DOUG by Double D Ranch

For our long time client and friend Double D Ranch, we branded their new menswear collection, named for their father Doug McMullen. Take a look at the LOOKBOOK we created as part of the identity program.

Trade Secret’s newest worst kept secret

Trade Secret Auto was awarded Audi Certification for the repair of aluminum frame and body for the A-8, R-8 and R-10. Repairing aluminum is like the difference between having your tonsils removed and brain surgery. It’s a whole different ball game.

Lidji Design Office prepared this announcement for Audi’s 5 state dealer network. An 18x24 poster hand delivered to Audi dealerships in an aluminum tube.

Ralph Lauren’s L’art de l’automobile

If you love cars, this site is not to be missed. Ralph Lauren’s collection has assembled the most precious automobiles of all time. The site offers a magnificent photo of each auto, interesting info plus a soundtrack of the engine. Be sure to listen to the engine as you read.

The Miami Heat logo: a hot mess!

Is it me or does the Miami Heat’s logo look like a flaming, amputated testicle going down the drain? Come to think of it, after last night’s NBA Final loss to the Dallas Mavericks, it’s the perfect logo for the Heat!

Passion and craft

My friend and client Mark Albert, owner of ArtHouse Homes, is passionate about good design and craft and builds beautiful homes. Lidji Design Office created their new website with this clear directive; make it simple, elegant and charming. Like the homes.

Outlaws & Outposts

Just a sneak peak at the new Double D Ranch 2011 Fall ad campaign and catalog done by Lidji Design Office. We shot it in Marathon, Texas, the Davis mountains and in and around the historic Gage Hotel. Alan Foreman was the photographer.

Thinking in parallel across the decades

This recent cover of the New Yorker brought to mind how ideas can transcend time and space. I’m just glad mine has the earliest date on it.

Oy vay, AIGA! Wake me when it’s over.

Those of you who know me, know that I am no fan of the AIGA. Their recent announcement to do a digital talk show called “A Day For Design” where designers talk to designers about design via twitter seemed to be the ultimate act of design self-mutilation. I did this poster to express my feelings about this organization.

Needless to say, I will not be attending.

A model for peaceful revolt

“Be careful for what you wish for, you may get it.” Now we wait and see what will happen.

Unrest in Egypt, again

Having parents from Egypt makes this subject a bit more meaningful for me. On the other hand, if it weren’t for corrupt Egyptian politicians during the early 50’s, I wouldn’t be an American today.

40 years of New York Times Op-Ed Illustration

A great retrospective of illustration from the pages of the New York Times. The Op-Ed page is 40 years old and with it this look back at some of the best political illustration ever done.

What if you could print a 3D object. Amazing!

Maybe one day we will be able to print an actual pair of shoes. Why not?

Throwing good money after bad

In an earlier post, I had written about the careless re-design of the quarter. I’ve, since, found these interesting pieces of U.S. currency designed by Dowling Duncan merely as an exploration. I think they’re terrific, even though they tend to be a bit like the Swiss notes that were done back in the nineties.

What do you think?

My talented neighborhood

Recently, my friend and neighbor Kenn Berry invited me into his wife Judy’s floral design studio, Sahana, to see a project that she was working on. It was a series of centerpieces for a young ladie’s Bat Mitzvah. Her assignment was to do something cool with shoes. I was stunned by the creations and struck that when the flowers died, so would these lovely pieces of art. I suggested that we shoot them quickly and do a poster or blurb book. So, Kenn, retired superstar photographer, rigged a make shift seamless set and soon we had the images. A little time in Photoshop and we had some very terrific images. Shortly after that, we had this poster.

But back to my talented neighborhood. In addition to a photographer, Kenn is an expert illustrator of historical objects, specifically WW2 fighters and weaponry. Across the street from Kenn and Judy lives Arie Van Selm, an internationally acclaimed painter and delightful human. His wife Jutta is a professor of languages and equally fascinating. A couple of doors down from Kenn lives Chris Thurman, collector and dealer of extraordinary mid-century modern furniture and objects. And, of course my very talented wife Shari who is a couture quilt designer and blogger extraordinaire. She lives really close to me.

And that’s just what’s going on two houses away from me. Lucky, don’t you think?

Blow the spots off the ball

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa introduced Americans to the vuvuzela, a noisy little plastic horn, that is traditionally blown continuously by fans throughout the game. The noise levels in the stadium were so loud it was said, that it was effecting the quality of play on the field. To the foreign fans the outcry against the vuvuzela was equally as loud. To me, it sounded like a good poster. You can check out all the posters at The Spirit of FIFA: poster design contest.

Quarter horsepower

My friends, the McMullens, raise quarter horses. Those are the ones that run really fast. For a city boy like me, horses always meant how many fit under the hood of your car. Rule of thumb, you need at least 300 to get the job done.

This is a logo I did for their quarter horse farm.

Ultimate typography thrown to the curb

Seeing Milton Glaser’s classic stencil typeface, Glaser Stencil, thrown to the curb makes me wonder if that is the ultimate achievement of the designer’s art or a death sentence for a great face.

Ask why five times

My good friend, client and regular genius Roger Keyte says, if you really want to understand something “Ask why 5 times”. It’s an excellent idea, except if you have teenagers. Take out the trash should be understood after the first why. And only the first time they ask.

I thought it was worthy of a poster.

Bad money

As with most badly designed things, the trash can becomes its final resting place. Not so with bad money. These truly ugly objects remain in your pocket everyday as a constant reminder of the lunacy of democratized design.

The design brief for each states quarter was to capture spirit or unique feature of the state in an image or series of images. Each state conducted a design contest for the image that would be used on that states coin. The result? 50 unrelated and badly organized images that are more suitable for tokens at Chuckie Cheese than monetary symbols of the greatest economic power in the world.

The problem is simple. The artist was removed from the process.

I’ve included the older quarter as a reminder of the elegance of the original design.

Virtual poster exhibits

I used to do a lot of posters. The printed kind. Silkscreened, offset litho or whatever got ink on a big piece of paper. Much of them were done for worthy causes with a lot of creative freedom in trade for no pay. Some of them ended up in museums, and competitions and some even in The Library of Congress. It was a lot of fun.

But, I’m happy to say that the poster is back. And better than ever. This time it’s virtual and everyone can participate. Just search for your favorite cause and add the word poster and you will be deluged with posters to review. As always, there is a bunch of garbage. But, from time to time, you’ll see some real design brilliance. Most of these new works are coming from Italy, Spain and South America. Very few Americans seem to be participating in these exhibits.

Here’s a few links to poster exhibits I like.

The hurricane poster project

Comunidad Cartel

Design Vs. POVERTY

Check out my poster for the Design Vs. POVERTY exhibition and let me know what you think.