Designing a Multi-Million Dollar Franchise

Since I've already admitted that I typically choose my wine based on the label design—it shouldn't be too shocking then to learn that I also choose books by their covers.

That is why, long before I had ever heard of the Twilight Saga, I had noticed the Twilight Saga. How could I not—with a quartet of cover designs whose presence on bookshelves demanded to be noticed?

From what I can gather via Google, the covers were designed by Stephanie Meyer's publisher. I can make up my own symbolic meaning for each cover, but what really drew me in before having read them, was their elegant and strikingly beautiful imagery, and sophisticated simplicity. (Post-reading, I now think that the covers are a little bit more sophisticated and mature than the story and its audience.)

Harvard Lampoon gets kudos for their parody adaptation Nightlite (for the cover– the story was bunk), but I'm inclined to think that redesigning classics, such as Wuthering Heights (and stamping "Bella and Edward's Favorite Book" on the cover), in order to tap into the Twilight franchise is going a bit far—though I suppose if it gets tweens reading Brontë, I may be inclined to look the other way.
I didn't intend to spiral into a Twilight rant. What I meant to point out was how good design can strengthen shelf presence. Take the works of Jen Lancaster. I originally picked up her first book, Bitter is the New Black because I liked the title. Later I checked out Pretty in Plaid because there was argyle socks on the cover. Neither of these decisions had anything to do with knowing the story or the author. But because they had fun covers, I choose them over dozens of other books on my List. Luckily, they were both great reads, and the rest of Jen Lancaster's novels have been added to my "To-Read List". One clever cover and she gained a reader for life.

This extends beyond books to all packaging in general. From soda cans to electronics. I mean, who doesn't prefer an Apple store to Best Buy? But that's an entirely different rant...
Oh, and in case you live under a rock, Eclipse hit theaters today.

Wining about Logos

I spent my weekend touring wineries in the Southwest/St. Joseph region of West Michigan. I'm not too proud to admit that my less than refined palette most often chooses wines based on creative names and label design.

Of the five wineries I visited this weekend, all of which had tasty wine, my favorite logo design award goes to Round Barn in Baroda. The look translated to their charming interior decor as well (though less successfully to their website).

They also have a "sister" winery (run by the family's sons), Free Run Cellars, and a brand of distilled vodka, DiVine Vodka, both of which have inoffensive logo marks!

Oh and if you're curious, my bottle of choice was the Redel Doux—a VERY sweet red.

Skulls Unleashed

At the 2009 HOW Design Conference in Austin, Texas, I sat in on Noah Scalin's session Making A Living as a Socially Conscious Designer. And that's exactly what Noah and the staff at Another Limited Rebellion in Richmond, Virginia do—rather than choosing clients based on who has the biggest pocketbook, they choose clients who have a greater positive impact on their community. It's quite commendable.

But that's not what I'm going to write about today.

Instead, I'm going to talk about skulls. Not in a fascinated by death manner. Nor in a "I keep dreaming about Johnny Depp dancing around skulls in an underwater cave" guise. But instead, out of admiration for a brilliant creative challenge.

Noah Scalin is the creator (and accidental mastermind) behind skulladay.com. On June 4, 2007 Noah cut a skull out of orange paper, posted in online and wrote, "I'm making a skull image every day for a year." And he did.

He had no real reason to do this. But he also had no good reason not to. And people loved it. Strangers were inspired and began sending him skulls they had made. It was 2 years later when I first heard about the project, and I too was inspired.

Along with 11 of my colleagues at Reagan Marketing + Design, LLC, we set out on our own year-long challenge that we dubbed Weekminds. Each artist chose an item* and, for 52 weeks, were set with the task of making an image of that object. Today marks Week 51 of our 52 committed weeks. Preparations are being made for year two—stay tuned for more details.

In 2008, a book was released, SKULLS, showcasing 150 of Noah's skulls. The original 365 can be viewed on skulladay.com along with all the Bonus Skulls that have transpired since.

*I choose a monkey because I opened a dictionary and pointed at the word kinkajou. And a kinkajou is kinda like a nocturnal monkey. Which really also kinda describes me.

Giggling Down the Aisle

This past Memorial Day, one of my best good friends got married. She was a beautiful bride and I'm happy to announce, the term bridezilla did not apply. I didn't figure it would, which is why when she asked me to help her create her wedding invites last fall, I said "Of course!!" (with both exclamation points). And being the congenial bride that she was, when I asked if I could screen print her invites, she replied "Ok!!!" (the third exclamation point was implied).

I had never screen printed before, which meant that I had just promised something I wasn't entirely sure I could do. But it was almost Christmas time, and as I was behind on my Holiday correspondence, I had the perfect test subject.

With the successful test behind me, I moved forward with the wedding invitations. I ended up hand-printing 270 sheets, each with two pieces per sheet. Having no means of drying them, my house became littered with printed swirls. (Which isn't a problem, until you throw in a curious cat.)

The bride paired the cards with envelopes from Wausau Astrobrights. As a fun surprise, on the RSVP envelopes she used The Simpsons stamps. And just to prove that she was a convivial bride, she took my (only half serious) suggestion and put Little Miss Giggles and Mr. Mischief
on top of the cake.

I wish the happy couple years of smiles and lots of cake.

Walla Wallas* on my Weekend

There's no better way of seeing Chihuly's glass works than in beautiful surroundings, against a brilliant blue sky. Saturday at the gardens, the grass was green and the sky couldn't be any bluer.

The Chihuly exhibition "A New Eden" runs until September 30th at Frederik Meijer Gardens. I advise you to check the weather and then then check it out.

*The Walla Wallas are floating in Hekman Pond at the Gardens, right-side bottom.

A Double Down I'm Down With


Like many Americans, I was both fascinated and disgusted when KFC introduced the Double Down* in April. (Ironically, it appeared on the menu the same week I gave up meat—which has been a touch and go battle).

To be fair, the sandwich is supposedly only 540 calories, while a Big Mac comes in at 576, it's more the concept of meat sandwiching meat that weirds me out. Sounds like a greasy, cheesy mess.

But that's all beside the point.

While "reviews" of the sandwich cycled through the news feeds and comedic parodies littered late-night, it was my good friend Mere that found true inspiration in the heart-stopping beast. Meet the stuffed Double Down—hand-crafted finger-lickin' fun. Made from felt and fiberfill, it's a beautiful treat that won't make vegetarians cry.

This isn't Mere's first diet-friendly creation. See more on etsy!


More greasy reading: We Eat the KFC Double Down and Live to Tell About it...
* The Double Down consists of two fried chicken breasts sandwiching a couple slices of bacon, some cheese, and the Colonel's Sauce.

Between Fun and Functional, I'll Take Fun

I'm a big believer in accessories as conversation starters—which is why when I stumbled across these "Fashion Sun Glasses" at Century Antiques* a day before I was to walk in a wedding, I knew they were conversation gold.

It was less than two weeks later that "Sunglasses Inspired by Vintage Vision" ran in the Grand Rapids Press. Apparently Char Jewell, who resurrected these glasses from storage in Lansing, used them as her ticket to the Ellen Degeneres Show. That's one golden ticket.

Understandably. Because sunglasses with built in earrings? That's not crazy, Ellen, that's practical.

While they are now manufacturing new prints and styles, I'm pleased to say mine are pure vintage, even if their actual glare prevention/UV is basically worthless. One of the "earrings" even has the original Je-Dol Lansing, Michigan sticker on it (score).

I got my pair for $10 at Century (megascore). You can pre-order a new pair for $15 by emailing charjewell@comcast.net. Or you can pay $125 for them on this site!

Regardless of cost, we had a lot of fun at the wedding.


*Century Antiques is one of my favorite local antique stores in Grand Rapids, on Century, right by Founders Brewery. Surely they will be mentioned again.

Grand Rapids Chalk Flood 2010

Another beautiful day to be a Rapidian! I missed last years Chalk Flood, so I was excited to get to color a square this year. But be careful or the Press will post unflattering pics of you!

My Life List: Letting the Details Define Me

The summer following my freshman year of college, I created a life list containing 49 items—as my favorite number is 7, but 7 is a low number, and 7 * 7 = 49. (Really, this stuff always makes sense in my head).

The list was compiled it into an eccentric scrapbook. Each page was laid out by hand with a space left for a photo to be added once the task was completed. The cover simply states "Let the Details Define You" and the back cover is littered with phrases from the book, Remember Be Here Now which I recall reading in high school following a unit on Siddhartha.

I retrieved the book from the back of a closet the other day, and was immediately struck with the amount of detail and time I put into assembling it. The book itself is a bound collection of sewn pages, each with its own charms and eccentricities. Things were hand drawn with pencil, crayolas, pastels; fabric was sewn in; endless amounts of paper and photos collaged together; tinfoil utilized in more than one manner; postcards, ink, paint, bingo chips. Every page-turn is a new wonder.

It's the ultimate heartfelt project of a teenager who loved to design. Who in her spare time, spent countless hours experimenting with materials and processes. Who made scrapbooks for events that hadn't even happened yet. It reminded me of all the reasons that I became a designer, and showed me that I always was one.

Sure there are several items on the list that I no longer have any interest in completing. Learn to golf? Be on a bowling team? For a 19 year old, I certainly had some odd ambitions. I can't bring myself to remove or change these pages however, as it would be a violation of the book. And I still feel a strong inclination to complete these tasks, because at one point in my life, doing so obviously meant a lot to me.

Mostly though, the book reminded me that it's important to step away from the computer, to try new things, experiment, and to not just be, but be alive.

fivefeettall Freelancing Full Time

When I decided to freelance full time, I knew it was important to have a means of sharing my creative exploits. So I turned to blogger as the appropriate medium to keep me connected. I invite each of you to leave your feedback, whether you agree or disagree. Everything I post here is based on my opinion and personal preferences. It is my hope that in sharing the misguided triumphs of my day-to-day life, I can prompt creative conversation and idea sharing.

So to my old friends, it's good to see you, and to my new, it's nice to have you along for this experiment. As always, I can be found at www.fivefeettall.com, where you will soon see updates and changes as well.

In the meantime, I'll be here, designing.