ocondesign

At first glance the pictures below seem like ordinary photos of a small town. Take a closer look. They are not real. They are what started out as an exercise in model building and photography that ended up as a dream-like reconstruction of the town creator Michael Paul Smith grew up in. The attention to detail is mind blowing. Michael Paul Smith employs what he calls the oldest trick in the special effects book. He lines up a model with an appropriate background and shoots. Below are some of my selects. They are worth the click. You can check out the rest of Michael Paul Smith’s collection on his flickr stream. It’s a must see. Enjoy.

Read more

The past 3 weeks have been a bit crazy and exciting to say the least. First and foremost, as of last Friday I’m a married man. My sweetie and I ran off to Saint Augustine, Florida for the weekend and got eloped. We had a wonderful time. The oldest city in the United States made for a romantic and memorable time. I am a lucky man to have such a wonderful woman in my life.

Work has been the crazy (in a good way). The last few weeks have been very intense at my 9-to-5. I’ve been busy working on interactive projects for some great clients (Toyota, Publix Supermarkets, and Shoe Carnival.) I’ve been spending the majority of the time designing and developing in Flash. This week I’ll be starting a big print project for Lincoln Financial as well.

I haven’t forgotten about the Start-to-finish Web Design series.  I’m looking to start part 3 sometime this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting back to blogging.

This is a funny video that brings up a serious point. Writer Harlan Ellison goes on an epic rant about the value of creativity. Regardless of your professional accomplishments or status, there will always be people who devalue your creative services. Our reaction as a creative community is what sets the pace. The original youtube thread has a whopping 1046 comments. Surprisingly, not all creatives are not in favor of Harlan. Below is the video of the hilarious rant along with some of the original comments. I’d love to know where you stand on the issue.

Read more

A strong graphic design cover letter is an important part of your job search. I came across a great cover letter template a few years ago and I’d like to share it with you. It’s great for freelance gigs or full time work.  Part of what makes this cover letter so strong is that it’s short and to the point. (Think about the number of cover letters HR managers and decision makers receive on a weekly basis.)  The other great thing about this cover letter is the closing. I like that it sets you up for a follow-up phone call. Below is the template for the cover letter. Simply cut, paste and fill in the blanks highlighted in red.

Read more

Are you as tired of the going green craze as I am? What corporations are calling sustainability is nothing more then a few superficial measures use to pacify growing pressure from consumers. From a design standpoint the going green trend is plagued with visuals clichés and platitudes.
In the midst of all the visual pollution I ran into the work of illustrator/graphic designer Christoph Niemann. His approach to the topic is truly a breath of fresh air (pun intended).
Below is a collection of  his inspirational Bio-Diversity posters featured in The opinion section of  New York Times. Click on the thumbnails below to see for yourself.

Read more