Kitsufox

Girl Scouts of Manitou

by

It’s been awhile again, but I’ve been incredibly busy with a few things around here, and we’re amping up to launch a number of websites. The first of which being the website for Girl Scouts of Manitou.

This project came to me through Arketype INC, so they took care of designing the completely adorable graphics that are perfect for a Girl Scout Council. There are still a few things left to handle on this, but it’s been fun and it’s life for the public (it matches the current circular that’s going around for the upcoming Camp Season).

Hopefully I’ll have a few more sites publishing this week, and as always there’s work on the table and things in the pipelines to distract me.

Downtown Green Bay

by

I really have not been talking enough about the projects I’ve been working on, and I just launched a website that I did the programming for! Can you believe It’s been live since last week and I haven’t talked about it here?

The designers over at Arketype INC are responsible for the visuals, but I did the code-monkey work and programmed this one into existence. It’s got a ton of functionality built into it, including searchable databases of businesses and tons of information about the city. I’m proud of what was pulled off here, and am excited to have it up and running where the public can see it.

Northern Alliance Logo

by

I am a part of the Belegarth Medieval Combat Society. I specifically belong to the Rhinelander, WI Chapter: The Order of the Eternal Flame. This chapter is part of an alliance called the “Northern Alliance”, which is comprised of people from small groups in the frozen northernly places of the Belegarth community. This alliance formed in 2007 and has seen many national events and added member member groups over the 5 years it has been in existence.

Despite this, the Northern Alliance has been without an emblem to call their own and rally around. Of late, this has become a bigger sticking point. Every group needs a logo. That’s just the way of things. It’s part of what holds a group together and helps build that group’s identity.

Thus appeared on the group’s Facebook page a poll, asking if the logo should be a vulknut (a scandinavian emblem meant to evoke a never-ending three-fold mountain), a moose rampant, or both. The combination of the two ideas was what dominated the poll results. During the course of the discussion that accompanied the poll I proposed dropping the moose rampant and instead crowning a vulknut in antlers. This idea was met with approval, and thus I began work on the Northern Alliance’s future logo!

The colors have yet to be finalized, so they’re still subject to change. We’re actually doing color tests right now, and the group is working together to decide what the final choices will be. Soon I should end up putting together a big file of our color tests, just to be ogled and show the variety that we tested with.

WordPress Update Woes

by

I’ve got the issue sorted out already. Fortunately a little research showed a really quick fix that I was able to implement. Problem solved! It is true, though, what my teachers spent my whole education telling me: Graphic Design is all about problem solving.

For anyone using wordpress whose had the background vanish: Add the plugin “Background Control” and POOF. You’ll have control of your background again and be able to re-add it and have everything working exactly the way you want it again.

Please excuse the missing background. It’s early and Sunday right now. I ran the wordpress update to 3.3 and now the background of the website is broken and I’m not sure how long fixing the skin will take.

WordPress is usually nicer about making sure things like this don’t happen.

Botched Roll Episode 1

by

After a great deal of work I’ve completed my Interactive Multimedia final project, which was to create a flash wrapper for my Botched Roll comic strip that upgrades it to an animated series.

You can view the results of my work here!

Also, I took the time to properly wrap it up and plant it on the website.

Portfolio Show

by

This post was written 14 May 2011 at 1:25PM, but not posted until a later time, as I didn’t wan’t this post included in what was to be graded.

On the cusp of graduating, myself and my classmates had to submit 10 pieces to a Portfolio show that was open to the public. It was a great deal of stress, but decidedly something that was worth doing, if only for exposure as designers and developing a relationship with potential employeers.

In addition to my print projects (Tsavo skateboard design,Tsavo t-shirt design, Tsavo Blooklet, and resume/business card I submitted a number of web projects (this Blog website, the Kitsufox Productions website, and the Order of the Eternal Flame Website) and a pair of flash projects (Origami Crane how-to and Top Secret Madd Lib). My table felt bare compared to the rest of the class, but I’m the only designer in it who is dominatly a digital designer.

This dominance ended up getting me potential work, however. I spoke to a man named Paul who runs a company called PJs Woods that makes custom and specialty handmade wooden dishware and cutlery. He’s considering a website rebuild. So far I’ve sent him an email with some quotes, but I haven’t heard back (yet, but it’s still early on). We’ll see what comes up with that.

Updates for 7 May 2011

by

Since website updates are important, the following has been done today:

  • Major update to the portfolio website code. The div structure was cleaned up to be more efficient and more friendly to the possibility of future updates. This way I’m prepared for that inevitable day that will come, when I decide that I don’t have enough other work to do and need a new layout on this site.
  • Attempts at integration of a category specific automatic posting to the website front page were made, but failed to yield fruit. I’ll get category specific use of Simplepie worked out soon enough.
  • Art updates to the main website. Mainly just to the logo and tweaks to up loadtime and remove background images that were completely excessive. Cleanup is a good thing, and spring’s a great time for cleaning.

Portfolio

by

As of today I have finished the print portion of my portfolio in the physical world. There are, admittedly, still a number of bits and pieces that do need to be added to the portfolio website, but that will happen over this weekend (baring any complications). It’s a great relief to have all of the printing and mounting and preparing for the physical pieces done. It frees me up to spend the weekend on the digital part of my portfolio.

 

Now… It’s off to take the rest of this evening as personal time. I might even give True Blood a go. I’ve always wanted to watch it. If I do, check with my personal blog at kitsufox.com for details of my thoughts on it.

Weekends

by

For some reason weekends always seem crazy, and this one is a bit more interesting than most as I’ve got various updates that I’ve been making to the skin of this journal as I learn to play with WordPress and really take advantage of the features it has to offer. I do know that the more I used it the more I like it.

What I know at this point is that at least two of the upcoming projects I have will be done with it as a framework to power the website. A third project, which will be done in standard HTML/CSS for college will probably be transferred once I have it graded simply to make handing it off when I step down as OEF leader to focus on more real-lifey type things that much simpler.

The craziness of my weekends goes on, though, as I have two print projects that need to get buttoned up (they’re in need of very minor tweaks still) so that I can print them at the college on monday. I hate mounting print as it compares to publishing on the internet. It just goes to show that, while I do print and I do it well enough to have earned myself respectable grades in school… I don’t get excited and enthralled with it they way I do web projects. I don’t know if there’s any help for that, though. A solid web project, particularly a business related one, benefits from full integration and respect for the print elements that need to coordinate with a website (cards, letterheads, ect)

Ah well, back to the grindstone. When you’re in college it seems like there’s always more work to be done.