I hope this phrase will make it's way into everyone's daily syntax - I know I'll be using it. (And anyone who knows me knows how hard I work at things like that.)

Today is my 30th birthday. Not sure how a feel about that. There have been a lot of changes going on around here lately - and more to come I'm sure. (But more about that later.)

I don't share a birthday with any compelling or noteworthy people, unless you consider Tony Danza compelling or noteworthy. I did just miss sharing a birthday with Bettie Page, who turns 78 tomorrow.

Who ever thought that pictogram figures kung fu fighting could be so entertaining?
(Update: Fixed link. This one is spreading fast.)

So I quit my job yesterday. Mixed feelings about that, as you might guess.



Luckily, it wasn't a terrible job situtation like these folks had to endure. Just wasn't going in the direction I needed to go.



After a short bit of time off to take care of a few things, I'll probably freelance again for a while. Maybe this will finally give me time to redesign/update my other website.

There's nothing worse for a movie poster designer (or any designer, for that matter) than to have his/her poster "comps" shown to the public for feedback before a design is finalized.



Not only does this break down the review/revise process between the client (the studio) and the art director(s), it's usually a political/panic maneuver by the studio marketing department. They simply don't know what they want for the one-sheet, and haven't been able to get a design approved by all the countless people involved.



"So why not throw a few ideas out for testing, until we hear the answer we want." being the idea.



There's nothing wrong with public feedback and finding out how something "plays", but it shouldn't be a replacement for the studio and creative working together to produce a successful design.



Course, the "public voting" process for testing one-sheets never works. Several years ago, Fine Line Features had a "Vote for the Movie Poster" contest on their website. When the votes came in for a winner, they ignored the results and produced/printed an all new version of the poster, combining aspects of both the winning and losing designs. "Design by Committee" beat out "Design by Vote" in this case.

First, it spent years tangled in a (ahem) web of court battles. Then, a construction worker was killed on-set. This was followed by Tobey Maguire's stunt double being seriously injured. Oh, and someone stole four of the web-slinger's costumes.