Tuesday, July 7, 2015

The Vision Council - Readers


These were done with a local agency, Feedback, for the Vision Council, who offer services for all things eyewear related. They were looking for for someone who could do New Yorker style cartoons to post on The Vision Council's FaceBook page for their reader glasses. New Yorker style cartoons are not something I'm generally called on to do. But, because I did an illustration once, for the New Yorker twenty years ago, my name came up in a google search. Said illustration did not really look like a typical New Yorker cartoon and since it was done so long ago, I no longer have a file of it. However I was glad my name came up in the search, thanks google. I worked with Jeff and Brittany from Feedback on the the gags, did a few sketches, which the client selected two to take to finish.

sketch 1
sketch 2
sketch 3
sketch 4
sketch 5
sketch 6
sketch 7
sketch 8
sketch 9
finish 1
finish 2



Rancho-T Menu and Hot Sauce Label


These are the menu design and hot sauce labels my wife and I arrived at with the help and input of Ed Vasiao and Tuffy Stone for Rancho-T, front and back. At some point we may take the graphic from hot sauce, tweak it a little, and have some t-shirts made.

Front


Back
Hot Sauce Label

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The Evolution of a logo - Rancho - T

I've been working with Ed Vasaio of MammaZu for sometime now on various projects. The most recent was working with Ed and Tuffy Stone on the logo and what turned into signage for their new restaurant, Rancho-T. It was a very long process, a couple of years as it turned out. There were a few times where I seriously wondered if it was going to come to fruition. As you'll see there were quite a few itereations of the logo. 


One of the first attempts at a logo.


another round,



and another with some tones in photoshop,


now going in a more graphic direction


and some more,


more still,


still more,


some more,


and then we sort of ended up where we started. These aren't all of the variations, there were more. From this vantage point it looks like a lot of work but since it was done over the course of a few years along with other freelance work and teaching, oddly enough it didn't seem like a lot as I was doing it.


At this point I was having serious doubts as to this actually happening, then Ed and Tuffy sent me this,


a schematic by Kalita and Byron Pennington of Small Axe Forge. It was at this point Ed told me the logo was going to be produced as a 3 dimensional sign with lights, inside and out and hung out front of the restaurant. I have to admit, I was still having my doubts, then Ed and Tuffy sent me these,



now I was beginning to believe it was actually going to happen.

And then there was this...








Shadow Banking

Another great job for CFA MAgazine and Communication Design. The cover and feature story on Shadow Banking, ripe material for image making. Thanks again to Bil Cullen and Tim Priddy, always a pleasure to work with.

For the last couple of jobs for CFA I've been using Kyle T. Webster's Digital Brushes and I have to say, I love them. If you work digitally and you haven't tried them yet, you're missing out.

Initial sketch

Cleaned up line work

Inked line work

Finished illustration

Cover layout