Curtis Design

Typography of Disney's Hollywood Studios

2012-01-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

This is my Typographic Journey through Disney's Hollywood Studios® at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida. Hope you enjoy it! And visit my previous posts for my typographic journeys around EPCOT and Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Rock Your World

2012-01-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

A poster I designed last year for a fundraising event put on by Hope For Haiti. It always feels good to contribute your talents towards a good cause.

Brainstorming

2012-01-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

Brainstorming the big CHANGEs coming to my personal brand...

P.S. I love my sketch table. How did I live so long without this station of amazing?

Festival of the Masters

2011-11-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

There is some crazy talent in Orlando. Enjoyed my day exploring the Festival of the Masters at Downtown Disney.

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #8

2011-07-06T17:32:00.003-06:00

Office Tip for Designers #8

Get hands on with your tools.

Use all the tools you are provided. Get to know how to use them to maximize your use of time.

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #7

2011-06-26T18:49:00.000-06:00

Office Tip for Designers #7

Mix it up.

Some days you need to come in to the office like a different person. Keep people on their toes. You tricky trickster you.

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #6

2011-06-25T09:18:00.000-06:00

Office Tip for Designers #6

Care for co-workers.

Show your coworkers that you care. Care about them as professionals and people. This will make a difference in creating an environment of honesty and trust at the office. Show that you value your coworkers as more then just people you work with. Everyone appreciates the little acts that acknowledge they are important to you.

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #5

2011-06-24T09:29:00.001-06:00

Office Tip for Designers #5

Quench your thirst.

The days can be long. Don't forget to hydrate.

(filling our product placement requirements)

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #4

2011-06-23T10:20:00.003-06:00

Office Tip for Designers #4

Dress to impress.

People will lie to you, but the truth is looks are everything. You are a designer and people expect you to look like one. Keep up with the latest tends and keep your style fresh, while remaining unique and true to yourself. People expect you as a designer to look cool and sexy. Win that trophy. Wear those trends better then everyone else who is trying. Show up to work looking the part and you will get a lot more respect as an artist.

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #3

2011-06-22T11:26:00.000-06:00

Office Tip for Designers #3

Run with your ideas.

From time to time, it's important to take your idea, jump on, and ride with it. It may lead you to failure, but every good idea comes after a large series of bad ideas have been tested. If you bury all your ideas before riding them, you are never going to get anywhere. Saddle up and take a risk. (we will deal with the inevitable sore ass later).

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #2

2011-06-20T20:52:00.001-06:00

Office Tip for Designers #2

Network.

Don't be afraid of the people you work for and with. Networking will not only give you professional contacts, but will give you valuable insight into how to build a successful career. Make sure people know who you are and what you can do. Doors can't be opened for you if no one knows where you live. Get out and be known. Ask for creative advice. Show your portfolio and resume to as many people as you can. People genuinely want to help you succeed, but you have to fight to get their attention.

Nerd Mickey presents Office Tip #1

2011-06-19T20:45:00.001-06:00

I recently completed a year-long internship at Disney. Over the last few months there, I took a daily photo of my friend, Nerd Mickey, in various locations and positions in my cubical. Over the coming months, I will be bringing you these photos each with an office tip from Nerd Mickey.

Office Tip for Designers #1
Color your environment.

It is impossible to be creative if you are staring at a gray wall all day. Do what you can to mix it up and bring some color into your workspace. Even something like a fish tank can make a difference. You are going to be spending the majority of your waking hours here, so make it a place esthetically pleasing.

Typographic Journey through Disney's Animal Kingdom

2011-06-13T20:58:00.001-06:00

My typographic journey through Epcot was a big hit, so I thought I would give you guys some more. I spent the day at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park a couple weeks ago. Here is my typographic journey though the Theme Park I used to call home.

Blast Off!

2011-05-28T16:57:00.007-06:00

If you haven't already, please take a moment to head over to my brand new website!

I am glad to finally have it out there for your viewing pleasure. As with anything, it is a work in progress. There is still a lot more I want to bring in as far as content goes. Eventually you will see more integration with my social media presence there. But for now, it is functioning as my online portfolio.

Thank you everyone for your support as always.

Typographic Journey around EPCOT

2011-05-17T21:30:00.000-06:00

Maybe I am crazy or maybe I have been to the Walt Disney World Theme Parks a gazillion times and am running out of things to do at them.

Over the weekend I spent over 2 hours adventuring through Epcot taking over 200 photos of strictly type. Normal people don't do that. It was actually quite fascinating! Please enjoy my typographic journey around the world of Epcot.

Touring The Disney Dream

2011-05-02T20:29:00.003-06:00

Last week at work I had the opportunity to go down to Port Canaveral and take a tour of the newest Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Dream. The design of this ship is incredible and awe-inspiring. My words cannot do it justice. See the photos below and prepare to be inspired. Beautiful.

Early Sneak Peek.

2011-03-24T19:22:00.001-06:00

A look at what is on it's way...

Meet the 'bots.

2011-03-23T21:22:00.001-06:00

Chug and L'eye'll

*I promise to be bringing new stuff to the blog soon. Hopefully this older stuff is keeping you occupied for now, but new material is on the way. Just hold tight!

Old Drawings

2011-03-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

Found some old stuff today. I haven't updated in a while, so I thought I would share them just for fun. These are some old drawing exercises I did way back when.

Process.

2011-01-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

My favorite facet of art is never the final destination, but rather the internal voyage I get to take on the way there.

From my sketchbook.

2011-01-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

50 Disney Animated Feature Films.

2010-11-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share one of my art passions today. I am in love with animation. This video celebrates the amazing legacy of Disney animation.

Emily Pilloton

2010-11-20T09:43:00.002-07:00

Another way design can make a difference. We don't just make pretty things.

2011 Disney Parks Marketing Campaign

2010-11-17T14:22:00.003-07:00

Campaign materials I created for Disney Parks.

Free Fonts.

2010-11-16T08:06:00.003-07:00

Check out this post on designer-daily with some links to nice free fonts.

14 Cool Free Fonts

Disney Grad Nite 2011 email templates

2010-11-15T14:53:00.002-07:00

Email templates I created for Disney Grad Nite 2011 (Disney World and Disneyland versions)

Dreams Panel

2010-11-14T15:00:00.001-07:00

This is a 1' x 5' canvas panel I designed that will be displayed in an executive conference room at Disney.

Disney Distribution Marketing (Part I)

2010-10-31T13:46:00.005-06:00

Just a very small sampling of some of the projects I have worked on since starting with Disney Distribution Marketing in June.

New Cast Member Welcome Posters.

Adventures by Disney 2011 itinerary rollout.

Schizophrenic album art.

2010-10-31T13:43:00.000-06:00

Traverse City Film Festival

2010-10-31T13:06:00.002-06:00

Some of the materials I designed for the Traverse City Film Festival.

3D Animation

2010-05-06T22:41:00.007-06:00

Sitruc

5 months ago, I had never even touched any 3D modeling programs. And now I present you with my first 3D project. I did the entire process: Modeling, UV Texturing, Rigging, Skin Weights, Animating, and Rendering. (Don't miss the final animation at the end of the post)

Dream Job

2010-05-02T02:48:00.003-06:00

It's been too long since I have updated this blog. I will be updating soon with my final 3D Animation project, but for now I bring you other news.

On Friday afternoon, I received a phone call from Disney Casting. The call was to offer me a Graphic Design internship. Keep in mind, I was not expecting this call at all. I had given up any hope on getting a design position with Disney after many hurdles over the last several weeks.

This is my dream job.

I accepted immediately and start on June 17!

I will be working for the Disney Distribution Marketing Services department making print media for Disney destinations around the world! This is about as real as it gets. I feel very unprepared and scared. But I am excited and can't wait to see what the future holds for me.

Dreams really do come true. This is proof! I have dreamed of this job since I was 5. I am in shock that this is actually happening. The road was not easy or predictable, but I made it. This has to be one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

I can't wait to share with you my upcoming journey as I graduate college and enter the "real world."

Wishing on a Star

2010-03-14T00:09:00.003-07:00

What have I been up to the last couple of months? Well, I have been concentrating a lot of my efforts and work on one particular part of my life. That would be my job search. More specifically, my Disney job search.

As many of you may know, I have been working with the Walt Disney company in various roles for the theme parks over the past 5 years. It's been the highlight of my life. Recently I applied for and interviewed for a few design jobs with Disney. If I get one of these positions, I will literally be living a dream I have had since before I can even remember.

I have old sketches of me drawing Mickey Mouse when I was just 5 or 6. In first grade, Ms. Straton had us write and illustrate our own miniature story books once a week. ALL of mine were stories with Disney characters. Whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never hesitated to say I wanted to be a Disney Artist. Others dreamed of being cops, firemen, rockstars, and superheroes. But for me, Disney was it. From that young age, I knew that's what I wanted. And now 20 years later, I am "this" close to making my life-long dream a reality.

Just wanted to let you all know what's going on in my world of design. If you are interested in Disney artists at all, I am reading a GREAT book right now about Walt's Nine Old Men. It's fascinating.

"Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation" by John Canemaker

After I am done with this book, I am going to move on to the bible of animation, "The Illusion of Life" by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson.

I am a graphic designer which is NOT the same thing as an animator. Regardless, I love animation and respect the art. It fascinates me. And I believe any designer should be immersing themselves in all types of art and artists.

That's all for now. If you are interested in reading a little more about my 5 years at Disney, please read the following blog post:

Celebrate 5 Years of Making the Magic

New York City

2010-03-13T14:00:00.004-07:00

It's officially my last Spring Break now. Because of work, I will not be doing anything special for the break this year. It's alright though. It will give me time to get caught up on everything on my "to do" list. Which means updating my blog again! Expect more updates to follow in the coming days. To kick it off, I am giving you a look at a project I created from LAST YEARS spring break. I went to NYC for the first time and fell in love with the city! It was the greatest vacation I have ever had. I created these spreads from a journal I was required to keep during the week while there. Enjoy!

Enchantment Studios

2010-01-31T18:16:00.002-07:00

Enchantment Studios is a family entertainment company. They produce movies and television shows.

Here is the logo I created for Enchantment Studios.

Beat The Rush!

2010-01-27T01:33:00.004-07:00

Last Spring I designed a poster that ended up being my most controversial and most talked about art project ever. Students throughout all art emphasis at school were asking me about it. Even a couple students who aren't even art majors somehow had heard about my poster. I am still do this day known within our Graphic Design department by this project.

The assignment we were given was to design a poster that would be our "last lecture" to the world if the world were to end on December 21, 2012. I thought a lot about how I would handle the subject and what I would say. After a lot of cliche and average concepts, I decided I would take more of a sarcastic approach. I went with the idea of suicide. The world is ending in a couple years, so just kill yourself now instead of waiting around. Your life is pointless if the world is ending. That was my approach.

I was extremely nervous to present my concept to the class the day our sketches were due. It turned out that a lot of people were shocked. Even more so because it was coming from me. After a lot of idea tweaking, I reached a final concept and designed what I consider one of my best projects to date.

Because I am so proud of this design, I want it in my portfolio. However, I have struggled to find a way to fit it in to my portfolio with a practical use. How could I explain this poster to a potential boss or client looking through my portfolio?

I decided this semester to redesign the poster as a book cover. This would make it more practical and valuable for my portfolio.

So here is a look at the progression of "Beat the Rush!" Enjoy.

3D Sitruc Update

2010-01-26T18:52:00.002-07:00

I have been quickly learning how to use Maya the last week. Here is my progress on Sitruc so far. Compared to where I was one week ago, this is amazing. This 3D Modeling stuff is a lot harder then it looks! But I dare say I am having fun learning something completely new.

The NEW Curtis Design Identity

2010-01-26T15:16:00.002-07:00

Here it is. I am satisfied with the logo. I am slowly falling in love with it actually. Let me know your thoughts on the stationary package. Is it working?

Blast From The Past 1

2010-01-26T00:17:00.003-07:00

I have a lot of old projects that were created long before I started really using this blog. And so I decided to create a new segment in my blog. From time to time (hopefully once a week) I will be posting a "Blast From The Past" entry. These posts will feature a project I have done in the past. This is an attempt to make my blog a little more comprehensive and diverse while at the same time forcing me to look at old projects I may have forgotten about.

We start with a poster I designed about 4 or 5 months ago for L.I.F.E. (a student club/organization at Utah State University).

ReBranding Myself?

2010-01-25T22:57:00.006-07:00

I hate to say it, but I am experimenting with rebranding Curtis Collins Design. I was told recently that my own logo is not my strongest brand in my portfolio and it should be. So I decided to try to create a brand that is more, well, me. My own signature is something I spent hundreds of hours perfecting for years. So why didn't I try to make that my personal identity before? Nothing says Curtis more then my own signature. It's fun, sophisticated, AND sexy!

Anyway, let me know what you think. I am still not sold on the idea. I do like my current brand, but maybe I do need to change it before I make my portfolio official. Ideas and thoughts are GREATLY appreciated.

(UPDATED with color options and slight modifications on the logo)

BUZZKILL (Save The Bees Campaign Poster)

2010-01-25T20:52:00.002-07:00

I showed you guys my logo for Save The Bees a little while ago, and now here is the poster I had created earlier. I have added the logo to the poster. (Actual Size: approx. 2 ft x 3 ft)

Shockbound Publishing Identity System

2010-01-25T20:50:00.002-07:00

Finished the logo. Here is the business card, envelope, and letterhead.

Shockbound Publishing Part III

2010-01-19T23:58:00.003-07:00

I am playing with a few different color combinations. I made slight changes to the way the pages of the book lay (thanks Jen). I also enlarged the book to tie text in with the logo more. This now creates more of a seal. I also made changes to the lightning bolts. The two outer bolts are now identical (but reversed) creating a subtle arrow pointing to the binding of the book. I know a downward direction is not normally a good idea, but I feel it's appropriate in this circumstance. (It's pointing to the binding [shockBOUND] and also keeps the attention inside the logo when otherwise the bolts shoot your eye OUT of the logo). This also made the logo feel more balanced and less unsettling. As always, I appreciate your comments and help. Thanks!

I am showing the old version first and then the rest are the new version just with different color schemes. I am leaning towards the last one (or keeping the blue and green colors). Let me know what you think.

Artomation Factory Identity System

2010-01-19T17:17:00.002-07:00

Business Card, Envelope, and Letterhead for Artomation Factory.

Shockbound Publishing Part II

2010-01-17T22:43:00.003-07:00

Made some changes based off of some AMAZING suggestions from Jen. Keep the comments coming. Thanks guys. You're the best!

Preparing Sitruc for his greatest adventure yet!

2010-01-17T20:11:00.002-07:00

Here are some early sketches I am working on in preparation for Sitruc's latest adventure. I am learning how to model in Maya this semester. Naturally my first attempt with 3D animation will be with Sitruc. That's right. Sitruc is soon to be a 3D Animated Character!

Shockbound Publishing Logo

2010-01-17T17:38:00.006-07:00

A few variations. I felt the original colors were too close to my Artomation Factory Logo palette. Because these will both be in my portfolio, I changed the orange to a green. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Behind the Bolts Cover Redo

2010-01-16T23:46:00.002-07:00

I have been meaning to redo my Robot Catalogue Cover for several months. I finally got around to it this week and here is what I have now. I also reworked the colors in my Artomation Factory logo (the catalogue publisher).

Front Cover, Back Cover, Artomation Factory Logo

Save The Bees

2010-01-16T23:42:00.003-07:00

Did this logo today. These are just a few variations. I haven't decided which I will actually go with. This logo will be in my portfolio with the "Buzzkill" poster (also shown below) I designed last year.

First Flash Website Complete! (The Adventures of Sitruc)

2009-12-03T03:50:00.003-07:00

I did it! I completed my first flash website. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Vivre Promotional Product Brochure

2009-12-01T19:48:00.002-07:00

Moving right along on this project. The plan is to actually digitally custom design my own bottles for Vivre. I am taking a MAYA class next semester to learn all about 3D modeling and texturing. But until then, this brochure is the final Vivre project I have.

Vivre Vodka Business System and Packaging Designs

2009-11-30T22:31:00.002-07:00

Update on "The Adventures of Sitruc" Flash website

2009-11-29T18:18:00.002-07:00

Here are some shots from my progress. I have been working on this all weekend and finally feel like progress is being made.

Vivre Vodka Logo Update

2009-11-22T22:55:00.004-07:00

Here is a look at some of my logo ideas. There were probably 50 others not here. Plus at least a hundred thumbnails/sketches. I went with the flame idea in the middle. I am working on a package design right now. I will post that when I am a little more confident with what I have.

The Adventures of Sitruc

2009-11-22T22:29:00.005-07:00

While I should be to the point where I am building my flash website by now, I am not. This character thing has taken me a lot longer then anticipated. I am still not even close to having my characters done. But I have the general design of the website laid out. Hopefully I can finish the characters soon and start building the actual site. But I am still having fun. Learning that drawing characters is pretty hard. I have the images in my head, but getting them on the sketchpad just the right way is difficult. And this is why it's taking me so long. I am being really picky. But here are some glimpses at more "concept art" for my pretend game.

Also, each of the characters were inspired by one of my roommates. This has actually helped me a lot more then I thought it would. Each character has started out with a personality that I understand fairly well. It has made my characters a lot more believable. I notice it anyway.

"Not a very good drawer."

2009-11-17T01:43:00.007-07:00

I had a teacher once tell me that I shouldn't illustrate an assignment for an Illustration class because I am "not a very good drawer." So I used photographs for an ILLUSTRATION assignment. My ability to draw has been one major hurdle I need to overcome. I love to draw, I just suck at it. But practice makes perfect. This semester, I have been forcing myself to at least sketch something once a day. While it may not show to others, I have already noticed improvement.

To further challenge myself, I have decided to turn an assignment I have in my Interface Design class to create a flash website into an illustration focused project. So I am now illustrating characters for a mock video game. The characters and their bios will be featured in my website. This is all due in about two weeks and progress is moving slow. But I am up for the challenge.

Here is some what I have come up with in the last 9 hours I have been working on this. Keep in mind, I am NOT an animator. I admire and respect artists who can ACTUALLY do this stuff. I can only dream of gaining that skill. I actually spend a lot of time studying and reading about Disney animators and artists. I have loved them since before I could talk. (Not an exaggeration. Ask my parents). So I pray none of them ever see this horrible attempt I am making. But the important thing is that I am having fun doing this! I love it. So here ya go:

Neither of these characters are completely finished, but that's what I have so far. I have 3 others to create. My goal is to get them all to this point in the process by Thursday. By Saturday, I would like to have them all completely done. And somehow through all this, I will also be working on the website as I go. It's going to be a busy couple of weeks!

Kinetic Typography

2009-11-10T14:25:00.001-07:00

Here is my final Flash Animation. This is my first time using Flash and am secretly really proud of how it ended up. Hope everyone else enjoys it too.

Early Sketches for Vivre Vodka

2009-11-09T22:01:00.002-07:00

Still working on it, but the final will be fairly close to these sketches. The flame idea is staying anyway.

Shamu Swims Six (Logo & HTML website)

2009-11-09T21:39:00.007-07:00

This was my first time ever using HTML. The website is for Shamu Swims Six (a semi-real band). I first created their logo and then the website.

Here are some early stages for the logo.

And here is what the final ended up looking like:

Next are some sketches and comps from the early stage of my web design:

And here is the final:

LINK: CLICK HERE

Animated Poster

2009-11-07T11:34:00.003-07:00

I guess it's time to finally update this blog. I have a lot I need to post in here, but will start with this project. The assignment is to create an Flash animation of a movie clip. (Kinetic Typography - youTube it). Before getting to the actual animation, we were required to create a well-designed poster from the clip first. This is my poster. The animation is a work in progress, but definitely coming along and I am surprisingly enjoying this project a lot.

Lost Identity?

2009-04-23T13:55:00.018-06:00

For my first post, I decided I would show you all the process I went through to create my personal identity. Above you will see just a small fraction of the hundreds of thumbnails and sketches I made while creating my logo. I started this project last fall and ultimately ended up with this design below.

I wasn't ever entirely satisfied with this identity. I feel like it is successful and designed, but it didn't really represent me like I wanted it to. So in January when I started putting my portfolio together, I took on the task of redesigning my personal identity. I ended up going back to thumbnail sketches. I again sketched pages of ideas. I then started playing with some of the sketches I liked with different fonts.

After weeks of unsuccessful attempts to find my identity, I finally found something that worked for me.

The copy above is what the logo looked like after a lot of modifying. I just skipped showing you all the tedious steps. So next, I needed to find a color that worked.

After playing with a lot of different options, I ended up choosing a combinations of blues. This color scheme made the logo feel a lot more like a "design" logo. It's funny how colors can completely change to concept of the logo. I also felt like the blues fit my personal characteristics better. So here it is:

Next, I created a business system for my identity.

And there you have it! The creation of my Personal Identity!