Just picked this poster up from print. Designed it for our first year show on Friday.
THIS FRIDAY, come on out and see the UW-Madison first-year grad work at the Art Lofts. Some good work to dwell over at and snacks to toss in your mouth. Don't be a stranger, come on by and say hello. Art Lofts Gallery, 111 North Frances Street, Madison WI 53703
It's the event of the year that everyone is talking about, haven't you heard?
Just wrapped up designing and illustrating this poster for the Graphics Graduate show at the University of Wisconsin. Our show, "Under Exposed", is coming up, and will be in the 7th floor gallery. Pop on in and see all the goods from the kind people in the Graphics MFA program. Good times ahead...
Printing it this weekend. Screenprint CMYK, with a 5th color of extra black for the text detail. Look out!
Ok, so this is a repost, and it has nothing to do with design. Getting cold here in Wisconsin and I was reminscing about the friends back in California. Good times, all the time. Here are some of the bros and I at the Newbaric bachelor party this last year. The sound effects and comments are classic. Probably only funny to me and a handful of others, but that's OK. You can get through it, right?
Just wrapped up this poster for Studio Days at the UW. Sending to print.... now.
So the University of Wisconsin - Madison has their Studio Days coming up. Stop on by to see the work that grad students are doing in their studios. Open to the public and free. I will be in my 7th floor Humanities Building studio on November 15th with all the graphics, printmakers etc... On November 18th there will be open studios in the Art Lofts where painters, photographers, 3-D and 4-D will be showing off their studios. Good times.
Finished up a quick poster/tee shirt graphic/screen printed pillow case :) Screen printing is awesome because you can throw just about anything under that screen, make the pull and voila! This one is for Subi, my dog. She is back in California holding it down. The Golden Retriever in the Golden State. Good stuff. Love that dog...
This is a poster I just printed. 18x24", 3 color screen print on 100# Golden French Paper. It's a study of characters, both human and type. Don't take it too seriously, have a little fun. Match up your own the way you think it should be... :)
I have been to A LOT of sporting events. Football games, Hockey games, World Cup Soccer games, Basketball playoff games, Baseball games, Japan GT races, and so many other random events. They all have their highlights and I love every experience I have had. I love my Bears, Cubs, Bulls, Blackhawks and Badgers, but by far, no contest, the best sporting event I have been apart of was Saturday's Wisconsin Badger's victory over Ohio State Buckeyes.
Granted, it's so much sweeter when your team wins, and it was... The game day atmosphere from College Game Day being on campus, to the opening kick-off and all the way through to the crazy victory party after. Best sporting event ever. The Badgers were on it from the kick-off, literally, returning the first kick of the game for a touchdown. The crowd was loud, and the student section was off their rocker. We couldn't even here the band or music majority of the time because of the roar at Camp Randall. Madison was at the center of the sports world, as far I am concerned. It was a once in a lifetime game to be a part of when your team knocks off the #1 ranked team in the country, and I wouldn't trade it for any other sporting event experience. Go Badgers, On Wisconsin!
The photo above was taken on my Hipstamatic, of the after game craziness. Fans ended up consuming the field and climbing the goal posts. Bunch of Badgers...
I just finished up a type poster, that I am printing today. I came across this clip on YouTube last night and it's along the same lines as my poster... I can't believe the interest in typography and fonts right now, so awesome. The time, and I'm sure money, that people put into these videos (like the Neutraface video I posted last week), is amazing, and the number of views they get is even crazier! Good stuff, go type!
I will post the Type poster I just finished up in the next post. Three color screen print titled "Typography: A study of characters." Will be on sale in the Newbaric shop...
Planet played host to the event and gave some behind the scenes tours of the studio. Great place and cool people. Planet founder, Dana Lytle gave the tours and it was priceless hearing about their beginnings to where they are now. Very respectable group of designers that are always working on what's next.
Hipstomatic presented their brief history from design studio to iphone app developer/designer. Lucas and Ryan traded off their stories of how things went and gave a great view into their world. Inspirational story and Wisconsin born. Product of the University of Wisconsin system... Got things rolling and voila. Good for them, always fun stuff to hear about.
I have watched this video multiple times, and I thought it was time to share it on the Newbaric blog. I am sure you have seen it by now, but it's always fun to watch. Classic. Pretty damn creative and entertaining. It's SNL’s Jenny Slate as Marcel the Shell.
Here is the link I went looking for on YouTube. Typeface, the film on wood type, graphic design and all sorts of other printed goodness...
Based around Hamilton Type in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. I will be making the voyage up there in the very near future. Pricesless place to have around. All about the craft. These people were graphic designers before graphic design was a career. Much Appreciated.
So I went onto YouTube to get the URL link for the "Typeface" movie that is in the post above, and this video, "Neutraface: an ode on a typface" was below it with almost 400,000 views. I had to watch it, as I am a fan of Neutraface, the typeface you can find at House Industries. I wasn't prepared. It made me laugh, it made me cry, I will never be the same. It was almost too much to put on the Newbaric blog, but I think you may need a laugh today.
What's funny about this YouTube age, is that I have never heard an official Lady Gaga song, only the remakes and spoofs you get via email and online. I never imagined a typeface getting it's own Gaga video...
Well, here are two typefaces I am working on. My first two. I have long studied type, and used type in my designs of course. But I have made it a goal to design typfaces, for better or worse, to understand the world a of type a little better. I understand the anatomy, I know the categorizations that type falls within, but sometimes there is that unknown that you can only find out by doing. My goal as this exercise moves along, no matter the result of the faces I produce, is that my knowledge and use of type will move to another level (up is the goal :)
So here are the first two attempts at creating the DNA for new typefaces. I know there is a long way to go, but I figure this is the stage to work out some kinks before moving ahead to the rest of the alphabet, kerning etc. So if you have your thoughts on the direction, holler!
I don't usually post random youtube videos here, but this video got me. The longer I watched it the more into I got. Not sure what else to say. Creativity is awesome.
Reminds me of one of my all time favorite bands, Strung Out. Make the guitar sing!
Just wrapped up the new Infinity ad. Showcasing their new hollow, all carbon-fiber race Aviso board. They are taking names and cleaning up in the contests they enter with this board. It's fast, and it has the rest of the industry scratching to keep up.
The ad is following the current campaign of freshness. Avantgarde sets the type-tone and the thick black lines set within a nice tight grid keeps things tidy...
I had a few hours to knock out a poster for the Year of the Arts campus-wide parade, and this was the result as it was time to send to print. Stymie, Univers and Archive are doing the heavy lifting...
The University of Wisconsin has named 2010-2011 the Year of the Arts for the entire University. Stay tuned on the happenings throughout the year.
We went to the Harley Museum recently, and I think I will crown Harley-Davidson as the top designed company of the past 100 years. From their first brochures and posters, to their logo and 'red-orange' branding, there hasn't been a company, that I know of, that has had over a century of jaw dropping design like they've had. Kudos to Harley-Davidson, their design team and design-decision-makers.
Google some of their design for now, and soon I will post the images I took while I was at the museum. What a great experience. A must whenever you are passing through Milwaukee or the Midwest...
Madison is a public-transportation and bike friendly city. My hope is it will get the attention of passers-by that will take a closer look, to find it is actually a calendar of events disguised as a route map. The city is full of bike trails and bus routes, now there's a public transportation system for finding your favorite artist and designer's lecture....
Beginning of a new semester at the University of Wisconsin, and that means a new line-up of artists and designers for the Visiting Artist Colloquium series. I just sent this poster to print for the Fall 2010 semester. Look for it around town and in LARGE format in front of the Chazen Museum of Art.
From the Art Department's website: "Formed in 1966, our Visiting Artist/Critic Program is the first and oldest continuously running program of its kind in the nation. For over 40 years, we have attracted some the nation's most prominent artists, critics, and gallery and museum directors."
Just wrapped up the design for the Clayton Bros colloquium poster. They will be at the University of Wisconsin on September 8th. Open to the public, cruise on by.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has one of the longest running visiting artist programs of it's kind. Top-shelf artists and designers come to talk every week, don't miss it!
Went to go and see my Uncle's gallery showing in Milwaukee this weekend. It's a pretty amazing thing to see his work in person, up close. See more work on Tory Folliard Gallery's website.
The detail when looking at this huge painting up close is mind-blowing, but the real magic happens with you pace away from the work and look at it from a distance. The shadows, reflections and 'details' really start to pop. The image above does it zero justice. Keep in mind that the painting is 64 x 76".
He truly is my favorite artist. So talented and full of knowledge. I spent one day with him at the Art Institute of Chicago and it was like 2 years of art history courses into one session. If you are in Midwest, head on over to Milwaukee and see the show at the Tory Folliard Gallery.
Having some fun taking photos in the Wisconsin woods. Such and awesome place with so much character. Took around 400 photos on our Wisconsin escapade, I will try and post them all on the Flickr page...
Of course, when in Door County, a Fish Boil is mandatory. Thanks to my Aunt Anita and Uncle Bill, they both unanimously put their vote in for the White Gull Inn. Take a look at their site for what a traditional Scandinavian fish boil is all about.
They did it up right with some white Lake Michigan Fish, red taters and all the fixins. I would eat that meal 5 times a week if it was an option. So simple and tasty...
So this might turn into a long rant, or maybe it will stay just a spark of a thought...
I do find it ironic how, these days, so many designers, illustrators and creatives in general (including myself in the mix), find inspiration and solice in the work of eras long gone. That itself isn't ironic, but it is when you consider that the "designs" we mimic were not "designs" at all when they were created. Many times we essentially look back to those who were not designers, illustrators or 'creatives' for what is the standard of design, today.
When looking at old antiques you see people's and company's marks and "brands." These were not logos, they were not meant to convey a message or extend their brand image. It was a necessity to make their mark within their niche. It was a way of saying "these are my creations." But the beauty of their designs shines through in the detail and absolute craft in the way they execute. Letter-spacing, font characters, color palette and scale are so spot on. This coming from people who could care less about Adobe, Apple, AIGA or design school. They have more craft and precision in the work they produced by hand, than 99% of designers today. The computer is the most extraordinary tool, and yet it has ruined the direction of design.
This is not a rant on the demise of design, but a mission statement for myself to find that craft and passion again. Was it their tools? Was it society and the expectations for greatness? Who are these people that created such priceless designs, and what do they think about the direction of logos, branding and marketing today? Do they care? Do they realize that they were at the forefront of it all? I am sure most have not been alive for quit sometime, but they must have seen the change from a craft to a profession. Is it better to be a craftsman or a professional? There is a difference.
I love seeing the old metal nameplates on old tools, appliances, city bridges and manhole covers. Or the brand on the bottom of old wood furniture. Not only is the furniture beautiful, but so is the ligature or icon that they chose to represent themselves. Such an awareness of great design and the blueprint for a successful logo, in a time when guidelines, schools and associations didn't exist to tell them.
In a time when anyone and everyone is, and can be, a designer, it's more important now than ever before that we set ourselves apart.
I want to find that craft in design. I am guilty of the lazy ways we have come to accept. Design is about ideas. It's also about the execution of the craft.
Here's to the the "designers, typographers, brand builders and creators" who came before us. You created out of necessity and inspire and direct all of us "professionals" today.
This is the Master, CEO, President, Boss and the Yoda of all things surf. Infinity Surfboards founder Steve Boehne takin some time to shape for the Sacred Craft fair. He's a legend. He is Infinity Surfboards.
My longest running client is still getting Newbaric fresh designs from across the country. Taking care of all their branding needs from board logo designs, editorial advertising, apparel graphics and all other eye candy. That's how we do it. See how Master B takes care of his shaping business.
So Newbaric has officially settled in Madison, Wisconsin. You know you have officially settled when you have internet again. This last week has been tough, being cut off from the outside world, but I am again a part of civilization. Thank you to all my loyal clients for understanding the craziness of moving across the country. Keep an eye on you inbox as your projects are in full swing again. You have to love the beauty of the internet, keeping the relationships alive thousands of miles away.
I love Cali, but gosh darn does it feel good to be back in the Midwest. Real nice...
Nice little cheese collage I came across on Flickr...
