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Illustration: Kawaii/Barrio Crossover – El Paletero
Here’s the first in what will hopefully be a series where I merge the kawaii look (essentially, cute or adorable) with common scenes/characters from around the hood in Los Angeles. Particularly the areas you might refer to as the barrio – East LA and South East LA, where I grew up. I was partly interested in creating an ironic juxtaposition, but, I can also admit, the look has grown on me. The common anthropomorphization, giving inanimate objects faces and expressions, takes me back to Pee Wee’s Playhouse, which both inspired and traumatized me as a child. Chairy, anyone?
I start here with a paletero, or popsicle/icescream vendor. If you don’t know about them, ask any Mexican.
Motion Tracking and Particle Generator Test
The motion tests continue with more footage from the same shoot as my earlier fireball test. My laptop recently died on me, but luckily I was able to salvage the files. Thanks to Cesar Vargas again for his acting skills, he got totally into it. This is a rough cut of a motion tracking and particle generator test (using Trapcode Particular). I haven’t even gotten to rough sound effects yet. I used the built-in tracker in After Effects, but I had to do a fair amount of hand correction/roto to get it to work right. The crossing of arms didn’t exactly help. Look closely and you’ll notice I have masked out the intersections to create a slightly more convincing fiery hand effect. I know, you thought he really had superpowers.
Clínica Romero Fundraiser and Mixer – Event Flyer
I was recently called upon by the Los Angeles community clinic, Clínica Monsenor Oscar A Romero, also know as simply, Clínica Romero, to help promote their upcoming fundraiser at Suede Bar and Lounge, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Downtown. The clinic takes its name from the famous late Salvadorian Archbishop, Oscar Romero, who was assassinated for speaking out against injustice in his country. Appropriate for a clinic serving primarily low income Latino communities. I made the above flyer to help announce the event, and some of their available sponsorship levels, since the organization does depend heavily on donations.
LAtinas – Yxta Empowerment Mixer, E-Flyer
I recently was called up again by LAtinas – LAtina Public Service Academy, an education and professional mentorship program targeting girls from primarily Latino areas of Los Angeles, this time, to help promote their upcoming mixer at Yxta, the trendy bar and Mexican restaurant located in Los Angeles’ Arts District. With the colorfulness of the venue in mind, I whipped up the above e-flyer. Everyone is welcome to join in on July 15th during their happy hour, from 5 -7 PM.
Christmas in July – Event Branding and Promotions for State Senator Holly J. Mitchell
Here is the initial print/e-flyer I designed for the upcoming community event, “Christmas in July,” brought to the people of Los Angeles by California State Senator Holly J. Mitchell. This will be the 4th year Senator Mitchell (formerly State Assemblywoman Mitchell) has put on the event, which helps promote fun, healthy living, education, and family unity, in the community, with the help of sponsors. She and her team figured it was about time to brand it, and polish its visual presentation, and promotions. This is where I came in.
“Activity Zones” have been a part of the event since its inception. I decided to help communicate these through simple icons, which I will also be carrying over to an activity punchcard, or passport, that will be completed and printed in time for the event. The goal is to also have branded collateral/swag, including t-shirts and stickers. Stay tuned for updates!
Hadouken! Fireball Test
Just a basic VFX test shot, set up as simply as possible (stationary, on a tripod). My main priority here, and in most video/motion tests you may see throughout my blog, is practicing techniques and tools to achieve effects I find cool. But I do need to get around to practicing some storytelling at some point. My subject for this was my friend and fellow designer from my UCLA Design/Media Art days, Cesar Vargas.
Here I used Trapcode Form to create the main fireball, and combined it with some other canned effects (glows, blurs, and animated masks/solids, inside of After Effects), to create a Street Fighter 2/comic book inspired fiery orb that Cesar grows and throws (yes cheesy rhyme intended). I shot the video with my Canon 60D in the Downtown LA area.
Marketing Attribution Uncovered: AMA Los Angeles Flyer
Here’s the latest flyer I’ve made for the American Marketing Association Los Angeles. I worked in a bit of my iconography work for illustrate the theme of the evening – determining marketing attribution across different platforms and points in the shopping and product discover journey.
LAtinas Launch Party – Final Event Flyer
Here is what the final event flyer for the LAtinas Launch Party ended up looking like. I continued the look I established with the initial “save the date,” for the most part. One important addition was the logos of all the sponsoring companies, including, most prominently, the Southern California Gas Company, as the biggest donor. All the board member names are also integrated in the background, to recognize their contributions, and serve as a textural element. I attended the event, and by the size of the crowd, it seems to have been a success.
“Couples Therapy” Butterfinger Campaign – AMA Event Flyer
I’ve made yet another flyer for an AMA/Marketing Analytics Group event. This time Jeremy Vandervoet, Marketing Director at Nestle, will be discussing the launch and campaign performance tracking behind Butterfinger Cups (essentially a Butterfinger version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, another Nestle property). The Butterfinger Cups were launched with a big splash with a Superbowl ad, and several online components. Jeremy will break down some of the details of the campaign creation and launch, and will take part in an casual, open-ended Q and A session.