25T23:21:00.000-04:00

I'm making a mini "dating questionnaire" business card that can be left at various social places (most likely bars) for people to use as a fun conversation starter. This is what I've come up with so far. Any suggestions? My copy tends to be wordy, so I may truncate the introduction on the back.

front (left) and back (right)

Human Rights Campaign Poster

2011-09-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

I didn't really make this for any intended purpose, but I was playing around in photoshop when I arrived at this idea. I thought it would make a cool poster for the Human Rights Campaign, although I'm not sure if this has already been done or not. My guess would be probably, but I wanted to post this up anyway. :)

Cool Food Truck Designs

2011-09-08T19:31:00.003-04:00

Comida

http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/media/Blogs/Erin-Knows-San-Diego/Spring-Summer-2010/San-Diego-Food-Trucks/

http://www.princeofpetworth.com/2010/04/meet-dcs-newest-food-truck-el-floridano/

http://www.lasnark.com/2010/12/27/abbot-kinney-food-trucks-bigfoot/8659

http://modernframeproductions.com/theblog/mfp/hop-aboard-the-food-truck-trend/

Paper Food Trucks!

2011-09-08T18:21:00.003-04:00

Came across a downloadable template to design and print/assemble a paper food truck, courtesy of an artist called Goopymart. His flickr has some awesome examples of ones he has already designed for people to download and assemble them themselves. Of course I am partial to the day of the dead one. ;)

I think I am going to make one of these to photograph and use in my campaign/branding! :D

taco trucks at pimp it 3D, a photo by goopymart on Flickr.

"Good Grub" Food Truck Logos

2011-09-06T02:38:00.000-04:00

These are some logo concepts I'm working on for my fictitious food truck company. The last one is supposed to mimic the "Our Lady of Guadalupe" imagery. I find it pretty hilarious.

9/11 10-Year Commemorative Poster

2011-09-06T02:10:00.001-04:00

September 11th Posters

2011-09-01T13:14:00.001-04:00

http://www.branislavdesign.com/print.html

http://arabad.blogspot.com/

http://www.ivewatchedit.com/movie/23116/Loose-Change-9/11:-An-American-Coup

http://minimalmovieposters.tumblr.com/post/1366547937/united-93-by-owain-wilson

List of 9/11 Victims

Awareness Ads

2011-08-30T01:58:00.002-04:00

These first two are my bed bug ads. My favorite is the second one.

This is my ad for the Hispanic Parental Engagement campaign called "Your Words Today," which is an effort to raise awareness among Hispanic parents about the critically important role they play in encouraging their children to go to college. The top line reads, "Professional careers aren't built here." The bottom two lines say, "Be a part of your child's education. Their tomorrow depends on your words today."

Self-Promo Ads

2011-08-27T23:49:00.000-04:00

Good Advertising

2011-08-27T22:02:00.001-04:00

I always loved the Absolut Vodka campaigns. It's everywhere and everything.

http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/absolut_vodka_pregnant

http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/absolut_vodka_absolut_fashion

(Lots more here: http://brandgreen.org/2011/02/02/absolut-vodka-innovative-ads-in-liquor-segment/)

While researching for the bed bug PSA ad, I came across some well-done pest control ads.

I'm not sure what the message is with this one, but sex sells, even when it's a couple of icky bugs!

More here: http://adoholik.com/index.php?tag=pest

http://www.advertolog.com/orkin/print-outdoor/bathroom-13652955/

Self-advertisement Sneak Peek

2011-08-24T23:58:00.000-04:00

Innovative Business Card Design

2011-08-22T22:54:00.002-04:00

Researching some examples of unique business/promo cards.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs CD Box Set

2011-04-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

Working on my box set tonight. This is a rough comp, but I'm getting there! I'm excited about showing the finished product! I hope it all comes together how I'm imagining it. :D

Movie Title In Progress

2011-04-18T23:00:00.000-04:00

This is a *very* rough rendering of my movie title thus far (a few hours' work). I think I may change the song/noise in the background and not sure if I'll leave in the "static" noise.

"Finished" Kinetic Type Piece

2011-04-18T22:16:00.003-04:00

Kinetic Type Progress

2011-04-10T02:14:00.000-04:00

Most of my time has been spent tweaking little things here and there, so sadly I probably won't finish the whole clip I originally intended on covering. Nonetheless, here is what I have thus far:

Mythbusters Kinetic Type

2011-04-04T16:00:00.002-04:00

Outback Bikes Promotional Brochure

2011-03-27T21:37:00.001-04:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More atl

Cool Earth Hour Commercial

2011-03-26T05:55:00.000-04:00

I want to do something like this now! :P

Kinetic type teaser

2011-03-18T03:13:00.000-04:00

I've been working on this for little over an hour and I almost have a whole sentence! ha!

Passione Italiana Video

2011-03-15T21:09:00.003-04:00

This is the product of our labors over the last two months for the MODA project:

A Brief History of Title Design

2011-03-15T14:17:00.001-04:00

In relation to our upcoming project on movie titles, I found this video on vimeo, a compilation of classic movie titles.

Kinetic Type Audio

2011-03-12T02:23:00.001-05:00

I love love love Scrubs and came upon this particular Dr. Cox rant while searching for audio to use for my kinetic type project. It's perfect! :)

Book Project Spread

2011-03-05T12:43:00.002-05:00

This is the spread I created for Paige's book project using the theme "Renewal, Regeneration, Renaissance, Rebirth"

This is another spread I made, but decided not to use:

Animated personal logo

2011-03-02T18:55:00.001-05:00

One of the few things I've learned in after effects is the write-on function, which was perfect for animating my personal logo. It could be a little faster, but you get the general idea. :)

Spring break!

2011-02-26T13:46:00.000-05:00

Kickin' the break off right with a tasty & well-designed bottle of cab. ;)

MODA Video Snippet

2011-02-23T21:35:00.000-05:00

This is a really short preview of something I animated (after much frustration in after effects and trying to get it to do something too complicated, apparently) in flash for our MODA project. Joe (the client) seemed to like our concept and the work we have so far. It looks like we're finally on track to hopefully get this finished up pretty soon.

Lines, lines, lines

2011-02-22T01:43:00.000-05:00

For the MODA "Passione Italiana" project, my partner and I are utilizing line drawings & schematic diagrams of motorcycles and animating those lines in various ways. I wanted to share a small preview of the things we're working on. This is an engine schematic that I'm in the process of tracing in illustrator:

It's a bit tedious, but I'm positive that the final product will turn out well.

Aerosol Amoeba

2011-02-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

I came across another awesome video by this guy on vimeo, but I wanted to share this one in particular. It's simple and beautiful. :)

http://vimeo.com/16585691

Follow Me!

2011-02-20T17:06:00.000-05:00

I have a new "doodle blog" here: Xtine Doodles

FPO: For Print Only

2011-02-16T23:56:00.001-05:00

I found this site a while back that is an awesome resource for those working in print. It showcases various client-based print projects and gives the run-down on all the specs for each project such as paper stocks used, fonts, budget, inks, print methods, "special effects," and more. Check it out!

FPO: For Print Only

Carbon Emissions Infographic

2011-02-16T21:22:00.001-05:00

How much CO2 does an orange emit?
GE's Data Visualization Blog

Celebrate Responsibly, Kids.

2011-02-14T18:49:00.000-05:00

1910's Poster Design (In Progress)

2011-02-10T16:11:00.005-05:00

For Paige's decade research project we are also designing posters to fit the style of our decades. Mine is 1910-1920, so I wanted to go with the very painterly/rough plakatstil (poster-style) look. It just so happens that the Titanic sank in 1912, so I decided to do a travel poster--taking place before the fact, of course.

EDIT 2/14:

Tweaked it a little bit, but I'm still not feeling the typography 100%

EDIT 2/15:

I think I found a winner. :)

These are some images I am using for inspiration:

Religion? There's an app for that.

2011-02-10T10:34:00.000-05:00

Catholic Church Approves iOS Confession App

Climate Direct Mailer: Research

2011-02-02T23:12:00.002-05:00

These are some links I found regarding weather/climate change, in connection with our next project:

EPA website on climate change

MSNBC article: "Despite East Coast freeze, global warming is for real"

I also wanted to do a little research into the natural changes that the planet Earth has gone through over time, and it seems that over the supposed millions (or billions?) of years that the Earth has existed it has seen several diverse, and often catastrophic, changes in climate/atmosphere. So could it be that humans, being of this earth for only a short span, are unfamiliar with these "drastic" changes in the climate and see it as a cause for alarm, when all along it is a natural step in Earth's progression? Yes, we are emitting toxic fumes & chemicals that cause harm to the immediate environment and maybe this is also accelerating the changes we are seeing, but I think it's all inevitable in the end. I was reading through the geological time scale on this website, and one thing that struck me as peculiar is that in the Archean eon, "The reducing (anaerobic) atmosphere enabled archea (anaerobic microbes) to develop...During this era, one type of organism, the Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) produced oxygen as a metabolic by-product; the eventual build-up of this highly reactive gas was to eventually prove fatal to many life-forms, and converted the atmosphere from." This sounds strangely similar to what is going on now, although I realize the byproducts we are creating aren't necessarily occurring naturally. Somehow I still see a connection there.

Maybe I'm getting too theoretical about this. :P I don't know all that much about the topic, but this is my initial take on the whole thing.

Coffee Doodle Do

2011-02-02T21:37:00.001-05:00

Upon finding myself low on coffee reserves, I made a coffee run tonight to Joe's in East Atlanta and purchased their "El Diablo" dark roast. After bringing it home I wanted to label it, but of course I had to take it a little further. Thought I would share my doodle... :)

Infographic & Layout

2011-01-30T23:17:00.001-05:00

Infographics are definitely not my strong suit, but I'm slowly improving upon those skills. Here is what I have so far on the for the layout in Liz's class:

It's not very flashy to look at, but as I said, I'm still trying to get better at the whole "making pictures out of numbers" thing.

EDIT 2/1:

This is the newest version of the layout & graph:

Walking Dead Poster Design Progress

2011-01-22T15:58:00.003-05:00

My initial idea for a Walking Dead poster was to include a sheriff badge with Rick Grimes' name on it and maybe some blood splatters. This is what I have so far, but I don't know if it looks really 2D like Stan had shown us. I blame the background and the transparency of the foreground...

The premise for this is that Rick Grimes was a small-town sheriff in his "former" life and now that the zombie apocalypse has struck, the life he knew is now gone forever. This design shows Rick's sheriff badge (possibly pinned on his uniform) splattered with an unusual amount of blood for a police officer to normally encounter in his line of duty. This may refer to Rick's getting shot in the first episode, or to the ensuing zombie attacks he would face after waking up from his coma.

Noodle Noise Website Design!

2010-12-11T11:36:00.000-05:00

Our final project in Paige's Multimedia Design class was to create a 6-page (minimum) educational web site geared towards middle school-aged kids. We were each assigned an over-arching subject (arts, science, math) and within that subject we each had topics to cover. For mine I chose photography. There was a lot of information to try to organize for this site, but I think I did well in making in approachable for this age range. Check it out!

The School of Arts : Darkroom

(Disclaimer: It does not work in internet explorer, but looks fine in Firefox and Safari)

Album Art

2010-12-06T00:34:00.001-05:00

With the advent of digital music, I find myself more often than not downloading albums rather than going out and purchasing them. With a select few bands though (Muse, Jamiroquai, Green Day...) I still remain a dedicated fan and [usually] purchase the physical CDs when I get the chance. Anyway, here is some album art that I enjoy. :)

I like this cover of Radiohead's In Rainbows for the bold colors and large headlining type.

When Muse's (<3) Black Holes and Revelations came out I was overjoyed. The album artwork itself leaves some to be desired, but the subsequent artwork that was released for the various singles is exquisite!

Original Album:

Later artwork:



I was so in love with the above portrait of the band that I bought the poster, frame and all. It's absolutely lovely. :)





Beastie Boys' To the Five Boroughs has a cool package in that the digi pack folds out to reveal a super long, double-sided drawing of the East and West sides of NYC (one on either side) with the lyrics from the songs running throughout. Click the album cover below for more info:

Cake's album art has a very strong, distinct look to it. The band name is bold at the top with a vintage-looking illustration below.





Beck's The Information had a very clever twist to its package. The cover looks very simplistic with "Beck" on the front and a light blue-on-white grid paper look for the background. When you open the package though, behind the seemingly plain insert is a fold-out sheet of stickers you can use to decorate the insert yourself! I used a few on sketchbooks and such, but sadly never actually used them on the CD insert. I should get a jump on that!

Click for more info:

On my search for images of album art, I found this awesome website that showcases different musicians' album artwork and gives in-depth info on the designs. Very cool!

Sleevage.com

Dreaming

2010-12-05T00:29:00.001-05:00

I have a few recurring dream themes, one of which is the "teeth falling out" dream that it seems a lot of other people have too. Another one is that I accidentally eat meat. Mind you, I went vegetarian over a year ago, but I get these weird dreams where I "slip up." Anyway, I wanted to create an illustration that combined these two themes and this is what I came up with:

Collecting

2010-12-05T00:10:00.000-05:00

I think it's in my genes to collect or hold onto things that I probably have no use for. For example, I collect matchbooks whenever I'm out somewhere, though I rarely use them for anything since I don't smoke & don't burn incense or candles very often. I just think they're neat since they're little pieces of design. :)

I've also been collecting vintage suitcases in hopes that one day I will find a use to make out of them. I've wanted to paint/decorate them and maybe resell them. I also found that really cool website where someone made amps/speaker boxes out of them.

I also collect cool/interesting event flyers. Working at a print shop, I print out a lot of flyers for different people. I usually make myself an extra copy if I especially like the design. I've collected so many and I've been meaning to put them up on my wall in some decorative fashion. I've only managed to hang up a couple though.

Another thing I collect is business cards. As with flyers and matchbooks, they are another form of design and I like to keep ones that I find attractive.

Calendar Tweaking

2010-12-01T02:03:00.001-05:00

After talking with Stan I found a stronger direction with which to take my calendar. I came back to my earlier design of using the type in different arrangements for each month. It was more visually appealing to me, but still needed a little something extra. So, each month one of the items will be highlighted and it will include some info about that item; e.g. how to cook it, health benefits, facts, etc.

T-shirt designs

2010-12-01T01:37:00.000-05:00

My favorite place to buy shirts is Threadless.com. I have SO many T-shirts from there, I have to refrain from going crazy every time they have a sale. Here are some of my favs that I've collected:

Flickrrrr

2010-12-01T01:22:00.002-05:00

In case you didn't already know, I have a Flickr account that I've been keeping up with for a while now, check it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/christinerivera/

Infographic Progress

2010-11-29T20:45:00.003-05:00

I was having a tough time deciding on what to do for my infographic. I quickly realized that my brain does not work well when trying to incorporate pictures with numbers. I finally came up with the idea to illustrate the map of the U.S. using the names of seasonal produce available in each region during the month of November (the month of my magazine issue). Not surprisingly, this idea came to me after deciding on the subject for my calendar. :P

Typography Calendar

2010-11-28T19:48:00.000-05:00

So the idea I'm working with for the calendar is a 13-month seasonal produce calendar for the Southeast U.S. that informs the user of what produce is in season for each month. My first idea was to use the names of the fruits & veggies in different type arrangements with the dates for each month being on a separate page, so it would be a 2-page vertical spread suitable for a wall calendar:

After doing a few months' layouts, I was afraid that this would get too repetitive/boring. So then I tried a more illustrative approach, which would end up making each month a single-page layout:

I'm unsure of what might work better. Any suggestions?

BoomCase

2010-11-19T03:52:00.003-05:00

I may have finally found a use for all those vintage suitcases I've been collecting...

BoomCase

Parish Restaurant Website Design

2010-11-13T12:59:00.001-05:00

I got the Scoutmob coupon for Parish today and wanted to check out their menu on their website. I have to say, it's a very lovely design. It makes me think I'm reading some sort of publication.

Typeface t-shirts

2010-11-12T00:37:00.000-05:00

New meaning for the word "T-shirt"

Typeface t-shirts

Meet Stefan Sagmeister

2010-11-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

From VBS.tv

Typography Cut-out Calendar

2010-11-11T12:21:00.001-05:00

Click me

Olivetti Typewriter Ads

2010-11-11T01:20:00.001-05:00

This flickr set makes me happy. :)

Graphic Design for Olivetti

Typestaches

2010-11-10T21:46:00.000-05:00

I thought this was an interesting idea that could be related to our type calendar project.

New Table of Contents

2010-11-10T03:47:00.001-05:00

While working on my main article for my Eat Well Magazine re-design, I played around with the table of contents again because I just wasn't satisfied with it, but I think I finally made a breakthrough that I'm pretty happy with. What do you think?

Creative Calendar Design

2010-11-09T15:31:00.002-05:00

Click on each link/photo to read more.

Simple Numbers, Complicated Dates: 49 Innovative Calendars

Web Designer's Nightmare Pie

2010-11-08T03:28:00.000-05:00

Marc Tetro

2010-11-07T23:05:00.000-05:00

I came across this guy's pop-outs while shopping at Sam Flax & I thought they were pretty awesome, and very simple. :) Check him out: Marc Tetro

Each week I feel as though I must check in at/with…

2010-11-07T22:32:00.000-05:00

If you don't know by now that I'm a webcomic nerd, then let me reiterate: I am a webcomic nerd. Therefore, I have an ever-growing list of comics that I check in with multiple times a week. My favorites are:

Among others. :)

I also try to check in often with my classmates' blogs throughout the week. As lame as it sounds, I'm always on Facebook too, but besides e-stalking I sometimes come across interesting articles/websites/videos that my friends post on there, and I can share with them the things that I find interesting as well.

I didn't realize it until now, but another place I frequent often is the coffee shop across the street from my job, Joe's in East Atlanta Village. Whenever I go there I usually scan through their massive wall of flyer postings for shows and whatnot. Some of the posters are pretty well designed, others are more bizarre.

Best Seat in the House

2010-11-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

Reading Material

2010-11-07T21:10:00.001-05:00

The following are some art/graphic design-related publications I've collected over the years. Ellen Lupton's works are obviously a favorite of mine. :)

One: Color by Paul Zelanski & Mary Pat Fisher - A great resource concerning color theory and more. It explains four color process printing, the psychology of color, the use of color in different artistic practices, etc.

Two: CMYK Magazine - I recently picked up an issue of CMYK Magazine (as it was one of the lesser-priced art magazines!) which showcases new creatives.

Three: How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy - I just purchased this a couple weeks ago. Haven't gotten a real chance to sit down and read through it, but I like what I've read so far. :)

Four: Graphic Design Theory, Editor Helen Armstrong - A lovely collection of writings from then and now concerning the theory of graphic design with a wide range of topics. In my art history classes I always found the theory behind artwork to be the most fascinating part.

Five: Graphic Design That Works (Rockport Publishers) - A collection of examples of successful design, ranging from logo design to magazine layouts to promotional and identity design. A good book to glean inspiration from.

Six: Design It Yourself (D.I.Y.) by Ellen Lupton - Nothing beats real, hand-made d.i.y. work. This books gives approachable tips on how to go about designing and physically creating various things from books, zines, notecards, coasters, t-shirts, CD packaging, and more.

Seven: Thinking With Type by Ellen Lupton - This was actually the required textbook for my Intro to Typography class. Gives you the history, technical terminology and practical usage of type, as well as showing examples of unique type treatments.

Paper Cameras

2010-11-04T17:05:00.001-04:00

Or, to be more exact, pinhole cameras. This link has an awesome resource of paper cameras (many including downloadable templates and directions) that anyone can make themselves:

12 Amazing Papercraft Cameras

"Do You Need a New Logo?" Infographic

2010-11-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

2010-11-02T05:26:00.000-04:00

Long live the cassette tape!

Wine Bottle Mock-ups

2010-11-01T02:09:00.002-04:00

It's all coming together! I haven't been this excited about a project for a while. Here are some photos of the mock-ups I've been working on (click for larger view):

(Sorry for the low-res quality, these were taken with my cell phone.)

Boxy

2010-10-31T21:33:00.001-04:00

It's getting down to the wire, but I'm trying to not get too stressed out. I'm nearing the home stretch on this project, the bottle is basically all done so the main thing I'm trying to complete is the box. Here is what I'm going with for the box design:

This is the front of the box with the diecut circle in the center of the record revealing the label of the bottle

The record image is going to stretch over onto the side panels, adding visual interest and giving it more of a 3-dimensional feel. For the back I'm thinking a really simple type treatment and incorporating another photo of a stack of records.

I'm almost there, wish me luck!

Fonts fonts fonty fonts

2010-10-29T03:14:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to post some font sites that I found during my internet travels lately.

Free Font Sites:

Stereo Type

Font Squirrel

Just My Type

Type Porn – 20 websites for font, letter and symbol enthusiasts (lists more pay & free sites)

This font reminded me of the "font babies" exercise that we did in class: Fusion

Many examples just like our illustrated type project: Hand Made Font

Re-Working the Label

2010-10-29T02:33:00.002-04:00

I searched through some more fonts trying to find something more appropriate. I really liked this one called "Wild Ride." I think it still says "retro" and "fun" without being too over-the-top. I also tried a couple different colors and one without the extra half-circle details.

Better?

Wine Label -- Roadblock!

2010-10-28T19:33:00.000-04:00

Argh, I need help on this. I'm trying to go for a vintage look, obviously, on the label for my bottle, but not sure if I'm beating a dead horse or if this actually looks ok. Any suggestions?

Dropclock: A Helvetica Screensaver

2010-10-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

Dropclock

Wine Bottle Construction: Part 1

2010-10-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

Starting on the actual construction now. This was taken in the parking garage of my apartment building.

Timeless

2010-10-23T00:59:00.000-04:00

I was watching Hulu tonight and saw this ad at the end of my video. It's an obvious reference to none other than Saul Bass, one of my fav designers. Here's his website as a refresher. :)

B Side Bottle Design

2010-10-21T13:39:00.000-04:00

These are digital mock-ups of how I want the bottle to look once I apply the varnish. I now have to decide between horizontal or vertical strips. I still want the label to be circular, as the box will have a die-cut in the front revealing the label beneath, but I'm still formulating the design of the label itself.

Sugar Skull Maker Completed!

2010-10-19T12:18:00.003-04:00

I uploaded it to this swf hosting site and unfortunately it didn't upload the background music, but this is my completed e-greeting:

Click me!

Write a Bike

2010-10-16T15:13:00.003-04:00

Taking bike customization to a whole new level!

Write a Bike

Ok, so they're not actually in production, but they're still awesome!

Still Working...

2010-10-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

Getting closer to being done with my e-greeting! Click on the skull to see my progress:

B Side History & Creative Brief (in progress)

2010-10-14T14:00:00.001-04:00

History:

Don & Sons started in 1895 with Samuele Sebastiani, an Italian immigrant to America who eventually earned enough money to buy land and started his own winery. As Samuele's family grew, so did the company. 3 generations down the line, Don & Sons is now run by Don Sebastiani, Samuele's grandson, and his own sons Donny and August. Don & Sons has expanded and experimented with various varietals and concepts for creating and marketing wines.

The Don & Sons Winemaking Process

At Don Sebastiani & Sons, we strive to produce quality wine at an approachable price, regardless of the outcome of a particular growing season. Our winemaker Greg Kitchens works to create great wines that our customers identify as a reliable purchase. Kitchens has developed a distinctive character for each one of our brands. Each wine's individual profile evolves with changes in established vineyard relationships, available fruit and flavor trends in the industry. Our winemaking approach at Don Sebastiani & Sons is to consistently create noteworthy wines in a style which is recognizably our own.

About the wine:

The 2007 vintage of our B Side Cabernet Sauvignon shows excellent fruit and balance without sacrificing tannin, backbone, and potential for aging. A blend of two different Napa benchland vineyards, this dark, garnet red Cabernet opens with wild strawberry and boysenberry aromas, a touch of caramelized oak, bittersweet chocolate, and hints of charcoal from the rich and multifaceted Napa Valley soils. It is textbook Napa Cab on the palate, with an essence of black current and dark red raspberry contrasting with firm structure and dusty tannins on the finish. Aged for over two years on French oak, this wine has both the fruit necessary for immediate enjoyment, and the balance and depth to improve with age.

B Side Cabernet Sauvignon tells the story of the flip-side of Napa Valley. Nestled in rural areas and rolling hills along the eastern edge of the Valley, these vineyards are just a few miles from the glamorous, high-priced wineries featured along Highway 29. The eastern side of Napa Valley includes areas such as Pope Valley, Chiles Valley, Wooden Valley, Stags Leap District and lower Calistoga. Vines in these areas are grown in thin volcanic soils, which yield smaller, more concentrated fruit, producing Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignons with classic berry and cassis flavors.

Creative Objectives:

B Side Wine is marketed as coming from the "B Side" of Napa Valley, a departure from the "grandiose chateaux of Highway 29." The labeling is simple, having a photo of tape from a cassette in a crumpled pile on the front. The brand makes many references to music, as a B Side is usually the reverse of a cassette or record, or an alternative to the original. This wine is described as "rare and unconventional," a gem that lucky passers-by may stumble upon.

In my re-design of this product, I will strive to push the music aspect further. The packaging is going to refer to the days of vinyl records, which are (these days) considered rare and unconventional, a specialty. The bottle itself will mimic the texture of a vinyl record while the label on the front of the bottle will be circular and also resemble the label one would see on the face of a vinyl record. The box will be rectangular with a die-cut circle in front, revealing the label of the bottle inside.

Table of Contents Examples

2010-10-13T20:18:00.000-04:00

Some interesting samples I found tonight:

Creative Street Art

2010-10-13T19:44:00.000-04:00

I love 8-bit/pixel art contrasted with real-life:

Also, Plastic Bag Animals!

E-Greeting : Finally in Flash

2010-10-12T18:38:00.001-04:00

Today I finally started taking the artwork into Flash! I've uploaded what I have so far here so you can click around and test it out:

Dia de los Muertos Sugar Skull Maker!

Thoughts on Wine Bottle Design

2010-10-12T12:43:00.000-04:00

One concept I'm feeling strongly about right now is using perhaps a clear varnish or similar treatment to either the label or the entire bottle to create a textural effect mimicking that of a vinyl record. Basically I would make vertical (or maybe horizontal) "pinstripes" of clear varnish(?) on top of the black bottle or black paper to create this effect. Here are a couple similar examples of what I'm thinking:

Ventania Malbec

Prestige

B Side Label

2010-10-12T00:24:00.000-04:00

These are photos of the current B Side wine bottle & packaging.

B Sides are rare, unconventional, often less marketed releases. They are produced from the reverse, or sharply contrasted side of old-school music albums and renowned wine regions. Stylistically these releases are a departure from the status quo, often preferred by those "in-the-know," and the few lucky enough to stumble across them.

For this release, we leave the grandiose chateaux of Highway 29 behind and head east into the hills of the B Side of Napa Valley, to experience a refined, Bordeaux style Cabernet Sauvignon.

Design_space

2010-10-10T21:11:00.000-04:00

So I realized that one place where I seem to do a lot of my designing is actually at my job. I am usually able to go there after hours when I need to print & mount my projects, which is extremely helpful. We have all the facilities I need so I can design, print & mount all in one location. :)

Here is a photo of my workspace:

B Side Logo Design

2010-10-07T16:59:00.000-04:00

Still in the working stage of my logo design for B Side Wine. These are a couple ideas I came up with in class earlier today. I may completely scrap these, I'm still not quite sure what direction I want to take it besides going with the whole "vinyl" aspect. The one on the right is more of an abstraction of the rings on a record, while the logo on the left is more literal. Also, what is it with me and black & white?? I may have to add a splash or two of color in there. :P

E-greeting Progress

2010-10-07T16:46:00.000-04:00

Working on the background for my stage now. :)

Paint the Stars

2010-10-05T16:17:00.000-04:00

I came across this site while surfing and I absolutely love the layout:

Christine Rivera : GRD*BLG

Religion Infographic

Photography Cheat Sheet Infographic

Religion in the U.S. Infographic

Xmas Cards

Trevor Project PSA

The Illusion of Choice

5 Portfolio Pieces

Portfolio Inventory In Progress

MODA World AIDS Day Presentation (In Progress!)

Good Grub Food Truck Wrap

MODA World Aids Day Poster (3 versions)

Revised World AIDS Day Logo

Business Card Progress

Human Rights Campaign Poster

Cool Food Truck Designs

Paper Food Trucks!

"Good Grub" Food Truck Logos

9/11 10-Year Commemorative Poster

September 11th Posters

Awareness Ads

Self-Promo Ads

Good Advertising

Self-advertisement Sneak Peek

Innovative Business Card Design

Yeah Yeah Yeahs CD Box Set

Movie Title In Progress

"Finished" Kinetic Type Piece

Kinetic Type Progress

Mythbusters Kinetic Type

Outback Bikes Promotional Brochure

Cool Earth Hour Commercial

Kinetic type teaser

Passione Italiana Video

A Brief History of Title Design

Kinetic Type Audio

Book Project Spread

Animated personal logo

Spring break!

MODA Video Snippet

Lines, lines, lines

Aerosol Amoeba

Follow Me!

FPO: For Print Only

Carbon Emissions Infographic

Celebrate Responsibly, Kids.

1910's Poster Design (In Progress)

Religion? There's an app for that.

Climate Direct Mailer: Research

Coffee Doodle Do

Infographic & Layout

More Posters in Progress

Walking Dead Poster Design Progress

Noodle Noise Website Design!

The School of Arts : Darkroom

Album Art

On my search for images of album art, I found this awesome website that showcases different musicians' album artwork and gives in-depth info on the designs. Very cool!

Sleevage.com

Dreaming

Collecting

Calendar Tweaking

T-shirt designs

Flickrrrr

Infographic Progress

Typography Calendar

BoomCase

BoomCase

Parish Restaurant Website Design

Typeface t-shirts

Meet Stefan Sagmeister

Typography Cut-out Calendar

Olivetti Typewriter Ads

Graphic Design for Olivetti

Typestaches

New Table of Contents

Creative Calendar Design

Simple Numbers, Complicated Dates: 49 Innovative Calendars

Web Designer's Nightmare Pie

Marc Tetro

Each week I feel as though I must check in at/with…