So my parents...

really like their new dog, Ruthie.

Well, let me start of by saying that my family is not a "pet" family by any means. We could never keep pets around while we were growing up. We would forget to feed and water them and they would die. We would run them over accidently. Sometimes they would just run away to a safer home...those were the smart ones.

But now my parents have a dog. An indoor dog. I have a slight problem with indoor dogs in general...as did my parents about 3 months ago before they got a dog. I just think it's gross and it makes your house smell weird and the dog owners don't notice it because they are used to it...and there is hair everywhere, that's the worst. Anyway, that's not the point of this entry.

My parents sent me two separate Christmas cards showing off the new member of the family.



(The first one is thankfully a joke that they just sent to my sister and I.)

She is pretty cute, I must say.

I'll admit I am excited to meet Ruthie next week when I got back to Hereford.

Have Yourself An SYM Christmas

Last week Veronica, the other designer for SYM, was in from Colorado. Chris and I tried to show her a good time while she was here by taking her to Downtown Disney for a night.

Here we are in the Disney Californian. Yes, Veronica and standing on a foot-tall box and yes, I am still taller than her.



On Friday night we had a our SYM Christmas party at Opah.

Here's Doug and Cathy.



Chris, Veronica and I. We really bonded last week!



Veronica, Debbie, Nadim and Brandi.



I freakin' love my team!

Fresh Look

So, as you can see my blog has a new look. Thanks to Tim Moore for the sketch...and the CSS coding of the page.

Thanksgiving

Living in California with my family living is Texas can makes it impossible to go home for every holiday. I've been fortunate though to have awesome people out here who take me in every holiday that I am out here away from my family. This year at Thanksgiving was no exception. I got to spend Thanksgiving with Tim and Melody Davis and their family yesterday.

John and Dominik were also family-less this Thanksgiving, so we all got to enjoy Thanksgiving together. The food was incredible. I have no idea how she made it all, but Melody prepared the most elaborate spread of food. It was a classic Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings topped off with a 6-inch-tall, homemade apple pie.

I snapped this picture of Dominik right before dinner.



Highlights of the night were:

• hearing about Dominik's family history at dinner. Dominik is from Germany.
• meeting Tim's friends Adam and Nikki who Tim knows from the music industry
• post-dinner conversation about which music artists are pleasant and which ones are very much not...it was very interesting.
• Watching the "Signature Sound" concert on DVD with GiGi and Joe, Melody's parents. You can't beat southern gospel music.

It was such a great Thanksgiving.

Name That Logo!!!

On the new cover of Billboard magazine the headline reads "Maximum Exposure" using the letters of some well-known, iconic brand logos. Can you figure out where each of the 15 letters comes from?

Post a comment with your answers.

Creative Block Party

If you are a graphic designer you have felt it. It's inevitable. That helpless feeling when you realize that the project you have been working on for the past 2 hours looks like something your mom would have designed using Print Shop Deluxe or the brilliant Word Art feature in Word in the early 90s.

I found this great article by Blake Phillips at Vibra Design about overcoming creative block as a graphic designer. It gives 20 very practical things to do when you hit that time of the week (or day) when, no matter how hard you try, you can't come up with the right color or layout to match the style of the project you are working on. Don't throw in the towel or think that you should be doing a data entry job instead of designing. Try out a few of these tips.

20 Ways to Avoid Creative Block When You are a Graphic Designer
by Blake Phillips || Art Director || Vibra Design

Logos

Everyone gets excited by different things. For me, when I see really great design it makes me happy. It makes me smile. It makes me know that I can be a better designer...which makes me really excited.

I ran across these logos for Proof wine. I love when organizations take risks by having a rotating logo. And using big foot, ufos and the loch ness monster in a logo for a brand called "proof" is ingenious. Bravo to their designers, Alphabet Arm Designs.

New Pad

So, I moved to a new place a few weeks ago. It was a short move...from Mission Viejo to Lake Forest. While it was sad leaving the old place because it was the only place I had lived since I moved to California two years ago, I love my new place.

My parents called me when I was moving in and my mom asked if I needed her help unpacking, lining my shelves (ha) and getting the place set up. I foolishly told her that there was no need for her to fly all the way out here just to help me. But as I spent Labor Day lazily opening a couple boxes I realized that if this place was going to get set up, I was going to need some help. So she flew out last weekend and this is what she did. These are the main rooms that got the most attention.

Before mom (living room):


After mom (living room):


Before mom (dining room):


After mom (dining room):


Before mom (bathroom):




After mom (bathroom):




Thanks, mom. You are welcome to fly out here ANYTIME!

Southern Drawl Back?

I started packing up my apartment tonight but most of the night I have been getting distracted by going through stuff I haven't seen for the past 2 years. I stumbled upon all my projects from grad school back in Virginia. I found the presentation reviews from my very first advertising campaign presentation. (you can click on the picture to enlarge it if you can't read it)



So what do you think? Do southern accents give a person less credibility? Sure it can be endearing on a personal level, but what about in the business or political world?

I think there is some legitimacy to this person's opinion.

I thought this was hilarious because I remember this presentation and I was totally milking the whole "Texas" thing.

American Apparel

American Apparel, the store we all know and love for the best place to get plain, solid-colored t-shirts, just started carrying sunglasses and glasses.





I like to have the sun kept out of my eyes, but at what cost?

What do you think?

I think I'll still just go there for t-shirts.

MySpace In Your Face

MySpace is dead, right? I just want to make sure I am not missing out on anything. Twitter is the new hot thing, right? Great. Thank you.

I wonder what the next thing will be. Maybe face-to-face interaction.

Nah. It's too soon.

Boo on me

I want to be a better blogger. I will try to blog more often.

Lift Photography

My family came out to California last week for a vacation and I had Josh Elliot shoot some family portraits down at Crystal Cove for us. This guy is legit. If you are interested in using him check out his blog at www.liftmylife.com. He's incredible.

A First

The first product I designed for Simply Youth Ministry is complete! I'm pretty proud of it, I have to say.

Best Movie Poster Ever

I can't wait to see "The Dark Knight." I freakin love the movie posters that they created for this movie. They are so eerie and engaging. This is by far my favorite one.

Kinda sketchy

So, I'll be the first to admit when I am not good at something. I am not good at video games that require me to aim and shoot. I'm not good at applying my brakes quick when I drive up behind a car at a stoplight/stop sign. I am also not good at sketching. What do you think?



I tried to make the girl more fancy by giving her a polka-dotted shirt. I think it distracts you from her misshapen face.

Twitter?

Ok, so I have gotten a lot of crap from people about joining Twitter. All I have to say is don't judge it until you've tried it. Check out this video that helps explain what it is.



If that video intrigued you enough, my name is rilescott.

And you can't give me crap anymore if you join, though.

As promised...

Transition

When I moved out to California 2 years ago to work for Crave I never looked back. I knew it was exactly what God wanted me to do. It didn't make a ton of sense, but that is what made it exciting. Since then I have enjoyed the best 2 years of my life. I have gotten to continue working for Brad in college ministry, something that fits me like a glove. Working at Crave with Brad, Jim, Juli, Michal, Lisa, Shawn, John, Dominik and Mindi and countless others at Crave has made these past 2 years the best of my life.

But as with all good things comes growth and change. A few months ago I was beginning to feel the desire to work in full-time design and really sharpen my design skills. An opportunity came up with Group Publishing to be the art director for Simply Youth Ministry, a company that Doug Fields began years ago to help serve youth ministers and their ministries around the world.

So as of this past Monday I now work at Simply Youth Ministry. It's awesome that it did not require me to relocate. I work just a few blocks from Saddleback Church. I feel incredibly blessed to have this opportunity and I'm excited to see how God is going to stretch me and mold me into a stronger person.

Coming Soon!

Pictures from the fourth.

Really?

WAIT!!

I might still have face cancer! I just looked at the diagram and that is not where the lump is at all! Crap.

I don't have face cancer

I noticed a bump under the right side of my jaw. After consulting my physician (ie: WebMD) I learned that I could potentially have face cancer or AIDS. I got a second opinion from an RN (ie: Carrie Baker). The diagnosis is not so grim. It looks like a swollen lymph node.

Skillz

If I could learn 5 trades they would be those of:

1.) an auto mechanic
2.) a refrigerator/air conditioner repairman
3.) a locksmith
4.) a chef
5.) a commercial airline pilot

Knowing all of those trades would simply my life a lot.

Toy Story Mania!

Last week at Disneyland they let a very select few annual pass holders have a sneak peak at the new ride in California Adventure "Toy Story Mania." It's absolutely better than "Buzz's Astro Blasters." "Toy Story Mania" is now one of my top favorite rides at D-land.



















That's the cart thing that you ride in. Yes, those are pull-string guns on the front. It's a 4-D ride!

While we are on the topic of Disneyland, here are my Top 10 Rides:

Indiana Jones Adventure

The absolute BEST atmosphere while standing in line. The props on the ride are spectacular. It's just an incredible all-around adventure.




Toy Story Mania

When you make a ride a competition you can't go wrong. This ride is in 4-D and is super-interactive.





Tower of Terror

Again, the set while waiting in line is awesome. I love the story they tell before you get on. It's an experience.




Maliboomer

Freaks the crap out of me. I love not knowing when you are going to get shot up.





Space Mountain

It's old and a little outdated, but there's something exhilarating about the risk of riding a roller coaster in the dark and the possibility of getting nailed in the head by a bar!



Soarin' Over California

You have to ask to be on the top row. This ride freaks me a out and I love it. It feels so real and when you look down and see how high you are...it's awesome! I like the smells too.



California Screamin'

It's just a good ole roller coaster with a loop. I love the take off and the music being played in the head rests.




Splash Mountain

Three great drops! Tons of water! Awesome sets and story!





Matterhorn

Best to ride at night. I love the abominable snowman.





Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters

I love the competition and I love that it takes a picture of you while you are shooting. It still doesn't beat "Toy Story Mania."




So there is my rant about Disneyland and what I love to do there. If you have a pass call me...I'll probably go with you.