My Graphic/Web Design History » 2007

Personal WordPress Theme (2007)

John — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:45:17 +0000

I developed this custom-from-scratch WordPress theme for a prior version of my personal blog. The design and color scheme are based on a forthcoming custom paint scheme for my motorcycle. I started with a screenshot created in Photoshop to fine-tune the design, followed by a static, validated HTML page, which I then chopped up into the various files into the WordPress theme. The homepage features an animated Flash slideshow using MonoSlideShow. The bulldog logo (slated for the sides of my gas tank) is actually fairly common but I recreated it and added my own flavor.

I’m still very fond of this design and I still plan on updating this design for use on my motorcycle blog, Friarsride.com. Unfortunately at the time of this writing it’s very low priority.

Jeff’s Cycle Service

John — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:52:28 +0000

My friend Jeff only services Harley Davidsons but I don’t hold that against him. He’s actually a wealth of general motorcycle knowledge and not only did he help me install new valves in my Triumph’s cylinder head, I’ve purchased several sets of tires from him.

Jeff actually gets quite a bit of out-of-state business, helping travelers with breakdowns or new tires. I was happy to whip up a one-page, business card/brochure style web site for his shop. The logo at the top of the page is actually a scan of one of his t-shirts that I cleaned up in Photoshop, since the original artwork no longer exists.

If I recall correctly we launched it in 2007.

Western Border Logo (2007)

John — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:01:20 +0000

Eventually the Radio Project expanded from Montana to Canada. This was another quicky logo. No time or budget to come up with custom flag artwork. But really there was no need to. Sometimes clip art can work. There, I said it. Still, the American flag on the left weirds me out. I probably violated some flag guidelines and this is a worse offense than burning it.

Carroll College Football (2008)

John — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:15:15 +0000

Days before Carroll College was set to attempt to repeat their NAIA Championship from 2007 (immortalized on the cover of Sports Illustrated), Northrop Grumman was offered the opportunity to place a very special ad on the front page of the Helena Independent Record. The ad area was a narrow strip along the bottom of the page, well “below the fold.” With very short notice I had to come up with two ads, congratulating them on their win or their loss. I post both here for review and posterity. We were able to obtain photographs of the Saints in action, and with approval of the head of the athletic department, I created what you see here, including re-creating the Carroll College logo from scratch in Adobe Illustrator because a suitable version with decent resolution could not be found quickly.

Unfortunately they lost. Unfortunate for me because I liked the “win” ad better.

(click the image at left for a larger version)

Economic Impact Summary (2007)

John — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 23:07:29 +0000

Northrop Grumman in Helena publishes a summary of how our company and group of employees effects the local economy. It includes everything from education information to home remodeling dollars spent here. Most years I’ve designed a cover for the document, usually involving a theme of growth or partnership with Montana. After the purchase of TRW by Northrop Grumman in 2003 there were a more stringent set of guidelines for designing any corporate materials.

This version is my attempt to break out of the corporate design standard just a little without abandoning it completely. We are still focusing on kids as in (a) previous version(s). I will shamelessly admit my web design experience creeping in with the gradients, the oversize text elements and the reflection effect. Nothing like a little cross-pollination.