Incombustible Design

Tales of the Sunday Monkey

2007-01-08T01:35:00.000-08:00

I have this theory called "Sunday Monkey." It came about during my last days at design school.

Picture this: Our intrepid designer, Sarah, is finishing her portfolio and preparing to graduate from college. She is working 30 hours a week at a regular job to boot. She is stressed to the max and trying to come up with a solution to a tough design project. It's Sunday, and the project is due mid-week.

Time is ticking away... Her graduation is dependent upon completing the project.

She is feeling tired, and less than creative. Frustrated, she takes a break from her project and plays around with her new circle cutter. There's a green file folder on the table, and she soon finds herself immersed in playful creativity-- cutting circles here and there until, Voila! The monkey appears to her! She hangs it on the wall proudly-- a neat monkey icon made from circles and rectangles.

She feels a sense of renewed creativity and goes back to her other project with gusto-- finishing on time.
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The monkey was similar to a Eureka moment, except instead of finding the solution to the problem I thought I was working on, I found the solution to my underlying problem-- burnout and stress. This is a very simple experience that has helped me immensely in my work life. Sometimes, we just need to take a break, re-frame our perspective, and see if that mountain is really just a mole hill.

A good example of what I WON'T do for you.

2006-10-30T00:02:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this today. Please don't let bad design happen to you!

2006-09-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

Another recent project was a logo re-design for Spinergy Arts, a Seattle Area fire dancing troup.

2006-09-22T00:20:00.000-07:00

Now that I have this blog up and running, I am beginning designs for a new logo and website. In the meantime, I thought it would be good to post some of my recent work here as a temporary portfolio.

Note: You can click on any of these images to see a larger version.

My most recent project was pro-bono work for the Seattle Memorial Temple Project a.k.a. the Temple of Light.

The first step was to create an icon. This was done before we were completely sure what the temple would look like, but I was given some good conceptual art to work with, and made a "likeness" for the icon (pictured top left is the button design that features the icon).

Fliers were created for a project fundraiser that was highly successful. Badges were also created to distinguish temple crew members during public events.

The temple was completed in July 2006 and stood at Seattle Center for three weeks. It was then transported to the Burning Man Art Festival, where it stood for a week before being burned.

Getting Organized

2006-09-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been meaning to start a blog and revamp my freelance design business for a while. Now that I am finished with the Seattle Memorial Temple Project, and the Northwest Fire Conclave's yearly performance, I'm off and running with time and ideas. Check back soon for updates and a whole new website and identity!