happy mothers day

> I went to high school in a small town and took all the art classes that were available. In my first semester of college, I enrolled in more. I wasn't sure what I wanted to "be" when I grew up, and while I loved art, this was back before computers made design and art something that people could do and make a living. I'm a cautious decision-maker, so I tested my choices. I decided to not take any art classes my second semester. My mom still laughs today when she recounts my explanation: I wanted to see if I would miss it.

> My mom always knew that I would do something creative. That somehow, I would find a way to bring art into whatever I ended up becoming. She knew, but had the wisdom to let me figure it out for myself. Thankfully, I did.

> Happy Mothers Day! Thanks for always seeing the vision of what I could become in my life.

(the above quote is from a book I designed for Gibbs-Smith Publisher, called "The Outhouse Reader", by Texas Bix Bender and Judge Roy English). 

go ahead: judge a book by its cover

> I'm a huge fan of "makeovers"—doesn't matter what kind. I just love seeing the transformation—homes, people, yards—everything! So, I thought I'd share a couple of my own design makeovers.

> Someone once said, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Putting a well-designed cover on a poorly-written book is dishonest and provides a disservice, just as a badly-designed cover hurts the potential success of a book full of valuable and wonderful content.

> Here are two book covers that I redesigned for a client. Both books are valuable resources in their respective areas. Now, each has a cleaner and more updated look by my use of beautiful, appropriate photographic images, and typography that appeals to a more sophisticated audience. They each convey the message that says "this book looks good from the outside, let's take a look on the inside." But don't take it from me, judge for yourself.