Believe Video for PPS

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.

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

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.

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

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

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...

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

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?

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

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

FROZEN

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

Spiral Construction

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

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

Foggy Saturday Morning: Riverview Park

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...

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...

Aero Tech Designs Cyclewear

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?

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?

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

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

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

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.