(See a larger image)
Ages and ages ago I was asked by Ethan Bodnar to tackle a creative challenge for a book he was putting together for HOW Books. (This was about 3 years ago, and I really don't know why I haven't blogged about this sooner.) He approached a big list of creative folks, and essentially asked each one to create something in a medium that was not their specialty. A photographer was asked to create a poster, a typographer was to create a comic strip, an illustrator was to photograph a stranger, and so on.
I was asked to create a brand. So, after hours of dreaming up silly fake companies and products, none of which were terribly original or interesting, I decided to brand myself. A great deal of my work is about identity, so it suited me. So what would my logo be? My brand guidelines? And most importantly, what awful product extensions (e.g. Frida Kahlo socks) and collaborations would I get into as my career headed toward excess? The above image was my answer.
It's good to poke fun of one's self.
Here's my spread in the book:
The cover of Creative Gab Bag:
The book is terrific, by the way. It's filled with many of my friends and heroes, such as Paul Octavious, Frank Chimero, Aaron Draplin, Mike Perry, John Martz, Chris Glass, Alex Ostrowski, Will Bryant, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Debbie Millman, Paul Sahre, Michael Surtees, and many more. Check it out.