i (heart) odd-toed ungulates

Rebranding Eardog: Evolution of a Logo

I had a wonderful opportunity this winter to work with good friend Kimberly Wang on the development of a new logo for her media production company, Eardog. Eardog's current mascot is Kimberly's ever-faithful canine companion, Theo, and, among other important details, she wanted his likeness incorporated into the new mark. A fan of Kimberly's, a lover of dogs, and an illustrator with a distinct preference for animal subjects - I jumped at the chance to collaborate.

An artist in her own right, Kimberly had a strong vision for the look of the new Eardog brand, and though it took many rounds of refinement and tweaking to nail the finished mark, we are both thrilled with the end result. Eardog's brand new portfolio website and City Dog Country Dog blog were launched last week, incorporating the new logo - now that it's live, I thought it would be fun to put up a process post here, including a number of the steps involved in the evolution of the new logo. I have included a mere fraction of the project here - there were multiple directions explored at the start - but what I've collected here is a coherant stream of where the final idea began, and how it matured.


From the top: 1. Kimberly and I selected a handful of her beautiful photos of Theo, choosing one particularly dynamic image as a reference for the illustrated Theo. Since Kim has a real fondness for the influences of heritage, texture, and eclectic irregularity, I chose to generate original artwork by hand in black ink. 2. Our "mood board" was a bright collection of influences, including antique Chinese textile designs and contemporary logos that caught Kim's eye - a 60-second ballpoint pen sketch on graph paper sparked the melding of motiffs... 3. An inked first attempt at elaborating my sketch was converted to vector art and the emblem shape put through numerous stages of revision (notice the point at which Theo's scowl turns into a dignified, optimistic gaze - expression is everything!). 4. When a black & white design was finally approved, color exploration began... and eventually resolved in the black & periwinkle final at the top of this post. Voila!

"Tropical Forest" - Now in Print!

After so many fantastic mornings sketching at the Franklin Park Zoo last year - and being introduced to so many wonderful animals by their stellar keepers - I really wanted to collect the resulting drawings and paintings into a portfolio that I could share offline. So, I laid out a book this winter and have spent the last few months familiarizing myself with the self-publishing process. At long last, I have a small first edition of 40 or so books that I am offering for purchase.

Self-publishing can be an inexpensive way to make a quick paperback book, but it gets pricey fast if you start with full color content and choose to add "pro" options (hardcover, custom end pages, high-quality paper, etc). I wanted this project to feel like a little work of art in and of itself, so I chose options that unfortunately bumped up the cost. One day I'll work on a professionally published book that I can offer at a competitive price... until then, consider this an investment in the artist, and an opportunity to own somewhat of an "original". Thank you to everyone who has already expressed enthusiasm for this project!  

If you'd like your own copy of Tropical Forest, you can preview the book (19 of 38 pages) using the blurb widget below, then visit my online shop to place your order.

For those curious about the printing: I used blurb and highly recommend it. After researching a number of options, I chose blurb for their emphasis on good design, thorough online support/tutorial system, and range of customizable options for designers (in addition to tasteful, easy-to-use templates for individuals not keen on creating their own layouts) - not to mention the super cool preview widget above! I couldn't be happier with the results and won't hesitate to use them again.

First Book Jacket

 This project actually started back in April, but as of this month, Kipling's Cat: A Memoir of my Father is officially out in print. I'm super excited about this - it's my first book jacket (illustrated and designed), and I think it came out beautifully. We chose a velvety matte laminate stock, so it feels as good as it looks too. Many thanks to author Anne Wyman for the wonderful opportunity, and to Protean Press for allowing me so much creative control.