Client: Reconstruction Pictures
Project: Lebanon, Pa.
Role(s): Art Director/Designer
Details: One-sheet design for Ben Hickernell’s Indie film Lebanon, Pa. premiering @ SXSW on March 14th.

Additional Images:

Well, another month is in the books for Project 365.  It’s starting to get  a little easier to keep up with this and this month I tried out a few weekly themes, and that definatley helps.  They included, Orange week, All things Macro, Whiteout and Lomo Fisheye.  My favorite February image is hands down, 49/365, Infected.  Have a favorite image, theme suggestion, constructive criticism, pointers? Let me know…Feedback is always welcome.

At this point, I’m sure most of you have your own portfolio site and/or blog up and running, but that is just the beginning when it comes to sharing your design skills with the world.  Here’s 5 (free) things you can do to help spread your portfolio across the web.

FACEBOOK PAGE – OK, this one’s a no-brainer, as most of you already have a personal FB account. Creating a page for yourself is quick and snappy, so I’ll skip the details.  Once the page is built, create a few photo albums (i.e. print, logos, web, etc.) and add your work.  The big advantage of using a social network like Facebook, is you can tap into your existing personal network to promote your work.  This is especially helpful to those of you who are just starting out and are looking for word of mouth recommendations.  Now that your fb page portfolio is up and running, just keep in mind that updating work consistently is important, but even more importantly, make sure you  share that work with your network any chance you get. Take a step further….you can link your Facebook page to a twitter account, so everytime you update your fb portfolio, your twitter status will reflect it.  Neat, eh?

GOOGLE IT - Let’s face it….Google is taking over the world.  No need to fight, just give in and exploit it for your personal gain.  There are a few ways to utilize google, beyond the basic search engine.  In my opinion the most effective is the Google Local Business Center.  Here you can add the basics about yourself or business such as location, contact info, website, etc.  But beyond the basics, you can also add up to 10 images, so pick your 10 best examples, and add them to your listing.  Now, when people search your area for a designer, not only will they get your basics, but they’ll be able to see a few examples of your work right in your listing. Here’s my listing.

FLICKR ACCOUNT – Create a Flickr photoset for your portfolio (or better yet, create one for each section of your portfolio).  Besides being a great place to share photos, Flickr has a ton a great groups that allow you to share your work with all kinds of people. Remember, it’s not enough to just add you upload your work to Flickr – You need to stay active in the Flickr groups….You never know who’s floating around the Logo Design Pool.

DESIGN SHOWCASE SITES - There are a bunch of great Graphic & Web showcase sites out there.  (Sites like Logopond, LogoMoose and Web2.0) Do a quick google  search and before you know it, you’ll be exposing your portfolio to a whole new section of the web.

ALTERNATE ONLINE PORTFOLIOS - It’s great to have your own website and/or blog, but why not utilize other design portfolios that are already established and have a steady built in traffic flow.  Crowd Sourcing and Community design sites have begun popping up all over the place and most of them allow you to host a showcase page.  StyleApple, CrowdSpring and Blur Designs are just a few of these sites, with new ones launching all the time.

Client: DownesDesigns
Project: Company Website
Role(s): Web Comp Designer
Art Director: Pamela Downes Lee
Programming: CandyApple Design
Details: Web Comp design for Pamela Downes Lee and her Design company DownesDesigns.

Client: Max Films
Project: Company Website
Role(s): Web Comp Designer
Details: Web Comp design (unused) for the film/video production company Max Films. The company ultimately went with a simpler flash-based site, but I was so happy with the way this comp came out, thought I’d share it.

Client: Eventide Productions
Project: Sufferance
Role(s): Art Director/Designer
Details: Teaser poster design for the horror film SUFFERANCE, currently in development.

Got wind of this group on Flickr called project 365.  They ask you to take a photo a day for a year, so in an effort to flex my creative muscles, I decided to give it a whirl. Below are January’s photos, and I’m happy to say that so far, I haven’t missed a day.  Only 11 more months to go.

What’s your favorite image from January?  Leave your thoughts in the comment field below.  (FYI – My personal favorite is 14/365, Paper Sisters.)

This months Poster showcase is for a film I was lucky enough to be involved with.  THE ART OF THE STEAL is the latest documentary by Don Argott &  9.14 Pictures (Rock School, Two Days in April) that tells the story of Dr. Albert C. Barnes and struggle over his mult-billion dollar art collection housed at the Barnes Foundation in Philly.   Back when I was on-staff at 9.14, I helped out on the production side of this project, and I’m so pleased at the way it turned out, as well as all the buzz it’s been getting over the last few months.  I had a chance to check it out at last years NYFF and it blew me away.  It’s being release in theaters on February 26th, so if you get the chance, go check it out.  You can look up where it’s playing near you over at the Sundance Selects website.

Now, onto the poster.  The one-sheet was designed by Neil Kellerhouse and Kellerhouse, Inc. (who’s probably best known for designing Criterion Collection art) and uses newspaper clippings to create a terrific film noir/caper style figure.  Design has a very old-fashion, art deco quality to it, reminding me of the great master, Saul Bass. A great poster, for flick.  (I may be a little biased)

A small set of High Res textures I come across on my way from the subway to my office in Fishtown, PA. You can check out the entire set over @ Flickr.

I just picked up a new Nikon D90 over the Holiday and broke it in @ the 2010 Mummers Parade held in Philly.  With a ton of vibrant colors and amazing characters, it was the perfect venue to test out what the Digital SLR was made of.  Although I’m extremely happy with the results, I can definitely see myself picking up a nice wide lens and a better (…and Crisper) zoom lens in 2010.  But first things first…enjoy the pictures.