MORANDOMTHOUGHTS

Vacation 2011

2011-06-19T18:34:00.001-07:00

A few of the many images from our driving vacation up the coast. Mystic Harbor, Provincetown, Newport, Ogunquit, Rockland so far, looking forward to Camden and Bar Harbor.

Levi January 12, 2011

2011-01-13T06:49:00.001-08:00

Spent most of the day with my grandson Levi yesterday, what a blast. This child is pure delight. It's hard not to be happy when I'm around him. We laughed and played all day!

Jake 1999-2010

2010-12-30T06:37:00.001-08:00

Our dog Jake was euthanized yesterday. He was a loving companion who will be sorely missed.

Leaf Alphabet

2010-11-22T04:19:00.000-08:00

I decided to go ahead and complete the alphabet I had started while doing the Thanksgiving gifts. Glad it's done.

Thanksgiving Leaves

2010-11-12T03:52:00.001-08:00

I'm working on a set of prints which I intend to give to clients as a Thanksgiving gift this year instead of a Christmas gift. Hey, why not. The Christmas Holiday is always frantic for everyone, Thanksgiving seems a better time to offer a gift—a "Thank You". Anyway, the prints are done, but I started working on the exterior label that will carry the overall greeting. I had this idea to construct the letterforms out of leaves and other natural objects that I could collect around our property. So, on a cold and rainy Saturday last weekend, I gathered a shopping bag full of natural stuff and assembled the letterforms in my photo studio. Much harder than I had imagined. Then began the painstaking process of creating a clipping path around each very complex letterform in Photoshop. This is the LAST time I will ever do this. I had toyed with the idea of a full font, but not any longer. Glad to have the letterforms done. I'll look forward to completing this tedious project.

The prints are shown below. Both are Daylilies from our garden shot this past Summer. The prints themselves will be 11 x 14 inch archival prints on 100% cotton paper.

Are you a vegetarian?

2010-11-01T05:46:00.001-07:00

With a face like this it's hard not to be a vegetarian? This lovely creature is one of the Brady Family's sheep here in Scenery Hill. Photographed a few days ago.

Believe Video for PPS

2010-10-09T02:55:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of acting as art director and designer on a video for the Pittsburgh Public Schools this past month. The video can be seen here. The script for the video was written by Lindy Kravec and formed the conceptual backbone. Videography is by Production Masters Inc. (PMI) as is sound, music, and editing. Still photography is by Terry Clark.

A Year of Increased Self-Sufficiency.

2010-09-26T08:08:00.001-07:00

This year, more than ever before, we took advantage of our natural resources here in Scenery Hill. We harvested blackberries and raspberries in the spring, apples in the summer and gathered dead or downed wood to use as firewood. Our little garden yielded a healthy crop of tomatoes--six varieties--as well as potatoes, peppers, and corn. Our deck container garden gave us even more tomatoes and a season-long supply of basil, mint, tarragon, parsley, and chives.

Last weekend I spent part of a day splitting some of the wood I had harvested, and accumulated a good supply of apple, cherry, and elm wood. Hard work but tremendously rewarding.

Copyright Nazism

2010-09-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hey, let me start this by saying that I am a big proponent of artist's rights when it comes to copyright law. I lecture my clients all the time about the intricate details of who owns what, and that just because they hired an artist for a job (photography, illustration or design) does not grant them the inherent copyright attached to the work of art.

But yesterday I encountered what I believe to be the most extreme example of copyright enforcement that I've ever encountered—a form of copyright nazism. Margaret & I went to visit Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece in the Laurel Highlands east of Pittsburgh.

We were given a brochure after paying to tour the grounds that reads: "...All photographs, paintings, and sketches generated during your visit are for personal use only and cannot be sold, published or posted on a website without permission of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy..." OK, so this is an architectural masterpiece done by Wright, and any art created from it would be derivative—maybe I can buy that, but it's a real stretch.

But the really galling part is that they have works of art for sale in a special gallery with art done by members of the Associated Artist's of Pittsburgh. So, obviously these folks have been granted papal dispensation to produce art and profit from it. Selective absolution. Geez, this kind of thinking would have played well in the Germany in the 30's. Oh, that's right, it did.

So, yes, I am pissed. I think artists have the right to intrepret the world through their art: including the world that may or may not include architectural masterpieces. Should we prohibit Andy Warhol's use of iconic soup cans? Any and all artist images of the Chrysler Building? The Flatiron Building? The Hancock Building? Transamerica Building? Charles Demuth's many architecturally inspired works?

This is copyright radicalism taken to the extreme. And yes I do believe it is a form of nazism. Photos above are for sale by the way, all profits will be turned over to the Conservancy.

No Clue.

2010-09-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

Approximately 100 miles from the nearest body of navigable water, on a small country road, in a community of less than 1500 people, many of whom are farmers, ranchers, and coal miners, a lonely boat has been sitting "For Sale" for over 18 months. It's not a particularly attractive boat: it's old, wooden, outdated, and in poor repair. The sign advertising it's sale constantly blows over. And I've never seen a single person stop to look at it. Then again, there is no phone number nor information about the boat either. It's sits on a piece of property where any one of three possible houses could be the owner who is selling the boat.

So, what's at work here? Is the seller so truly attached emotionally to the boat that he just can't quite part with it, even though his wife, or accountant, keeps urging him to sell? Has the long drive to water finally caught up with him?

Artifact Narrative

2010-09-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

A slideshow with images that I've been working on as part of a collection called Artifact Narrative.

We surround ourselves with artifacts, sometimes the meaning and value of these things is unclear—but there is often an unspoken narrative that plays in our head regarding the importance of the things we save. This photographic study looks at a few of my personal artifacts—each has great personal meaning.

Rick Landesberg: Design & Generosity

2010-03-23T05:46:00.000-07:00

Pictured above is my friend & colleague, Rick Landesberg and photos of a wonderful little book that he produced called "Design & Generosity". The book was done as a remembrance of a talk that Rick gave at TEDx Leadership Pittsburgh in November of last year. The book itself is something to be cherished—a letterpress printed cover on stout recycled stock, beautiful typography and design, and hand stitched by Debra Williams, a fine artist and Office Manager at Landesberg Design in Pittsburgh.

But more than the book itself, are the ideas which Rick has captured. In Rick's 3 minute talk, (See it here on YouTube) he is able to summarize the importance and value of a fully developed aesthetic sense in work that might be done by graphic and industrial designers. He points out that even modest objects with the most utilitarian of functions can be designed so that they are imbued with beauty as well as utility. This, as Rick defines it, is the gift that is given by the designer. He goes on to define this idea as generosity and encourages all of us who create things to invest this spirit into those things that we design. "...investing our work with a bountifulness and kindness that makes the work truly generous."

Thank you Rick! Truly inspirational.

Spring is coming...

2010-03-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

I was walking in the woods looking for photographs when I came across this tiny feather, less than 3 inches in length, cresting on top of the frozen snow. A sure sign that the birds are returning, the sun is shining, and maybe, just maybe, we'll survive this god-awful winter we've had. I did add this to my collection of feathers.

David Rohm's Brilliant Self-Promotional Mailers

2010-03-03T14:54:00.001-08:00

I received these self promotional mailers the other day from a designer named David Rohm.

Now we all know how welcoming we are to unsolicited e-mails—but these just grabbed me because of their simplicity and unique positioning. This guy, whom I don't know, but look forward to meeting, has written and designed what I think are some of the best self-promotional mailers that I've ever seen.

Simple, bold grab you by the eyeballs typography, and messaging that can't be beat. In the first ad at the top (I realize it's hard to read the small type) but David is offering a 30 day, no cost free trial of his creative services.

In the second he's saying: "Graphic Design is all about me"--cut on dotted line, rotate 180 degrees. This is funny & inventive stuff here. He's captured the stereotypical weakness that designers are known for, and used it as another grabber with the "rotate 180 degrees to form "We".

The third is another take on the free for 30 days offer using the current financial mess as a platform for the idea.

So, if anyone reading this knows of anyone looking for a brilliant designer (and writer) call: David Rohm (412) 200-2724; davidcreative@comcast.net

Can A Local Boy Make Good?

2010-02-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

Way back in 1967 I was a Freshman at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and like many students, needed money. So, I screen printed this series of mailers which I sent to about 60 Advertising Agencies and Art Studios in Pittsburgh. The response was actually pretty good since I got ongoing work from two of the Ad agencies. One of those was Marc Advertising, now the largest Agency in Pittsburgh, but at the time they were a small fry agency. I worked on design concepts for brochures and ads for the "Larger Lodger"-- a back yard storage shed. Dreadful work, but it paid the bills as they say. It also convinced me that I never wanted to work in an Advertising Agency. And over 40 years later, I have no regrets for that decision.

Artifact Narrative

2010-01-13T04:21:00.000-08:00

First in a series of new images: "Artifact Narrative".

FROZEN

2010-01-12T13:46:00.001-08:00

Images from a series entitled "FROZEN". Started this last year and it continues. Some are hand made, some found.

Spiral Construction

2009-12-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

A Spiral Construction in three stages made from found objects on our property. Approximately 72 inches high x 36 inches wide x 36 inches deep.

Aero | Tech | Designs

2009-09-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

A poster designed as part of an overall brand identity project for a cyclewear clothing manufacturer.

Foggy Saturday Morning: Riverview Park

2009-08-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday morning, I art directed a photo shoot for our client Aero Tech Designs Cyclewear. These "pre-shoot" images were taken by me while I waited for the client and models to show up.

My Grandson's First Month...

2009-07-04T04:57:00.000-07:00

Like any good grandfather, I photographed Levi every time I visited him his first month. I compiled the photographs into Photoshop forms, printed them on an Epson Stylus Pro 7600 printer, then created a hand made book as gift to my son & daughter-in-law.

Green Shoots...

2009-07-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

Aero Tech Designs Cyclewear

2009-07-01T04:19:00.000-07:00

New design work for Aero Tech Designs Cyclewear. A Coraopolis, Pennsylvania designer and manufacturer of clothing for avid cyclists.

How do you lose those smiles?

2009-06-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

The hardest part about being in the design and marketing communications business is seeing good, effective, solutions with human appeal become diluted by misplaced "governance." This is a case of exactly that. The cover which was created for this brochure titled "Pathways to the Promise" was decimated by an Executive Director of Marketing Communications who felt that it was "imperative" that the cover share the same messaging and imagery that is soon to be revealed in a TV commercial for the school system.

Now unfortunately all of the photos were shot for a different purpose--namely individual close-up portraits--not a group. Second from the left shows one of the stunning single portraits done for the media campaign. The problem is it shows just ONE kid. Oh, and remember we've got to make sure this is "inclusive & shows diversity" ( you know, like the ORIGINAL cover) But no, we must use the photos from the ad campaign (even if they weren't intended for this use)--we'll beat them into submission and ruin a cover in the process...the Marcomm Director will sleep better tonight, me I think it's a travesty.

So how do you get 5 young students to smile?

2009-06-18T03:29:00.001-07:00

So, how do you get 5 young students to smile after you line them up in front of an old art director, an old photographer, and their Principal? You hold two fingers above the photographer's head, so only the kids can see them, and they crack up. What a joy it is to work with young kids. This wonderful photography is by Terry Clark.

These students are from Mifflin School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are being featured in a brochure about the "Pathway to the Promise" a descriptive brochure for parents that explains the many programs that the Pittsburgh Public Schools have enacted to make sure that students are "Promise Ready".

The Pittsburgh Promise is an educational scholarship Program funded by UPMC, The Pittsburgh Foundation and individuals, that awards up to $10,000 per year to graduates of the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Our Grandson Levi

2009-06-13T07:08:00.000-07:00

Our first Grandson, Levi James Moran was born June 10, 2009 at St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Levi, his father Evan and mother Megan are all doing well.

The Zen of Grape Ivy

2009-05-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

When my wife Margaret & I moved to our current country home on 22 acres after living in the city for all of our lives, we knew that things would be different. As city homeowners we always subcontracted the care of our property to either willing neighborhood kids or a landscaping service, so caring for property is not something that comes naturally to me.

My expectations were simple enough, I figured that I’d just mow the 5-6 acres that have a “grass-like” growth on it, and leave the rest of it to nature—as is.

But, as I walked through the woods, I noticed a pernicious plant called “grape ivy”—“wild grape vine” (vitis aestivalis I think.) strangling many of the trees. Now these are no small vines by the way, we are talking about vines with diameters ranging from 2 to 5 inches, and reaching 60–70 feet up into the trees—one plant often engulfing 2 or 3 neighboring trees as well. I knew that the vines were choking the life out of the native white ash, shag-bark hickory, maple and oak trees on our property and decided that I had to do something about it.

At first I thought I could just pull it out of the trees with my hands—fat chance of that happening. So, I started carrying a small folding saw with me to cut the vines at the base hoping to at least stop the spread of this pesky plant. Then in later walks I started bringing a bow saw, and finally a chain saw to deal with the larger ones. But I still had these dangling masses of vines strung between trees making it impossible to walk through, and still choking the trees.

So, the only way to get this stuff out of the trees was to pull it out using a tractor. I’m sure it’s hard to imagine how the process of attaching a 50-foot chain to a 40 horsepower 4-wheel drive tractor and yanking grape ivy out of trees could be “Zen-like”—but trust me, it is. Knowing that this small act can rescue the trees makes me feel like I’m doing what’s right—and good.

And the final result is that over the past seven years I’ve managed to rescue well over 100 trees on our property, giving them a chance to prosper and grow without the stranglehold of grape ivy. The funny thing is though, that because there are so many trees still encumbered, it’s hard to see that I’m even making any progress.

Maybe our (soon-to be-born) grandchild will get to enjoy our property more, and that alone could make it all worthwhile.

A small pile of grape ivy recently removed—ready to be burned.

Here's the next challenge, that 3 inch wide vine you see above is poison ivy! Now what the heck do I do about that?

Thoughts on the Letter A

2009-05-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

Who doesn’t love the letter A?

And why wouldn’t you? It’s not only the first letter in the “English” alphabet (actually Latin or Roman), it symbolizes accomplishment and excellence in almost every context.

In my family the power of the “A” became apparent in grade school. My grandmother paid my brothers and I for A’s on our Report Card—for B’s you got zilch—in her mind there was no second place. You were either “A” material worth rewarding, or you weren’t. Period.

And we know that being “A-1” is the best; the "A-Train" has to be good; and "Triple A", well that’s just over the top—OK, other than in the military context. Those with last names beginning with “A” love being first on the list, first to be called and have an overwhelming superiority complex—trust me, I know, I was in business with a guy whose named started with A.

Graphic designers, calligraphers, artists and typographers all love the letter A. In corporate and brand identity, it’s a letter which is often customized to form a unique but still recognizable letterform—like the 2- sided triangular form used in the (old) NASA logo.

Other than Hester Prynne’s unfortunate “A”, all other symbolism and associations to the letterform “A” are positive, or at least neutral. In math, the first corner of a triangle is “a”; and in a hexadecimal numbering system, A is equal to the digit 10—and 10 is a nice number too, right?

"A" is the third most common letter in the English language—it’s the second most common in French & Spanish. The “A-Team” brings their “A-Game” and finds success. (although the TV show “The A-Team” left something to be desired)

In Morse code, the letter A is “dot, dash” one of only four Morse code letters formed by less than three dots or dashes ( “E” being the shortest, represented by “dot”) In the Military Phonetic Alphabet, A is represented by “alpha”—also the first letter of the Greek alphabet, and part of the historical basis for our letter “A”. It’s also a descendant of “aleph” in the Phoenician alphabet, and before that, an ox head in Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

The letter is also a word—an indefinite article used before singular nouns—“A goofball with a computer ambled through town today with his Blog…”—well you get the idea.

The letterform "A" is an important one. Everyone likes it, everyone wants to be part of the “A Group”: the best, the highest, the first, the winners. Ever use “B-1” steak sauce? Ever call “B-1” Plumbers, or have your cleaning done at a “B-1 Dry Cleaner”? Where would we be without the “A”?

Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway was rated “AAA” until just recently. The current financial rating system used by Moody’s and other rating agencies is plagued by a desire to try to keep assigning “A”s in their rating system, even if it may not be deserved. Their system includes: Aaa, Aa1, Aa2, Aa3, A1, A2, A3, and even then only drops to Baa1, Baa2…maddeningly complex but motivated by the power of “A”—we all want to be one.

OK, so maybe there are a few “A-holes” out there who want to try to diminish the importance of “A” but forget about them and concentrate on the “A-Plus” people.

Rare Book Room

2009-05-06T04:05:00.001-07:00

For all those designers, calligraphers, artists and book lovers out there. Visit the Rare Book Room. A company called “Octavo” has digitally photographed some of the world ’s great books from some of the greatest libraries. Shown here is a spread from The Book of Hours, Horae Beatae Mariae ad usum Romanum, 1524.

(Thanks to Design Observer )

Leaky Pipe People & Dancing Bladders?

2009-05-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

Some time in the last couple of years, the drug companies decided to bring their show directly to us, rather than simply talking to physicians.

You know, I’d almost give them the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe, just maybe, their intentions were good, and that this is about giving us more information so that we can make good choices.

But when Elvis’ “Viva Las Vegas” was adapted as the theme song for Viagra, I knew we were in for it—big time. And they now use the tagline "Viva Viagra"—Elvis would surely leave the building if he knew this.

They’ve managed to promote Viagra as a “lifestyle” choice for the older set—at one point in their advertising they even put nasty little devil’s horns on the guy in the ad…so we know this is not about trying to help us make good choices.

OK, now if you do have an incontinence problem, would you feel better when you see “leaky pipe people” carousing around the TV screen? Oh, and what about those dancing water balloon bladders? So, what’s at work here?

The Drug Companies are trying to “build their brands” so we’ll recommend their drug to our doctor. They're trying to create impressions that will stick with us—they hope.

The Ad folks are having a tough time dealing with the subject—it’s hard enough to come up with good ideas—but for icky products like these? (Imagine telling your kids: I created really cool leaky pipe people today!)

The naming Gurus are hard at work coming up with great names like “Boniva” for a bone related drug…duh.

All we can do is complain...and make fun of them of course. So let's all tell them what we think about their goofball advertising and the next time we need a prescription, order the generic kind instead!

Is that a cast-iron tub...or are you just happy to see me?

2009-05-04T03:58:00.000-07:00

Advertising can be really annoying, and sometimes stupid, too. It's not bad enough that we have to be constantly reminded of unfortunate medical disorders of a personal kind (not that there's anything wrong with that) but the use of symbolism in advertising sometimes just falls off a cliff.

Case in point: Cialis advertising. Now why are there two middle-aged people, one of whom has a misfunctioning part, sitting in cast-iron bathtubs, overlooking the Pacific? What should we be seeing here? What should we be remembering that might spark our desire to purchase Cialis at some point in the future when things aren't working as they should?

Are they in separate tubs because of the malfunction, or the cure? Is the sturdy symbolism of cast-iron meant to inspire some virile connection in our minds? Is this some ritualistic act practiced only in California?

To make matters worse, the folks who brought you Cialis, have now decided that this is such an enduring image that it should be used as the symbolic representation of their product. They have turned it into their product identity. Two old people in tubs. (Hopefully for less than four hours because we know that can be dangerous.) Or are these two very short people with very wide bottoms?

What would you tell your grandchildren if they asked why you and grandma spend so much time in the tubs outside? Are these folks who couldn't afford the requisite California redwood hot tub? Is this a lesson that we should be saving more and investing more conservatively?

Now we know that advertising icons can become corporate symbols—the AFLAC duck being the most recent example that comes to mind. But in that case at least there is SOME logic to "quack" and the acronym AFLAC, that might have triggered some weary creative type to say "lets use a duck". But what level of creative desperation led some poor advertising type to exclaim "I know, lets have them sitting in old cast iron bath tubs!" If there is some logic I've missed, or some deep psychological symbolism that makes sense, please let me know.

Forensic Graphic Design

2009-05-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Being a junk collector has no boundaries, I've also built a sizeable collection of "Ephemera"—those fleeting items created for daily use and rarely saved—except by people like me. I was admiring a few examples from my collection recently— two forms related to a 1912 business transaction between the John Kirch & Co. of Pittsburg (no H) and The Toledo Grain and Milling Company-Armada Mills in Toledo, Ohio. I started trying to understand the dynamics of this particular business transaction from what I could derive by looking at the forms themselves—a type of "Forensic Graphic Design" if you will. A number of things stood out: this was a large business transaction that was completed professionally and expeditiously in a few days between two companies who valued their relationship. Quick shipment of a big order, credit for freight, payment in five days, use of recycled bags. No moral hazards at work here—this was a smooth and honest business transaction.

You can also see that The Toledo Grain & Milling Company placed a high value on their Brand Identity. The Company's expertly crafted and engraved identity is prominently displayed on both forms. They have several configurations of their elaborately detailed logotype & corporate symbol. This one below is apparently the "primary" configuration for their corporate signature complete with corn symbol and packaging example.

And they have secondary graphics to accompany the corporate signature. This is the Armada Mills Plant itself depicted with its rail siding and material handling systems.

The corporate signature has a secondary configuration—this version without either the building, wheat shafts, corn plant or packaging. Both versions include their production capacity: 500 barrels of Flour—winter & spring; and 100 tons of corn and chop feed daily.

Now this was no small transaction. The total cost of $638.02 in 1912 dollars is roughly equivalent to an $18,500. transaction today. But for that size of order freight is free!

And the Invoice was paid in 5 days! This John Kirch & Co. was obviously a prosperous and reputable business.

Notice that a draft for payment was written by a representative of the Toledo Grain & Milling Company at their depot in Pittsburg, "at sight on arrival of car" Now these are payment terms that we could all live with today...none of these 30/60/90 day terms.

Mr. Hurlbut, the representative for Toledo Grain, has quite a nice calligraphic hand I'd say. In fact, it looks like fine handwriting was pretty prevalent back in 1912.

And I guess The John Kirch Company believed in recycling as well—here we can see that they provided 405 bags to be filled and reused.

Amazing what we can learn from this old junk: how to conduct your business honestly, how to be an environmentally concerned citizen, the need to write clearly and beautifully, and respect for brand & corporate identity. Not bad lessons from a couple of pieces of paper from 1912.

More from the Old Media Series

2009-04-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

From the top: Seeburg Wall-O-Matic Jukebox, Remington Portable Typewriter, Philco Model 48 Radio.

Old Media Series: Emerson Portable Radio

2009-04-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Another from this recent series.

Old Media Series : Cameras

2009-04-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

I'm a junk collector. Many of the things I collect are related to "old media" and the tools that used to be used to communicate: cameras, typewriters, radios, tape decks, metal typesetting equipment, old metal line cuts, commercial art tools. Anyway, you get the idea. I'm fascinated by the art of these objects--humble tools in their day, designed for utilitarian purposes--worth cherishing. These images are part of an Old Media series which I started a few years ago--although these particular images were just done recently.

Sketches for PPG Industries Exhibit

2009-04-23T04:16:00.000-07:00

A while back I was commissioned to develop concepts for a new exhibit for the Architectural Products Division of PPG Industries. These are a few of the preliminary sketches which were done as part of the design and planning phase. The sketches are best seen as "visual thinking"—a kind of spatial exploration of form and arrangement and not really art or drawings. The sketches were followed by a series of rough three-dimensional models which were quickly assembled in scale to replicate the size relationships of the products, the exhibit booth and most importantly the environment that viewers would experience upon entering the space.

Industrial exhibits and tradeshows are highly regulated environments which exist for a short period of time, usually for 2-3 days and sometimes up to a week. The space for the booth is rented by corporations, much like magazine advertising space. The costs are high for the design, construction, transportation to the show, staffing, travel expenses, transportation back from the show, and then the storage of the exhibit properties. But the possibilities for success are equally high. In this instance the show was attended by influential architects, urban planners, construction managers, facilities planners, and contractors from around the globe. So the opportunity to market new products where they can be seen, touched and explained in real life is the essence of "marketing." (the term having been derived from the crowded atmosphere of markets themselves)

Corian & Opal Glass Lamp

2009-04-20T04:26:00.001-07:00

Over the years I've designed lots of furniture...some of which I've built in my quest to become a better woodworker. (Always hoping to equal the talents of Brothers Bill & Greg) And of course I always design the things I build, by first drawing them--I think of the drawings as an integral part of the design process. There are occasions though where I have designed things--with the thought that perhaps they could be manufactured for sale, rather than something I would make with my own hands--limited edition craftworks if you will. This 9x12 inch watercolor sketch on brown wrapping paper depicts one of those thoughts. This was done in 1989.

Indaba Global Research Identity

2009-04-14T11:37:00.001-07:00

Recent corporate identity design work for a Boston area financial start-up. The company's business is to provide independent financial research to large institutional investors--like Fidelity Mutual Funds. Their business model is one which will aggregate information from multiple sources from around the globe.

The word "indaba" means meeting or conference, as well as "gathering". In an agricultural sense it would represent the "harvest." So, the inspiration for the mark is one which attempts to combine a contemporary harvest symbol, with the concepts of aggregation of multi-sourced information--uniting to form a circular form representing the globe--all somewhat abstractly. The secondary symbolism is that of the letterform "I" for Indaba.

Color was carefully chosen to fit the financial industry, and to have only positive global connotations. Blue tones--the most widely accepted colors--generally symbolize peace, calmness, stability, security, loyalty, sky & water.

Seek You Identity

2009-04-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

Corporate identity for a new start-up company. Their idea is to create a social network communication tool which alerts users to the location of other members--anywhere in the world. For those busy "road warriors" who don't want to miss the opportunity to spend a few hours/minutes with friends if they find themselves in Heathrow Airport at the same time. Not a product that I personally need--but hey, I guess there are globe-trotters dying for yet another electronic tool to use to track their friends.

One World Trade Center Entry

2009-04-02T04:07:00.001-07:00

Design entry to the New York Times for the identity of the new One World Trade Center Building in New York. The symbolism is of an abstracted numeral one that is inspired by the architecture of the new building by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

See article here: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/help-put-a-new-face-on-freedom/

We'll Stop @ 5. OK?

2009-03-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

A typographic exercise just for fun.

Good50x70 2009 Entry

2009-03-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is my entry into a global competition. The project is one called "Good50x70. The Project that helps social communication"

Here's how the organization describes their project & purpose:

We created Good 50×70, an independent, non-profit initiative with

the following aims:

- to promote the value of social communication in the creative community,
- to provide charities with a (free) database of communication tools,
- to inspire the public via graphic design.

Our focus is an annual contest to design posters confronting seven
of the critical issues affecting today’s world. We chose posters as the media for the contest as they’re the most direct way to convey a message and can be easily translated to other media.

Seven charities each provide a brief on a global issue.

Anyone who wishes can enter a poster on any topic that inspires them.
The best 30 responses to each brief (as selected by our jury) are collected
in a catalogue and exhibited around the world. All the posters entered are
supplied to the charities for them to use as potential communication tools.
There aren’t any ‘winners’, unless you count the charities.
The point of entering is to produce something that might make
a difference in the world.

What more could you ask for as a creative than that?

Frozen Portrait

2009-02-24T04:30:00.001-08:00

Frozen Title Options

2009-02-21T13:40:00.001-08:00

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Here are a few options for the title image for the "Frozen" image series.

Frozen: continued again

2009-02-17T08:36:00.001-08:00

Frozen: continued

2009-02-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

Well, these are the new frozen image plates; unfortunately the two I did yesterday partially melted and then froze themselves to an outside table, so I couldn't use all four as planned. As you can see above, one of the plates also broke as I was removing it. No big deal--as CrustyPiMan (and Brian Eno) says: "Honor your error as your intention." So, yes, I intended to have the irregular shape to symbolize a more natural form.

Frozen

2009-02-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

This photo shows the frozen "image plates" in their raw state.

I'm still working on compiling images for the collection / book titled "Frozen". This image is the first in a series I'm working on where I've literally frozen natural objects in ice. I'm using containers filled with water, arranging the materials, leaving outside overnight to freeze, then I'm photographing them. The individual frozen "image plates" are about 10 inches wide x 15 inches high and are about 3/4 of an inch in thickness. I've just frozen two more, so tomorrow I plan to try something where I use all four in a set-up construction perhaps in a remote part of the woods.

Mascot for Pittsburgh Science & Technology School

2009-01-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

And now for something completely different, this is a "mascot" symbol designed for the new Pittsburgh Science & Technology Academy which will open in August of 2009. Yes, it's a Pit Bull--a notorious urban dog, some might say scary as well. I chose the Pit Bull as an apt symbol for inner city school students who may have a reputation for being "tough kids" but by adding the glasses, I thought it also showed the "smart" side potential.

This symbol is actually derived from a collaboration between Evan, my son, and I. He and I developed the original "pit bull" symbol (with no glasses) for an industrial manufacturing client who wasn't nearly courageous enough to use it--although everyone admitted that it would be the talk of their industry if they did.

Early reaction from students has been positive; they seem to like being associated with a tough but "brainy" dog.

Accepted in the Pittsburgh Chapter AIGA Context 2009 Communication Graphics Show.

Frozen 2009

2009-01-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

I'm working on compiling a collection of images, new and old, to put into a photo book I'm tentatively calling "Frozen." This was shot this morning at sunrise. The sunrise adds warmth to an otherwise frigid scene.

Embossed Portrait 1988

2009-01-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

Hand embossed portrait done in 1988. Drawn into handmade paper from Wildcat paperworks using a blunt wooden tool. 22 x 32 inches.

Prints: 2001

2009-01-08T04:24:00.000-08:00

Two large stamp prints, each two color. The plates are 4 x 6 inches. Printed on cream Arches etching paper. Left image title: "I'll only ask once". Right image: "Yes Man"

Hand Cut Stamp Portraits ca 1980-1983

2009-01-07T04:49:00.001-08:00

Way back in the 80's brother James introduced me to hand cut stamps, something he was using in his calligraphy work. I was pretty familiar with making relief prints, having done woodcuts and linocuts for years. I embarked on a three year project where I cut hundreds of stamps of everyday objects, often in funny situations--e.g. a group of bulls with suits and called it "Business Lunch"; a Teddy Bear with an erection called "Teddy's Surprise". (Side note: the big surprise undoubtedly was to the client of mine who bought a large stamped print that I was exhibiting at the Three Rivers Arts Festival--a collection/collage of many hand cut images and buried within the group is the one image of the Teddy Bear with the erection--never heard from that guy again.)

Anyway, within this group of stamps are a few portraits. The top one is really more of a "conceptual" portrait--not really meant to look like me as much as to express me as the subject of the dilemma.

All these stamps are cut into ArtGum erasers: the standard 1 x 2 inch size. The small ones are one-half of an eraser; the larger ones are two erasers glued together. I contacted the ArtGum people--Eberhard Faber-- to see if they'd sell me larger pieces of ArtGum and they said no, they couldn't because it would negate their copyright on the product.

Self Portrait ca.1968

2009-01-06T04:02:00.001-08:00

Pen and ink on cream colored Arches etching paper, approx. 7 x 8.5 inches.

Jim & Jeanie 1975

2009-01-05T03:55:00.001-08:00

Drawn in 1975 while at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The future Mrs. CrustyPiMan II is in the background. Not terribly flattering...but hey, I just draw what I see. Yuk. yuk.

Portrait of Jim c 1983

2009-01-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

This is a woodcut printed on canvas approximately 10 x 15 inches. It was derived from a photo that I took of Jim sometime in the late 1970's. I later made many copies of this portrait—all were printed on the VanderCook proofing press that I had at the time. I then did did a multi-colored assemblage on canvas about 5 x 6 feet. Alas, the canvas was purged in our move to the country.

Another from 1988

2009-01-01T05:59:00.000-08:00

Self Portrait 1988

2008-12-30T03:53:00.000-08:00

From a hand-made sketchbook, Arches paper, 7 x 10 inches, pen & ink.

Self Portrait 1967

2008-12-29T04:35:00.000-08:00

My brother Jim (CrustyPiMan) and I had a conversation about sharing self portraits that we have done over the years. This is the oldest example that I can find—although who knows, there might be older ones I haven't discovered yet. This example is 9x12 inches and from a sketchbook dated 1967. The media is soft, vine charcoal of the type we all used in life drawing class in the 60's.

We'll be posting self-portraits on an irregular basis. Check out Jim's at: http://crustypiman.blogspot.com

Brady's Sheep on Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T07:41:00.000-08:00

December @ 352-2008

2008-12-23T04:38:00.000-08:00

Medical Tests-1972

2008-12-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

The year was 1972. I was having serious stomach problems. I went to see Dr. Chamovitz. Tests were performed. It kept me up at night. The fear of more tests eventually cured me.

Fortune Cookie 2008

2008-12-21T05:48:00.000-08:00

Transformation 1996-2000 | An Art Installation Project

2008-12-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

This project began innocently enough, I was faced with a 250 lb. three-dimensional painting that I had done in oils on built-up particle board and plywood. The painting was one of my last in a “Corporate Icon” series that I had worked on from 1988 through 1992 and it was, frankly, gathering dust and became too cumbersome to keep moving. Margaret certainly didn’t want it on the wall—and I was not so sure that I could affix it securely enough anyway. So, given those circumstances, and a desire to do an installation on our property in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, I carted the heavy painting into the woods. I chose January 1, 1996 because it seemed like a good date to start a project—what better way to begin a year than to deposit a painting in the woods and watch it deteriorate over a five year period.

Over the course of the next five years I photographed the installation in all kinds of weather and in all seasons—usually once a month—at least the first year. As the years went on I photographed it less regularly but faithfully. We referred to it as that “art thing in the woods.” Our non-artists friends just looked at me funny and smiled if I took them to see it. Come to think of it, our artist friends looked at me funny too.

Oh well, it was a grand experiment, but with none of the finesse of an Andy Goldsworthy installation. (I only learned about Andy in the year 2001—by then my installation was almost completely transformed)

The symbolism of the degradation is obvious—all things decay, dust to dust, aging, etc. But somehow, it seemed like there was a positive message in this as well, which is why I called it “Transformation” rather than “Degradation”. The almost dignified manner of the gradual transition, the stoicism, facing the elements—weather of all types, nibbling animals, and woods wanderers. And through it all, quietly facing it’s fate, hanging on to it’s color and shape up until the end.

A fitting model for any of us. I hope I can face my fate with an equally brave disposition.

Photographic Entry for the Robert Morris Univ. Show

2008-09-07T05:01:00.000-07:00

This handsome group was photographed on Labor Day, 1978, at Garing's Farm in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh. This campground of about 100 acres is comprised of small cottages situated along the Connequenessing Creek. On Labor Day each year, the residents have a parade and a progressive drinking party where each cottage and their family members dress up to fit a particular theme.

I was wandering around this campground early one afternoon, and stumbled into this gathering where the family members had decided to dress in mock KKK outfits. You can see the reaction that at least one member had to my taking photographs. True, they are only joking, but why would anyone even consider this kind of a theme? Disturbing, no?

The print that I'm submitting to the Robert Morris Faculty Show is an archival digital print, 24 x 18 inches, printed as a Quadtone on 100% rag, textured fine art paper. The print is being framed with a beveled, 8 ply museum board mat, conservation glass, and a simple black frame.

Robert Morris University Faculty Show

2008-09-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

I started teaching a course at Robert Morris University several weeks ago. The course is Portfolio, a class for Senior Graphic & Web Design students. As you might imagine, the objective of the course is to prepare the "Final Portfolio" which will be used to get a job or to get into Graduate School.

RMU is having a Faculty Show on September 25, and I've been working on preparing my entries for the show. I settled on submitting a collection of work that will include both Fine Art as well as Design related work. In the Fine Art category I'm submitting a photograph, a mixed media piece, and the drawing shown above. The drawing titled "Heroes" depicts three of my favorite people: John Maynard Keynes, Joseph Schumpeter, and Ayn Rand. Keynes the famous British Economist advocated among other things that markets and the private sector operate best without state intervention, this fits my independent political views. Schumpeter is the Austrian economist, former Harvard Professor who borrowed the phrase "creative destruction" from Karl Marx and gave it a capitalist twist. By Schumpeter's definition, "creative destruction" is a process in which old ways of doing things are destroyed and replaced by new ways—the Silicon Valley set are famous for using this phrase. This idea forms the basis of entrepeneurial capitalism—again, something dear to my heart. And then there is Ayn Rand. Well, I loved "Fountainhead" and in particular, the fictional character Howard Roark, the architect who choses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic ideals. I can't say that I've ever actually done that, but I do admire the thought.

This piece is actually an archival digital print, 24 x 18 inches, and is a composite made from three separate drawings in sketchbooks. I scanned the drawings, did a "live trace" in Adobe Illustrator--converting them to "vector art" so that I could manipulate the paths and line weights. I then opened an EPS of the Illustrator file in Photoshop, created a Quadtone image, primarily so that I could create a super-rich black. The print has tremendous depth of tone— a very dark brown/black. This is being framed now along with the other work which I'll post later.

Frank Lloyd Wright by Portrait Master: Yousuf Karsh

2008-07-31T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) is one of the masters of 20th century photography. His body of work includes portraits of statesmen, artists, musicians, authors, scientists, and men and women of accomplishment. His extraordinary and unique portfolio presents the viewer with an intimate and compassionate view of humanity.

Portraits by Karsh have come to be the iconic remembrances of the famous people he photographed. From Fidel Castro to Mother Teresa, his unique style has never been duplicated.

Max Bill Quote by James Moran

2008-07-25T04:05:00.000-07:00

Art Show Judging in Oil City

2008-07-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

I just returned from judging an art show in Oil City, Pennsylvania. The show is part of the 30th Annual Oil City Heritage Festival. The show included over 200 works of art, in five media categories and judged at three levels: Professional, Intermediate, and Amateur. The show was held in the National Transit Building—the headquarters for John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. A view of the gallery is seen on the top, the middle photo shows "Marilyn" the winning entry in the Professional Oil/Acrylic Category. Photo above shows the lobby of the National Transit Building. The building was saved from the wrecking ball by Ralph Nader, who later donated the building to the City. The city is encouraging artists to move to Oil City and offers inexpensive studio space, a low cost of living, and an enthusiastic market for art.

New Work: Day / Night

2008-07-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

24 x 18 inch Inkjet print. Printed on Epson Enhanced Matte Paper

The Seldom Inn Tionesta Pennsylvania

2008-07-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

It was Bike Night at The Seldom Inn in Tionesta, Pennsylvania. This gentlemen is the owner. All was well in Tionesta that night, except the Seldom Inn has now imposed a two dollar cover charge. My buddy Phil & I were exempted from paying because Phil promised we'd leave before the music started.

Number Awareness Runs in the Family

2008-07-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

This just in. Brother James had this same idea in 1992. Just another case of concurrent discovery—even if separated by 1 6 years. Hats off to Jim though for his beautifully executed calligraphy. Jim, my older brother, for those who don't know him, is an artist, calligrapher and tenured math professor. For those who are familiar with him know that he will forever remind me that "he thought of this first". And so, all of the credit for discovery that "Numbers Rule Lives" rightfully belongs to Jim.

Numbers.

2008-07-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

Numbers rule our lives whether we like it or not. Even if we ignore them, they are there to haunt us and at times threaten us. From birth at zero to our known life expectancy, numbers rule us. Just a few examples: our age, our I.Q, our E.Q. (emotional quotient), social security number, SAT scores, GRE scores, PSA level, blood pressure, mortgage rate, EIN, birth order number, anniversary, bilirubin level, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides, portfolio value, loss, gain, driver's license nunber, "The" number, various and sundry phone numbers, credit card numbers, bank and brokerage account numbers, shoe size, hat size, weight, age, height, glove size, underwear size, pant size, ring size, tire size, VIN number, automotive horsepower number, hourly billing rate, salary, probability of outliving our money. And these are just the tip of the iceberg. Tell me more.

Time Trials

2008-07-08T03:50:00.000-07:00

OK, so speed isn't necessarily the most important thing in art, but this is an example of a painting done in under two minutes on a moving bus.

In the late 80's I was on a bus tour of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales with Margaret, Evan and my parents. I constantly found myself observing beautiful landscapes through the window of the moving bus. So I set up my little sketch book, a 4 x 5 inch mini, and my watercolors, and after looking at a landscape as we passed it, tried to memorize the details of a scene. In this case, a lovely rural landscape on the road from Edinburgh to Leith. This little exercise of taking "mind photographs", then putting them onto paper became a favorite pastime of mine on the trip and sharpened my observational skills. Try it. It's a fun exercise, but you've only got two minutes!

Whatever Happened to City Chicken? & What is it Anyway?

2008-04-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

City chicken is a food entrée that consists of cubes of meat that are placed on a wooden skewer (approximately 4-5 inches long), breaded, then fried and/or baked. The origins of the entrée and its name are not entirely known, however it is rumored to have begun during the Depression Era, when people took meat scraps and fashioned a make-shift drumstick out of them. During this period, pork was cheaper than chicken in many parts of the country, especially those far from rural poultry farms. Sometimes the meat was ground, and a drumstick-shaped mold was used to form the ground meat around a skewer. Today, better cuts of meat (usually pork loin, beef, and/or veal) are used. In spite of the name, the dish usually contains no chicken.

City Chicken seems to be regionalized to the areas surrounding Pittsburgh, PA, ranging from Central Pennsylvania, Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, to as far west as the western suburbs of Cleveland, OH and Hamtramck, MI. It is also known as mock chicken.

Who Knew Sex Could Even Sell PEZ?

2008-04-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Link: Sexy PEZ Advertising

The American Look

2008-04-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

American design and styling at the height of capitalistic, consumeristic splendor. A promotional movie produced by Chevrolet in 1958 which celebrates American Design, stylists and the American spirit of post-war excess. Great, nostalgic settings for anyone who grew up wealthy in California. Me, I don't recognize my childhood in any of these scenes, but apparently all of this was going on somewhere in the world while I was living in a rented house in Beechview with my parents and four brothers.

Link: American Look 1958

Moran's Photo On Display at Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, Colorado.

2008-04-04T04:17:00.000-07:00

My photo titled: "Kids on the Roof" taken on the South Side of Pittsburgh, was chosen for exhibition in a juried show being held at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The Center for Fine Art Photography presents its newest exhibition of photographic fine art, Street Photography. This exhibition will be on display in the Center’s galleries from March 28 – April 26, 2008. The artists’ and public reception for this exhibition will be held from 6-9 pm on Friday, April 4, during the Fort Collins Gallery Walk. The Street Photography exhibition shows a wide variety of the way we view our world on the streets. This exhibition consists of sixty-one photographers representing Australia, Canada,
Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

Michelle Dunn Marsh, was the juror for this exhibition. Michelle is the Deputy Director of Aperture Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to communicating with photographers and creative people everywhere. She is also a freelance book designer and educator focused in design and photographic history.

A Sign of the Times

2008-03-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

Financial turmoil, banks teetering near bankruptcy, war in Iraq, political blah-blah-blah with no worthwhile candidates, a market producing negative returns. Ain't life grand sometimes.

My Studio 1978

2008-03-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

When I first went into business in 1978 with the formation of the optimistically named "Dennis Moran Design Associates", I worked out of my home attic in Mt. Lebanon, PA. These were simpler times before computers, when the tools of the trade consisted of a full set of "Magic Markers", and drawer full of "Presstype", boxes full of Prismacolor pencils, gallons of Bestine Rubber Cement and the (toxic) Bestine Rubber Cement Thinner. All design work from concept through "finished art" was produced by hand. There was a magic to the work as far as clients were concerned and they respected the work far more than they do today. In these days of computers, there is a mistaken belief that design expertise comes endowed with the purchase of the latest version of Adobe's Creative Suite. Forget creative and artistic talent, knowledge of typography, color theory, art history, design theory, an understanding of psychology and perception, marketing and communication—just go by that big box of software and suddenly you are a designer!

Going On The Whale

2008-02-24T09:09:00.001-08:00

A sign found in Nantucket, 1987.

Dewey's Stews & Brews

2008-02-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

This is a photo of a sign taken somewhere in California in 1977, part of a collection of photographs of signs gathered over the past 35 years. Mr. Dewey is obviously responsible for the "brews" part of their joint business arrangement, but seems unhappy with Mrs. Dewey. Bad stew? Or, is it just the way she carries her end of the sign. Could he be upset because Mrs. Dewey insists on wearing that formal dress when she knew that they had to hang the sign today. She doesn't seem to care though, she's resolute in her decision to dress and carry as she pleases.

Experimental Imagery

2008-02-22T10:47:00.000-08:00

This experimental piece uses images that I shot at The Vatican in Rome, on TV, in Scenery Hill, and Venice. The photographs were composited in PhotoShop then printed onto gray etching paper using an Epson 7600 with Ultrachrome inks. The image was then drawn into using prismacolor pencils and pastels.

2008-02-21T08:05:00.001-08:00

"What We Might Lose"

2008-02-21T07:21:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a photographic documentation project titled "What We Might Lose." This is a four year long project that began as a study of the region where I live—Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania. I was interested in recording the beautiful landscapes, architecture and agricultural community that surrounds our home & office. This project has since changed focus since we learned that Allegheny Power plans to build a massive power line through our community. We became actively involved in the formation of a grass-roots organization which we named "Stop The Towers." The photographic project is now being expanded to include not only the area in and around Scenery Hill, Washington County, PA., but also neighboring communities and Greene County, PA. These are the places which will be negatively impacted by the construction of this power line.

2008-02-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Making books and boxes

2008-02-21T06:55:00.001-08:00

Lately I've been trying to learn how to do hand bookbinding and the construction of "clam-shell" style boxes to hold art & photographic prints. I'm experimenting with different sewn binding techniques and case construction. I'm making hand-painted end and cover papers, and making books using part of my photographic documentary study of Scenery Hill, PA.