New work for CFA magazine

Another cover for Sept.-Oct. issue of CFA magazine.Thanks again to Bil Cullen and Tim Priddy of Communication Design for the engaging assignment. This one is for an article on robotics and AI and how the writer sees these issues impacting everyones lives.  Exciting and unsettling.

New Work

These were done for the New Market companies. I was contatcted by Greg Collins to help them create what is basically an internal "Safety First" campaign. So, unless you work for one of their companies it's unlikely you'll ever come a cross these. The character, Mr. Safeton was not designed by me. They came to me with his design already realized. They needed someone to to take the existing design and put him in different outfits and scenarios for all three of their companies.

Some were simple iterations on one pose,

Some were in different outfits with word ballons added,

Some without,

Some were a little more elaborate.

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

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

Data and Goliath

This was another fun job done with Bil Cullen of Communication Design Inc. for CFA magazine. Since I felt so strong about the concept for this story, initially I only did one sketch, crossed my fingers and hoped everyone agreed. Luckily for me, they did. It was for an interview with Cyber Security Expert, Bruce Schneier. It deals with what large companies must do to be resilient and deal with protecting their financial data and how to respond to attacks.

Once I got the go ahead I tightened it up and re-sent it for further assesment.

After everyone had a chance to reveiw it and signed off on it I inked it in.

After that it was on to the colors, which maybe the most enjoyable stage. I used Kyle T. Webster's digital brushes, which if you haven't used yet, I can't recommend highly enough. 

Here it is in it's printed (Digital Magazine) form, thanks for taking a look.