Break Time #26

Time sure does fly by when you're working. So to make up for lost time, I am doing a weeks worth of creative challenges. This is not going to be in a particular order, but whenever I find my notes. I hope this does not become a common trend. I am determined to make it through this book! I don't think I can keep up the daily entry though. There is just to much to do, and so little time after work.

Here is one entry: I had to create a game for the office. What is the greatest thing about being a designer? You get to use an Exacto knife all day! It's kind of like being an office hunter except the only thing you get to kill is a mock up! What a better game for releasing mid-day stress than Exacto Flinging!

Also known as "Fling the Blade" this game would be an office version of ax throwing. The rules are simple. The exacto has to be thrown end over end at the FoamBoard target. The target would have rings worth 1-3 points. There would be 2 categories. One with a handle, and the other without. If you are able to stick the blade in the FoamBoard without the handle, you win. That is just crazy that you can do that, so there is no point in trying to compete. (I've tried it, and I'm pretty sure it's can't be done.

Here is another entry: Adjust the rules of your favorite sport to make it faster, or more interesting. Whatever you wanted. I chose baseball. I love the sport, and the tradition of it, but there are a few things that need to change.

1. The batter can't call for time after every pitch. They have to be ready to hit at any second.
2. Add a rock between 2nd & 3rd. This makes players thing when running, and could cause interesting plays for the shortstop.
3.Make each player "play" for a charity. 50% of the salary goes to that charity. Make "playing" the game mean something.
4. Pitchers can manipulate 1 ball per inning using only spit, dirt, or materials found naturally on the field. This would cause amazing pitch action and cause better pitching to a star hitter.
5. After 3 consecutive foul balls on a #-2 count the batter strikes out.

This one is pretty juicy. I had to use 9 triangles and I looked at them from different viewpoints. The viewpoints are listed below the triangle.



This just might be my favorite one of the whole week.

Now, if you know anything about me, I have a history with lawn gnomes. I practically carried one around with me to major events my Sr. year of high school. All in an effort to be "that guy with the gnome." The title suited me, and I was fine with it. This awesome drawing is a re visioning of the lawn gnome. I created a character that looks like he would fit in with modern society. As you can see in the image itself, there are several amenities that the modern lawn gnome must have in order to stand in the grass.

The last task was to come up with 5 things I would want on my head if I didn't have hair.
1. A Bird's nest
2. Velvet hair (shout out to Seinfeld)
3. Small parking cones
4. Boars hair (so I could paint with my head)
5. A hat, which I wear everyday already.

Thus concludes my post. I feel like I am becoming more creative through these posts. I know my sketching has gotten a little better, but that is an added bonus. I wonder what number I'm up to really on these activities?

Break Time #25

So it has been awhile since I posted about my small window of creative time. This is not from a lack of trying, but the fact that I have been busy at work! Remember, I only do the activity if I have time. I'm not ignoring my job for an extended time to do this either. I get 10-15 minutes. I've been working on a lot of mock ups, and today the exacto blade wanted to make friends with my fingers. Needless to say, my fingers did not want a new friend.

I'm also behind on a couple of pages from the book, but I will get to those soon. One or 2 I can't post on here because they are physical activities, so I'll just let you know how they went.

Yesterday, I had to create a brainstorm chart for something that is in my general vicinity. I chose my ViewSonic monitor. The things that came out of my mind about this monitor are mean, angry, and violent. That is due to the fact that my monitor is one of those giant tube monitors. I can understand that it costs a good chunk of change to replace monitors, but there are times where this thing has nearly given me another hernia. Below is the chart. I picked out a word from each branch to write a sentence, and here is what I cam up with: I wish a Velociraptor would come destroy my heavy ViewSonic monitor.




That is my monitor when my computer decided to die one day. It turned out to be something with the power source gave out. It got fixed a few days later, but it was a pretty cool time at work those few days.

Today was a fun, and very challenging activity. I had to come up with an alternative counting source. This meant that I had to reimagine numbers and how to count. I couldn't use Roman numerals either. Sadly, I did not come up with anything during the breaks today. I tried to come up with systems based on 2's or 4's that might be easy to count or identify a single digit. The obstacle was Maybe it will hit me like a flash or inspiration one day and then I can update this post about it.

Introspection on sketching

This is a tough subject for me to write about. I cannot pretend that I’m excellent at sketching or that I should lecture you about it’s importance. I only came to realize that I need to force myself to sketch within the last year or so.

Sketching came to me like a mosquito. It was there, and I tried to ignore it as much as I could, but it finally bit me. I can’t tell you what my high school years in art were like because I didn’t think I would go into art then. I knew that I loved photography, and that I could maybe Photoshop and develop film for a career. Long story short, Harding changed my views on the world of graphic design from Photoshop wizards to people that control communication.

While at Harding, the professors encouraged us to sketch. They would want to see 50 sketches and to me, that was almost an insane amount of time and effort. Who really has time to sketch when you have lunch with friends, class at 2, hanging out, and trying to study until 2 am while your roommate blasts rock and terrible country music? I certainly didn’t, and honestly I think some of my early projects suffered from that. What I didn’t understand about sketching is that it’s not an exercise of completing an idea. It’s about cranking out a quick render so you have an idea on paper that you can visit later. For the last year and a half of school, I did sketch more of my ideas for projects and those help me better my work, but I still did not truly understand what I was doing.

Now, I’m still not saying that after a year removed from school, that I can sketch with the best of them, but I have greatly improved. There have been a couple of projects at work that I have had to create, and I forced myself to sketch before I committed. We have a set style of artwork, and it would have been easy to fall back on that, and recreate another logo, just with a different title. I thought and doodled, and came up with a logo that the boss loves. I’d like to show it off here, but I don’t know about the legality of it yet. Sketching for packaging has been very limited here. Most of the dielines have already been created, and we use rectangles and squares for most of the cards. When I do get the chance to create or change the dielines, I love to get creative. This does not entail creating packaging that can’t be produced because it’s too expensive, but creating pieces that help emphasize the product as all packaging should. Enough about work though.

I’ve had some freelance projects come my way, and have been flying through pages in the sketchbook. Taking the pen and book in my hands has been such a great pleasure this year. Here is the revelation of why I have had such a great time with it. The sketches do not matter. They are not seen by the client, unless purposefully shown, and it does not matter if you can’t draw a person’s face, or the line is not straight. All that matters with sketching is getting the idea out of your head so you can visit it later. Fill up a page with as many variations of something as you can, or move on to the next idea on the same page! It does not matter. Putting ink on the paper is important. I’ve heard that some of the great graphic designers do not sketch very well, or very much. This does not excuse me from not sketching, but it provides me with a bit of relief that if they can sort through ideas in their head, I can develop that skill too. I have also told myself not to scratch through anything. That might be one of the worst things to do to sketches. If it was a thought that you felt needed to be committed to paper, then it deserves a clean spot, and should stay there. It might be the best idea down the road.

I still work primarily on the computer though. I sketch, then translate the raw idea into Illustrator by scanning the idea and then developing it further. There are some documents I have that the whole thing is nothing but variations. I honestly could not accomplish that with a pen and paper. There are far to many effects, colors, and fonts that I cannot duplicate by hand. I wish I could work in the days of handmade comps, but if I did I might not be able to make it as a designer. I could adapt, but who knows. I’m just going to say that I am blessed to be in such a tech heavy time as a designer. It makes my job a lot easier, but I have to remember that I need to go back to the pen and paper to start.

Break Time #24

I had to make a list full of Million Dollar Ideas. I need that Million Dollars so you're not getting anything today.

Break Time #23

Today, I had to give my friend a piece of paper, have them squiggle on it, and then name a subject. My friend, Mitch, drew the squiggle in the middle of the stump, and said my subject was fishing. So I sharpened my trusty pencil and doodled away. I'm currently living in Louisiana, so hunting and fishing is all around me. So are Swamp people. Thank you Troy from Swamp People for some inspiration in today's doodle.

Break Time #22

The alphabet is all around me! I had to find or create letters in my immediate area. Brian Hodges and Brandon Griswold get some credit for providing me with letters from stuff I have on my wall.

Break Time #21

Have you ever sat down and thought about how you actually perform the most mundane of tasks? I tried thinking about how to put my belt together once, and I couldn't figure it out. To my credit, it was one of those loop through the ring belts, so those can be tricky. Here is how to tie your shoelaces in steps, in case you forgot.

1. Take one lace in each hand. Right hand will be Lace 1, and left hand will be Lace 2.
2. Bring hands together, and loop lace 1 under lace 2.
3. Pulls hands away from each other until the laces feel tight.
4. Place right index finger on crisscrossed laces firmly, and stick out right thumb.
5. Using left hand, loop lace 1 around right thumb and hold the loop created with pinched left index and thumb.
6. Hold loop in place and take finger off crisscross.
7. Grasp lace 2 with right hand and cross over the loop on the side closest to the toes.
8. In the hole created, push lace through with thumb.
9. Release the loop being held to grasp lace 2 coming through with left hand index and thumb.
10. Hold the first loop with right hand fingers while you pull the new loop out. DO NOT pull all the way through.
11. Make loops even in size.
12. Pull the loops away from each other until it feels tight on your foot.

Break Time #20

Being a packaging designer, today was a pretty fun task. I had to create a container that could allow an egg to survive a 2 story drop.

The concept is pretty simple. Create a container that will slow decent, and protect the egg. I added a bowl to the bottom that would be heavier than the top, so it would not flip. This would have a layer of silicone on the outside as a shock absorber.

The outside of the top container would be covered in TPE (the same stuff gummy Ipod covers are made with). That would be lined with bubble wrap on the inside, as well as filled with water. With the egg being in water, it would be floating at all times and help reduce some of the impact.

Break Time #19

I love making logos so today's challenge was quite intriguing. I had to create sports logos for "Hot Dog Eating, Trike Racing, Car washing, Painting, and Kite Flying. The thing about sports logos is they're so flashy and have 8.32 strokes per graphic, that they're kind of hard to draw. I gave it my best attempt for my 15 minutes, and think that I came up with some pretty cool ideas.

The trike logo would be a kid with a determined face, turning the wheel really sharply. This would just be a 1 color logo that would have high impact due to the posture, and the face the kid is making.

Painting would be a racing style logo. The three brushes would be close together as if coming together for a photo finish. The inspiration for this one is the NASCAR logo.

The Car Washing logo I worked on last, but it's pretty simple. It's just a bucket and a sponge in an action pose.

The kite flying logo would be very edgy, hard, and modern. The lines would indicate extreme motion and draw your eye upwards.



I think I would enjoy creating a Hot Dog Eating logo the most. I watched the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest this year, and that is one ridiculous contest. Each guy got an intro, and the announcer came up with the most ludicrous analogies for the guys eating. To see grown men, taking eating a bunch of hot dogs THAT seriously, is something I think my blend of modern style, and sarcastic humor could great benefit from.


This is just a 15 minute rendering of the icon for the Hot Dog Eating logo. I was thinking of using Rockwell for the font, but I would want to come up with something even more unique, fontwise, or just create my own font for it.

Break Time #18

I had to rename the days of the week. This was a pretty fun task. Some days I like more than others. There are also days that I wish were in a different place.

Reverence-day – This day should be one of going to church, resting, enjoying time with your family, or watching the football game. Anything to just have a relaxing day.
Awful-day – This day everyone is going to complain about anyway, so why not just make it aweful?
Work-day - This day, you actually get back today after spending all of Awful-day complaining about Awful-day, and talking about what you did on YouHaveToMuchToDo-day, and about how awesome your team was on Reverence-day.
Hump-day - Almost there to Finally-day
TvShow-day – This should be the day when the networks ALWAYS show their best tv shows. The networks should coordinate with the other networks and show their best rated shows back to back to back. Not everyone likes the same show, so they could skip the other networks show, like they do now. I don’t have a DVR, so sometimes I’m forced to pick between my favorite show and another favorite show. If the schedules were lined up, then I wouldn’t have to pick.
Finally-day – The end of the work week. Hooray!
YouHaveToMuchToDo-day – Yeah, you’re gonna get the mowing done, build that shelf, and watch the football game, all before 10 am. Pfftch, give me a break.

Break Time #16

As promised, I have made up for the lack of a #16. On friday, I had to create a robot out of stuff in my office and I did. Here's the proof!



If anyone is out there, give it a name and a story for me!

Break Time #17

Okay, so I'm going a little out of order. I was busy all weekend working on my new website so I did not blog #16. Also, my flash drive with the image is not here at the moment so the world will get the blog tomorrow.

Anyway, today, I got to make the ultimate desk! I have a pretty good desk at work. It is broad, and I can fit all of my clutter on it. It is just a bit to tall in relation to my chair though. My arm hurts at the end of the day because it is always resting against the side of the desk cutting into my arm. My solution to the problem would be for the desk to dip to the level of my chair. This would give me a level arm, and less troubles.

The desk would have a swivel shelf. This shelf could swivel any direction, including up and down. This would be useful for a monitor because you could reposition it depending on how you were sitting at the desk.

The leg area would be bowed providing more leg room and a unique design. The shelves on the right are for storage or foot rest. The keyboard shelf is able to swivel as well providing the right angle for the keyboard or Wacom pad.

If you can read my notes, more power to you. There are a few more details if you want to expolore them.