Stimulate the Economy!

Well, my personal economy....shameless self promo: I just added 2 new shirts to my Zazzle store that poke fun at the economic situation. Stimulate the economy in style with these t-shirts! Both designs are available in men's and women's styles. If you like what ya see, you can buy 'em here.

Creative Postcard Club—R49 Numerals

This was a tough assignment for me. While I did actually vote for this theme, in general numbers make my eyes glaze over. So to find a meaningful number/numeral for me would prove to be the most challenging part of this assignment.

So I thought about numbers and did a littel research and then I realized that there was one number with a storied history that would work quite nicely, 13. While I don’t personally find 13 unlucky or bad luck, most people do. I decided to take advantage of this stereotype and create a creepy image.

I used some new tools for me: A Faber Castel Brush pen and my new Moleskine notebook to hand-render the numbers which I then scanned into Photoshop where I added texture and lighting to give the number the proper mood.

Click here to learn more about the Creative Postcard Club.

Friday Fun 2-Fer

So I was buying more paper for my inkjet printer on Amazon the other day and came across this oddity:


USED paper? Seriously? The worst part was the price was almost as much as a new, unopened box!


And my second "What the?!" of the week was this find on the Apple apps store:



So iBoob didn't make it past the almighty Apple censors, but this app where you can dress up women in different skimpy outfits did? No, I didn't download this one. And sadly, I can't remember what I was searching for when I found it, I got distracted. :P

Shameless Self Promo: Creative Post Card Entry Featured in Online Mag!

My entry in the Creative Postcard Club's Round 42: Found Letters was used to illustrate an article about the Creative Postcard Club in issue #4 of the online magazine, Rancor'd Type! You can download issue #4 of the PDF here.

The article starts on page 8 and my entry is on page 14. Be sure to check out all the other great entries!

And the winner is....

....Devon is the winner of my Lucky 13 giveaway. Congrats! And thanks to everyone who played the game!

Reminder: Last Chance to Enter Lucky 13 Giveaway!

All entries are due at Midnight EST today, Friday, March 13!

http://nsquaredesign.blogspot.com/2009/03/lucky-13-giveaway.html

Pepsi Natural & Throwback Branding

I saw this Brandweek post talking about Pepsi's new "all-natural" soda as well as their "throwback" formulas coming to stores April 20.

The packaging is nice, simple, and clean for both designs. What really caught my attention was the Pepsi throwback design:



While I'm a fan of the new "regular" Pepsi rebranding, I know that many people are not. Perhaps if outcry is strong enough, Pepsi should just go to selling the "throwback" formula as the "regular" Pepsi and ditch the other branding in favor of this one. (I'm in favor of keeping the old formula anyway, as it has less crap ingredients in it).

I love how simple and elegant this throwback design is. Plus, it really honors the long legacy of the brand respectfully. Well done!

Lucky 13 Giveaway!

Since I don't believe Friday the 13 is unlucky, I'm going to try to break the “spell” of the so-called unlucky Friday the 13th and make it a Lucky 13 day for one lucky person!

One week from today, on Friday March 13, I’m going to give away one hand-signed print of my “February Moon” illustration as featured in my recent art exhibit. Print size is 7 inches wide by 17.5 inches high, with a bit of white around it for me to sign.

What do you need to do to win? Answer me these questions three in the comments section on or before Midnight EST on Friday, March 13:
1) What was your luckiest Friday the 13th?
2) Do you think Friday the 13th is lucky, unlucky or neither?
3) What is your favorite Pantone Color?

The best answers, as judged solely by me, get the one and only prize. No purchase necessary. And no fair trying to bribe me with cookies. Unless they are chocolate chip. Sorry, I can only ship to US addresses.


More about this image: I needed one more image to complete my art exhibit for February with a them of "Love." So after some thought, I dreamed up a bare tree with hearts starting to bloom under the silver light of the moon as an analogy to spring and warmth that would be coming soon. I worked a bit differently this time since I wanted to try out my new Faber-Castell Artist Pens. I used the brush nib and did some quick sketches in my trusty sketchbook. I then scanned it into Photoshop and then added the background textures, moon, and lighting.