I have the opportunity a couple times a year to develop Trade show booths. This post will track the progress of one I am working on right now. Below is the concept Sketch.

From the sketch my vendor was able to create a 3D rendering of the components

Next steps will be getting final approval and then applying the actual creative.

This is a logo I’ve developed for Bulward. It was a labor of love trying to match my client’s vision but I think in the end it came together.

This is a poster I designed for the upcoming season of the Davis Arts Council concert series.

Anyone who knew me growing up knows that I cut my artistic teeth drawing my spots heroes. My College Education kind of cured me of that and made me realize I needed to broaden my artistic horizon so it has probably been 10 years since I last put pencil to paper and actually did a sports related picture. Thanks to some great friends I was able to witness three amazing University of Utah football games this past season and see firsthand a special team who’s desire to win may have superseded their actual God-given ability. After watching them win their last home game of the season I had the desire to pay tribute to them in an illustration. The piece is 15 x 20 on BFK Rives and done in Prismacolor then scanned with the text added digitally. I am hoping to do a limited edition run of 12 x 12 prints – perfect for framing. The cost is $10 per print plus shipping if applicable.

UPDATE: I now have an online purchasing portal via PayPal. If anyone is still interested in ordering please click here. I have a limited number of prints remaining. Posted Price there includes postage.

Pictured are Brian Johnson, Matt Asiata and Freddie Brown.

Tribute to the University of Utah 2008 Football Team

We had a client call up and have us design three signs for him to take to the Jazz Game tonight. It was really random but gave me a chance to do something I have always wanted to do – design a stupid sign for a Jazz Game – and get paid for it! I did this quick caricature of Tracy McGrady for one of the signs. It would only come out if the Jazz win so hopefully they win and we all get some ESPN facetime – Go Jazz!

UPDATE: A photo of our signs was taken by an AP photographer and posted on ESPN.com

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/photos?photoId=1928595&gameId=280502026

These quotes are from Brian Walker, CEO of Herman Miller a company often looked up to for their visionary commitment to innovation in design:

They are unique in that they outsource a lot of their creative development, his response to why:

“The drive for us is our commitment to new ideas and solutions. Our external network ensures that we are always taking a fresh look at problems faced by our customers without subjecting it to our own filters. This approach has it’s challenges but it often leads to the best ideas and breakthroughs.”

He also gave these words of advice when outsourcing creative:

“What we’ve learned is to have a willingness to follow and give ourselves over to these designers – not loose ourselves, but be open to following them to places that we may question in the beginning…We try to follow them without judging them too quickly.”

His definition of success:

“It’s easy on some ways to come up with great designs that have no commercial value, but to have great design that solves real problems and creates commercial value, that’s where genius comes in.”

“Solving problems is where our design work begins.”

@ISSUE magazine, Vol 12, no. 1 p. 2

We have the opportunity again this year to work with the Davis Arts Council. We are currently concepting the look and feel for the upcoming summer season. Below is a concept I developed for them. It was a lot of fun to do. After a very hectic week of deadlines it was nice to take a few hours and just have fun creatively.

I found this quote this week at a time when I really needed it’s message:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

— Teddy Roosevelt

I wish I had more time to write my commentary on this subject but it’s late and I don’t. I did want to remember this link when the times comes to throw my thoughts into the ring. Thanks to Erik DeWall for sending me the link.

http://enthree.com/files/random/web2logos/

FORTHGEAR has had a banner year in trade show and large format product design and production. We have a tremendous vendor relationship which gives us a lot of confidence to be able to sell, design and priduce some pretty great trade show products. The booth below is one we designed and produced this past fall. It includes the first custom table we have designed.