Riley Hooker, nice to meet you.

Outside, you can feel the difference

2009-12-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

Worst Misses, Vol. 3

2009-12-14T18:20:00.001-08:00

I was recently asked by some very sharp young curators to design a 10 year calendar. A daunting, but exciting task, but something very interesting revealed itself in the process. I put the whole ten years, day by day, into an ongoing string in an A0 format. It's set in a monospace typeface to keep the spacing evenly gridded, and each month and year are are denoted by a shift in color density.

Once I finished, I noticed that the whole string created a repeating pattern. I was both shocked and fascinated by this pattern revealing itself, simply by the demarcation of time. Several days later, I found a similar pattern in a diagram of moon cycles, seen above (Michæl Paukner) and was further convinced that I was on to something.

While the curators rejected the calendar, and to my knowledge I am no longer working on the project, I am so satisfied with my discovery, than it is impossible to see it as any kind of failure on my part.

As form relates to experience

2009-11-27T00:53:00.000-08:00

The best things in life are free.

2009-11-21T11:34:00.000-08:00

MYSTIC ADVICE FROM ADOBE INDESIGN CS3?

2009-09-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

This is a screenshot of the sample text from a dialogue box in Adobe Indesign CS3's preferences. It stood out to me as unusually, well, mystical. Perhaps adobe is trying to tell us something?

Me, Myself and Arthur

2009-08-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

I recently started a collaborative project with artist Arthur Cravan, 1887–? Cravan was a major precursor to dada, self proclaimed poet/boxer, provocateur and man of many faces. Perhaps his most impressive work was his ability to reinvent himself using multiple personas, some of which are still debated to this day. He was last officially seen in 1887 heading into shark infested waters off the coast of New Mexico, alone in a small sailboat, on his way to Argentina to meet his wife Mina Loy. He never arrived, but there are accounts of Cravan sighting for the next three years.

I've invited Cravan to reinvent himself once again, more than 100 years later via psychic medium Debra Huelsebusch. I'll be posting the results here as they develop. I can already tell you that it's been interesting. Here is part of the transcript of my meeting with Arthur:

He said it's like you're taking a glass of water and you're pouring it into another glass. It will be poured back and forth and it will change as you pour it back and forth. He just said that you can shoulder a lot more that you think. Whatever it is its going to be a good growth process for you.

Worst Misses, Vol. 2

2009-08-28T23:04:00.001-07:00

I just finished up working on the packaging for African-Electro group Burkina Electric with artist Juan Betancurth. With influences from all over the world of electronic dance music, their style is boombastic, eclectic and full of energy. While none of the images above made the cut, we had a lot of fun and were very happy with the end result. I'll be posting it on my design portfolio in the coming weeks when it's produced.

Fundamentals

2009-07-23T22:24:00.001-07:00

Two fundamentally opposed ideas of perfection support one and other by the nature of their own form.

Without focus

2009-07-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

Someone recently told me that my work lacks focus, And I thought alot about it…
And while I was thinking, I realized that my eyes were completely out of focus, and it was beautiful.

If my life were to flash in front of my eyes…

2009-07-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

it might look something like this.

I'm glad I photographed this because my boyfriend burned it after we broke up.

2009-05-29T00:32:00.001-07:00

Someone once asked me "What is more important than love?" I thought a lot about it and what occured to me in the end is that that only thing more important than love, is knowing that nothing is more important than love.

Collage made in collaboration with Juan Betancurth.

It's easy to have a romantic notion of the past

2009-05-23T14:17:00.001-07:00

Fluorescence

2009-05-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have always had an affinity for all things bright, shiny or sparkley however today I'd like to take some time to talk about a lifetime love affair with fluorescence. Those colors so bright they don't quite seem real, Pantone 800 somethings that grab you and grab you with light-emitting urgency, time and time again.

I have been developing the website for Architect veterans Studio MORSA, in practice for over 35 years, they are my un-official new italian family. Surprisingly enough they've never had a website (they're just that awesome) which made the project even more exciting. In our initial meeting they presented me with their book, designed by them together with Gonzalo Casals which featured a lovely fluorescent orange cover.

I am no stranger to fluorescent orange inks, in fact I recently used one for artist, and my collaborator Juan Betancurth's business cards, which we hand printed on a goco.

In both of these cases the image on screen doesn't do the printed ink justice. It's just not fluorescent enough, even with tweaks in photoshop, they come out duller than real life. While working on MORSA's website I wanted to incorporate the same neon orange from their book as the highlight color for the link on the site. Try to reduce it to flat color and forget about it. There is no such thing as flourescent orange on the internet.

We Have Hot Pink

We Have electric blue

We have neon green

One very bright yellow

And about the hottest red you can imagine.

But this orange, lovely as it is, pales in comparison of flourescent wonder. Try as I may still can't get it. I did a little bit of research into the subject and found the results to be pleasantly obvious. While a computer sceen is a light emmiting device it does lack one certain thing that those light bright inks have.

MINERALS! Yet another case where mother nature wins, hands down. Lets take a moment to honor the glory of the flourescent minerals we have here on planet earth.

As a side note…Coincidentally, the new issue of one of my favorite magazines, PIN—UP, features a different flourescent ink in each of it's signatures, fucking brilliant, quite literally. Aside for being one of my graphic design crushes, it has content to match. They manage to successfully give you all the fluff and facade you want to be entertained, but balance it out with thought provoking content from very articulate people.

AMAZING internet find #1

2009-03-02T14:36:00.001-08:00

I can't stop looking at this photo. While the oragami itself is impressive, it isn't really taking me to another level. This photograph on the other hand is absolutely captivating. I found it here, along with many other treasures…enjoy: http://www.paperfolding.com/diagrams/

PS I wrote "Chris" the guy who runs this site to see if it I could possible get a high-res version so I can print it out and hang it on my wall. Haven't heard back yet…

Favorite Mistakes Vol. 1

2009-01-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

When I changed the size of the text box, this title went and got AWESOME! A poster for an upcoming event with Creative Time titled "It is what it is" where artist Jeremy Deller is going to go around the country with serveral "experts" on Iraq and a blown-out car on a trailor talking with folks about Iraq. No real slant, just talking. I thought the accidental layout suited the title quite nicely.

Worst Misses Vol. 1

2009-01-29T16:38:00.001-08:00

Ranging from "fucking crazy" to "just right" I recently presented NYC based jewelry designer Sasha Samuel with a few directions for her new identity. While she didn't go for any of them, I had a great time working on these with the help of the illustrative hand of my collaborator Juan Betancurth (thanks baby).

I want to see you in a different way: ANIMATED cutouts

2009-01-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

A day of cutouts done in collaboration with Juan Betancurth (of course).

Juan and I were asked to do a collaborative project for the fine arts issue of Untitled Magazine. We decided to do some cutouts, and after looking at the results were inspired to make this video, with every image from the whole day of shooting (207 to be exact).

Undexpected Company: Berlin

2008-11-08T23:54:00.001-08:00

I recently traveled to Berlin, and unsurprisingly found unexpected company there as well.

I want to see you in a different way: Cutouts

2008-09-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

The second excercise in the series I want to see you in a different way these cutouts show things in the way I wish they could be. I will post these as they come. Done in collaboration with Juan Betancurth.

Unexpected Company #1

2008-08-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have always had an inclination towards personifying the things around me. With that said, I also have a "knack," if you will, for spotting little friends. I'll be posting these from time to time as I collect them.

I want to see you in a different way #1: Crystals

2008-08-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

On the most romantic day of my life to date I discovered a fantastic tool. On a date with my lover we ended up in an antique store. While looking around I noticed him looking at me through an old chandelier crystal. He looked at me and said "This is how you make me feel." I'm not sure how he managed to pull it off without sounding totally ridiculous (perhaps it was the Colombian accent) but it was the one of the most beautiful and sincere expressions I have ever heard.

I realized at that moment that a simple crystal had actually become a very useful tool to illustrate something that could never be put in to words. We then spent the rest of the day photographing things through the same crystal. This inspired the series "I want to see you in a different way" which explores different ways to create simple tools in order to change the way I see the things around me that I am already familiar with.

Ritual #1: Out with the old, in with the new

2008-08-03T07:40:00.001-07:00