design project, We Compost Campaign in Chinese
When you have a great story to tell, it’s important to remember your audience might not always speak your own language. You need to talk to them in the language they understand.
I love creating design executions in foreign languages. Here’s an example of that, the traditional Chinese version of my We Compost advertisement in the Richmond Review, a San Francisco newspaper.
Here’s the english version:
We Compost campaign, English translation
design project, We Compost
The SF Environment Zero Waste team had a story to tell.
What does a coffee filter have to do with wine? It might seem to be non sequitur at first glance but we did want to get your attention by inviting that question. Upon a closer look the story is revealed: Your food scraps and discarded paper become the compost that is used in the vineyards of the Bay Area, and wonderful wine is the product of that cycle.
San Francisco has some of the purest compost around and it’s because of our broad public participation rates. We created this campaign to remind everyone they can play a part in the city’s Zero Waste success story. Separate your unconsumed food and send it back to the earth to grow more food.
Here are some more variations on that theme, these designs were published in the San Francisco neighborhood newspaper, the Richmond Review.
We compost campaign, 2012
We compost campaign, 2012
when you see your design out in the world…
…there’s always a little thrill when you see your design out in the world. And it’s especially gratifying when you know your design has the potential to make some positive impact. Our campaign focused on a neighborhood in San Francisco, the Richmond, with the aim to remind people why composting is such a simple and yet incredible idea. Check out our website to find out more about composting, and all the benefits that derive from doing it. Use the green bin!
logo design
Logo for Commute Smart Program, an initiative of SF Environment
SF Environment had a story to tell.
Here’s a logo I designed for the Commute Smart Program sponsored by SF Environment. From public transit to pedal power, we’re all about taking cars off the roads and have some programs designed support commuters of all kinds.
event photography, press conference at the Blue Greenway
press conference at the Blue Greenway, Hunters Point, San Francsico
The community turned out to show their support for the Hunters Point community and the Blue Greenway project. The EPA presented two grants at a press conference held at India Basin Shoreline Park. $400,000 was awarded to SF Environment for Site Assessments and the Hunters Point Family received $200,000 in grant funding for job training.
SF Environment and the Blue Greenway, a set on Flickr.
work for 23andMe, retouching stills for Muhammad Ali video, “Give Me Your Hand”
I am so proud to have been part of this incredible project. Genetic research company 23andMe is taking the fight against Parkinson’s Disease to a new level, and have partnered with none other than Muhammad Ali and his wife Lonnie, to do it. You’ll find an inspirational video after the jump. For this video, I created the vintage effects on all of the still photos. My colleague and friend Elliott Kennerson wrote, filmed and directed the work. It’s a beautiful piece, and I encourage you to view it. And if you’re so moved, I encourage you to find out how you can get involved in the fight against Parkinson’s Disease, as well.
Video produced by 23andMe and Elliott Kennerson/Boze Angeles Productions. Photos courtesy of Michael Gaffney, author of The Champ: My Year with Muhammad Ali.
forming roots in the green community as a member of the EcoTuesday Meetup group
Starting with my discovery of gardening and cooking a few years ago, hobbies which quickly have become my new passions, I began to learn more about farming and the importance of implementing sustainable practices in order to keep our environment clean and our food supply safe. As a natural consequence, my interest and curiosity expanded beyond my own back yard; now I’m passionate about learning more about environmentalism and sustainable practice as it impacts every aspect of our lives. I’m passionate about living green! And in that spirit, I’ve resolved this year to deepen my involvement in the green community and to meet others with similar passions.
That’s why I joined EcoTuesday as a member, and I look forward to becoming a regular participant in their events.
What is EcoTuesday? Put simply, it’s a monthly networking event for professionals of any field with an interest in sustainability and living green. You can find out more by following this link. I love that while everyone shares this abiding passion for the environment, the group encompasses people of all walks of life, approaching green issues from any and all angles. From chemists to venture capitalists, from marketers to construction workers (and graphic designers like me) you could meet anyone at these events, and the synergy that erupts from that is an exciting thing. When people create and build bridges, good things happen. And there are lots of good people at these events.
Tonight was no exception. It was the 5-Year anniversary party for EcoTuesday and the event was held at the Bently Reserve in the Financial District of San Francisco. And I met some cool people. Among them:
- An entrepreneur and foodie, in the process of getting investors for a business incubator. Her goal, a commercial kitchen that could be shared by any number of home cooks who want to make a business of their passion but don’t have a lot of start-up capital. It’s a dream of building an economy of scale and sharing resources so that talented people can make a start in a challenging economy with minimal risk.
- A chemist, ready to start researching ways to use chemistry to improve consumer products by finding replacements for toxins used in the manufacturing process, and finding ways to reuse waste and trash by transforming it chemically.
- The makers of Mamma Chia, an organic beverage made from the chia seed.
- Organizers of the Green Film Festival, the Bay Area’s only festival dedicated to films and new forms of media that explore green issues and sustainable living.
- My buddy T who represents Dharma, a green credit card processing company during the week and farms on the weekend, in Petaluma!
It was a great night, with a great speaker, Brian Back, of Sustainable Industries Magazine who provided great insight as to how the playing field is changing for corporations and small businesses, encouraging us to find new approaches to innovation through creative partnerships with one another. I look forward to going to more of these events, learning more about sustainability and environmentalism and above all, I look forward to making new, green friends.
my graphic design work for green civil engineering firm, engutopia
Green Civil Engineer Timothy Smith had a story to tell.
Having worked as an engineer for several years, Tim decided to start his own consulting firm, one that would specialize in providing the green approach.
The name engutopia was inspired by his abiding passion, the desire to make the world a better place coupled with the staunch belief that this can be accomplished without compromising environmental concerns.
engineering + utopia = engutopia
logo by Mark Nicholas Design for green civil engineering firm, Engutopia
Building this logo I wanted to preserve the duality inherent in the business name. Hence the gray of engineering meeting the green found in utopia.
The symbol floating above not only contains a stylized leaf in the shape of a stylized “e”, it is meant to evoke the image of a planet, floating in the air. Our planet, made better through smart planning coupled with stewardship of the environment.
Here are the business cards that I created for the company.
business card design by Mark Nicholas for green civil engineering firm, engutopia
Business card design by Mark Nicholas for green civil engineering firm, engutopia
Graphic Design Project: Thirteen Palms
thirteenpalms.com logo design
Thirteen Palms had a story to tell. Having recently undergone a complete remodel by the owners, the resort had been reborn, transformed into an oasis in the desert, luxury vacation rentals in Palm Springs finished with a contemporary Mexican design flair.
This called for a new image, and they called on me for print and web collateral to spread the word. Visit their website for more information: Thirteenpalms.com
thirteen palms business card, front
thirteen palms business card, back
thirteen palms, email signature
thirteenpalms.com banner ad for the web
thirteen palms promotional card, front
thirteen palms promotional card, back
thirteen palms stationary/letterhead
thirteen palms fax cover sheet
sfenvironment.org: Our City’s Programs: Zero Waste: Composting
One of the things we love about our city, San Francisco, is our reverence for the environment and the food supply that sustains us. Check out this link to find out what the city is doing to not only reduce the waste going to landfills but also, to repurpose food waste as the compost that makes our soil among the best in the world. Find out what you can do to help by following this link from sfenvironment.org: our citys programs: Zero Waste: Composting.
my event photography: Henry Wine Group, Tasting at Carneros Inn
The Henry Wine Group had a story to tell.
Celebrating great wine in a beautiful setting, the HWG brought together top wine makers for an event tasting at the gorgeous Carneros Inn. They asked me to photograph the event for them. This is the story of the makers, the consumers and above all, the wine.
Henry Wine Group, Tasting at Carneros Inn, a set on Flickr.
Client work: Game graphics, fish vs. octopus
Client work: Game graphics
This client had a story to tell, and it was a tale of fish vs. octopus!
evil octopus monarch, character design for game graphic
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screenshot of the matching game created with the fish and octopus graphics
client work: game graphics, justin bieber avatar
sketch inspired by pixar’s ratatouille
One of many rough sketches I rendered as a contractor for LeapFrog, ca. 2006. My task was to create rough layout drawings which would define the various pages of their Ratatouille LeapPad.
pencil sketch inspired by scene from the Pixar movie, "Ratatouille"
dharma talks | Insights, inspiration and information from your friends at Dharma Merchant Services
Perhaps you, like me, are concerned about the high levels of toxicity in our environment. And perhaps you, like me, have no idea what one person can do in the face of such an omnipresent problem. The article below, from Dharma Talks, provides some useful advice in this regard and reinforces the idea that if each one of us starts by (gradually) making simple changes at home, the long-term effect will be great, and you’ll have detoxified your life. Don’t forget to leave your own tips in the comments section at the bottom of the blog post!
Winning Green America’s “Green Business Leader of the Year” award in 2009 set us on a mission to constantly try to expand the ways in which we learn to reduce our footprint and support our community.
FOLLOW THIS LINK FOR THE FULL ARTICLE:
via dharma talks | Insights, inspiration and information from your friends at Dharma Merchant Services.
monday figure drawing workshop, theme: “batgirl”
Tonight I attended a figure drawing workshop, and really enjoyed it. The workshop is intended for animators so the models pose in costume- tonight’s theme was Batgirl. The poses are short in duration and dynamic, changing every one, three, or five minutes, so the emphasis lies more on speed and on capturing the ‘gesture’ of a movement, rather than on drawing a realistic, representational portrait. Capturing the ‘attitude’ of the character, ‘pushing’ the pose and, perhaps creating a little story with one’s drawing, are very much encouraged.
some '5 minute' sketches from tonight's figure drawing workshop for animators
