Friends in High Places.

It's not selfish to say that I have my blog bookmarked in my Safari browser. The reason is because on my blog I have links to some of my other fellow blogger friends and more often than not, visit their sites for the latest going ons. Tonight I was fortunate enough to visit Aldo's (The Capitalist) site a few days after his recent post. Aldo is in Argentina on business. He wanted to let everyone know. And he wanted to post some other links to fabulous Aldo content.

Thankfully he listed an article written by one of our dear friends from back home, Matt, whose blog for the SXSW Festival is also listed in my links section. It was a link to Matt's last article as Music Editor for The Daily Texan at U.T. It's a great commemorative piece for the guy as he discusses his thoughts on graduating and moving on, written over a year after 9/11. Four years later and Matt has become a high profile producer in the festival circuit.

Thanks Matt for the mention and your prediction of local Austin band, Spoon, was right on the money.

A Hard Days Night.

I'm sure you've all figured out that since I've been working, this blog has collected some dust. I'm beginning to think I should change the title of this thing to 'Puckett Every Other Week'. Fortunately, it's all been for a very good reason. After all, blogging does not count for any additional income. So I thought I'd fill you in on my days and nights:

The official hours at the office are 8:30-5:30. As a test to save a little cash, wear-and-tear on the car, and my sanity, I've been taking the Trinity Railway Express to Downtown Dallas. There's a station about 4 songs from the house and the train ride is approximately 7 songs. It drops off at Dallas Union Station, about 8 blocks from the office, where if I chose to I could walk and be at the office in about 3.5 songs. Or I could jump on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and be at the office in 2 songs. You see, all this pedestrian time has allowed my iPod and I to become friends again. He's a lot happier when he's playing music than when he was being used as a flash drive. The biggest challenge has been catching the train at the right time. They're really good about staying on schedule and I think I've finally figured it all out.

I've been working on a few projects, catching some quick turnaround deadlines, and keeping our clients happy. Last Thursday, we hosted an Open House to show off our new office space to clients and friends of MasonBaronet. It was a happening gig with food, drink, and music. Lyndsey and Ian joined the fun and got to meet everyone in the office. Ian loved watching the goldfish. I swear, that kid is going to be a Marine Biologist. It's a great space with hardwood and dark polished concrete floors. The best spot is at the production counter around 3:30pm when the afternoon sunlight beams right onto the cutting mat. Printouts never looked so good. At the end of my first week, we had a Happy Hour at the end of the day that included a Champagne toast (and some left over Shiner Bock-good to be back in Texas) welcoming me to the team.

Nights go by pretty quickly. I usually get home around 7:15 after staying a little later and then catching the train. By then, I catch up on dinner and get some play time with Ian before he gets his bath. We all visit and hangout with NBC in the background. Dim the lights around 8:30 calming Ian down to get him ready for bed. He's been having a rough time getting to sleep. I think it's because he misses me all day and wants to stay up and play all night, but that's just me. Lyndsey and I catch up on some things before calling it a night.

I just finished two weeks now which means I got my first paycheck as a Creative. I told Lyndsey she had 3 choices for dinner last night: 1. Bennigans - where I haven't had my favorite Turkey O'Toole in over two years 2. Whataburger - where I haven't had one of their excellent burgers in over two years or 3. Spring Creek Barbecue - which is where we had our Rehearsal Dinner over two years ago & is the home of the most tender brisket in North Texas.

Man, it's good to have Texas barbecue again.

Caption This.

Living with my in-laws has been a great experience so far. There's a few extra hands to play with Ian, a few extra home cooked meals with the family, and some extra words being typed across the television screen...Wait, what are those?

Oh, that's right, they're captions!

You see, Lyndsey's dad wears hearing aids and uses the captions on television to make watching the shows a lot easier than listening at maximum volume; though on occasion he will listen at maximum volume. And tonight, at the end of "Heroes", I noticed the strangest of captions. It said something like, "Buy a guitar pick and play on your new such and such guitar. Visit such and such .com". I find that hilarious. First off, the fact that Ads even make it on the captions is great. Copywriters will always have jobs. Secondly, the fact that a guitar company thought someone who's hard of hearing and chooses to read the captions would want to buy a guitar, is the funniest thing I've heard since "gristletoe." No offense to all the audibly impaired musicians of the world.

Sign on the Line which is Dotted.

Offer Letter
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

I've wondered what it would feel like to present my portfolio in actual, private interviews with real firms I hoped to work for, and this week I've been able to do it. Met with some great people, spoke with some great companies on the phone, and really got a sense for the design community in Dallas. It's a tight-knit group where everyone knows everyone. Competition or not, they want each other to succeed and do good work.

Self-actualization, career goals, company culture, and of course good work, were deeply considered these past few days. At one point I had called a couple of my respected design colleagues, looking for analytical assistance. We are our worst critics, and coming to terms with my own skills, opportunities for growth, and personal views on what kind of company I feel represents who I am and what I believe in (much like the process of making my portfolio) were all part of the job search.

So I've decided to take a job as Art Director with MasonBaronet. They are a marketing communications firm that really takes charge of every brand that comes through their office. They handle advertising and design in all their glorious forms. There's about 12 people in the office, one of which is Paul Jerde, Creative Director. We've had many great discussions this week and I look forward to working with him and soaking in everything I can.

I actually had my first day on Friday, and I must say, it feels good to be back on the computer working on projects again. It was just one piece with a few different aspects to it, but I was sucked into it. Even skipped lunch without knowing laying out this brochure 6 or 7 different ways. The biggest challenge is going to be getting used to designing for real, actual, take-to-press, projects for real, actual companies that hired us to do this. I'm sure I'll figure it out.

PC in NY.

There was about 30 of us PC graduates in New York last Friday for the annual Portfolio Review. Our school sponsored event invites industry professionals from all across the states out to Manhattan for a one-on-one look at the portfolios of recent graduates. I was thankful enough to be included in that mix of students.

We gathered at the Society of Illustrators at 128 E. 65th St. between Park and Lexington, on the 3rd floor in a unique library room setting. It started out in two rooms with about 11 tables and 30 students, a very intimate setting. By the end of the day, it was quite possible you could present the work of the person sitting (standing) next to you. For 8 hours, designers, creative directors, vice presidents, freelancers, headhunters, and art directors strolled through the rooms browsing through portfolios and inquiring about each and every one of us. I presented my 10-17 minute spiel roughly 18 times that day. It was shorter or longer depending on the interest of the person I was presenting to. You see, after a few pages, you could tell if they liked your work, if they were really seeking an employee to begin with, or if they simply wanted you to flip the pages for them. An occasional, respectful visitor would ask if you were a writer, designer, art director, OR if they were short on time and just wanted to look for themselves. One guy simply came through, picked up resumes, and took any mini-books if students had them available as freebies. I only had a few to pass out, so I kept those for serious seekers.

Overall it was an excellent experience and I'm glad to have had it. I had my presentation nailed by the 3rd time and it always included that my primary focus was packaging. Mostly I was happy to hear that employers were impressed with my work. Had a couple people ask if Struct Gothic was available to purchase (the typeface I designed). One poor girl couldn't handle the 3-D glasses needed for my Symphony poster because of her more than slight case of vertigo. Two groups were highly intrigued with my work, one of which was a certain feminine fashion company who like my packaging projects. I'd tell you, but it's a secret.

This week I've got two interviews setup in Dallas. This will be a little different than the fast and furious aspect of the Portfolio Review, but at least I have my presentation down. We'll see how PC does in TX.

PC Fall Grad Class

PC Fall Grad Class
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

My time at Portfolio Center has been the most challenging two years of my life. From all-nighters, last minute project changes, schedule changes, and printing problems, to sliced fingers, Starbucks runs, and Chik-fil-A sandwiches; I've never worked so hard in my life. During my last week, finishing my portfolio, I had 2 nights working from 8am one day to noon the next. In my 4 years of undergrad at A&M, I barely had one a semester.

All the hard work has paid off with a great portfolio I'm excited to have and share with employers of the states. I've also made some great friends along the way. Above are my classmates from the past two years and they've experienced everything, if not more, than I have. Somehow, we made it.

Congratulations to everyone! I wish you all the best. Remember to bookmark this page and leave comments as you visit. I'll never forget any of you and will always cherish the time we spent at PC. See you in New York in 8 hours.

BTW: the guy in the tux on the right, that's Hank Richardson, president and adjunct professor at PC. His classes meet at 5:30am. That was a fun quarter.

FINISHED.

The time has finally come.

My portfolio has officially been signed off and I am now a graduate of the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, GA. And for those of you anxiously awaiting our homecoming, the wait is over. Lyndsey, Ian, and I have also completed our move back to Texas. We're living with Lyndsey's folks in Bedford taking a few days to get situated. Thursday, I'll be heading to NY for a Portfolio Review held by our school for companies and recruiters from across the states. It'll be a great opportunity to showcase my work and present 2 years of work to potential employers. There's also a few places in the Dallas area I'll be seeking out in the coming weeks. Wish us luck.

I Love This Game!

Ian At Turner Field
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Last weekend we got to take Ian to his first baseball game. It was the last Braves series for the 2006 season and it just so happen to be against the Houston Astros. I grew up watching the Astros but have always been a Braves fan; so the opportunity to introduce Ian to both at the same time was perfect.

Overall he did really well, happy to look out onto the field and over the field to Downtown Atlanta. He just got freaked out whenever the announcer would pop up out of nowhere or those taunting stadium chants screamed over the loud speaker. He did however take part in the Atlanta Braves Tomahawk chop late in the game. He fell asleep in the eight inning and was awakened by some monstrous roars as the Braves tried to make a comeback.

Please, city of Atlanta, never wake up my baby like that again.

Portfolio Teaser.

Drew's Organic Salsa
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Here's a one page glimpse into my final portfolio at school. New packaging for Drew's Organic Salsa, offering a healthy alternative for all the sports fans of the world. Here, the heat score correlates to how close you are to the action on the field. Only a true sports fan knows where his seat is in the stadium; from the upper level down to the field box. I'll also have the complete label posted into my book to fully depict the off-the-shelf experience.

Of course, the actual file will be corrected to a complete white background with minimal shadows. And if you can imagine this page printed to a 12"x18" sheet, the project becomes larger than life. You'll be able to see the cilantro and onions in the salsa, it's fantastic.

I'm not Pregnant.

I had the most unbelievable of cravings tonight after dinner. It was for a dessert I had not enjoyed in 6 months, and more like 6 years before that. I first learned of this dessert in elementary, when a student brought some for the class one Friday morning. You see, I'm from Brownsville, TX, right on the border of Mexico, and this is fantastically unique Mexican Dessert. It goes by a couple of different names and with varied toppings depending on who you talk to or what Mexican restaraunt you eat at. I was taught to call it a BUNUELO. You might commonly refer to it as a SOPAPILLA.

It's essentially a fried tortilla sprinkled with cinnamon & sugar, a dab of powdered sugar, and then topped with Hershey's Chocolate or Honey. For an added kick, add some whip cream and strawberries. They're fantastic, they're sweet, easy to make, and they hit all the right notes. Amazingly enough, we had all the ingredients already. In my house, you'll always find a package of tortillas. Give it a shot if you have the stuff at home. Toss some oil in a pan, heat it up, toss in the tortilla, fry on both sides a minute or two, dabble off the oil, and add your toppings, dry stuff first.

A New Season has Begun.

So I've just gotta say before I hit the sack tonight, that if you missed "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" Monday night, you missed out on one of the best pilots ever shown. It hit all the right notes and at all the right times and sucked me in like a Dyson. And the thing about Dyson's is, they never lose suction, ever. I just caught the episode again on BRAVO, so keep you're eye out on replays around the channel. The writing was great, tons of tight details that followed throughout the show and I'm sure the entire season. The cast was excellent. Not once did I think about Matthew Perry as Chandler or Bradley Whitford and Timothy Busfield as their characters from the West Wing. In fact, now that I think about it, each of their characters on Studio 60 is quite a detour from what they're known for. I look forward to the rest of season and hope it turns out as good as the pilot. Can't wait for the return of Earl and the Office tomorrow. Good night.

What a Difference a Day Makes.

Try, Try, Try.

If only we all had the guts to try as hard as this little guy. I'm going to finish designing a project tonight! Thanks, Ian.

Photo Shoot #1.

Photo Shoot #1.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

I meant to put this up with the other post, but couldn't get it to work.

Here's a little sample of things to come with a behind-the-scenes look at our first shot from the day. My Mondavi Wine Bottles that took a lot of production work with rub-on transfers and paper labels and a coat of satin spray paint to decrease reflection. The end result is spectacular, but you'll have to wait to see it in my final book.

Shoot!

I'm in the middle of a Photo Shoot!

I've been away from the blogosphere introducing Texas to Ian with the family and then finishing up production on a couple projects for my first photo shoot. Now, here I am, going over the look and feel of my portfolio and how I want the shots composed with Peter Hobbs, photographer emeritus and PC instructor. We discussed all the shots, projects, and layouts in an hour and a half and are just now setting up the first one. It's been a stressful week trying to get my first few projects fully produced and only half of what could go wrong did go wrong.

I started out the week with a goal of getting 5 pieces complete for today. The biggest challenge was getting my R.E.M. 5-disc box set screenprinted at Lonny's place, which we did yesterday...half of it. It's my first time sharing in the screenprinting process, an arduous task that can result with monumental power. In burning the screens with my artwork, we lost some type and therefore lost time and production value. Lonny and I were getting frustrated and didn't want to rush it any longer. So we decided to hold off the rest for another week. The box set is intended as a handhelf piece for my book, so production is of the utmost importance, not so much getting it photographed for my website.

The next task was reworking and finessing the logo for KRAFT. The problem here is getting the logo right, so it can be applied to the Mac & Cheese package, so I can print it to build the boxes in order to shoot them for my portfolio. You can see how the chain works and were it can easily be broken. Needless to say, the logo, or logotype as it is correctly named, needs a lot of tweaks and a lot of time to fix. The chain got pulled early yesterday.

For my first photo shoot today, I've got 3 prized pieces to take care of: Mondavi Wine Bottles, Drew's Organic Salsa, and spreads from my Atlanta Symphony Orchestra book. They are complete, ready, and I must say really great. I've never been more excited about my work than I am today. Can you believe I forgot my camera! Dave Werner would be most disappointed.

Lastly, I have to say THANK YOU to my pops-in-law, Ken, for spending some of his well-earned retirement time here in Atlanta with us to help with the house chores and most importantly, keeping our awesome, growing-personality-by-the-minute son, IAN, happy.

Sunday Morning.

These used to be my favorite mornings. For some reason I would not really sleep in, make a full-course breakfast with Papas con Huevo, tortillas, cinnamon rolls, sliced fruit, and a Folgers Breakfast Blend. Over the past couple years, I've been able to spend this time with Lyndsey here too. She never enjoyed breakfast as much as she does now. As you've read on this blog before, Sunday morning also meant browsing through the weekly Best Buy Ad. (best deal this week is Arrested Development Season 3 for $19.99, along with numerous other TV box sets on sale for $19.99, from Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm to Seinfeld and some others) I haven't been home on Sundays in quite a while due to my schedule changes at work.

On this particular Sunday; however, we are undergoing our annual storewide inventory check, usually an all-night process. Since I am an expert in our inventory process, after having participated each of the past two years, I have been invited to work the night shift. From 7pm-3am, I'll be helping out, which means only dealing with intellectual book worms who look down on me for being visual for about 2 hours before the inventory begins. So, I'm home on a Sunday morning, the family is taking their morning naps, and I'm hungry.

The best part of waking up....

On a quick side note regarding graduate projects, 4 projects complete, 3 projects ready for production, 2 close to it, , 5 I haven't started, and 10 that are in limbo waiting for the right idea to go the distance. And my first photo shoot is in 2 weeks.

Save River Oaks.

Just read this bit on IMDB and it was the first time I reacted to an IMDB blurb regarding my home state.

The poor River Oaks theatre in Houston just might get replaced with a Barnes & Noble. That's a sad, sad, thing. It's an independent film house in the Rice Village area, a vintage, majestic theatre. Now, I'm not sure how sales have been, but to be replaced by B&N is like getting rid of a '57 Chevy for a MINI. It just doesn't feel right.

How Texan Are You?

You are 67% REAL Texan!!

 

You're mostly texan. You know your Mexican food, state heritage and are probably slightly politically aware. You can probably pronounce Kukendall, Manchaca and Boerne correctly. Go you.

How Texan Are You?

Since 85% of my readership has a history in the state of Texas, I'm sure you all will love it. The guy who came up with this is from Austin, so it's no wonder a lot of the questions revolve around that city. Some of the questions are pretty tough.

Thanks to Lorena for the link.

Motion Picture One-Sheets

The Descent
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

The thing about movie posters is that sometimes, there isn't much you can do when all a studio wants is a big picture of the star. I'll never forget when "Saving Private Ryan" came out. The poster was fantastic. A darkened grey skyline with a single soldier silhouette pacing over a hill right in the center, lower third of the frame. It said journey, war, and hope in one single image. Then around Oscar time and for the DVD release, a new poster was shed. Same original layers, except with images of the cast filling up the sky. All emotion blown off the mark.

It's a shame there aren't more great movie posters out there. Loved what they did with "The Da Vinci Code", the theatrical "V for Vendetta" poster, and the image of Superman drifting over Earth is a gorgeous shot for "Returns." I stood and analyzed this one for "The Descent" when I saw it posted at the Shallowford Regal. Stunning! A fresh execution of a typical concept. How often do you see the credits laid out around the border, or the rating at a 90 degree angle. It actually reflects crawling down and around a cave like the characters in the film! But was that part of the plan, I wonder? I wondered what Saul Bass would have done? I wondered why Movie Posters aren't more highly talked about amongst the design world. I guess they're only done in Hollywood, probably by designers at the studio, and then celebrated at some Key Art Awards show in L.A. Actually who does design movie posters?

I did 2 while at Portfolio Center, for "The Sandlot" and "Glengarry Glen Ross." I was pretty happy with my Sandlot poster, would be really great with a better photographer. GGR didn't turn out like it should have, but that was before I had a better understanding of poster design.

Film One-sheets are the best place to experiment with logotypes. Probably get to meet the director and flesh out concepts, maybe even see the film early, or visit the set. Hmph. And as long as there are movies, there will always be One-Sheets, so it sounds like there's good job stability.

I have this dream of a long hallway in my future house that connects the living and sleeping spaces. One side will be lined with my favorite movie posters, like a one-sheet museum. The oppostie side being a wall of windows that overlooks an outdoor terrace in the middle of our home. After waking up and getting ready for the day, as I walk down the hallway to head out for work, a refreshing sight of creativity will help start the days right.

What have been some of your favorite movie posters?

8th Quarter and a Baby.

And what do I have to show for it so far? A baby that is almost twice his birth weight, a list of 24 projects headed towards my portfolio, 5 of which I'll have to completely redo from scratch, and I just can't seem to get it together. I'd like to blame the high humidity and 90+ degree weather outside; but I was raised in South Texas, it's what I'm used to. I just havent' been able to master the art of simultaneous diaper changing and concept sketching.

I'll have to admit, being a stay-at-home-Dad is actually quite fun. I just seem to be snacking a little more than I used to. So much for losing that pregnancy weight.