Skool

the semester has started, so my infrequent posting will go from a trickle to a few drops here and there (my first class is not until next monday, but I’ll be working on the lectures for the year) So to my 2 loyal readers – Mom, Dad – its been fun…

No Fun League

So, the NFL did a rebranding exercise. I think they did an ok job, but the bottom of the letters and the bottom of the shield bother me – the angular type to the curves of the sheild look really off. Thoughts? Am I being waaaay to anal?

the mPhone

So, I broke down and bought an iPhone 2 weeks ago. Does everyone need one, no – but it is a pretty damn impressive piece of technology. It feels like you have a portable computer in your pocket. All the complaints people have stated are, for the most part, valid… That being said, if you want a taste of what is to come (convergence of mediums onto one device) the iPhone is a great starting point for the average person…

The Longest Illustration I Have Ever Seen

Thanks to my boy Jay for showing me this site zenvironments.com The illustration/artwork is by Zach Johnson and I think he has tired fingers.

Zombies!!!

Ok, I don’t spend a lot of time playing video games, but Dead Rising has been my favorite over the past year. After a long day in the office, it is kind of nice to slaughter hordes of zombies. Its not the most innovative storyline – kind of reminds me of Dawn of the Dead w/ the setting of the game being a mall. The beauty is that almost everything in the stores can be used as a weapon and zombies are just plain fun to kill!

Do you feel dirty?

Quick post today, since I am still slammed at the office. I found these ads on adsoftheworld.com and thought they were cool as hell. (who knew hyundai could look cool)

Deadlines

Have caught up with me this week. I won’t bore you with the details or bad posts – be back next week.

Socially Distorted Strengths

So, I promise that this is not becoming a music site. That being said, I saw Social Distortion last night and they kicked ass. Mike Ness is just an awesome front man. His voice is as good live as it is on record. They played a great tune off their greatest hits album Far Behind:

Now between writing about them and De la Soul yesterday, it made me think about career longevity. How do you keep yourself going in a work environment, creative or otherwise. I came across a great article by Susie Wee of HP:

Use your weekend strengths at work

…An additional tip that I gave was: Use your weekend strengths at work.

My advice here is to think about the things that you do on your weekends and in your free time when you’re with your family and friends. Chances are that you’re spending your free time doing things that you love to do. Chances are that these things use your natural strengths, i.e., your weekends strengths. And, chances are that your weekend strengths can be used at work! Read more.

Now what the hell does this article have to do with either of the band I have posted about in the past 2 days? Well, what better weekend strengths are there than playing music for a bunch of people. Its adapting a party to your job. Now, most of us can’t do that, but I bet there is something that you do outside of work that can help you inside (and no, flasks don’t count).

Advice on Marriage

Ok, I was not planning on a second post today, but I read Advice on Marriage on thedenveregotist.com and thought it was funny as hell. For all you married creatives out there I am posting a taste (you’ll have to visit their site for the rest, since I am using their content)

I have landed the gig of my dreams working as an Art Director at [agency name removed]. Everyone here is pretty much expected to work serious overtime and my wife is starting to get seriously pissed off about it. I love my job, but I also love my wife. Part of me expects her to be more understanding and supportive of my situation, what should I do?

Yours in desperation,
Jacob Limpic

Dear Mr. Limpic,
I hear this problem a lot. Who among us in the creative industries hasn’t found themselves toiling away at work night after night and spending less and less time with their loved ones as their career takes off? The divorce rate at advertising agencies is one of the highest in the nation. I suspect the same holds true at design firms, but I couldn’t find any statistics for civil unions so I can’t be sure.

Do we work like this to make humanity a better place and maybe save some lives? Of course not! We do it because we hate our spouses or because our Creative Director just got transferred to our office from NYC and he doesn’t know anyone here or have anything better to do than work all the time… Read more

Hitting the digital wall

So, as an interactive designer you always want to come up with innovative ways for a viewer to be able to play and use your content. Adobe has come up with an execution that uses the motion of a persons body to interact with the content on the screen via infrared sensors. First – I want that kind of budget for my next project. Second, I think that it is pretty damn cool and a glimpse of things to come. Again I defer to a better writer to offer more info:

Maria Aspen of the New York Times writes:

Adobe will unveil an interactive wall of projected animation this morning in Union Square, along the 14th Street side of the Virgin Megastore. As pedestrians walk past the wall, infrared sensors will lock on to the person closest to the wall, who will then be able to control a projected slider button at the bottom of the wall.

As the selected pedestrian continues walking and moves the slider along, the wall will start displaying colorful animation and playing music, effects that will grow or recede at the pace that the person advances or retreats. When each selected pedestrian reaches the end of the wall, his or her design will be in full blossom, above the campaign’s message: “Creative license: take as much as you want.” Read More .

See the wall in action: