November 29, 2016

AM Free Calendar Promotion

Previously I had posted about the AM Calendar designs I had retouched (see post). To follow the successfully printed calendar, a promotional campaign was put together by the Marketing department that I got to execute. We ran a similar campaign last year so a lot of the design direction and elements were pulled from that successful creative. By using the lifestyle photography from within the printed calendar, the campaign was more easily put together and the focus was on typography and layout. Below is an example of an email aspot and bspot that ran during this calendar campaign.



There were additional social and on-site graphics that used similar layouts to the above. This campaign has since ended and a new similar campaign has begun using a similar concept. The messaging has changed slightly and where applicable, I chose a different image for each car generation. Below is another email a-spot and an on-site banner.



November 28, 2016

Throttle Down Speed Co. Cafe Racer Socks



In lieu of Cyber Monday, we launched another new product on ThrottleDownSpeedCo.com today! Now available: Cafe Racer Socks that feature a sketch I had drawn quite a while ago and a Throttle Down Speed Co. logo on the reverse side. Initially we ordered a sample of the socks to test the quality of the print. To our surprise it printed better than ever and no detail was lost. Therefore, we added it to our inventory and are now sharing it with all of the other gear heads. Get yours here.



November 23, 2016

Throttle Down Speed Co. Kid's Wear


Throttle Down Speed Co. has had quite a few requests to offer our shirt designs in kid's sizes. Therefore, it's been something we've been working towards for a bit. Luckily we have two of the coolest kids in the Throttle Down Speed Co. garage to be the first to test the apparel and designs. Happily, the five brand new designs have been approved by Emma & Lily. Shop the collection: throttledownspeedco.com/collections/kids








November 22, 2016

The Last Catalogs for 2016

The last 2016 catalogs were mailed out about a week ago to AmericanMuscle and ExtremeTerrain customers. Below are some of the spreads I designed for this final catalog drop of the year.



Above is a content spread featured in the JK Wrangler catalog for ExtremeTerrain.com. The spread is an editorial on the Jeep build that was done for a local wounded officer. The design mirrors what has been created for the landing page I had shown a few months ago (view blog post).

In addition to that spread, I was responsible for designing the 4-pages of Holiday Gift Garage content that lined up with the landing page I recently designed and showed (view blog post). Below are those two spread that were also in the JK Wrangler catalog.



AmericanMuscle's F-150 catalog had some product swaps and design updates for this catalog drop as well. The Exterior section had many changes with new products added, and I worked in some additional lifestyle imagery. Below are two spreads throughout that section that feature updates with new lifestyles. I retouched the photos and composited additional aftermarket parts on the images.



With 2016 catalogs completed, the design team now focuses on the 2017 catalog strategy. 

November 21, 2016

ExtremeTerrain Calendar Back Cover

Similarly to the AmericanMuscle calendar I recently posted about, we designed one full of Jeep photography for ExtremeTerrain. I had less involvement with images for this one but was responsible for designing the back cover. The back cover was to feature imagery that showcased a highly modded Jeep Wrangler featuring Barricade Off-Road parts. I used a photo taken from our in-house photographer, tossed it in Photoshop and worked in Camera Raw. After some editing I added the Barricade Off-Road logo and integrated it with the environmental elements within the photograph. From there I added it to InDesign and added additional copy needed to complete the back cover. Below is the final image.


November 18, 2016

CB360 Motorcycle Tank

I have been hoping to transform my CB tank for well over a year now and have had some hiccups along the way. Therefore, I am happy to report that the tank is currently transforming as we speak, and I couldn't be more excited. 

After a few failed attempts, I finally discovered and reached out to a local powder coater: Powder'd Remedies who assured me they'd be able to fix/fill the dents and imperfections and then spray it my carefully selected color of Navajo Nugget. Throughout the process Powder'd Remedies has provided progress photos, which makes me even more excited. Below is how the 1974 CB360 gas tank was dropped off and progress photos that include chemical stripping and metal filler to smooth out the imperfections.





When I purchased the bike in July of 2015, she came with the small dent on the right side and the scrape on the right. I added my own personal touch by slamming into the top of the tank leaving a nice shallow but large dent. For powder coating, I popped off the side emblems so everything could be smoothed out.








Above are various progress shots taken by Powder'd Remedies. I am looking forward to seeing the final product of which I will most likely splash some paint on top to make her extra special.

Here's a video I just received of where the tank stands today!



November 17, 2016

Morgan Monroe's Sticker

The flat track community is now facing yet another serious injury by another young, up-and-coming racer. Morgan Monroe had a scary high-side at Savannah this past weekend, which has left her with many serious injuries and a long road to recovery. It's been very alarming and heartbreaking to experience so many racing injuries as well as fatalities in such a short amount of time this season. No doubt has this made the importance of fundraising and supporting riders been more apparent. I have proudly been apart of the Aid to Injured Riders for over two years, and I can't say enough how wonderful it is to see the flat track family come together week after week to lean on each other and generously donate to organizations helping the riders and families.

To help in the fundraising efforts, I have designed a sticker for AIR to sell where all proceeds will go directly to Morgan and her family. The design features a shooting star and the color pink, two of her favorites. This sticker and two other very different designs are available for a $3 donation through AIR. If interested, please send a message to AIR on Facebook to get your order in. Heal up soon, 10J!


November 16, 2016

2017 AmericanMuscle Calendar

Each year AmericanMuscle comes out with a brand new calendar for the upcoming year. The images are a combination of shots taken by our in-house photographers and purchased photographs from other sources. The photos are retouched by the creative department and the graphic design department designs the template and creates the final printed product. This year's front cover was a Photoshop composite by one of the designers, and I retouched, manipulated and designed the back cover image. Below are the three months where I retouched the photos and made the stylized numbers we came up with for the 2017 Calendar. Also included below is the back cover to feature MMD products that involved color changing the car, manipulating the lines on the ground, adding the MMD logo, adding red stripes to the ground and using various camera raw filters within Photoshop. 





Additional creative was needed for the campaign to promote the calendar, of which I used the photographs within the calendar to support the promotion. Graphics spanned across the email, social and on-site channels, of which I will share in a future post.

November 15, 2016

Promotional Apparel Designs

AmericanMuscle and ExtremeTerrain are by no means an apparel company, however, over the holidays the two stores typically need a few t-shirt and hoodie designs for promotions and campaigns. Throughout the year I try to design and gather apparel designs so when promotions arise, we have things to choose from rather than rushing to create them. Below are the three designs I worked on for this years holiday promotional apparel. The designs include one ExtremeTerrain t-shirt, one ExtremeTerrain hoodie and one AmericanMuscle hoodie. The two ExtremeTerrain items have been used in the promotion I previously posted. 




The Voyager t-shirt above features a one-color vector design on the front that plays off of the idea of navigation and the compass. Nature and automotive design elements are included in this design to embrace the lifestyle of the ExtremeTerrain customer. On the back is the ExtremeTerrain logo. These dark navy graphics are screen printed on a sand colored poly-cotton t-shirt. You can purchase this hoodie here at ExtremeTerrain.com.





The Altitude hoodie above features a one-color vector design on the front. It features the XT logo and elements from the ExtremeTerrain logo to blend the two marks together. On the sleeve is a smaller XT logo that can be seen while driving and exploring the trails. The two white graphics are screen printed on a quality dark gray hoodie. You can purchase this hoodie here at ExtremeTerrain.com.





The Turbulence hoodie above features a two-color vector design on the front. It breaks apart the traditional AmericanMuscle logo and added hash marks and design elements have been added to complete the design. "American" has been knocked out so the blue from the hoodie comes through similarly to how the original logo is colored. On the sleeve is a similar one-color hash mark design featuring the AM logo that can be seen easily while driving. These vector graphics are screen printed on a quality deep royal hoodie.


I worked closely with the Merchandising team to source the garments and select the correct apparel colors and Pantones. All of these studio photos were taken by our in-house photographers. As always, I am looking forward to completing more apparel designs for these two stores and working with other designers to get their ideas printed as well.

November 14, 2016

ExtremeTerrain Holiday Promotion

This year ExtremeTerrain.com is running a holiday promotion when customers purchase gift certificates. When a customer spends a certain amount he/she receives a t-shirt, and if more is spent one gets a hoodie. These garments have been designed and printed specifically for this promotion and have become new products on the site.

In addition to designing these two apparel items, I wanted to create unique imagery for the promotion. I sourced several examples that inspired the final creative. My primary inspiration came from the motorcycle industry, are you surprised? I truly appreciate the photography from Fox Racing and The Fast House, and pushed in the direction of the following photos from The Fast House site.






What attracted me to most of these was the shallow depth of field which brought a solid focus to the product. I also really enjoyed the lights in the background that would give my creative the holiday touch it needed. I was primarily drawn to the first image with the yellow shirt in the foreground. I thought the person in the background could represent the Jeep I needed to show in the ExtremeTerrain creative. Because this campaign was promoting two apparel items, I referenced the web banner with the two jerseys side by side. With that said, I began to work with one of our in-house photographers to make the vision come to life. Below is the shots we settled on for the JK and TJ Wrangler.




This photography was then applied to the various display, email, social and site graphics requested by the various Marketing channels. Below is an example of a forum banner graphic with the copy provided by the Marketing team.


The promotion is currently running on the XT Holiday Gift Garage. I'll post more photos to show the apparel designs more in detail-stay tuned.

November 11, 2016

Charlotte Kainz 2006-2016

A post about Charlotte Kainz is surely overdue. I officially met Charlotte earlier this year on March 10th in Daytona Beach, Florida. Throttle Down Speed Co. had added her to the newly three-racer team and I was officially meeting her in person. Throughout the season I got to know her more each race, making sure to stop by at her pit at each one. Charlotte even joined the Aid to Injured Riders fundraiser in Oklahoma City. 

On Sunday, September 25, 2016, Charlotte Kainz lost her life racing in her heat in a nasty crash at the Santa Rosa Mile. It will probably be impossible to forget those minutes from the very first text where I asked what the hold up was in the timing, hearing that Charlotte was involved in the crash, receiving phone calls in the moment and simply waiting for the next update stunned and hopeful. My hope was quickly released, she was gone. 

Time has passed for a month and a half and I still have some very sad moments. One of the most satisfying conversations I had was with Nicalee where she suggested that maybe I channel my emotions into a memorial sticker design for Charlotte. We could sell them easily through the Aid to Injured Riders and send the funds to Charlotte's dad. I was already sketching some things, I had an idea instantly, and then news broke that another rider was in very serious condition from a separate race at the very same track: Kyle McGrane. 

A 20 year old girl from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a 17 year old guy from Gap, Pennsylvania both lost their lives in the season finale AMA Pro Flat Track motorcycle race. My flat track family was broken. Nothing made sense. Everyone was hurting. Somehow we managed to lean on each other's broken shoulders and pull together for various fundraisers and memorial services the following month. 

Brent Riley of Access Media Labs designed a beautiful sticker for Kyle and he had helped AIR by printing and donating the stickers for Charlotte that I had designed. Sunday, October 16th the Piston Poppers Raceway held their last race of the season that included a memorial service for Kyle and Charlotte. It was one of the most beautiful things I have experienced. All of the riders lined up with their bikes in the center of the track as Kyle's closest friends and family made a few memorial laps around the track. After a few laps 99 red and blue balloons were released in honor of Kyle and 35 pink and white balloons were released in honor of Charlotte. Even just typing this brings back vivid memories and a wave of shivers. As beautiful as the whole ceremony was, I have to say I was hit the hardest the very first moment I got to the track. I walked up to see who was out there and it was the little ones on their PW50s. One of the kids was sporting a memorial shirt with photos of Kyle and Charlotte, and seeing that broke my heart. The support that day was moving, and I was so grateful to be able to spend the day with my racing family.


I cannot explain how overwhelming the support has been within the motorcycle community. So many people are kind and so many have made generous donations to each of these families and to AIR to support everyone. The entire process is humbling and I am forever grateful to have grown into this racing family and to have met the racers, pit crews, families, friends, fans, everyone. Not only do I get to be apart of such a wonderful group of people, I also get to make art for the sport I've loved my entire life. It doesn't get any better than this, I will tell you that.

Below is my design I had made for Charlotte. I hope you all have at least one of these stickers by now, but if you do not, be sure to send a message to AIR on Facebook. Each sticker is a $3 donation and all of the money goes to Charlotte's family. It's the same deal for Kyle's stickers as well. I hope you represent these stickers with nothing but pride. 


Above is the initial sketch. The 35L was made in Illustrator and printed. I sketched both sides of the wing in pencil and used microns to complete the right side. I only did one side in pen, planning to vectorize that and mirror it on the other side.


Above are the final designs. The one with her name was the one that got printed and sold by AIR. I'm so happy with how it came out, and I hope everyone else is too. RIP 35L & 99A.

"You will always be remembered, you will be celebrated. You will never be forgotten, these tears still haven't faded" - Flatliners - Eulogy