Stellarjae Studio Art & Design Blog

Adventures in Advertising

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:27:00 -0500

It's been a long while since I've checked in with the blog, but here I am! To be frank, I've been busting ass at CP+B. This internship is like creative boot camp. As my mentor said, "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere." I believe it.

I am six weeks in and have had my hands on amazing projects and met some brilliant people. Seventeen hour days fly by like transparent bats. Seriously. Did I mention that I love this job?

Since I haven't dabbled in design or advertising school, I need to work three times as hard to stay afloat. Not to say that I can't, just to say that I'm riding the biggest learning curve of my life.... and it's a blast. Much different than the fine art world, but I've found a few similarities. Particularly in the need for inspiration and research.

One of the many unique aspects of the culture at CP+B is the way creatives work. It's far from 9-5, but it's 1 million miles from typical 'office culture' too. Even the way the working spaces are set up seem to be aimed towards creative community brainpower. Collective creativity is so much stronger than an individual idea.

I reside in the kitchen with 15 or so creative interns. Initially, I thought this would be a big distraction, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The cats that I sit with are some of the most creative and bright people I've met with an arsenal of backgrounds. Most people have experiences in several areas and morph to the role needed. Sink or swim in the CP+B. I'll be sad to leave!

Allow Me To Introduce Myself

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 23:42:00 -0500

The CP+B Spring 2010 interns received their first gig last week. We needed to make a digital collage of some sort that is revealing of ourselves and what we want to do. I tried to coordinate my animation with my design tendencies. They're minimalist and clean. I didn't give an overwhelming amount of information, but I think it somehow says a lot about me. So then... here it is.

With the Good, Comes the Bad (Typography)

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:28:00 -0500

As the name of the blog post suggests, I wanted to give big thumbs up to fellow 'bad typography haters'. In all seriousness, looking at bad typography is certainly one way to learn more about it. So here it is; a collection of sites that will guide you through the world of typography mishaps.

// THE AWKWARD LINE-UP

For me, Papyrus is one of the most annoyingly nauseating fonts in the history of humankind. I wasn't surprised to find that there is a whole secret coalition of people revolting against such over-used fonts as Papyrus and Comic Sans. Here are a few links you may find entertaining:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/type_gone_bad/ - A whole pool dedicated to hating

http://killpapyrus.com/

http://fuckpapyrus.com/

http://papyrus-sucks.com/

http://xkcd.com/590/

http://badtype.com/pages/home.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/typeoff/507668814/

http://lmnop.blogs.com/lauren/2006/10/americas_most_f.html

But we can only hate for so long, you know? Here's a moderate viewpoint:

http://designorati.com/articles/t1/typography/1023/are-we-being-too-mean-to-bad-fonts.php

New Year with Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:39:00 -0500

Welcome to 2010! To kick of the new decade, I'll be starting a graphic design internship with Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Boulder. I can't wait to dig into the advertising world. My twelve-week adventure begins at the end of January and I'll be posting blogs about my experiences along the way.

In the meantime, I have just completed my last design work for the University of Colorado Environmental Center. The work includes a CU Bike to Work Day poster and Mobile Mechanic print media.

Don't miss the CU Winter Bike to Work Day on January 20th!

In addition to all of this I have been working at SKI Magazine for the last month and a half or so. Its been an über good time. My favorite part has been working on a technical illustration project there. I'll post it here when I'm finished. Look for it in the March/April 2010 issue. Also, if you saw the December 2009 issue of SKI Magazine, my illustration was in the Lake Tahoe feature.

Electro-Proximity

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:51:00 -0500

Just thought I would share my video work that I completed for the BFA Exhibition. I think I'll push further into the realm of video and sound composition. This was a blast! This was the result of ridiculous amounts of time and near computer crashes. My mac is completely outdated for video editing.

Some of the sounds include mourning doves, a rotary dial phone, fluorescent lights flickering, electronic birds, and many more snippets and found sounds.

Final BFA Postcard Design

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:47:00 -0400

Just giving you a glimpse of the final Fall 2009 BFA Exhibition postcard. Hope to see you there! It's sure to be an amazing show. The title is "your chimera".

BFA Postcards // take two

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:29:00 -0400

Postcard Ideas

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:20:00 -0400

Octo-creature Blah Wallpaper

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 19:56:00 -0400

So there I was, making a wonderfully layered personal illustration thinking, 'this might look good as a wallpaper.' And I think it does! I present to you, Octo-creature Blah. I hope you enjoy the textures and layering as well as I do. Blah.

1920 x 1200 || 1680 x 1050 || 1440 x 900 || 1280 x 1024 || 1280 x 800

August Wallpaper - Minimalism

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:01:00 -0400

Greetings! To celebrate one of my favorite months, the end of summer and hopefully to start a new tradition, I am posting a minimalist wallpaper that I just finished that has an august calendar as well. In addition, check out the iPhone wallpaper! More to come!

Enjoy!

1920 x 1200 // 1680 x 1050 // 1440 x 900 //1280 x 1024 // 1280 x 800 //1024 x 768 // 320 x 480 (iPhone)

Color Tools Reviewed

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 01:22:00 -0400

There are so many tools to aid designers online that its nice to have some points of comparison. I have used and reviewed five online color tools in the categories of usability, level of interaction, design/interface and overall impression. It's great to have these tools accessible through the net and handy to go through the pros and cons of a few top color picking tools. Granted, not every project will rely on color tools, but it is sometimes nice when you play around and find something you didn't think would otherwise work.

About the criteria:

USABILITY: Would someone who has never used a color tool be able to navigate the tool easily?

INTERFACE/DESIGN: Purely from an aesthetic point of view. Did the visual layout of the site distract from the function?

DEPTH OF INTERACTIVITY: To what extent can one become involved in the process of creating colors? Includes on-site blogging, forums, etc.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: Considering everything, what was the overall usefulness of the tool?

And here they are, in no particular order. Have fun with these!

1. Adobe Kuler

BEST FOR: Almost everyone. Adobe Kuler was likely the easiest to access and most straight forward color tool on the net. Adobe normally does quite well. Now if they could just stop spelling color as "kolor", I would be happy.

NOT FOR: People interested in spending a few minutes looking at colors. It's easy to get wrapped up in profiles and such.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: Pulse. Located on the left navigation. It's a really interesting way of displaying visual information as complex as having a user community.

2. Colorjack

BEST FOR: People who want something easy to use, but don't like fancy transitions and flash. It's straight-forward. Nothing fancy.

NOT FOR: People who are looking for a large community or forum. Or people who like to find good color sets from other people. Most of the colors sets seem unattractive.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: The stripe generator. Striped goodness.

3. Daily Color Scheme

BEST FOR: People intimidated by choices. There is one daily color scheme consisting of eight colors.

NOT FOR: Pros. The Daily Color Schemes that I have seen, don't tend to do much for inspiration.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: Umm. The outdated Adobe product icons?

4. Color Scheme Designer

BEST FOR: Web designers. The color sets can be previewed in the form of a light web layout or a dark layout with images and headings. Also, good for people who are colorblind. There are adjustments for this.

NOT FOR: Those using Adobe Illustrator. The palettes are not exportable in .ase format.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: The random button. Some good ideas come up.

5. Colour Lovers

BEST FOR: Beginners to Pros and social people who like big communities and a good variety of users.

NOT FOR: Someone looking for a quick color set. There is a lot to do and get hung up on here.

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT: a lot of things, really. In addition to color sets, there are patterns, palettes, groups, forums and blogs. Easy to forget why you came in the first place.

Inspiring Illustration and Design Portfolios

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:53:00 -0400

Everyone feels the funk of design and creativity blocks at some point. Sometimes I roam around the well known and even not-so-well-known illustrators' portfolios. It's a great way to investigate a particular style, pick up on trends as well as create awareness about the communication and content involved. I would like to think that I have gathered a diverse bunch of work to show you. Everything from hand-drawn to digital to photo-manipulation. Enjoy!

1. Camelia Dobrin

Camelia Dobrin is a 24 year old Romanian illustrator based in the UK. Her work has been featured around the web at netdiver, illustration mundo and artskills. I thoroughly dig her inky, complex, style as well as her characters and patterning. The illustrative style lends itself to being diverse and adaptable to compliment different media.

2. Gustavo Bockos aka "Vokos"

Gustavo has a lot happening! His work, like many illustrators and designers is in a few different areas. He deals with illustration (mostly vector by the looks of it), art direction, design and photography. Check out his expressive use of lines, layering and juxtaposition of color choices and subject matter.

3. Gary Baseman

Gary Baseman is very well known and wears multiple hats. He is an Emmy Award winning creator and executive producer of a series titled, "Teacher's Pet". His work is found in the New Yorker, Time, Rolling Stone, and from 'Cranium' games. What I find most intriguing is his work as exhibited in galleries as fine art. It's great that he is able to translate his style into so many forms and a bonus that it's profitable.

4. Alex Trochut

Alex is a designer from Barcelona. I found his typography most exceptional. In his statement about his work, he mentioned that he likes to bring together illustration with typography in his work. He has a diverse portfolio, but my favs are still the typographic works.

5. Karan Singh

Karan Singh is an illustrator who works from Melbourne, Australia. His work is complex and usually has delicious bright colors and patterning accompanied by objects and sometimes photos. I recommend taking a look at his work. You'll find everything from retro influences to narratives.

6. Non-Format (Kjell Ekhorn + Jon Forss)

The team of creative wonderfulness called "Non-Format" is made up of Kjell Ekhorn and Jon Forss. They have been working together on art direction, design, illustration and custom typography since 2000. Their portfolio is a great exhibit of minimalist design and layout. They've done work for Nike, Coke, Computer Arts Magazine, the electronic group, Red Snapper and Gap.

7. Lionzo

Rogerio Lionzo is a Brazillian illustrator who lives and works in New York City. Rogerio has done illustrations for Computer Arts magazine (obviously one of my favs,) as well as a variety of other clients and projects. The grid is used as an interesting element in his work. Check it out.

8. Krzysztof Domaradzki aka KXX

This guy has a lot going on. His mix of hand-drawn illustration and digital effects is really unique. I also appreciate the figure illustrations twisted through the work. For me, personally, I enjoy KXX's fine art the most out of everything, but I know he is accomplished in illustration and design. In an interview with PSDTUTS.com, KXX identified his influences for fine art as Schiele and Francis Bacon, both of whom have clearly influenced his paintings and technique. To read more about KXX and his process check out the interview on PSDTUTS.com here.

9. Alberto Cerrateno

Alberto is a Mexican illustrator who now lives and works in Portland, Oregon. What stands out for me are his characters and patterning reminiscent of Mexican folk art. His website is also a treat to navigate and spend some time on.

10. Meannorth - Naja Conrad-Hansen

Naja Conrad-Hansen is an artist and illustrator whose work I highly admire. Much of her work takes on the look of a printing process with flat planes in combination with geometric patterns. Her work was featured in "LÜERZER'S ARCHIVE: 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide" and shows her fine art in galleries internationally.

And there you are; ten good solutions to revitalize and inspire your creativity!

10 Essential Handwritten Fonts

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:49:00 -0400

It's always fun to hand illustrate typography and incorporate them into designs, but it's also interesting to see what is going on in handwritten fonts. In web or print they seem to be best used to accentuate things or give a warm feel to the overall design. I have seen a few posts that list handwritten fonts, but these are the few that I find useful in no particular order.

1. 2 Peas Arizona

Ok so what if I am a sucker for the underdog fonts at times. Usually fonts are popular because they are pretty good, but I think in the realm of handwritten fonts, there are different variables. For example legibility and personal taste. 2 Peas is a ridiculously legible font that makes it versatile, although it is only caps.

2. Belizarius

Belizarius is also not likely to top too many lists but I love using this font in small places. Of course, if overdone, it is likely to turn into fright night IX, so use sparingly.

3. Big Mister C

Big Mister is actually not so much like the name implies. In fact, maybe it should be called light mister. It has a really natural looking shape to most of the letters and the detail in the lower case 'g' is great. I have used this in print designs.

4. Billiebarred

Ah Billie. Billie, Billie, Billie. This handwritten font needs a special occasion to shine. Give it one. Even if you have to make one up! There is strength in the way the lines are repeated. Billie is likely one of my favorite handwritten fonts purely for it's forceful, blunt nature.

5. Hand of Sean

If it get any happier, it might put smiley faces out of business. Really, if you need a cheery, rich handwritten font, Hand of Sean is great. Nearly every 'top handwritten font' list would have this font. It's essential.

6. Journal

Where Hand of Sean was cheerful and rounded, Journal is also very warm, but leaves the 'day-glo' smile at home. It is convincingly natural with a medium/regular stroke. This font makes me think of sincerity and honesty... as if your mother wrote it.

7. Pappos Blues

Pappos blues is a great grungy-looking torn up font. Messy paper and collage designs work well with it. Again, it needs a special occasion to shine as it is not entirely legible or clear, but can help develop a mood very well.

8. Pointy

Did you see the movie, Juno? Well, I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, but loved the handwritten typography. Pointy is good for the occasional headline. Admittedly, I don't use this as often as the other types listed here, but I think it is really worth a good old download.

9. Redstar

I added Redstar to the mix for a couple reasons. It has a natural appearance and in addition, I live in Boulder, Colorado and if you know anything about Boulder, you know that there are some real yoga-heads and woo woos. Create some zen and get download some good mojo!

10. Seriffic Grunge

Seriffic Grunge is a great font to have around in case you need to use it as a weapon! Seriously, doesn't it look as if you could drop that 'o' on wiley coyote and end it all? Before you get carried away, be sure to add this to your collection.

Thanks for reading!

10 Best Typography Wallpapers

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

To kick off the blog and to support my absolute love and obsession for typography, I am going to list a few bright resources on the web to catch a delicious glance at creative type. For both inspiration and daily viewing, this is a list of the top ten sites where you can download some of the most rad typography wallpapers. Enjoy!

1. Typenuts

This is a popular resource for typography wallpapers and they are really good. The best part is that they also have many wallpapers available for your iPhone.

2. Helvetica How I Love Thee

DeviantArt is best known not for brilliant interface, but maybe for brilliant wallpaper! Check out this super Helvetica love.

3. Veer

Veer is a great resource for inspiration. I can't say I would be interested in purchasing any of the illustrations or stock photos, but I am a sucker for pretty things and Veer often has them. I even subscribe to Veer's mailing list just to see the typography and illos in print. That will be a negative 10 points for eco-consciousness!

SIDE NOTE: You have to register with Veer before downloading wallpapers, but it's free.

4. Flickr Type Design Pool

Flickr was an unexpected resource and it was fun to browse through the design and typography pools. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of noobs, but it was worth it to find jewels such as this. Granted, I don't understand Hebrew, but it is lovely nonetheless.

5. Typophile - iPhone Wallpapers

Typophile is an oasis to visit. I have linked to iPhone wallpapers that ROCK! Not only does Typophile seem to have a lot of users who know loads about typography, but they also have cool things to explore like a type ID forum where people who are new to type can upload a photo or sample and other can identify it. That is fun from both a beginner and expert level. I highly recommend you check out the resources section!

6. Kinol

Look mom, another deviant wallpaper! No explanation needed, it's still great.

7. Aisleone

Minimalist designer and art director, Antone Carusone has many great wallpapers available on his site. This is really just one of many. Antone is a staple for those who read and surf at Smashing Mag. His personal portfolio is also worth a glance.

8. Vlad Studio

Yet another staple and design stronghold. Vlad Studio is simply everywhere. Busy, busy.

9. Pete Marshall

This wallpaper holds some specialness for me since I absolutely love Pulp Fiction. Pete has taken the lines from the 'What Does Marselles Wallace Look Like?' scene and adjusted the contrast in typeface according to the tones used. Brilliant!

10. Tiny Splatters of Blood

Yes, it's true. Another Deviant designer. Bravo to artdude85 for a smash up job on this wallpaper. It currently resides on my desktop and I really love it.

Thanks for reading!