about

For quite some time, I've been describing myself as follows:

A Christ Follower, husband, guitarist, photographer, graphic designer, and a general tinkerer. I'm also a mysophobe, so please remove your shoes and wash your hands before entering my house or shaking my hand.

I'm still pretty happy with that basic description since I'm a pithy kind of guy, but I guess I could go into a bit more detail. So hold on, and let's see where we go with this. First off, I'll share some thoughts on my "design principals"...

I am a lover of nuance. I like using a lot of small details to create large impact, as opposed to using something flashy and extremely eye-catching. I believe in a person's ability to see and realize detail without being conscious of doing so, and I believe that "subconscious detail" is what leaves a lasting impression in that person's mind.

In my photography, I push and pull colors, shadows, light, and texture — all to reinforce (or re-imagine) the emotion of the situation. I like my images to be so full of range and detail that you can spend minutes looking over every portion, discovering new intricacies and detail all over the frame. I believe there's an almost primal part of our brain that reacts to depth and color, and I try to tap into that area with my images via contrast, color, and texture.

My interface and interior design principals follow the old adage "less is more," and "simple, clean, refreshing, and light" are goals I set for myself when working on something I expect others to interact with. I've had the pleasure and honor of consulting for entities like Apple, Microsoft, Target, Home Depot, The Gap, and many others. With each, I brought my idea of "simple is better than sloppy" to the table in an effort to help them create more inviting and user-friendly software and web sites.

The above principals also apply to my music, and always have. I prefer simple emotion over flashy instrumentation, and I've always felt that less is more. I believe a song is about the story being told, and it's up to the rhythm section to support that story without getting in the way of the melody. I believe harmonies and solo-lines are seasoning, not the main course, and both should be used sparingly — and only when they bolster the story.

And there you have it: my basic ideas of design and imagery. Outside of that, I'm a proud native Texan with a wonderful wife and family. I've been in the world of graphic design since 1989, and I've been playing guitar, bass, and piano since 1986. I have Masters Degrees in both Theology and Philosophy, and a Minor Degree in Religious Education. I enjoy having breakfast with my Dad every Saturday morning, and I enjoy smoking cigars and pipes — though I'm still embarrassed to smoke in front of Dad for some reason. My wife and I love to travel, and she's the best friend I could ever ask for. I play music at our church every week, and I'm highly opinionated. My Mother is the best cook on the planet, and she would do anything for any of her kiddos and grandkiddos.

To learn even more about me and the life I live, drop by my personal blog, Another Dadgum Stinking Blog.