Urban Wrap

Classy, clean, simple and upscale.

About a year ago I designed a logo for a couple New York based software programmers. They were really happy with the work I did for them and when they decided to partner on a new inner city restaurant venture they contacted me to create their new logo for them. I thought the name they came up with was incredible and it really made me excited to work on this project.


Going Ghetto With it!

My failed first attempt at the logo.

Normally on logo projects I present a wide range of ideas but this project was more on the level of a pro-bono gig so I presented just one idea initially. I of course as you can see played off the whole 'Urban Wrap' theme. I like it, it's definately has an urban inner city vibe but it was a little too over the top for them. Their feedback essentially said "Too ghetto! We want upscale and classy."

No problem. The way my mind works is I almost always immediately see a design in my head and usually about 90% of the time it's what ends up being picked. So I set out to create a nice simple and clean mark with enough subtle conceptual flair to make it interesting. I also tried to keep the color palette flexible for easy application and low-cost reproduction of menus, signage etc.

They loved it and now I'll be designing their awning. I am due to fly out to New York later this year so I'll stop in and participate in some 'Urban Wrap' myself.

Patches-O-Plenty

Who can forget Reggie Jackson and his '3' homeruns in the World Series.


Growing up I collected trading cards. Back then there was only one brand and three sports. The sports cards I enjoyed collecting most were Baseball. The cards I collected were poorly printed full-color process on the front with a single spot color printed on an uncoated back. Today's cards however push the envelope for paper printed goods utilizing the latest technologies such as laser die-cutting, holographic foil stamping, jersey swatches, bat pieces and other memorabilia being applied to cards all wrapped in well designed layouts printed on high quality stock using and issued as limited edition collectibles.

The Upper Deck Company literally transformed the sports card industry. Their unique approach and inventive product lines continue to captivate the collectors.


No I am not a Yankee fan thank you very little. I do however like these two designs.


On this project they asked me to create a set of embroidered patch designs they could sew on to uniform swatches they would then use on a special set of trading cards.

The themes of the patches reflect the depth of baseball history and it's rich heritage filled with fascinating stories and feats of athletic achievement. In total I had to create approximately '130' individual patch designs. The attached samples showcase '66' of these designs. Due to the limitations of embroidery and the final size, I had to keep the elements simple enough so they would hold up in thread form.

I really love the sport of baseball so it's always fun working on this type of project.


'64' of the '130' patch designs.

Phobia

When I doodled out an idea for this weeks 'IllustrationFriday.com' submission I liked the line work so much I just scanned that in and colorized it.

Piranha's Revenge - Illustrative Logo

I love designing logos. But the best of both worlds for me artistically speaking is when I get to work on an 'Illustrative Logo Design'. Both of my core disciplines come into play and such was the case when I worked on 'Pirana Systems'.

How can you not have fun creating a 'Piranha' for a logo project? It has to be nearly impossible. The only animal that could possibly rate higher on the 'Fun Creatures to Create List' is of course the 'Monkey'. And if you'd like to see my entire creative process for this project then click on over to my 'IllustrationClass.com' site and check out the tutorial.

BTW: The clients branded name is 'Pirana' just incase some of you thought I had spelled the name wrong.

Pharmer

When 'www.IllustrationFriday.com' sends out it's weekly word to illustrate from I sometimes spin-off of it rather then take it literal. Such is the case with this weeks word of 'Farm'.

I didn't actually intend to do a piece for this week. I started doodling this while on the phone today during a conference call. It started with the mustache and then grew out from there. The figure looked like a semi-well dressed vagrant, hobo, down-and-out, derelict, vagabond (Choose the label of choice) so I played off of that for the concept.

I also like doodling with my 'Red' PaperMate flair pens as you can see.

Infest Your Desk!

'Keyboard-Characters™' are coming soon! For the past year I've been working on a product idea that I'll be launching next month. I decided to post a little teaser to wet your appetite. There are a total of '10' characters in all.

You'll be able to order them online at 'www.Keyboard-Characters.com'. The site isn't launched yet but you can still book mark it.

If you'd like to be notified when this product launches then send an email to: request@keyboard-characters.com

This concept and artwork is copyright © 2006 Vonster.com - Von R. Glitschka

Childhood Health - Illustrative Logo

I don't do a large volume of work locally. The market here is pretty much dead but a few years back when we took our daughter into see her doctor I told them that if they ever wanted to re-design their identity I'd love to help them. Well they are now building a new facility and it's going to be one of the first 'Green' buildings in Salem, Oregon.

They wanted a fun, playful logo that kids would enjoy. I purposely wanted to avoid the normal medical cliches you see all the time regarding health related marks. Instead I focused on the purpose behind their services and that is to make kids healthy, happy and active.

When I pitched my concepts to the doctors at the clinic I showed them '5' concepts. The one on top is the final mark they went with. The concept on the bottom was another one I really liked too. They liked the dog and asked if that could be used in the top mark. Normally I avoid letting clients pick and choose content but in this cae the I had another dog in the top one so it wasn't an issue.

The signage on the building will look really nice as well as the identity pieces I am working on now.

It'll Make You Sick!

A while back I did the above art for a 'Barf Bag' art contest ran by 'www.DesignForChunks.com'. (No longer online) Virgin Atlantic Airlines sponsored the contest and out of over 500 international submissions mine was picked to be part of a limited edition set Virgin would actually produce and use on their international flights.

You can watch a CNN Video about the contest and see my bag in it here.

Well a few weeks back a friend of mine emailed me and informed me that 'The Oriental Trading Company' had ripped-off my barf bag artwork. He attached the following image.



I was surprised they'd actually derive their art so closely from my original. The fact the toy product was also called 'Barf Bag' furthered my suspicion in regards to their so-called inspiration for the design. I realize the derived art they created just flat out stinks, if you're going to rip-off another design at least make it look good. But then again I guess if they could make something look good they wouldn't need to rip-off another persons art?

This isn't the first time I've had my art ripped-off. Over the past several years it's happened about six times now. Most of those times I find out from other people who come across my work online and then let me know. Some have tried to create whole shops on Cafepress.com using my art on mugs, clocks and throw pillows, others have broken into pdf files and have sold my artwork on iStockPhoto.com. Another person posted my work on a russian web site and offered it as clip-art. I am amazed that people think they can get away with this? And yet they do for at least a little while until they are caught. The guy on iStockPhoto.com had '46' orders before he was shut down. Who knows what those '46' people will do with my art that was stolen?

Today I've been talking with the legal department of Oriental Trading Company to resolve this matter. I am seeking compensation for the usage. I am not going to be a jerk about it but they need to be fair and honest about their artist infringement. The general counsel for OTC said they had bought the product from an Asian vendor but as you can see in the image above they have '©OTC' in it. That makes them owners of illegal art and they are profiting from it.

I have learned my lesson, all my pdf files now are encrypted and I file quarterly copyright registration with the US Government to protect my unpublished artwork.

I hope they do the right thing and I'll update this post when I know more.

***UPDATE***

Well I've been going back and forth with the Oriental Trading Company and they've agreed to pay the usage fee I requested so that is cool.

I am glad I didn't need to get a lawyer involved.