Cool Video on PBS Logo Development

As a graphic design student, I love learning how famous logos came to be. One I grew up watrching evolve is the PBS logo. I thought it was was cool that the P looked like a person's head. The Independent Lens site has three videos on it. Two of them show the different versions of the logo over the years, and the other is Herb Lubalin's explanation of how the PBS logo came to be. Hilarious narration, by the way, and I like how the graphics follow the narration. Here Lubalin's video, and enjoy!

Jackson Free Press looking for graphic designer to hire ASAP

Spread the word!

Our ad designer is looking at returning back to school soon, so we are looking to fill her shoes.  We are going to need part time/full time designers that would be able to work in the office on both advertising and editorial design for the Jackson Free Press and BOOM Jackson.  We have a pretty fast turn over rate here, so we need someone that's both creative and quick. If this sounds interesting to you, send your resume and any work samples you'd like to share to kristin@jacksonfreepress.com.

Good news, good news!

Last month, I posted about how I was freaking out about a difficult class I had to take. Well, guess what? I GOT AN A! WOO HOO! I was also inducted into the National Technical Honor Society last week, and I will be inducted into Kappa Pi Honorary Art Fraternity next week. On to of that, I was approached personally for some ongoing freelance work. I think that at this point, I can call myself a graphic designer now instead of a graphic designer wannabe. :) I am also enjoying the mixed media class I'm taking now. I haven't worked with soft pastels since high school, and I forgot how much I enjoyed them. Last week, we were asked to play around with the medium using different techniques. This assignment reminded me of my coloring book days; see the attached images. I'll be drawing something recognizable this weekend, so if I remember, I'll share the finished product with you.

The saga continues...

I just went from part-time to full-time at my job, which I am pretty excited about since that means more graphic design experience and more money. Plus, I am still in school, and I am still hanging on to my 4.0 GPA. My next class that starts this week has to do with the history and analysis of graphic design. Some of the material reminds me of my art history class, just with a spin on it, but I can tell from the syllabus that there is a lot more to it than that, and I may have to drink an extra cup of coffee each day to get my assignments done after work. I will also have to really put my nose to the grindstone on the weekends to stay ahead. This will be a challenge, but I am confident that I will prevail. Let's roll...

The person behind a favorite childhood memory

As a kid, I loved to look at the cool television graphics that promoted a broadcast station or the movie of the week. I tried to figure out how the "people in the TV" got the letters and curves to swish, spin and fly around the screen, and I thought that there was a room with a turntable that the people spun the letters on. I was so obsessed that I even drew the ABC logo on the living room wall. (Unfortunately, my mom didn't share my enthusiasm about my artwork on the wall.) Thanks to a free trial of lynda.com, I got to watch some videos about one of the people behind those cool graphics - Harry Marks. Marks, now retired, was the graphic designer behind the flashy promos you've seen on ABC, NBC, Entertainment Tonight, and elsewhere for 35 years. Go here to see a video of his work (adjust your speakers). I don't know if I would ever do broadcast graphics, but the concept of it fascinates me, and I am definitely inspired to take my skills to a higher level because of the work of Harry Marks.

A Bit of Nostalgia

Sometimes, I miss some of the TV shows I grew up with, and I am thrilled when an old favorite is resuscitated via reruns. However, what if it were possible to own a fictional piece of the past? Would you buy it? Well, if your answer is yes, check out MyPartyShirt.com. MyPartyShirt.com has T-shirts with cool graphics inspired by shows from the 80's and 90's. Are you a Home Improvement fan? Well, get your own Tool Time T-shirt. How about Saved by the Bell? Did you wish you could hang out at the Max? Pretend you did with a shirt that has the restaurant's logo on it. MyPartyShirt.com also has T-shirts inspired by Boy Meets World, Full House and Fresh Prince. Fun and functional. What a combo.

Designing Shoes

Zazzle has partnered up with Keds, and Zazzle artists can now put designs on women's and children's canvas shoes. Artists can customize everything about the shoes right down to the stitching. As soon as I got the email about it, I designed six shoes. Here they are:

nebula by reasontolive
Make custom shoes with zazzle
Browse more Digital Art Keds Shoes

lilac by reasontolive
Make your own customizable shoes online at www.zazzle.com
Browse more Digital Art Keds Shoes

plaid by reasontolive
Make your own customizable shoes online at www.zazzle.com
Browse other Fine Art Keds Shoes

parchment by reasontolive
Make your own custom shoes at www.zazzle.com
Browse more Digital Art Keds Shoes

laser beams by reasontolive
Make your own custom shoes at www.zazzle.com
Browse more Fantasy Science Fiction Keds Shoes

olive bubbles by reasontolive
Design your own shoes online with www.Zazzle.com
See other Food Drink Keds Shoes

This is only the beginning. Check back at this link in the coming weeks to see what else I have come up with. This is going to be fun!

Congratulations to the Zazzle Holiday Card Contest winner!

And the winner is...

Snow Deer Template by PaulHonatke
Get this custom card  at Zazzle

Congratulations, Paul! Enjoy your $1000 prize!

Lisa Overton Robinson

Lisa, a private art instructor, has bachelor's degrees in art and Spanish. In addition, she does Web design and photo restoration. She also hosts an art camp every summer and is a gallery director at Go Creative Arts and Athletics. Go here to see her portfolio.