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Portfolio Blog
Portfolio Blog
I love talking about design. My specialties include motion design and direct mail design. Of course, after 20 years of design, there are very few projects I haven’t done at least once. Wanna talk design? Get in touch and we can gab about typography for hours.
Featured Projects
Featured Projects
Video Works
Motion design is, in most ways, exactly like print design. The objective is to arrange elements in space to convey meaning. The big difference is that a motion designer must also consider the movement of design elements across time. As a one-man-band, I’ve concepted, scripted, shot, voiced, and edited hundreds of videos.
Responsive emails
Just like web design, creating a great HTML email is equal parts technical proficiency and artful...
IQ Magazine
I had the great pleasure to be the creative coordinator on IQ, the quarterly publication of the...
Latest Posts
Latest Posts
Multiple Design Options
A client will often ask for a few options at the beginning of the design process. This can be helpful at the very start of a project when ideas are very rough and the designer's goal is figuring out the client's needs and preferences. Anywhere past the comp stage of a...
Video Works
Motion design is, in most ways, exactly like print design. The objective is to arrange elements in space to convey meaning. The big difference is that a motion designer must also consider the movement of design elements across time. As a one-man-band, I’ve concepted,...
Responsive emails
Just like web design, creating a great HTML email is equal parts technical proficiency and artful creativity. Added to this complex mix is the need for clearly stated design goals. Every project benefits from concise advertising goals. However, an email without a...
Design as architecture
I often use architecture as a method for making decisions. Usually, the goal is to quickly and accurately gauge where the audiences’ eye will travel when viewing the poster, mailer, billboard, or LCD screen. Then direct their eye to where and what design elements will...
Work Fast
It is almost as important to be a fast designer as it is to be a talented designer. The key to speed is process. One of the key parts of my process is non-destructive design. Non-destructive design is the practice of never altering images or vectors in any manner that...
Image or Logo
This envelope mailer is a good example of how and why to give priority to a picture over the logo. Art from vendors is often of poor quality or not integral to communication. When this is the case, it is enough to simply place the image in a secondary position...
Know your tools
A good designer needs to know the tools of the trade just like any other professional. The good news is that these are attainable skills. Time and an inquisitive nature are all that is required to gain mastery over a designer's tools. The problems presented by Grand...
Rebuild
I love rebuilds. I imagine it's like being an 80's movie reboot writer. I was given a musty pile of aged work and tasked with picking out the good bits and upcycling them into something functional. In this case, I was handed a stack of photocopied (and re-photocopied)...
Budget
It is not an uncommon occurrence for the design directive to be, “Do something completely different.” Blazing new trails takes a confident designer and a courageous client. Most essential is open, honest, and effective communication between the two. It was in the...
Make your own art
There is an advantage to creating your own art, whether photo or illustration. Using home-made means no limit to the size of the piece. No constraint on the shape of the copy layout. No need to change the headline because you can’t find that just-right stock image....
Know Your Audience
Would this imagery work anywhere but Minnesota? I have been in love with the marketing campaign of the Minnesota state fair for years. They illuminated a brand that might not work anywhere but Minnesota. Imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, I did my best...
IQ Magazine
I had the great pleasure to be the creative coordinator on IQ, the quarterly publication of the Initiative Foundation. The path of a project is usually a one-lane road. One follows the process to create a page, a poster, or a mailer. Sometimes though a designer gets a...
Be ready to change directions
Great Balls of Flaming Volcanic Lava Fire Cash— that’s what I wanted to call this promotion. I thought the time was right for a tongue-in-cheek promotion. I wanted to send out a postcard with a wink and an elbow nudge. Something that was so obviously over the top that...
Ready to take your product to the next level with better content?
Ready to take your product to the next level with better content?