Recently finished this design for a client. I bet you have some stories; the more entertaining and/or embarrassing the better. Share! Share!!!
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Health Literacy Wisconsin
April 7, 2010 – 6:27 pm
The careful handling of sharp objects.
April 5, 2010 – 3:16 pm
Lynn Van Airsdale is a Madison area Acupuncturist. I had the pleasure of working with her to create her new logo and website. Lynn felt strongly about having a star in her logo to represent the five elements. I pondered how to make a star, used for varying purposes, specific to acupuncture. I e-mailed Lynn and asked her what she thought on composing the star with the needles themselves. She liked it! She brought some over and I laid them out (very carefully!) and photographed them at my kitchen table. The logo was born. I look forward to seeing her soon for an acupuncture session of my own. I’m going to let her handle the needles this time!
Grün – where has my umlaut gone?
March 26, 2010 – 1:24 pm
Oh, how I love this image from a German Company that makes logos and interior decor out of grass! I guess Mother Nature already has the exterior part…well, covered. And of course, as a Grunniwaldt, I have an extra affection for it. There was a time I thought of changing my re-interpreted name (via Ellis Island, perhaps?) back to the authentic Grünwald. Then I thought about those occasions in which I’d need to spell my name for people. Likely I’d end up explaining what keys one would have to hold down to produce it on a American keyboard, after determining if they are working on a mac or pc. Nope, I don’t think America is very umlaut-friendly in that respect. Ah, well. Lovely logo!!!
Facebook Photo from 1935
December 17, 2009 – 11:12 am
Kris & I attended a photography exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum and we came upon this photo, taken in the 1930s.
And I said “If they had facebook back then, that definitely would have been her profile pic.” Lady behind us tells us she was thinking the same thing.
Irreverance and the Art Lovers
December 14, 2009 – 3:36 pm
Alternate Title: When facebook was the hallway of the family estate/castle
I attended The Louvre and the Masterpiece exhibit at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts this past Saturday. I had the BEST company. 3 of my friends and I wandered through the three rooms that made up the exhibit. The second room featured some original art contrasted with fakes and later reproductions. Kris announces her desire to become the next Frederic Spitzer, middleman between fakers and collectors.
I look closely at Vermeer’s “The Astronomer” with interest since we are using many of his techniques in the painting class I am currently enrolled in. 
Then I can’t help but notice he looks a little like Jay of “Jay & Silent Bob” fame.
As I enter the next room, Kris and Laurie refer to the large painting in the center of the room, featuring fire, brimstone and the kingdom of Satan. “That painter has the soul of a commercial artist” they say. “If he were alive today that would definitely be the cover of a metal album.”
I gaze at the beautiful Ingrés portrait of the handsome Duc d’Orleans. He was beloved of his people and I dare say I would have had a crush on this benevelent Duke had I shared the earth with him at the same time.
Kris says muttonchops came into fashion in America about 10 years or so after Ingrés painted this piece, and for this we can thank the French. Perhaps we Americans always looked to France for the latest fashions, far before Fashion Week became an institution. I note that were he wearing different clothes, he’d look sort of indie. Kris says, “yeah, like a fourth Avett Brother.”
Kris and Laurie start laughing at a stone carving of an animal, not being able to tell if it’s a monkey or lion. Monkey-Lion. That’s funny, much like a Liger. They get the stink-eye from one of the security people. They pipe down, but really, isn’t laughter as valid an experience as wandering around attached to headphones? I love art. I make it too and I think perhaps we are just too reverent at times. Let’s enjoy it and poke fun at it as if it’s any other part of our entertainment culture. Okay?
I did NOT design this…
September 4, 2009 – 10:27 am
Twitter wouldn't use comic sans.
And I doubt twitter is going to hire from a recruiter using comic sans. Comic Sans? The large movement of individuals lambasting this font has grown beyond the design community. Sure, comic sans has it’s place but too few people are clear on what that place is. Are you a comic book artist? Are you making a sign for your day care? Comic sans might be a good choice. Wouldn’t be my choice in the latter but it is at least appropriate. I’ve seen this font used in too many flyers and e-mails where one is trying to convey a professional image. Perhaps they mean to imply that they’re professional yet fun but there are other ways to do this. If you’re not sure how, hire a designer.
Comic sans was designed by Vincent Connare. This article about his oft-villified font details the complicated relationship so many of us have with its usage. Though it is ubiquitous, sadly Vincent sees none of the profit. It belongs to Microsoft. Though misuses abound, I really enjoyed the anecdote about a woman who wrote a break-up note in comic sans to soften the blow. Don’t know how well that worked but I have to give her points for careful font consideration! Hopefully her ex-boyfriend was not a designer…though perhaps if he was, he might have been happy to be rid of a comic sans user!