New logo for a new pottery company. Seraphina means “burning ones” in Latin, and the aptly named “Sarafina” pottery company is owned by a Sara, who is the artist who creates and fires the handmade pottery on the wheel. Best of all, the goal is to direct all proceeds to charity. New website to come!

The Infamous Stringdusters’ new album “We’ll Do It Live” was just officially released this weekend at The Festy Experience.  I designed the packaging for the CD and vinyl and got to lay eyes on it for the first time this weekend.  Looks great.  The album was recorded this year while the ‘Dusters were on tour in Boston, New York, Falls Church, Charlottesville, VA and Burlington, VT.  Tom Daly went with them on part of the tour and recorded and photographed the shows, and those killer photos were used to design the cover and interior fold layouts you see here.  Banjo player (and growing music-industry commentator) Chris Pandolfi wrote out the track list that I used for the back.

I was happy about the way the album turned out, and I got to talk with most of the ‘Dusters and their management this weekend, and they were psyched too.  One of my favorite things about this album design is its origination story.  I was at the beach this summer with my wife’s parents, enjoying my new favorite beer, New Belgium Ranger IPA.  Then I had another, and another….and it hit me.  I ran inside and started sketching before I forgot, and it turned out to be the winner out of all of the designs we were working or way through.  I think New Belgium Brewery should probably give me an endorsement deal.

Just a side note, The Festy Experience was quite a way to release this record.  Only in its second year, everyone I talked with agreed that it is quickly becoming an annual tradition.  And most folks also agreed that The Stringdusters’ performances stood out as the highlights.  Not a bad way to release an album.

New logo for Blue Ridge Catering.  Theses folks, headed by Chef Mark Baldwin, are pretty amazing.  Six years ago, they cooked a mean barbecue for my after-wedding wedding reception in Virginia (long story…we eloped to California).  Every event I have been to since then has been more sophisticated, more creative, and more delicious in the way of food.  They are killing it and I hope it continues.  They wanted to update their old logo (right) with something more modern and flexible as a logo.  Mark really has an eye for this stuff and the end result was pretty cool.  We even mocked it up on a big ol’ truck to see what it would look like.  Check out their website at http://blueridgecatering.net/ and pass their names along if you have corporate, special events, or wedding catering needs.