I am proud to announce that Cascade Bicycles has entered into cyberspace!

www.cascadebicyclesllc.com

Design Police

I spent half the afternoon with this sticker on my head, hoping all my creative ideas would instantly turn brilliant! However, I took it off because every time my mind started to drift into the land of creativity, it was suddenly pulled back to paranoid thoughts of sticker toxins seeping into my pours...

WATCH YOUR EVIL DOCUMENT MEET ITS DEMISE!

Everyone has one of those documents you just want to see obliterated...
http://www.the-unloader.com

Street Art

Always love a new point of view...

Use Whatcha Got

One lovely afternoon I was struck with a huge desire to collage. Usually when this happens, I start to plan... I go to the craft store, second hand store, hardware store, etc. to gather materials to collage. By the time I finally get everything together I have exhausted any creativity and am left overwhelmed trying to come up with a themed composition...and then something comes up, everything gets put on hold and shoved in my closet. (And I wonder why I have stringless ukuleles, stacks of newspaper clippings, and a large assortment of other strange, unnecessary nick-knacks.)

This time was different. I just DID IT! No planning, no shopping. Just grabbed my glue, paintbrush, an old newspaper and some scraps of colored paper. I found some left over 2x4 scraps as the base for my composition. I flipped through the paper and just started taring out pieces of images and text that I thought had interesting lines, shapes, colors, visual texture, etc. As soon as I found something I liked, I immediately glued it down so I couldn't change my mind later on.

About an hour and a half, I had completed two 2'boards and one 8" board. I was pleased with the result considering what I had to work with. One of the things that turned out to work really well was the patterns I drew into the glue before it dried. It adds a nice texture that changes with the light. Even though I didn't plan a theme, the pieces work together because of the limited materials. Don't over plan, limit materials, and act on the desire to create... seems to work every time.

Robb River Rally

The first annual Robb River Rally was held September 13th 2008. It was an event sponsored by Chevron and the Riverfront Commission to bring members of the community together to enjoy the beautiful Riverfront trails.

The concept behind the event was to honor James Robb, original co-chairman of the Riverfront Commission and Foundation, and his vision of restoring the Colorado River corridor. Today there are numerous beautiful trails and parks along the river throughout the Grand Valley.

Once registered for the event, people could ride their bikes, walk, roller blade, or run along the Riverfront and conclude the day with music and a free BBQ. All participants received a one day park pass and a T-shirt with the logo I designed on it.

Promo Poster

The college center (where the campus design studio is located) is getting bulldozed next month and we are moving our office into the conference room in the Fine Arts building. I put together a poster to inform people of our temporary location.

wee wee wee

Possibly the start of a series...

The MSC HERD

Beau Vine, Dee Vine, Houston Saunders III, Walter T. Bohne, and Holly Kau: these are the new faces on Mesa State College's website helping steer students in the right direction. Sawami, my fellow animator, and I were hired by the college through the Campus Design Studio to create a new series of animations as part of MAVzone (a part of Mesa State's website). The project began with character development and laying out a content schedule for the next six months. We have been cranking out a new "Beau Tube" episode every week for the last three months. We are working with a production team of about 10 people including people from the Mass Communications department, Theater department, and the Vice President's office. The only way to view the episodes is to log on to MAVzone as of now. Hopefully they will be available for everyone to view in the near future.

Don't Forget

First of all, I have to apologize for my absence from the blog-o-sphere. I recently took a trip to Alaska and am now pushing my way through piles of projects at work and starting my last semester at college.

Last weekend I came across some sidewalk chalk. I could only handle about 15 minutes of outdoor creativity however. Between the afternoon august sun and the necessary contortions of drawing on the ground, it was quite exhausting... but fun.
Don't forget to be a kid!

Press Release

Down to Business

S.W.A.T. teams from Mesa County Sheriff's Office and Grand Junction Police Department recently purchased a new Tactical Rescue Vehicle. They wanted a logo that represented combined forces, strength, and protection. The end result was applied to the side doors of the 8 ton machine. This thing is massive! It has a port hole on the roof, gun ports on the sides, and about 3" thick glass. So if you see this thing driving your way, you should probably run the other direction... but make sure to get a look at my logo first!

OOOH AHHH

The New Element in Fashion

About a year ago I began making earrings and bracelets out of bicycle parts such as nipples (the little things on the end of the spokes), presta washers, chain links, etc. I developed an identity for the jewelry called B2U, "from the bike to you." Playing off the table of elements, B2U became the "new element in fashion." I am now selling the jewelry at Cascade Bicycles in Montrose Colorado. You can visit Cascade Bicycles or contact me at leannaardizone@gmail.com if you are interested. They are the perfect accessory for cyclists or anyone who loves handmade jewelry made from found objects.

Pink Questions

Head Spinning Architecture

Dubai, and its "anything is possible" attitude has not only created an indoor ski resort, an underwater hotel, and a residential island in the shape of a palm fraun, but is now working on a rotating skyscraper!

Tree of Life

Genius Marketing

I don't smoke. However, I bought a pack of cigarettes the other day. Why? Well earlier that day my friend/co-worker came over to my desk and pulled out her wallet. Inside, with all of her credit cards, was a small, flat, metal bottle opener with a sweet vintage design on it. My eyes lit up... Ingenious! On my way home from work, I popped into the quick mart to see if I could get my hands on one of these bottle openers. Sure enough, on the back of every pack of Marlboro cigarettes was a bottle opener in various designs. The next day I passed the cool promotion to one of my friends (also a non-smoker) and within a few hours, she had her very own. I may be a sucker, but If this isn't a great marketing/promotional strategy, I don't know what is.

Folk Love

My boyfriend and I collaborated on a painting for a friend's wedding gift. The story of how they met was storybook and needed to be preserved in a painting... She was home one weekend from college and filled in for the fiddle player of a local folk band. He played the banjo in that band. They spent all night getting to know each other and the next day she missed her plane back to the east coast, giving them more time together. He moved to the east coast to be closer to her... the rest is history.

Over lunch

I love using my sketches as inspiration for a design. The contrast between the geometric shapes and the sketchy, organic lines seem to complement each other nicely.

Pssst...check out Psapp

Scrape, ding, whoosh, ping, squeak...just some of the intriguing sounds embedded in Psapp's unique clunktronica melodies. Their animated music videos are just as fascinating...

Renegade 2008

"UNSURPASSED IN THIS TOWN!"

"YOU GUYS BLEW THE LID OFF THE ART SCENE IN GRAND JUNCTION!"

"YOU'VE STARTED SOMETHING."

... a few remarks about Renegade, the Art Showe... which after several months of organizing, promoting, press releases, blood, sweat, tears, laughs, grease, trash bags, live hip-hop, poetry readings, living art, clay and spray paint, a keg, amazing art, and lots of support from local artists, family and friends, Renegade was a huge success.

It all started as a conversation of between Katie, Nathan, and myself. Just three senior graphic design majors who's ambition and creativity conceived an idea. This idea was an art show.
What we didn't want was:
1. Have an art show where you could only enter four pieces (which after being judged, might end up being in the show).
2. Take commission or have a ridiculous entry fee.
3. Your average small town gallery reception where you put on your Sunday's best, look at some still life paintings, eat some cheese and wine, then head out to the real party.
NO!
We wanted something fresh, fun, and funky. Something Grand Junction had never experienced before...
1. A warehouse
2. Open entry, whatever goes!
3. No commission
4. No limits
5. Not just an art show, an event

With our forces combined, we managed to fill the 28,ooo square foot warehouse with art, music, and people.

Thanks to all who helped, Skyline Warehouse, Tom and Ray, The Sentinel, and KAFM.
Keep your eyes and ears open for Renegade 2009!
Check out www.myspace.com/renegadeartshowe for more info and photos.