Packaging on the Web.

Some of my graduate work in packaging design at Portfolio Center was chosen to be included in an article on The Dieline. This design blog discusses the good, bad, and the ugly in the world of packaging design. They looked to Portfolio Center for some of the good, and found plenty.

Check out the site and click on 'Student Work' in the sidebar to read the article.

MasonBaronet is looking for Interns.

Intern Poster
Originally uploaded by jtpuck

So the Art Directors each designed 2-color posters that were silk-screened and sent out to schools in the area and around the state. I'll be sending some to Portfolio Center today as well. Perhaps they'll be someone from the Dallas/Fort Worth area that might be interested in taking a quarter off to come intern with us. It'll be cool. We have a lot of fun. So if you know of anybody who might be interested, let me know.

The biggest challenge was having fun with the headline "Prepare for a Sketchy Career." Obviously, I wanted to have some fun with the line and offer a positive view on how a career can be based on the love of sketching & creating ideas. That's the kind of person we're looking for. The Account team here was hesitant that it might turn away people who think we're calling our industry 'sketchy.' I said, it is sketchy, we have 3 electronic pencil sharpeners in our office, 2 handhelds, 14 drawing pads, and over 100 small sketch books! Plus, we're looking for creative interns, not account management interns.

Now if the printer had only gotten the color right...it ended up being almost fluorescent.

One Open Locker

One Open Locker
Originally uploaded by jtpuck

So I've been doing some traveling lately (and will actually continue to do some more next month). I had a surprise invite to New Orleans for a photo shoot on one of my projects. Sounds flashy, but it wasn't some Victoria's Secret lingerie shoot with hot models and even hotter studio lights. Nope. It was for a concrete manufacturing client of ours that is developing some hot concrete structures & homes for rebuilding in the Gulf Coast region. I was sent with photographer Rick Rodriguez to art direct the pouring & installation of the materials in the hot hot heat. It was still great to be out of the office and work on-site with a photographer.

Secondly, Lyndsey, Ian, and I took a trip back to the valley for my High School 10-year reunion. Hard to believe it's actually been that long. We toured the school, chatted with some of our old teachers, went on a dolphin watch on the same boat we took our graduating class picture on, and had dinner with 40 of my classmates catching up on everyone's history.

It was really great to see everyone, listen to their stories, and see their families. Surprisingly, there were 2 other graphic designers. Ben Jenkins, who's also a printer, and Trent Schulze, who does primarily motion graphics. If the three of us got together, we'd have quite a studio on our hands .

Probably the most surprising, was this lone locker left open in the hallways of our school. Back in our day, there might have been one locker actually closed. We were a fairly open group that respected each other's property. If a locker was closed, chances are there was a Discman, or some other personal property worth some cash. I mean, who would steal my Calculus book, really? Today, these kids are probably hiding their dime bags of weed, or $300 iPods. Funny how things have changed.

Everydaypuck Simpson

Everydaypuck Simpson
Originally uploaded by jtpuck

This is probably one of the greatest marketing ploys in the history of marketing ploys. Everyone has always wondered what it would be like to be a Simpson's character, or at least to see what they would look like as any animated character. The array of characters on the show is greater than anything in animation history, so I'm glad to finally be a part of it.

Create your Simpsons avatar here

Summer Falls.

Closing Time.

The Walk-through.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck

Tomorrow we close on our first new home. It's been a long time coming since we signed a contract in January and they poured the concrete slab in March. With just a couple more things left to complete next week, Lyndsey and I finally get to move out of her parent's house and get back on track with living on our own. Now I can catch up on some thank you notes from Ian's birthday, unpack my design notes from 6th quarter, give my closet clothes some breathing room, eat a home-cooked meal from Lyndsey, sleep in my own bed...

Up for Air.

Needless to say, the past two months have been quite intense.

With the completion of a large website for a consulting company, a 6-piece pocket folder set & 2 sets of trade show booth graphics for a technology company, an 8-page brochure for a law firm, a pre-show direct mail piece & powerpoint presentation template for a financial company, in addition to some other minor project checkpoints and updates, I finally had a chance to enjoy a moment of relief. I did drive through a hail storm last week and crawl into a closet with Ian and Lyndsey when the Tornado Warning sirens went off last night. Of course, in the world of design, just when you think there's time to breathe, something else gets launched. Another big project. Another opportunity to output some exciting creative work. Guess it's time to dive in.

Swingin' Ian.

Swingin' Ian.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

A couple weeks ago we took Ian to the park down the street from his grandparents house. It's a pretty large facility with lots of swings and fun contraptions for kids to play in. Ian got to enjoy his first ride on a swing and he loved it! Thankfully, there was a cool breeze that kept him smiling and laughing all the way through.

Initial instinct was to get him moving pretty quickly. His favorite part was coming back to me after being pushed away. That short adrenaline rush really put the giggle in his stride. I swear no one laughs as great as this guy.

Film or TV.

It's funny, in high school and in college, I watched a lot of television; but it was at the movie theater that I had the most fun. Those unique stories were a lot more entertaining than the weekly sitcom; Seinfeld, notwithstanding. And here I am, a working man, father, with only a few hours at night spent at home and less time available for the movie theater on weekends; and I'm paying more attention to television than before. Not that I religiously watch it all the time, but that I'm aware of the big shows and the new shows coming on.

Tonight I noticed 2 very interesting things: 1. "Andy Barker, P.I." was created & produced by Conan O'Brien, obviously for Andy Richter. And there are signs of Conan's comedy all over the place, especially the ending (which was really the best part of the show). 2. "Raines" was created & written by Graham Yost, and the pilot was directed by Frank Darabont.

Very interesting, and not once was any of this information used in the marketing & publicity of these shows. Conan O'Brien is a late-night talk show host who used to write for SNL. He's got the comedic talent and knows his former cohort, Richter, very well. That's a great combo. "Raines" from the writer of "Speed" and the director of "The Shawshank Redemption." Yost won an emmy for writing on "Band of Brothers" and Darabont directed an Academy Award Nominated film. These are high credentials. Although, Darabont hasn't directed a feature film in a very long time....now that I think about it, Jeff Goldblum hasn't really been in the public eye in a very long time as well.

So, it seems like I'm not the only one slowly moving from film to television. Did I mention I lost our company Oscar pool? I bet I'll win this year's Emmy's.

Stealing Shyamalan.

Looks like NBC is at it again. First they took his basis from "Unbreakable" and created a mythical tale of everyday people discovering their otherworldly abilities in "Heroes." Now they're turning his Academy Award nominated story of seeing dead people from "The Sixth Sense" into a detective off-beat dramedy with Jeff Goldblum called "Raines." The funny thing is, I know I'm gonna love it.

Last summer I wrote a pre-emptive post on "Heroes" and believed I wasn't going to enjoy it. I couldn't have been more wrong. Again, NBC has got me, and I get the feeling I won't be the only one. With great wit, double-take filmmaking, and Jeff Goldblum in a revitalizing lead role with some great comic timing, it's Monk meets The Office. Even the catchy, big band tune that scores the previews sparks my attention. It's also good to see Madeline Stowe back on the scene. She hasn't made an impact since "The Last of the Mohicans."

Catch it next Wednesday. It Should be great.

Ian Takes a Seat.

Ian Takes a Seat.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

His favorite part was getting down on the ground with the snow. I think he could tell his biscuits were freezing; but at least he figured out why we dressed him in layer upon layer of clothing.

Fall on Me.

Fall on Me.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Ian was amazed at the snow falling on his face. He opened his mouth and tried to catch some on his tongue.

Let's Play.

Let's Play.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Off on a Snow Day.

Off on a Snow Day.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

We knew there would be snow flurries overnight, but we didn't expect it to stick. Lyndsey got the call of school cancellations and I heard from my boss to see about coming in after lunch. We'll see. First thing we'll do is make breakfast and take some pictures in the snow.