I wish I could write as well as I draw.

I wish that I could draw better.

I am easily annoyed by improper conjugations and I will tell you about it.

I love magic; I don’t love magical thinking.

My penchant for combining orange and black have nothing to do with Harley-Davidson, nor Halloween.

I prefer controlled deceleration.

TL;DR

For over the past three years, I’ve been serving as the Creative Director for Nickelodeon^® Games Group, directing the visual design efforts behind the Shockwave, AddictingGames, and Nick Jr. Boost websites. I also write, draw, and paint, for both money and pleasure.

I spend my free time practicing in vain to be a sommelier, and/or a stunt man, depending on my mood, or the day.

You can find my resumé here.

The Big Picture

I like to draw. I’ve been drawing since I first was able to hold a crayon. I have a vivid memory of watching my Dad draw a picture once, and I wanted to draw just like he did. So I drew and drew and drew and drew until I could draw like he did. Then I kept drawing some more, until I could draw better than he could. Then I sort of stopped drawing so much, but started doing other things instead. All these other things, I approached in somewhat the same way as drawing. Whatever I was interested in at the time, I’d approach with zeal and vigor, at least until I first figured it out, then got better at it than at least someone else.

In hindsight, I realize the very thing that made me improve my drawing abilities is the same very thing that has made me improve at every thing I do. I love to figure things out, to solve problems, to get good at stuff. But the same reason I never became a master painter is the same reason that, despite how good I may have gotten at something, I’ve never quite mastered anything. Pardon the pun, but it seems I’m sort of a Jake of all trades, master of none.

If I were to say what’s the primary reason behind that, it would have to be my insatiable curiosity coupled with a short attention span, and a dash of competitive spirit thrown in for good measure.

This formula has allowed me to get good at so many things, especially in the field of interactive design. While perhaps not mastering any one aspect of the field of design, being at least good in so many areas has been valuable. In a sense, I’m more of a generalist, but this has been very beneficial to solving the kinds of design problems I am faced with daily (and there’s no shortage of problems to solve, which is good for my ADD).

My approach to interactive design focuses on the big picture first, from the purpose of the product to the users’ experience with that product; you can’t separate one from the other. Being able to see problems from so many perspectives makes it easier to develop a holistic approach to solving those problems. You can find examples of this throughout this site, from the product packaging work for OrthoClear, to the user interface design on the Hard Rock Annuals. So while this site, at first glance, might seem unfocused, it has to be viewed with a mind towards the work in context of how it all relates to my ability to solve problems. I’m a visual thinker, so being able to draw well helps me get the ideas out of my head and into the world. Being able to write helps me articulate those ideas so that others can better understand what I’m thinking. Having such disparate interests helps me to see problems from many different perspectives.

I invite you to look at this site – and my work – with that in mind. As portfolios go, the format might be a little unorthodox. You will find posts on specific projects, as well as on broader case studies, and posts that are just random musings and what not. Each of these posts are meant to provide a little more clarity on how I think, what I think about, and how it all informs my approach to my work.

Feel free to drop me a line and let me know what you think. Thanks!