^ Linked above is a fantastic reel Bryan has thrown together that showcases his creative process through and through. From the development of a logo to the layout of the restaurant’s menu and then finally finishing off with the creation of the beer’s packaging, it’s this extra effort to throw all this material into a progressional movie that speaks for Bryan as a hard worker and as a superb visionary.

Think Always. Sleep Never. Laugh often. These are the phrases shared by several designers and exceptionally prided by one of my former RIT classmates, Bryan Kenny. Bryan has recently launched his website and to my enjoyment, he has not forgotten that the ideation process in just as important as the final execution. Many of his featured projects on the website showcase just as much process work as they do finalized work. It’s a great collection of work, so be sure to start browsing through. Employers, beware…this kid is going to blow your mind.

Well, loyal readers of Big Chase, I’m off to good ol’ Tennessee for about a week to hang out with family and entertain my little cousins. I’ll be thinking of you fine folks while I sip on Long Island Ice Teas lakeside and have my feet rubbed with the most fabulous of oils that one can find. I may even be fed grapes if I play my cards right. It’s quite the lavish life in Tennessee, I’ll tell ya!

Enjoy some of my recent posts as I feel the last few have been fairly strong. Some great resources for you folks. Be sure to click around the archives as well, there are plenty of old links that will strike your fancy. Have a great week…I’ll be supplying links in due time.

^ Photography by Nate Mumford. Part of a Sportszone ad campaign for RIT’s varsity athletes.

It’s taken me quite some time to get my act together and post a good amount of my work from this past school year, the 07-08 academic onslaught as I would like to consider it. The year was filled with unhealthy sleep habits, zombie like states during critiques, enough energy drinks to fuel me for life and an appreciation for anyone willing to cut me a deal on printing costs. I was happy to be a part of my first experiences directing advertising campaigns and joining the collaborative efforts of fellow designers at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

I found myself happily joining the ranks of Sportszone, an award winning RIT organization that covers our sports programs and broadcasts episodes on ESPN and another local sports channel. Check out their website here.

I am also the current art director for Eleven Magazine. The magazine is the combined efforts of several intellectual individuals from the university who have combined their efforts to create a fashion/lifestyle magazine to enrich the minds of our select demographic. We aim to inform and support our readers with food for thought. Take a look at our blog for now, I proudly stand behind the authors included on the blog.

Those were just a few items that kept me entertained and sleep deprived. It was quite the busy year and I’ve taken what I learned in stride and now hope to apply it to the cliental work provided by White Bicycle in the beginning of August. I was lucky enough to connect with the gentlemen at the Buffalo, NY design studio and became their third designer.

I hope you can all take a moment to view my work below, since I’ve worked very hard on the collective work you see executed. It may be easier to view the work on my Coroflot profile, however the images below will appear much bigger once clicked, than those on Coroflot. I wish all of my college colleagues and recent graduates the best of luck. It’s a competitive world, but if it weren’t for such tenacity, we would never strive to be better designers!

Photography credit for a few of the above projects goes to Nate Mumford, Kristen Kochanski and Breanna Dobbe. Nate is responsible for the photography in the last two rows, Kristen is responsible for the Folli Hair Care campaign and Breanna is responsible for the New York Magazine cover and spread.

Paul Stonier aka The Type Nerd has included a brilliant video on his blog most recently. It’s a YouTube video that plays off the idea of “creative juices” in quite a literal sense. Pure hilarity and artistic genius, take a look! Great find Paul.

So often we’re dragged into the mesmerizing glow of our desktop’s LCD screen, the hum of our laptop’s cooling fans, and the sophisticated technology that allows us to manipulate already created typefaces within Adobe’s glorious creative suite. I’m just as guilty as the rest. However, I’m curious at what point do we lose a sense of our individuality due to technology? Let’s take a step back from the computer and appreciate the ideas that come out of our head and hand, rather than those which manifest from our keyboard shortcuts and mouse clicks.

Ray Fenwick supplies a great source of inspiration when we as Graphic Designers decide to return back to basics. His illustrative typefaces emit personality far beyond any personality our FontBooks can supply. If you’re a Graphic Design and you haven’t heard of Ray Fenwick, then be ashamed and amidst that shame, be sure to enlighten yourself with his playful typographic/illustrative work.

I would love to see some interaction on this subject from my viewers. Do you agree, disagree or want to voice your opinion as well? Please, don’t be shy! I look forward to your reactions.

Simply enough, Alex Ostrowski has got the skills. A 21 year old recent Graphic Design graduate from UWE, Bristol, he’s made sure we left his university with a bang. This year was comprised of receiving a nomination for the D&AD Student Awards, being part of the D&AD Young Blood’s exhibit, and finally…winning the RSA Design Directions award (a pretigious national award). Ostrowski has previously worked with London’s Big Active (amazing design agency), and is currently working with Think Public.

The portfolio of Alex Ostrowski justifies all of these recognitions as well as features a few other interesting additions. My favorite was Ostrowski’s involvement in “The Yellow Revolution,” which was an effort to join creative individuals in creative collaborations. It seems to me that this was comparable to an AIGA student group. Ostrowski’s site is full of inspiration and sound design execution, please be sure to take a second and enlighten yourself with his work.

*via It’s Nice That

I think all of us fellow creatives felt a sharp pain in our chests when we learned that Polaroid film’s existence would soon cease to exist. I’ve practically lost count of the number of times I may have cried myself to sleep over this sad spectacle, however there is a decent amount of action we can all take to save the precious little rectangular photos we love most. Thanks to the Save Polaroid website, several options are offered to help make a stand and inform film companies that there is money in the Polaroid film product. So get to it people, start a Polaroid revolution!

Graphic designers…pay attention. Soft & Furry is offering us designers the opportunity to showcase our creative skills. Every week you have the opportunity to submit three logos designed around the project’s name, “Soft & Furry.” Each week a winner is chosen and after eight weeks of competition, a grand winner is chosen. The grand winner will have their logo featured on packaging, clothing and toys designed by the company. The contest is currently in its fifth week, but with three weeks left, there’s plenty of time to whip up three clever logos by the eighth week. Good luck!

I believe I have just fallen in love with the portfolio of Emil Kozak. I’m sure you will as well.

Supremely clean and sufficiently sophisticated, the work contained within BVD’s online portfolio displays a clear understanding of modern design.