New Blog > Update Your RSS

14Apr09

AdBrad is moving to a new, custom setup still powered by WordPress, but hosted personally and with more design flexibility. Head on over to AdBrad.com/blog to check out the new design and let me know what you think. It’s very un-blog I think. And that’s why I like it so far. I might be back, but hopefully not – hopefully I can figure it out and stick with it.

Thanks to Seth of The Apache House for the WordPress tips and Upstart Blogger for the free theme basics to work from! Keep checking the new site for tweaks. They will be many in the next couple weeks – most likely they will continue to occur around 2am, when I have my spare time these days.

Goodbye to default WordPress. Hello customization and Helvetica. (O ya, the new site is Helvetica-based, whether you like it or not.) If you prefer to view it in arial (doesn’t deserve distinction of a capital letter), please downgrade to a PC. But please, I beg you, don’t. It will ruin it for you.

Click here for the RSS. If you don’t use Google Reader yet, check it out. Helps me make it through more than 150 blog posts/day quicker. Add me in there. I promise I won’t post with annoying frequency to fill up your reader.

Filed under: branding, graphic design, my work, tech   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: blog, design, helvetica, new, wordpress

100% of Teens Want iPods – 0% Want Zunes

09Apr09

I am a wholehearted Apple fanboy and Zune hater, but I never expected numbers like this. I thought there were at least a few teens out there who hate Macs and hipsters and fun, and things like that. But 100% iPod!? That’s a pretty incredible market share.

Apple probably won’t be able to totally control the mp3 market much longer, as the iPod reaches a saturation point in the US, but apparently they’re still overwhelmingly in top of mind for teens. Who has a Sansa? Seriously?

Hit the Giz link for more info and links to the Piper Jaffray survey.

[Via Gizmodo]

Filed under: Apple, Gizmodo, branding, culture, tech   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Apple, domination, mp3, tech, zune sucks

Loose Change to Loosen Chains

05Apr09

The OSU chapter of the International Justice Mission is hosting a fundraiser on library lawn Tuesday, April 21. A member of the IJM crew will be chained up on the lawn until they reach $1000 in donations. This is to symbolize the international slave trafficking problem.

• 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year.
• 12.3 million people are in some form of forced labor, including sexual slavery, at any given time.
• It takes approximately $1,000 to free a slave from bondage. That is how much we are trying to raise.

“Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” -Isaiah 1:17

I am so excited about this group because the more I read about sex and slave trafficking, even just from seeing the movie, Taken, the more disgusted I am with how evil our world is and how little I do personally to change it. Hopefully, this demonstration will raise awareness on our campus and inspire people to do what they can, even if it’s just designing a poster or buying a bracelet to help the cause on April 21.

Filed under: Jesus, culture, graphic design, my work   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: IJM, poster, slavery, trafficking

Finally Got Block Print Ink

30Mar09

After a couple months of having 2 full-carved (not necessarily expertly carved) block prints ready to print, I have pulled the trigger on the brayer and a bottle of ink. You may think, “Hmm. Isn’t that only like $12?” And yes, it is. And I used my OSU meal plan to buy it. I put off the purchase for far too long. I’ll be working with them this afternoon and hopefully getting some pics posted later tonight when they’re dry.

Here the new equipment fresh off the scanner. My camera takes too long.

UPDATE: Here’s the block and the first try at a print. Just realized that the other block I did a while ago, is backward. Oops. I’ll have to re-do that one. It’s a capital B – like on my resumé and Twitter profile pic.

Filed under: art, my work   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: block print, design, procrastination

Inspired by Atheism

27Mar09

Inspired by my atheist business law professor’s critical thinking segment, I’ve made some wallpapers to remind myself what my faith really stands for – as well as what it doesn’t stand for.

Christianity is not necessarily: nationalism, charity, republicans, war, hate, and hypocrisy.

Christianity can be admirable: community, generosity, otherworldly, peaceful, loving, and truthful.

I’m inspired by my professor’s unbelief to make certain what I believe and why I believe it. Asking questions. Wondering why? Pushing boundaries – not just to be rebellious, but to really be certain – to test my faith.

I watched the Satan Debate on Nightline tonight from Mars Hill church in Seattle. Really short, cut down version, of an obviously lengthy debate. I’m wanting to watch the debate in its entirety online. Seemed like Mark Driscoll didn’t get much time to elaborate on anything, and was left with a simple evangelistic message when they cut down the footage. Also, some people seemed misrepresented when ABC cut it down to a 30-minute program. Watch clips here:

Nightline Face Off: Does Satan Exist?

So here are the wallpapers. Same message – different methods. The swoopy one is thanks to the design by Bartelme Design. I’m working on making my own version with my tablet and some photoshop effects, but for now, I borrowed the lines. Also on this one, if you look closely in the bottom right corner, you can see a 12% opacity, classic Sunday school image of Christ. Cuz that’s what it’s all about anyway.

The second design with the gray gradient, I made using scans of some badges I ripped from an old thrift store U.S. issue Air Force jacket. I was reading Don Miller’s Searching For God Knows What and got very frustrated with the nationalist ideals and war imagery that the modern church has gotten so caught up in. Essentially, I ripped the logo off a pretty cool jacket. I’m going to try to make a series of this poster with a different symbolic pic on the left lined to an attribute (or disattribute) of the Church.

[EDIT] Added the 2nd one in the series – the gun.

It’s a daily reminder to me when I see it on my computer, if my screen is ever uncluttered enough, and I hope it affects my daily life as much as the Gospel should.

1920 x 1200

1920 x 1200

[EDIT] recently added 1920 x 1200

Filed under: Jesus, culture, graphic design, my work   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: background, Christianity, Don Miller, Jesus, wallpaper