Abstract Photography: Fire Dancing
June 27th, 2008This is a continuation of my previous post on the Summer Solstice celebration at the Arizona State Museum. The festivities included a Tucson-based group of fire dancers called Flam Chen. Here they are, painting with flames while dancing on stilts...
Tip: You can view more abstract photography in my portfolio.
Event Photography: Marking the Summer Solstice
June 23rd, 2008Saturday was the longest day of the year. So, how did we Tucsonans celebrate the Summer Solstice? With an outdoor festival, of course!
The triple-digit temperatures didn't stop thousands of people from trekking over to the University of Arizona campus for Arizona State Museum's Marking the Summer Solstice event. There were hands-on demos of everything from creating fire from friction to making clay vessels.
The solar-powered performance stage featured acts representing cultures from around the world. For example, there was the dancing Caribbean stiltwalker...
After sunset, an all-women trio called Fushicho Daiko took to the stage. Taiko is the art of Japanese drumming, and it's loud. You won't just hear it, you'll feel it...
The grand finale featured the Seven Pipers Scottish Society jamming with the Flam Chen Pyrotechnic Theater Company. Yes, you read that right: a group of bagpipers that can swing. I never thought I'd hear it myself, and believe me, I've heard more than a little piping in my time. (That's what happens when both parents are of Scottish descent.)
The pipers played music while the Flam Chen troupe artfully played with fire. And did I mention that Flam Chen did their entire performance on stilts?
Tip: You can view more event photography in my portfolio. I am also available for event photography assignments in Tucson, Arizona, and elsewhere. To check availability and to request a proposal, please contact me.
Graphic Design Using My Stock Photography
June 13th, 2008My stock photography collection covers a wide variety of topics – everything from the back roads of rural America to urban street scenes. They are available for use in your print and Web design projects.
The photo on the front of this postcard is of an abandoned gas station that I encountered in Washington State back in 1986. That's my bike leaning against the pump.
The image was used on a postcard that promoted a Longmont, Colorado bicycle shop's tax-free sale. The card was sent to the shop's customer mailing list.
Tip: You can view more graphic design projects in my portfolio.
Graphic Design: Professional Science Master’s Degree Program Logo
June 13th, 2008On this project, I worked with Sheila Tobias, a Tucson-based educational consultant who wrote the best-selling book, Overcoming Math Anxiety. Sheila collaborated with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to establish the Professional Science Master's degree program.
The Science Master's is an M.S. degree that prepares students for work in fields such as consulting, banking, insurance, research management, and technology transfer. There are currently more than 140 PSM programs offered at more than 70 institutions in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
The PSM logo was used on the ScienceMasters.com website (for which I provided design services during 2000-2005) and on PSM program websites. It was also used in a wide variety of printed materials, including brochures, stationery, postcards, tee shirts, mouse pads, and posters that were displayed at a Congressional reception on Capitol Hill.
Tip: You can view more graphic design projects in my portfolio.
Graphic Design: Promoting a New Graduate Degree
June 13th, 2008Remember when going to college meant leaving your home and job to study on a faraway campus? Nowadays, college can come to you. It's as simple as logging on to your computer and enrolling in a distance degree program.
Established with a $2.06 million gift from University of Arizona alumni David and Edith Lowell, the Lowell Master of Engineering in Mineral Resources is a distance degree for the global minerals industry. Enrollment is open to students from all over the world. Courses are taught by university professors, industry professionals, and senior executives of major companies.
Most of the Lowell MEng coursework will be offered online via two-way video lectures and on-demand content. Additional short courses will be taught on the University of Arizona campus.
I worked with UA Mining and Geological Engineering Department Head Mary Poulton to produce printable and e-mailable materials that will promote this new degree program.
Graphic Design Work Completed:
- A flyer (PDF file)
- A postcard (PDF file
- Two advertisements (PDF file)
Tip: You can view more graphic design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: University Research Laboratory
June 13th, 2008On this project, I worked with Terence Monks, Ph.D., head of the University of Arizona Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. My job was to design an attractive, fast-loading website that combines the natural beauty of the Tucson area with information on his lab's research and training opportunities.
The nature photos used were from the University of Arizona's in-house stock collection. I created the Monks Laboratory personnel collage from photos that were supplied by the lab.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Graphic Design: Gulf Coast Rising
June 13th, 2008This Flash slideshow uses photographs that I took on trips to the Mississippi Gulf Coast during November 2006 and July 2007. While in Mississippi, I worked with International Relief Teams, which is helping to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
You'll see the reconstruction work that has been completed, and what still needs to be done. I've also included testimonials from an IRT-assisted homeowner.
Tip: You can view more graphic design projects in my portfolio.
Website Design: Biotechnology Management Consulting
June 13th, 2008Here are a few of the many accomplishments of Leon E. Barstow, Ph.D.:
- Created the world's first commercial DNA synthesizer, which is now in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
- Developed and commercialized new products with sales totaling $200 million.
- Raised more than $35 million in capital for several small businesses.
- Managed the removal of a dangerous chemical plant.
- Taught and conducted academic research in the United States and Middle East.
A seasoned entrepreneur, Dr. Barstow founded and led three biotechnology companies involved in:
- Commercializing protein synthesis and purification technologies.
- Designing and manufacturing equipment for the automated production of peptide hormones by the pharmaceutical industry.
- Developing new drugs to treat immune-mediated diseases.
I developed a website for his latest venture, biotechnology management consulting. It's intended for senior executives and owners of biotechnology companies.
Because they deal with abstract concepts, management consulting websites do not lend themselves to highly visual treatments. While some designers try to avoid this problem by using stock photos, I believe that they give websites a generic look. And there's nothing from stopping a competing website from displaying the same photos.
Furthermore, visitors to sites like Dr. Barstow's are not looking to be dazzled by visual "eye candy." They are looking for information. And they’re more than willing to read every word on a website.
This website won an Award of Merit in the International Association of Business Communicators-Tucson Chapter's Cactus Quill competition.
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
Travel Photography: An Ode to Airports
June 11th, 2008I have a confession to make: I like airports. Even in these days of flight delays, lost luggage, overpriced food, and surly service.
Among my favorites is Dallas Fort Worth International, aka DFW. Like its home state of Texas, DFW is huge. So huge that it once took me an hour to walk from one terminal to the other. Yes, I know I could have hitched a ride on the Skylink train…
…but I’d just gotten trapped in a train that wouldn’t move. Fortunately, this entrapment happened in one of the stations, so all I had to do was activate the emergency door opener. Nothing like an air travel adventure without leaving the ground.
Tip: You can view more travel photography in my portfolio.
Website Design: Really Obnoxious Web Page Backgrounds
June 6th, 2008Looking for something a bit more interesting than the white background that's currently gracing your current website? How about something lively and different that will make your pages totally unreadable? After all, you didn't want those pesky visitors reading your copy anyway.
In the spirit of giving that has made the Internet what it is, I offer this unique collection of Really Obnoxious Web Page Backgrounds!
1. Filename: boxes1.gif
And here is the CSS code:
<style type="text/css">
body
{
background-color: #000;
background-image: url('boxes1.gif');
background-repeat: repeat-y
}
</style>
2. Filename: boxes2.gif
3. Filename: boxes3.gif
4. Filename: oddball.gif
5. Filename: planet.gif
6. Filename: quilt.gif
For backgrounds 2 through 6, here's how to write the CSS:
<style type="text/css">
body
{
background-image: url('boxes2.gif');
background-repeat: repeat
}
</style>
Tip: You can view more website design projects in my portfolio.
