It’s been a while, no?  We’ve been quite the busy little bees lately.  Just finished up 2 big design projects.

GENII MAGAZINE REDESIGN -  Visit Genii.

We redesigned Genii’s website from the bottom up.  Using a WordPress CMS as a base we customized out for the magicians magazine.  Aside from adding easier content manipulation, we also added video content plus issuu’s amazing content reader.

JONATHAN MANN’S SONGATRON - Visit Songatron.

Jonathan Mann is a singer, songwriter, video-gamer, all around great guy.  He had a bunch of different websites with different content.  His main site was a Tumblr.  We imported all his content into one WordPress and designed a brand new theme just for his content.  We developed out a story of the “Songatron,” a fantastic machine that Jonathan operates.  It generates music and Jonathan plays it.  The new site works well with Jonathan’s viral video work and allows him to feature content quickly while also edit or post from anywhere.

KALX BERKELEY RADIO – Visit KALX.

KALX is a free-form radio station in Berkeley, CA.  While it’s operated by University of California it’s pretty much run by hundreds of volunteers.  Noted for their extensive music collection (+80,000 pieces of music) and their knowledgeable DJs the station’s website was somewhat a holdover from the late 1990s.  The site had been hand-coded by volunteers since the mid-90s.  We were approached to update the site, figure out a way to add new, unique content to increase online viewership, but also ensure the back-end was an easy to use interface.

The station team wanted the site to appear fresh, have easy ways to update listeners, and have a design more appealing to the modern-music-lover.  We gave KALX a Drupal-based site loaded with features custom designed for them:  Tabs to switch between who’s on air now and who’s on air the rest of the day, immediate access to Top 10s of music monthly and weekly.  We also designed a feature box that could highlight station news, guests, or show information.  We also worked with KALXs playlist manager (RadioActivity) to develop out a unique “show” page for each DJ or program.  You can click on the DJs name to get his or her profile and see everything that DJ has played….ever.

The Apple iPad.
Concerns over censorship, approval, and other potential danger to the freedom of content.

This is, of course, 2-week-old news now: a great political cartoonist, Mark Fiore, submitted a little iPhone app to apple last year.  His app was rejected for being…. offensive.  Nonetheless, after being awarded the Pulitzer Prize a few weeks ago Apple gave Mr. Fiore a call back and said, basically, “oh…oh…you can resubmit and we’ll probably take it.”  (Read about this from the Wall Street Journal, re-reported by Macworld.)

I’m definitely a big Apple fan–I’m writing on a Mac right now–but their “iBookstore” and App Store make me think twice about censorship and “editing” of content.  Apple is being a kind of protective agent to their customers, or, rather, an over-protective parent.  Their big concern is bad apps, ones that don’t work, but also “offensive” ones; the secret word there is “pornography.”  But, as the iPad positions itself as the beginning of a new style of reading, how can a single company like Apple really watch out for every single product that their device holds?  And, if they do approve every single book or app or magazine, what are their standards?  And what if I want the stuff they’re rejecting?

The New York Times reported that Steve Jobs himself said the rejection of now Pulitzer Prize winning Mark Fiore’s app was a “mistake.”  Ok!  That’s cool.  But how much other potentially innovative, great content is being rejected right now that shouldn’t be?  How many “mistakes” does Apple make every day?

Note about the Image: This is a photo-illustration made with paper, lights, tape, and cardboard.  There is no Photoshop here.

Here are some interesting things found on my recent trip to Tokyo.  This was my second time, so I spent more time wondering around less “touristy” areas and hanging out with some new friends.

On a drive from Toshima-Ku to Shinjuku-ku we passed by a “Big Boy,” which, of course, I was surprised to see.  We were looking for a place to eat and, half joking, I suggest we go there.  Everyone thought it was a great idea!  This Big Boy, nix the Bob, didn’t serve the hamburgers or chili-spaghetti I was used to from my old Burbank Bob’s; this Big Boy served only big, juicy, American-style steak.

The finest dining experience.

Near Asakusa: quite an attention getter!

While going through the backside of Asakusa I found a woman resting atop a building.  I couldn’t seem to figure out what she was sitting there for or what she was advertising.  Nonetheless: it got my attention.

And, while I’m at it.  I loved this graphic that was all over the Tokyo Metro.  Not only is the design and illustration perfect, I also like the message.  There’s multiple levels of irritation going on here.  DON’T:  1) Have a long phone conversation.  2) Do makeup.  3) Take up a lot of space.  4) Litter.  5) Eat.  6) Read while also taking up a lot of room.  7) Be angry while reading the newspaper.Anyway.  Claps from me to the Tokyo Metro design team…

Here’s a blast from the past, a short film made in Flash:
Storyland Presents “Dumbo, The Flying Elephant”

This will prove to be a better depository for the new projects I work and whatever else may come to mind, I suppose.  What is important to figure out, of course: there are two websites here, the “official” Brad Aldridge designer but also Brad Aldridge the artist.  (And it’s important to discern that there’s some other Brad Aldridge who’s also an artist….but lives in Utah and not California.)

Nevertheless, here is my old homepage….  from 2007-2010.  RIP.

The old site for Brad J. Aldridge and Productions.

I’m in the process of getting my hands on a backup,  but I’ve found myself suddenly unburdened by the past entries and look foward to a grand, great new horizon….. of posting pictures of animals and colors and food.

Or something like that at least.

Slowly posts from the old blog may show up here in the new blog….  Remember to back up your blog, nothing is safe!

To illustrations I worked on somehow while fixated on the idea of a chair that spits you out.  There’s the opposite thing at the World Famous Magic Castle, you actually sink into the floor.  But I thought: ejector seat, bar, amazing.  Sometimes I’d like to press a button that would remove whoever it is sitting next to me.

What happens at a bar when you order a drink that's silly or you .... or you just are silly at the bar!

For my next trick, this image came first, not last, but goes last in the post, as, perhaps, it’s not strong enough.  Too many commas in that sentence?  It started more as an Eames idea–a really comfy chair.  But what if that comfy chair was hiding a secret?  A hate toward all that sit on his comfy, plush face!

Chairs of the world, unite!

Rebel without a Chair