One Fish, Two Fish


While working on a larger illustration for a website project, I particularly enjoyed drawing these two little fish. In researching the project, animal symbolism played a heavy role and I thought this thought fit nicely: In China, the fish is symbolic of fidelity and unity, as it is noted that koi often swim in pairs. The fish below aren’t koi – they look more like salmon-trout-koi hybrids that are swimming up a noodle river – but they sure look happy.

Goodie Monster Wayfinding


Late in 2011 my friend Mark and I created the Goodie Monster, a vending machine that lives in Portland, Oregon. Placed in a Chinatown creative office building, he serves healthy snacks to building tenants and passerby’s. However, right outside the entrance to the Goldsmith building is the Church of Elvis. How was a fur-clad vending machine supposed to compete with such a spectacle? With a fuzzy come hither sign that lets people know there are tasty snacks waiting right inside. Come and get your Justin’s Nut Butters, people, and find your way using this fuzzy face to guide you.

Goodie Monster vending machine sign made out of green faux fur and a hungry monster mouth.
That's right - snacks are waiting for you inside! Just hop right in.

Leap Day


Black outlined LEAP DAY type with various pattern fills such as dots, circles, lines, stripes and triangles. 3D type is filled with magenta, orange, yellow and teal. Welcome to the 80s!

A week ago today was leap day, February 29th, the day that occurs once every four years on a leap year. Good thing we have smart scientist people to tell us that the Earth isn’t always exactly on time, and we need to make up for it every fourth year and every couple of decades with an extra day.

A week ago today I also made a leap. A leap of taking the Bureau abroad to see if the independent designer lifestyle and running a small business could really transcend continents. A leap to see what the next year in life will bring me. And, boy howdy, so far it has brought me a 600% increase in pickled herring consumption.

Leap year also made me pause to consider the markers we all use to gauge time. It’s easy to get bogged down in daily routine, so I choose to look at these anomalies in an otherwise flatline of days and months and years as a time to look back, and look forward. Take stock, rearrange, and make some plans for what you want to accomplish.

What leaps do you want to take?