Rechelle Malin is a folk singer, songwriter, author, blogger, mother, the wife of a country doctor, and most recently, a horticulturist. Her writing and lyrics are clever, humorous and deeply personal. So, you can imagine my excitement when I was asked to design the artwork for her newest album, Secret Songs!
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This is a brand new poster for the upcoming KU Dance Company concert on April 17 and 18, 2008. The performances are part of the celebration of KU alumna and professor of dance Elizabeth Sherbon in conjunction with Murphy Hall’s 50th Anniversary. It should be a wonderful concert! Visit the Murphy 50th website for more information on Elizabeth Sherbon and all of the 50th Anniversary events.

The KU Wind Ensemble is the premier wind band at the University of Kansas. This is the poster for their upcoming concert on Feb. 14th, 2008 which should be a great one! It’s at the Lied Center on the KU campus and if you’re looking for a Valentine’s date idea . . .

This is a t-shirt I recently designed for the Children’s Mercy Hospital Intensive Care Nursery’s entry into the 2008 March for Babies benefit walk.

This is a new logo I’ve designed for Struct/restruct Associates which is a local design, renovation, construction, woodworking and building firm located in Lawrence, KS. They also specialize in historic renovations and masonry. AND, they offer unique, local reclaimed lumber in their projects which is a great way to recycle old lumber that is perfectly usable. They mill the wood and everything! Congratulations to Josh and Matt for getting this venture underway!

Since the holidays are swiftly approaching, I thought I’d put up a project I recently finished for the Lawrence Chamber Orchestra. They have a holiday concert every year that raises funds to help keep the orchestra going. The best part about this year’s concert is that it features members of my family! If you can make it, the concert is this coming Sunday, Dec. 23rd at 2:00 p.m.

Recently, the ever-fascinating TED Conference has posted a talk given by design legend Philippe Starck. In his upbeat and humorous 18 minute talk, he discusses the role of design within the context of history and society. He even goes so far as to say “I believe in general that my job is absolutely useless; but now, after Carolyn(Porco) and these guys, I feel like shit”. Check out his talk to hear him elaborate on that!

When I was in design school, I remember being hit one day with this scary thought that maybe my career choice was worthless. Upon graduation, would I simply be making things look “pretty” while trying to convince people to buy crap that they don’t need? When compared to doctors, politicians, teachers, and even fine artists, how important is design in the grand scheme anyway? Some of the great pieces of graphic design have been in support of things I despise like oil companies, companies supporting slave labor, cigarettes, and fast food, so how could I find a place within that and still feel good about myself at night?

Fortunately, I had a great teacher who was able to really shed some light on this. She told me that, contrary to what I was feeling, design is a very noble profession. Sure, you find guys who sell their soul to promote bad or dangerous products, but the nobility is found in the work that you do to promote the causes you believe in. A graphic designer might have the power to enable a struggling startup business to succeed, and perhaps allow the owner to feed their family. Or they might help spread the word about important political and social issues which might not reach the right audience without also being visually engaging. In the end, it’s the designer’s choice.

So, I really took that to heart when deciding what kind of work I wanted to do. Right now, I do a LOT of work for artists and musicians who work their entire lives for countless hours, perfecting their craft and getting paid next to nothing to do it. These people have such passion for what they do that I feel honored to help them reach a larger audience through a poster, CD design, website, or even a business card. I have also helped a number of people move from a great idea to an actual business with a meaningful identity. A bulk of the work I do is for the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning where my work helps struggling learners succeed in school and in life. It doesn’t get more important that that, right?

So, yeah, I do feel that design can change lives and I feel that the work I do is noble and, while it may seem over-idealistic, it is what keeps me going, even when it’s 2 a.m. and I’m trying to meet a deadline . . .

This is an interesting read for all designers out there:
The First Things First 2000 Manifesto.

This is a logo I designed this past summer for the soundSCAPE Music Festival which is a new music festival that takes place in Italy every year. It’s a chance for electronic and new music composers have their works performed and also for musicians to play new chamber music and work with contemporary composers. It’s in it’s third year now and is a wonderful festival that seems to be taking hold as a premier new music event.