Author Archives: christie

How do you say no to Saul Bass?

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At the Stanley Kubrick exhibit at LACMA (see previous post), one of the most interesting things I came across were these drafts of poster artwork for The Shining, created by legendary graphic designer, Saul Bass. As you can see by the handwritten notes made by Kubrick on the illustrations, he was not impressed with these first drafts. It’s so interesting (and relieving) to realize that even as you get to the top level of any design-related profession, at the end of the day, we’re all working for a client, with own unique their tastes and visions. I would have been happy with any of these, although the final one did turn out pretty cool…

Stanley Kubrick Exhibit at LACMA

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Wow. That’s all I have to say about this incredible exhibit on display at the LA County Museum of Art. There was at least one room dedicated to each of Kubrick’s films, each filled with artifacts, original script notes, costumes, sketches…everything and anything you can imagine. Apparently Kubrick kept EVERYTHING, so I’m sure they could have filled 5 times as many rooms. Kudos to the curator. Here are just a few shapshots…

Who doesn’t love a laser

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Since joining Make ATX—a member-based workshop with a variety of fabrication tools–tools for making things—I can’t stop thinking in laser terms. What can I get my hands on that I can laser? It never gets old watching the machine carve shapes out from the paper, wood, plastic, glass…you name it! It’s such a fun way to make something stand out—like this simple business card I did for a client who’s a Contemporary Art PHD candidate. The idea for these cards came Read more →

Fwends Forever

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When I pulled this out of the little baggie of carrots I bought yesterday, I went through a full range of emotions. Shock, disgust, wonder, then something like motherly-love, for her disfigured baby. Then I just got all academic on it and it made me start thinking of form and adaptation. Design, by nature, is an art form that relies on adaptation—having to adapt to the client, to the parameters of medium (print, web, etc), audience, and of course, cost. These little carrot buddies must have been in a tight spot together, demanding of each other that they make it work or perish. Like all of us designers who make it out of each project alive, hopefully what also results is something that is out of the box, given the circumstances.

HEB New Signage

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It’s always neat to come across something big that you’ve had a hand in creating. If you’ve been to any of the new “upscale” HEB’s, you’ll come across the in-store graphics and way-finding that I helped craft while working at environmental design firm, FD2S. Those dots are perfectly spaced, I know for a fact.

Films, Farms & Food

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Oh, how I looove working for people who are doing such cool things. I just finished a new logo for Farm Shorts, a web video initiative to benefit sustainable farms, food producers, local artists and the regional local community. They are creating an online, coherent visual landscape of the local food movement Read more →