Client: Aidan Knight

I recently collaborated with Canadian musician/band Aidan Knight on a new website. I say collaborated because Aidan was as much involved in the design process as I was. When Aidan contacted me 6 weeks ago asking if we could launch a new site for the end of March/beginning of April I thought he may be a little crazy. My schedule was pretty busy with a Habitat and a couple other side projects, but I also couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with someone this talented.

It didn’t hurt knowing Aidan had an eye for design (he’s done typography and layout on albums for Maurice and We Are the City, as well as his own projects) — that and I’ve always loved geeking out about Futura — so with us both working together in our spare time we could definitely get something together. I’m thrilled to say we launched today after about 4 weeks of design/development time.

Aidan Knight released Small Reveal back in October and is about to head out on tour this Summer, catch the complete show if you get a chance.

Visit the site here

In what is good news for literally the whole entire world, M83‘s Anthony Gonzalez provided the score for the Tom Cruise-starring sci-fi film Oblivion. The track “Oblivion”, features Norwegian singer Susanne Sundfør. Anythony himself has confirmed via Twitter that it’s from the films End Credits.

Excited to share this song featuring @susannesundfor, It’s called Oblivion and it’s the end credits song of the film: p4k.in/11EITqS

— M83 (@m83news) March 26, 2013

According to Rolling Stone, Gonzalez collaborated with Joseph Trapanese on the soundtrack; Trapanese previously collaborated with Daft Punk on the soundtrack to Tron: Legacy. The soundtrack arrives April 9 via Back Lot Records. The film, directed by Joseph Kosinski, apparently pays homage to the science fiction films of the 1970s, which is just peachy. It will be released on April 19.

Meet Maxim, the young inventor of a truly jaw-dropping new technology with limitless applications that will eliminate the need for screens and monitors — and all manner of electronic junk.

I get a lot of inspiration from vintage pulp cartoons and sci-fi films from the 30′s—60′s, it drives a lot of what of the design choices of films and print work I do. I also love the people who nod to this bygone era of hope for the future, like Sky Captain director Kerry Conran. I recently came across this old Superman animated short from 1941 and couldn’t believe the quality and smoothness of the animation in it, on-par with some of ’80s greats like Akira. I can definitely see the similarities in the 1990′s Batman Animated Series to this original comic. The colour, lighting and futuristic technologies in this are just fantastic.

This is a really great video from Samsung titled Unleash Your Fingers.

Talented Illustration designer Jasper Goodall made this short film about Sanna Annukka and her new autumn/winter collection for Marimekko called Pohjolassa. I’m a huge fan of patterns and have always enjoyed symmetry but lately have been pushing myself in Illustrator. As far as the Adobe suite goes, Illustrator still isn’t my strongest and I’ve learned a lot in 2012 with it.

I’m currently working with a client on her brand refresh and going over bag designs these last couple weeks, been a great experiment in pattern making. I’d love a chance to make wallpaper or textiles like these down the road.

Filed under Too-Good-to-Be-True, artist Denis Medri has regularly shared with us alternate visions of my two favourite universes, Batman and Star Wars. I’m not kidding when I say, apart from the Buffy-verse, nothing compels me more than these mythologies. The only two video games for X-Box I play regularly are Arkham City (third or fourth time around at this point) and The Force Unleashed Series (twice through each). Here he’s shown us Batman if it took place in Grease territory (Greasers!) and Star Wars (original trilogy) if they were in an ’80s teen movie. FYI, he’s also introduced us to Western/Samurai Epic Star Wars, also worth a lookie-loo.

Great digital design by deviantART user RobShields

You can read more about the making of these videos here.

In what’s become an annual tradition the …By a Fire Mixtapes are an alternative—although not entirely disparate—Holiday Mixtape. An hour long, commercial-free Holiday Mixtape where only 1/3 of the tracks are actual Christmas songs. I’m happy to say I’m back with Volume 3 this year, a nice selection to throw on and forget about. No silence between tracks, no worrying about making a playlist.

1. Sleigh Ride by She & Him
2. Plateau Ramble by The Acorn
3. It Goes Deep by Debra-Jean & The Means
4. Christmas in the Room by Sufjan Stevens
5. The Gambler and His Bride by Daniel, Fred & Julie
6. Lover’s Spit by Chris Rubeo
7. Silver Screen by Beat Connection
8. Father Christmas by The Kinks
9. Bermuda by Kisses
10. The End of a Love Affair by Julie London
11. I Was There by The War on Drugs
12. Come on Santa by The Raveonettes
13. Bimini Bay by Tennis
14. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee
15. Keep You by Class Actress
16. Santa Baby by Reverend Run & The Christmas All Stars
17. Pitter Patter Goes My Heart by Broken Social Scene

Want to worry about even less music selection? Download …By a Fire & …By a Fire: Volume 2

Hunger is that first moment of a potentially exhilarating interaction. A connection that completely electrifies you and a shock that echoes through your entire being. Call it love or lust at first sight, but all manner of thought floats through one’s mind in that first instance.

Hunger, filmed under the title In the Hearts of Wild Men — a name inspired by Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness — is the culmination of a four year process for me creatively. Born in 2008 out of two separate photo shoot concepts and a story with some potential (but limited-to-no visual appeal) this video was a passion project, a working vacation if you will. A way to recharge the creative batteries. December 2011 I found the spare time to take first steps towards pre-production for this short-film.

I’ve been very lucky in my life in that many of the projects I get to be a part of allow me a lot of creative control. Working with Quinn Best/Lush Plush  has allowed me an opportunity to pursue video work and get paid for it. Much of the work is Non-Fiction Documentary-style and while you learn to be creative with the format, it was not the meat and potatoes of making a short film or music video. While I would sometimes get to spruce up videos in After Effects, my general turnaround doesn’t lend itself to visual flourish, let alone the luxury of time to storyboard, script, schedule and all other parts of Pre-Production that are required for a better video overall.

The time was ripe however, I knew I could organize a great team to put it together. I contacted Nicole Pidherny from Loyal Hair Therapy and showed her some videos and images that were inspiring me and she immediately got my vision. We’d worked together on Fashion Shows and short videos before so I knew I could trust her to take lead of hair, makeup and costume and run with it.

A month later we were ready to shoot. It was mid January and we were getting worried because there still wasn’t enough snow on the ground, but two days before our shoot day, it dumped a ton. Nikki had organized Sam Parr and Rene Verwijst to get involved, two of my favourite models to work with. Sam put up with so much. We put her in what was basically a skimpy dress with a few pieces of dangling fabric in below-zero weather. There were more than a few times her legs turned blue and purple from the temperature. They are both completely professional.

Much of the project required green screen or other post effects like sky replacement, slow motion, motion control & stabilization, colour correction, making the reds stand out in the forest scene, etc. As time wore on, real life interfered and the project went on the back burner.

Fast forward to April 2012 and I had a nearly complete final cut of the film. Since filming started, I had been working with Mike Thomas on the score, someone I’ve worked with since 2005. I had been playing him examples of songs and pacing I was looking for and was able to bring some demos on-site. Throughout post, a few re-shoots were added which extended video run-time so some audio was off or not long enough. Real-life got in the way again, another busy Summer and Fall.

December 2012, almost exactly one year from initial Pre-Production, Mike and I finally had the chance to meet up in person. He lives an hour and a half away from me and we’re on completely different schedules making it hard to nail down production time. We worked into the night and were finally able to lock down the score. I had the audio in my hot little hands about a week later was able to release the complete version of the film, which is what you see here now.

I mean, yeah… if you’re into that kinda thing (that thing being epic sound mixed with intensely hi-def footage of Iceland, a resplendent land bathed in grandeur).

A joint collaboration with rock / ambient / experimental band MONO (monoishere.com), Legend takes you on an epic journey through Iceland’s breathtaking landscapes during the time of the midnight sun.

More here.

Client: Dan Oig Music

Musician Dan Oig and I have crossed paths a few times over the years. He approached me 18 months ago about about doing his website and we chatted a little bit and decided to put things on hold until I had more free time and he was able to sort out some of plans on his end. Flash-forward to September 2012 and Dan’s working with Ryan Stewart (Carly Rae Jepsen) to produce a new single and take his music in a new direction.

Dan’s music used to hit notes of Acoustic Folk-Rock but his heart was always in Pop music so this was an entire re-brand from the ground. This is my passion and excited me a lot. The game was afoot.

We tackled it all. Dan needed a new logo, a single cover, a new website and a lyric video. We had a lot of fun going back and forth, coming up with the new Dan Oig brand. Dan is what you’d call a dream client. He basically gave my carte blanche and once I heard the demo of his new track “Don’t Know What To Do” everything came into full focus for me. We were on the same page right from the get-go which made the whole project enjoyable to work on.

Visit the site here

We make assumptions based on what we see on the surface, will we ever know our true Wild Heart?

Through Awesome Okanagan, I’ve been working with some colleagues (Mya and Carly) on “Wild Heart,” a 2012 Fall/Winter Fashion Show with Nikki and local salon Loyal Hair Therapy. It will be in support of local charity H.O.P.E. Outreach. This is the promo video I made for the fashion show, a stripped-down version of the nearly 20 minute visuals that will accompany the fashion show. The video will be synced to music.

It started out as a hashtag but it quickly became our mantra. A battle cry in the middle of the night, the quickest way to ward off bad vibes and hard times. I’m not sure if you’ve ever had this kind of feeling where you aren’t able to truly express exactly how you feel at a given moment, but I have that pretty often. Sometimes I get really effing excited, like so excited I think my eyes might pop out of my head, and that isn’t even hyperbole. I literally had that happen to me last weekend.

But sometimes you feel a love, or a passion, or just an amazing feeling that you want to share or explain but you feel powerless to do so. It’s frustrating. I’m not always that great at speaking or writing to express fully myself, or at least, I don’t feel what I’m saying can adequately deliver the soul of what I hope to convey. A lack of or failure to communicate.

I feel that video has become that medium for me. The mix of motion pictures, sometimes funny quotes, visually tender moments and just the right song are—what I can only assume is—the best way to spell out how I feel about something.

#summer2012 became more than just a hashtag. It was a thousand million moments, rigorously lived and completely embraced. It was challenges, and refusing to give up. It was seizing the day, and often annihilating the night. It was fake bands, road trips, swimming, live music, sunshine (and more than a few sunrises), surprises, animal costumes, pool parties, and saying “Yes.” #summer2012 wasn’t even only ours.

Early in the year my friends and I found ourselves bumping into people who felt the exact same way. “There’s something different about this year. Something in the air.” People could feel it and #summer2012 had a wonderful sound to it, almost eloquent. #summer2011 didn’t look as nice written down, and no one much cared for the sounds of #summer1992, everything just seemed to line up. Maybe it’s because we’ll all be dead by December 21st (right?!), maybe it was a fluke.

But maybe #summer2012 has been one of the best summers of our lives. And just maybe you felt the same way too.

The boys in Fields of Green and I have been acquainted for a few years. It was really the last few with shows at Habitat and them being part of the PEAK Performance Project that we decided to take our relationship to the next level. We connected after the end of the last project to begin work on their next site. We both ended up getting busy but late August we were both gearing up for another year of the PEAK and one of their challenges meant they needed something up, and fast. The problem was as a band they didn’t want to have to take down their entire site; it was important for them to be able to be contact and have a bio available.

Late night phone calls and even later nights of coding meant in about a week we came up with and executed a plan to release a landing page for their contest while allowing them to have some of the important information still available to fans and prospective managers alike.

It turns out the process of designing the landing page, the limits and creative fixes have now shifted our entire idea of what their new website design may be. I love the process of collaboration.

Visit the site here

I recently designed this e-invite to a BC NDP fundraising BBQ where David Gates and Shaun Verrault performed.

“If people say it’s impossible we have to prove them wrong.”

Design students Anna and Terese took on a giant challenge as an exam project. Something no one had done before. If they could swing it, it would for sure be revolutionary. The bicycle is a tool to change the world. If we use bikes AND travel safe: Life will be better for all.

A video series for Awesome Okanagan and Wet Ape Productions covering their new indie Music & Arts Festival, Keloha. One of my favourite parts of my job is how often I get to hang out with friends. Filming on-site in the sun for all three days interviewing your buddies hardly seems like work sometimes.

This film was shot over a week in various locations through Alberta and British Columbia and showcases shots from an upcoming tutorial for the Kessler Crane Pocket Jib.

Music is by Sigur rós – Glósóli. To find out more about using Sigur rós in your personal projects, check out the attached link. sigur-ros.co.uk/band/faq.php#13.

(via Apartment Therapy)

Ever since I began making these Mixcasts, it was my eventual hope I would be able to co-host and co-curate some of these mixes. In some way, this small dream has come true with the Guest Mixtapes I’ve been able to share with you; but at the end of the day, it was still my voice. At least in the literal sense. All of that changes today as I’m joined by my friend Erik Jack (@erikstocrat).

We sat down and picked some of the songs we haven’t been able to get out of our heads in the past couple months, as well as each bringing new songs to the table that neither of us were familiar with. What we’ve come up with is what we think know is an incredible summer mix, one that will hopefully get you stoked on all your summer adventures with your friends, family and lovers.

We run the gamut here, we hit on some indie hits, some lo-fi summer jams, hip hop, near-ballads and balls-out, unapologetic pop. To be completely honest, there was about four songs I was convinced I’ve already played for you before. I love them so much, I listen to them always, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t shown them before. Thankfully, Erik has showed me the error of my ways. Let’s get into it!

• Abducted by Cults
• It’s Time by Imagine Dragons
• Indian Sun by Mean Lady
• Kites by Geographer
• Dear Lucy by The Slakadeliqs
• Multi-Millionaire by Penguin Prison
• Get In Line by I’m From Barcelona
• Make a New Dance Up by Hey Ocean!
• Heat Wave by Alphabeat
• Betty by Brooke Fraser
• Your Ghost by Hannah Georgas
• That’s My Bitch (feat. Jay-Z & Elly Jackson) by Kanye West
• Teleport 2 Me, Jamie (feat. Desire) by WZRD

Subscribe to this Mixcast in iTunes