Jon?Doe's manager hollered at me to see if I can revamp his site. This was a total overhaul. We started with the header logo and worked our way through the overall layout. He wanted the four elements of the hip hop culture (breakdancing, deejaying, emceeing and graffiti) to be evident in the design and the navigation to be easy. They were very particular about the type of equipment that I used in the final design and were pleased with the results.
International Auto Rebuilders, a body shop specializing in foreign vehicles, was wondering if I could help them rebrand their business. The current visual representation that they had did not fit with the clientele that they dealt with on a daily basis.
After narrowing down the options, they chose this logo...
All Natural Inc. artists Kenautis Smith and Blackspade are getting ready to launch their new project, Motivational Tool. The Chicago duo had a specific vision for the artwork and provided me with the cover pics. The rest was up to me. Be on the lookout for this release!
Along with this release, they will also be putting out a 7 inch record for hip hop purists.
Here is a recent video of one of the cuts off of the album entitled "The Closing"
This request was a first for me. A customer asked me if I had ever customized a guitar. He wanted to give his close friend a going away present before he left for Norway. At a past job I use to design graphics for guitars, but I have never physically painted one for a client. He wanted me to incorporate the Norwegian flag, a company logo, the anarchy symbol and a picture of rapper Tech 9 into the composition. I sent him a digital mockup of what I had in mind, he sent me the Seagull acoustic guitar and I started to plan my attack on the project. All of the graphics came together well and I applied a black fade around the edges to give it a weathered appearance (customer request) and my logo on the headstock. Everything went smoothly and I was happy with the results.
The Children's Heart Foundation requested some assistance on an event that they were throwing called Hearts at Play. They didn't want the event to have the same feel as the previous year so I steered clear of the classroom imagery that was shown to me as an example. The first thing we tackled was the type treatment for the title of the event. Simple and to the point...
Invitations followed. This one was created as a general mailer, but individual ones for eight children were created based off of this model.
Display elements were also created including a photo wall with all of the sponsor logos, posters/banners for each sponsor and a timeline of the evenings events. The final piece was a simple 2 color shirt to give to the attendees of the event.
The event turned out great and the venue was perfect! My job was done.
Here is a little collage of the sights and activities that night...
A baseball blog focused on the Chicago White Sox was looking for a logo that had a vintage baseball feel. After a few concepts, they decided on this one...
They also wanted to do a two-color short run of promo t-shirts for the team...
Closed Session artist Alex Wiley was looking for an album cover for his new project CLUB WILEY. He had an illustrated scene in mind that included him on stage at a Lollapalooza type festival in the city of Chicago. I was up for the challenge. Here is the final product...
Signed copies were sold online, but you can download the project and check out his latest videos by clicking here.
Sabado wanted a graffiti, throw-up style logo that would be used on flyers and promotional materials. This job was straight to the point and he knew exactly what he wanted to see.
Here is the result...
You can find DJ Sabado opening for various hip hop acts and spinning at multiple venues in and out of the Chicagoland area. For an up to date schedule of his events, check his facebook.
Rubyhornet.com, a Chicago based website/label, recently had a project called Closed Sessions Vol.2 that needed artwork. Closed Sessions Vol. 2 was recorded from May, 2010 through
January, 2012 and features a collection of artists that help to shape
Hip Hop music and culture during that time period. Closed Sessions Vol. 2 presents Hip Hop fans with new music, as well as a candid look into the creative process of many talented artists. RubyHornet partnered up with MTV2 to put out a behind the scenes documentary to show the making of this project...I was happy to be a part of it.
They liked the feel and look of old school vinyl album covers,
so I came up with this cover for the project...
They liked the direction that I took with the artwork, so they asked if I could continue the feel on the individual releases that were leaked every week. For inspiration, I looked at old jazz, rock and soul record sleeves to give them an authentic feel...
As you can see, the list of artists included some up and coming artists as well as some seasoned veterans in the game. If you want to give it a listen/download, click the link.
Much success to the RubyHornet crew & MTV2. Thank you for the opportunity.
I received a call last year from an independent manufacturer of audio/data components for a major company. They had an idea to create a brand of headphones that catered to a younger audience and asked me to head up the project...Ummm, OF COURSE! The best part of the deal was that they wanted to use my name and logo to place on the product!
Good thing both are trademarked.
From that moment, ST!ZO AUDIO was born!
I came up with multiple renderings, but because of pricing and turn around times, we decided to alter an existing style that was only available overseas. We went back and forth for many months trying different processes to color the headsets to set them apart from competitors and found one that worked perfectly. Cord selection also ranked high in my design criteria. Being a deejay, I wanted something that would transmit the sound clearly while giving it a sturdy feel. Nobody likes flimsy wires! Here is a look at some of the prototypes...
I was happy with the look and feel of the initial samples and the sound quality was on point! I went on to design the packaging for their presentation to the big wigs and they were received well. It has been a few months since the unveiling of the prototypes and now it's up to the company to decide whether or not integrate them into their line at this point. Who knows what the future will bring?
All Natural Inc., a well respected Chicago based label, hit me up to create artwork for their artist MC ADAD. They provided me with a couple of pictures and just let me roll with it. The first cover was a single called Space Invaders featuring Fashawn and Naledge from Kids in the Hall.
Then came the mixtape named "P.S. I'm Next"
MC ADAD is a solid artist with nice flows and great wordplay. I've had the opportunity to perform with him and he definitely knows how to rip the mic as well as skillfully wield a camera.
An up and coming sneaker brand out of Chicago requested my assistance to help with branding. Coveted Kicks aka CVTD Chicago is a company that was spawned from the goal of making custom shoes available to the masses in limited runs. These shoes are designed by some of the world's top shoe customizers and are made with the finest materials. First we had to tackle the logo. Something easily recognizable that spoke to the brands characteristics (premium quality streetwear).
After a few brainstorming sessions, we agreed on this...
The owner already had the shoe styles and colorways selected, but we needed some shoe details, such as the sole, tongue tags, box design and apparel to launch with the sneakers.
Here are some peeks from the product shoot.
Next on the agenda was a CVTD teaser video.
I'm pretty happy with the outcome even though one of my cameras was down.
The website needs some serious updating and shoe production has begun.
Debbie Lee of Penelope's Press wanted a video that gave her potential clients and fans a sneak peek into her letterpress studio. The mother of three took her love for scrapbooking and the letterpress process to the next level and started her own business. She does great work and has the sales to show for it! Check out the video...
C.A.S.T Crew just released it's Spring 2012 line of apparel with 3 new designs. We designed, silkscreened, and packaged everything in-house. With this release, we started a campaign called MATCH the HATCH, a term usually used by anglers when talking about matching their bait to the aquatic life in the body of water that they are fishing. In this photoshoot, we matched our gear with the things that inspired us to create our designs. Enjoy...
Science Supply Solutions contacted me to create packaging for their line of experiment kits that they will be releasing this year. They didn't give too much information as to what direction they wanted me to take it, but stressed that the packaging should be colorful and fun. Initially, I tried to make them look consistent for each category (Biology, Physics and Chemistry), but that is not what they wanted. After mocking up the whole Science Cube line (38pcs! No sleep!) for their trade show booth in New York, I realized that the common elements and layout of the packages worked well. I always say, "If the design makes you look twice or pick up the package, then I have done my job."
I teamed up with Bill Kooties and Moonhouse Productions to create a website revamp for Dr. Richie Lerias of Wood Dale Dentistry. He wanted a clean, no frills website where patients can make appointments, get a quick overview of his practice and see what he is all about without the look of the cheesy templates that most of his colleagues were using. He does great work! Sign up!
So, I've been a little busy sharpening up my angling skills these days. I try to go on as many excursions as I can with some buddies of mine to find creatures lurking in Midwest bodies of water. We call ourselves the C.A.S.T. Crew (Chicago Angler Supreme Team). We have made it a goal to create a Wu-Tang clan of anglers and show our generation that fishing isn't just for hillbillies. Yee Haw!
We started by creating a logo that incorporated our love of angling and music (hip hop specifically). Here is the one we agreed upon. Simple and to the point!
Next on the agenda was to start a blog and document our catches
I also put together a video intro to keep the videos consistent. All of the members have been doing a good job putting out videos independently. We have a lot of plans for the new year, but we wanted to start it off with a limited tee shirt that we released on Black Friday. It can still be purchased at the C.A.S.T. STORE
here is what it looks like...
I also did a commercial for my buddies at Equilibrium bags showing how I converted their product into the ultimate urban angler bag.
Aside from catching fish, the C.A.S.T. crew allows me to catch wreck utilizing all of my media skills. After we began this quest, we did some research and found a whole underground culture of like-minded fisherman all over the world!
This might be the beginning of something BIG!
A company interested in putting out their own line of negative ion bands asked me to design a logo and packaging for their brand Natural Balance 101. I really didn't know too much about the technology, but when it was demonstrated to me, I was freaked out! I will be wearing a sample that they gave me for a couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference. I will keep you informed. Shown below is the logo, packaging and a couple of product shots that I took for their online store.
The base shoe for this project was a pair of all white Air Max 90s. The customer wanted the pair to reflect her Filipino heritage. I took elements of the Filipino flag and flipped them up a bit. Here is what they looked like...
