the house of steed

I'm really enjoying getting back in to illustrating and creating more iconographic images. This exercise of creating my house in a digital environment was both fun and challenging. Definitely fun because I got to pick my own subject without any restrictions or boundaries. The challenge was making it look realistic enough but still with that simplistic, minimal approach. Overall, I am really pleased with how it turned out and look forward to doing more work like this in the future.

The first time I saw the icon for CoHabitat (props to Jacob Morse) I was inspired. It is so fresh, so clean and full of hotness. The thing I like best about the icon is it's not an exact replication of the house it was created to symbolize, but rather a short synopsis. Kind of like comparing twitter to blogging or micro-machines to real cars.

So I thought to myself; "self, why don't you try turning your house in to an elegant icon?" And so that's what I did.

My first step was to get a rough sketch of my house from the perspective I wanted. Bing, Bang, Boom! Done. Then came the time consuming task of re-creating my drawing in illustrator. Maybe to some of you it comes easy, but I'm more of a Photoshop guy, so I'm still learning my way around the Illustrator playground. However, I knew I wanted this to be vector and working with the paths in Photoshop is just a pain in my ass. So I decided to stretch myself here and work outside my comfort zone.

I knew right off the bat I wanted to differentiate myself from the CoHabitat icon. I never like copying another persons work, but I do like being inspired by great artist. So I went with a more literal approach in my design. As you can see below, the illustration is almost an exact copy of my house. However, I didn't find it necessary to go overboard in detail as I like to keep things simple and clean.

To give it some depth I added shadows to the windows, bushes, garage door, overhang and my dogs. You may be wondering (or sickened) as to why there is only 1 and a half shown in the image, but I assure you it's all in good fun. My black lab, Samson, shown standing by the bushes is our super chill dog. He likes to just take it easy. And then we have Ben, who is shown cut in half by jumping outside of the image, probably chasing a cat, a squirrel or a bird. Ben is full of energy from the time he wakes up until the time he goes to bed. That's what I tried to illustrate here, that if he were able to live inside this image he would find something on my desktop or down in the dock (probably the twitter bird) to go chasing after.

I also went ahead and created some custom wallpapers for your viewing pleasure. Please download them, share them and most of all I hope you love them.

iPhone ::: 1024x768 ::: 1280x800 ::: 1920x1200

from slave to son

There has been something growing in me over the last year or so. Maybe longer. Possibly since the beginning of time. I have known the scripture in my head where Paul writes to the Romans stating that we are no longer slaves, but sons. But there is a difference between knowing something in your mind and having it applied to your heart. And when something passes from your head to your heart it can really impact your whole existence.

"Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

- Romans 8:14-15

I used to be unsure about all the different analogies of who we are to God. Was it better to call Him Lord or God or King or Master or Father? I couldn't quite figure out what my ultimate relationship with God was? But it seems really clear now, we have been called to a Father/son relationship. Look at the example Jesus showed us while He was on earth. He never did anything except for which He saw His Father doing. (John 5:19) And I think that was the perfect example for us to take hold of. Please don't misunderstand me though, God is all things from King to Master to Lord over all (that's what makes Him so wonderful), and I respect Him as such, but I think all roads lead to us becoming sons of God.

"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

- Galatians 4:6-7

I have really been digging this podcast called churchthink, by Ben Pasley. You may recognize his name from his music with Enter The Worship Circle. And if you haven't heard of either one of them then I highly recommend you check them out. l have been really blessed to listen to Ben talk about the truth of God's heart for His children. It amazes me how God meets us where we are in life and gives us the tools we need to dig deeper in to Him. And that's what I feel has been happening these past few months. And even within the last week I have been building a new relationship with Ben while he's asked me to do some design work.

Growing in to sonship from slavery is both easy and hard at the same time. On the one hand it's easy because it's true. We don't have to work harder to be any more of a son than we already are, and we don't have to try and impress God with what we do because His love for us is unconditional. But on the flip-side of this, we (well I say we, but am really talking about those of us who grew up inside the organized church) have grown up believing that being a slave to Christ is the closest we're gonna get to the Father. And while being a slave to Christ is far better than not, it still doesn't hold the fullness of who we are meant to be.

"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will"

-Ephesians 1:4-5

I was talking with my friend Charles over a burger and some beers on Wednesday night and was sharing with him about this wonderful journey we're on, being sons of God. And when I brought up the verse in Romans that talks about us receiving the Spirit of adoption, he told me something I had never heard before. According to the present time in Rome when Paul wrote his letter, children were able to separate themselves from their parents, but when you were adopted in to a family that was a bond that could not be broken. So for Paul to tell the people in Rome at that time they had received a "Spirit of Adoption" must have been really powerful. This act of adoption is what Jesus was talking about when He compared us to branches and He the vine, and how we must be "grafted" in to the vine.

God's Spirit is stronger than any human emotion, physical strength or religious theology. It can never be broken, bound or forgotten. And it is this same Spirit that comes in to our hearts and cries "Daddy, God". It is the same Spirit that prays what we don't know how, and the same Spirit that never fears, but believes, hopes and endures all things. Without the Holy Spirit of God we are just orphans.

new clock icon

These graphical charts at work have kept me really busy. And in the midst of all the pixels floating around I was able to come up with this little beauty. I think this is a more timeless icon that can extend across a wide variety of projects and personal uses.

I was really pleased with the response I got yesterday from my box icons that I wanted to share this one with you all as well. Below you can see a preview (all to size except the original) of what you can download for free.

Contained in the zip file you will find all three sizes listed above. Please note that I did not include the original PSD file this time. Also, please take a look at the "readme" note for further contact info. And I hope you enjoy this new icon as much as I enjoyed creating it.

download clock icon

free box icons

Today at work I'm developing a new workflow chart and had to create some new graphical icons. And two of those images I was really pleased with how they turned out, so I wanted to offer them as a free download in different formats.

Below is a preview of what's included in the zip file, which you can also download below.

Contained in the zip file is the orignal PSD files along with 3 different fixed-width png files (128, 64 and 48 px wide). Please use them for any project you wish, and all I ask in return is a link back to me. Thanks.

Download Box Icons

Making a website is easy

Making a website really takes no skill at all. Today you don't have to be creative, you don't have to know code, you just need to know how to work a computer and type. Thanks to applications like Dreamweaver and it's predecessor GoLive and the ever popular FrontPage (sorry I think I just threw up a little in my mouth) you can slap something together in a few days. But making a statement with your website, I mean really setting yourself apart from the crowd, takes time and a little bit of elbow grease. And this is where a lot of people/companies make mistakes.

Over the past few months I have struggled with a client who came to us looking to update their website, but have lacked the effort to decide on what they want their site to say about them. From simple content to deciding on a look and feel they have been painfully slow. I won't go in to any further details about the company itself, but will expand on two reasons I believe this process of making a website is more than a simple "wizzy-whig" editor.

The Content

If you don't have content, then you might as well not have a life on the web. Without something to engage your users then all the pretty graphics and typography you put on a site will do you little good. I know this, because I've been there. When I first started out in web design, nearly two years ago now, I thought using lots of pictures and little text would draw in people by the masses to my site. Boy was I in for a surprise when all I heard was the sound of crickets chirping the next morning I woke up.

Now I'm not saying you have to know everything about anything, but you should be able to talk about what you love, right? I mean if you're serious about writing a blog, or telling people why your business is great, then you should be able share that with others. Think of it like your meeting some friends for coffee and conversation. Or if that's too casual then think of it like a formal dinner party. That's not really the point I'm trying to make. What is important is that you are comfortable with communicating to people who you are and why what you have to say is interesting. That's really all it is.

There is a great article on A List Apart titled "Better Writing Through Design" by Bronwyn Jones where she lays out some great ideas for putting your own voice in to your website. I particularly like what she says at the end of the article:

Design a voice for your site and you do more than make words and images play nice. You engage your users in a discussion you both want to carry on.

(For every rule there is an exception, and in this case I would have to say that creative people aren't held to this rule as strictly. Where they lack in content they make up for in a strong portfolio.)

The Layout

When I refer to layout I am talking about the look and feel of a website. Most of this work is usually done by a professional, such as myself and many of you who read this. And from my experience there is no real shortcut here. From an initial idea/concept to the first sketch on paper to the various mockups created, this portion of creating a website is at best, lengthy. It is also the most emotional. People can become really attached to certain images or colors or fonts for that matter. It's easy when building a new site from the ground up, but when you are working on a redesign things can get messy.

For example, the clients site I am working on uses a primarily red palette on the current version of their website, from the logo to the background to the font colors. So when I presented them with four initial mockups, each utilizing the same red color, I was surprised to hear that they didn't like any of them. Actually I was flabbergasted. So what I'm working on now is creating a more muted color scheme which uses more grays and blues with and a hint of red in the logo and some header text. Sometimes a subtle hint of color can make a bigger impact than using color all over the place.

Speaking of redesigning a website there is an interesting article on A List Apart titled "Good Designers Redesign, Great Designers Realign" by Cameron Moll. Even though the article is dated October 2005 I think it holds a timeless bit of information. Now whether or not I whole-heartedly agree with what Mr. Moll has to say is up for debate. While I can see his point on the whole emotional/aesthetic approach to a redesign, and a more business/market approach to a realign, I think the two can go hand-in-hand and don't necessarily have to be separated.

Final Thoughts

Obviously there is more to consider when creating a website, but I wanted to focus in on the two areas I think are really the backbone to any great project. Plus I've been so focused on these two areas here at work

in the eternal mind

I decided to take a detour from what I usually write about, and share something with you all that I don't do very often, which is my poetry. I used to write, a lot, about any and everything that was going on in my life. And through this writing I developed a love for free-flow writing which would sometimes turn in to poetry. Well these days I don't really have a lot of spare time to let my mind wander and write down what I'm thinking. But every once in a while I'll get inspired by a certain song I'm listening to or the weather or a specific memory.

What follows was inspired by listening to the album Bring Me Your Love by City and Colour.

At once will come a day when all our words are characters we no longer understand.

Yesterday is long forgotten in the eternal mind. Tomorrow is a hope that we can not quite secure.

Family members are pages in history that walk and talk and we can touch, but not so easy to judge.

I remember sitting on that old and dirty subway bench looking out over an ocean so big with a celebrated bridge to cross.

Even at our worst moments we are still better than when we were apart. Sometimes all it takes is a little reminiscing.

Thank you.

apple turnover

Let me begin by stating that I adore my iMac, macbook and iPod that I use on a daily basis.

Now with that out of the way, I feel that the apple decal sticker you get when you purchase an apple product has become a sort of status symbol. You've probably seen them popping up on more and more cars lately. (The worst case I've seen was used to cover the logo on a DELL laptop.) But why do I think this? Because the first time I put one on my car I felt a certain puff in my chest that said: "Hey! Everybody look at me. I'm so sophisticated and cool because I use a mac." That somehow because of this little apple sticker I knew something that the majority of people didn't. And I was better than them. I even felt sorry for people that didn't use a mac or worse, had never used a mac. I was holding macintosh up on this pedestal in my mind. (Sadly, I felt like this for a long time.)

But as of late, my opinion has changed about what that apple represents to me. I no longer feel bad/sorry for people who don't use a mac. Instead I recognize that for me, a mac is the best computer to use, but for others it may not be. (Even though I'll duel to the death that life on a mac is much more user-friendly than any pc available.) But take my Father for example, he called me late last year talking about getting a new computer. Of course my recommendation was to buy an apple, but he said he didn't need all the power that came along with it, as well as the price tag. Even though apple has come down in price, it's still hard to compete when you can buy a brand new laptop at Walmart for under $400. Sadly that's what he ended up getting, but for him it's all he needed (minus all the pre-loaded apps that comes fully loaded on his computer).

So what's the point here? I'm glad you asked. Last night I finally scraped off the apple sticker that adorned my back right window on my car, and this morning I replaced it with the same apple sticker, only I turned it upside down. And why did I do this? It's just my way of taking a stab at all those who use the apple logo as a status symbol. I guess you could say it's making fun of my arrogance. And more importantly, I hope it makes people think. Like I said, I love my apple products, but they don't define me.