tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30647334230072320102011-11-12T12:42:44.359-06:00Current work of commercial artist Brian CollinsBrian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-72355132234189576882011-11-12T12:42:00.000-06:002011-11-12T12:42:44.370-06:00

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-83491683044089439112011-08-08T13:19:00.002-05:002011-08-08T16:12:07.689-05:00

I ran across this amongst the Tumblrs quite awhile ago. I have no idea who drafted this clever little cartoon, but the simple juxtaposition is splendid. UPDATE: Thanks to an anonymous commenter who let me know this is from the New Yorker.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-53519511258143383632011-07-01T18:00:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:13:07.438-05:00

Before reading  this post, I recommend cueing up Martin Denny in Pandora and then give this a look… I came across these black velvet paintings and had to post them. Robb Hamel reinvents the scholcky black velvet medium as anything but schlock. Here's what the artist says about the paintings: “…my work is based on a range of values (levels of brightness) that have a certain

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-83012220634275468922011-07-01T08:15:00.004-05:002011-08-08T16:14:48.197-05:00

File this one under, “Ideas I”m glad never occurred to me.” Via The Skateboard Mag.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-37004913525064950812011-06-29T18:00:00.021-05:002011-08-08T16:16:31.179-05:00

I’m a sucker for old film posters. So much so, I'd love to bedazzle my pad with ’em. But lack of time, energy, attention span… I also love mashups. Just get a load of these Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds themed posters reflecting social media's impact on the Arab Spring. Marcel Paris put these together for France’s Channel 24. Via I Believe in Advertising.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-26196175884485946362011-06-19T18:02:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:18:30.107-05:00

I spotted this advertisement for Braun’s Multistyler several weeks ago and thought it was delightful. And just when I was burned on everything emoticon.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-20339063343978616702011-06-13T07:00:00.003-05:002011-08-08T16:19:09.874-05:00

Way, way back in the day, my best friend Todd Irvine and I would break into his hippy-parent’s record collection and lay the needle down on a Frank Zappa collection of misfit music, Zapped. By far our favorite cut was Wild Man Fischer’s Merry Go Round, which, I've got here for you to listen to and share with the kids. Click to have a listen.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-3537923646091017322011-06-12T19:12:00.005-05:002011-08-08T16:20:29.109-05:00

I fell upon this while exploring the Interwilds. I have no idea who to credit (if it’s you, let me know so that I may give credit where credit is due). So often the process starts with step four and jumps immediately to step seven. Sigh. Nobody will ever convince me that doing more poorly is better than doing less well. If you'd like this to hang above your drafting table, Click here.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-64009976006117418242011-06-09T21:04:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:21:50.853-05:00

Just take a look at this fantastic print cart. Back in the day I used to screen decks at a little indie Skateboard company, first in in Los Osos, then in San Luis Obispo, California. At Smallroom we built our own silkscreen print carts, drying racks and mini halfpipe to complete the scene. Recently, I stumbled across a blog post from back in 2010 on Printeresting about a poster exhibition

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-49619688944388295032011-05-26T20:16:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:22:23.604-05:00

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-35478648979268907832011-05-23T19:00:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:23:09.534-05:00

A very long time ago on the Central Coast of California their lived a micro-skateboard company called Smallroom. That's where myself and my wife Betsy worked alongside Louis Carlton. We screened boards, went to school and skated into the salty-aired coastal nights. Sigh. Just take a look at this business card Louis put together in the ’zine style he was infamous for. Nowadays, I think

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-36220121709745833202011-01-12T20:16:00.001-06:002011-08-08T16:28:31.029-05:00

The Alphabet from n9ve on Vimeo.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-24700506080322192502010-07-08T20:55:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:30:21.572-05:00

For your viewing pleasure, a timelapse motion picture featuring artist Mark Ryden. Go Abe, go!

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-27988504743670392042010-07-06T21:34:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:31:35.293-05:00

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-40549251734630842602010-06-17T21:28:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:32:05.630-05:00

As all of my loyal visitors know, I often stumble through periods of blog inactivity. Therefore, you may have taken note that I haven't posted in nearly a month. In an effort to remedy my dereliction to putting fingers to keyboard, I am introducing a new feature called Meeting Notes. The story is this: As part of my day job at Marlin I occasionally sit through a meeting. I say

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-61755776427493247102010-05-26T20:42:00.001-05:002011-08-08T16:33:34.204-05:00

Jed’s Other Poem (Beautiful Ground) from Stewdio on Vimeo. If you know me you know I love Grandaddy. But you may not know I programmed on an Apple ][ back in high school in 1984. But I didn't know it either as I got a couple of freshmen code geeks to do most of it for me. In honor of the two forgotten coders, and for the love of all that is Grandaddy, I give you Jed’s Other Poem (

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-84848442482653545842010-04-08T22:03:00.004-05:002011-08-08T16:34:16.103-05:00

It’s been some time since I’ve posted anything (curses to you prosperity and popularity!). Anyway, hero Brad Hill of TAP turned me on to this very cool cloud based app called, well CloudApp. Simply put, It’s a file sharing platform that works seamlessly with the Mac OS. It has two parts: an app that displays up on your toolbar (which is a little cloud, that acts as a progress bar and

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-47095231306426113672010-03-12T22:51:00.006-06:002011-08-08T16:34:56.036-05:00

It’s rare for my wife and I to find time to watch a movie, but a few months back we managed to sneak in Julie & Julia [WARNING: Link Autoplays sound]. Anyway, it inspired the purchase of Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and that is the subject of this post. Actually, it’s the French Onion Soup, pictured above, that is the subject of this post. Now that we have the

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-86861454933478554982010-02-23T22:12:00.003-06:002011-08-08T16:36:33.268-05:00

Neurosonics Live from Chris Cairns on Vimeo. My two favorite things in the world* Frankensteined. *Disney’s Haunted Mansion Ride and Electronica.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-79483533606194725932010-02-07T21:28:00.003-06:002011-08-08T16:43:55.445-05:00

Andy, my 17-year-old tennis prodigy, is playing his final year for Glendale High here in Springfield. As co-captain and graduating senior he gets to pick the team’s uniform and logo: That’s where I come in. Above is the crest Andy and I decided upon, featuring the school’s falcon mascot, crossed rackets and clenched balls (ha!), the founding date and the year of application. Go

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-22528246326026719242010-02-02T07:54:00.003-06:002011-08-08T16:45:08.629-05:00

How to Fulfill the Demands of the Art of Pastry Chefdom has earned an honorable mention in the Letterhead Fonts 2009 Design Competition. Chuck Davis of Letterhead Fonts wrote, “It is a beautiful, understated design.” To see the three winners and two honorable mentions, click here. I’m all a dither.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-3854298425449565772010-01-30T22:27:00.003-06:002011-08-08T16:45:50.420-05:00

In support of my post about the iPad and how the geekosphere was missing the big idea...Proof I’m right: PC Magazine: Women are Key Gizmodo: The iPad is for Old People TUAW: A Contrarian View To Wit: Stephen Fry We Never Knew We Needed it iPad App Fund Announced David Pogue: First Impressions Cool Concepts

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-16475951670996442482010-01-28T00:08:00.004-06:002011-08-08T16:53:41.342-05:00

All jokes aside, the overwhelming reaction of the geek class of pundits are missing the point: Apple’s iPad is not for them, at least not yet. The Steve did say it was between a smartphone and a laptop, not a new device to replace them. Geeks, powerusers, programmers, and yes, designers are all frowning on the Pad because it doesn't do anything for them. Or should I say, it doesn’t do

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-5659989640197028152010-01-25T20:53:00.002-06:002011-08-08T16:55:18.861-05:00

Make this blog not suck.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-15468582654900612252010-01-23T22:59:00.002-06:002011-08-08T16:56:41.591-05:00

I stumbled upon the Booth Ranches Black Box I drafted In the produce department at the Price Cutter in Springfield, Missouri, while shopping for ingredients for leek soup. The box is cool. The soup was hot.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-29523954061120982722010-01-23T22:50:00.004-06:002011-08-08T16:57:24.849-05:00

The little chap book for Sweet Street, How to Fulfill The Demands of the Art of Pastry Chefdom, has been chosen as one of fourteen finalist in Letterhead Font’s design competition. In the immortal words of Jimmy Wilson, "Look at me now!"

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-9516656023892649892010-01-22T23:23:00.001-06:002010-03-13T12:18:12.154-06:00

I have decided to quit the business of graphic design and dedicate the remainder of my mortal life to writing. Let me be clear: I’m not going to just write, I am going to write in Ommwriter. Farewell Mr. Rand. So long Saul Bass. Good day Mr. Glaser. Ommwriter from Herraiz Soto on Vimeo.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-81728484852842007182009-12-28T23:51:00.001-06:002010-03-13T12:20:21.835-06:00

UPular by Pogo.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-30207624726104042902009-12-20T16:24:00.004-06:002010-03-13T12:28:30.980-06:00

This year at Marlin to celebrate the end of 2009 (so long, sucker!), we decided to give the gift of simplicity. So, what's simpler than an Origami snowball? Find out.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-16880413395549053862009-10-29T21:02:00.001-05:002010-03-13T12:32:09.589-06:00

I want to suck your wallet.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-30713660595807279002009-09-30T14:30:00.002-05:002010-03-13T12:32:36.697-06:00

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-87624399468359770492009-09-29T13:50:00.002-05:002010-03-13T12:33:14.214-06:00

Edgy and irreverent. Those were the orders from Hasbro on a re-packaging, re-positioning assignment for three of Hasbro's classic board games. Pictionary, Trivial Persuit, and Taboo were canned to appeal to a younger demo with a bit more pocket change, but a shorter attention span in this hyper-digital-handheld-device-driven era we’re all traveling through. We presented two themes with

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-45890772115544510842009-09-28T13:50:00.003-05:002010-03-13T12:34:07.148-06:00

I think Carl Sagan and Bruce Haack have generated offspring.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-24773644319357101762009-09-24T16:30:00.003-05:002010-03-13T12:34:27.432-06:00

Pretty fantastic.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-6809652706864673512009-07-29T13:25:00.007-05:002009-07-29T13:39:11.656-05:00

Barack Obama and Unicrons and Rush and rockets and House and... and... And so much more.By Dan Lacey.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-50226390555408760012009-07-16T22:52:00.013-05:002009-07-16T23:18:21.302-05:00

Another quick post to announce the selection of another logo I drafted to be included in the upcoming LogoLounge Master Library seriesAbove is a logo concept I did for Larry Barnes at Eternal Screen Printing in Bakersfield back in 2002. LogoLounge and Rockport Publishers will include it in the book, Animals, Birds and Mythology.Below is the final logo Larry picked:Eternally cool.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-37719865502043475172009-06-22T23:00:00.003-05:002009-06-22T23:21:02.075-05:00

Less talk, more work.This was done for Design Mark for the 17th Street Cigar Company in Bakersfield back in 2006.That’s Marlin intern Jared Tomlinson.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-64646253903983795392009-06-18T17:00:00.001-05:002009-06-18T17:28:06.680-05:00

Sweet Street Desserts is venturing into the world of the consumer and as such, is ramping up their brand to appeal to the delicate sensibilities of the rabid American shopper.Here at Marlin, working with senior copywriter, Judith Garson, we put together the above 7-panel consumer brochure to be included in every outbound online order from the amazing Sweet Street confections factory in Reading,

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-10346618744979964792009-06-09T13:15:00.003-05:002009-06-09T13:19:09.568-05:00

Exos from Steve Scott on Vimeo.Stunning. And a bit creepy.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-62499119894970148512009-06-03T21:30:00.001-05:002009-06-03T21:47:45.946-05:00

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-5750745942624418392009-06-03T21:00:00.001-05:002009-06-03T21:17:51.384-05:00

My pal Brian Williams, CD at Inspiration Networks, threw me a bone with an identity exploration for a documentary television network.Halogen takes a faith-based approach to exploring real world issues without the all-too-common whitewashing or sappy storytelling many Christian programs trip over.Up top are my favorite solutions to the problem. Below are sample pages for a Field Guide the network

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-3083712026258883232009-05-04T22:00:00.001-05:002009-05-04T22:27:24.459-05:00

A quick post to announce the selection of 6 logos I drafted to be included in the upcoming LogoLounge Master Library series.The Master Library is a bit of a twist on the popular LogoLounge book series focusing on singular topics of reference including: • Initials & Crests• Typography• People• Animals, Birds and Mythology• Shapes and Symbols• Nature and Food• Arts and Culture (including

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-3071700712930252092009-01-07T22:00:00.001-06:002009-01-07T22:18:41.014-06:00

Is any idea really original? What’s old is new and what’s new is old?I received an anonymous comment on my First Light post calling me to the carpet of unoriginality. The commenter pointed out a similar logo was created for another production company with a similar name and similar concept for an identity, Natural Light Films. Have I been called out?The First Light SolutionLogo design, when it’s

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-43387767287170390232008-08-13T08:58:00.002-05:002009-06-03T21:41:48.288-05:00

Seed A.I. @ Pulsewave in NYC, 01.05.08 (1/1) from 2 Player Productions on Vimeo.Music of the moment.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-55790801026555771252008-07-26T14:00:00.000-05:002008-07-26T14:00:01.158-05:00

For quite some time, I have been fascinated with those little jewels up top in the URL address bar of our browsers to the cybernet. I think of them as a virtual lapel pin. Kind of like wearing a U.S. flag or Rotarian pin further stating the wearer’s allegiances.Favicons are very much in vogue and seem to be a hallmark of better designed sites. Weighing in at 16 pixels square, getting the little

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-91036846604003712742008-07-15T22:30:00.005-05:002008-07-15T22:47:29.686-05:00

Online tools are becoming more ubiquitous, but more importantly, quite useful. FontShop has teamed up with Rob Meek (über type geek) and created an online font building application.FontStruct makes designing, downloading and sharing fonts a snap. Simply choose different block shapes and grid sizes to build out all the glyphs commonly found in commercially produced fonts.My first stab at a font

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-86034051449113590632008-06-19T14:00:00.000-05:002008-06-19T14:01:36.017-05:00

The best cartoonist, designer, illustrator and satirist ever.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-67647850396476216872008-06-18T21:54:00.005-05:002008-06-18T22:43:49.121-05:00

Longtime ad man, creative director, agency principal and veteran wordsmith, John Mack wanted a simple portfolio site. So I helped out. Along the way I thought a simple expressive mark that reflected his sensibilites and style would help ground the site. Above is the result of the effort.John Mack also wears really cool shirts.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-11946993997197189402008-06-07T15:49:00.005-05:002008-07-26T12:50:49.922-05:00

Mr. Tom Russell had his lovely wife (and my longtime friend) Courtney (Schieber) Russell enlisted me to work a mark up for a startup movie production company, First Light Productions.Tom, professor of cinematography at Brigham Young University, filmmaker, and ex-ad exec, is an absolute riot. As evidence, checkout Napolean Dynomite. I swear, on all that is good and right in the world, that when I

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-19733282796151998462008-06-07T15:45:00.001-05:002008-06-07T15:48:48.176-05:00

Boom. In your face.For ever and ever and ever I have done posters for the Bakersfield Jazz Festival on and off and on and off and now on again. Mark Ramsey is the A.D. on the gig and enlists my help to get a poster together every couple of years.This year, Mark wanted to see something with silhouettes and a big splash of color—something to compliment the atmosphere the springtime event puts out.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-92184257773703519682008-02-11T10:59:00.003-06:002008-07-26T12:51:43.618-05:00

Marlin Rocks.The best projects are the ones where you can do whatever you’d like. The best-of-the-best projects are when you do something you’d like to do for yourself. Marlin Rocks is just such a project.Marlin was visited by some folks from “they-who-must-not-be-mentioned” and to say thanks for taking a look at us, we put together two iPods with music selections from some of the crew.But what

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-24370686838761872922008-02-04T14:00:00.000-06:002008-02-04T14:02:20.472-06:00

Getting smooth to work for you.Seattle’s Best Coffee (SBC) is a well-known brand that’s owned by a much better known brand, Starbucks.The SBC folks had a SYSCO trade show to attend and needed a simple handout to create a little (yep, I’m gonna say it) buzz.Smooth is the name of game with SBC so, working with copywriter Chris Rock and AE, Ashley Earwood, we developed the above piece with the head,

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-38792133345689645692008-02-01T23:00:00.000-06:002008-02-01T23:11:01.795-06:00

Downtown Quentin Bowlin’ Brown.At Marlin, we don’t just drink Starbucks coffee, we make it look good to drink Starbucks coffee.We do tons of work for Starbucks Foodservice. They’re the folks who get Starbucks into places that Starbucks retail hasn’t penetrated (unbelievable, I know). Every year the FS people have a national sales meeting and for FY08 they all got together one evening for

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-91512085476485800342008-02-01T11:25:00.000-06:002008-02-04T13:53:59.203-06:00

Young Ben owns the soccer pitch.My youngest son, Ben (Bubba), is an anomaly. I have done fairly well in sports, but I always had to work at it. Ben on the other hand is a natural. He plays on two soccer teams, one through the YMCA and the second is a competitive club team under the monicker of Magic Soccer.Both teams have been without a proper logo, with the Y team using the provided t-shirts and

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-36529978647257242142008-01-31T12:51:00.000-06:002008-02-01T14:23:20.378-06:00

Oh how I miss Critch. No, not that critch.You see, Gale Venosdel (or Critch, aka Lawrence, to me) was an art director here at Marlin. He’s now gone back home to roost in Tulsa and keeping his family fed via Littlefield.He, Chris Rock, account exec Dan Schultz and I worked on a direct mail promotion for Starbucks hot cocoa. Gale did almost all the work on this one. He got me involved to tighten up

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-57332152555785303002008-01-31T11:08:00.000-06:002008-01-31T11:33:50.284-06:00

Coffee cake is great. But Sandy’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake (SSCCC) is an out-of-body experience.In an effort to express the uniqueness of SSCCC Sweet Street wanted to offer the snack in a tin through their cybernet store.I utilized off-the-shelf SSD assets and invented a few new ones to create a brand dress that felt Sweet Street but uniquely its own.We shipped off the concepts to the big heads in

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-2548577277437892992008-01-30T15:22:00.000-06:002008-01-30T16:14:59.398-06:00

With the parting of the ways of Marlin and Deep, a new identity for the new millennium was called for…The Marlin Company has been around for nearly 25 years and have had several logos along the way. With this iteration, through our long history and niché recognition, we were confident enough to hone the brand from ‘The Marlin Company’ to ‘Marlin’. We also shortened the horizontal footprint by

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-77426472035754257282008-01-29T19:42:00.000-06:002008-01-29T20:27:00.204-06:00

Booth Ranches, a citrus grower in Orange Cove, California, was founded by the great-grandson of Times Mirror founder Harrison Gray Otis’s namesake, Otis BoothRanked number 181 by The Forbes 400, Mr. Booth leaves the day-to-day operations to his daughter Loren. She stumbled into my studio on a referral by interior designer Napier Hill, where we began working to develop the Booth brand.The Otis

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-27827376798437914352008-01-29T14:17:00.000-06:002008-01-29T19:57:45.921-06:00

The Art of Pastry Chefdom.Our heroes, Sweet Street Desserts, provide the nation’s leading restaurant chains delectable desserts that make a pastry chef question their very existence.The SSD team here at Marlin is always thinking about ways to position the Reading, Pennsylvania confectioner within the minds of operators and ultimately consumers.Marlin’s president, Michael Stelzer, and senior

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-71363652039751995632008-01-28T16:26:00.000-06:002008-01-28T16:53:09.769-06:00

Agencies have war rooms. We have a Cat Room, or CAT.RM.Cat, short for catalyst, is how we summarize our approach to creative problem solving. A catalyst is something which accelerates a reaction. That’s what we attempt to do at Marlin.This mark has two drops coming together to form the ears and face of a feline.Me-Yeeooow!

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-42553933868124831692008-01-28T09:13:00.000-06:002008-02-01T23:17:05.055-06:00

It's time to throw some new stuff up.When I started at Marlin I was handed a little black vinyl three ring binder outlining the company’s mission, vision, structure, rules, etc. It was OK, but it didn’t remotely capture the soul of the comapny and the dynamic personalities that make it up.For the quad-annual company meeting held at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, we decided to revamp the

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-89948770060511276772007-09-11T09:30:00.000-05:002008-01-29T20:25:40.296-06:00

How does one extend the brand of an iconic staple like Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce? Aw, read on dear blogged, read on...I had the opportunity recently at Marlin to redesign the existing L&P Steak Sauce bottle (the final is to the right). Now, you might ask yourself, “Steak sauce? I didn’t know Lea & Perrins did a steak sauce?” Well, they do. But they haven’t made great inroads on the

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-65595531779821538752007-08-29T14:15:00.000-05:002007-08-29T16:29:32.440-05:00

File this one in the category of DOA.Hasbro has owned the URL game.com since the beginning of the Cybernet. The time finally came to put the name to work, and as such, contracted Marlin to develop a mark that would lead the brand launch.The assignment guidelines dictated a logo that was fun (but not goofy), colorful (but not loud), youthful (but appealing to adults). Kind of like the kitchen sink.

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-19257510694220512032007-08-21T11:00:00.000-05:002007-08-21T13:03:48.387-05:00

Every year folks in the foodservice industry gather for the National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show.Marlin client Sweet Street Desserts always has a significant presence at the show with workshops, samples, and a memorable take-away.For the 2007 show, art director Gale Venosdel (now with Littlefield), senior copywriter Judith Garson, designers Kendall Schlichting and Stella Kang (now in Chicago)

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-26522962580617737312007-08-09T14:00:00.000-05:002007-08-09T14:13:07.100-05:00

It's been a while since my last post. The month of July was busy with work, freelance and travel. But, now it's time to catch up...Local ear surgeon and inventor, Scott Estrem, had great success with the Ototek Loop, a tool to clean impacted earwax (yummy). Overcome with the entrepreneur spirit, Dr. Estrem set about attacking the semi-omnipresent scourge of humanity: The sun.Lej eyewear seeks to

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-20688884611049854872007-06-19T15:00:00.000-05:002007-06-19T14:48:21.697-05:00

Mission Tortillas rock! And to to get brokers out in the foodservice world amped, Marlin was asked to develop a campaign to make Mission Foods a rockstar.The campaign had several components associated with it including three logos: Fresh Fest, Cornzilla, and the featured Flour Power mark seen above.Creative Director, Matt Rose passed me a rough sketch of a raised fist grasping wheat in a mock "

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-15364340931239421772007-05-29T13:00:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:36:08.519-05:00

Here at Marlin, Starbucks is the big rooster in our hen house. We had the opportunity to do some retail-side promotion for the Sky Cafe in the landmark Seattle Space Needle. The Sky Cafe is a unique Starbucks retail store that falls in a murky world somewhere between Starbucks retail and the licnesed stores category where we do most of our work.I was the designer on the project with art director

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-82201922138344009992007-05-24T17:00:00.000-05:002007-05-29T15:37:34.984-05:00

Brashears is a retailer offering medium-tier home furnishings. They are expanding into Springdale, Arkansas home of Tyson Chicken and near neighbor of Wal Mart's headquarters in Bentonville.Within the new showroom, Brashears is creating a sleep center that is themed around the benefits of sleep. As part of the executional mandatories was the design of a logo to direct bed-buyers to the space. The

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-40194580800745709132007-04-26T22:30:00.000-05:002007-05-29T15:37:52.722-05:00

“It's hard…to believe such a small airplane could cause so much chaos, death and destruction. But it did. It's even harder to understand how such a remarkable story could go untold for half a century.” L-Bird, The Little Plane That Did.Emmy award winning director Brian Shipman spent nearly a decade producing L-Bird, The Little Plane That Did. Shipman chronicles the untold story of a single-engine

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-2261862741059026042007-04-12T22:30:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:24:30.766-05:00

Sally Selby and I worked for The Bakersfield Californian for 7 years together (she much longer), and over the course of that time developed a great working realtionship. After I left, she just couldn’t bear it and soon became director of marketing for Klein, DeNatale, Goldner, Cooper, Rosenlieb & Kimball, LLP (whew!). KDG has been a client of mine for a number of years and I had the opportunity

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-55183233484943671182007-04-11T14:00:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:26:10.778-05:00

Vlasic Prep-Pak Pickles are designed to make food handling easier for foodservice operators. As of June, sales are positive but could always be better. To build on the current momentum in the marketplace, Marlin was asked to concept and produce a direct mail effort that was sent to a targeted audience.My involvement was rather minimal on this one. The idea was worked out by art director Gale

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-19499562382773230562007-04-11T11:00:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:27:41.177-05:00

As part of an overall new product launch for the Vlasic Prep Pak, Marlin developed an ad for foodservice publications to tout the wonders of pre-packaged pickle packs.Art director Gale Venosdel (now with Littlefield) and copywriter Chris Rock developed a tongue-and-cheek science journal-like ad to expose the oversight of productive time-loss due to inefficient pickle replenishment.The ad was

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-82686340347348441552007-04-10T14:11:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:28:01.817-05:00

Pinnacle Foods, a client of Marlin, is introducing a new line of Aunt Jemima Whole Grain items including French toast sticks, French toast and pancakes.To properly launch the tasty, toasty treats, Pinnacle needed a launch kit to arm brokers and the Pinnacle sales force with information about the products, enabling them to be more comfortable when talking about the new products. Art director Gale

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-71731994297626880862007-04-10T13:04:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:28:39.760-05:00

After an exhaustive search of the World Wide Web it appears there isn't a standard mark to label a product as artificially trans fat free.Due to a recent decision Sweet Street Desserts (the site look designed by myself for Marlin), a mark needed to be developed that could be used throughout SSD's product line, branding and promotion.The idea is a simple representation of a heart shaped dessert on

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-23763071875875813432007-04-06T23:09:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:25:19.694-05:00

My first real job as a graphic Designer was with The Bakersfield Californian under Glenn Hammett. We were both Cal Poly grads (which helped me land the job) as was another designer in town Mark Ramsey.Glenn introduced me to Mark shortly after I started and since 1993 we have collaborated on hundreds of projects.Back in November 0f '06 Mark asked for some logo ideas for the Buck Owens American

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3064733423007232010.post-67932152297025995522007-04-06T21:42:00.000-05:002007-05-29T14:24:47.506-05:00

Syracuse classmate Laura Britain runs a design firm in Hickory North Carolina and needed a series of posters created for Owens Corning. The posters are to announce the introduction of a new company-wide computer system from SAP. The illustration will depict a mid-century modernist train approaching the viewer over a series of three prints.The project is ongoing. The next step is to photograph a

Brian Collinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15554724301259686809noreply@blogger.com0