Thursday, July 28, 2011

Circle Logo

Been extremely busy in the design field. I feel as if the last few logo designs I've done for clients have become circles per their request.


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Baby On Board

Maybe if I put a huge "Fetus On Board" sticker on my car, reckless drivers will know to crash into everybody's car except mine. Don't be honking at me!
"Fetus On Board!" Concept Decal Sticker for Car. wdsiemer ii

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Balloons (Vector)

Download Zipped EPS File (Simple Balloon Vector by wdsiemer ii)
The "Flare Tool" in Illustrator makes adding a shine to balloons easy.

Quick, Easy Vector Balloons

Monday, July 25, 2011

Standard Ligatures

Standard Ligatures
When modifying kerning between letters, check that Standard Ligatures are disabled for a consistent spacing appearance.


Letter Spacing

Awkward Letter / Number Spacing
Treat your text with care. Avoid visually unappealing letter spacing.


Tennis Balls Photo

Was looking for a good tennis ball image for a design project for Cincinnati's Western & Southern Open, but resorted to taking my own photos. I thought I'd share one that went unused given it's odd surface setting.

Spilled Tennis Balls Test Photo (unedited). wdsiemer ii

Friday, July 22, 2011

Mona Lisa Remix by Graphic Nothing

Mona Lisa Remix by Graphic Nothing
Mona Lisa Remix by Graphic Nothing
from Some Prints

Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Mona Lisa' reduced and remixed down into 140 exact circles of color. A picture about the illusion of familiarity. Makes little sense close up. Makes every sense from the other side of the room. (Inspired by the thumbnails on the Louvre website - Sept 2009)

Winnipeg Jets Logos

Winnipeg Jets Logos
Pass or Fail: The new logos of the Winnipeg Jets
By Sean Leahy

[View Article]

Brain For Science

Brain For Science 
Don't expect to see this brain in Biology 101. wdsiemer ii
If I donate my brain to science I hope it doesn't end up in a Biology 101 classroom. I'm a lot more complicated than that.

Spotify

Introducing Spotify. spotify.com
Sign up for the future of the way we listen to music...
Spotify

The award-winning music service that’s taken Europe by storm has now come to U.S. shores. Millions of tracks ready to play instantly, on your computer and your phone. Any track, any time, anywhere. And it's fr

Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Real Estate by Elliott Smith

Live From Nowhere Near You. Elliott Smith.
The Real Estate by Elliott Smith (Unreleased Song)

from Pitchfork

Hear it here!

What Cube?

What Cube?
from Discovery Album

An old project. Made a plaster cube, and rounded it with a file until it was a sphere. Tedious! Carved a detailed geometric pattern into its surface. Rolled it around for a little while...

Now it sits in a secret location in the woods waiting for a kid to stumble upon it and believe they discovered a treasure. That's the true beauty behind this piece.

Being plaster it may have just absorbed into the earth. That is fine also.


What Cube? Process of plaster cube to sphere. wdsiemer ii

On The Dance Floor by Levy

On The Dance Floor by Levy
Hear it here!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Computer Chair Under Ultraviolet Light

Every day I try to create an article or quick design exercise in under 15 minutes for The Sketchpad. Today's result is this piece of art entitled "Computer Chair Under Ultraviolet Light." Make your own assumptions.

"Computer Chair Under Ultraviolet Light" wdsiemer ii

Gregor Mendel Google Doodle

Google Doodle for Gregor Mendel 07.20.11
I like this one.

Google is honoring the father of genetics, Gregor Mendel, using a logo (Google Doodle) made of peas. He was born on this day in 1822.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Man Takes Photo Everyday For...

Man Takes Photo Everyday For...  Barely a month

About five years ago I had this idea to take photos of myself in the same spot every day for as long as I could. Apparently about a thousand other people were doing the same thing for a lot longer. I was bored after a month and was sick of seeing my face. This image is about all I have to show for it. Really just looks like a lengthy shutter speed.

A couple years ago I started seeing some of the compilations others have worked on for 6/8+ years. That takes a lot of persistence, but they had their minutes of fame.

I started taking pictures of myself every day, but that didn't last long. wdsiemer ii

Man On Wire

Man On Wire Documentary

I finally watched Man on Wire, a film documentary based on Philippe Petit's 1974 illegal high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. Amazing to see the thought-process, passion and effort of an artist to create his masterpiece.

MAN ON WIRE Movie


Playboy Bunny Silly Bandz

Playboy Bunny Silly Bandz
Product Designs We've Seen (a lot)

Who knew rubber bands were going to become a fad? Available in every shape and color imaginable. This Playboy Bunny Silly Bandz bracelet would be perfect for your teenage daughter.

Playboy Bunny Silly Bandz Bracelet. wdsiemer ii

Monday, July 18, 2011

Bored Studios Tap Board Games

Bored Studios Tap Board Games
From Time Magazine

Having already plundered action figures, Saturday-morning cartoons (Smurfs) and theme-park rides (Pirates of the Caribbean) for material, Hollywood is turning to board games. A film version of Ouija will join already percolating Battleship and Risk projects.

Other movies include Candy Land, Clue, Masters of the Universe, Hot Wheels, and Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots.

What's next?
Magic Rocks?
Magic Rocks Photo from Nostalgia. wdsiemer ii

Truck Sack

Truck Sack
Designs We've Seen (a lot) Series

So apparently a few people commented that my Kool-Aid Dispenser Design Concept was sexually suggestive. I really don't see the connection. It was supposed to be an innocent, fun idea for kids and their Kool-Aid stands. This is the age we live in--where people automatically associate a tube-shaped liquid dispenser and "soft ball" technology as phallic symbols. Perverts.

On to my product design of the day for Designs We've Seen (a lot) series: Ball Sacks that hang from the back of trucks. (plus some added bonuses: racing strips, flames, John Deere bumber sticker, dear head decal, bullet hole decals, and Harley Davidson vinyl.)

Truck with Decals, Sack, Racing Strips, Bullet Holes, Etc. wdsiemer ii

Imitosis by Andrew Bird


Imitosis by Andrew Bird
Hear it here!

Friday, July 15, 2011

New Light Bulbs

Based upon The Sketchpad's 04/02/11 article:

New Light Bulbs
It's happening...

Light Bulb








Repost:


I've been thinking...

Now that CFLs are starting to phase out the incandescent light bulb, what is going to become of some of the most iconic and overused pieces of clipart imagery? Artists will now have to make do with reshaping the outer spirals of the fluorescents into new creative messages , instead of relying on the easy-to-manipulate incandescent inner filament coils. The thinking genius will have to change a bit too, but this is no thinking genius...

Then and Now: Game Characters Evolved

from Yahoo! Games

photo by Yahoo! Games/Y! Games Staff - July 14, 2011
 [View Gallery]

Mr. Potato Head Vectors

Mr. Potato Head Vectors

Not really sure why I created these Mr. Potato Head Illustrator vectors. I guess I was inspired after illustrating a vector ping pong ball the other day. It is what it is.

Download Zipped EPS File (Mr. Potato Head Vector by wdsiemer ii)

Mr. Potato Head Vector
Mr. Potato Head Gradient Mesh Vector
Mr. French Fry Head Vector

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Ping Pong Ball

Me and a friend played 19 games of ping pong over two hours tonight in beautiful weather while building up a sweat. Yeah, we're cool.

In dedication, I spent 2 hours on this Illustrator Ping Pong Ball. Awesome, or what?
Ping Pong Ball. Design of the Year - wdsiemer ii

Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer


Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer
Hear it here!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Netflix Price Increase

NETFLIX = NET PROFIT logo - wdsiemer ii
Netflix Price Increase

Rabble, rabble, rabble...

Nobody likes price increases. Gas prices keep taking a hike. Cell phone bills are outrageous. Restaurants increase the prices on their menu. It seems my DirecTV bill has continually grown more expensive, and I get less of the channels I'd prefer to watch. Etc. Etc. Et Cetera.

Really in the scheme of things, Netflix raising prices of their all-inclusive DVD and streaming service from $9.99 to $7.99+7.99 isn't all that bad considering I used to pay over $5 for a few day rental from BLOCKBUSTER years ago.

As a customer, I'm not happy considering I am not getting more streaming movie options, but I understand their move from a business perspective. If another company has better prices for the services Netflix offers then maybe that company will do to Netflix what it did to BLOCKBUSTER. However, the reality is Netflix has a fairly good grasp on the market for the time-being.

I'll probably cancel my service just because I rarely use Netflix. I think I have had the same DVD out for 6 months now, and I don't stream enough to justify the price hike. However, true movie lovers shouldn't have anything to complain about. Whatever, whatever.

Some Netflix customers threaten to quit over price increases

-Netflix
-Blockbuster Online
-Hulu Plus
-Amazon Instant Video
-Apple iTunes
-HBO Go
-More

Mr. Peanut Cracked Open

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!?!
Mr. Peanut Cracked Open

Finally cracked open Mr. Peanut and found two small, burnt, deformed peanut nuggets. I was hoping for a triple peanut or at least something edible.

Mr. Peanut Cracked Open Concept Illustration for upcoming gallery pieces. - wdsiemer ii

Monday, July 11, 2011

Kool-Aid Dispenser

Kool-Aid Dispenser Product Concept - wdsiemerii

A product I am pitching to Kool-Aid. Would you buy one of these?

New Orleans' Six Flags

New Orlean's Six Flags

As a follow-up to the posting about Disney reworking their Disneyland Amusement Park, I figured I share a gallery that was shared with me...

A couple weeks ago, my friend Brent turned me on to these photographs of the very dilapidated New Orleans' Six Flags. Very impressive photos! This could very well be a theme park in itself--art, graffiti, grunge, industrial, etc...

[VIEW GALLERY]

Eerily silent in the forsaken amusement park, the Cool Zone is creepy; it’s like an ominous omen of what is to come in the forlorn and forgotten abandoned Six Flags in New Orleans. Photo #1 by © lostlosangeles / facebook.com/lostlosangeles

Putting Mickey Back Into Disney

Putting Mickey Back Into Disney -wdsiemer
Disney upgrades, updates California Adventure Park
By Matt Krantz, USA TODAY

By Dan MacMedan, USA TODAY
Disney California Adventure park Ferris wheel now sports a giant image of Mickey Mouse as part of its makeover.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Like Cinderella, the Disney California Adventure Park has toiled out of the spotlight while its sister park, Disneyland, got all the attention.

[READ ARTICLE]

No Time Flat by Kevin Devine

Another good lyricist...

No Time Flat by Kevin Devine
Hear it here!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Saturday, July 9, 2011

MacGyver Versus Walker

What would happen if Walker, Texas Ranger had to track down and capture MacGyver? Damn, that would make a good movie. The Battle of the Mullets. Martial arts versus paper clips and rubber bands.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Winter by Joshua Radin

Winter by Joshua Radin
Hear it here!

Miranda's Ice Cream Grill Outs


Miranda's Old Time Ice Cream Shop

Fountain Drinks - Soft Serve - Sodas - Hamburgers
Whether you live near us or are visiting as hikers, bicycle riders, canoeists on the Little Miami River or Scenic Trail, we have tasty treats and warm smiles for everyone.

205 Main Street - Morrow, Ohio - 513-899-7163

Miranda's Ice Cream


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Closer by Ne-Yo

Closer by Ne-Yo
Hear it here!

I WANT YOU!

I WANT YOU!
Designs We've Seen (a lot) Series

The manipulation of this iconic J. M. Flagg poster for promotional flyers...

SLOTH WANTS YOU!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Change The World by Eric Clapton

I made my friend's mom play this song on cassette about 50 times on a vacation to South Carolina.

Change The World by Eric Clapton
Hear it here!

Wine with Vines and Glass

Wine with Vines and Glass
Designs We've Seen (a lot) Series

No need for a lengthy explanation. Turn a "V", "W", "Y", etc into a wine glass, pour a little wine, add some grape vines and there you have it!

Vine Wine Design Mock - wdsiemer ii

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

We Built This City by Starship

I loved this song when I was a kid. Frequently voted as one of the worst songs ever.

We Built This City by Starship
Hear it here!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Sunday, July 3, 2011

All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys

All-TIME 100 Greatest Toys
TIME reporter Allie Townsend picks the 100 most influential toys from 1923 to the present

[READ ARTICLE]
(from Time.com)

Saturday, July 2, 2011

New Cigarette Warning Labels






Nine new warning labels cigarette makers will have to use by the fall of 2012. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration / AP) Share

Gross-out cigarettes labels drive spike in quit-line calls
Photos of corpse and rotten teeth may already be impacting smokers

[READ ARTICLE]