I have not blogged lately because I have been so busy! Busy with both Graphic Design projects and my new Aerial Cinematography business called Aerial 51 Studios www.aerial51studios.com. This business is really taking off, no pun intended 🙂
So last week I had the opportunity to attend the How Design Live Conference in Chicago and it was so inspiring. It is always nice to meet-up with other designer in the field, as well as talk to and see lectures from my design heroes, like Jim Krause and Aaron Draplin. It was well worth going just for that. These two designers are totally different, yet have so much to offer in the design world. Jim Krause has this brilliant way of breaking down type or color theory in terms that a kindergartener could understand it. I always ask myself after hearing his lecture, “That makes total sense… now why was I making that so complicated?”. I was excited to hear that he has a new book coming out this Fall on color. I still need to pick his one form last year about using type.
Aaron Draplin didn’t give a lecture, but he was there in complete with his Mom, who is the sweetest lady. Draplin setup one of this Draplin Design Co pop-mart stores and it immediately packed with 100s of designers who couldn’t wait to give him money for his cool art and swag. I can’t swing a flat-brimmed hat and I even bought one. The man is a talented designer and he is a big influence on my design and how I approach it. He took the time to give me and my colleague a pose for a selfie and giant bear hug.
The Conference was full of inspiration and new ideas and I even found a little time to do some stealth droning in the windy city.
I have always loved flying RC helicopters as a kid and in the last few years the small quadcopter. Last Spring I invested in a more expensive quadcopter with a pretty decent camera. I was instantly addicted. I passed my Part 107 Pilot test the second day it was released by the FAA. I even have had some paying jobs. I am refined my flying skills and been able to capture some awesome still pictures and video. In December I created my first Demo Reel.
I know there are mixed negative and positive feelings towards drones. I think the public is still getting used to them. Along with flying comes responsibility. If good practices are used, drones can be safe and very powerful tools.
I started a business called Aerial 51 Studios and there I have samples of some of the images I have captured, including my Reel. Please take a looks.
www.aerial51studios.com
Aerial Reel 2016 from Aerial 51 Studios on Vimeo.
I have designed to start drawing again after taking many years off. I feel like the computer is taking over and dictating how designs are coming out. Lately I have been keeping a sketchbook and sketching out random things and layouts and ideas before I even touch the mouse.
So my goal is to do one rough pencil sketch a week. It can be anything that interests me at the moment. Most likely it will do a lot of marine life from things that I ahem seen in the underwater world, but who know. For this week I just finished a nudibranch, which is basically a sea slug. My reference was from a photo I had taken in the Maldives last year. Who knows, maybe my next one will be in color.
Hoping to improve me technique over time with practice.
Today is the first day for the HOW Design Conference in Atlanta. The classes today were okay. Kind of a different format than last year.. not sure which I like better. I think they are focusing more on helping people network, which is cool since I am not great at that. I met some new designer friends today from all different areas and companies. Unfortunately, half of their business cards spilled out of the binder I had them in somewhere and they are lost forever. So, if I met you today and you are reading this, please send me an email so that we can stay in touch. It’s alway nice to hear about what others are working on and maybe even bounce ideas of each other.
Tomorrow I am looking forward for a class with Jim Krause, one of my favorite modern day graphic designers and authors.
These water bottles, designed by Karim Rashid, are ingenious. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but it’s great a solution to cutting down on wasteful and unhealthy disposable water bottles. But best of all, you can build your own on their web site in the colors of your choice!
No designer should be without one of these trendy bottles. Build yours today and start sipping.
waterbobble.com
Wow, I just saw these playing cards … pretty cool! Not only do they have a large selection of cool card designs, they also teach you card tricks on the site. Prices range from inexpensive to very pricey. My favorite set is the Skull and Bone in black… of course, they are out of stock! Oh well. Check out http://dananddave.com so see these cool cards.
This year HOW Design Live will be held in Atlanta on May 19th – 23rd. Last year’s speakers may be hard to top, which included forward-looking speakers in design such as Karim Rashid and Tina Roth Eisenberg (a.k.a. swissmiss). However, the format looks interesting with some good practical workshops for designers. A personal designer and author idol of mine, Jim Krause returns and will be giving a hands on workshop. This class, “Just Shoot it“, he will give new ways to incorporate photography and videos into your projects.
I’m looking forward to attending this year to take advantage of the speakers and workshops. Check back in May for a recap on my experience at the show. Check out the web site for all the info.
