About Me

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Baltimore, Maryland
I am a graduate student in the Publication Design program at the University of Baltimore. I think the process can be just as interesting, if not more so, than the results. I love reading, writing, well, sometimes I enjoy writing, skiing, hiking and being outdoors in general. I like exploring popular culture through graphic design, and I have a bad habit of not abandoning myself to my passions.

Friday, October 30, 2009



Here are my poster and magazine ad for project three. I need a better logo, but on the whole, I was happy with how they came out.
This is my advertising postcard. This headline is the best of the three. I think I'm going to play with the weight and positioning of the headlines a bit.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

show and tell - favorite words

Here are some of my favorite words. I chose all of these words mostly because of their sound. Some have good definitions; others, like "pantiliners" denote things that fall far short of their glorious sounding name. "Pantiliners" may be the finest word in the English language. Unfortunately they are diapers for old people. I think they are even a made up name. By that I mean the Depends people coined the term. Fascinating that a corporation should for once be responsible for bringing beauty into the world.

Pantiliners
Chafe
Rot
Exacerbate
Murmillo
Expunge
Cistern
Tort
Emblem
Immense
Immolate
Effluvium
Argyle
Taciturn
Beatitude
Mirage
Eschew
Kith
Thither
Naught
Aught
Abscond
Caress
Fond

I could name many more fine words, but I think that is enough for now.

Friday, October 23, 2009

trogdor

Just thought I would provide a link to a classic Strong Bad Email in all of its narrative majesty.

narrative



Here is some funny michinima from Youtube. A bit juvenile, but the video fits the world of online gaming well. I never played Halo, but Arby n the Chief offers me a glimpse into that world while managing to be entertaining. The video is too dark, but I like how Master Chief's dialogue is written in the style of a twelve-year-old gamer, with it's alternate spellings and mis-spellings. That kind of juvenile treatment reflects Master Chief's intellect level and personality. I also think that the use of Microsoft Sam and Microsoft Mike for the voices is ingenious.

Thursday, October 22, 2009


Here is a marketing manual I got for buying Starbucks's new instant coffee, called Via. I really like what the Starbucks graphic designers did with type and color here. The outlines are clear and stand out on the page. The stories that accompany each page are concise and pack a punch. It's an impressive leaflet, and the coffee isn't bad either, especially for instant. I am a little wary of the whole "beginner, intermediate, advanced" notion, however. I think it really works, but I just have trouble with a corporate giant pushing an outline of people's lives.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009


This is my postcard

This is my ad

Here are the roughs of my campaign. After last class, I feel I need more visual unification in my pieces to call them a campaign. By the way, the hiking emblem is just a temporary logo until I think of one. I'm leaning towards depicting different families in various circumstances. I like the image above with the family at Yosemite, and I'm thinking of taking that route. I would have pictures of different families doing different vacationy things all the while DANGER IS LURKING IN THEIR LUGGAGE! I just don't know, however, if that is enough visual continuity to make a campaign. Another important aside: this family is not named Anderson, and to my knowledge, they have never had bedbugs. I feel that is important to disclose, with these images being on the internet and all. I have the Attribution for the photo somewhere around my desk, and I will post it tomorrow.

Monday, October 19, 2009

show and tell, call to action on a rugby field



Here is the image I brought in for show and tell, or rather forgot to bring in. It's an add for Amnesty International, and the copy reads, "Thousands are held prisoner for their beliefs in places worse than this. Write until you free them all." I think that is a pretty bold call to action. I wish I was more affected by it.

Maybe I've grown cold and cynical, but I have trouble believing letters are going to convince a cruel regime to change its ways. I guess that is the challenge for Amnesty International advertisers: to overcome peoples' cynicism. I think this is a very cool add, but I have difficulty believing this will get people to start writing letters. I think I feel so because the man in the add looks too hale and hearty. Granted, he is very dirty, and his head is shaved. But he looks like he could be at the bottom of a rugby scrum. He needs to be skinnier and malnourished looking, with maybe some lacerations. Nothing so shocking that a viewer would be repulsed, but this guy looks like he could kick my ass in the forty-yard dash.

I believe I used "scrum" incorrectly. I should have said he was at the bottom of a rugby tackle. Scrum is where they lock shoulders and push eachother around.

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