The Best Rebranding Logo of 2010

goes to......



...myspace.

The new feel and imagery is just perfect, and how the used it for their ads recently is pure genius! Congratulations myspace! You're still not the no. 1 website to go and update on daily lives, but the new logo surely is freakin' awesome!

MODA

A Heath of Thought

Saw this ad on YouTube. Immediately made me think of Heath. Not just that pose of the figure in the ad, but the kind of photo shoot reminds me of Heath. As well with the typography.

Ok I'm done. Go back to your regular, normal lives.

Motion Inspiration

The seniors of the graphic design program really inspired me in motion design, with the thought process and experimentation. With the works they have done, I know it'll be a great challenge to match their projects...and it's a challenge I'm willing to take on in the following months.

Thanks guys for inspiring my motion interests! :)

Jason Dooley:



Nathan Linkous:



James Linehan:



John Milam:



Jason D. + John Milam Collabo:

Kyle Cooper Interview

Hey guys! I went to Motionographer (they have links for more After Effects tutorials, check it out!) this morning, and they posted a link for an interview with Kyle Cooper. Already at the beginning of the interview he talks about what the motion titles should be about.

Take the time to watch it, and I hope it's inspirational towards your projects and drive! :)

MTV Changes Logo....

The new logo is on the right, in comparison with the one on the left. I guess because everything else wanted to go HD, it wanted to join the club as well...gettin' its' widescreen flava on. :P Not!

Anyways, here's the article that talks about the logo change. In my opinion, the change doesn't really make an impact to me. It'll take some getting use to as well...though I barely watch MTV anymore.

Infinite

This illustration was done by Tim Tomkinson for the weekly active illustration blog Illustration Friday. I thought his design and craftsmanship was handled nicely. :)

I have been subscribed to Illustration Fridays before, but I never put the effort to get involved. That will change this week. It'll help me get involved with other illustrators, push my skills as a conceptual artist, and hopefully have some nice pieces for my portfolio. This week's subject is pattern. We'll see where it leads. :)

Inspiration For Me to Move!

Sweeeeet!!! :D

Horrible Decision Making ESPN!

I usually go to ESPN's website to check on scores, news, etc., and when I got to the homepage today, saw this horrible green used for the Gatorade advertising. Having it against that red was not a wise move on their part. Bleh!

This Post Goes Out to Chris K! :D

The joy that comes from motion! :D

Using life influences to bring interesting concepts and cool ideas to motion graphics! :D






Embrace motion Chris! Life is so much better in motion! ;D *laughs*

Rialto Art Fair

I was able to get some pics of the Rialto Art Fair. It was a nice event seeing the different art disciplines showcasing their projects and abilities. :)

Senior designers Mario Segarra and Mike Rogers talking design.

The famous Obama Typography piece by Senior designer Jason Dooley.

DUPA! :D

Interior Design representing as well!

I want to say thanks to all the senior designers who took their time to host the graphic design table. :) Awesome job guys!

Tuts+

OMG!

So I was looking up boxing posters (in an attempt to make one myself with cartoon characters - wanting inspiration), I found a link that had a tutorial to make a retro boxing poster.

So I was like, "Hmm, this is pretty good." So I looked around on the site some more, mostly tutorials for Photoshop, and I couldn't believe my eyes....

I hit a freakin' mother load of tutorials for so much software! :D I'm talking about Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, After Effects, even 3D software! I was like, "Are you freakin' kidding me?!" :D I'm just so excited. LOL

.....oh yeah! You guys want links! LOL

PSD.Tuts+
Flash.Tuts+
AE.Tuts+
Vector.Tuts+
CG.Tuts+

Hope you guys enjoy them! :D The ones for After Effects are already making me drool. :P LOL :D

Riskingly Amazing!

I thought his sculpture was a cool design to make, even if it was a risk. Though the police didn't like his "construction", I'm like, screw it. This is an awesome design, and definitely brings character to the road.

At the same time, you won't see me doing that. :P LOL

Adobe TV

Something I found today: Adobe TV.

Video tutorials and info on Adobe Software. Some things that are interesting to look at, and hopefully inspire. :)

OMG....(Growing Pains)

I have so much work to do. Not that it's on my plate right now, but just learning to play a role that is different from what I normally do.

I am a cartoonist. Not an illustrator, there is a difference. Can a cartoonist become an illustrator? And vice versa? Of course. It just takes a lot of work to get there. And I desire to get to where I can do illustration as an illustrator, not just as a cartoonist. Fortunate for me, I can imitate styles nicely. Still, I just need to get better in my drafting skills, and draw draw draw.

Then there's designing: I want to get better in design, where I can be unpredictable...I always felt like my works would be predictable this past year (probably because of my cartooning skills) in my projects. Probably the most unpredictable result was the last project I did for typography, which I am happy of the results. Hopefully, my typography skills will grow and sharpen, as well as composition. Add some things that will shake up the foundation of how I see things.

Last, and not least, adding motion to my projects. Animating characters, shapes, type, whatever the case may be. I am going to get After Effects, so I can start learning over the summer. Nothing wrong with a head start. :)

A cartoonist pushing to become an illustrator, designer, and an animator. I need all the Starbucks I can get for the next two years....

Pixar Logos (Part 1)

Maybe I am biased when it comes to animated films, but I cannot deny my humongous support for Pixar. It deserved it, time and time again with every project they have showcased. From bringing the first fully computer animated theatrical piece Toy Story, to their upcoming piece Up, Pixar has always grabbed my attention and interest. Always grabbing my inner child, like a parent ready to showcase a new present.

I want to talk a bit about the logos, what I find astounding in their logo designs in a two part series. The next post I will definitely talk more from an passionate animation critic's side (that's a mouthful).

The Company:


Pixar's logo alone represents the quality and craftsmanship the company brings to their animation, consistently. That's something Disney has lost in the mid to late 90's. Looking at the letters, minus the "X", the footing for the serifs are strong. The font looks like it is in bold, as Pixar has taken bold risks with their storytelling formats. Not to mention when one says "Pixar", most people will nod in awe or have a positive reflect. The font is very clean and crisp, just as they push their animation to be smooth and clean. They also made the logo playful with having Luxo, Jr. (the jumping lamp) coming into the scene, jumping on the "I" until it's squished. The playfulness and wonder of the lamp is the spirit that Pixar carries in each film project they set out to do.

The Movies:

What amazes me about the logos for Pixar's movies, is that they mostly represent or give an indication of what the film is about. Or, it at least ties in with the movie. I guess that's what I look when it comes to logos, is how does the illustration or the type reflect the project or the client. Does it represent it as a whole? Or what part does it want to represent? Pretty much, Pixar not only delivers in animation, but it also delivers in design:

Toy Story's logo is the only one (along with Toy Story 2) that uses the primary color scheme for the entire logo. From my color theory lesson, primary colors are meant to grab your attention quickly, like fast food restaurants (Burger King, McDonald's, Wendy's). As kids, when we saw a toy that was pleasing, we would get excited. It would grab our attention the moment we see it. Having it being the first fully computer animated movie in history, it needed to be something to grab audience's attention (otherwise Pixar would have gone bust - watch the Pixar Story, you'll know what I mean). I thought the logo was also playful with the different sizes in the word "Toy", and having the shape behind "Story".


For A Bug's Life, the design team continued to use bold letters for the type, while adding a twist. Shapes of different bugs were used as counters, as well as the apostrophe in the title. Instead of all caps, the letters were all lowercase, keeping in relations with the subject matter of the film. Having the type being a warm color was inviting to take part of a small world, that we would never think of on our own.


With Monster's Inc. as Pixar's fourth film (Toy Story 2 being its' third), you can see that the company has strong taste in sans serif type. As well as using a bold typeface for the title. The blue is different from A Bug's Life's tone, having a cool calm head for both main characters in a fiery situation. Not that they were calm at all. The eye in the middle of the "M" makes it interactive with the viewer, as well as giving a chance to be animated if need be. I believe also that it relates to the usage of doors in the film, where the monsters have to peak through the closet, ready to scare the children as part of their work day.


What is really interesting for Finding Nemo, is how the word "Nemo" is big. I know I have talked about it before on this blog, I'm just revisiting. Having "Nemo" big looks like someone is shouting. Especially with the font in all caps and using bold. Pretty much the wave moving under the title does give me an indication that the setting will be water. Also having the counter in the "O" as a fish, makes the logo complete and represents the focus of this wonderful film.


For The Incredibles, the design direction went for emphasis on the action by bringing in warm colors (red, orange, yellow). The logo design for the "I" (under the title) shows movement, as superheros must act swift to any and all distress calls. To me, this emblem design shows more movement and animation in a static pose compared to the other Pixar movie titles. The curve in the title really goes with the crescendo and decrescendo in saying it's name. Where it starts strong, lowers in sound a bit, and then finishes strong at the end. Working that enunciation.

I will continue to analyze the other movie logos in Part Two.

Ford Commercials Using Kinetic Typography

I saw a Ford commercial yesterday that caught my attention of their use of kinetic typography. I thought it was interesting and intriguing:



I thought the part where "Air Bags" inflated made it interesting, amongst other things. :)

Here are some more:





Enjoy! ;)

One of My Last Pieces for Typography

My last project for typography, where we had to do a poster design to go along with a DVD cover for a nonprofit organization. *phew* That was a mouthful.

I know I am known amongst my peers that I am an illustrator/cartoonist by heart. To see that most of the elements were type for this project made me very pleased. Especially when I was able to mount it for critique....it's so nice...definitely gettin' a copy for room to hang up. LOL :) Just want to expand my range of handling design, both type and illustration/cartoons. :)

Hope you guys enjoy, and good luck continuing to do your portfolios!

I Promised Heath

Heath and I were talking about typography projects last night in class..and when I told him about my calendar project, he mentioned about posting them on the blog. And I told him I would. And now, I did. :)

The numbers in the background are binary code to spell "Tech Junkie" twice on each line. It takes seven numbers (I am not kidding) to create one letter or character. So that's why you see so many numbers in the background like that, as well as how the layout was constructed.

Hope you guys enjoy the compositions. :)

New Logo For The Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions organization changed their logo, and I must say, I really like the new look for it. More fierce and showing power in those muscles.

Thought I share this...at 3 o'clock in the morning. LOL :D