A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN....

Recently I was contacted by my friend Linzie Hunter, a UK based illustrator extraordinaire. She'd recently developed a brand new website and wanted me to contribute to it. The site showcases the desks and workspaces of artists, designers, illustrators and other creative people.

The site is called On My Desk. Check it out for a great sneak peek behind the curtain of Jeff Andrews Design, and check back often for updates. If you're a creative, contact Linzie if you'd be interested in contributing to the site.

Avatar Schmavatar!

My new forum avatar. Reusing some artwork from an unused logo design.

Pick Me!

A little top secret "monster" project I've been working on. An original character design. It's been a while since I'd posted anything to SFG, thought I'd better catch up a bit. Hope you enjoy!

Jeff Andrews Design Contributes to Logo Notions Article

I was recently approached by Jeff Fisher of Jeff Fisher Logomotives to contribute to an article he was writing for his Logo Notions column at Creative Latitude. It was a great honor, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to participate.

The title of the article is 'Using, fusing and abusing “the rules” of logo design.'

The questions posed to me were as follows:

1.) What are the top three "logo design rules" you were taught in your design education and who did you learn them from?

2.) What logo design of yours best represents the implementation of the rules you have listed above and why?

3.) What additional "rule" of your own would you add to that list as advice to a designer interested in getting involved in identity design?

4.) What "rule(s)" do you see being broken most often by other designers?

5.) What "rule" have you broken (if any) in creating a logo with successful results?


You can view the article here.


Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity for the Portland, OR-based firm Jeff Fisher LogoMotives, has worked as a graphic design professional since the late 1970's. In 1995 he shifted the focus of his design work to identity design. He has since received over 475 regional, national and international graphic design awards for his logo and corporate identity efforts and his work has been featured in more than 75 publications on the design of logos, the business of graphic design, and small business marketing.The designer spends a great deal of time writing about aspects of design for industry publications and related web sites. He often speaks to student groups, business organizations and design conferences about the profession. Fisher is a member of the HOW Magazine Editorial Advisory Board and is also on the 2006 HOW Design Conference Advisory Council. His book, “The Savvy Designer's Guide to Success,” was released by HOW Design Books in late 2004. More information about Jeff Fisher LogoMotives is available at http://www.jfisherlogomotives.com

It's A Sugar Frosted World!

Capitalizing on the popularity of Sugar Frosted Goodness(!), I've recently added a new blog to the mix. What SFG has done for illustrators, Sugar Frosted Photos(!) will do for photographers. It's a low-key, collaborative blog where members can post and share their photographs. The site is open to amateur and professionals alike. If the great community that's developed within the ranks of SFG is any indication, it should be a great experience for all involved.

Click on the image below to be directed to the website. Enjoy!

NO!SPEC POSTERS

It was kind of a dreary Sunday afternoon today, so after a great church BBQ, I sat down and whipped up 5 Posters for NO!SPEC.

The mission of NO!SPEC is to educate the public about speculative, or 'spec' work. Their target includes those who use creative services, as well as creative professionals (designers, photographers, illustrators, writers and those in marketing, branding and advertising).

You can view the posters below, but you can check out the site and download them by clicking here.

New Business Cards

Just finished these recently. A simple design, not alot to it, but functional. I'm printing this batch myself as I'm in the process of looking for additional work in other areas and may need to move soon. But they work for the interim, and I'm satisfied.

What do you think?

Blankets, Buttons & Blenders Oh My!

GDUSA Announces Logolounge Trends for 2006

The latest issue of GDUSA contains LogoLounge's 2006 Logo Trends Report. A great insight into the developing psyche of logo development in the past year.

From the article:

You simply can't organize 37,000 logos — the approximate number now on the LogoLounge.com website — and not notice commonalities. Categories. Directions. Insights.

And this year is no exception: There are trends, for better or for worse. We'd prefer for you to be the judge. But what this year's report also delivers is perspective. With the benefit of past years' reports already laid out, it is not necessary to view trends as isolated moments in time. Instead, they can be viewed as organic, growing, morphing and transforming. One trend links to another, and then another. From year to year, there is branching from existing starts as well as shoots that emerge fresh from the ground up. It's all very informative to observe.

Through the LogoLounge reports, you can look forward and backward, too. (Go to www.logolounge.com and look under "Trends" to see all of LogoLounge's past reports.)

Through the website, you can search an enormous database by keyword, designer's name, client name, industry, client category, type of logo and dates to find a few trends of your own, as viewed from your own, personal perspective. And through the LogoLounge books, you can gain even more insights from a collection of 2,000 of the smartest logo designs from the past year, submitted to LogoLounge from all over the world and hand-selected by a team of extremely well-respected identity experts. Books I and II are out now, and Book III will be released in Fall of 2006 by Rockport Publishers.

The goal of LogoLounge is not simply to amass the world's biggest pile of logos (although it is likely that already). Its goal is to offer context with the content, so that you can make sense of it all and perhaps have a better idea of where you would like to go next. The 2006 trends follow.

Check it out.

And to view previous years trends, click here.

Superman Who?

Superhero Hype has recently posted the first installment of a visit to the set of Superman Returns, the latest installment of the Big Screen Superman mythos set to release June 30, 2006.

The introductory paragraph got me to thinking about my own "love affair" of sorts with the iconic figure, and how it's affected my own life. As I've stated in a previous post, I've loved Superman since I was just a kid. My mother still has a storage trunk full of drawings I'd done as a child, most of them were drawings of superheroes, and in particular Superman. I played with the Mego Superman Action figure as a kid, just like the guy in the article, and still have quite a collection of Superman related memorabilia as you can see below.


















I've recently begun collecting the Adventures of Superman DVD box sets, Season 1 and Season 2 are now available. I've really enjoyed watching these episodes from the 50's TV series as it takes me back to my childhood, marveling at the exploits of the small screen superhero. I remember particulary, Summer afternoons at my grandparents house sitting on the floor watching these shows. And yes, they were definitely in reruns by the time I was watching them. ;)

Flash forward a few years to when I had this poster on my wall after the debut of the 1978 Superman movie. I still have fond memories, of seeing this with my father and my little brother. I can still remember the breathless anticipation standing in line for the movie.

Needless to say, I can relate to the writer in the article I mentioned at the top of the page, I'm looking forward to this new movie. I still think the new Superman is a bit young, and a bit scrawny, but I'm excited even still. Especially after having seen the latest trailer for the movie. It'll be great to see how the latest technological advances in film-making will translate to this new film.

The Complete MAD Magazine Cover Gallery Archive

I recently came across this incredible undertaking. It's a treasure trove of cover art from EVERY Mad Magazine ever published, from the debut issue to the most current. Some of these look familiar, I think I recognize them from when I was a kid and my mother said "no" everytime I asked for one, haha.

This is the cover from the 1952 premiere issue:

Joy can be found where you least expect it....

So today for lunch Michelle and I made home-made wraps with some low-carb tortillas, seasoned grilled chicken, lettuce and cheese. They were delicious!

Once I'd completed creating my wrap masterpiece, I grabbed the extra pieces of chicken that were left and put them on my plate with the handy tongs. As I was walking to the table, I glanced down at the plate and saw a word spelled out in the random chicken pieces that I'd just grabbed. Believe me, this was completely random, and completely by accident.

Well, see for yourself, I had to snap a picture....



















The moral of the story? Chicken wraps are a great lunch! And joy.....joy can be found in the most unlikely of places.

Area Of Design Featured Artist: Jeff Andrews

Recently I was chosen to be the featured artist on the website Area Of Design. A pretty good interview, be sure to check it out.

Area of Design is an organization that showcases established and emerging artists, designers, commercial firms, and non profit groups based in the United States.

AOD provides a forum for artists to express themselves and inspire others by encouraging, educating, and nurturing creative talent.

Their mission is to elevate the perception of American art and design to reflect the sophistication, individuality and passion of our creative base.

Click the image below to be directed to the interview.