Anya Ivanova Business Card

Client:Anya Ivanova

Title:Business Card Design
(website pending for april 2011)

Description: Anya is a gifted Pianist. Classically trained she performs often in Los Angeles, teaches and has even instructed a few students in the Russian language which she is fluent in. Most recently she garnered a co-producing credit on international piano sensation Carter Larsen’s new album. Anya and I talked at length about this first step into her rebrand. Many of the key points that kept surfacing were location centric. The two most notable of those being her Russian Homeland and her newly adopted home for over 10 years, Los Angeles. I introduced Anya to the work of the work of several Russian avant garde visual artists and she was immediately drawn to the work of one of my personal favorites El Lissitzky. To that end I paid homage with color and dynamism to El in the typographic treatments for her name including the symbolism/design of the black and white keys, staff on the front, and the emerging piano on the back. At the same time I incorporated decidedly modern allusions to LA culture. From the (in this case sea birds) birds taking flight, which are often associated with the freedom/soaring nature of music, to the warm toned distressed paper. Also of note is the typeset for the phone number, echoing a far east sentiment. Which certainly may sound incongruous, until you recall we are echoing the spirit of life in Los Angeles which is hyper-focused on practices like yoga and eastern spirituality both of which Anya takes an interest in. The birds on the back and the paper texture equally tie into this sentiment. At the end I hope we have achieved a cultural lenticular of sorts between homage to Anya’s Russian homeland and pursuit of of a new kind of creative life here on the west coast. Typefaces include Greg Hutchinson’s Badloc and Univers designed by Frutiger. I’m aware that both post date El Lissitzky by a fair margin. I feel confident he would have found badloc interesting despite the novelty as it’s meant to be more a graphic element here. Now the mechanical numbering system of Univers, that I’m certain would have been right up his alley. In any case it’s a nod to El and I hope the choices are interpreted as such.

Title: 2010 Business Card

Description: Standard size Business Card coverstock UV coating front only

Design for Luther Gerlach’s 2010 business cards, Luther is one of my greatest inspirations. Master printer, expert on the wet plate collodian process, and the first fifty years of photography. Featured in countless magazines, regular “Artist at Work” demonstrator at the famed Los Angeles Getty Museum of Art and exhibited nationwide, I am always humbled to work in his presence. The front image on this card is a scan from one of his signature wet plate collodian images. Prominently featuring his beloved young daughter Amelie there are no photographic tricks employed to make the massive plate. The now largest wet plate camera in the world is true to scale positioned next to Amelie. A wonder in the world of modern photography. Luther is a modern photographer using historical techniques to create his work. Ergo the new card typeface the classic eternally modern “Gotham” reflects the same classically modern sensibilities of Luther’s work often overlooked by those who have worked for him in the past.

Design for Ripple FX business cards. The Ripple FX brand mark was existing for the company but needed to be incorporated into the format of the business card. Modern, forward thinking, and focused visually. Just like the the founder Joanne McLaughlin

Darrin Stafford Business card design

Client:DarrinStafford
Title:2010 Business Card
Description: Standard size Business Card Matte coverstock 1 color

Standard size business card design for musician Darrin Stafford. Darrin and I have worked together on many iterations of this card over the years. It’s always been a favorite of mine. There are so many nuanced details. The barcode scans to Darrin’s birthday. The image in the lower left is repurposed from an old mid-century electronics magazine, we like the decidely sci-fi binoculars he’s looking up with to Darrin’s name. The type design itself is an homage to the the constructivists. Unexpected elements fuse, and reverberate a singular message, much like Darrin’s music. Jazz roots, soul undercurrents with just enough pop to keep the fizz. Speaking to that, note the bubbles which are a play on this particular sentiment.