Hoxeyville Music Festival 2011

I am stoked to write about Hoxeyville Music Festival today, a week after the fun and festivities. I am proud to tell that I was the graphic designer behind their look and feel for this year. The look I designed was used on posters, handbills, the website and web banners, t-shirts (including a custom license plate design) and programs! I was so excited to see people wearing it, carrying it and enjoying the festival.

There was a lot of great great music - Steppin In It, Seth and May, Airborne or Aquatic, Starlight Six, GREENSKY BLUEGRASS, The Itals, Ivan Neville's Dumpstafunk, Ella Riot, Digital Tape Machine, Mickey Hart, and Umphrey's McGee to name a few... With three stages, endless campsites and all that great food and vending, it was hard to see it all. But I managed to see almost all the music. Except Todd Snider, which I am ashamed to say I heard only at my campsite. Even a groupie needs a break. :)

It was bittersweet being there without Benn, the original Hoxeyville gangsta. I thought of him every minute of every hour. I thought about how much we enjoyed seeing music together, and with that thought made it to as many of the shows as possible. It made me feel so happy and normal to watch music. Anyway, the highlight for me after 9 years of attending this festival was witnessing the late night pickin jam with Greensky and Seth and May. There were probably tons of others there that I just couldn't see or hear, but it was so amazing to be there and hear them at their most natural and finest. Super awesome too, because Benn and I always wanted to party with Greensky at Hoxeyville, so in a way I got to, and I danced and smiled and enjoyed every second. For both of us. I thank Jake and Kristin so much for the gift of music.

Whew. So onto the visuals. Here is a mix of posters, handbills, festival photos and whatever else. I love taking photos, more probably for me as a documentation factor. But you know us designers, always trying to get creative with things... anyway I hope you enjoy. I know I did.

Posters, Coasters and Treating Cancer Naturally

Been cooped up long enough here in Northern Mitten Country! Here, finally, are some of the things I've been working on over the winter and through the woods. Some are designs, some are random new situations but all are part of the adventure.

My friend Kristin belongs to a great organization called Friends of Michigan Midwives, and they are putting on 2 different events in the next two weeks. Next Thursday, May 5, join them in Lansing for a 5k walk/run, a concert featuring Rachel and Dominic Davis, and a silent auction. Sunday May 15, join them in Kalamazoo for a benefit concert at The Strutt. Mechele Peters opens for Airborne or Aquatic at 7:30 p.m. Tickets available for both events at www.friendsofmichiganmidwives.com.

I am also trying to update my Etsy shop with new items! Cork Hand-Stamped Coasters are up next!

Our adventure in naturopathic healing is also ongoing, Benn is doing good. I am amazed everyday by the healing power of nutrition and herbs. Just a side story, but Buddy the dog (Benn's parents dog) had a scary week or two this March where we weren't sure if he would live or not. His stomach area swelled up and was very hard for a few days, and he was peeing blood. We were pretty worried about him, but Kelly (of Healthy Basics) suggested we give him some herbs to take care of the fungus that was likely causing all this trouble.

Well we gave him Pau D'Arco, a powerful anti-fungal herb for about 2 weeks. People were telling us we should put him down and everything else. Well I would walk him every day per usual, and watch him closely. Eventually his urine had less and less blood, his hard swollen gut went down, and he was totally skipping around playing with Tiny Dancer! The herbs fixed what most people would have fixed with an early grave. Sad to think people have so little faith in healing things naturally, and that essentially we can fix ourselves with patience and a few supplements we need anyway.

As far as Benn's therapy goes, he is still drinking green juices, eating all organic (except if we go out, there are I think zero organic eateries that I know of in Cadillac). He isn't working right now, due mostly to the massive healing he has to go through right now. The cancer has worked its way out, through natural cleansing through the systems, as well as through a large hole on his chest that seeps painful lymphatic fluid 24/7. He is in a serious amount of pain most days all day long, as cleansing out all the dead cancer cell debris is hard work for the body. He is however, in very good condition as far as the rest of his health goes. Since cancer takes so much energy from the body, he sleeps a lot and small tasks are exhausting. I take care of all his basic needs as far as cooking, herbal teas, essential oil tinctures, and all that goes. Its super hard work, and its hard watching him in constant pain. I am annoyingly positive and try to remind him to stay positive as much as I can, but honestly cancer is super lame and exhausting. So say a little prayer to the universe or your God or just send Benn healing vibrations from wherever you are, as often as you can! :)

We had an awesome day today because Michigan weather is finally cooperating. We found 41 morel mushrooms in the woods today! That is about the most fun you can have here at the moment. Anyway stay tuned for more fun projects, photos and naturopathic miracles! :)

New Work: Rex Renwick & Sons Forest Products Logo

There are a lot of logging and forestry companies up here in Northern Michigan, but not quite so many are synonymous with quality, honesty and hard work as Rex Renwick & Sons. The company was in need of a fresh logo for use on upcoming marketing strategies including a website, new business cards and t-shirts. Their business has two facets—they haul logs which (trucking aspect of the business) and they produce and harvest logs with heavy machinery (forest products side).

After a couple of rounds of logos, they chose the logo here that focuses on the R of Renwick and the name, rather than imagery of trees, forests, or machinery. The dominant R is very much a reflection of the simplicity and honesty you get when working with Rex and his company. While searching for an appropriate typeface, I came up with this description of what I needed:

"Looking for a font that's manly but not too modern; western but simple; John Wayne meets Jack White kind of feeling but not too rock n' roll..."

Sometimes the path of the deisgner forces us to articulate our vision in very descriptive ways. Anyway that analogy up there pretty much describes what kind of person Rex is, what kind of business they run, and where they run it. We needed the logo to be simple, strong, convey an "up north and approchable" kind of vibe, all while keeping in mind that Rex needed a "John Wayne" look and feel. That was his wife Deb's description :)

I look forward to screen printing t-shirts, making them new business cards and creating a web presence for them in the upcoming months.