D. Collins Design Co was hired to art direct and redesign Dinosaur Magazine. What you see here are the prototypes for the cover. The magazine looks at culture and what has taken place in the past, what is taking place in the present, and where that trajectory is arcing into the future, all from the perspective of "generation x" (loosely speaking, those of us born between 1961 and 1981). This generation is interesting because it is the last generation to see an analogue era wane to that of the internet age; this generation has the clearest understanding of what has been gained and lost within this transition. The idea for the "mirror image" logo was discovered when I was at a stop sign and an ambulance pulled up behind me. I looked in my rear view mirror to see the right-reading image of the word "ambulance." And that's when the visual metaphor came to me. I was looking behind me to gather information of what I needed to know in the present moment so that I may proceed into future. This is not unlike how Dinosaur functions as a magazine. Photos by Steven Miller, Greg Dohler

 

The feature for Perfume Genius was a tribute to the artist, Egon Schiele. This meticulous photo shoot included make up color matched to Schiele's original art and hand painted clothes that matched the detail of the original Schiele work. Typography was hand done to echo the artists exhibition posters.
Photo by Steven Miller
 

 

This feature tells us of the musical duo Adult. The couple own a beautiful old house in Detroit, and have opened its doors as a musical residency. Other touring bands collaborate and record during their visit with Adult. The band has actually received funding through an art-driven grant to propel this project even further.

 

A media kit cover for American Public Works Association and their institutional magazine. The idea of infrastructure, civic planning and urban management are explored by way of abstraction and typography.
 

The squat, though a highly effective exercise, also strikes me as one of the more uncomfortable, unnatural exercises to look at. With so many “squat” photo sets coming through the magazine’s office, I feel quite confident that I’ve heard every low-to-the-ground joke about this exercise that any roomful of jokers could conjure. The photo is tightly cropped and juxtaposed to a large mound of typography. It is an uncomfortable but accurate portrayal of a less-than-graceful move. Photo by Robert Reiff.

Though many know Bob Harper as a trainer on the hit television series The Biggest Loser, he was adamant that his portrayal be one of a dedicated trainer and not a celebrity. Very little was mentioned about the show within this article. It was obvious to me that this feature was less about who Bob Harper “is,” and more about what Bob Harper “does.” Photo by Peter Lueders.

Bong Soo Han is credited by many for bringing the martial art of Hapkido to the mainstream in the western world. In this retrospective article, a student of Han gives his tribute, and explains how Han’s influence has lived beyond his passing.

Black Belt Magazine lends itself well to negative space. The Cung Le feature is a prime example of this. I think when you are dealing with such a visually arresting subject as the martial arts, often the best solution is to have the design sit back and let the picture tell the story. Photo by Robert Reiff.

CityBeat had a very small budget for freelancers. I was lucky to find some amazing people who delivered beautiful work far above and far beyond the call of duty. I would gladly go to great lengths to present their work in the best light possible. Photo By Maura Lanahan.

I believe CityBeat is where I really found my voice as a graphic designer. This was the first time in my career that I was able to build the branding and template for a publication from scratch. The art and editorial crew worked on a nonexistent budget and consistently delivered a razor-sharp product that rivaled many others with higher profiles and deeper pockets. I am proud of it, and I miss it. Photo by Melodie McDaniel.

CityBeat Editor-in-Chief Steve Appleford was not only a wordsmith but a photographer to boot. His work (words and pictures) can often be seen in such publications as Rolling Stone and the L.A. Times. The design process was an enjoyable one. I would react to the story or brief with ideas/pencil sketches, would discuss it with editorial, and then would move forward with art direction. Most of the design problems were solved before I even turned on my computer.

Photo by Steve Appleford.

Joe Coleman is one of my favorite contemporary artists. I consider myself lucky to have worked with his art (two times now) in my career. The level of obsession is undeniable; he works on the smallest of detail in the largest paintings with a pair of magnifying goggles and a single hair brush. I believe that someday he will finally get the recognition he deserves from the art world. I also believe it will be about 100 years postmortem. And if he did finally get some art-world sunshine within his lifetime, he wouldn’t care. Art by Joe Coleman.

I worked as art director at the LA Weekly for four years. I was very fortunate to work with creative director Bill Smith. I learned a great deal from him and am grateful to call him my friend. This cover is my “land speed record.” We did not know what this package was going to be and found out only hours before press time that it was to be the cover: No story, no time. I prodded for a headline and went from there. I illustrated this as a 4″ x 4″ pencil sketch with hand-built color separations.