The Dundee

As of December 1st, 2017, the Dundee Theater is once again, fully operational. And then some. Right at 50th & Dodge in midtown Omaha, the beautifully restored theater is ready to show more fantastic programming from Film Streams, serve food from Kitchen Table, and anchor a neighborhood already home to some notable tenants. Cupcake anyone?  

The project for me began in the summer of 2016 and it’s now coming to a close. Oh what a ride it’s been. Led by Film Streams and The Sherwood Foundation, working with Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, Project Advocates, Lund-Ross, ASI Signage, and Wags Sign Co., the graphic design work included all signage, both inside and out. From the new marquee on Dodge all the way down to the tiny labels in the bookstore. Neon sign? Yep. Magnetic letters for programming? Of course. Tenant signage for the entire site? You know it. Throw in a silhouette of a ladder and a red balloon and there you go.

All in all, I’m extremely proud of this one. The theater itself is 92 years old. This latest manifestation created by the visionary architects of Alley Poyner Macchietto sets the stage for at least another 92. 

Here’s to another century of art films, independents, classics, documentaries, and definitely cartoons. Huge congrats to Rachel, Casey, Patrick, and the rest of the Film Streams staff. Because of them, the city has another gem in its cultural landscape.

Want to go to the movies?

Case Study »

Add Your Voice

Everyone has a story to tell. Every community is a place of experiences worth sharing. Part of The Landscape data + people project from the Omaha Community Foundation, the VOICES microsite is a place for people to share some of their experiences online. There are five questions from members of the community currently being asked. All you have to do is visit the site and share your story.

Add Your Voice »

What Facebook Has Taught Me

Too much. Not enough. That I prefer Instagram. Anyway, I wrote a long piece over on Medium that I’ve just “published.” It’s really long  but I think it offers a valuable perspective on America from flyover country. It channels my inner Klosterman and Sedaris. It’s about the Midwest, small towns, political correctness, white privilege, and the culture wars. Not about design but not everything has to be.  

Read on Medium »

Starter Kit: Making This Design Thing Matter

AIGA | UNO is proud to present Starter: Kit Design Talks; a speaker series focused on helping upcoming graphic designers and students learn the processes of graphic design from professionals in our community and outside of it. Our second speaker is independent designer and cofounder of Round And Round, Justin Kemerling.

This Friday: How principles can lead to doing the work you love. A story of pursuit, independence, activism, and keeping it weird from the middle of America. I’ll be talking about design activism, politics, making your community better, self-initiated projects, and what it’s like to run your own independent practice. 

Friday, November 17, 2017 @ 3 pm
Milo Bail Student Center

SHOW me your design awards

The organization is Nebraska’s chapter of AIGA. The event is called SHOW. The purpose is to celebrate the best design the state has to offer. And in 2017, it all went down at KANEKO. It was pretty neat. The judges were particularly good this year. The talks they gave before opening the winners exhibition were well-timed for the moment. Way better than the standard fare of I’m a designer and this is my design work.

Jessica Arana recently launched Across Borders: A Look at the Work of Latinx Designers. She has a background in cultural studies, art, social justice, education, and activism. Her talk was on the importance of storytelling and pulling together the pieces of your particular story. In her case, being both Mexican and American and being able to to re-imagine and rewrite the personal and the cultural. From the pink kitchen walls of her grandmother’s home in Mexico to the way her father dreamed with a chicken on his head. More on Reveling Borderland Identities.

Robyn Kanner had the best punk rock intro to an AIGA talk ever. She co-founded MyTransHealth, said bathroom signs are not enough, and asked designers to show the fuck up. (Posters are also not enough.) Yes, the election made us all want to cry and flying into Omaha means being on flights with people who are definitely not bored with trans people. Are you ready to get to work and give money to black trans women? Read more in TGD.

Timothy Hykes co-founded the Design + Diversity conference in St. Louis and created 28 Days of Black Designers. If you’re black and you want to be a designer you have to want it as much as you want to breathe. Yes, black people make up only 3% of the design community so you have to be better than good, you have to be great. When Charlottesville happened, with all the tiki torches and the chanting, he wanted to know why people hated him and what he ever did to them. But we’re designers, we stand together, and we can ultimately create a more beautiful world for everyone living in it.

Also, JKDC won a few awards:

I’m very proud of all this design work. But I’m particularly proud of the clients it was created for: do-gooders and changemakers in our community working hard to make things better.

Join AIGA Nebraska »

Judging The BIG One

The BIG One is Alaska’s Annual Design Competition. I was on a panel of established designers from the Lower 48 who judged the submissions this year. It was super tough! Lots of stellar work up there, as you can see from the 2016 winners. But I did it, scoring is a wrap, completed by the deadline. Stellar poster design, solid logos, wonderful environments, and compelling books. And this website, which is probably my favorite piece from the competition. AIGA Alaska put everything together. Give a shout here.