Logo/Business Cards

And some said I couldn't do make-up... Well, they were right. I can't. But I can do artwork for make-up artists. One in particular, my friend Christina. Here is a set of logo/business card comps I created for her. On a previous set, I included Christina's pic because she's bonny and photogenic (Yes. A person can be both.) I'd figure, why not use her God-given feature to help sell her make-up services? However, that's not the creative direction she wanted to go with.

And it's always about the client's needs... not mine. So, I started first by customizing her first name as part of the whole look of the card. And more often-than-not, since the human face is the canvas of the makeup artist, I wanted to reinforce that with this overall design.

The "R" and the "A" meet to form what looks like a smile. The lipstick, when zoomed in, shows her favorite Bible verse as one of the detail lines on the lip. I kept the entire look as minimal as possible in order to communicate that the real artwork takes place by Christina on her clients' faces. Once a final is chosen, I'll post that soon. Thanks for viewing everybody!

Art and Ilustration

Here's a great blog on Art and Illustration, Turn Olympus to Atlantis. His latest piece is brilliant!!

Sports Photography

If I can take the heart, passion and energy of any one of these players going after a loose ball in everything I do, watch out world! This is a photo I took of my son's basketball game. I love the effort shown in the faces in the players here. I used Adobe Lightroom to manipulate the colors a bit and completed the retouching in Photoshop. Effects used: Burn, Radial Blur and Halftone Pattern touches around the edges. I duplicated the photo and cropped the middle player (#40), and then added the white keyline. The box is duplicated on top of the background image. Thanks for viewing!

New Sports Blog

I created the following sports blog, Oilers Hoops to chronicle my son's last year playing varsity ball at his high school. I used only Photoshop CS4 for the image editing and some HTML/XML for the code editing. And, since I'm not a writer, it's my vision, to have one of the high school students, volunteer to post some summaries of the games. I may have to do a little bribing though for a teen to give up his/her Tues and Friday nights (when the games are played)... Pizza may do the trick! Thanks for reading!

Sports Photography

Here are a few action shots that I took of my son who plays varsity hoops for Montebello High School, Montebello, CA. If you want photos taken and digitally enhanced of your youth sports athelete, shoot me an email for info on photography and digital design packs. It may be cheaper than what you think. Besides, your athelete is worth the investment. Thanks for viewing!

Photography: Social Work

Social Work: Photography.

Thanks to Rob Terry for his beautiful photos! Here's one.

Below is a random shot I took and retouched.

That's it. Thanks for viewing!

Sports Photography

College Basketball
Youth Basketball
That's me pretending to coach a pick up game at UCLA

At NBA All-Star Game

Youth Basketball

High School Basketball

Sports Photography

My son's basketball customized card....

Schurr High School CIF Championship Game

BIOLA U Basketball

Podcast: CCM Real in the Summer


Approximately two years ago, maybe more, I purchased some podcasting equipment. With it, I created one of many shows for internet broadcasting. One show I produced (shown above), was recorded live from Calvary Chapel Montebello, CA. It was part of their youth group's summer apologetics series. I purchased the equipment in order get into the booming podcasting business. However, since the recession hit, most budgets for most companies who wanted to do these types of shows, just wasn't in their budgets.

However, I believe that during these tough economic times, companies can't afford not to keep their name "out there". One day, this economic downturn will end and we'll be back to better times financially. And consumers are going to spend money again. They will spend it on companies that they're familiar with.

And aside from the obvious, advertising, podcasting is another creative business strategy that will help market YOU, your business or organization.

Whether you're a company, non-profit or independent agent, it's important to keep your client/donor base informed about what's going on. And what may be a small investment for you, will cost your client and/or potential clients, virtually no money whatsoever. If you're a real estate agent, you can easily start a weekly show by keeping your clients informed about the current conditions of the real estate market, where to get a great loan-modification or maybe, get a good deal on new kitchen appliances and/or gardening tips.

Are you running a non-profit? Keep your donor base in-the-know about where their money is being used to help run your organization. You may also use Podcasting to promote your cause. Are you a blogger? Wouldn't you like to reach a bigger audience to help sell your product or service by making your blog audible?

The point is, podcasting will assist you in keeping your name, voice, service or product in front of the customer on a consistent basis. When they are ready to buy, sell, invest or donate, most likely, they will consider you when that time comes.

Thanks for reading/listening.

Logo Design, Youth Sports

Genesis Creative: Logo Design, Youth Sports

Just finished a new logo project for a dear family friend, Christine Fitchett and family. Her request was simply for a logo for the AYSO Soccer league she's involved in. After some tinkering, the above is the finished product. I added the crest per request and the La Habra Hills in the background. May I add that Christine does great photography work under her business, Providence Photography. I'll post a link up soon. Thanks for viewing!

front

backoriginal image

Here is a 1/4 page front/back flyer project that I just completed for Calvary Chapel Montebello, CA USA. It's a flyer promoting their "Beauty for Ashes" outreach at the end of September 2009. This outreach is for those who are battling alcohol and drug abuse. I decided on this image from istock photo because I feel it communicates the desperate prayer of the woman to God for help for her husband, son or loved one who is battling addiction.

At first, I wanted to use purely b&w and some dark grays, but I decided to use a warmer sepia tone. Like the colors you would see when a storm is about to clear on a Winter's day. I added the sun rays through the dry tree as a visual effect that God is listening to this woman's cry. I placed the "ice rink" scratches for a rough effect because at times when you pray, it's often a rough battle. You must be disciplined to do so. Especially when praying for others. I know for myself, I catch myself thinking God is some kind of magic genie in the sky asking Him to grant me all my wants. May it not be so! Thanks for reading and viewing!

Logo Comps/For Sale

I find it a challenge each time I'm asked to do a logo. Although I may have fun designing logos, I still must stay disciplined to keep focused on the message the logo must convey. Above, are a few samples I designed for URM's ministry of it's family transitional center, Hope Gardens Family Center, a center for women and children who are homeless. The project manager asked to have "hope" and "optimistic" colors along with a woman and child in the graphic. She also asked that an element of faith should be included in the logo. I subtlety placed the cross above the mother and child graphic to show it as the main part of their shelter and "roof over their heads".

Unfortunately, in the middle of the project, original plans for the logo changed and a new logo was created. However, that makes the logos above for sale. Your organization name and tagline can be easily dropped in. If you'd like info on buying any one or all three of the logos above, please contact me at drummersolis@yahoo.com. Part of the proceeds willl go to help benefit Hope Gardens Family Center. Thank you.

Overhead Graphics

The above two images are overhead graphics created for my church, Calvary Chapel Montebello. I designed two samples of one request for an announcement of a new Bible study geared towards women who are having difficulty with the guilt of having an abortion.

This was a difficult project to do. However, with God's help, I came up with the two samples. As of now, I don't know which one was approved to go.

The images were grabbed from istockphoto.com, keyword search: "woman walking alone, walking on beach, thinking, pondering." I wanted to communicate a woman thinking and maybe reaching out to God while she walks in solitude. When I need to think about things or if I wronged someone, I walk alone somewhere or go to the beach to ponder and pray.

I was hoping to communicate that here with minimal usage of copy..., however, I was directed to keep all copy in place. With overhead graphics, copy must be minimal at best. Use an image to communicate your message.

Thanks for viewing.

DVD Label and Sleeve Art

One of the great things about creating artwork for social work projects is the fulfillment I get when I witness such "success stories" in action. That was my inspiration for this simple art cover. I wanted to capture the faces of the personalities from the stories and ultimately, draw in the viewer to open the DVD case, and pop the DVD into their media player. Some of the stories can be watched when clicking here.

Thanks for viewing!

Brochure Design: General Information Brochure

Here is a legal size, gate-fold, general information brochure that I designed for URM The well written content was completed and done quickly by URM's writer so that our team can complete this project in a timely manner. Due to lack of resources and/or low printing budgets, a general information brochure about URM's services was non-existent. The previous batch of info brochures had to be thrown-out due to changes in stats and services. So an updated one was desperately needed.

With a possible new launch of the Mission's look and feel on the horizon, the design needed to be somewhere close to the colors and feel of the new theme. The images and artwork that our design team chose, fit with the benefits of saving time and money.

This new brochure will fill the need for now. It will be printed in-house on their Konica-Minolta C352 Biz Hub Color Laser Copier. A great machine that prints close to print shop quality.

The production of the project went exceedingly smooth, and the brochure is in process of final approval. I will posts a PDF copy of the final output to this post entry, in the near future.

Thanks for viewing.

Ad Design: Union Rescue Mission's Variety Magazine Ad

Here is a quick Flash video blog of the ad above that I'm currently working on... courtesy of JING.com. Thanks for viewing!

Creative Development: Layers Magazine

One of the resources I use to stay relevant and creative is subscribing to LAYERS Magazine. If you are an avid Adobe® Software user, I highly reccomend this publication to assist you in unleasing your creative potential.  They even let you sample a free issue. Enjoy and thanks for viewing!

Industry Recognition: iStockphoto.com Designer Spotlight

Today, iStockphoto.com awarded Genesis Creative a "Design Spotlight Entry" on their website for the artwork used in the Spiritual Warfare series. Special recognition also goes out to Bianca Juarez of Calvary Chapel Montebello for her superb art direction. Thanks for viewing.

Video Production: JL Hoops

Each spring since 2005, Jason Ludwig, owner of JLhoops.com, goes back to his old stomping grounds—the City of Montebello, CA, to host a day-long basketball skills camp. Jason, who is now the Director of Basketball Operations at Santa Clara University, has always wanted to bring a top notch basketball camp, that's affordable for parents of the East Los Angeles- Montebello area.

With help from sponsors, college coaches, high school and youth coaches, former and current NCAA and NBA players, the camp was able to get off the ground. And for the past four years, each camp has been a tremendous success and has progressively grown, leading possibly to a tw0-day camp in the near future.

Along with stressing basketball skills and drills, Jason emphasizes the importance of doing well in school. His message is simple, "Succeed in School". As a former video coach and graduate of the beloved UCLA Bruins, I'm not surprised at all at the high benchmark he sets for his players both on and off the court.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Jason and his wonderful family over the past four years, and let me tell you folks, they're great people. Even if you live within 50 miles of Montebello, CA and you have kids in youth basketball, I highly reccomend JLhoops basketball camps!

Thanks for viewing!

Business Cards:: Summit Mortgage

When a good freind of mine approached me about redoing his business cards, I was estactic at the opportunity to do so. The previous business cards he was using were horrid. So frightning, that I dare not post the "before" image of it here on this blog. I filed it away in my "Scary" file of printed materials. 

With that said, Mike of Summit Mortgage decided he wanted to have a clean, professional and corporate feel to his business cards. Nothing too fancy. Just the facts. He was quite the minimalist. I came up with the following two concepts. 

In the top sample, I wanted to communicate the strong showing of the logo, "The Summit". In times like we're in today, when you're applying for a loan, you want to have all the assurance that your lender is taking care of your home-loan needs. I believe that solid look emphasizes that along with all the contact info upfront. The bottom sample, which was not chosen, I tended to show more of the green color to reinforce the green of the logo and to emphasize the color of money. However, in a realistic world, its best to keep the green where it belongs, in the money you're approved for to make your real esate purchase. Summit Mortgage was very happy with their final output. Hopefully the next project will be trifold brochure. Stay tuned! Thanks for viewing.

Church Design Pack

One of the great things about doing church art graphics is not only the creative freedom, but also the exposure the work gets. And with an approximate attendance of over 1500 church-goers per week at my house of worship, Calvary Chapel Montebello (http://www.ccmtb.com), the feedback I get is priceless. But most importantly, I value the references I get from those who inquire to the church staff about my work.

Spiritual Warfare: This project was exciting for me to work on because of the "comic book" feel that was requested for it. Something along the lines of a Marvel or DC Comics-"sh" look. The project manager wanted the piece to communicate the "Good vs Evil" message, but to also make it fun. However, comic book character development is not a talent that I have. And after many failed attempts to draw a super hero and villain, I was stumped. I felt like I was cornered in a city alley and no where to go by the evil "graphic design mind block brigade".

I was in distress and needed my fantabulous super hero to rescue me. That super design hereo was iStockPhoto.com! (http://www.istockphoto.com).

Needless to say that iStockphoto.com saved me from the villain of comic book design block and helped me produce the graphic look that pleased the mayor and the citizens of Gotham. Thanks for viewing... (and reading my cheesy comic-themed writing).

Here is what the project package consisted of;

1. 30x40 Posters,
   
2. DVD/CD Wrap,
3. Overhead Projector Artwork
4. Flyers in Color and B&W and
   
5. Web Art
   

Artwork purchased from iStockphoto.com:

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup.php?id=8977751

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-9031100-city-night-guardian.php

http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-9886778-lady-superhero-kicking-alien-invader.php

Software:

Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, iStockPhoto.com, and a good ol' sketch book and art pencil for comps.

Photo Retouching

One of my favorite projects that I love doing is working on photos. I truly believe Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom are manna from heaven in this designer's world. In the photo above, I simply used Photoshop's filter affects and Kubota's "Burn Edges" Artistic plug-in to get my desired look. As you can see from the original image below, I removed some of her hair that was brushing against her cheek.

About the photo: That's me on the left along with my dear friend Liz who's friendship I think, is manna from heaven. She's been a true friend through thick and thin.

Magazine Covers Before/After

I was approached by this magazine to redesign the cover of their magazine. As you can see from their previous cover (pictured below), an upgrade was necessary. However, they still wanted to keep the magazine's title/header but in a slightly updated graphical look. I replied, "Sure. I can do that without compromising the design." I kept the look but just added more of a California sunshine look to the word, "California". I softened the text shadows, added some solid bars at top and bottom, bolded the magazine text, and wala! A new look that they were very happy with. I used Adobe Illustrator for the title and Adobe Photoshop for final output. Thanks for viewing!

T-Shirt Design

This project was to model the shirt design I did for SUBWAY© resturants. Subway sponsored a "Christmas in July" event at Union Rescue Mission. It was a simple design done in Adobe Illustrator CS3. These quick snapshots are of my dear friend Liz who was kind enough to accept my invitation to be my model... and a good one at that!

Video Production: Social Work Advocacy

I created this video also for Union Rescue Mission. Whenever the temps in Downtown Los Angeles hit 85 degrees or above, a group of staff and volunteers gather together to pass out cold water to the people on Skid Row. They call it , "A Water Walk". Water is not necessarily given to those who are homeless either. Construction workers, police officers, postal handlers, and anyone else who is working in the community.

As a faith-based organization, Union Rescue Mission goes by the following verse for their or Mark 9:41: "Truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward." ESV.

Video Production: Social Work

This short video was done for Union Rescue Mission. I covered their annual "Easter Box Outreach". An outreach that counts on volunteers to help pass out hygiene boxes to the people who are homeless and poor in the community of Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles, CA.

Software used, Apple, Inc. LiveType, Soundtrack, iMovie and Final Cut Express. The video camera I used was a simple "Flip Video" http://www.theflip.com/ This little handy USB camera works great for small clips like this. Perfect for uploading to any social networking site you prefer.

Thanks for viewing.

Photography

I walked the streets of Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles and found this man smiling amidst the chaos of the streets. His name is Charlie. A veteran who served our country but is homeless. He's just one of many. He was in great spirits and thanked God for life. I was so humbled. Software: Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Kubota Artistic Actions.

Photography

Here is a potential shot for an album cover. I decided to play a bit with this in Lightroom and Photoshop. I had my daughter take a picture of me walking on the beach (which was cold at the time), with my guitar. I used Camera Raw from Adobe Bridge to "pop out" the brown from the guitar. I used the sloppy border plug-in from Kubota Artistic Actions. Thanks for viewing.

Photography PR Before/After

Here is one more set of images from the same event spoken of below (Golf Classic). This wonderful set of mommy and daughter were volunteers at the charity event. Turns out, Selena (pictured on the left) is a model. Her mom, Silvia (pictured at Right) is where she gets her beautiful looks from :). Thanks to both for the great pose and granting me permission to post.

I used Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to edit. Plu-in included, "Sloppy Border" from Kubota Artistic Tools. (http://www.kubota.com)