Partners In Design

Another New Illo!

2010-01-19T18:27:00.001-05:00

Enjoy! And don't forget to take a look at the new Lazmarquez.com!

Zombies Invade Legos!

2010-01-19T18:25:00.001-05:00

New Illustration! It's been way too long since I've posted up on here.

Alex Invades Etsy

2009-09-09T12:22:00.002-04:00

My shop is open and ready for business! I'm selling prints of my most recent etchings, so buy one before they are gone! I will be adding new prints soon, so make sure you check back every so often to see what's new.

Psychedelics

2009-07-03T13:20:00.003-04:00

Do you like mushrooms in your pasta sauce? Then go vote for my shirt design.

-Shalimar

Alien Raver Desktop

2009-05-29T11:25:00.001-04:00

While you wait for new Alien Raver to brighten your day, skank away with this mosh-pitting wallpaper (2560 x 1600).

ShalimarLuis.com Update

2009-05-22T16:40:00.003-04:00

I have updated my site with new work and partially new design.

Billboard Win

2009-05-22T15:13:00.000-04:00

Alien Raver Interlude

2009-05-18T23:38:00.001-04:00

More to see over at my blog. Hope to update my website soon!

You Ugly Son of a Bitch

2009-05-14T11:49:00.003-04:00

Zombarts Everywhere

2009-04-26T17:57:00.004-04:00

This zombie can be seen @ shalimarluis.com

My New Home

2009-04-25T10:41:00.006-04:00

I've finally updated my personal site. Let me know what you think.

June 14th

2009-04-20T23:50:00.000-04:00

New TrueBlood promotional poster. So excited!

Show me what your working with!

2009-04-20T23:39:00.008-04:00

So lately I've been really into checking out artist blogs that exhibit their work spaces. Perhaps it's my love for I Spy books, or HGTV, or even dare I say Cribs. I like getting to know an artist by learning how they work and what they surround themself with.

I would like to make a call for submissions request for all PID members to make a post featuring their work spaces. Especially if you have a flickr account because you can also tag items then explain it's purpose!

So if your interested, maybe we should all submit by the end of next week.

Here are some site examples:

http://on-my-desk.blogspot.com/ -the first artist (Symon Chow) workspace totally ripped off my desktop wallpaper... lol

http://parkablogs.com/content/creative-workspaces-and-home-offices

http://tutorialblog.org/cool-workspaces/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/interiorlifeofdesigners/pool/

*I lost the link and info to the featured photo artist work space, when found will Update!

The Ice Creams, They Are A-Changin'

2009-04-20T08:14:00.000-04:00

It's a weekday so that must mean something is getting a new logo

Neonite

2009-04-08T17:32:00.002-04:00

A return to using Sharpies and Prismacolor markers were in order last night. The resulting look is very much to my liking, so I am going to implement it in my sketches from now on (or at least until I find another way I like better). More drawings can be seen over at my blog.

Artist Spotlight: Betsy Walton

2009-04-07T13:49:00.003-04:00

I stumbled onto the work of Betsy Walton this week via BOOOOOOOM! and have fallen completely in love with her paintings and illustrations. Her use of gouache is inspiring and makes me aware that I have a long way to go before I achieve the mastery of the medium she possesses. Here is a little blurb from her profile (since she can better describe her process than I) followed by a few samples.

As a painter, I work with galleries and collectors, and on personal projects. Many of my paintings and drawings explore the tension and balance between the mysterious nature of our existence and the objects and environments we find in everyday life. We can experience the sublime in the same room where we fold the laundry, and perhaps at the same time.

My style is informed by a range of influences including Byzantine icon paintings, American folk art, geometric abstraction, and the work of many contemporary illustrators and painters. I work with a spontaneous approach and few expectations of specific results. I rarely sketch preliminary drawings before diving into a painting, in the belief that the image formed through the painting process itself will be rich, revealing, and vital.

Technicolor Man/Remus Redux

2009-04-03T11:45:00.005-04:00

Here's just a sampling of new work from this past week. You can see more goodies on my blog.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Jillian Tamaki

2009-03-30T12:14:00.004-04:00

Jillian Tamaki is one of my favorite contemporary illustrators. I check her sketchblog almost everyday, hoping for some of her creativity and talent to rub off on me (to no avail). Her brushwork faithfully captures her subject's emotional state while giving the composition itself a sense of dynamism. Not only that, she has this amazing ability to tell a story within a single image. And her amazing storytelling powers extend beyond the realm of editorial illustration! In 2008, her graphic novel Skim won the coveted Ignatz Award for Best Graphic Novel. Here is a small sampling of her work:

More information on her novel Skim and other comic endeavors can be found on her portfolio site.

Welcome back, old friend

2009-03-28T14:54:00.000-04:00

Life Drawing Session

2009-03-26T14:04:00.002-04:00

I managed to finally attend a life drawing class at SVA. I can't wait until March is over: I'm always exhausted and never seem to have time to work on anything personal. Just a few more days…

Tropicana's Nubbin!

2009-03-23T18:41:00.003-04:00

Nothing like a cherry to top off your sundae....for those of us who dearly adored the Tropicana campaign, let's not forget its humor. A nice tall glass of OJ topped off with a basketball-shaped cap. Don't fix something that ain't broke!

Summer Heimdall

2009-03-23T11:35:00.002-04:00

It's been a long and busy month. Haven't been able to put out as many Alien Raver sketches as I originally intended, but I will try to make it up to everyone by drawing like a madwoman in April! I present to you a new character: Summer Heimdall. She will be appearing in the next few pages. Although I don't want to give up too much information, I'll tell you this: Her name foreshadows her significance within the story and you've briefly seen a version of her in the beginning of the comic. Confused yet? Well, the answers will be here soon!

More sketches to come in the following weeks until Alien Raver's triumphant return.

The Old Man and The Sea

2009-03-17T15:48:00.001-04:00

Last week I was able to pull a half dozen prints of Remus (left) and Sea Jellies (right) before school closed for spring break. After all the unexpected enthusiasm for the Sea Jellies print, I've decided to start selling them! They go for $40 each, printed on Archies white paper and are around 6x9 inches (paper size 11x15 inches). Email me at alex@bisforbeguez.com if you're interesting in purchasing one!

MySpacery

2009-03-13T18:07:00.002-04:00

Our resident MySpace wrangler - Alex has simplified our myspace page. Less is more I always say. So if you like go ahead and add us as your friend. I've also gone ahead and updated my profile. Not that I really check it anymore.

WIP: Martín Ortíz pt 2

2009-03-12T13:46:00.003-04:00

Check out the latest work in progress shots of the portrait I am working on. here.

Learn Snacklish!

2009-03-11T16:28:00.005-04:00

It's been a long time since I've seen a clever campaign. Pepsi failed at rebranding with their new logo and lettering splattered all over NYC and Tropicana was quite frankly, an epic fail. Then along comes Snickers. A clever campaign that takes the iconic Snickers logo to a whole new level; leveraging its brand and logo by creating its own language: Snacklish. But not any brand can do this; Snickers is well known. Enough so, that Snickers doesn't even need to place its name on the ads....consumers just know it's Snickers. They recognize the classic Red, White and Blue Chocolately logo (American shout out anyone?). So we here at PID salute you, Snickers, (American pun intended) on a great job; you gave us hope that there are still intelligent creatives out there!

It begins...

2009-03-09T18:49:00.000-04:00

The final stage of Snapple's redesign is taking hold.

Wrong typography

2009-03-08T14:09:00.000-04:00

West Houston's sign is using the wrong font and it looks like the
"designer" stretched it to compensate.

Trade Gothic

2009-03-06T11:02:00.000-05:00

Cornelius

2009-03-05T23:32:00.002-05:00

Finished him tonight, you can see more of him on my website.

WIP Cornelius

2009-03-05T00:52:00.002-05:00

Yankee Gal by Yankee Team

2009-02-27T19:23:00.003-05:00

Amazing animated short. Had me hooked from beginning to end. The site it came from (motionographer) has a fun interview with the creators, so if your interested check that out too.

Yankee Gal from Yankee Team on Vimeo.

Yankee Gal by Yankee Team
via.Here

ALIEN RAVER - PART SIX

2009-02-27T17:42:00.004-05:00

In this last (but not final) installment, our lonely protagonist reveals a darker side of himself. He lets nothing stand in his way, not even a cute little turliphant. Determined to find the woman that haunts his memory, he struggles ever forward… but what lies in wait for him across the sand dune? And where are all those turliphants coming from? Find out when Alien Raver returns in mid-April with new installments!

In the meanwhile, I'll be posting sketches randomly that will feature new and old characters (such as in this previous post) appearing in the next installment or perhaps in a much more distant chapter?!… So stay tuned and thanks for reading!

As always, read from the beginning over at www.alienraver.com

Beautiful Packaging

2009-02-26T14:03:00.000-05:00

Magazine Towel?

2009-02-25T20:12:00.000-05:00

Follow Up to Martín Ortíz

2009-02-24T01:24:00.003-05:00

Still working on this, taking a few days break from it. To read more check it out here.

Trinity

2009-02-21T16:02:00.002-05:00

The pit-moshing, doo-wopping and air-guitaring as-of-yet-nameless protagonist of my comic Alien Raver.

Work in Progress: Martin Ortíz

2009-02-20T18:58:00.002-05:00

Martin Ortíz, a portrait I am currently working on for my Mom. This is the sketch and the illustration in progress. Medium: Acrylic Ink

WTF Wolverine #3

2009-02-20T18:56:00.002-05:00

'Aquarium' Cover

2009-02-18T14:57:00.001-05:00

A new addition to the slowly growing work on 'The Aquarium', my Work in progress graphic novel.

Paula Scher Gets Serious

2009-02-18T13:23:00.002-05:00

A very fun lecture by one of my favorite humans.

An Ugly Weekend

2009-02-17T15:01:00.004-05:00

This weekend, I spent my time painting & experimenting with these acrylic inks I bought last week. It was definitely fun and I am looking forward to pushing the experiments further. You can see more of these on my blog.

NYC Grid Photos of the week

2009-02-16T17:38:00.002-05:00

Swimming With Cnidaria

2009-02-13T15:10:00.001-05:00

Getting back into the etching groove. This print was made just using aquatint and although this was just a test plate, I think I am going to try and incorporate this technique into my future work. I especially like the ghost images in the background. For some fun examples of aquatints, I refer you to Francisco Goya.

Experiments with foxes

2009-02-12T13:34:00.004-05:00

I re-worked these sketches last night while at work. I like this direction, and might apply similar, surrealist-ish elements in a series of etchings I am currently working on. I have a few more sketches in my moleskine that need finishing touches (including a neglected family portrait), so I'll be adding those shortly!

Uglies in Purgatory

2009-02-11T15:34:00.002-05:00

I've been posting mini previews of what I've been working on for the past few weeks. I have finished the next stage of the process with the drawing, and I am now at a kind of stand still. I will be making copies of the drawing and experimenting on them with different mediums and ideas. My original goal was to draw a similar design on a skateboard deck, and it still might go in that direction. For now I just want to focus on finishing this drawing.

Artist Spotlight: Yuko Shimizu

2009-02-10T10:45:00.002-05:00

Originally working in PR for a big corporation in Tokyo, Yuko Shimizu decided she was not happy working in the advertising/marketing industry and ran away to New York to study illustration at the School of Visual Arts. I was made aware of her work a few years ago, but I recently ran into her website again and decided to bookmark it to death so I am never without it. I love the fluidity in her work, the way your eye moves around her composition. Her subject matter is quite bizzare yet makes a strong point and keeps your hooked. It's the kinda thing I aspire to create in my own work. Here is a small sample of her work:

ALIEN RAVER - PART FIVE

2009-02-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

Keep up with the perplexing world of Alien Raver by reading from the beginning here. Another short but sweet installment this week, our friend has suffered quite the setback. What will he do next, and what the hell is that thing? Stay tuned!

New ALIEN RAVER every Tuesday!

Old Dreams

2009-02-09T20:03:00.002-05:00

In a fit of insanity I submitted one of my drawings to DesignByHumans.com.
Please help me out, show your support and VOTE! (then buy the shirt!)

VOTE!
VOTE!
VOTE!

I know I'm being annoying.

VOTE!

Dr. Manhattan

2009-02-09T12:48:00.005-05:00

Alex, Monica and I spent a fancy amount of clams at this years NY Comic Con. And I will blame about 50% of that on Alex Pardee and his amazing Dr. Manhattan print.

NYC Grid Photos of the Week

2009-02-05T12:06:00.003-05:00

NO NEW ALIEN RAVER THIS WEEK

2009-02-03T14:40:00.003-05:00

Personally, I blame time for moving forward so goddamn fast. This just means next week's installment will kick everyone in the forehead with goodness. In the meanwhile, keep up with Alien Raver by reading from the beginning over at www.alienraver.com.

-Alexandra

Juicy Line Up

2009-01-31T16:56:00.001-05:00

Shepard Fairey on Hope

2009-01-29T12:45:00.006-05:00

A video of Shepard Fairey talking about his roll in the Obama campaign. Even though I am an on and off fan of Shep's work and style, I think he comes off as a bit of a little cocky potato. Then again when you've reached his status, maybe you are allowed a ration of arrogance. But I think he might have used it all up in the past few months. Besides his rambling about his famed Hope poster, what I found really intriguing was what was going on in the background. He and his assistants putting together one of his large pieces. I always thought that those were print outs, like the one I saw in the Spring Street show a couple years ago. Apparently not, they are spray painted and put together by hand. Which gives him some points in my book.

Edit*

I dont know how I feel about this.

No Cowboy

2009-01-28T16:38:00.003-05:00

Check out the video. Its pretty damn fun. Via Design You Trust

*Edit* Another great animated video by the same people.
Just as fun, and an entertaining song.

Bart

2009-01-28T11:28:00.001-05:00

Check out old man Bart on my site.

Hmm...

2009-01-28T10:29:00.003-05:00

You know whats not OK....

After 3 days of hectic work and not closing enough windows

Work in Progress

2009-01-28T00:54:00.004-05:00

Another peak at the drawing I am working on. I've planned it this far, now I am a little stuck as to how I should continue on. I will take a break from this till I can figure out how to proceed, and move on to something else in the meantime. Enjoy.

ALIEN RAVER - PART FOUR

2009-01-27T01:20:00.002-05:00

Keep up with the perplexing world of Alien Raver by reading from the beginning here. A slightly shorter installment this week, we are introduced to a new character whose presence will permanently alter our weary hero's fortunes. Stay tuned!

New ALIEN RAVER every Tuesday!

Work in Progress

2009-01-26T23:43:00.002-05:00

Here is a little preview of a drawing I am currently working on.

Silly Dudes

2009-01-26T01:38:00.006-05:00

Random doodle I found whilst cleaning my office.

~Shal

NYC Grid Photos of the week

2009-01-25T17:56:00.002-05:00

New Wheat Thins

2009-01-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

Thoughts?

ALIEN RAVER - PART THREE

2009-01-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

Keep up with the perplexing world of Alien Raver by reading from the beginning here. Next week, will he catch up to the mysterious maiden before she fades back into his memory? Stay tuned!

New ALIEN RAVER every Tuesday!

TVP Made Ad Age's A-List

2009-01-19T15:56:00.004-05:00

As evidenced by all the A's on the floor.

Read More

Old Woman

2009-01-19T11:27:00.002-05:00

Wrinkly old lady with a 'tude.

To the End of the Pencil

2009-01-19T11:26:00.000-05:00

To The End Of The Pencil And The Edge Of The Page from Green Thing on Vimeo.
Via Doodlers Anonymous

NYC Grid Photos of the week

2009-01-17T14:36:00.012-05:00

Engrave Your Book

2009-01-15T15:06:00.004-05:00

For those worried that engraving on your moleskine will damage your beloved book, consider this solution by engraveyourbook.com: Leather-engraved jacket covers that can be reused over and over again (and give you access to your built-in moleskine pocket card!). Quite a beaut.

Coraline

2009-01-15T13:27:00.006-05:00

Being that I am a long time Henry Selick admirer- it's no surprise that I would be promoting his latest piece 'Coraline'. I've been anticipating this one since rumors hit forums. I also got a chance to see some of the actually puppets and sets at a convention I went to this past summer. I recommend reading the book written by another favorite of mine- Neil Gaiman- it's a quick read with a touch of sugar & spice.

Here are some promos- you've might have seen some of them, I've seen this huge one on an upper east side building:

And now I leave you with the trailer for the film, out in theaters February 6th!

'The Aquarium' Updates

2009-01-14T15:01:00.002-05:00

So a few weeks ago, I let everyone know the basic idea of my upcoming work on the graphic novel i've been going crazy trying to develop. I've been working hard on the story and fooling around with some styles, and here's a little update on my progress:

ALSO, the working title right now is, 'The Aquarium'.

The iconography of all information everywhere

2009-01-13T20:14:00.003-05:00

Google's mission statement is "...to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful". Does that make this new, scary favicon that showed up this week the new icon of collective human knowledge?

No, no it doesn't.

But seeing as how pervasive it can be, I have the question the intent of the design. It's hard enough for Google to do pixel-scale stuff with their serif typeface (the previous icon had it's work cut out for itself). But did they really need this mash-up of corporate colors?

Old Dreams & Consequence

2009-01-13T16:04:00.003-05:00

Some new sketches and some altered ones. More info @ http://www.shalimarluis.com/

ALIEN RAVER - PART TWO

2009-01-13T12:20:00.005-05:00

Keep up with the perplexing world of Alien Raver by reading from the beginning here. Next week, will he find the answers he seeks in the dust of the fallen pyramid? Stay tuned!

New ALIEN RAVER every Tuesday!

X-Men Poster

2009-01-12T14:12:00.002-05:00

While browsing random blogs I found this poster (on an iPhone wallpaper website). I loved it so much, I wanted to share it with everyone. Artists Flickr Page.

Disney Rejection Letter

2009-01-12T14:11:00.003-05:00

Shalimar and I's fate if we applied to Disney in 1938.

Via Sim Sandwich

P. Craig Russell explains sequential narration

2009-01-12T13:31:00.004-05:00

Acclaimed illustrator P. Craig Russell (KILLRAVEN, ELRIC, THE SANDMAN, CORALINE) looks at the opening page of the comics adaptation of Pelléas & Mélisande and explains the decisions he made about panel layout, timing, and composition. I figured this would be a great thing to watch if you are interesting in making comics (particularly Laz and I) or if you were curious as to the process comic artists go through.

Via Drawn

New Website!

2009-01-12T00:26:00.002-05:00

Good News Everyone!!! I have finally updated my website. Well not so much updated as revisited and redid it. I have combined my blog with my portfolio website. Now everything is all in one convenient place. Besides the blog and portfolio, there will soon be plenty of extras such as downloads and prints available for purchase. I will definitely keep you updated.

Helvetica food

2009-01-11T15:23:00.000-05:00

Cyclops + Iron Man

2009-01-09T14:28:00.002-05:00

Latest piece from Jarold Guzman. I thought the coloring was pretty awesome, and a departure from his usual, but awesome cartooning style. Check this piece and other new work on his blog.

Double Take: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

2009-01-07T12:57:00.002-05:00

So often times in the Movie Poster business, the agencies are advised to be as sneaky as possible in the execution of visuals in order to properly sell the film for the studio funding it. For the past couple of weeks, one in particular is an obvious and blatant attempt to fool consumers into watching this film. "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans", a prequel to the popular Kate Beckinsale headlined franchise, is missing one major selling point. Kate Beckinsale. How do you remedy that? You taker a character who was previously seen in the films in flashbacks (who had blonde hair none the less), and you recast her with the spitting image of Beckinsale. Poor attempts..

Here are the film posters in order:

Logo Disaster Continued

2009-01-07T11:17:00.002-05:00

At this point I don't think I need to say much; the picture speaks for itself. However, I will explain that this is the knock-off version of Sprite. A few questions: What does the name of the soda have to do with the product? Why is there an excess alternation of yellow & green colors? And why is only one "t" yellow(Kudos to Shalimar for point that out)?! Enjoy.

Hide & Seek: HBO's 'Big Love' Campaign

2009-01-07T10:50:00.003-05:00

On my way down the cavernous, underground path from NYC's Port Authority to the 7 Train, I suddenly found myself brought to an abrupt halt. I looked to my left, as angry and wet New Yorkers grumbled at my firm planting on the path, and saw a peculiar eye level billboard. To the left, I immediately recognized the iconic 'Big Love' logo for HBO's hit show about a polygamist family, but the Ad did not contain hero shots of the cast. Instead it contained a series of photography showing various street scenes and people going about their everyday lives. Above each person was an icon of a headphone and the message 'Plug-In'. Each person had a jack in which anyone with a headphone could easily plug themselves in and listen to each one's secret. As the campaign states 'Everyone has something to hide.'

In one of the secrets a voice says, “If my family knew I was looking at these magazines, oh my my.” In another, a woman is heard wondering if she can get away with stealing a lunch from the office refrigerator.

This aspect of the campaign, driven by the agency BBDO North America, was driven by the show's underlying theme of 'Secrets' and what each of the characters have to hide. According to reports, these type of campaigns (Which HBO is no stranger to) are meant to generally gain buzz through the dissection viewers have on the curious campaigns to gain buzz via word of mouth and blogging.

The microsite ,hbo.com/biglove/webofsecrets features confessions from the “Big Love” characters and from regular people trying to get something off their chest. The site also receives outside submissions anonymously. In terms of catching viewers up with the show's charachters, the site offers insight such as: Nicki, the wife played by Chloe Sevigny, who has had major credit issues admits to such. Margene, the wife played by Ginnifer Goodwin, admits to hiding her lifestyle to her mother and that Bill, the patriarch played by Bill Paxton, took on a russian mistress.

In addition to the current pushes, HBO and their agencies plan on another large stunt of advertising on January 14th in the cities of New York City, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Each city will feature 150 people wearing cartoon though bubbles that express a particular secret they've been hiding from everyone around them. The featured people have been told not to speak to anyone, but instead hand them a flier containing an AD for 'Big Love'.

I have to say, This campaign is really starting to impress me. The first ad push, which wasn't nearly as inspired with the photography of the principal cast was even enough to have me sit down in front of the tube and watch all two previous seasons in the course of 2 days. I have to send out major kudos to the people behind the decision making at HBO, because all of their campaigns have been interesting, inspired, and forward moving. I thought 'True Blood's fake beverage push was brilliant, but now they're really moving strong on this one.

Redesigning Monopoly

2009-01-06T23:34:00.000-05:00

Creation of Andy Mangold

Hmm.

2009-01-06T17:08:00.000-05:00

The view outside my office door is confusing.

Macbook Wheel

2009-01-06T11:07:00.001-05:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Way too amusing.

B is for Beguez Version 10.0

2009-01-06T00:02:00.002-05:00

I just redesigned the entire site. Still working out some of the kinks (including making the blog match with hand-drawn letter goodness), so be patient with me. The Shop section will be open later this month, but the Comics section is ready to go with Alien Raver from the beginning.

Elastic Growth

2009-01-05T17:49:00.002-05:00

Artist Spotlight: ALINA URUSOV

2009-01-05T15:10:00.003-05:00

Haven't done one of these in a while, so figured I'd go ahead and ring in the new year with a spotlight on another up and coming comic book artist for 2009. This particular spotlight will also act as a bit of a comparison piece, as this artist has some striking and curious stylistic similarities to another one of my favorite comic artists. So on with some more on Alina Urusov:

Alina Urusov, a Russian native now residing in Canada, is relatively new to the comic book scene but not to the media world. Previous to her work on Marvel's popular reboot of the James Middleton/Joe Quesada Hit, NYX, Alina was working on special effects work for the 'Boondocks' television series. Alina has just now begun her venture into comic books, working on mostly cover work and some interior work on upcoming Marvel Comics titles such as 'X-Force'. Alina sites among her influences Gustav Klimt, Joshua Middleton (More on that later), and Claire Wendling.

Below is some of her work:

I think it's safe to say after seeing her samples, that she is heavily 'influenced' by her stated favorite artists. Now I want to leave a discussion open to everyone reading.. How far does an artist go before an influence becomes a direct rip off of their personal style? To add some fuel to the conversation, below are some samples of Joshua Middleton's work:

The Snuggie. Satire or Satanic?

2009-01-05T14:00:00.003-05:00

During this holiday season, I'm sure everyone had a lot more time to catch up with friends, family, pets, book reading, and more importantly, TELEVISION. I for one definetly got a chance to catch up on some good ol tube watching. One common thread I found on both primetime and daytime television was the most frightening, cultish, and evil commercials known to man. At least right now.

So what is this snuggie? Why has it's influence rendered blanket wearers so trapped inside a simple piece of fabric? And why do they all look like they're about to sacrifice some virgin for their beloved demon monster from hell?

Thoughts?

ALIEN RAVER - PART ONE

2009-01-05T13:51:00.005-05:00

Behold Alien Raver! New installments every Tuesday, only on my blog.

Candy

2008-12-31T21:30:00.001-05:00

Conduit...

2008-12-31T17:43:00.000-05:00

Wrap your head around this one

2008-12-26T21:06:00.001-05:00

I originally posted this rant on NYC GRID. It seemed appropriate for here...

Now, I have no major qualms with Duane Reade. Sure, they probably aren't the most-loved business around. But when I need Advil, pencils and a 99 cent can of fruit juice (for entirely separate reasons), I can rest assured I'm only a few blocks away from fulfilling those needs, regardless of the time of day. I think just about everyone can get on the same page about DR being a fairly mediocre shopping experience. The harsh (often dirty) environment, the ugly (old) logo, the inattentive staff- they all add up to your typical Duane Reade experience. And that's fine. We've come to expect it, we live in New York. But now they go and throw us a curve ball like this.

This is not a defense of the old logo, and I also don't expect Duane Reade to push the boundaries of modern identity design and come up with something that makes us rethink our life direction. In fact, I applaud their decision to freshen up their image. But this damn thing is a mess. This mixture of sans and serif faces, complete with upper and lowercase confusion all wrapped up in a nice cliché circle create for a critics dream.

Let's start with the "DR" mark. Two capital letters in a circle. Fine. It's nothing new, but it normally wont offend anyone. Except what the hell is with how the "D" intersects with the circle? Of ALL the ways one could choose the execute that, they pick the one that creates a plethora of uncomfortable angles and flat edges. To make matters worse, the leg of the R is free to escape the tyranny of said circle. Why? Don't even get me started with the thicks and thins of all the lines in the mark. It's so wishy-washy.

Then, of course, we have the written out "Duane Reade" text, which is stylized as one word (no spaces) with DUANE in all sans caps and reade all serif lowercase. It's a messy execution simply to remove a space, but OK, I'll bite. Except for one issue: why do they allow the "R" in the previously-mentioned logo mark exist as uppercase, while in the written out logo, the word is rendered in lower? No clue.

All that being said, the store itself was quite nice. Roomy layout, well-stocked, clean, and a great pharmacy section near the front.

The Wave of the future

2008-12-26T13:58:00.002-05:00

I had seen this a while ago and although I do not know who's rendition this is... it is from the original print of Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Miss Tea

2008-12-23T17:20:00.002-05:00

Ambitions

2008-12-22T16:37:00.004-05:00

So when I was younger I had a love for photography and while my love of photography remained the same, my passion for taking photos dissipated, until recently. I'm interested in taking a photography course in the near future (a focus on 35mm film) and wanted critiques on some of my work to get started. So I ask the peanut gallery...what do you think?

Sigh

2008-12-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

Oh god it's happening!

2008-12-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

Seriously???

2008-12-20T15:41:00.001-05:00

Yay.

Nay.

Who ripped off who?