Blackburn Rovers

For those who didn't know, I'm originally from England, and have been brought up to love a small town football team called Blackburn Rovers. I've loved them all my life and always wanted to redesign their logo, and I finally got round to it the other day.

This is the current logo:













The rose represents the lancashire rose (lancashire is the part of england that blackburn is located)
It is ugly and dated and has been the logo for a little over 30 years, yet it still holds a special place in all rovers fan's hearts because of what it represents.

This is the mark used before that:













A more graphic (and successful) representation of the rose.


And this is the oldest of the logos:













Anyway. This is what I came up with:



















The most important thing about the logo is the tradition. You can't get far away from what the club is all about or else it will fail. The overall shape of the mark is taken from the current rovers logo. The rose is taken from the previous logo. And the ribbon is taken from the oldest logo.

The typography on the ribbon isn't finalized yet, so that is just sort of a placeholder for now.

Here is the logo on the jersey:





































Here are some color options:



















Here are some rose options:




















And here is an initial sketch:




















I love my Rovers, and I love design. This was a fun exercise in trying to combine the two.

the job

Well

After much looking and talking and thinking, I've started my job at Teshler Creative up in the northwest hills of Austin. They're more of an advertising and strategy company than strictly graphic design, but that's ok and I'm learning a heck of a lot about business related things! I work crazy hours and am deprived of sleep, but I have a steady income which is great!

I've found a really nice apartment, and I'm in the middle of moving in right now.

I'll still be doing plenty of freelance stuff, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to get in touch with me!

Photo logos

I've had several photographers come to me recently for logo work.

The Finished Books

Alrighty so the the flip books are done and just about ready to go. I've got to finish a few boxes and get the envelopes printed, and then I can ship them off. They're going all over the country to design firms that I love and respect, and hopefully it will get me a job.

I've attached a few photos of the process, along with a video or the final product.

The chimp.

So i'm making a ton of flip books in hopes that one of them will get me a job. sounds crazy i know, but it will hopefully work. Getting a job at a design firm is a much different process than trying to get a job anywhere else. Personality, uniqueness, and attention to detail are priority over how many shiny stars you have on your resume. This chimp flipbook is a subtle joke in typography, something that only designers will get, and it's a little teaser on not only a certain skill set, but also a subconscious note that this guy has a sense of humor and is light hearted.

Anyway, here's a video of the raw animation. I've printed out all the books, and tomorrow i'll be cutting and binding them, so i'll post pictures of that later.

Graduation Cards

Hey all!

So I've been receiving a lot of cards in the mail recently for my graduation etc. Thank you all so much for that! I'll be sending out thank you cards before too long. If you didn't see the cards, you can check them out HERE.

They were totally fun to make, and I hope you all enjoyed them!

The start of a new life

Tomorrow I graduate from Texas State University-San Marcos. It feels like only yesterday that I was graduating High School. While it's totally exciting thinking about what the future holds, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I suppose not knowing what's going to happen is half the fun of life.

Anyway, one thing that is for certain is that I'm ready for a change.

I've got my new website up and running. I've started the new blog. I've got new business cards and a fancy-pants new portfolio. I have a fresh desire to be successful, along with a new shirt for graduation tomorrow!

Everyone keeps telling me that the economy is dreadful right now and it's near impossible to get a job. Encouraging words for a new graduate...

Getting a job in this field is a little different, anyway. You really have to advertise yourself to a prospective employer. You have to do it in a way that they will remember; one that's not cheesy or lame, and will get your foot in the door.

I know what I'm going to do, and all that's left is to actually make the things and send them out.

Wish me luck!