Display concepted by me for the new Digital Filmmaking & Video Production program. The idea was to literally get into the program and watch yourself on the television screens via live feed from camera sitting right there. Kinda stolen from bad Sears and Best Buy displays, you know the ones I'm talking about. Background was painted back and lit poorly so that the soft glow of the tv screens would contrast the background the the background fades away. Sorta playing on people's vanity, because everyone loves/hates looking at themselves. Below: Eric and I really get into the display and test out the camera.

Hey guys,

Below is a proposed solution to the upcoming foto fest show that we're having at The Art Institute of Houston. Our theme is alteration, and tends to be a bit on the eerie or creepy side. I altered the type with a color palette similar to that of the picture, which by the way is by the Chair of Photography, Gary Miller. The event is in march, so mark your calendars. Even if the design doesn't stay the same, the event will. Hope to see you there!




John

I'm so excited about some of the stuff I'm involved in. Expect to see some of the following soon, yo: Digital Filmmaking & Video Production Display, invites to the 30th Anniversary for AiH, several new displays that will go up in the next week or so, volume 9 of the artlog, a graphic design mobile, new stuff all around for AiH.

Oh also, I'm helping but together an AIGA Houston get-together where John Bielenberg is going to speak, so expect to see the collateral for that, I'm not designing it—my friend Nuzi is, so expect to see what amazing stuff she comes up with, the concepts we talked about are great. The event is March 6, 2008, so this is a little advanced to even talk about it, but keep it in the back of your heads for when it draws closer.

I hope everyone has a good holiday over the next few weeks. Just because school is out for the students, doesn't mean it's out for me. Expect to see more posts soon.

Vive la 1970's.

John

So, my obsession lately? My obsession is altering type until it's almost not type, and playing with the way colors overlay. I love things that look a bit vintage, or vintage "revised." I think design in the 70's was sooooo beautiful. Below is an experient with the typeface ITC Avant Garde and the typical rainbow colors (forshadowing of work to come? maybe… : ) ).

So, our 30th aniversary is coming up here at old AIH, and we have to start getting into the spirit for the big party next year. This is the start of a lot of new collateral (expect to see really cool new stuff soon.) coming out for AIH. This is a poster series that is displayed on the first floor, by the elevators of our fine building. We were just trying to set a mood and almost gave a table of contents of the displays on the other floors, 5th floor-web design & interactive media, 3rd floor, photography, 2nd floor digital filmmaking & video production. The rest of the 30th stuff is more concept driven, and boy and I'm proud of it. Expect to see lots of 1970's inspired design, but updated. Will post soon.

Here is a Portfolio Show invite that Eric, my intern, and myself did very fast (in like an hour) for the Fall Portfolio Show at The Art Institute of Houston. The whole concept centered around time and different turns of phase dealing with time. Eric did the Illustrations; I did the layout and type creation. If you live in the Houston, TX area, come out and see amazing work from our Graduates including Eric, and my ex-intern Allison Ripley!! I'm so proud!! Thursday, December 13, 2007, from 11-7. It'll be great!!

Environmental shots of the DFL poster.
Model: my current intern, Eric Castorena (website, blog)

I know it's been a while. It's too early in this blog to be getting lazy and stop posting. Below are two advertisements for The Art Institute of Houston that I completed in the past week. Both use to concept of "Get Real," explaining that at The Art Institute of Houston, not only do you do realistic projects similar to those that you do in the "real world" outside of college, but you also do REAL projects within the community that will get your name out. The first ad is a Texas Monthly ad were we talk about several of the projects including promos for the Sci-Fi network, our restaurant Courses, the designing of the local major league soccer team, the Houston Dynamo, mascot, and a mobile project that will go in the center of a high rise loft complex that's currently being built. The second ad is for a local magazine called ENVY, and we focused on the real world of fashion and how our fashion & retail management program does real fashion shows—some students have even helped with the dressing back stage at Fashion Week Live, one being the personal dresser for Naomi Campbell!!

Sorry I haven't been keeping my blog up to date with new work or stories of the life of a design studio manager for one of the top design schools in Houston, TX. The past few weeks have been absolute hell! Just to give you a quick overview: I got sick with a sinus infection last week forcing me to take time off to try and heal, I pulled a muscle in my back, I confessed my love for my best friend to a strained reaction, which I expected, making our friendship, while always, close a bit strange, and this past Saturday I got hit by a car for the second time in two months. Damn this has been a bad few weeks. Oh, and my car is so messed up, the insurance company is going to total it and I'll be forced to buy a new means of transportation—errrr! So hopefully all the worst is behind me and November, much like September, is proving to be a bad month. Maybe next week will be better—I HOPE!!! For the two people who read this, the graphic designers in Houston that i like are all gathering Friday at Rudz at 6 PM…you guys should try to make it for a burger and a beer.

Hoping for better luck and more time to post work.

John

So this past weekend was the 2007 Design in the Fast Lane, sponsored by AIGA Houston, Dallas, and Austin. It went over well. It was the largest design in the fast lane. So, overall, prepping for this event has been hell and hard and made me want to pull my hair out. But now it's done, and I'm proud. I think it went really well. Christian Helms from The Decoder Ring Design Concern was our keynote speaker and did a great job. University of Texas-San Marcos won the student show and a scholarship from Adobe. Other great speakers were Nicole Newton from Schepul (hope i spelled it right), Thomas Hull from Rigsby Hull, and the guys from CMA (these dudes rocked…talk about knowing your shit about packaging!!) Great event.
Pictures below, my posters wallpapered on mobile display, Lyndia (old classmate) and I standing around talking about which session she should sign up for, and wall inspired by display i did earlier this year. Each paper asked what creates a spark and the crowd answered. Everything from "I'll tell you when it happens" to "me in bed." I had a laugh. For more pictures of the event go to Flickr and search AIGA houston.

This Saturday, at the University of Houston, is 2007 DESIGN IN THE FAST LANE sponsored by the Texas chapters of AIGA. If you live in Texas or surrounding you should come out and check it out yo, it's going to be great. Christian Helms, from The Decoder Ring Design Concern (thedecoderring) is the keynote speakers, followed up by an all-star cast of great Texas Designers. I designed most of the collateral for the event. For more information or to register, go to dflhouston.

Below: The first is an email blast sent out to help students "save-the-date." Second and Third, are front and back of the poster that was mailed out to all Texas AIGA members, third is a final reminder sent through email from AIGA Houston to all members (not designed by me, but based off my designs). The idea for all collateral, was that every small thing you do, can inspire you somehow. Mowning the yard creates a spark, drinking bad coffee creates a spark, that soggy bowl of cereal creates a spark. Pictures taken by polaroid to make them even more "mundane." Type: Trade Gothic, a mundane font in the eyes of Tibor Kalman. Green and Orange used to make the collateral look more "vintage."

Gallery show I put up and designed signage for my friend Alfredo Mejia. Showed off a collection of poster, character, and toy designs. Used paint can containers from the container store to suspend his 3-D objects, a Coke can he designed, the Trexi he designed for Coke, and his personal creation, the TAMO. For more information about my friend Alfredo, check out his website, Alfredo Mejia.

Last posted I talked about The Art Institute of Houston Catalog for 2008. Below are a few pieces of collateral that followed the image in a hope to create an cohesive image for our 30th anniversary.

This years college course catalog for The Art Institute of Houston. Last year, we wanted a young fun aesthetic. This year we wanted a bit more mature, grown-up but still a little edgy. We are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year, so the catalog was the start of our branding for this coming up year, showing off the past 30 years of creative excellence, but noting that the we are always look to the future and thinking "future forward." Models on cover and on interior design spread are my interns, Allison Ripley and Eric Castorena. Photography was done myself. Cover shot at The Houston Contemporary Arts Museum in an amazing exhibition by Xaviera Simmons.