Revvin' Up

I'm starting to get really excited for the Seattle Interactive Conference. I've already decided which presentations I want to sit in on for Wednesday. I don't think I'll be able to catch any on Thursday since I will be volunteering at the conference that day. That's how I was able to get around the $350 price tag.

Here's what I'm thinking in terms of my Wednesday lineup:

  9am: Beauty, Constraint, & the Atari 2600
10am: UX/Design Panel
11am: Meme & Miasma (maybe)
 1pm: Mad Woman Panel
 2pm: Pencils v Pixels
 3pm: Making a mess

Speaking of the Atari 2600, Ed Fries (who will be the speaker for that session) is the creator of Halo 2600, which I'm totally addicted to at the moment. Why am I such a sucker for online games? I think the reason why I'm so drawn to this particular one is because it doesn't include a social component like other online games (Empires & Allies, Puzzle Pirates, etc.). I feel like that usually lowers the quality of my gaming experience because I suddenly have to depend on a stranger to get to level x.

Alright, enough rambling. I'm gonna go play some Halo 2600.

Latest Projects Pt. 2

A project that began in June has come to an end. It was the logo and brand development for Madrona Grace Church. What really threw me on this project was that here I was developing a brand identity for something I was personally invested in. Madrona church is historically an African American congregation, open and affirming of LGBTQ individuals, and has strong ties with it's community through various mission programs. There is an excellent documentary about the church's history that can be viewed here.

I wanted to create something that celebrated the racial & ethnic roots of the church, but didn't limit it to a singular identity. My inspiration from the beginning was the Harlem Renaissance movement, specifically this painting by William H. Johnson. I loved the bold lines, simplicity, and slant of the buildings.

There was hesitation at first from the "client" in terms of featuring the church's building as the primary graphic. The reason being, they didn't want to give the impression that they defined a church as being confined to a building. Though I completely agree on a theological level, I knew that with a building, I could communicate the message of acceptance and community. Furthermore, the actual building is beautiful and something to be celebrated (in my opinion).


So, after months and months of work from all three of us (myself, the pastor, and an elder), we arrived at a logo that we all love and are excited to share. What I personally love most about it is how it translates to black and white. I wanted to make it as easy to use and apply as possible.

Latest Projects Pt. 1

Thought I'd take some time to highlight some stuff I've been working on as of late. I've been working at with Microsoft's Branded Entertainment & Experiences Team these past two weeks on an interactive web application that will be launching November 8th. It's been really fun work and the folks are rad.

I've also been helping out with Art Bash, an auction-style even put on by AdClub Seattle. I reworked their logo so that it would tie in better with the AAF brand. I also added some movement into the word Bash to play off of the word's meaning & give the logo some energy.

As a result of meeting folks within AAF, I've become involved with Ad2, which is for individuals under the age of 32 in the marketing & advertising industry. Ad2 provides the spotlight artist for Art Bash, and this year's artist will be my buddy C.M. Ruiz. I think his approach to creating marketing materials and lo-fi aesthetic will be an awesome contribution to this year's event.

Friend O' Lesbos

Tonight I invited my 5 year old neighbor to carve pumpkins with me. The problem with hanging out with a 5 year old friend is that their bed time is waaaay early. I am finding that living at my folk's home takes certain adjustments I hadn't foreseen.

At 7pm, after my little buddy left, I was able to get around to carving my own pumpkin. Another note about switching to a suburban social scene: a lot of the time spent with a 5 year old is wasted on explaining why they can't wield a 6-inch knife.


I decided to turn my pumpkin into Larry David. Unfortunately, it didn't really end up looking like him in the end. Granted, I think the pumpkin being a fail only furthers the Larry David theme.

Steve Jobs, RIP

Under, Over, Done.

Today I got some bummer news that I did not get a job position I had interviewed for. This position was, like, the holy grail of design positions out there. It wasn't that it was just the best one available out there right now, but it was the kind of position I dream about having.

So, I didn't get it. What I now want to know is what I can do the next time this kind of opportunity rolls around to ensure I actually get the job. One of the pieces of feedback I received was that I was over-qualified for their design intern position, which I hadn't applied for, and under-qualified for their design position. I was then offered a potential consideration for a future contract role.

I need to figure out what is it about me, my portfolio, and/or experience that has me pegged as an eligible contract-designer but not a full-time designer. SPECIFICALLY in a larger studio environment. I haven't had any difficulties with smaller studios, but I really want to go in the direction of working in a larger, more corporate environment that has an emphasis in marketing.

If you have stumbled across this and know something (anything) about design, I would love some feedback.