Free Wing Studios

SXSW Video Projection Project on Congress Avenue

2009-10-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun experimental video installation I worked on with DaddyVan Productions http://www.daddyvan.com/ this past SXSW.

It's especially cool to see my kids swinging with some of my 3D animations projected behind them on Congress Avenue in my home town. Enjoy~

Shock Value 100% electric vehicles

2009-08-22T00:34:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have worked with many small start ups and entrepreneurs. Not all of there businesses have survived these last few years but I am proud to have been lucky enough to work with them all. The spirit of the entrepreneur is the spirit of freedom and I always root for the little guy.

Shock Value is a client that I am particularly proud to have helped who sadly has not survived the "Great Recession" (What's so great about a recession?). This client was on a mission to bring a 100% electric car to the streets of Texas and free us from the grip of the giant oil companies and automobile emissions. Unfortunately the bottom dropped out shortly after, he wasn't the only Auto dealer to go out of business in the midst of the slump but he was the coolest.

The design job consisted of everything from Logo design to signage systems and web design. Below is a small sampling of of the work that went into our effort to free you from "the man".

No one can say we didn't try, Much Respect John.

Holiday Swing

2008-09-07T11:38:00.001-07:00

Here is another large event promotion design job that I created

from concept to production.

Style Cup

2008-08-03T09:58:00.001-07:00

I am particularly proud of my work as the graphic designer for Style Cup 2006, for which I was responsible for all print promotions, collateral and signage. I am happy to say that it was a great success, drawing a crowd of around 1,500 eager ticket holders to see the show.

CD Package Design

2008-07-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

This job called for 4 custom illustrations as well as the design of a 13 fold insert, a tray card insert and the disk. This project was accomplished using Painter, Photoshop and Indesign.

This is the CD tray. I created 3 water color wash paintings for project using Corel Painter and the text and pre press was done using Photoshop and Indesign.

Here is the design to be printed that was CD. The feathers were hand drawn using the ink brushes in Painter, and then finished in Photoshop.

Whole Foods World Headquarters

2008-07-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

I created the way finding system and decor for the Whole Foods Market world headquarters parking garage from concept to completion. The job began with a sight survey and photo shoot to assess what was needed. It is a three story underground parking garage directly under the store and has an escalator that takes customers to and from the interior of the store. The problem was that it was dark and confusing. I created a package of concept art to propose a solution and to clearly show what the finished job would look like and how it would work. After the concept was approved I created all of the production art for the column wraps, maps etc. using Illustrator and pre pressed the files for large format print production. The graphics for the columns were printed on adhesive vinyl and the wall graphics and text were painted with stencils. The custom internally lit map boxes were fabricated and the large maps were printed on adhesive vinyl and installed on a hard board inside the glass.

I am proud of the end result of this job. I successfully created a visual system based on color and iconography that can be easily understood. I created this system so that from anywhere in the garage you can clearly see the parking markers on the columns and easily find your way back to your vehicle. The finished job brightened up the garage and makes it pop with lively color. All of the columns that are exposed to traffic were decorated with iconography, making them clearly visible to prevent drivers from accidently running in to them. The system also serves the purpose of continuing the Whole Foods branding ID from the time the customer enters until the time they leave.

When I was younger I used to hang out outside the original Whole Foods on the patio drinking smoothies while visiting with friends and family. There was an old cork board where I would hang up flyers and such, and I would wonder if people could see it clearly enough when they walked by to enter the store. Now days when I go to Whole Foods it is a real cool feeling to see what a huge visual impact I have made on this Austin icon.

Habana Calle 6

2008-04-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Habana Calle 6 is a great place to find Cuban food and fun on 6th street in Austin Texas.

I am proud to have designed this big, bright and colorful blade sign for them. Austin is the live music capital of the world and everyone heads to 6th street to hear bands from all over the world and to have a good time. Austin is my hometown and I am particularly proud to have contributed to its atmosphere with my designs.

Here is a photo of the finished sign at night.

Several design options were created from scratch. Although the presentation art is handled digitally, the first phase for me takes place in my sketchbook the old fashioned way.

After the initial design direction was approved, I built this 3D model and used the renders to gain approval from all parties involved. The sign was then fabricated to match it exactly.
Here is a photo of the finished sign during the day.

Pluckers Wing Bar

2008-04-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

Pluckers Wing Bar is a national chain and I had the pleasure of designing the pole signs and exterior signage systems for the Round Rock and South Austin locations. I love designing pole signs because they have such high visibility. They transform the urban landscape and I get a thrill out of seeing them as I drive around town.

Wild Fish Restaurants

2008-04-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

I was called upon to create the first wave of concept art and visualizations for a new chain of high end restaurants called Eddie V's Wild Fish. The job included logo design, signage systems and design of exterior design elements. The first ones opened in California and Arizona and look fantastic. This job went on for about a year and included so much work that I found it hard to pick out which images to show. Like many large projects, there were many revisions and not all of the designs made it into the final production. Here is a sampling of some of the pre visualization work that I did for the California location.

3D programs are very useful for visualizing different surface and material options.

This is one of the site survey photos of one of the locations before any work had begun.

Using Lightwave 3D and photoshop I took the site survey photos and set about creating a vast collection of 3D photo composites showing possible solutions for the individual sites.

Schlosser Development

2008-03-14T12:13:00.000-07:00

Schlosser Development needed a new interior sign for their office. I took their logo and created this design which was approved and created to match the illustration below.

Vinn Gallery

2008-03-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

When the Gaudalupe Arts Center was transitioning into the Vin Gallery I had the pleasure of designing their new custom signage plan. After the design had been approved, the clients had to move to a new location unexpectedly. The Vinn Gallery sign went on to be fabricated and installed at the new location.

Rock-n-Roll Rentals

2008-03-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

I was asked to design a new custom sign for Rock-n-Roll Rentals on S. Lamar here in Austin Texas. These 3D composite images were used to gain approval of the design from the clients.

3110 Guadalupe Development

2008-03-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

When I was called upon to design a pole sign for a new development on Guadalupe Street in the heart of the UT campus area, I had a completely blank slate to work with. The building had not even been built yet and no design direction was given. I imagined and illustrated the pole sign below and the developers approved it instantly. I then created the production files to hand off to the sign shop the design became the basis for the look of the entire project.

After the concept for the pole sign was approved, the design was carried through the rest of the exterior design and signage systems for the development.

This is the finished pole sign after it's installation at 3110 Gaudalupe Street, Austin TX.

Zen Zone

2008-03-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

I created a unique branding identification system for the local company Zen Zone that I carried through all aspects of project from the logo design to signage systems and print advertising.

The Finished job included several signs, including the two below.

Data Foundry

2008-03-13T09:38:00.001-07:00

Texas Net became Data Foundry and I was happy to reflect that by designing new signage to go along with their new identity. The clients approved the first round of concepts resulting in the creation of two more custom signs in Austin.

This is the unedited before shot of the first Data Foundry location sight survey.

The sign for the first Data Foundry location was designed as a 3D model and composited with the edited sight photos to create these two renderings showing the reverse channel neon sign during the day and during the night. The client approved the job based on these images, at which time I created all of the vector files necessary for it's production. The final sign was fabricated and installed to match these images perfectly.

This is the before shot from the initial site survey of Data Foundry's second location. Just as with the first location, this existing sign also had to be replaced with a 3D model of the proposed new sign design for presentation and approval from the client.

The sign for the second location was also created in 3D and composited with the edited site photos to illustrate what the finished installation would look like during the day and night.

Plum Blossom

2008-03-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Plum Blossom is another unique local business who's sign I had the pleasure of designing.

The final job looked exactly as planned.

BB's Home Cooking

2008-03-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

This was a logo design and sign design job for a locally owned restaurant start up. The client turned this charming house into a true home style eating experience. The concepts below were approved and the signs were fabricated and installed as shown.

Jackson Ruiz Salon

2008-02-13T02:40:00.001-08:00

When Jackson Ruiz Salon opened the N. Lamar location I designed a new sign for them. This image was my vision for it. Unfortunately the design got whittled down during production to keep it in budget.

Amplifier Signage

2008-02-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

Amplifier, another exterior company sign that I am proud to have designed.

The clients had no idea of what kind of sign they needed or wanted and so the job began with a sight survey and photo shoot to ascertain what could be done with the space. This was followed with a series of quick concepts to present the clients with possible solutions.

After a few rounds of concepts a design is chosen and minor adjustments are made.

This design was approved by the clients, at which time I created all of the vector files necessary for production. The design then went on to be fabricated and installed.

Terra Toys store front design

2008-02-05T22:46:00.000-08:00

Big toys and bright lights on Anderson Lane, Austin Texas.

Terra Toys is a cool local toy store. When they moved to their new location on Anderson Lane I was happy to get the opportunity to handle the design work for the new store front. For this job I created all of the concept, presentation and vector production art. I worked directly with Ion Art for fabrication and installation on this project and the clients were very pleased with the results. The design adds lots of color and fun to the shopping center and the kids love it.

It all starts with a sight survey and a few before photos like this one.

The initial concept art showing the proposed five foot tall double stroke neon letters.

New versions of the spinning top and ball were created as production ready vector files.

The original concept included everything the client wanted.

The final approved concept was scaled back to bring the cost into the client's budget.

The Finished Job.

Finished five foot tall internally lit metal "spinning top".

Finished five foot tall internally lit metal "ball".