A couple more Mission pieces!

I had found these in an old "portfolio" folder and thought I'd post them for good measure.

Jedi vs. Hobbits

Six months ago I started a podcast. 'Jedi vs. Hobbiits' has a simple wordmark and in trying to create a real logo I ended up laying out an illustration. I'm not quite sure how it could be a logo. But it will make some darn good posters–Which I will, of course, upload for all to see. ;)

Diamond Development International – 2009 Annual Report

This work is some of my favourite to date. The original design for the cover was a little more dynamic but I am still pleased with the straight-edge look and feel we landed on. Producing documents in French and English is always difficult to have both projects completed with the same visual standard but I believe I was very successful.

The difference in control...

This is the 2007 Annual Report I designed for the Ottawa Mission. I love the cover. I designed the cover and the client loved it. They did not feel the need to direct the art before the onset. They let me choose the pictures and only gave me the simplest of criteria regarding logo, date, etc.



Then, on the other hand, there is the 2008 Annual Report. I don't think it fails necessarily as a design solution. However, everything was directed. From the colours to the photos and the necessary inclusion of a quote. I struggled with a different person than the previous year to create a forced creative solution. I lost the client the following year and was exceptionally disappointed. :(

One of my favourite projects!

I honestly didn't know what to do here. The client handed me the copy and it was a page and a half of bulleted points. I decided that it would look best as an advertorial, wrote the copy, shot the photos and laid out the flyer. The client was thrilled and I breathed a sigh of relief!

Concepts on your marks!

Another concept! This one is mostly about small business loans. Not money, although they're a bank, and not people, although they deal specifically with people year round. They wanted this concept to be about business growth.

More to follow.

This was a good project for obvious reasons. :)

The Ottawa Mission – 2008 Annual Report... again.

This job was a challenge.

The client provided a lo-res photo for the cover. It was what they wanted and so I worked with what I had. They asked for a lot of content; each spread being the same layout. They asked for the interior spread to include : 1 large photo, 1 bible verse, 1 testimonial with headshot (lo-res), 1 'Reasons to Hope' section with stats on mission activities, and the main article.

Did I mention the size was a reduced size? 8.5 x 5.5.

The Ottawa Mission was thrilled with the result and I am proud of it because it was a lot of work to jam it all in there! :)

Fox & Feather

I had a great time designing this menu with iBrand. It went through several revisions. This is the final and I'm fairly happy with it.

Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation Brochure

This is an old Ryan/Smith job that went through a lot of rounds of edits. The inside was actually black (the background of the photo) and it, surprisingly, survived the injection of colour. This one was actually approved and printed. Yay for me. :)

A client that doesn't come back anymore...

I worked on the Ottawa Mission's annual reports and newsletters for two years. Then one of their media people decided to learn InDesign and now they do it themselves. I can't say I'm not extremely disappointed. But that's what happens sometimes.

For the sake of a second post in March...

Here is a concept done for Environment Canada. It was not selected. None were selected in fact. This is an example of wasteful government spending. I got to create a nice logo out of it anyway.

Another amazing (in my opinion) reject

Engineers Canada is a client of Ryan/Smith. This is a concept I did for their stationery after R/S redesigned the Engineers Canada brand. The one they selected was good. However, in my opinion, this one was great! :)

PIPSC Gala Logo – Ryan/Smith Creative

This is a good example of why I love Bickham Script. Look at the alternate character that was used for the l. Bickham is my favorite script font.

A small job becomes a big job?

I designed this logo in the spring of 2009. I may be redoing their website. *fingers crossed*

Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant – Ryan/Smith Creative

This project defines a truth in our industry.

If you go to the website and read the copy it will take you about three seconds to find 5 typos. There are hundreds. Of course R/S offered to check for spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors but the client refused to pay extra for our keen eyes. So, as it stands, one of my only designs for web is riddled with misspellings, poor grammar and punctuation.

HMIRC Concept – Ryan/Smith Creative

This is a concept I did for Hazardous Materials Information Review Commission's 25th Anniversary Annual Report under the art direction of Charlie Smith, Art Director/Owner.

This is one of my absolute favourite designs. The concept was a timeline with 25 years of accomplishments, events, and successes starting with WHMIS. The flowing water symbolizes constant movement forward into the future. I also like how the 4/4 cover switches to a 2 colour interior. This concept was never chosen. Bits and pieces of it were merged with bits and pieces of other competing concepts. Clients will be clients.

My first project of 2010 and me, a total fish out of water.

Diamond Development Initiative, a company dedicated to improving the work conditions and lives of artisanal diamond miners in Africa, approached me at the beginning of January with an inquiry. They needed 20 illustrations portraying 20 different scenes, and they needed them "yesterday". They asked if I could help them find an illustrator. Knowing very few people that would be kind to a client in their circumstances I offered to undertake the project myself. I sent them some samples of pencil sketches from my sketchbooks. They liked my style, we agreed on a price and I was off to the races.

Given more time I think it's fair to say that there would have been noticeable improvements to line quality and I would have shaded the colour. However, 20 illustrations completed in 60 hours is no small feat.

Best job of 2009.

Sometimes family and business don't mix. I'd argue that that depends on your family.

This project was a common-look-and-feel for a suite of parts for my brother, Mike Sutton, to brand himself as a Kingston-area realtor.

Being brothers you might think that it was hard for us to keep our opinions to ourselves and that this might disrupt the creative process, but you would be wrong. I was determined to give him exactly what he wanted and he was determined to give me absolute creative license. Our only hindrance was the confines of the real-estate industry's legal necessities when it comes to marketing.

Thanks Mike for a fun project and a great end-product.

Every journey starts with a first step.

I am hoping to post all the work I do that I'm proud of here.

I think it will work well because some pieces I do for Ryan/Smith Creative on Bank Street or iBrand Promotions on Cooper, while others, I do for myself through g33k. I think it's important to be up front about these things because clients and creative directors influence heavily what a piece of work ends up looking like. :)

This is also the beginning of a re-branding. As I do not believe that I can sum up my creative style or personality with a single word, however candid, like KaBoom, Xquisit, Fuel, or Xactly, I've opted to use my initials. The business name I will register will be ADS Creative.