Saturday, October 24, 2009

Loving Fall

Today I finally got to get out and enjoy the beautiful fall scenery.  For photo club, we went on a fall outing along the St. Croix river where I took some awesome photos, enjoyed some delicious mochas, climbed rocks, and had a blast hanging out with old friends and making new ones.
Oh, and I fell in a stream.  I guess damp logs above the water are not the best makeshift tripods.  As I was steadying my camera (and the rest of my body) on a log at the edge of the stream to get a long exposure of a waterfall, the damp log suddenly snapped and I collapsed into the stream.  Luckily I caught myself with my free hand, saving my camera from damage and managing to only soak the sleeve of my coat and the right half of my pants.
All in all it was an extremely fun day and a much needed break from the busy-ness of life.















































Group Fitness Poster!

So far, so good :o)
Its coming along!

Sammy the Snail

I'm currently writing and illustrating my own children's book that follows a small snail as it teaches children to appreciate the little things in life.
The first page reads:
There once was a wide-eyed little creature named Sammy the Snail who loved all the wonderful things in nature.  He always took the time to notice the beautiful things in the world, and only wished that others would do the same.
Here is the current illustration I am working on...

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Viola! The New Airborne

I present to you the fresh new face of Airborne.  A bubbly logo reflective of the new brand personality and effervescent qualities of the product itself; a new solitary recyclable plastic bottle (as opposed to the previous bottle inside a box) with a cover that doubles as a fridge magnet; and a new tagline: "Happiness is Airborne," that promotes the spreading of happiness and the spreading of news about Airborne.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Despite This Flu, I'm Trying to Smile...

Just my luck, I got the flu. And all I can say is that THIS SUCKS!  I'm now classified as one of those people no one can come near.  Even if my symptoms subside soon, the virus still lingers for 5-7 days; Health Services has advised me not to go to class or come in contact with people for that length of time.  I hate not being able to go to class.  Normally I would just fight through the symptoms and try to go about my day as I usually would.  But for the sake of others and their health I'll quarantine myself in my room. Do unto others as you'd want done unto you, right?  I'm pretty sure I caught this from someone who didn't follow that rule...
To make matters worse, I have to miss my critique on my Airborne project.  Kind of ironic that I'm sick...great timing.  I guess sleep is a stronger immune system booster than Airborne, and I haven't had enough of either this week.
Well, I'll take this free time as an opportunity to catch up on sleep and prepare my project for my portfolio.
For now, I'm just trying to SMILE.
Here is the cap of the Airborne bottle I created.  It doubles as a fridge magnet. I took this pic a few days ago when I was feeling better.  More images of the final product to come soon! Stay tuned.



Friday, October 9, 2009

Group Fitness Poster Photo Shoot

I had an awesome time shooting photos in the studio for the Group Fitness poster last night with my lovely model Ashlea.  Just thought I'd share a few of the pics...



Thursday, October 8, 2009

Airborne Design Update

I've come up with a new logo!  Its lighthearted bubbly-ness is representative of the brand's image, the way the product makes you feel, and the way the product reacts when it fizzes in water. I've aimed to make all those apparent through the additional texture within the logo on the package graphics. Here's what I've got for package graphics so far! Feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Airborne Re-vamp

Currently in my Product and Packaging Design class I am working on updating the identity system, graphics, point-of-purchase, and packaging of the immunity supplement Airborne.  
Here is the current packaging and logo.  As you can see it is in dire need of a face-lift and a refinement of marketing strategy.

Airborne's public image is in need of a renovation as well.  After recent lawsuits over inaccurate wording on their packaging, the brand has lost a lot of consumers' trust.
My goal is to not only create an image that will gain that trust back, but to reflect the true greatness of this product. My intent is to bring out the brand’s beliefs in the product’s graphics and identity and refine their point-of-purchase, while avoiding the popular and overused pharmaceutical look.
My marketing strategy focuses on and works to enhance the current viral marketing that Airborne already has working for them: word of mouth.  I plan to incorporate user experience and a "pass-it-on" point-of-purchase while utilizing the tagline, "Happiness is Airborne."
I'd also like to create a package that is more environmentally friendly by eliminating the box and using recyclable plastic. My designs thus far are focusing on a happy, bubbly attitude that not only reflects the brand, but the effervescent qualities of the product itself.
 Let me know what you think:



 A few logos I've created so far.  Colors will vary to reflect the flavor of the product. Below are some package ideas as well.  The cap is a magnet with a fun saying that can be hung on the fridge after the product is consumed.





Random Thought of the Day

You know how you wake up and have to pee really, really bad?  I've concluded that thats God's way of saying,
Get the F*^# out of bed!
Its great way to get a running start on the day...

Well hello there, world!


Wow.  My very first blog.  Exciting stuff.  Well I suppose I'll start off by telling you a bit about myself.  Thats me up there ^^^^^  :o)
I am a hard worker.  I often try to take on more than should be humanly possible, but somehow manage to finish everything on my to-do list at some point or another.  I don't get enough sleep, and am often most productive at night.  I like to think that thats when the rest of the world is asleep and all the ideas are floating out there for the taking.  Night time is just a good time to get stuff done, and still have fun.  There is just something rewarding about knowing that nearly everyone else is asleep and I'm being productive, getting a step ahead.  The nighttime can cause craziness sometimes.  And thats where the fun comes in.  Hence the name of my blog: Sunlight Nights.
I like art.  Actually, I love art.  Art and design and photography.  I love being creative.  I love the accomplished feeling of a successful project, and the impact I can make on others through art.  The whole process of design astonishes me: brainstorming, ideating, planning, sketching, computing, critiquing, producing, and enjoying the final product.  Its very rewarding.  It makes me crazy but keeps me sane.  That is the definition of love, isn't it?
I have a great appreciation for unaltered nature.  I've discovered this through photography.  When outdoors taking photographs, I often search for a frame of the world that shows the least human impact on nature.  But I also find beauty in the contrast of the two.  I admire the little things, like a flowered weed growing from a building's crumbling wall.  I'd like to think that nature will take back what is hers in the end; that all of mankind's destructive ways will someday be erased.