Design

Every so often, either time or the lack of budget will require the use of templates and or components, not everyone can afford custom Actionscript, and I certainly wouldn't be the guy to write it anyway.

I recently started on a project (release date TBD) that fit the bill and set out looking for some Actionscripted liquid goodness, and I just happened to find some worthy of sharing. I'm a huge fan of the sites that allow designers and developers to share their respective wares, but had not used FlashComponents.net before.

What does an Art Director do when he's too busy to update his blog, or offer his humble opinion on a given topic? He posts pretty pictures and links.

For this entry I'll be posting some new work for Poison Billiards, specifically the new Nitro line ad I art directed and wrote. You see I can't be writing blog entries if I'm working on copy, it just uses up all the words I have for the month. I know its sad, but I'm even experiencing a word recession and I'm on allowance.

With Blak 2 launching this month, I thought this would be a great time to write a little something about the similarities between product design and advertising. Much like creating a campaign, product design requires many of the same fundamentals, in particular consistency. In the case of the new Blak2 line, that was materials, the ebony, mincarta, gray pearl, leather wrap, and stainless steel were my brand guide, and the strategy was to create modern elegant designs that exuded an upscale image that were different from the competition.

AOL was an established brand with a recognizable mark, it was recognizable to most american consumers because of their early prominence as an internet service provider and expansive broadcast advertising budget for many years. Now, I understand the brands need for a new image, particularly with the separation from Time Warner and a very different business model than in the 90’s, but when your replacing an established mark, variety may be the spice of life, but it does not make for a consistent captivating brand image."

Prior to 6 months ago, I had a development team that worked through all the trials and tribulations that come with cross email client compatibility issues, A special thanks to those unsung heroes of the code. As XHTML Strict and CSS have finally become standard throughout the digital world, and depreciated tags are being phased out through attrition, at least by most savvy and informed web designers and developers, email clients and there software generating counterparts have taken no steps to develop in standardization for email client support as it pertains to HTML email.

The 960 Grid System was created by this guy Nathan Smith. It’s a cool way to streamline web development workflow, and it’s based on a width of 960 pixels. The 960.gs was made for quick prototyping, and cutting down on development time for what I would coin an arduous process, but it’s also well suited for any web design project. In my opinion it gives you a solid foundation to start from, and in fact I used it for this site!

The Good, The Bad, and The Addy: A Creative Showdown

I ventured off to the Addys, sans rhinestone cowboy hat, and was amazed at all the folks sporting what appeared to be their own cowboy regalia. Despite the large number of cowboy hats, I managed to find a pretty sporty vantage point, grabbed a “beverage” and took up a post with my friend and former On Ideas compatriot Tiffany. 

The Good, The Bad, and The Addy: A Creative Showdown

It’s that time again, that’s right another awards show. The 2009 edition of the Addy’s is here and I’m looking forward to seeing how the old team (On Ideas) and myself fair. The show is being held at Mavericks at the Jacksonville Landing on Saturday. February 21, 2009.