Requiem
Regardless where you fall on the political spectrum it’s been amazing to watch the Republican party deal with the reality of Donald Trump becoming nominee for The President of the United States. The subject is rich with possibilities and it would be wrong NOT to explore it as a creative. Since I’ve been experimenting with a different approach to add to the vocabulary, the timing was right to kill two birds with one stone. This is a first in a series titled, “Requiem for the GOP”. Plenty of illustrators are having fun with Trump. I’m more interested in the emotional reactions of Republicans. They must feel the same shock as dinosaurs when a meteor first hit the Earth.
The Henry Ford: Sharing our values
Bill Bowen from Octane design was creating a training brochure for The Henry Ford and needed an illustration about employees taking company values and translating them into a tangible experience. The idea of many birds carrying a passenger worked out perfectly since the image needed to be fun and colorful while communicating the idea it takes many to make an experience work. Bill and I have worked together for many years and it’s alway a pleasure when he calls because he has great clients. I’m going to have to put The Henry Ford on the list of museums to visit.
When automated cars crash
AD Carolyn Chin Watson called with a fun article for Dbusiness Magazine about automated cars: What happens when an automated car is responsible for an accident? Is it the owner’s fault or the company who created the car? Carolyn wanted a humorous solution and I was more than happy to agree. My thought was to personalize a driverless car caught in the act. As a child I was always caught breaking things so concepts came naturally. Since the technology for automated cars feels like Jetson stuff, I tried catching the fun of the Jetsons. Everyone was happy and it was a relief not to have broken anything.
Leading
AD Mark Mavilia for the American Association of Medical Colleges called with a challenging project: They had a series of textbooks which needed updating and wanted to create an illustrated series for the first textbook. The first textbook covered skills which are needed to be a successful department chair. Art was to be used to open each chapter and supplemental illustrations were also needed. This was the first time the AAMC had used illustration and they turned out be a dream client. Mark and I had worked together for many years at his earlier job so this made the process easier AAMC’s first illustrated textbook. First time clients can be nervous through development but they turned out to be a dream client. After publication Mark let me know the textbook was the fastest selling textbook in ten years and AAMC would love to create more books for the series. It’s good to see the power of illustration working in the real world.
Differing expectations for a department chair.
How to evaluate a chair position
Developing leadership skills
What Are We Working For?
Kerry Prugh, AD for Notre Dame Magazine called with a project which I’m sure is near and dear to almost everyone’s heart: What does it take to be satisfied at work? Researchers were surprised to find money was not the highest priority, accomplishing something meaningful was the most important gage of worker satisfaction. Being a cog in the system turned out to be perfect image for feeling trapped or freed from the system. It was also immediately relatable on an emotional level. Who knew an assignment about being trapped at work would become one of my favorite assignments of the year?
This secondary illustration focused on searching for a meaningful work life.
2 for American Illustration Annual 35
Searching for Answers, Plansponsor Magazine, SooJin Buzelli, AD
Great news from American Illustration: 2 pieces were selected for American Illustration Annual 35. From 10,003 submissions 339 images are selected for the annual. The two pieces selected were “Searching for Answers” for SooJin Buzelli and Plansponsor Magazine and “He Said”, an illustration about police shootings in the USA. Much thanks to American Illustration for the honor. It was especially satisfying because this was the one competition which eluded me throughout my career. The judges better be ready for a lengthy hug the next time I see them.
He Said (2015). Illustration about police shootings in the USA
The Art of Teaching Science
The American Federation of Teachers is of my oldest clients so it was a pleasure when AD Jennifer Chang called with a project. Her editors wanted a progressive series of illustrations about a new approach to teaching science. Teachers have found understanding the gaps students have in knowledge helps to design more effective lessons. The idea of breaking down a lesson into smaller pieces worked perfectly for a progressive series. It’s also a lot of fun to approach things from a comic book storytelling approach.
