NEFF INK

domeprojects interview

neff — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:32:13 +0000

Justin Mitchell or domeprojects, is a good friend and a hell of an artist. I couldnt think of anyone id rather be my first interview than Justin, not only because not only is he a really inspiring dude, but the site itself is really due to his amazing help. So without further a due, domeprojects.

NEFF: Briefly describe what you do please.

DOME: I’m a graphic designer / website developer. I design everything from business cards & letterhead, to brand logos to corporate websites. I design brand elements a lot and layout websites, usually I chop and code too, but not always.

NEFF: What would you say your biggest influence has been in your work?

DOME: For my design work I have been really inspired by countless thousands of regular people all over the world, browsing the internet I am blown away by designs I see online on a daily basis. Some specific influences though would include web designers Fabio Sasso, Nick La and Soh Tanaka, and artists Shepard Fairey, Sam Florez and countless street and graffiti artists. I would say all these people inspire me, it’s hard to say what has influenced me the most. A lot of the time the circumstances of the project really influence the end result, which is unfortunate sometimes, like as in a client’s personal taste or something like that.

NEFF: What would you like to do more of if given the opportunity?

DOME: Make art. I can’t go a day without spending a few hours working on my own creativity, and still I feel like I neglect it. To be honest if I never designed another website or logo in my life it wouldn’t bother me a bit, I do what I do because it’s the closest thing to art that I can actually get paid for.

NEFF: I know that you have traveled quite a bit, has that given you any new insights into your creative approach or style.

DOME: Good question. I think that traveling and creativity appeal to the same area of the senses, like the feelings you get when you explore a new place, excitement and inspiration, are the same as those you feel when you are inspired by a piece of art or design. Plus the era we live in, with the internet and rapid air transportation, make for an environment that’s condusive to traveling. When I’m abroad my senses are heightened, and my awareness is more keen; I think it’s some natural reaction to change. New experiences inspire, not just art, but the motivation to work hard and keep persisting. If I get overwhelemed with work or sick to death of staring at the computer, getting away to a foriegn place is the perfect remedy.

NEFF: What is your favorite color?

DOME: I dont have one.

NEFF: Describe your perfect day.

DOME: Hmm, Ok. I’ve become more of an early riser than I ever was in the past, so I’m up around 7am for coffee and breakfast, anywhere warm and outside. I like checking the email and my favorite blog feeds for an hour or so and doodle out ideas and notes. I’ve got a dog so I i’d take him out for a long hike. Early afternoon is the best time for lunch and a couple beers. Wrap up the afternoon / evening doing art of any kind, and wrap up the night with a good book on ancient history, Vedic mythology or western esoterism

NEFF: I noticed you draw a lot, how do you feel drawing is fundamental in your work.

DOME: I love drawing, I went through a stage when I didn’t but now I’m stuck. I hope on a daily basis to get much better at it. I’m not the biggest fan of my own drawing, which gives me the motivation to get better. So I’m pretty much always wanting to just ‘do’ anything creative, drawing is the easiest means to that end. Plus I have been taking more and more drawings and applying them to my design work, adding hand drawn elements to websites and stuff.

NEFF: Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now.

DOME: Yea lately i’ve been doing some contracting with a company here in Los Angeles, they own a lot of content based websites which are endlessly in need of upgrade and repair, both in design and functionality. For them I solely design, which is great, I layout a lot of page designs, and I’ve been introducing more illustrative elements into their sites, sometimes sites with a lot of content and traffic can grow stale or cold, i’ve been doing my best to inject some life into them. Along with that I take care of some more personal clients, people I work with in the Santa Monica area on special projects. Most of my freelance work has become branding small companies and professionals with logos, websites, letterhead, flyers, pamphlets; that kind of thing. I’ve also been trying to update my own portfolio write in my journal.

NEFF: Any shout outs?

DOME: Thanks Jenny for taking such good care of me while I envelop myself in my computer.

http://www.domeprojects.com

EataChiquita

neff — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:51:49 +0000

Chiquita Banana has been a classic brand, a picture perfect banana with its little blue sticker. I was fortunate to be able to help create a campaign for the brand that gave it a refreshing jump into the fun category. By creating a comprehensive brand experience, complete with microsite, games, and design tools, we were able to give banana lovers some really fun things to brighten their day. The face of the campaign was literally faces on the little stickers, from clowns to luchadors, these stickers were giving people yet another reason to love Chiquita. Our goal was to hopefully move the brand a couple notches closer to cool, and I think we did just that.

Check it out for yourself:

http://www.eatachiquita.com

For some more information on the work, please check out my interview in Design Related:

http://www.designrelated.com/news/feature_view?id=47

Madden PSP

neff — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:18:36 +0000

Sony Playstation came out with a limited edition “Madden” PSP. This blue PSP was all about football, and to talk about it we thought how we could position it to literally be in line with football. Our campaign hit hard in out of home media. We targeted sports bars, sports stores, and anywhere that played football on their television, and gave them a unique TV frame that was the Blue PSP. Although subtle, it really got peoples attention while not detracting from the football watching experience.

The most fun though was the one of a kind mural we executed for the Vegas giant PSP billboard. This psp sits on top of a 4 story theatre with a large mural space directly below it. Our concept was that “A real fan would do anything to get one”. So we came up with the idea of dozens of football fans clammoring to get it. The artist we hired was MEAR ONE from Los Angeles. Working together, we constructed a scaled wall and had him actually spraypaint the art so it would look more realistic once we blew it up on the wall. The results were stunning.

http://mearone.com/

Dillon

neff — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:36:57 +0000

For years I have been handling the branding and identity work for my friend Dillon Maurer. Formerly Intellekt of Intellekt and Dirty Digits, now Dillon, is an extroardinary wordsmith, poet, performer, and gourmet chef. For his newest album “Studies in Hunger” with Paten Locke, we thought it would be a cool idea to create a nasty, locked refridgerator that contained nothing but condiments and rotten food. Exactly what you are eating when you are broke and hungry. The album is terrific and I’m glad that I can support such an amazing artist. Do yourself a favor, check him out and grab a copy and a shirt too while your at it.

http://www.dillonmaurer.net

And for mouth watering tasty treats, check out his food blog with veggie recipes for days.

http://www.dillonatethat.com

Spread The Know

neff — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:47:05 +0000

As part of an ongoing campaign to spread awareness about getting tested for HIV, we created a series of television commercials and a website that highlighted the beauty of knowing your status. Working with the Barnstormers, led by David Ellis, we took over 4 square blocks in Philadelphia with the most amazing, colorful artwork. We covered everything from sidewalks, to walls, streets, cars, buses, with words and ornamental designs. Shooting everything in a time-lapse fashion, the work literally looked like it was spreading and growing around the city on its own. I had a blast getting to help create the art alongside some amazingly talented artists.

http://www.thebarnstormers.org/

VW Helmet Design

neff — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:17:44 +0000

This is a prototype for a bike helmet we came up with. Based on the VW FAST, this design would come as part of a partnership between Trek and a limited edition GTI. Working with Neil Riddell we created this full 3D rendered protype.

The GarageMaster

neff — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:19:44 +0000

The Garagemaster was a partnership between Volkswagen and First Act as part of a larger Marketing Campaign. VW Rocks!

The unique concept of The Garage Master was an owner gift for a limited time when someone purchased a VW. The color of the guitar was coordinated to the color of your new VW. We created a full package that included a custom case, shoulder strap, and special cord that allowed you to shred your new guitar right out of your VDub.

Now that Rocks.

VW Garage

neff — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:15:01 +0000

The Volkswagen Garage was created to help brand wanted to amplify their prescence in different events they were a part of throughout the year. These events ranged from music centered like BONNAROO or actual VW enthusiast events such as Waterfest.

The garage was built out of real wood, complete with garage door and moved around the country from event to event. Inside were fun things to do like Slot Car Racing, a Ping-Pong table, basketball hoop, and a couple hammocks. Also authenticity was in order so numerous odds and ends that would ultimately be found in you or your parents garage.

Also as a part of the VW Garage Events, was the Volkswagen Carfessional. This State of the art Rabbit was retrofitted with am interactive video recording system. Our hope was the folks at all of these events may have an opinion or two on the Volkswagen brand, and we needed to listen to what these caring individuals had to say. Our Cognitive anthropologist Dr. Keller whimsically guided you through the ride, prompting you and your friends to share with the car, confidentially Riders then received a photo in their email as a souvenir.

Nature Series

neff — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:57:48 +0000

This is a series I completed using spray paint and hand cut stencils, translating the 4 elements of nature into an animal counterpart.

Spraypaint on Canvas
24″x36″ Each
Series of 3. Penguin has sold.

Email me for prices.
dj@neffink.com

Spraycanvas

neff — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:23:17 +0000

These paintings are one of a kind sculptures actually. I use so much spray paint that I decided that I was going to recycle it one day by creating compositions from the cans themselves. Each can is emptied and cut open to reveal an amazing color and texture, each completely unique. These works make wonderful editions to any art collection and can be custom ordered by size and color.

Please shoot me an email if you are interested in purchasing these or any of my work. Thank you

Coke Zero Launch

neff — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:03:41 +0000

Coca-Cola decided they wanted to launch a new product, a completely zero calorie cola, called Coke Zero. I was working for the agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky at the time and was just starting out as an intern. They gave me a shot to come up with a look for the campaign and sure enough the “chill” was born. The Chill is the representation of what happens when the body is relaxed, but the mind is firing on all cylinders. Sort of an active frost. The campaign tagline was “Everybody Chill” and that really gave the design a focus. This design was then translated into all types of media, billboards, print ads, and web.

You can still see the website here:

Coke Zero Launch Website

BK NASCAR

neff — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:52:05 +0000

In 2006 Burger King took its first leap in to the world of NASCAR. As the designer on the project, it was my responsibility to literally brand a whole racing team, along with the car itself. Holy CRAP! Starting with the car design, which was a super slick all gold flake, complete with flame sides and a menacing black crown in front, the car was a real dream project. Not stopping there, we completed designs for the Hauler, Uniforms, Race helmet, Signage, even a cover for the generator. It was a lot of parts but we loved the result.

The most fun for me was getting to go into the pits and study the cars themselves up close. I learned a lot about the design aspect to the sport and got to meet the legend Michael Waltrip.

VW FAST

neff — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:21:42 +0000

The Volkswagen Fast was a concept in brand invigoration. At the time, VW was coming out with the all new, redesigned GTI MKV. The GTI had long been the staple car to the VW tuner culture, garnering a long list of loyalists called “tuners”. We studied the tuners, and felt as though with this new release we should give back to the community itself for their dedications over the years, by introducing them to “The Fast”. Fast was the embodiment of the spirit inside each and every GTI owner. While there was a FAST inside everyone, we were only able to create a limited number of actual figures that would accompany the new MKV’s hitting the market. The only way you could get one is to buy the ride. Needless to say this created a wave of interest in not only the car but the limited edition figurine itself. Not before long FAST mania spread and people all wanted one, some even willing to buy someone else’s for $1000.o0 on ebay.

Recipient of the Cannes Grand Prix Lion in the Promotions Category 2006

http://www.vw.com/vwhype/gticustomfast/en/us/