Lego my logo

 

If you want your logo to literally jump off the page, there's nothing like a good ol' fashion emboss to do the trick.

Embossing will also make the cash jump out of your wallet--especially when you are doing small quantities.

My new business cards arrived this week. I  slipped them into the margins on the press sheet and my printer trimmed them out for me. Voila! free business cards! In my layout, I intentionally left a space where I could add my embossed logo to finish the cards. I searched Amazon.com and found this cool desk embosser.

I played around with the logo placement and quickly realized that it was hit-or-miss when it came to positioning the logo. I needed a jig that would put the cards in the exact same place each time--allowing the perfect placement and making it easer to mass produce the cards.

I dug around in my son's Lego collection and found that the desk embosser is EXACTLY 6 Lego "dots" wide and just under 13 "dots" long which gave me a little room to adjust the position by sliding it up and down. I added a fence and a stop to align the card with the emboss plate. The little gray antenna piece in the bottom left corner makes a good "half dot" measurement in case your logo doesn't line up exactly in full "dots." Works like a charm.

Maybe someday we'll see "Lego Dots" added to the list of measurement options in InDesign. Inches, Centimeters, Picas, Dots...

 

CSCA Pinewood Derby 2010

It's almost time for the 5th annual CSCA Pinewood Derby and I'm running out of time. While my cars in the past have done well in the design department they have never fared well when it came to speed. So, Caleb and I are building two simple cars this year--both designed with performance in mind. We are polishing the axels, squaring up the wheels and strategically placing the weight. I'll be posting photos of our progress on flickr. www.flickr.com/jeremyslagle

It's not too late to join in! You can contact Dylan to register or join us on July 22 at OSU for this month's CSCA event. Proceeds benefit CSCA's Scholarship Fund.

This year's derby will be held August 19 at the North Market.

The sweet design above was created by Dylan Menges. 

My Custom Seagull Bag

It was my pleasure to design the new logo for Seagull Bags. It's always a bonus to design for a company that makes a product that you genuinely believe in. When it comes to truly innovative, bulletproof, handmade courier bags it doesn't get much better than this. Dan McKewen and his crew of bag builders put in an honest days work, hunched over industrial strength sewing machines, adding a lot of love and a little bit of sweat to each bag that comes through the shop. But, don't plan on ordering a custom bag and having it by the weekend. The folks at Seagull are keeping busy; you're looking at anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month on custom orders. Believe me, it's worth the wait.

Designing your own bag is not for the faint of heart. There are many options from sizes to custom add-ons.  I spent a few hours figuring out what colors I wanted and choosing features. I loaded mine with pockets to organize all of the junk I carry around with me on a daily basis. For the final touch I asked them to embroider their new logo across the front flap.  

Word has it, the new Seagull website is almost done. For now, you can visit the "original" site to order your own custom bag.      

Check them out: www.seagullbags.com

Click here to see my design for Seagull Bags

 

 

 

Camera Prints at the Grandview Hop this Saturday

I will be selling my vintage camera prints at Peabody Papers (1261 Grandview Ave) during the Grandview Hop this coming Saturday, June 26, from 4pm til 9pm. Stop by and pick up a set for your home or office and save the $5 shipping cost. 

Lots of fun stuff going on that evening including live music, outdoor dining, craft vendors and art installations.

Be sure to check out the cool papers and items for sale at Peabody while you're there. They have a some great stuff for sale.

If you're at the Hop, be sure to stop in and say "Hi."

CSCA Wednesday: Joe Marianek


Joe Marianek

Stuck on Ohio.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Knowlton Hall | The Ohio State University

An Ohio-born designer who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003, Joe Marianek works in New York City and Providence, Rhode Island.

Marianek's fascination with (living) history led him to pursue an internship with Milton Glaser and, after graduation, a design job with Paula Scher. Since 2007 he's been a Senior Designer at Pentagram.

His work includes institutional identity and environmental graphics for the Museum of Arts and Design, Citigroup, Bobby Flay, United Airlines, and the Public Theater, Cincinnati Museum of Art, Cleveland Clinic, IBM and The New York Public Library.

His work can be found in AIGA, the Art Directors Club, Communication Arts, Print magazine, the Type Directors Club and the Society of Publication Designers. This spring he was named one of Graphic Design USA's "People to Watch in 2010."

He blogs for Creativity magazine and UnderConsideration, and serves as Vice President of the Rhode Island chapter of AIGA.

Social Hour: 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.
Presentation: 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

Members: $5.00 (Professional + Faculty)
Non-Members: $15.00
Student Members: FREE
Student Non-Members: $5.00

Our pre-event social hour includes hors d'oeuvres, one complimentary beverage and a chance to win one of several special door prizes.

 

See you there.

The $4 Desk Chair

My wife and I had a week without the kids (thanks mom and dad!) so Saturday morning we got to do what we love most -- hit some garage sales! Those of you outside the Central Ohio area may not understand how big garage sales are here in Clintonville. After living here for over 10 years, we can honestly say that our house is almost entirely decorated with another man's trash. Often we need to sand it and give it a few coats of Krylon, replace the hinges, or simply give the piece a good scrub down, but in the end, we have a beautiful piece that cost a fraction of what we would have paid for it new.

Every once in a while you find a REAL diamond in the rough; that's what happened on Saturday. My favorite sales are the indoor estate sales where everything has a pricetag on it. In this particular house, the folks told us to check out the basement before we left. I got to the bottom of the stairs and immediately saw a chair that was unmistakably a mid-century Emeco Swivel Desk Chair. The tag on the bottom confirmed it. The $4 sticker on the top meant it was going home with me! 

When I paid the kind lady for the chair she gave us a look that said "you poor kids...what would you want with an old piece of junk like that?" She was almost blushing with embarrassment that they even had it to sell. I imagine she thought it strange that I didn't haggle over the price. 

In case you are unfamiliar with Emeco, they still hand make these chairs in Hanover, PA. Originally manufactured for the U.S. Navy, they have become icons of American ingenuity and new versions of the Swivel Desk Chair are now sold through Design Within Reach for upwards of $1000. There are many rip-offs out there but none compare in quality to the original Emeco chairs. 

After 30 minutes with a roll of paper towel, steel wool and degreaser, this chair really shines! I'm excited to use it.

So next time you drive by a garage sale sign or flea market on your way to buy furniture, take a couple of minutes and see what they have. You might come across a $4 chair that will outlast anything you can buy at Office Depot, and it will look a lot better too.

 

 

 

Thank you!

I just want to take moment to say "thank you" to my amazing clients who allowed me to take a relaxing vacation with my family this past week. We had a great time at the beach. As you know, "play" is an important part of my creative process. Getting away from the computer for a week and focusing on the important things in life recharges my design battery and allows me to do my best for for you.

You rock!

Here are a few photos from our trip if you are interested.

Affordable vintage camera prints for your wall!



One poster becomes four 8”x10” art prints—a wall-full of art for only $39. That's four prints for less than $10 a piece! Post-a-prints are silk screen printed on the highest-quality, acid-free, 100 lb. archival stock—which means your art won’t fade or yellow. Each print is perfectly sized to fit an 8x10 frame or matte. Illustrations by Jeremy Slagle, based on vintage film cameras collected from garage sales and flea markets around Ohio.

CLICK. SNAP. WHIRR. Light and science with a touch of imagination, film cameras have captured the vision of folks for generations. Wayward orphans rescued from dusty attics and yard sales find their place on mantles and bookshelves—and now on your walls.

Click here for more information or click the Buy Now button on the right to order yours.

Screenprinted by the talented folks at The Half and Half

 

 

I LOVE my iPad.

Apple's newest product has undergone alot of scrutiny since they announced it a few months ago. No stylus, no USB, too heavy, impractical, doesnt use Flash, just a giant iPhone, "iPad," what a silly name... Most of these comments were penned before anyone outside Apple's top-secret product development department had ever even touched one.

After they released the first (non-3G) version I visted the Apple Store no less than three times to pick one up and play with it for myself. I decided to buy one once the 3G enabled model was avaialable.

Well, I've had mine for a week now and I can say now without hesitation that's it's the coolest, most usefull piece of electronics I have ever bought. No, it will never replace my desktop computer but it's not designed for that. It's the most elegant presentation tool I have seen. For a small group, you can set it on a stand and present concepts--moving from slide to slide with the flip of a finger. The screen is bright and beautiful. For a board room, you can connect it to a projector and present to a large group.

It's also the PERFECT portfolio. Being able to update it on the fly rather than messing with printed books is a real plus. And, after realizing that a meeting took a different path than you had expected, it's nice to have all of your work on-hand to show examples from projects you probably wouldnt have brought along had they been bound in books.

Sure, six months from now, there will probably be a 4G version with a camera, 3D monitor and built-in dust-buster, but I'm really happy with my purchase and will use it for a good long time. It will pay for itself almost immediately by replacing color copies and book binding expenses.

Go iPad!

BTW: I did order a DAGI stylus on Ebay. It's on the way. I'll post a review once it gets here. I am hoping for a third party pressure sensitive stylus to come out at some point. That would really make the iPad the ultimate tool for me.