• Planet Earth
• The United States of America
• The State of Maine
• The Town of Falmouth, Maine
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
A list of 50 things that influence me as a designer…
1. 12-inch LP Records
Vinyl LP records inspire me because the size of the cover art. At roughly 12.5" X 12.5" this format has such a huge impact on the viewer. Some really fantastic novelty LPs have been produced over the years. One example is Alice Coopers 1972 release ‘Schools Out’.
2. 7-inch 45 rpm Records
45s inspire me because they were mainly promotional vehicles and required a lot of graphic “punch” in a relatively small space.
3. Comic Books
Comics inspire me because they are basically all about “Eye Candy”…look at all the colors! The Bronze Age(70s-80s) era is my fave.
4. Newspaper Comic Strips
Newspaper comics inspire me because some of the story lines and characters are so enduring. Some of them just don’t want to end! All-time-favorite-strip… Peanuts of course.
5. Children’s Books
It takes a lot of research in order to have a hit in the children’s publishing market. My interest in storytelling is what inspires me to do a children’s book/toy project for my thesis.
6. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth
Ed Roth’s monster creations were highly original. I look at his work when I need inspiration in the creation of my characters.
7. Pez
Who isn’t inspired by Pez? I guess Pez inspires me because they’re incredibly colorful and quite odd little toys.
8. Cereal Boxes
This is my favorite area of the Supermarket. The font used in the cereal’s logo should “match” the kind of cereal it is (flaky and light or gritty and chunky?) for it to be effective. This isn’t an easy task. When it’s done well its inspiring. Cocoa Pebbles and its box graphics have changed many times over the years. Love that rock-like logo.
9. Vintage Arcade Games
The flashy graphics, the sound effects and the moving pixels all combine to bring me back to the Golden Age of coin-ops.
10. Pinball Machines
Not only do the graphics on these machines have to “grab” the viewer but the game play has to be exciting and different. It takes a very creative mind to design a Pinball Game mechanically and that's what I find inspiring.
11. Creative DVD Packaging
This link takes you to some very innovative DVD sets. These inspire me because the possibilities are endless. The ones that tie the piece to something important in the movie are most effective.
12. Creative CD Packaging
The artwork on CDs tend to be small and unimpressive, some designers really push the limits in order to over come this. These collector sets for the group the Smashing Pumpkins are quite unique.
13. Toy Packaging
I always have been a sucker for cool toys, especially the boxes they come in. It’s a real challenge to design in three dimensions and that’s inspiring to me.
14. J.R.R. Tolkien
What always amazed me about Tolkien was the fact that he invented entire civilizations and languages. The details and history of Middle Earth are astounding.
15. Frank Frazetta
His whole creative process is what inspires me. Check out at his sketches to see what I mean…
16. The Simpsons
I love how the Simpsons spoof the human condition of the modern age. The Land of Yellow has taken over the World!
17. Star Wars
The sheer immensity of Lucas’ universe captivated me at an early age. I use a ton of child hood references when I create my own characters.
18. Gumby
Watching Gumby re-runs after school got me extremely interested in the art of claymation.
19. Quentin Tarantino
Ever since Pulp Fiction I’ve been a fan. What first caught my creative eye were always the film’s opening credits.
20. Psychedelic Concert Posters of the 1960s
The melding of text and art into a piece of art that takes careful examination to figure out what is is always impressed me.
21. Punk Rock Concert Flyers of the 1980s
The whole D.I.Y. movement was invented by the Punks. This lo-tech way to get your message across to Society is way better than Twitter if you ask me. Black on White or Black on Pink grabs people’s attention!
22. Snow Board Graphics
Since I want to marketing my illustration talents I figured this is one of the hottest markets right now. It definitely takes some research and reference material in order to make an effective board design. The illustration process is what really inspires me.
23. Larry David
The infamous creator of Seinfeld cracks me and the rest of the Universe up! Larry’s mastery of humor and screen writing is what makes me want to get better at my writing skills.
24. Magazines
Thumbing through any magazine that you like is one of the best ways for an artist to get inspired with new ideas.
25. Movie Theater Posters
I’m always excited about seeing the new “Coming Soon!” posters as you walk into the theater. Photography has overtaken this commercial market. I don’t see many illustrated ones much anymore.
26. The Krofft Superstars
Very strange and highly imaginative live-action show from the 70s. Some of the names of the shows on The Krofft Superstars were Sigmund and the Seamonsters, H.R. Pufnstuff, and the most famous one, Land of the Lost. The Krofft brothers outrageous character designs have been in my subconscious for a long time.
27. Henry Rollins
The ex-Black Flag singer inspires me because after the band’s breakup he started out self publishing his writings. Years later Henry is world famous for doing it his way.
28. G.I. Joe
I caught on to this classic toy when Joe was on the Adventure Team. Then the 80s came around and he had an enemy called Cobra. Another cartoon staple from my childhood G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero featured exciting story lines as well as original heroes and villains.
29. Stephen King
Growing up, I was introduced to this Master of Horror through the movies. Films such as Creepshow, Silver Bullet, Maximum Overdrive, and Pet Semetary got me into King's horror writing.
30. Pushpin Studios
Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast founded this highly creative studio in the 1950s. Chwast continues to sell artwork through PushPinInc.com. And Milton Glaser is just Milton Glaser.
31. Herb Lubilin
Herb Lubilin was a master of Graphic Design and Typography. He created the typeface known at Machine, which is one of my favorite fonts. His "Next War" poster is brilliant with its anti-establishment message.
32. House Industries
33. Family Guy
34. John Kricfalusi
35. Tim Burton
36. Xbox 360
37. R.e.m.
38. Planet of the Apes
39. Adventure Time
40. Board Games
41. Little Men
42. Masters of the Universe
43. Lego
44. Adult Swim
45. Ween
46. Hot Wheels
47. Vintage Magazine Advertisements
48. The Muppet Show
49. Monty Python
50. Hanna Barbera Cartoons
Vinyl LP records inspire me because the size of the cover art. At roughly 12.5" X 12.5" this format has such a huge impact on the viewer. Some really fantastic novelty LPs have been produced over the years. One example is Alice Coopers 1972 release ‘Schools Out’.
 |
| This record sleeve folds out into an old school desk. |
2. 7-inch 45 rpm Records
45s inspire me because they were mainly promotional vehicles and required a lot of graphic “punch” in a relatively small space.
 |
| The 45’s record sleeve had to really stand out on the shelf. |
Comics inspire me because they are basically all about “Eye Candy”…look at all the colors! The Bronze Age(70s-80s) era is my fave.
4. Newspaper Comic Strips
Newspaper comics inspire me because some of the story lines and characters are so enduring. Some of them just don’t want to end! All-time-favorite-strip… Peanuts of course.
5. Children’s Books
It takes a lot of research in order to have a hit in the children’s publishing market. My interest in storytelling is what inspires me to do a children’s book/toy project for my thesis.
6. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth
Ed Roth’s monster creations were highly original. I look at his work when I need inspiration in the creation of my characters.
 |
| Pez Monkey. |
Who isn’t inspired by Pez? I guess Pez inspires me because they’re incredibly colorful and quite odd little toys.
8. Cereal Boxes
This is my favorite area of the Supermarket. The font used in the cereal’s logo should “match” the kind of cereal it is (flaky and light or gritty and chunky?) for it to be effective. This isn’t an easy task. When it’s done well its inspiring. Cocoa Pebbles and its box graphics have changed many times over the years. Love that rock-like logo.
9. Vintage Arcade Games
The flashy graphics, the sound effects and the moving pixels all combine to bring me back to the Golden Age of coin-ops.
10. Pinball Machines
Not only do the graphics on these machines have to “grab” the viewer but the game play has to be exciting and different. It takes a very creative mind to design a Pinball Game mechanically and that's what I find inspiring.
11. Creative DVD Packaging
This link takes you to some very innovative DVD sets. These inspire me because the possibilities are endless. The ones that tie the piece to something important in the movie are most effective.
12. Creative CD Packaging
The artwork on CDs tend to be small and unimpressive, some designers really push the limits in order to over come this. These collector sets for the group the Smashing Pumpkins are quite unique.
13. Toy Packaging
I always have been a sucker for cool toys, especially the boxes they come in. It’s a real challenge to design in three dimensions and that’s inspiring to me.
14. J.R.R. Tolkien
What always amazed me about Tolkien was the fact that he invented entire civilizations and languages. The details and history of Middle Earth are astounding.
15. Frank Frazetta
His whole creative process is what inspires me. Check out at his sketches to see what I mean…
16. The Simpsons
I love how the Simpsons spoof the human condition of the modern age. The Land of Yellow has taken over the World!
17. Star Wars
The sheer immensity of Lucas’ universe captivated me at an early age. I use a ton of child hood references when I create my own characters.
18. Gumby
Watching Gumby re-runs after school got me extremely interested in the art of claymation.
19. Quentin Tarantino
Ever since Pulp Fiction I’ve been a fan. What first caught my creative eye were always the film’s opening credits.
20. Psychedelic Concert Posters of the 1960s
The melding of text and art into a piece of art that takes careful examination to figure out what is is always impressed me.
21. Punk Rock Concert Flyers of the 1980s
The whole D.I.Y. movement was invented by the Punks. This lo-tech way to get your message across to Society is way better than Twitter if you ask me. Black on White or Black on Pink grabs people’s attention!
22. Snow Board Graphics
Since I want to marketing my illustration talents I figured this is one of the hottest markets right now. It definitely takes some research and reference material in order to make an effective board design. The illustration process is what really inspires me.
23. Larry David
The infamous creator of Seinfeld cracks me and the rest of the Universe up! Larry’s mastery of humor and screen writing is what makes me want to get better at my writing skills.
24. Magazines
Thumbing through any magazine that you like is one of the best ways for an artist to get inspired with new ideas.
25. Movie Theater Posters
I’m always excited about seeing the new “Coming Soon!” posters as you walk into the theater. Photography has overtaken this commercial market. I don’t see many illustrated ones much anymore.
 |
| H.R. PufnStuff. The yellow-green guy with orange hair. |
Very strange and highly imaginative live-action show from the 70s. Some of the names of the shows on The Krofft Superstars were Sigmund and the Seamonsters, H.R. Pufnstuff, and the most famous one, Land of the Lost. The Krofft brothers outrageous character designs have been in my subconscious for a long time.
27. Henry Rollins
The ex-Black Flag singer inspires me because after the band’s breakup he started out self publishing his writings. Years later Henry is world famous for doing it his way.
28. G.I. Joe
I caught on to this classic toy when Joe was on the Adventure Team. Then the 80s came around and he had an enemy called Cobra. Another cartoon staple from my childhood G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero featured exciting story lines as well as original heroes and villains.
29. Stephen King
Growing up, I was introduced to this Master of Horror through the movies. Films such as Creepshow, Silver Bullet, Maximum Overdrive, and Pet Semetary got me into King's horror writing.
30. Pushpin Studios
Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast founded this highly creative studio in the 1950s. Chwast continues to sell artwork through PushPinInc.com. And Milton Glaser is just Milton Glaser.
31. Herb Lubilin
Herb Lubilin was a master of Graphic Design and Typography. He created the typeface known at Machine, which is one of my favorite fonts. His "Next War" poster is brilliant with its anti-establishment message.
32. House Industries
33. Family Guy
34. John Kricfalusi
35. Tim Burton
36. Xbox 360
37. R.e.m.
38. Planet of the Apes
39. Adventure Time
40. Board Games
41. Little Men
42. Masters of the Universe
43. Lego
44. Adult Swim
45. Ween
46. Hot Wheels
47. Vintage Magazine Advertisements
48. The Muppet Show
49. Monty Python
50. Hanna Barbera Cartoons
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Winter 2011: Response to David B. Berman’s Do Good Design
 |
| Ravings of a Madman? |
Berman believes that our world is in “a major crisis.” Advertising and media outlets are out of control with their “visual lies”. Multinational conglomerates are destroying the landscape all over the globe with unsightly advertisements. Since designers have the ability to reach millions of people with their messages the work they produce should be moral and based on truth. The “do good” part of his message seems to be centered around seeking credibility for the graphic design field and truth in advertising.
Do you agree with his definition? Why or why not?
I do agree with his definition, to an extent. Certain industries seem to constantly “get away with murder” in these modern times. We definitely are deceived by the mainstream media on a daily basis. Therefore, I believe that it is the responsibility of the graphic design community to make the public aware of these “visual lies.”
Are you a “good designer”? Why or why not?
I don't think I could be considered a “good designer” yet. According to David, I have to commit a small amount of time “helping repair the world”. I should be considered a “good designer” after my senior thesis is completed (its going to be an Eco-friendly children’s book/toy project.) In addition, I’m not sure my causes are the same as Berman’s but I do believe that we can fix some of planet Earth’s issues through art and design.
What do you think of this book? Your general reaction.
I do agree that over consumption in our hyper-techno society is a huge problem. What I don't agree with is Berman’s apparent belief that the basis of the American capitalist system is bad. On the other hand, I do believe that the art and design community has an obligation to keep some of the more immoral companies “in check.” The challenge is, “How do you go about exposing the lies in your work?”
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