Lullaby For A Summer’s Day

My good friend Andy Borghesani is a talented musician. I designed the album packaging and related collateral for his solo album a few years ago and then designed and built his website almost two years ago. Other than that, we have never collaborated on a project combining both of our talents; Andy’s in music and mine in visual art.

A few weeks ago, Andy sent me a new piece he had just completed titled “Lullaby For A Summer’s Day” with the idea that it should be accompanied by a video. The song was different than Andy’s previous work, as it was more electronic/synthesizer based and featured a relaxing, quiet sound. I immediately started imagining how this song would translate visually and the result is our first audio-video experiment: Lullaby for A Summer’s Day.

I was largely inspired by old film reels from the fifties and sixties where the color was off, yet very saturated and film jumped around as it showed the images in an almost stop-motion feel. I wanted to translate this idea in a modern environment and focus more on the images associated with summer. To achieve this, I decide to focus on outdoor shots focusing on nature and plants. I slowed down most of the footage to give it that old feel. This worked nicely with the pensive feel of the music and created an atmospheric environment that was very relaxing.

You’ll also notice some of the footage was sped up and filmed in reverse. I thought this created an interesting tension when paired with the music and was meant to symbolize reflection over the summer day but also childhood summers when things were simple and there were no responsibilities and worries.

About the music, Andy said:

To me, summer means a sense of serenity and reflection. Summer gives us a chance to enjoy some free time, nice weather, and allows the mind to expand and explore. The music for this video, to me, evokes a feeling of a calm meditation and peace of mind. The music is not meant to be anything fancy or elaborate, for it is certainly not, but it was written with this lovely time of the year in mind, with thoughts of relaxing in the soothing summer sun and reflecting on the world and life.

In the end, I’m very proud of the collaboration and think we have created an interesting multimedia experience. We’d love for you to take a look and listen and let us know what you think. I think I speak for both Andy and myself when I say I hope this won’t be out last audio-video project. We had a lot of fun working on it and are excited to present to you.

Apple's iPod, circa 2001

While cleaning out some old bookshelves, I came across a few copies of some old Newsweek issues from 2001. Flipping through them, I was excited to discover a special advertisement from Apple for the very first iPod. It was a fascinating to look at as it really showed how far Apple has come in a just a few short years with it's revolutionary music player. The front of the ad featured the copy "Say hello to iPod" which, ironically, was the same line they used at the launch of the iPhone. It makes me wonder what types of products Apple will be producing in the next decade.

Here are some photos I took of ad:
This ad was printed shortly before Apple switched their official typeface to Myriad, because all the copy here is set in Garamond. From what I've heard, everything was switched to Myriad shortly after the iPod launch.
The original iPod only held 1000 songs and the click wheel we know today, was still in it's early stages, as it also featured actual buttons around the outside. Despite the seemingly small amount, just eight years ago this was huge. And so was the iPod. Literally. The original iPod was a little under an inch thick.
The screen was black and white and allowed users to play playlits, shuffle tracks, sort by artist or song, and adjust volume. You could connect it to your Mac (no PCs yet), with a "blazing fast" FireWire cable. Yep, that's right, FireWire.

And what did all this cost? An astonishing $399. Apple's most expensive iPod today, is the Classic coming in at $249 and features a 120 GB hard drive that can hold approximately 30,000 songs or 150 hours of video.
I also thought the image of the iBook was interesting. No widescreens yet, iTunes is still very elementary, and no Safari; the photo shows an icon for Internet Explorer. That gave me a laugh. Look how far we've come.

Review: “Never Sleep” by Dress Code

“There is a major disconnect between the life of a design student and the transition to being a design professional.”

That is the muse that Andre Andreev and Dan Covert of Dress Code rest their first book, Never Sleep, on. Obviously, as a design student who is planning to graduate with a Bachelor’s with in the next two years, a book like this is something I would naturally be drawn to and look forward to reading; and now upon completing it, I find myself wondering why there are not more books like this that mix personal stories, tips and tricks, and humor within the field of graphic design.

Never Sleep’s goal is to help “bridge the gap” between the aforementioned disconnect between being a design student and being a design professional. It accomplishes this in a very autobiographical format chronicling the stories of Andre and Dan from their high school days where they didn’t care about anything but graffiti and girls to the present where they find themselves running a successful design firm having designed projects for such high profile clients as MTV and CMT among others.

Providing details about work ethic and failings, class projects and landing interviews, both Andre and Dan aren’t afraid to tell their story in an honest and open way not only mentioning the things they did well but also the times that didn’t work out so well (like the time Stefan Sagmeister told Dan he would never hire him).

The book is much more than two design students’ rise to success, however. Mixed in throughout the book large spreads of the guys’ work over the years (from high school sketches to class assignments to professional projects) are included as well as short essays from other designers who have helped them on their journey as well as question and answer sections where Andre and Dan respond to popular questions they get from design students.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the book is it’s ability to show how much work one really needs to put in to be successful in this field. Both Andre and Dan spent many sleepless nights (hence the title) working on projects, preparing for interviews or taking chances on out-of-the-box ideas and they are able to share this journey in an insightful and humorous way. This book shows how determined these two designers were to make a name for themselves and have the chance to make a living doing something they were truly in love with.

The second area that really impacted me was their willingness to try new things and take on projects outside of their usual comfort zone or skill level. Andre for example, took a job at MTV right out of college in their on-air graphics department without knowing a thing about AfterEffects. They pitched their idea for this book to publishers without much writing background and no idea how it would turn out. At the publishing date for this book, they are also working on a full-length documentary about Ohio State football fans. They are continually expanding their skill set and developing their talent in new and unique projects, both personal and client-based.

While Never Sleep is definitely targeted towards current design students, this will easily appeal to designers of all ages as it tells a humble story of hard work and determination to reach your dream. This story tells the American Dream, even. Never Sleep shines some light on an area in this field that is often over looked and Andre and Dan do a wonderful job of trying to bridge that gap between student and professional. It was a great read and I was able to work through it fairly quickly. Never Sleep will surely be a book I return to again and again for reference, insight and inspiration.

The Day in the Life of a Freelancer

10:18AM

The sun shines through the curtains above my bed, awaking me from my slumber. I roll over and look at my alarm clock. It’s one of those clocks that’s reproduced to look retro, with the two little inverted bowls on top; silver, modern, kinda artsy. It says 10:18. I guess I’ll start the day early today.

I turn on my iPhone while rubbing my eyes. I don’t want to get up yet. I start the morning ritual of checking emails, RSS feeds, and Twitter while still in bed. A glorious way to start the day, if I do say so myself.

10:33AM

Stumbling down to the kitchen, I start the pot of coffee and grab a bagel. I’m trying a new Italian Roast Blend that I bought off some website a few weeks ago. Bagel and coffee in hand, it’s time to head to the office. Which is just down the hall.

10:40AM

After booting up my computer, I always open the same applications in the exact same order: iChat, Safari, iTunes, Tweetie. In that order; the way they are arranged on my dock. Arguably the most important decision I will make all day will be the day’s sountrack. Today feels like Radiohead, In Rainbows. All the cool designers listen to Radiohead.

What follows occurs every morning. To anyone else, it must seem extremely boring, but I look forward to it each day. You see, I have a series of bookmarks across the top of my web browser – sites I visit everyday. And I always visit them in the same order. This could be my only structure all day. It starts general, CNN, New York Times, Facebook and slowly gets more specific, Flickr, Vimeo, Tumblr, Google Reader, FFFFound. Sometimes, I find something I like and I bookmark. This is usually a very exciting part of my day. Or better yet, sometimes I find something exciting that I want to share, so I blog about it. This is equally exciting.

11:15AM

The day’s fun is already over; I guess it’s time to get to work. I did find some good links though. Usually my RSS feeds are filled with more of the same pretentious modern art garbage that we have all seen before. Every once in a while, something good comes along. Like today. It’s gonna be a good day. But first, respond to emails.

11:31AM

My day consists of sitting in front of a computer. Sometimes I need to get away. I should probably exercise. Do something active.

Okay, time for Wii Fit.

12:02PM

Seriously? I’m sweating. That Wii Fit is intense. I can’t work like this. I thought about shaving but remembered I work from home and won’t see anyone today so I let it go once again.

12:28PM

Freshly showered and it’s already time to grab some lunch. Slapping together a ham and cheese sandwich, I remember there is still some green tea left in the fridge. This just made my day.

12:36PM

The opening of Photoshop and Illustrator signals the beginning of the work day. I have a few projects going right now. Fun stuff. A few logos, a big web project, and a couple smaller fun projects like t-shirts and posters. I can’t stay on one project for too long, so throughout the day, I jump back and forth between all of them. Keeps things interesting.

1:57PM

“Has the light gone out for you? / Because the light's gone for me / It is the 21st century / It is the 21st century”

3:21PM

Can I just go on the record to say that I hate Internet Explorer with a passion of a thousand burning suns? I just needed to get that out there...

9:19PM

I usually work until five, six o’clock and relax the rest of the night – reading, watching a film, browsing the world wide web. I always end up coming back at night. That’s when I really get in the zone. The ideas are flowing. The layers are multiplying. The projects are coming together.

All the lights are off except for the one on my desk. A tall, black affair. Like one you’d see on an architect’s drafting table. It illuminates my large oak desk casting a glow over my keyboard. The night soundtrack is Sigur Ros. The world is going to sleep, yet I am just getting started.

2:33AM

You know it’s time to call it a day when it becomes harder to keep your eyes open. It’s been a productive day. After a few games of Flight Control on my iPhone, I crawl into bed, ready to conquer the internets again tomorrow.

What an exciting life.

Resistance, Failure, and The Life of an Artist

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the hugely popular memoir Eat, Pray, Love, has said that after the success of her book, her life changed. “Everywhere I go people treat me like I’m doomed,” she says and people come up to her and ask question like “Aren’t you afraid you will never be able to top that?” or “What if you never write anything as good as Eat, Pray Love again?” or “What if your next book is a complete failure?” She began to have the feeling that maybe her greatest life’s work is already behind her. Obviously, when you think something like this, it’s hard to sit down at your desk the next morning and try to write.

Turns out, this isn’t a problem unique to Ms. Gilbert. Nor is it a problem unique to those who have found success in their respective fields.

The Resistance

It happens every single time I start a new project. I get the call. I get the details. I get excited. I accept the offer. And here is where the problem starts. I sit down to start working and I freeze. I sit there, staring blanking into the gray and white checkerboard of a new Photoshop document. What if I don’t come up with an idea? What if they don’t like the idea I do come up with? What if this project is a complete and utter failure and I will never make a living as a graphic designer?

Steven Pressfield, in his wonderful book, The War of Art, calls this “resistance” an unseen force that will do everything possible to prevent us from fulfilling our creative work, our life work: “Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what resistance is.”

I encounter resistance everyday. It is not only my job, but my passion to make things. Yet, I often find myself browsing the web, watching television, or going downstairs just one more time to get something to eat. I can always find something else to do. I put so much pressure on myself to create something meaningful that I end up not creating at all. I try so hard to design something that will impress everyone so I will change the face of graphic design and be touted as the next Milton Glaser or Paul Rand that I end up scaring myself out of it and not designing anything at all. How many opportunities have I missed out on because of resistance?

The artist’s greatest enemy is resistance. My greatest enemy is resistance.

When My Genius Shows Up

The Romans believed that creativity was not a gift that some people were granted and others weren’t. They believed that creativity was an outside force, something that would occasionally manifest itself through an individual. They called this outside force a genius. So when someone created an amazing work of art or a moving piece of writing or beautiful dance, they knew they could not take all the credit for it. This was the work of their genius. If a work of art was wildly successful, they knew they could not take all the credit, but also, if a work of art was a failure and poorly received, they were okay with this. This was the work of their genius. And he’d come back again with another idea and that one might work.

In the western world, we’ve usurped the idea of genius and attributed it to the artist himself. We started to call people geniuses. If you write a novel that makes The New York Times Bestseller List, you are a genius. But if you write a novel that no one wants to read, it’s you that has failed.

And people wonder why so many creative-types die young, often at their own hands. We have created a culture that nurtures resistance.

The Success in Failing

Over the past few months, I’ve grown terribly fond of the work of Sir Ken Robinson and one of his quotes has continually come back to me over and over again the last couple of weeks: “If you are not prepared to fail, you are not prepared to do anything original.” I cannot tell you how much this speaks to my life.

All creative work is birthed from opportunities. Opportunities that could have been potential failures. Thomas Edison tried hundreds of ways to create the lightbulb, yet when asked about it, he replied: “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” I heard it said once that the most successful artists are not always those who are the most talented, but those who were willing to risk creating something new. Something different. Something unique.

This quote is now printed on a nice little sign that sits atop my desk, next to my computer. It serves as a reminder, as a guide, as a rule.

I Can Do My Part

As Elizabeth Gilbert sat down to work on the book that will forever be known as “The Book That Followed Eat, Pray, Love,” the words weren’t coming to her like they once did. Resistance began to take hold. She thought about the Romans’ idea of creative geniuses and she thought to herself, “If you want this thing, this book, to come out, you have to do your part too. But let the record show that I showed up. I did my part.”

And when I sit down to start my next project, scared out of my mind, I will be thinking about Ms. Gilbert and Dr. Robinson and I will show up to do my part. I can conquer that awful checkerboard. And though I’m scared, it’ll be okay if I fail. Because only when I embrace the challenge and take the risk will I ever be able to produce something original and more importantly, something meaningful.

New Work: Asian Bees Photography Logo

A few months ago, Annabella Brandon contacted me asking if I was interested in designing a logo for her photography company, Asian Bees Photography. Annabella and Asian Bees Photography are located in Memphis, TN and she got in contact with me after seeing the logo I designed for Beautiful Isolations Photography.

Asian Bees has a really fresh, modern style and produces photographs I would be proud to have my work placed next too. Upon starting the preliminary designs, I did some initial reading on bees and was continually drawn to the shapes of the beehives. My initial concept, in fact, did not include a bee at all, and focused solely on the geometric shapes produced by the hive. In the end, though it was a strong mark, we both felt it was too abstract, so adding a bee in one of the “hives” helped ground the concept and take it to the next level. For the typography, I chose Museo, which has some interesting lines that give it a slight oriental feel.

Color was also very important in the design of this mark. As evident in her photographs, Annabella has a strong interest in color and wanted a mark that reflected this. One of the best parts of working on this project was throughout the process, Annabella would send me “inspiration” photographs that featured colors she thought would work in the mark. I kept all these in a file on my desktop while working on the mark and was able to return to them to select the perfect color for the logo.

I think we arrived at the perfect logo for Asian Bees Photography and it looks great paired with her images. Hopefully we will be able to collaborate on more projects in the future!

The Setup, Part 2: Web Apps

This is the second in a two-part series on the applications I use on a daily basis. The first part focused on desktop applications while this part focuses on web apps. These applications run on my 15” 2.66 GHz MacBook Pro (the new design), with 4GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive, connected to Harmon Kardon Soundsticks, a Western Digital 500GB external hard drive and a wireless Mighty Mouse. For some apps, I also run the iPhone counterpart on my black 16GB iPhone 3G.

Gmail

I run all my email through Gmail. I’ve been using Gmail for almost five years and I am convinced that it is simply the best webmail service out there. I have a very structured organizational system that allows me to find any message (sometimes from a few years ago) in a matter of minutes. I have it set up on my iPhone so I am always on top of emails.

Evernote

I love Evernote, I really do. But I just don’t use it enough. I’m trying to use it more. Essentially, Evernote is an online notebook/link collector. It’s more than just a bookmarking site in that you can add images, videos, entire websites, or just write notes to yourself. I use it when I’m gathering information for a project, so it’s all in one place, but other than that I often forget to keep adding to it. I’ve found it works great as an inspiration file, so I am trying to add more images to keep me inspired. I split my time in Evernote with Google Bookmarks for a complete bookmarking experience. I need to get more organized in this area.

Google Reader

I’ve tried desktop RSS readers and other web-based readers, but nothing compares to the experience Google Reader provides. I’m currently subscribed to ninety-two blogs and Google Reader makes it easy to see which ones have been updated and which ones I want to read. They also have a great mobile version for when I’m on the go.

Readernaut

Readernaut is the best resource for people who read a lot. Readernaut is simply a social networking site for readers thats tries to connect you with people who read similar books and recommend new books for you, but I use it more as my online library. I’ve catalogued most of the books I own and keep track of when I read them, as well as books I hope to read/buy. There is also a great notes features that allows you to write small reviews, record quotes, writing other thoughts which is great.

Daytum

For 2009, I’m using Daytum to record as much information as I can so when the year is over, I will have a detailed report of what I did. I’m currently recording how I spend my time, what genres of movies I’m watching, how much Starbucks I consume, where I eat, what books I’m reading. It’s a fun project and the interface is follows an excellent less is more approach.

Last.fm

Continuing with recording stats, I’ve recently started using Last.fm to track my music listening for the year. It connects wonderfully to my iTunes and updates my listening trends by song, artist, and album.

Statcounter

I’ve been using Statcounter for almost four years to track my stats for JarrettFuller.com. It publishes great reports and I can get detailed information of who visits my site, how long they spend, popular pages, browsers, etc. I was also invited to test out the beta version of Reinvigorate which is beautifully designed and works in a similar fashion to Statcounter. Occasionally I will use Google Analytics as well.

Miscellaneous Apps

I occasionally use 37signals’ Ta-Da Lists for keeping lists and Basecamp for collaborating on projects, but often don’t see a continual use for either. I update my blogs with Blogger and Tumblr and use the standards Flickr and Vimeo for photos and videos respectively.