SAUL BASS and STAR WARS

Check out this awesome re-imagining of the Star Wars opening credits in a the title style of Saul Bass. With a Buddy Rich soundtrack no less!



All we need now is a Martin Scorsese version of the script.

Ray Liotta [narrator]:
Now Han's got Jabba as a partner. Trouble with Gredo? He can go to Jabba. But he's gotta come up with Jabba's money every month! No matter what!

Hyperdrive on the Millenium Falcon break down? Fuck you, pay me.
Oh you got boarded by the Imperials? Fuck you, pay me.
Some old fossil and his snotty farm boy drag you into their galactic rebellion? Fuck you, pay me.

The MoMA PROHIBITS...

Cigarette smoking. Mobile phones. Apples. Champagne.
[also: Champagne flutes]

MORE ICONS! On a recent trip to the MoMA in Manhattan, we noticed these hip icons denoting the items prohibited inside the museum. While they are certainly cool representations of cigarette smoking, mobile phones, food and drink, we found the last two amusing to interpret at will.

After going inside, we kept noticing the MoMA's icon-hipness throughout.



When I pointed out the male and female icons by the restrooms, Emily quickly noted that they were all "jaunty". You got your supermodel strides going to the lavatories, puttin' out fires with a mod extinguisher, and facilities that are Murderball/handicap accessible.

UPDATE: These icons were designed by Brooklyn designer, Kevin Dresser of Dresser Johnson in New York.

SHOWER the Third Nicholas

A new invitation just completed for my friends Sara & Mark. This is an amalgam of my own design details and little fun from the pantheon of Wes Anderson production design. Sara and I adore the look of his films and related design so I thought it would be fun to work in.

And besides, you can't go awry with Futura.

Fun with FOLIOS

About 11 months ago I started on a design odyssey. One that, in general, I detest: creating my portfolio. For the past 10 years I have been using vinyl-bound books of plastic sleeves. I'd tape samples and design work to the black, acid-free slip sheets and lug this ramshackle collection of JLD to interviews and such. And it did the job.

But poorly. Without any style at all. Shameful really.

Early last year, as the likelihood of a job search in New York City gradually became inevitable, I came to a somber truth. Taking this poor, vinyl-clad excuse for a designer's portfolio into interviews would be like shooting myself in the foot and then telling myself I wasn't bleeding to death. So after nearly a year of tinkering and experimenting; after a tedious search for the blessed vessel of my design; after agonizing over what at first seemed merely to be a collection of postcard flyers and business cards, my portfolio is finished.

Many thanks to Jim Piana, Dean Zoyes, and anyone else who provided feedback.

Let's CONVERSE at a DINER

How many midnights have you spent in your local diner mulling over the latest round of client changes or that pesky creative block on a collateral design odyssey. Why not walk these dogs into your favorite greasy spoon, order a coffee, some bacon, and revel in the comfort of diner-honoring Chuck Taylors, complete with built in menu (menu graphic reflects 1950's pricing).

Mini PORTFOLIO

In order to have a portable, leave-behind portfolio for my Manhattan job search I have been working with Dean Zoyes at Zoyes East Inc. in Ferndale to bring a portfolio design of mine to life. Seeking a degree of "wow-factor" I asked Dean to help me prepare these laser-cut collateral items.

The aluminum case and veneer business card will be the centerpieces for an 8-12 page mini-portfolio. I am producing an initial 10 pieces and may create more at a later date if necessary. When I hit the pavement running in New York next week I'll have this piece to leave with HR and creative directors.

I'll edit this post when I have the printed "pages" back from the printer.

Martin MILLER'S London Dry Gin

What is more refreshing than a good gin? Cool and reviving in the summertime, elegant and hearty in the wintertime, gin has a year 'round character for me. I've tasted many excellent gins but one stands out to me purely for its winning ability to woo gin lovers and critics alike.

I was on a press check in 2005 when I spent a fair amount of press downtime in the care of my b+b's cozy, rustic bar. There I waxed alcoholic with a refreshingly knowledgeable barman who introduced me to a sublime new spirit. After ordering my standard Sapphire and tonic, we waxed alcoholic. We talked about the classics; Winston Churchill and Boodles, Casino Royale and Gordons. We chatted about the current marquis players; Sapphire, Tanq Ten. Gradually I could see he was making a case for a bottle he had up his sleeve. Out came Martin Miller's London Dry Gin.

Never heard of it? Me neither. Miller's has the apparently rare distinction of being batch distilled - like single-malt Scotch for example. The spirit is distilled in Great Britain and after is taken to Iceland where it is blended with the region's glacial waters. According to Miller's, the soft purity of the region's waters aids in the drinkability of the finished product.

He poured it neat for me to taste. I was blindsided. It has a bountiful bouquet for a gin. Floral, sweet, but complex with a make-up of several essences. My second glass I had on the rocks with no mixer. It's that smooth. (That's frequently how I pour it for the uninitiated.) The flavor derives from juniper of course, but includes a range of other ingredients like citrus, liquorice, and coriander. Imagine a silky, easy drinking spirit without the hard corners and eye-squinting finish of typical gins. This isn't a power-gin, it's more subtle, but the flavor is undeniable and unmistakable.

You can find Miller's London Dry Gin at Holiday Market in Royal Oak or wherever fine liquors are sold.