It’s been a strange last two weeks. I’m still finding myself thinking a lot about my time in Zambia, the people I met there and how I’m going to let this experience affect my path through the next few years. The fact that my time in Africa affected me so deeply is an encouragement for future travel/photography/design possibilities. While I would absolutely welcome the chance to return to Zambia to visit the people who took us in, I’d also love to visit a number of other countries to experience their cultures and traditions.
Now, the tough part. What do I do here in Edmonton to find fulfillment in my job? For the past year, while my nights and weekends have been focused on design and photography, my day job has been at an industrial supply warehouse. Not a glamourous job, but fulfilling in the fact that I work hard and earn my wage. I don’t feel this is the area where I’m meant to be for the long term, and I’m pursuing a full-time graphic design position again. I need to find a position that matches my desire to work for a meaningful result. To work for a company or project that is more than just rampant consumerism and irrelevantly ephemeral.
I’ll keep you updated on the journey. In the meantime, here’s a video that made my day last week.
The new VNDRL.com look is slowly evolving. I’m working the kinks out as I build and test each element. I’m hoping to have some more flash galleries up soon as well as a consistent “look” through the entire website. That’s my job as a designer, isn’t it?
I’m sitting here at my desk after a busy day and I’ve finally got the chance to relax. How do I unwind after a day full of physical activity and movement? By grabbing a stack of magazines and bike catalogs and flipping through them, analyzing, critiquing and being inspired by the design I see between the covers of each of the publications.
I’ve always been one to appreciate creativity and out-of-the-box thinking as far back as I can remember. I think one of the things that pushed me into graphic design as a profession was the design and creativity behind magazines I would read and bike catalogs that I would anxiously collect and save each year as companies would show off their new offerings to the public, their next, newest and best technologies and designs. Seeing each company’s approach to information design, photography and layout opened my eyes to what was possible in the world of print design.
One of the companies that’s always been held in high regard in my eyes is Odyssey BMX, based out of Cerritos, CA. Always looking to push the envelope in terms of their design and advertising, Creative Director Jim Bauer has succeeded in creating a brand that people look up to. Whether it is the new product catalog with products put into unique situations, their website, their clothing or their office space, Odyssey is a brand that has always stayed relevant and their success is, in my opinion, at least partly due to their knowledge and implementation of good design.
I had the chance to meet and speak with Jim a year ago on a trip down to Los Angeles and it was great to talk design with him. Often times the subtle things that only some people will pick up on – for example, the spot varnish on the cover of the numbers of the 2003 catalog – are the ones that end up being the lasting bits that people remember. By not using stock photography, clip art and free fonts in all their marketing, Odyssey proves they care about design and its effectiveness.
It is companies like Odyssey, Burton, Wired, Color, and Monster Children that keep me inspired on a daily basis.
Business cards for VNDRL are finally in! After running out of cards that I made for the 2007 MacEwan Design Studies Grad Show, I had to get a new set made up that included the website name. Simple was the name of the game. No glaring 4 colour photos, no extraneous spot varnishes or rounded corners, just something to show that I exist.
Well, as you can see, things have changed slightly here at vndrl.com. Attempting to break out of my safe world of print design, I’ve decided to explore web design a bit in hopes of expanding my skillset and what I can offer potential clients.
I’m hoping that as I become more comfortable and knowledgable with the web interface, updates will become more frequent. If you have suggestions or comments, please let me know what I can do to make this a better experience for you, the reader.
I’m sitting here at my desk after a busy day and I’ve finally got the chance to relax. How do I unwind after a day full of physical activity and movement? By grabbing a stack of magazines and bike catalogs and flipping through them, analyzing, critiquing and being inspired by the design I see between the covers of each of the publications.
