"Most smart people ignore most advertising because most advertising ignores smart people."

—Bill Bernbach, the legendary 'B' in DDB.

Future of Facebook project, of which I am a teeny part, featured on CNN.

Posted: August 8th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics, Social Media Platforms | Tags: , , | 3 Comments »

I’m super proud of my friend Venessa for the CNN coverage of her Future of Facebook project, and stoked to have my STEEP analysis illustration run on CNN as part of it. Go team! :)

My Future of Facebook STEEP analysis illustration on CNN.


Biologists and anthropologists: is this great apes cladogram accurate? (Illustration help!)

Posted: July 26th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Visual, Art & Design | Tags: , , , | 6 Comments »

Where I’m confused is where chimps & bonobos diverge from humans. Does this work as it is, or should I switch the chimpanzee & bonobo labels? The way it is now sort of looks like bonobos & humans share the most recent common ancestor, instead of chimps & humans (to me, but I’m not used to reading these diagrams). Is this ok? I’m working from this cladogram.

Great Apes Cladogram


Facebook illustration: Is Facebook a Liberator or The Man?

Posted: July 12th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Culture & Cultural Anthropology, Social Media Platforms, Visual, Art & Design | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments »

For Venessa Miemis’ blog on Forbes as part of The Future of Facebook project, a six-part video series exploring the impacts of social networking technologies on our lives and business.

Facebook facilitates political organizing and could be a communication channel for dissidents, but monitoring is inherent to the system. The walled garden listens.

Is Facebook a political liberator, or the man?


Illustration for CNN.com: ’4 Trends Shaping the Emerging “Superfluid” Economy’

Posted: May 30th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off

Here’s the illustration that ran on CNN to accompany Venessa Miemis‘ article 4 Trends Shaping the Emerging “Superfluid” Economy.

You should read Venessa’s blog, Emergent by Design, if you’re into the impact technology is having on our society, culture, economy & future.

4 Trends Shaping the Emerging Superfluid Economy

Here’s how it looks on the site. Definitely a career high so far ;)

How my illustration looked on CNN.com.


Illustration: The Bank of Facebook

Posted: April 28th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off

Created for writer & digital ethnographer Venessa Miemis to accompany The Bank of Facebook: Currency, Identity & Reputation. Ran on Forbes, Brian Solis, and Emergent by Design.

The Bank Of Facebook: Currency, Identity & Reputation


Spiderman celebrates the holidays in front of my hygiene poster.

Posted: April 25th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Visual, Art & Design | Tags: , , | Comments Off

I spotted these friendly neighbourhood Spidermen getting cozy in the Y’s daycare, our last bastion of entertainment on an otherwise dead (get it?) holiday Sunday.

Very friendly neighbourhood Spidermen.

I know you’re clamouring for the blogular relevance—what do sexy superheroes have to do with marketing, media, art & design?

These amorous arachnids are getting it on in front of a government-issue health poster I illustrated with Velocity Branding (back in the day when they were Space Cadet).

I’m so proud to see the posters up everywhere—they’re even in the washroom at CBC—encouraging proper handwashing and cough-coverage. There’s nothing about safe public relations, unfortunately. I would have liked to draw that one.


Illustration on Forbes.com

Posted: March 31st, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Visual, Art & Design | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off

Futurist friend Venessa Miemis has started blogging for business giants Forbes, and she kindly offered me the illustration space on her inaugural post!

Here’s a different version of the same piece, “Could Affiliate Crowdfunding Be an Alternate Model for Online Advertising?”

Crowdfunded.


Voir sketch.

Posted: March 2nd, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off

A visual that came out of thinking about barcodes as a gateway to seeing another layer of reality. Click for a bigger look at it.

Voir sketch.


Smart, unsexy Jane.

Posted: October 23rd, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Winnipeg | Tags: , , , | Comments Off

Seen the “Be Smart Like Jane” billboard on Marion? It caught my eye both because it hits most of the billboard design high notes for legibility & memorability, and because the visual language struck me as totally, nerdily familiar:

Lynda plus BP equals...

Be Smart Like Jane billboard

The province is marketing its resources and tax incentives to would-be small business owners, which is great. And I dig the billboard; it’s stylish & clean. But I wonder why Jane has to be so unsexy! Can’t bimbos run businesses? The illustrator was damned if they did, though—a tartier woman would have problems of her own. Or maybe this is sexy. I have been accused of having visual interests that skew towards the nerdish.


New, need I say “free”, Twitter bird illustration.

Posted: September 19th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics, Social Media Platforms | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off

In light of my recent dissertation on Twitter’s damn bird, the last thing I ever want to see is another blue avian anything, but here you go. Available on Flickr with a Creative Commons license.

Chubby, grungy blue Twitter bird. Totally free. You're welcome.


BlueTweeter

Not your cup of tea? How ’bout this older, but no less adorable, free Twitter bird? I’m full of ‘em!


Man & Machine Series: Robot/Human Hybrid #singularity illustration

Posted: May 1st, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off

RobotWithHumanBrainI’m working on a series called “Man & Machine”, about the coming (or not, depending on your philosophical attachment to humanity) singularity.


Design freebie: Twitter bird illustration

Posted: November 7th, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off
Doesn't he just look like he can barely contain his brilliant tweet?

Doesn't he just look like he can barely contain his brilliant tweet?

There’s a tweet in there somewhere! If you need a lovely blue bird to illustrate a pithy blog post you’re writing about Twitter, or something, feel free to download a big version of this illustration here.


Social search: conversational clutter?

Posted: October 23rd, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Social Graphics | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off
Our oversocialized friend talking to the cloud about social media search

Our oversocialized friend talking to the cloud about social media search