Chad O'Malley · Illustration & Design

• Advertisements

  A good advertisement not only gets the point of the product across, but never sacrifices its creative intent in doing so. I'm particularly keen on using vibrant colors with a minimalistic approach. I find there to be too much clutter in advertisements today with the true message of the piece being obscured.

  Ideas were first conceived by hand as thumbnails and expanded upon digitally. Adobe Photoshop used to tighten up hues and then applied to Adobe InDesign for layout and copy.

  

• Campaign

  Campaigns require a designer to not only understand their target audience, but craft an overarching theme throughout all of the work. For 'Snowshow '09,' the decision was made by a team to represent the mix of music and ski events in the eyes' of the participants (as displayed through snow goggles). This theme ran across all forms of media including print, ambient marketing, and brochures.

  One of the biggest goals was to instill a sense of fun in the outdoors marketing, yet not become an eyesore across the resort. Applications such as ski lift posters and seat coverings helped remind visitors of the upcoming event as well mesh more naturally with the surrounding area.

  

• Corporate Identity

  One of my favorite pieces to design are logos for companies. A logo is the face of a business and must accurately reflect their personality and ideals, and all this is needed in a simple, yet elegant, design. Logos also give the designer a great deal of power in that they are creating the image for the company. I'm a huge fan of both illustrative and type-based logos.

  However, identity is not just the logo, but the presentation of the business to others. With this in mind, unique applications of promotional pieces are a must. For a Chipotle: Mexican Grill presentation folder, the decision was made to wrap the tortilla-textured annual report in the sleeves of the display to simulate the company's signature wrapping of burritos in tinfoil.

  

• Design Applications

  There is more to advertising than just printed material and a strong point-of-purchase display can truly draw customers in. I really enjoy working with natural material, so wood great to use. There is a unique contrast between the stone and metal corridors of a store with the wooden, organic-feel of a display that I find incredibly appealing.

  Likewise, books and brochures are extremely important elements for any designer's skill set. To be able to accurately follow through with a general theme across multiple pages is invaluable and shows a client you understand how to spread information out in a readable fashion. I take pride in this fact and have even taken the time to learn Quark for companies who prefer the program.

  

• Digital Illustrations

  Illustration is my creative endeavor and seems to warrant the majority of my freelance gigs. There is just something incredible in creating whole new characters and worlds for viewers to enter. Most of the artwork I do is crafted digitally with a hand-drawn sketch preceding it. I create all of my artwork in Photoshop with the use of my Wacom Intuos tablet.

  Depending on requirements for the job, I go about rendering the pieces in different ways. From realistic shading to a stylized effect and even a retro-throwback, I enjoy working with a variety of techniques to suit my clients' needs.

  

• Traditional Illustrations

  I find taking a more fine art approach can help open my mind to new ways of approaching other art pieces. For paintings, I prefer using watercolor and gouache as it gives me far more control over the opacity of the image and is far more open to the addition of mixed-media techniques. Colored pencils are another fun medium to work with, for while it may take more time to use, it gives me tighter handling over the rendering process.

  

• Vector Illustrations

  Vector art has an exceptionally modern feel to it and integrates nicely into web design. I enjoy working with both human and mechanical subjects in my work. Frequently, I will take the photographs myself to build a base off of and then take my own stylized approach to the topic. Programs such as Adobe Illustrator present a fantastic chance to apply collage-like effects to vector pieces.

  

If you have any inquiries about a possible illustration or graphic design job or just general questions, feel free to fill out the contact form and send me an email.

Status:

Open for jobs.

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