The Digitel came knockin’ last week and we talked shop for a while – how I work, where I work, and what the future might hold. Big thanks to them for the fun interview and great write-up. Give it a look here. I’m proud to be one of Charleston’s creative neighbors. The Digitel is also hosting a J Fletcher Design “type tee” giveaway, so click here for your chance at a freebie.
Last year I was flattered (and pumped) when Cicada Books got in touch from London to ask if I’d represent Charleston in their upcoming guidebook, “Graphic USA.” The book is a followup to their first book, “Graphic Europe,” comprised of 31 chapters written & illustrated by 31 designers in various European cities. Each designer pens an introductory page, then a slew of personal “best of” picks – restaurants, bars, shopping, cultural events, green spaces, etc. – followed by an assembly of illustrations / designs which represent their unique, individual take on where they live. (You can virtually flip through a good chunk of the book here.)
There’s some notable contributors and significant talent scheduled for inclusion in “Graphic USA” and I’m honored to end up in such great company. Wrapped up all my text about a month ago (the hard part) and finished up the art (the fun part) around a week ago and shipped it off across the pond. It’d probably be poor form to post everything here before the book comes out (scheduled for this Christmas, I believe), but I couldn’t help but share a few tiny snippets of how things turned out.
I really can’t say enough nice things about the crew over at College of Charleston. They’re always a pleasure to join forces with. We just finished this alumni donations self-mailer – the piece arrives folded up onto itself, then unfolds like a brochure to reveal a perforated envelope for the donor to fill out and return. The entire “circle of maroon students” panel serves as the return envelop flap, sealing the donation card information and envelope contents inside, making for a pretty little return package when all’s said and done.
Click the images for a slightly better view.
Just finished this small “industry booklet” for Clemson, highlighting their Restoration Institute’s remarkable wind turbine testing facility which is currently under development. It was a fun and eye-opening experience to work with Clemson’s media team and learn all about what’s going on up there. Some truly incredible stuff. From their site…
The next-generation wind turbines and drive trains will be tested by the Clemson University Restoration Institute in a move that is expected to create hundreds of jobs and place one of the most important sites for wind energy research and development in South Carolina.
The Clemson University Restoration Institute and its partners have received a $45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, combined with $53 million of matching funds, to build and operate a large-scale wind turbine drive train testing facility at the institute’s research campus on the former Navy base.
A drive train takes energy generated by a turbine’s blades and increases the rotational speed to drive the electrical generator, similar to the transmission in a car.
The award is the largest single grant ever received in the university’s history and represents an enormous economic development opportunity for the region.
Click the images for a slightly better view.
Just got a batch of JFD “type tees” back from the printer! I’ve been wanting to put together shirts for a while now, but until recently haven’t been able to find the time. Really excited to finally have some in-hand. They printed PMS 432 (for a nice, blueish, not-quite-gray-but-not-quite-black look that doesn’t really translate in the photos) on heather gray American Apparel, available in both men’s and women’s cuts.
Several months ago Nickelodeon got in touch asking for me to help them concept logos for The Big Help – an initiative geared towards teaching kids about issues of all shapes & sizes and showing them that they have the power to make a difference. We generated a slew of ideas, and when my involvement came to a close Nick’s in-house art department took everything and continued to run with it, so in the end nothing I created was used exactly as-is. Still, it was great working with Nickelodeon’s creative team up in NYC, and on such a worthy project to boot. Above are a handful of favorites from everything I put together.
Just launched a new identity and website for New for Baby, makers of “the hip baby’s first wardrobe.” From the broad brush strokes down to the tiniest details, I had a great time teaming up with NFB founders Lyn & Leigh over the past several months overhauling their entire visual presence (and learning quite a bit about fabric, stitching, and the like during the process). Thanks to Jennifer Bearden for stellar photography, Jenny Badman for killer copywriting, and Dwarf Dog Chuck for all the behind-the-scenes programming action. And of course, a gigantic shout out to Grant – baby supermodel and future ladykiller – for bringing the blue steel.
Charleston fitness guru, childhood obesity combatant, and Louie’s Kids founder Louis Yuhasz and I have crossed paths several times over the last couple years, each time wondering out loud when we’d get a chance to work together. The opportunity finally presented itself a few weeks ago when Louie’s Kids needed a poster for their upcoming Big Chef Little Chef event, and I was happy to do a little design for such a great cause…
Join us for the second annual Big Chef/Little Chef Challenge presented by Piggily Wiggily. Enjoy the best-tasting competition in the Lowcountry as Chefs Craig Deihl, Michelle Weaver, Marc Collins, Sean Brock, Mike Lata, Fred Neuville and Nico Roma, each teamed up with Little Chef from the Louie’s Kids program, battle to see who can create the tastiest — and healthiest — dish. Also meet special guests Chef Marvin Woods from Turner South, and Ed Brantley and his wife Heba Salama, Season 6 finalists on The Biggest Loser. You’ll also enjoy the live music of the legendary Hank Futch.
This special event will be held the evening of June 17, 2010 from 6:30 to 9:00 at the beautiful Lowndes Grove Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina.
The finished posters landed on my doorstep a couple days ago and The Half and Half nailed the screen printing once again. Big, bold, 2-color on 18″ x 24″ Finch Bright White.
A few months back I got the chance to do a little illustration work for Gil Shuler and the boys over at Current Electric Vehicles. Current is a new electric car dealership opening up in Charleston with a refreshing vibe: the staff’s focus is more on educating the customer about electric transportation, and less on making sure you walk out the door with a new set of keys in your pocket. Gil got in touch looking for a conceptual illustration which would represent not just the showroom’s basic structure (which didn’t exist yet), but more so the bright and educational “Current experience.”
Click the image for a larger view.
And dig the new Current site, just launched by Blue Ion.
LogoLounge is Rockport Publisher’s best-selling annual almanac of the best & brightest logo design in the world. I was pumped to get word from LogoLounge that judging for Volume 6 was recently wrapped up and three of my marks made the cut. The above logos for Charleston Naturally, GreenlitScritps, and IOA Connect were chosen from over 34,000 worldwide entries to be shown in LL’s next edition, available in February 2011. Congratulations and huge thanks to such fantastic clients.
This year’s judging panel included some notable international names: Bart Crosby of Crosby Associates, Hans Hulsbosch of Hulsbosch, Jeannie Servaas of Saffron Brand Consultants Inc., Jessica Hische of Jessica Hische, Marius Ursache of Grapefruit, Sherwin Schwartzrock of Schwartzrock Graphic Arts, Silvio Giorgi of Latinbrand, and Tessa Westermeyer of Landor.
