too big for britches

Storm's a brewin

2011-06-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Words of wisdom...

2011-04-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

"It’s a rat race. People runnin all around. A lot of them don’t even know where they’re going. They don’t know what the quiet life is."

Bathroom Janitor - Port Authority Bus Terminal NYC

The place where I work

2011-04-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Coach John Wooden

2011-04-01T12:03:00.001-07:00

A great TED talk from a generation of the past and the humble culture of the mid-west. This seemed so refreshing when I listened to it that it made me question our modern society...or at least working in NYC.

Delaware Water Gap

2010-08-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Upstate

2010-08-18T03:51:00.000-07:00

Always refreshing to get out of the city for the weekend.

Done Gone Fishin

2010-07-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

Ambition

2010-06-17T05:56:00.001-07:00

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

–Theodore Roosevelt

NY Public Library

2010-01-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Upstate NY...Blueberries

2009-08-19T14:39:00.001-07:00

Upstate NY

2009-07-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Left Alone - Pavonia Newport

2009-05-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

This is the old power plant in Jersey City, soon to be renovated.

A wall of an old warehouse in the Pavonia Newport section of Jersey City.

Left Alone

2009-03-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

I've been noticing that Jersey City and the surronding areas are full of old abandoned buildings and thought I would start photographing them. Many of them have an interesting history, so I'll share the history if I can. No story on this one yet. Found it along the road to Edgewater.

Yellow on JFK Blvd

2009-03-14T10:19:00.001-07:00

Power of the Press

2009-02-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

Just as New York City has Times Square, so Jersey City has Journal Square. Both are a city center named after its long running newspaper, and both are very different places. The Jersey Journal building pictured above is the home of our local newspaper which was started in 1867. The success of the paper is perhaps portrayed in the square named after it - a place which has seen better days.

Looking West

2009-02-12T03:48:00.000-08:00

First Attempt

2009-02-09T03:28:00.001-08:00

The build...

Looking East

2009-02-03T04:06:00.001-08:00

Our Son Is Born!

2008-10-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

Click below for more info and pictures:
practicalplaid.blogspot.com

Buckminister Fuller

2008-07-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

I viewed a great exhibit at the Whitney Museum on Buckminister Fuller. He was a very progressive cross-disciplinary thinker, designer, architect, engineer and scientist. Though some of his work was overly idealistic, many of his designs and ideas have influenced the world we see around us today. Following are just a few of his works.

The undistorted world map.

The Dymaxion vehicle had 3 wheels and streamline design. It got 25-30 miles per gallon, went up to 125mph and was environmentally friendly.

One example of his geodesic dome structures.

An inexpensive, recycled home.

This would be one of his more far-out ideas. Using lightweight materials to build a huge dome over 50 blocks of Manhattan, this structure would be climate controlled and pollution free. And to think we thought we lived in a bubble in Provo!

My bro in daho

2008-06-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

Below is my newly acquired etching sent to me by Nick. It's a big shrimp; very nice! Nick has quickly learned and master the art of printmaking at BYU-I. A museum in Idaho Falls recently purchased one of his pieces. Having studied printmaking myself while in school, I am very impressed with the quality of both the illustration and the print technique. To see more of his art click on the links to the left.

Earth

2008-05-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

Honey time

2008-03-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

This is one of those designs I wish I had thought of first. It's so smart that I don't want to ever design honey for fear of not coming up with something as good.

However there are always multiple solutions to any design problem. Here are a couple others - maybe not as clever but still good.

Maps

2008-03-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

I've had a recent renewed interest in maps. I use them constantly to find my way around Jersey. I've come to realize that some are easy to read while others are very difficult. Besides being accurate, good maps are well designed. I ran across this redesign of the NY subway map by Eddie Jabbour. It might not be super functional yet but it sure looks better.
Of course Massimo Vignelli's 1972 map is quite nice as well.
Maps come in a variety of styles.

St Patrick's Cathedral

2008-01-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

2008-01-17T16:18:00.000-08:00

To mourn or not to mourn?

2007-11-19T15:14:00.000-08:00

Earlier this year my family's 15 year old diabetic, arthritic, blind poodle passed on to a happier place. I was unable to make it to the funeral, however, just recently I visited his grave behind our NY home. I must admit I felt somewhat sad as I first set eyes on that simple grave marker with the larger 'W'. As I looked closer though, my nerdy designer side realized what a great 'W' my brothers had made. I felt better knowing that Willie had been laid to rest with style.

2007-10-21T11:08:00.001-07:00

2007-10-21T10:47:00.001-07:00

2007-10-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Perhaps this has taken slightly longer than I thought it would and it has certainly taken longer than I promised my wife that it would, but it has been well worth the wait. I have a bloomin job! Last Friday I interviewed with Johnson and Johnson's Global Design Strategy Team in Manhattan. After a long, yet enjoyable 8 hour interview, I was fairly certain I had done my best. I hoped that I, in some way, impressed at least some of the 10-15 people I individually interviewed with and showed my portfolio to. I ended the day with the opportunity to meet with the VP, Chris Hacker, who was very nice and complimentary of my work. Compliments from people such as Chris come as a real world shock to those who have survived the grueling peer and teacher critiques of the BFA program.

Having spent the first 18 years of my life in NY I never thought I would be so excited to return. But I am. Tamara and I are hoping to move in November. We are both very ready for a change, and this will be a great one.

Friedensreich Hundertwasser

2007-05-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

I found this book at the local library book sale. I thought it was pretty cool looking so I bought it for 50 cents. After some research, I found that this book is actually worth around $100! The artist is Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928 - 1950). He is a relatively famous Austrian painter, architect and designer.

Cinco de Mustache

2007-05-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Most people celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but a new movement has begun. Nine of us at work participated in this years Cinco de Mustache. Despite what most females think, a mustache can be a work of art.

U.S. Currency Redeisgn

2007-05-09T18:14:00.000-07:00

A country’s currency speaks of its history, ideals, and ambitions. The design of America’s money should resemble not only its history, but also the progressive nature of the country. Many have criticized the current design as being overly drab and presidential. Some speculate that the Puritan colonists influenced the design of money through their notion that money is filthy lucre and should not be something lovely or sought after.

American money is in need of a redesign to become more synonymous with the ideals of this nation. Good design entails accurate execution of appropriate relationships. These relationships involve concept, color, tone, imagery, vocabulary, etc. An appropriate design of American money will take each of these relationships into consideration, and execute the final design in a way that establishes both form and function.

As part of the Graphic Design program at BYU, each student is asked to develop a project of individual interest. I decided to redesign the American currency. My design offers a possible solution for the concept and visual direction of the money. I choose to use historic American imagery, including Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe, the Wright brothers and Martin Luther King Jr. In contrast to the history, I used contemporary design elements to give the bills a modern feel. After nearly eight months of research and designing, I believe my work offers a tasteful, relevant and progressive solution for the American currency.

Welcome

2007-05-07T12:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog. Hope you enjoy the creative work that will be posted. Some will be my own work as a graphic designer. Other work will be of friends, family and random people. Enjoy.