• bruizr

  concept / creative direction / design

  web application – social network - startup

  Bruizr.com was a social network web application, like Facebook, only for a niche market of gay men. Before closing in December 2012, the website had amassed over 6000 members.

  I am responsible for creating the site, raising 140K of seed capital, directing the software development, and designing and writing everything from the user experience and user interface to the pixel assets and marketing messages.

  Locate the expanding 'more' option on my resume to learn more about Bruizr and what I learned working on it.

• the product / web
  Bruizr was the first ever 'bear site' of its kind. It combined old-school profile building with modern web 2.0 social networking.
  The site featured a custom-built broadcast publisher like the one on Facebook, G+, Twitter and Linked In. In addition to a member-built network news feed, Bruizr featured a site-wide public news feed - for members who wanted to browse and broadcast to the entire Bruizr community.
  Click the image to see a series of Bruizr screen captures.
  Bruizr's network news feed
• documentation & development
  With plans to take over the world, and become a team of many, we created a wiki asset and documentation repository for Bruizr.
  Likewise, we used Rally Dev, a web application for agile software developers, to plan, track and quality assure our development.
  Coming soon! An image library for Bruizr's Rally and wiki repository.
  Bruizr's Wiki documentation and asset repository
• social media
  Manufacturing 'word-of-mouth' is one of the most important - and most difficult - things a brand must do. Micromanaging social media is time consuming, but it does the trick.
  Rather than work to get fans to "like" a Bruizr page on Facebook, Bruizr's mascot had his own page, which grew to 3700+ friends and 200+ subscribers. All of whom sent friend requests to Bruizer Bear rather than the other way around.
  Bruizer Bear on Facebook
• viral messages
  Bruizr's marketing messages were designed to put smiles on faces and inspire people to "share."
  While a few of these were made into postcards that were distributed by members around the country, most of Bruizr's marketing messages were posted on social media where they could be "liked" and passed along by fans and followers.
  Click the image to see a gallery of some of my favorite Bruizr messages. Note how the tagline changes.
  Bruizr viral marketing
• user experience & user interface
  I have been designing Human Computer Interactions since I created my first website for a silly novelty product I had manufactured in 1998. Most recently my interaction design experience has been limited by the Bruizr team's ability to keep up with me. Many features were conceived of and exist in various states of wireframe and design.
  I'm sharing just a glimpse of the Bruizr mobile web application to give you an idea of how I work. In this case, because I was wearing every hat, I designed the experience and the interface in tandem, and used the UX comps and OmniGraffle to wireframe the UI.
  Bruizr Mobile Web 'Login'

• kaleidovision

  concept / creative direction / design

  iPhone iPad app / kaleidoscopic video player

  KaleidoVision has been downloaded 60,000+ times since it was launched in October, 2011.

  I conceived of the app and built a prototype web demo to attract a financial and/or development partner. The demonstration included meticulously crafted videos to show the effects of the would-be app, as well as the future brand identity and brand DNA.

  I forged a partnership with LEDArtist, Teddy Lo, then I directed the development and designed everything to support the iOS app.

  You can learn more about KaleidoVision on my resume.

• prototype demo
  Let's start with the prototype demo I created for the product - one of my proudest achievements to date. In order to attract an investor, and a developer who could create the software, I designed the brand identity and brand DNA, then built this product demo with Photoshop. I created videos of the app in action with Final Cut Pro, then embedded them into the interactive web demo. This slick prototype is the reason KaleidoVision exists today. Click the image to view the demo.
  prototype web demonstration

• web

  KaleidoVision's website is a simple, temporary, ultra-low-cost, wordpress introduction to the product. It was designed to support the app in its infancy while we determined the market's interest in the product. I designed the site and it's assets and then creative directed a wordpress developer through the production. Click the image to launch the site.
  www.kaleidovision.tv
• iTunes
  Just as iTunes is a storefront, an app's presence on iTunes is all about the window dressing. From the app icon to the copywriting to the screen shots, everything in the iTunes store gives most users their first impression. This is the app's opportunity to close the sale.
  On top of designing everything for KaleidoVision, I also handle all of the copywriting.
  Click the image to launch KaleidoVision in the App Store.
  KaleidoVision on iTunes

• crucitrix

  concept / immaculate construction

  sweet and corny kitsch collectibles

  I painstakingly reformatted my first cardboard cross out of a Tide box in 1992. Ten years later, I made one out of a Cocoa Puffs box. Finally, just a few years ago, I started making more of them; I've made dozens so far. I even have a bunch of vintage cereal boxes I found on eBay, which I'm looking forward to reformatting soon.

  They’re whimsical. And smart. And immaculately constructed.

• history

  advertising / identity / design / i.p. / fine art

  I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet...

  This section will be expanding and contracting organically as I locate, edit, prepare and post my work from the past. Chances are good, if I'm showing it here, I must think it's pretty darn awesome.

  Of course, I certainly hope you agree.

• advertising
  Before turning my commercial focus toward design, I was a senior level advertising creative.

  My official role was always Art Director, however I also co-wrote everything you'll see here.

  Click the image to check out some of my broadcast advertising television commercials in the lightbox image viewer.

  :30 TV commercial for Nike, "The Music of Baseball"
• identity
  One of my favorite things to design, or direct the design of, is a new product or service's brand identity and brand DNA.
  Click the image to launch a viewer and browse my favorite brand identities.
  Logotypography and brand DNA for Mantra - an independent feature film

• design

  I've designed sets on sound stages for Nickelodeon and Sci-Fi Channel promotions to entire indie film productions in the streets and brownstones of NYC. I have experience designing, branding, prototyping and manufacturing toy concepts and kids clothing.

  I'll be adding images here, as I get them prepared. Click to launch the image viewer.

  Before I Art Directed the indie feature film, Mantra, I designed the film's identity. After I designed the production, I created the website, posters and DVD cover.
• intellectual property
  I just started putting this page together. I'll be building it out in the coming days. For the moment, the images here are basically non-interactive screen captures from the site where I used to display the work.
  Click the image to check out a bunch of work in a lightbox image viewer.
  The Jelly Belly COOKie BOOK
• fine art
  When I have time, I paint watercolors and create mixed-media work.
  Click the image to check out a bunch of my work in a lightbox image viewer.
  "Horny" 18" x 24" watercolor

attaboys

creative / art direction

a short list of honors and accolades

education

first a student, then part-time faculty

art center college of design, pasadena CA