Kenny Landes | Graphic Design | Web Development | San Francisco

After a long period of blog neglect, I am glad to be back to blogging again. I have been busy working on finding work, and that search has finally proven fruitful. On Tuesday, July 5, I start my new job at The Online 401(k). I am just thrilled! My new position gives me the chance to shine with my print design and production experience and the opportunity to flex my interactive skills. If I could write the perfect job description for where I am in my career, it would be for this job.

So now that I have something worthwhile and productive to do with my time, I look forward to enjoying my free time by continuing to work on and develop this site. When I made the transition from a static HTML/CSS site to a dynamic WordPress CMS site, I didn’t have time to do much more than get it up and running to assist in my job search. In the months to come, I look forward to trying some new things and developing more content. I have a couple of friends for whom I have done some web design and development work. I would like to take what I’ve done for them and power it up by moving them into WordPress CMS with its easy to use interface and powerful plug-in options.

Ideally, I want to build a site that is more reflective of all my interests. I have a lot of video I would like to add to my site, as well as many photo albums from recent trips that I would love to share. Now that I have upgraded to Adobe CS5 Master Collection, I have the tools I need to do a lot of things that have been just out of reach before. It is so nice to have the right tools to do the work I love to do! So keep checking me out from time to time. I may not be able to update daily, except my Twitter posts, but I will update at least a few times a week.

Popularity: 2%

This brand book was prepared to introduce the “One Citi” brand concept to the numerous and varied lines of business for international banking giant, Citi. The book is perfect bound with many examples of logos, wordmarks, relevant images, color palettes, and typography in the Citi system.

My role in this project was production of flawless press-ready digital files from approved design files prepared by the design team at Landor Associates, a renowned international branding agency in San Francisco.

Additionally, I prepared logos, wordmarks, brand guidelines, stationery systems, InDesign stationery mechanicals, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint templates, and maintained the Citi Brand Resource Site which provided a central point for distribution of approved artwork via the Internet to Citi locations around the world.

Popularity: 6%

In this project, I helped produce simplified versions of complex 3-D vector logos in order to ensure more predicable, consistent and accurate color output across press and desktop output devices around the world.

Unnecessary masks were eliminated. Gradients were positioned in-place in the triangle and trapezoidal shapes. The gradient mesh highlight on each ribbon was simplified.

This art was produced in flat spot backgrounds with gradient overprints, in addition to the four-color process versions displayed. One-color blue and one-color black versions were produced for limited use in one-color applications.

I worked on this project during my freelance engagement at Landor Associates, a renowned international branding agency in San Francisco.

Popularity: 4%

I designed and produced this oversized event invitation for the largest annual blackjack invitational at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The event invitation is a three-panel, c-fold, three-color job measuring 10” wide by 10” high. A matching full-bleed, oversized, non-standard envelope completed the effect for a dramatic impact when it was received by the select MGM MIRAGE Players Club members invited to the annual invitational.

Popularity: 4%

I designed and produced the invitation for rock-and-roll legend Eric Clapton’s 2007 concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena promoting his recent album “The Road to Escondido.”

MGM Grand requested a high-end piece with a teaser out front followed by a dramatic reveal on the inside. I worked with the provided admat supplemented with additional source art, including sheet music from one of Eric Clapton’s earlier compositions.

The invitation is a 2-color piece accented with foil and a dramatic die line used to reveal the guitar on the inside spread when viewed from the front. The full impact is impossible to appreciate on the screen, but the client was delighted by the subtle and sophisticated elegance of the related tones across a wide range of materials.

Popularity: 3%