Recession Developments

Banner ads, email newsletters and direct mail. All things I should be doing for myself but am glad to be doing for other people. In this recession, companies are refocusing and tightening their marketing efforts - more targeted offerings, more business development. We count ourselves lucky to have been there for our long standing clients when these ideas are implemented.

Some of the latest offerings:


Naturally For Her (naturallyforher.com) Banner Ad currently being run on mybestbirth.com


Microsoft Mobile Advertising Email Template


Direct Mail/Return form for Golden Monkey Healing

Awww Twitter

I think the upside down dead bird is one of the funniest things I have seen in awhile!

UFOs in Los Angeles???

In 2002, Ryan McLaughlin captured video of a UFO in the skies above Los Angeles. What began as the search for an explanation led him to the “Keeper” of the FAA’s “X Files”.

One man’s caustic tale of UFOs, Hollywood and the struggle to believe makes up this feature length documentary, Crescent Heights.

We were transfixed by the advance copy Ryan sent to us and were delighted to whip up the documentary's web site for him.

www.ufoflick.com

I got my Pre!!

After 6 months of hanging on with my lame Moto-Q crashing, not accepting calls (some of the time) and spontaneously restarting - I have finally procured the new Palm Pre phone! The truth is, I have been waiting for this phone to come out and was invited to the launch party where I was able to purchase the phone a whole 12 hours before everyone else. They even liquored us up and served hors d'oeuvres - it definitely beats getting up early to wait on line for it! The two reasons I have held out are: 1. I will not purchase an iPhone because I will never go back to AT&T - the devil incarnate in my book. 2. I hate the touch screen keyboard on the iPhone and some others but still like the large touch screen for other things.... Just when I thought that there wasn't anything out there for me, my DH received an email about this new phone, hence the wait. Well worth it & I love it!!!

Women's Health Items

One amazing lady with a plan to change the way Americans think about reproductive health and the environment; that is the lifeblood of a new business venture that we have had the distinct privilege to work on - Naturally For Her™! This is the new identity that we created for the company and in the coming weeks we will be launching the online marketplace designed by us as well. For now, you can check out their coming soon page to get an idea of what its all about: www.naturallyforher.com

This is How Behind I Am...

...on blogging, that is. Yes, it is a little before 1:00 AM and yes, I am just finishing up my day with this post.

A few weeks ago I was able to enjoy the cherry blossoms (one of my favorite times of the year) at our local park. I snapped this in between the ice cream and lolling about.

Not the Prettiest Cookie on the Block

But what is Passover without a Macaroon? This year I went for the almond ones, since I love marzipan and all, I thought I'd give it a shot. Where oh where have you been my whole life? Its like a light and fluffy marzipan cookie. So good!!!

Music Subscription - A New Way to Look at the Music Biz

In light of the music industries penchant for consistently shooting themselves in the foot, it is amazing to me that musicians are still trying to get that major label deal (in the sky). Other artists are more realistic about the process of creating art and marketing it today. The Omar Torrez Band has come to us at Unnaturally Geisha to implement their concept of what it means to communicate and realease music to their audience. We built them a content management system (so they can update and add new songs, video and pictures themselves) with a subscription component to sign up, transact the monthly fee and administer their subscribers.
Take a look!
exclusives.omartorrez.com

I've Been a Bad, Bad Blogger

Here are some of the things that have been keeping us really busy!!! We look forward to going live and talking more about these in the near future.

Another Website that Never Was...

We had built out and were putting the finishing touches on this one when the hospital was bought out by another medical center so this one never saw the light of day... until now! We designed and programmed a pretty sweet app with an attention to ease of use for the senior demographic.

New Years Resolution

I usually don't make resolutions because I hate breaking them and always do. I don't want to lose weight, I don't want to make a grand life-change. There are always conservation measures that I can take... I already religiously use canvas shopping bags by Eco Bags (www.ecobags.com)... What I do want to do is stop using so many plastic water bottles. There are currently a total of 7 bottles in various states of fullness floating around my car, 2 by the side of the bed, 1 on my desk and 3 under the bed. I have a serious problem!! It started when my kitties began a bad habit of upending cups with the special talent for dumping them in my purse. My new baby kitties like to chew on the straws and dip their paws in the water - not too appetizing when you consider where that foot has been! I tried an armada of plastic and lexan bottles only to find out that they may be better for the landfills but still leach toxins into your beverage. My BF "B" turned me on to these wonderful stainless steel bottles by Klean Kanteen (www.kleankanteen.com) and I LOVE THEM!

Food for the Soul

Yet even more weekly newsletter love!! We have been collecting these over time and now design and send out at least 10 email newsletters a month for a wide variety of clients.

Repo: An Opening Weekend

We were privileged to document Repo The Genetic Opera's opening weekend revelry. Our 2.5 minute video sums up the creators, stars and fans participation.
www.repo-opera.com
click on the Repo Premiere feature towards the middle top of the page in front of the big moon to view the video.

Something Funny for the New Year

We just went live with this incredibly fun project for the absolutely hilarious comic Aron Kader. We have a few entertainment driven web sites currently in production and this was the first of those to go live!
www.aronkader.com
Make sure to watch his Axis of Evil set on the Videos page!! Good times!!

A report card for doctors?

Over a year ago, we created a logo set, icon set and early interface prototypes for CareSeek / Nurses Recommend Doctors.

Yesterday, they were featured in a news piece about doctor research online by Los Angeles's ABC7. I just happen to be watching when it came on and excitedly grabbed a few screen shots of our work (thanks Tivo!).

W. The Movie

I have the pleasure of driving past this series (in billboard form) almost everyday. I have almost gotten into a few accidents on that corner because I can't stop looking at them. I think Oliver Stone and whomever designed this campaign struck gold. It sums up his persona and presidency in a mere 6 images. Genius.

Some Poor Graphic Designer is FIRED!

Yep, you've read that right, "She killed. It was her evening. She was the star." -Famous Person
We've all done it before, placed a FPO (for placement only) image or text into a design and then have forgotten to replace it. The client doesn't even notice it because they just love the concept. This mistake hopefully gets caught before it goes live to the masses on the internet or before the presses actually start cranking out your stupid mistake and you become liable for those printing costs. Well someone, in the race to capitalize on the Biden-Palen debate, the morning after, forgot to either get a quote or replace it. Either way it ran on WashingtonPost.com, was a great joke and embarrassment to the Republican campaign and probably got someone low on the totem pole fired.

NIN at the Forum!!

Inglewood, California 9-6-08


Yes, that is the mic stand midair!


The Chorus of "Vessel"

Golden Monkey Healing - New Homepage

New Home Page


Old Home Page

Golden Monkey Healing has gone from a single practitioner acupuncture office to a healing center with yoga, meditation and other classes. To reflect this growth, we changed the configuration, added a flash animation with images of the office and added new items to the navigation in addition to a special area for upcoming events. The site was originally designed by another freelancer a few years ago and has served the practice well but it was time for a face lift.

Take a look - www.goldenmonkeyhealing.com

Kitty Babies

Two new additions to the family! We are still trying to name them. Hmmm....

Update: Their names are Matrix (the black one) and Eskimo (the gray one).

Island Graffiti

Big Island, Hawaii
Look, there is another Danica & Shem who love each other : P

More Email Newsletter Love

We have won yet another contract for design and production on a monthly email newsletter. This is the new design and August's has already gone out!

Scenes from an Erupting Volcano

Kilauea, Hawaii
These pictures don't even begin to represent the experience...

Idea Ventures Inc. Launches

Idea Ventures, Inc is a marketing agency specializing in cause marketing, creative advertising and special events here in Los Angeles, headed up by Stephanie Ross.

Visit www.idea-ventures.com to view what we have created for Stephanie and her agency.

Mr. Pumpkin Pancake Man

Arrrrrrwooooo

Hawaii Details #2

More of the Maui pics - this time, flora.

RIP

Sadly, some of our older web work has recently gone off line. The web moves VERY quickly but some of these had a 5+ year shelf life, not bad! I think they are still pretty relevant and deserve a proper burial.

Bodhimanda Postcard

Another day, another postcard. We were commissioned to design this postcard that has to function as both a business card and brochure. I have yet to see them in person but the client is very happy and is already handing them out at Yoga studios around Los Angeles.

Hawaii Details #1

It has only taken me one whole month to go through our Maui pictures. Here is a just a taste, theme is sand and rock. More to come throughout July.

Elvis likes Santa Monica

A legitimate Elvis sighting... Elvis evens lip syncs real well!

Bar Mitzvah Invitation

More custom invitations - we've been doing a lot of those lately! The client wanted something very simple for a boy who likes medium blue and green (the theme colors of the party). These went out to guests on Friday!

I've Been Thinking... About Email Newsletters

We have a new contract to re-design and format an array of monthly email newsletters. The first one up was this, the I've Been Thinking series.

David Daor Sneak Peek

We had the chance to intercut two of David Daor's existing promo reels for Nessah Educational and Cultural Center's promotional needs. With a swift deadline, it was quite a crunch but we are all very happy with the way it turned out!

Hawaiian Telecom

I dragged our whole crew over to take this picture. I think this logo is just so clever and simple - just brilliant. Do you get it?

Whose Flag is That?

Meandering through the resorts here on Maui, we came across this flag a few times. All of us dared to guess what the flag represents. Well, the answer is this is the flag of the state of Hawaii. The history is even more interesting...

Ka Hae Hawaiʻi, or the Flag of Hawaiʻi, is the official standard symbolizing Hawaiʻi as a kingdom, protectorate, republic, territory and U.S. state. Ka Hae Hawaiʻi is the only state flag in the United States to have been flown under so many various forms of government and the only one that features the Union Flag (a.k.a Union Jack), the flag of the United Kingdom.

The canton of Ka Hae Hawaiʻi is the Union Jack Flag, prominent over the top quarter closest to the flag mast. The field of the flag is composed of eight horizontal stripes symbolizing the eight major islands (Hawaiʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Lānaʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi and Niʻihau). A ninth stripe was once included representing the island of Nihoa.

There are various accounts of the earliest history of Ka Hae Hawaiʻi. One relates how King Kamehameha I flew a Union Jack Flag given to him by British explorer Captain George Vancouver as a token of friendship with King George III. An advisor to Kamehameha noted that the Union Jack Flag could draw Hawaiʻi into international conflict as it would be seen as an ally of the United Kingdom. Kamehameha lowered the Union Jack Flag from his home. While disputed as historically accurate, one account of events that followed stated that in order to placate American interests during the War of 1812, a flag of the United States was raised over Kamehameha's home only to be removed when British officers in the court of Kamehameha vehemently objected to it. This account then explains why the resulting flag of Hawaiʻi was a deliberate hybrid of the two nations' flags.

In 1816, Kamehameha commissioned his own flag to avoid conflict. As a result, Ka Hae Hawaiʻi was born. Historians attribute the design of Ka Hae Hawaiʻi to an officer of the Royal Navy, based on a form of the British naval flag. There is debate as to the name of the officer. Some traditions credit Alexander Adams, others George Beckley. The original flag was designed to feature stripes alternating red-white-blue, also attributed to various historical flags of the United Kingdom. However, some have argued that the stripes were influenced by the American flag. In error, the flag used at the first official flying of Ka Hae Hawaiʻi ordered the stripes white-red-blue. The number of stripes also changed: originally, the flag was designed with seven horizontal stripes, and in 1845 it was officially changed to eight stripes. The latter arrangement was adopted and is used today.

Golden Monkey Healing Brochure

Golden Monkey Healing's tri-fold brochure

This little ditty just landed us another healing arts client... It seems like we have been collecting healing arts clients and medical technology clients, nice dichotomy!

New Pens

No, I am not writing about the pursuit of obtaining a new pen... (I have had the same Parker pen since undergrad!!) We just added a new line of pens to a site we designed a few years ago - AP Limited Editions. These truly are works of amazing art and craftsmanship. Its worth looking at the design of the pens as well as the site!!

My Accoutrements

Sometimes a girl just needs some jewelry. I commissioned my very talented friend Orit to create a necklace for me to wear to my sister's wedding. Here is a scan of her fabulous creation.
www.oritharpaz.com

Shadow Yoga Postcard

We had the opportunity to design a postcard for Golden Monkey Healing's Shadow Yoga schedule for the next three months. The client is very happy with the way it turned out and has already given out a nice stack of these. We also designed a brochure for their Chinese medicine clinic. I will post those pics in a few days.

Robert Rauschenberg RIP

Another titan down...

More Type Love

These Star Wars letterform illustrations are beautiful! Nicely done, Ironic Sans! I used to have my students use letterforms to create illustrations but none of them ever came up with anything this good.

The Ubiquitous Helvetica

I don't know if it is because I am a complete design geek but this documentary was awesome!! Check it out when you have a moment.

Glitter and Doom

Tom Waits Press Conference
Watch until the end, this is priceless.
Thanks T for turning me on to this!

Salon Nombre (1)

I had the privileged of participating in a Salon on Saturday night. A good time was had by all. Some snippets from the night... Suthi's new engagement ring, a debate over whether to circumcise or not, Saar banging on his piano, Alisa playing Mozart, sHeM singing symbolically "I can make it on my own" and many more.

It's Alive, It's Live!

Yes, our very own web site is now live. The cobbler's children now have shoes!
www.unnaturallygeisha.com

I See the Lights

Chris Burden's Urban Light

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The opening exhibition was quite impressive. I especially loved the Warhol Jackies, Burden's installations, Serra's scupltures and Baldessari's pieces.

Nessah Educational & Cultural Center

It has been quite the long haul but after it all, the Nessah re-design turned out really nice. I am glad we (Unnaturally Geisha) were able to do it for them. Their staff have been on top of sending us content to keep it up to date so it continues to be a good tool for their congregants.
www.nessah.org

Candy Moon

So I never used to eat breakfast, then I only ate pastries in the morning. Well, trying to cut the sweets down a bit, I stopped that and never replaced it with anything else until now. I would starve and get all brain dead until a late lunch. My BF suggested that I try Luna Bars - get it, bars for women because we have a monthly cycle like the moon. They taste like candy and probably have a lot of sugar but they are also somewhat nutritious with all their fiber, protein and added calcium, folic acid and antioxidants. I am actually eating breakfast again!

The Website That Never Was...

This was a fun project but because of some corporate issues that need examination, the website has not been able to go live - at least until a resolution is reached. Here's hoping that there is a speedy conclusion and that this site will eventually see the light of day.

Starfleet Even Accepts Dogs!

What more can I add?