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Years ago, before I ever got into Web design, I was a sign maker. For about 3 years, I studied this craft. At it’s best, the art of sign making is a demonstration of both the purity of information design and subtlety typography. At it’s worst, it’s the loud example of why these two disciplines are so important.

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It is a rare thing, working as a designer, to have the opportunity to brand a friend. It’s a strange concept in of itself. The idea of branding a friend is an odd one, without doubt, not to mention a challenging one. None-the-less, it can be a rewarding experience and a true test for the designer.

the little MONSTER in all of us

Faced with the challenge of branding a friend, I suddenly recalled a post by Mark Bixby, that articulated the underlying essence behind brand, in one short, sweet sentence.

Just being something specific can sometimes be a powerful brand differentiator.Mark Bixby

Be something specific. A no brainer, right? There was no doubt about it, Mici is something specific. My task, was to try and capture that “something” and make it a brand?.

Branding a person, in of itself, is an odd concept, but giving yourself 3 days to do it, is absurd. At the same time, it was for me, a fantastic window, through which to explore my wonderful, witty and terribly loving friend, Mici. I am very please to introduce littlest MONSTER.

Years ago, while I was studying art at the Baskin Visual Arts Center, we were tasked with constructing an on-the-spot, interactive art piece. We had about 20 minutes to come up with a compelling art piece that embodied the fundamental principals of interactivity.

For this project I partnered up with one of my classmates. Five minutes later, we had our masterpiece. It was simple and direct. We stood before the class with two cardboard signs, a box of chewing gum and a stack of singles. The sign around my neck read, “Scream in my face for a dollar.” The sign by my partner read, “For a dollar, I’ll put another stick of gum in my mouth.”

It was the most beautiful play on an age old child’s game. We started out with 100 $1 bills and finished with close to $160, not that that was our aim by any means. Don’t ask me how he fit all that gum in his mouth; I really couldn’t tell you.

The reason I bring this up, is because this silly little piece has a lot in common with web design. Don’t believe me?

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