The Iona team and myself as the Lead Designer recently completed an interactive design for Richland Community College’s Center for Sustainability and Innovation Building (CSI Building). The interactive was to convey key concepts related to the green CSI Building and its use of SMART building technology. The Iona team of Jeanne Foster, Mark Tovey, and Jeff Idleman brought their expertise to the project. Having such a great team allowed Iona to achieve a successful solution to the client’s needs on the Define and Design phase of the project. The “big idea” of the project was to create a sustainable, innovative community-regionally through interactive media.

The two key points and objectives of the project were to demonstrate how the CSI Building meets the LEED criteria. In addition, it was to demonstrate some of the career skills and people who worked together to make the CSI Building. The client was very adamant in having a “wow” factor. We created the following milestones to meet the client’s objectives:

•Strategic Plan – Define the purposes of the interactive, identify key messages to be developed, identify the communication goals to be achieved, identify the audience, define how the new programs will support Richland’s long term goals, identify the results expected from the interactive and how they will be measured.

•High-Level Design – Determine conceptual design. Identify narrative story lines that will be developed. Identify the “look and feel” that should be used. This will include: fonts, color and other graphic standard issues; music, narration, screen composition, navigation, user interface styles, etc.

•Content Outline – Define project content and assets and how they will be formatted for these presentations.

•Navigation Outline – Organize the content and outline a navigational structure.

Iona suggested that Richland Community College would use higher media production values and enhanced interactivity to increase the dramatic impact of the display. This approach will add video commentaries by virtual guides to increase the human aspect of the interpretation. In addition, this would be complemented by allowing visitors to manipulate high-resolution images of certain key features by dragging the images with their fingers and zooming in for greater detail. The project will be created in Flash and will use CMS plug-ins for the image manipulation interaction. In addition, the project will use Flash video to provide testimonials and key green features of the building.

Overall, the project was well received and gave Iona the chance to really use our 4D Process to its greatest achievement. Below are some of the Graphical User Interface Designs from the project.

I think it is good for a designer to go back to her roots. I recently have spent much of my time designing interactives, editing video and creating motion graphics. I think when anyone breaks the pattern from the current media they are working on, it can help foster creativity. Recently, The Iona Group has begun redesigning some of their collateral materials. Being the Lead Designer at Iona, I accepted the challenge. I created a new design that corresponds to the current branding. The Iona Group has always had a simplified, geometric look and feel to their design. The classic simple-to-complex design philosophy is portrayed in Iona’s identity. The design shown here mimics how simple shapes can create complex forms. In geometry, a dodecahedron is any polyhedron with twelve flat faces, which results in a simple shape that creates a complex form. I took this concept and created Iona’s 2010 success factors as a three-dimensional infographic. The infographic describes the success factors of the year based upon Iona’s 4Cs (clients, company, coworkers, community). I wanted to create a design that was fun yet cohesive in order to represent how all of the 2010 success factors are equal and rely upon one another. I also have included below some additional collateral that I have created for a proposal cover. I wanted to create depth to our new collateral by not only creating a three-dimensional object but also through subtle gradients. Look forward for more to come.

This year I taught Introduction to Interactive Media at Bradley University. As each year progresses, I always have some driven students who exceed expectations on all of the projects. I have a few examples from some of my exemplary students below:

One of the project’s criteria was to create a composition using Adobe Photoshop to design a CD cover (just the front cover). The cover could be for an existing recording, or make one up. The design had to include text effects created in Adobe Photoshop, scanned objects and artwork.

Another project’s criteria was to create a self-portrait using Adobe Illustrator. Starting with a photograph, the students had to use vector-based graphic and text elements to recreate the image, giving the viewer a little more insight into the person they are and who they portray themselves to be.

The final project of the semester was for students to create their own personal website. Many of the students used a combination of web techniques. The students had to use Dreamweaver and CSS. Here are some examples of the websites that the student’s created:

http://justinrestaino.com/
http://www.silvernewedge.com/

In addition, Bradley University recently launched a new Curriculum program. The program specializes in three different program areas. These three areas will be available as different concentration for Interactive Media majors.

Animation and Visual Effects – the production of digital character animation and visual effects for film, television, animation and game cinematics.

Game Design – the design and media elements of console, computer and mobile games and the production of games.

Web and Application Design – the creation of rich Internet rich Internet and mobile applications, experience design and web development.

http://slane.bradley.edu/interactive-media

I look forward to the next semester, knowing that the students will continue to exceed my expectations.

I recently designed and created the graphics for a music video that was shot for the local musical talent Bob Krouse. He is a cowboy balladeer music star that is trying to break it big into the music business. The talented Jim Conover of Sand Prairie Productions from Peoria, Illinois directed the video. The video was filmed and edited here in the local Peoria area by Reality’s End Films. The video was shot on a set that was built by Sand Prairie Productions. I used Motion to create the title sequence graphics. The visual effects within the video used stop motion techniques along with ghostly fading edits.

On the left is a picture of the set along with some of the stunt men, actors and Bob singing in the background. In addition, there is a sample of the DVD case cover design that I created for Sand Prairie Productions.

To hear some of Bob’s music you can go to http://alonetone.com/bobkrouse10/tracks.

Recently, the music video was created on a DVD that was delivered by hand to Brad Paisley so we’ll see what happens. Pretty cool to think he saw some of my work:)

(photo and graphics © Sand Prairie Productions and Bob Krouse)

The locally produced film “Bookbinder” opens Friday, October 30, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.with discussion/Q&A to follow. The movie is based on the ghost tale about a man named “A. Manual Bookbinder” from the Peoria State Insane Asylum. His story is finally brought to life in all its creepy glory. Based on a true story that took place at the Peoria State Asylum for the Incurable Insane from 1906 to 1911 and its haunting.

So is the old Bartonville hospital really haunted? Scores of people who have visited the place certainly think so, including experienced investigators. It certainly has more than enough opportunity to be haunted, even excluding the story of A. Bookbinder and the haunted tree. The atmosphere of the place alone is more than enough to justify the reports of the apparitions and strange energy encountered there. The residual impressions of the past would certainly be strong in a building where mentally ill people were housed and where “psychic” disturbances would be common. There is also the matter of conscious spirits. Hospitals have long been places where the spirits of the dead are said to linger. Besides that, the hospital was the only home that many of the patients knew and they are going to stay where they are the most comfortable. (source: http://www.prairieghosts.com/barton.html)

I helped out a very small amount on the film. Mostly, I was encouragement:) The donations go towards the current Bartonville hospital grounds and building. Please come check it out!

For more information on the film visit:
http://www.peoriatheater.com/peoria_theater/Home/Entries/2009/10/30_Bookbinder.html

Myself and my coworkers will be speaking at a Peoria Ad Club event. Here is a brief description with the location and time.

The Iona Group engages with a wide variety of clients using the latest communication strategies and technologies. Join us for a discussion of trends in digital advertising, audience engagement, and online strategy. The Iona Group will share their recent work and research and development; including killer wireless robots, eye bulging video installations, incredibly sticky phone applications, and websites that will make you scratch your head and wonder, how?

Date: October 14, 2009

Time: 11:3oam

Location: The Waterhouse at 619 SW Water St., Suite B in Peoria

http://www.peoriaadclub.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16&Itemid=55

Over the past month, I have been taking a life drawing class at the Peoria Contemporary Arts Center. I believe that practice drawing can make one a better designer. It allows you to have an eye for detail, understanding balance on a page and an object’s light source and perspective. I have been spending so much time in front of the computer lately that I wanted to force myself to take a pencil to paper each week. Drawing is a means of quickly communicating an idea or concept. For example, drawing a sketch allows one an ability to explain a visual concept or idea to a client or coworker. This is very beneficial in the design process. I use drawing as a record of ideas, concept development and I believe it helps with problem-solving skills. When I have to illustrate or edit a photograph, drawing skills help me create better results by knowing how to correctly manipulate a Photoshop image or draw an illustration in Illustrator. Just like designing on the computer, drawing is evidence of thinking. No matter what the project, I always find myself coming back to my drawing as a means to an end.

This weekend I visited the Lockport, IL museum to see the work of sculpture artist Brent Kington.
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/brentkington/

The exhibit, featuring objects borrowed from private and museum collections, revisits Kington’s early cast silver and bronze toys he made for his children in the 1960s, his pivotal pieces of forged iron and steel from the 1970s that transition into blacksmithing, and ultimately to his larger, contemporary abstract sculptures presenting us with crosiers, spires and crescents. Spanning four decades, the selection demonstrates the breadth of his work in scale, materials, and subject. Decorative toys of silver and bronze just two inches in height are shown with intuitively-balanced kinetic weathervanes forged from iron and steel and alongside towering crosiers and spires—some almost 8 feet—which incorporate metal, stone, wood, and paint. As a whole, the objects illustrate the logical progression from the playful to the ritual, inviting the viewer to define the nature of that duality on an individual basis. (from http://www.museum.state.il.us/pressroom/index.html?NPR=697)

I found the exhibit very inspiring in that he started out as a cartoonist and then became a blacksmith artist. I myself have been taking life drawing classes for the past month and have found it very beneficial to my work. Often as a graphic designer you spend your time in front of the computer and limit the time you spend with your fine art skills. I have been balancing learning new Motion graphics programs, such as Motion, while revitalizing my drawing skills. This class has been able to force me to make sure I keep up those skills and not loose them along the way.

This weekend the company that I work for, The Iona Group, had a picnic to celebrate their past 25 years of exceptional creativity in business. The entire company put forth a great effort in preparing for the picnic. It is very exciting and memorable for a company to be recognized for their many, many years of service. It is the years of hard work and wonderful employees that helped make it possible. Overall, it is a great accomplishment for a company to be successful for so many years and many more to come. Congratulations to Iona!

This is a new illustration I created over the weekend using Illustrator and Photoshop. I have been interested in creating drawn sketched elements by hand and then scanning them into the computer to make them vector. However, for this piece I created it completely on the computer. It’s a great way to keep drawing while also using the computer. I have a series of these feminine drawings that I have created and evolved over the past year. Hope you like the most recent addition.