Feb 28, 2012

My desktop

...looks like this. The top row of files are the logos I need to complete by tomorrow. The bottom row is what's due on Thursday. Needless to say- I've been very busy this year (thankfully). Going to the dentist tomorrow afternoon will actually seem like a pleasant break however.



Feb 27, 2012

Fantastic Sunday

Took the kids to Elephant Rock state park & had a great time!




Feb 24, 2012

Have a great weekend!


I'm hangin' out with these guys:




Feb 22, 2012

I feel good!

Mark's famous pot roast

Sear roast on all sides in about 1 inch of olive oil. Remove roast & pat dry with paper towel- rub on salt, pepper and "pot roast seasoning". Cook 2 chopped white onions in same oil for about 5 minutes. Add baby carrots and quartered potatoes. Place roast on top of vegetables and add 2 cups of bloody Mary mix, one cup of water and a few dashes of worcestershire sauce. Cook on low heat for 3 hours. Remove roast, let sit for 10 min.   Serve with cooked vegetables & sauce/gravy from pot.

Feb 21, 2012

Today...

I successfully installed Linux on a laptop for my daughter, cooked a delicious pot roast, went to a parent/school meeting and designed five logos. Here's one of them:



Feb 19, 2012

Best advice ever.


Invest in Your Relationships



(full article)

"The better your relationship with your partner and immediate family members, the happier you will be and the more likely you will be to succeed financially. Separation, divorce and arguments about money on the other hand, lead to financial loss."

I like dogs.

I like this dog. More here.




Feb 17, 2012

Have a great weekend and...

enjoy this real life tornado kick:
 

Now shoot a fireball.

Feb 16, 2012

Just got this CD in the mail

I used to listen to this album while mowing the lawn- I had to have been 12 years old. Anyhow, it's nice to have the CD again- it's one of my favorites. I'm getting sick of iTunes and actually like the process of opening a CD, putting it in and pressing play- is that the same type of nostalgia folks have for vinyl records?

Feb 15, 2012

Avengers Movie!

I guess Marvel had to make a few crappy movies (Thor, Captain America, The Hulk) in order to develop characters for this blockbuster!

Made this thingy...

in Illustrator today.


Listening to...

Feb 14, 2012

Check out my package!


Included in the package:

- Your custom logo design, including 4 different options and unlimited revisions
- Final logo files sent in several formats, covering all print and web needs

- A custom business card design 

- 500 full color business cards (gloss or matte), printed & delivered 

- 1 custom banner ad design or letterhead design, using your new logo

- A formal receipt & release signing over all rights to your logo upon completion


Happy Valentines Day

...to my wonderful, wonderful wife.





Feb 13, 2012

Do you speak Craigslist?




Ad title reads:

"Start Up In Need of Comprehensive Brand Development Services"

Translation:

We need a logo

Feb 10, 2012

OMG

I had the busiest week ever.
My brains and fingers are exhausted- just finished this logo today.



Feb 9, 2012

File under: To be analyzed at a later date...

"The way you think about money can have a huge influence on your ability to create wealth. Poverty mentality is a mindset that people develop over time based on a strong belief that they will never have enough money. This mindset is driven by fear and can cause poor financial decision-making."

Full article

Cool and stuff...


Click image for more.

Feb 8, 2012

Wait...your math is off?

Potential Client:
    Matt, I appreciate your response, but we are a niche manufacturing firm, and these samples are not the right feel for us. I have had some beautiful responses so far, from you and others, but they seem to be geared more towards the retail service sector and tend to be young in the presentation
   If you watched the super bowl last Sunday – Madonna and C-Lo were on a rising stage platform, and there were other parts of the stage that moved and changed in the show – those are our products. Those motion technologies are also used to move nuclear waste, and from underneath the platform, move a patient into an MRI. We are in an industry that has strict safety standards – if you remember the disastrous Sugarland performance – we need to convey that type of trustworthy product.
  If you have any logo or design work that would demonstrate the right aesthetics for us, please send them along.Thank you for your time,
-C.H.
Marketing Manager

Me: "young in the presentation" ? Good luck finding a designer who specializes in your "sector". Find someone with ability & hire them- nobody is going to have a portfolio full of manufacturing logos.

-Matt Cockrum


C.H: Well, I’m sorry Matt, but many of the samples I’ve received have cartoons.
  Manufacturing, especially in regards to medical equipment, is a big, lucrative field. Even the machine my dentist uses to power the drill has a logo on it. Well worth sketching up some samples. Good luck in your endeavors!

Me: Good luck being a weirdo!

C.H: Astonishing. There is $2800 in the budget for this, and ads to follow. Add in the new brochure design, and you just threw away at least 10k, all because you are unwilling to take direction.

Me: I will surely miss sleep over an imaginary $10,000.

Happily...

Drawing a beehive this morning.


Feb 6, 2012

Serifs?

All designers know that serifs (see circled appendages below) kind of suck.  Non-serif fonts tend to look a little cleaner, more modern, etc.  However, serif fonts are often necessary per a client's request.  My favorites are Trajan & Lucida. Which fonts with serifs do you like/find acceptable?


Feb 1, 2012

Maxx is 5!

Happy birthday Maxx. Your inquisitive personality and keen sense of humor always amazes us!