I have recently started a sketchbook collection on Flickr. I have started scanning a bunch of sketches that currently live in one of my many sketchbooks but also plan to add new material periodically. The thing that I love about sketching is that it appeals to my desire for instant creative gratification.. I can create something with my pencil and a piece of paper in an instant. It is a nice contrast to the more intensive projects that take hours and hours to create. Enjoy the randomness!

About a year ago my mom got really obsessed with the online video feed of a certain baby panda. She would send emails to me AT WORK (old job) telling me to “go look at what the baby panda is doing! He’s up in the tree and he’s so cute.” She is quoted as saying about this panda, “that is what life is all about.” I laughed.

I recently got robbed. My practice room, where I go to sound bad on my instrument, was full of all of my gear and someone decided to take it all while I was in Mexico climbing (see recent post). I have a renters insurance policy that I got when I moved into the room to protect myself if something like this happened. I asked a certain insurance agency (ALLSTATE) if my equipment would be covered should the room get broken into when I got the policy. Well, wouldn’t you know it… it IS covered.. but only about 2 grand worth. So that would have been kindov nice to know. Not really going to cover the $13,000 of gear I lost. So I am in a sad place right now but I believe it will all work out. Worse things have happened to people.

Good friends are a true blessing in life and I am honored to be surrounded by them here at RD2. Upon hearing of this news, they got together and decided to give me a VERY generous sum of money to help me begin a new collection. I can’t tell you what that meant to me. So I just wanted to say THANK YOU publicly to my good friends here at RD2. It’s great to be surrounded by people who are not only some of the hardest workers I have ever met, but really look out for each other. I think THAT may be what life is all about… although watching a baby panda on the internet is pretty close. Thanks, friends! You RULE!

RD2 was kind enough to cover for me for a week so I could go to Mexico to climb at El Potrero Chico. If you’re into climbing and haven’t been down there… start planning your trip now. Amazing climbing, amazing culture, great food.

Check out my flickr photo album.

I attended Cirque du Soleil’s latest touring show, Corteo, last night at fair park with my wife. This was my second Cirque experience, the first being the Varekai when it came through Dallas.

The magnitude of this show is absolutely unbelievable. Each part of the show, whether it be the acrobatics, the technology/production, or the music is the epitome of precision, excellence and creativity. So needless to say, I was very inspired by Corteo. It’s another example of what human beings are capable of.

Here is a clip of the first (and probably the most beautiful) acrobatic acts of the show. And I’ve never seen anything like this guy. Enjoy!

On January 3rd, Chris Griego posted a very thought provoking article about the need to create a “new standardized dummy text” that goes beyond the general paragraph display of Lorem Ipsum. This was at the beginning of a flurry of conversation at RD2 concerning this idea.

I discussed this idea with Chris in order to see where he was coming from since designers and developers look at the world through different lenses. I wanted to get to the bottom of what brought this idea up in the first place. What I began to realize is that creating a new “dummy text” could be a way to further shrink the wall that separates designers and coders. This new Lorem Ipsum would be a great way to further meld the gap between design and development by giving designers not only rich content including paragraphs, lists, hyperlinks, images, etc., but to take it a step further and also include other standard elements like form elements and even standard sized faux browser windows that help the designer stay within the correct parameters from the beginning. Having every element represented gives us the power at the beginning of a project to define which elements need to be included and styled. Or even whether we have the time within the project parameters to style standard elements like form elements, a specific issue that is often overlooked at the beginning. From there the designer can be sure to include every element and will eliminate guesswork as the project proceeds, increasing project efficiency.

So this Lorem Ipsum 2.0 document will be the skeleton with which to build websites. Every “bone” will be included and then we will simply put the skin on and shape the site into it’s unique form while keeping the elements that support this form in tact… from the beginning. That way we don’t create a figure and forget to add the spleen.

Stay tuned for updates on our progress on this important initiative.

This friday (January 19th) I will have the pleasure of joining Deadman at Bend Studio. We will be opening up for Sorta. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing either of these two bands, you are in for a real treat! (I just hope I can learn the set in time. ha!….yikes) Get your tickets soon!

Event and ticket information can be found at www.bendstudio.com. See you Friday!

Graphic design and fine art are not two separate things. I have heard many graphic designers and fine artists say otherwise, though. Having transitioned from majoring in fine art to graphic design in college, I have a different perspective. I can see how the two disciplines are separate, but to me one would be wise to break down the wall that usually separates fine art and graphic design. For example, I think designers can gain a broader perspective if the process of making a painting is studied.

There is a painting book by Joseph Sheppard called How to Paint Like the Old Masters that I really enjoyed studying in college. In the book he breaks down the painting process of several master painters such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens and others. These painters used a process that has benefited me when designing for web.

The painters start with a sketch and then begin applying the first coat of paint. They first define the contrast of the composition by using only black white and shades of gray. When the gray coat is complete they begin adding color. They choose colors that have the same lightness or darkness as the gray underneath. That way, they are sure to create a well defined composition with optimal contrast.

I have been experimenting with using a similar process when building websites. I begin with sketches to define organization structure and composition, then start building in the computer. I will only use shades of gray to define the different areas of the site. This way, the contrast defines the sections of the site and color doesn’t get in the way. After we settle on a design in gray, we begin adding color. The colors we choose match the values of the gray that they replace. So if there is an area that is light gray, a light color like yellow or light blue will replace it. Now getting the color to work is another huge beast, something the old painting masters were extremely meticulous about, but that’s another post.

So far this process has been pretty helpful in building the compositional structure of a new website. We have even done several first round client presentations using “gray screen” comps, and the clients have been very receptive and seem to appreciate the thought that goes into each step in building a site. If we break each section down, there seems to be more order to the process and it is a little easier to get the client to focus on certain aspects of the design. Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

I have two brothers. They are both two of my biggest heroes. The three of us were born with this insane need to be obsessed with things…I mean really obsessed. Almost to the point of being unhealthy. In the case of one of my younger brother’s latest obsessions, a lack of health is definitely not the issue.

I believe that being “obsessed” with things is a pretty fun way to live life. I guess what I mean by obsessed is more on the side of being completely dedicated to a goal and going after it 100%, and less on the side of say…John Hinckley Jr. and Jodie Foster. My brothers are constantly teaching me how to really go for something all the way, and watching my younger brother run the White Rock Marathon this past Sunday was the latest example.
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In Dallas, the weather is not very polite. Tonight we are expecting old man winter to break the door down and kick us in the shins with his 40 degree plummet and freezing rain. We’ll see how that goes, but hey…that’s Dallas weather for you.

On that note, here’s a great weather forecast website that you may have seen. There are some cool features that you don’t see at other weather sites…including a (drum roll) BLOG! Plus the design is quite good.

So if you’re in Dallas, pull your coats out and buy some shin guards because old man winter has a warrant and he’s not planning on knocking first.

Bloul= Blog Foul

Being fairly new to the blog arena, I did not realize that one thing that you are not supposed to do is remove a blog post once you’ve posted it. I posted two blogs about some Threadless.com design submissions that were in the running a few weeks ago and then removed them after scoring was over. I was informed yesterday that it’s “against the rules” to delete a post so here they are again.

This got me thinking though. I have been borderline obsessed with Threadless.com ever since I heard about it 9 or so months ago. I love the idea that I have a place to submit shirt designs that might get printed… and the idea that I might get some cash for my designs. I have realized that while this is a great idea and I love buying and submitting shirts to Threadless.com, it can be a little dangerous for a designer’s emotional well-being. I deleted these posts because the scoring was over so there was no reason to try and get people to go out and vote for my LOSING submissions…and this is what got me thinking. Did I delete the submissions because I was ashamed of losing? Maybe I did. I realized that I struggle a little bit with my self worth as a designer and an artist. I want to create something that the masses will love and want to buy. But when I really take a step back, I realize that that is not a healthy way to look at my work or worth. I thought about it and did some research and realized that I have about as good a chance of getting printed on Threadless.com as I do getting struck by lightning. This helped me a little bit.

Design is not a competition… but, it sort of is… it sort of really is a competition. I guess there are just a lot of ways to win…depends on how you look at it.