Sunday, October 23, 2011

Go Blue - Fight for the Night - Beat the Irish

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It's been literally two years since I posted the original Go Blue design.  But the group planning the student pep rallies at the University of Michigan came back to me this fall and asked for a new design to reflect the rivalry with Notre Dame, to be lived out in the 2011 season.

The final design is above.  It does the following things:
• keeps within the same traditional feel and historic brand image as the first one
• pays heed to the new stadium renovation
• reflects the rivalry
• features the slogan "Fight for the Night" and the block M
• incorporates architectural details from another building on campus (the Martha Cook residence)
• portrays helmets true to form (the "winged" helmet of Michigan and the "gold dome" of Notre Dame should be recognizable to fans)
• uses fonts that are partly familiar and partly new

Again, I'm pleased to report the group was happy with the result.  And it didn't take me quite as many drafts this time around!

Hope to be back to blogging more soon.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Work, work

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Since I have last posted about work, I have worked a handful of contracts:  the Miami International Film Festival (twice! 2010 and 2011), Music from the Crooked Road: Mountain Music of Virginia Spring 2010 Tour, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and the MTV National Get Schooled tour they asked me not to post my affiliation with publicly (but hey, it's been a little while?).  Then I went back to the NCTA and witnessed the start of a new National Folk Festival in Nashville, TN.  It's been a busy two years!

I have realized it's difficult to write about relevant issues in the arts management world at the organizations you work, without compromising the privacy of internal affairs, or integrity of external reputation, even if your goal is to comment from the perspective of professional, objective observer rather than employee.  While I always have commentary in my head about how a place is run, I'm not confident it's my place to make it public.  And in some places, it's against my contract, as I've been asked to sign agreements prohibiting any unapproved, public self-publishing about the organization.

At any rate, I would like to continue blogging.  (Is there anyone still out there reading?)  It will have to focus more on design, aesthetic, and notes from the road.  I miss grad school dearly and though I am working in my field, am afraid my arts administration knowledge is waning from its peak.  Do all former students experience this?

Photo is taken from the back of a friend's motorcycle, as we drove past the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival sign, on the way to swim in a pond on a day off.  The Berkshires were sure a glorious place to work and spend a summer.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Megan Landfair, Harpist

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I'm pleased to announce the launch of my talented friend Megan Landfair's website (designed by yours truly!).

She wanted it to be simple, chic, mostly black and white, clean, and effective.  A place to send potential customers to learn more.

We added a hint of color to make it pop, with the overall message being "you're classy, you're getting married, you need to hire me!"

So if you've got a wedding or special event that calls for a harpist, she's your gal!  Honestly, you couldn't ask for someone more down to earth and accommodating to work with.

http://meganlandfair.com/