Ricoh Copies?

Keyboard Characters Set.

Four years ago I created a unique self-promotional product I called Keyboard Characters. It was a fun set to create and worked really well as a self promotion for my business.

I still give them out at speaking engagements even though Apple has changed the modus operandi on keyboards so you can't insert stuff like your use to be able too. And I still have about five boxes of them sitting in my closet at home. ;-P


"Pet Monster" Keyboard Character.

Since I have them posted on my web site I periodically get email from art directors or creative directors who request a set. When I get a request like this I always send them one and include a few tear sheets as well. So in that respect it's still serving as a promotional item for me.

Around September, 2008 I received a phone call from an ad agency in New York. The person asked if I could send them two sets of the Keyboard Characters. I did and included some tear sheets. Nothing ever came from it and soon I forgot all about that brief interaction.


Ricoh Ad showing artwork in question.

Around February, 2009 I received an email from another designer asking me:

"Did you do some illustration for Ricoh?"

I told them I hadn't and they responded "Well I saw this ad in a magazine and it looks just like your character."

When I saw this ad I got that sinking feeling in my stomach, you know the one that happens when you look in your rear view mirror and a police car is right on your bumper.

It turns out that the agency (I'm purposely not naming names) I had sent two sets of Keyboard Characters too was the same agency that handled the Ricoh campaign for the C900 in September, 2008.

They didn't simply copy (pardon my pun) my art and use it, that would be easy enough to deal with. What they did is borrow the concept and equity (segmented multi-colored monster) of my art and exploited it for their own work. And they didn't even do a good job at that.


Ricoh "Scary!" campaign for C900.

I've talked to my copyright attorney about this and he agrees that it was definitely derived from my work but I have no way to prove it. In other words if I would have sent the Keyboard Characters via UPS with a tracking number and receipt that would have sufficed to prove it.

Since I posted this I've been contacted by a lawyer explaining my opinions and I'm now pursuing that course of action. Thank you for helping me understand how I can address this through official circles, I appreciate it.

I think anyone with an ounce of common sense can discern the source however, so I'll leave it in the court of public opinion.


Hostage quality photo of Ricoh brochure.

This summer I got another email from someone containing this image of a Ricoh brochure showcasing this character art again. Every time I think about this it pisses me off. I know someone, some where had to reference my design in order to create their own B movie version of it.

I debated whether to even post about this or not. But over the last year I've had numerous other people email me who have seen the original ad and thought I had done the monster art. Its like having a scab that just begins to heal and than gets snagged on something and ripped off again exposing the original wound.

So I decided to post about it, and see what others thought.

Cheese Weasel Day

"Cheese Weasel Day" Logo.

My friend Chris Forbes is the driving force (evangelist) behind a real holiday that started on the internet sometime in the last 15 years called "Cheese Weasel Day." (CWD)

Like other honored holidays like Festivus CWD is most often celebrated within the tech industry. (Visit the site for the full story)

I first heard about it last year when Chris posted it on his Twitter feed. I thought the logo was a bit moldy, so I told him to contact me next year and I'd create a new logo for his curdled masses.


"Cheese Weasel Day" T-Shirt.

The official, authentic, and certified CWD t-shirt! Ferret out your bad fashion and gird your loins with the weasel. Even a lactose intolerant person can add this cheese to their wardrobe.

- View and Order Shirt Here.

Does rodent and cheese apparel design grate on you? No worries, just download a CWD print to hang up in your office. Or just point that IT specialist that scorns your Mac over to this post and let them embrace the wonder that is Cheese Weasel Day!

Download Cheese Weasel Day Print

No Way

Original concept drawn on a creative brief.

Creativity is kind of strange. I never know when an idea is going to spawn, I've just learned to act on it. Such was the case here.

I sat through a two hour meeting at a local design firm going over a new branding project and someone voiced an opinion about something and the term "No Way" popped into my head. So I just kind of doodled what came to mind and the above is the end result.


"No Way" design on yellow and black background.

Of course later that same night I couldn't help myself and decided to flesh out the idea. Still don't really understand what it means, but that doesn't stop me from liking it. I find that odd. I suppose it can mean what ever you'd like it to mean and there is "No Way" of convincing me otherwise! ;-P


"No Way" T-Shirt design.

There is also "No Way" I'm not going to put this design on a t-shirt either! (Stop rolling your eyes)

"No Way" T-Shirt Designs
- View / Order Black Shirt Here
- View / Order Yellow Shirt Here


"No Way" Sign mocked up.

One of the commenters below suggested that "No Way" would work for a sign too. I agree. If I ever built my own house on some property I'd get this sign made to be on the street leading to our house. Very cool. Thanks Brian.

Heart Worm™

Heart Worm™ Character Design.

Armin Vit is like the Mark Twain of the design industry. He's talented, creative, and witty. So when he asked me to be part of the re-branding of Valentine's Day for NPR Studio 360 I was happy to contribute to the effort.

(cue mission impossible theme music)

My specific task was to re-create a character to replace the standard "Cupid." This whole effort is tongue in cheek so immediately an idea formed in my mind and that was "Heart Worm™."


I Heart VDAY!

I decided to give a graphic nod to one of our industries most iconic designs with this usage of the Heart Worm™.


Twitter name application.

The Heart Worm™ can easily be adapted to work in any social media environment.


Heart Worm™ LOVE.

A classic and timeless application of the Heart Worm™ demonstrating it's versatility.

So on Valentine’s Day let your heart be infested with the Heart Worm™. Its burrowing presence will give you passionate heart burn for the apple of your eye. Eat your heart out Cupid! Plus, it can flex into a number of helpful shapes as you can see above.

Read more about this whole project at Brand New.

Download Heart Worm™
Download the Heart Worm™ Brand Sheet

Heart Worm™ T-Shirt
- Infest Your Chest with our Unique Heart Worm™ Tee.

http://www.zazzle.com/heart_worm_tshirt-235510814215009727

Holy Vectors

Iconic Rabbi Illustration.

Life as a creative hired gun brings in some interesting work at times.

Firms hire me to draw all manner of content for them and believe it or not this isn't the first Rabbi I've drawn either.


Ancient Source Photo.

On this latest gig I was provided with a photograph of a Rabbi. This teacher from yesteryear dates back about 75 years and the firm needed an iconic illustration based off of it they could use in their project.


Alternate motif.

This type of project isn't a huge money making venture for me, but I still enjoy doing them. I bet it never crossed the Rabbi mind that some day in the future he'd be digitally rendered in a resolution independent format?

From Inspiration to Illustration

"TRI 3Y3 Guy" character illustration.

Like the wind, inspiration can hit you at any moment from any direction, so I like to pay attention to the prevailing creative winds letting my imagination set sail.

Such was the case when I recently watched the movie Fargo. I hadn't watched since it's premiere back in 1996. The moment of inspiration came from an unlikely source, the forehead of actor Steve Buscemi.


Details of illustration.

So as I watched the movie I started drawing, a head start on an illustration project if you will. (Pardon the pun) The below video will take your through the entire chain of creative events.


"TRI 3Y3 Guy" t-shirt design.

Looking for that perfect give for your beloved mother in law? Look no further, nothing says "I love you!" more than a t-shirt of the "TRI 3Y3 Guy."


"TRI 3Y3 Guy" art print.

"TRI 3Y3 Guy" is available in three formats:
- Download PDF Art Print
- Download Wallpaper Files
- View / Order T-shirt

From Inspiration to Illustration

Doodle Creatures

"Turn the Worm" doodle creature.

When I doodle in the wee hours of the night my art is infused with heavy amounts of late night logic.

What emerges is strange doodle creatures like you see in this post.


"Noobitoid" doodle creature.


The past three weeks I've been drawing a lot of bizarre and fanciful characters and have wondered what a psycho therapist might read into some of these images?

So if any of you know someone who might be willing to look at 5-6 drawing and share what things they'd glean from them I'd like to talk to them. (Email link in sidebar at right)

As always you can get these designs on t-shirts.

- "Turn the Worm" Tee: View / Order Here.
- "Noobitoid" Tee: View / Order Here.

Refried Artwork

"Bandito" illustration. (Click Image to View Larger)

This artwork was originally created for a sticker set I designed for a power tool manufacturer. And you can read about that creative process here. But like a good digital artist with an entrepreneurial spirit I'm re-purposing my creativity.


"Bandito" t-shirt design.

Let the fabled south of the border Bandito inspire your wardrobe with his hot pepper personality. View and or order a shirt here.


"Bandito" sticker design.

Badges? You don't need no stinking badges! You need this stinking sticker!

Artito Bandito

Thumbnail sketch.

My client requested an illustration of a Mexican Bandito. Of course the first thing to pop into my mind was a favorite childhood cartoon mascot called Frito Bandito.

And as the rabbit trails of my mind work I had that theme song stuck in my head the whole week, humming it as I drew my art. But I digress.


Rough Sketch.

The client actually sent me one of the tools and like they do on American Chopper I had to create a custom die for the sticker based on the tools casing. My creative challenge was to provide the requested theme in a very restrictive format, so I drew out my art with the final shape of the sticker as my guide.


Refined Sketch.

Usually I draw and redraw until I get exactly what I want to build. I don't like leaving a lot of guess work in the build stage of my creative process. It just wastes time. Since this art is symmetrical I only have to draw half of it. Digital FTW.


Building Vectors.

Once I scan in my refined sketch I simply start building my vector shapes. For more about vector build methods and plugins that make it easier just visit my tutorial web site and you'll find all kinds of information on how to control your bezier curves like a pro.

I draw all my art out before I hit the computer. If you can get into a good creative habit of working this way you'll see a huge improvement in your work and it'll prevent you from becoming a Tooler.


Base Art.

With all my shapes built and fused together via the Pathfinder Palette I'm ready to work out how I'll model my art with more details.


Shading.

I'm a digital artist but my creative process goes back and forth between digital and analog. So when it comes to shading I print out my base art and grab a pencil. 2B or not 2B, that is the pencil!


Building the Shading.

Once I've drawn out how I want the shading and highlights to be handled. I scan it back in and use it as my guide to build the vector shapes.


Details of Illustration.

Once I have the shading resolved I visually study the art and determine other areas to drop in darker shades and highlights to create depth and focus attention within my design. I also start to balance my color palette and experiment with tonal values until it feels right.

It's not always a visual thing, sometimes it just has to feel right. Call it a creative intuition but I depend on it a lot. It's the one intangible aspect of my creative process that is hard to define.


Art in Context.

This is the actual tool the sticker will be applied too. It'll wrap the front of the casing. During the process I'm printing the art out and if time permits putting it aside and looking at it with fresh eyes later and making any necessary changes that improve the art.


Final Artwork.

This shows the final art for the Tool a little larger. You can see this art re-purposed for other usages here.

I Draw So You Don't Have To

Friends original art.

Sometimes I help friends out who can't really draw. Such was the case here. He had put together the image above which captured the emotion he desired but it lacked that professional quality.


Artwork make-over.

I used his art as the foundational framework for my artistic make-over.


Final usage.

This is the final context of the artwork.

Seek and You Will Find

Street Level Logo Design.

How do you motivate a group of stiff necked suits, or a room full of cubicle zombies, or any other garden variety form of corporate drone? Well, if you're "Street Level Adventures" you design custom treasure hunts to facilitate corporate team building for some of the nations largest companies.


Cycloptic Man.

The purpose behind the adventures is to help a team focus and operate in a unified manner. Because of that I decided to create a humanoid character with an all-seeing eye. A graphic nod to "E Pluribus Unum" if you will.

The adventures are fun and creative so I wanted the mark to be playful as well. The typography is all hand lettered too to go with the style of the artwork.


Unused Logo Concept.

This design approach played off of a man hole cover concept. Once again I kept the aesthetic playful and hand lettered the design.


Unused Logo Concept.

This business designs all types of adventures in various genres so I decided to play off a cloak and dagger theme motif. I liked it but felt it pigeon holed the perception of what type of genre adventures they offered, so it wasn't used.

Molar Madness

Game graphics for "Ramp Champ."

My good buddies over at the The IconFactory have released another great app for iPhone and iPod Touch users called "Ramp Champ."

They hired me to create an add-on level which I named "Molar Madness."

You can check out more about this project on my primary design site here. Or head on over to the iTunes App Store and get more information.

I've had fun playing with it for a while now in beta and the final is even better, it's a blast!

The Saramond Quests

"Iron Dragons" book cover design.

A friend of mine by the name of Derek P. Gilbert is a multi-talented guy. He has done podcasting, worked as a rock music DJ on radio, hosting a FM talk radio show, a barber shop quartet member, seller of steel, and an author. He's like a utility player in baseball who can play any position he needs, to get the job done. And if that wasn't enough, he's also a really nice guy as well.

I finally got around to listening to his first audio book "Iron Dragons" about five months ago. I'll admit I'm not a huge fan of fantasy so that is why I put off getting into it for about a year. Well needless to say once I started listening to his book I was hooked, it's a compelling story with a nice twist and rich character development.

Since Derek has a voice for radio he also reads the book too, the fact it's FREE to anyone who wants to listen via Podiobooks.com is a no-brainer.

I was less impressed with the books cover however. I didn't think it did the story justice and felt the series needed to have a branded look established since this is "Book One of The Saramond Quests."

I had to tread lightly though, you see his wife Sharon designed the book cover and I didn't want to offend anyone, especially a friends better half.

Well, I never had to approach Derek because he beat me to it, and asked me to design a consistent brand for him. He's donated a lot of time sharing his work with everyone so I didn't mind sharing some of mine as well. If in the process I can help a friends work get the attention it deserves that is reward enough IMO.


"The Saramond Quests" brand logo.

Since these books will live online I kept the design streamlined. Each book will be branded with a new color but keep the same general format to create a branded coherent series. The first book is the crown jewel in the story arch so we settled on purple, this also had a lot to do with the fact that I negotiated a deal with one of the top fantasy artists in this genre Ciruelo Cabral. He gave us permission to use his dragon illustration on the cover. I was thrilled that he allowed us the privilege to use his art for this project, thank you Ciruelo!

Combine the incredible dragon art with a new branding for "The Saramond Quests" and we now have a firm visual foundation for future covers. Derek of course loves the new cover and I'll be helping him with his future covers as well.


"The Saramond Quests" brand logo.

I thought the iconic dragon looked pretty cool so I created a t-shirt design with it.

Derek has also just released another FREE audio book called "The God Conspiracy" which is in a totally different genre but once again another fun listen.

I didn't however design this latest cover, his wife did. Like Schultz on Hogan's Heros "I see nothing!"