a work in progress

Nothing Runs Like A Deere

preston — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:04:54 +0000

John Deere is the world leader in agricultural, construction and forestry equipment. At the root of the company’s success is it’s customers. They are regular, down-to-earth, hard-working, blue-collar people. The report tells the story of these people. Each of the people featured in the report is a multi-generation customer of John Deere. Their story is John Deere’s story.

All photography shot on location by Tim Redman

The Orange

preston — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:25:29 +0000

Juice boxes haven’t changed too much. They are typically rectangle tetrapacks and are somewhat boring. Why not take it away from rectangles and create something more exciting? I created a form that would be fun for kids, but also solves the issue of juice boxes falling over or being crushed. The new juice box is more stable and much more fun to drink out of.

Summon the Thunder

preston — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:29:22 +0000

Oklahoma City has a rich history that was not shown through the current identity. The current branding is somewhat generic and seems almost rushed. Since the Seattle Supersonics made the controversial move to Oklahoma City, the branding was created quickly to establish some sort of look for the team, but it missed the mark.

My partner and I wanted to create a new identity that would connect fans to the team, put fans in the seats, and draw on the rich history and future of Oklahoma City. We took inspiration from the past, but also looked towards the future of the city to create a mark that is deeply rooted in the past, but looking towards the future. Our solution creates a connection with fans and establishes a brand that fans can relate to and be excited about supporting.

Team project with Asha Pollard.

The Donald Chair

preston — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:58:18 +0000

Too often, we give up our own passion for somebody else’s. My grandfather taught me to always do what makes you happy, regardless of what other people think. This chair represents finding your own path. The base is rigid and straight, but the green represents the path that was always there and found it’s way out. The seat will flex down relying on the base for support because whether you find your own path or not, you should never forget how you got there and the path from which you came.

The Empire State of the South

preston — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:48:36 +0000

Everybody has their favorite restaurant. That restaurant might not be your favorite simply because of the food. It might be the atmosphere, a memory you shared, the company you shared or many other things. The city of Atlanta is similar to your favorite restaurant. It is a combination of things that make it special. The story of Atlanta is told through the use of poetic copy and photography. Each dish reflects a particular aspect of Atlanta that makes it unique and Southern to the core.

Food photography and styling by Helena Peixoto, food preparation by Tony Seichrist, and copywriting by Caitlin Dixon.

Tool of Hope

preston — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 01:30:26 +0000

We have become too connected to technology. Whether it is hours on Facebook or texting instead of an old-fashioned phone call. We rely on technology for our interactions with the world. This reliance has caused us to become so connected with technology that we have become disconnected with ourselves and others. Sometimes we need to disconnect in order to reconnect. This book is a tool of hope to show that we need to step away every once and while.

S’Monsters

preston — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:16:18 +0000

As part of the IOPP 48hr repack competition, my team created S’Monsters. Making s’mores often brings back memories of my boy scout days. We would sit around the campfire, drop a few flaming marshmallows in the dirt and tell stories while we all tried to act cool rather than scared. My team decided to take inspiration from campfire stories and bring that nostalgia into our packaging. We created 3 different characters who would represent different flavors of s’mores: Classic, Mint and Strawberry. Each character has their own unique attributes and personality.

In addition to the fun characters, we looked at how s’mores ingredients are currently packaged. The ingredients are all different sizes, have bulky, wasteful packaging and are a burden to pack for a quick camping trip. S’Monsters makes it easy. The ingredients are ready to roast, stack and enjoy.

Creative Mornings

preston — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:06:18 +0000

It is the end of the 1st week of my 6th quarter. I’ve been a terrible blogger, but considering this is my first blog I feel entitled to a little leniency. Maybe not. So what has been going on since the last time I wrote? I’ve successfully completed (at least on paper), my 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th quarter at Portfolio Center. Wow.

Why pick up the blog again after almost a year of absence? I feel like I need to start writing. Writing is an extremely important part of the creative process. The past couple quarters, we have been given assignments that are based on a personal story. The projects become successful when you are able to articulate your story into a few sentences to better define your execution. I found myself struggling to put down the words that I needed to say. So, now, maybe, possibly, this blog could help me work through that struggle.

The past month, I had the opportunity to attend the very first Creative Mornings lecture in Atlanta. If you aren’t familiar with Creative Mornings, it is a breakfast lecture series. It doesn’t last very long, but it is a chance for a group of creative people to drink coffee and listen to a person from the creative community. The first lecture in Atlanta was by Sid Mashburn. Sid, to put it simply and not do him justice, owns a men’s store. He has played top roles at Ralph Lauren, J. Crew and Lands End. I love this quote, pulled from his website:

Our inspiration draws from Gordon Parks and Steve McQueen, from Charlie Feathers to Belle & Sebastian, from the 1971 BMW 3.0CS to the BMW 5 diesel station wagon — a fresh interpretation of old standards.

Our role is to serve… to help men navigate the uncertainty of their wardrobe choices. We are not just offering the perfect suit, socks, or sweater; we are providing a sense of security, confidence and joy in the wearing of them. We want to help men to be properly dressed and properly served… clothed and in their right mind.

Besides hugging people with your eyes, one thing, that stuck with me, is how he said creativity is a team sport. I think that is completely true. Collaboration is a massive part of my creative process these days, especially at Portfolio Center. I’m surrounded by amazing minds and talented individuals who are always willing to lend a hand. I’ve had the opportunity to work with extraordinary photographers, copywriters, craftsmen, designers and illustrators. Allowing other people to give their point of view is vital to the success of my projects. Whether it is asking an old friend what they think about Atlanta or standing in front of a critique panel, it is all part of the creative process.

Often, around school, I see people who seem intimidated by collaborating. They have never worked with a photographer before or they might not know how to direct an illustrator. I’ve found that just jumping in and asking questions along the way is the easiest way to get over that fear. Not only do you get the unique perspective of another person on your project, but you learn a new process. One of the greatest things about design is perpetual learning. Each project presents something new to learn. Milton Glaser said:

I go to work every morning with the possibility that I might learn something I don’t already know. . . . If you look at a problem as an opportunity to show what you already know, it’s useless. You should look at every problem and think, “What can I learn by doing this?” And if you think you can learn nothing, forget about doing it.

Coming from personal experience, as a creative person, you don’t progress when you aren’t learning. It gets really boring, really fast. If you aren’t moving forward, “forget about doing it”.

Whew!

preston — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:23:29 +0000

It has been a while since I last updated, which is ironic because I have been a lot less busy compared to last quarter.

So what has been going on since the end of my 1st quarter at Portfolio Center? A whole lot less stress. The 2nd quarter is picking up and getting a bit busy, but compared to 1st quarter… it seems like a breeze. 1st quarter seemed like a never ending barrage of crazy homework assignments, late nights building bags and cutting paper and endless hours with my sharpie and layout pad. The 2nd quarter has been a lot of time with a pencil, paper and my computer. We are working with real brands and creating products from our own creativity rather than an indian civilization and an insect. I know I’ll probably take that back within the next couple weeks as things start to boil down to critique week again, but I’m certainly enjoying it right now.

I’m really excited about everything I am working on though. From rebranding Twinings tea to a kitchen knife based on Pablo Picasso to pelting posters with tomatoes. I’ll be working with an amazing craftsman, a photographer and a copywriter on a few of my projects. I feel so grown up. It should be a lot of fun and hopefully it will result in some amazing work. I think collaboration is a huge part of the creative process and I’m really excited to finally get to collaborate with extremely talented people to create my ideas.

On another note, the 2nd quarter class is amazing. It is crazy how not even 6 months ago I didn’t know any of these people and thanks to our insane 1st quarter projects, we now know each other like it has been 10 years. Now I can really understand why the PC alumni network is so tight. Everybody is so talented and I really enjoy watching their ideas and thought process since they are usually so different than mine (and often times much more awesomer). It is great to be surrounded by people that are so talented. I can’t wait to see where everyone goes with their career. I just know we have the next Paula Scher or Michael Beirut sitting at that big table downstairs listening to Hank ramble on about some random designer who we all should know about.

I’ll try to update more as I get my projects completed. Busy busy weeks ahead of me I believe, but I can’t wait. In the words of irreplaceable Hank Richardson “cool stuff happening”.

I did it!

preston — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:22:11 +0000

This post is a couple days past due, but I freaking did it! I made it out alive. My first critique was Tuesday night. I was working up until a couple hours before my critique to get everything done, but somehow it all worked out. I was the second design student to go to critique, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Sitting out in the hallway was nerve racking. Everybody was rushing past me in the crazy panic that is critique week. Public speaking is certainly not my thing, but I did my best to shrug off the nervousness and just get through it. Within the first few sentences, my mouth was totally dry and my hand was shaking so badly I could barely get my bottle of water to my mouth. I must have downed a swig of confidence from that bottle because it seemed to be smooth sailing after that. The panel was really nice and I received some great feedback from my work. Although, my flipbook fell apart as the panel was flipping through it and my product took a major fail dive as well, which was quite embarrassing.

Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of my work yet since we had to leave it all behind. I’ll be sure to get some pictures up as soon as I get it back.

I can’t wait for next quarter!