tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66538103116080066312024-02-08T08:48:12.817-08:00Nicole Hefner Graphic DesignNicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-86235390578224711692012-05-22T09:31:00.003-07:002012-05-22T09:31:42.367-07:00Birthday CardI haven't been on here in a while, so I thought I'd post a quick update. My Grandpa Henry turned 94 in April, and in honor of that, I created a little card/badge of honor of him.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUfLbrpBrsk/T7u_KEYgqHI/AAAAAAAAAKA/U76wj7OimFo/s1600/Grandpa_H_Card_for_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jUfLbrpBrsk/T7u_KEYgqHI/AAAAAAAAAKA/U76wj7OimFo/s640/Grandpa_H_Card_for_web.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-356120976815185122012-03-23T09:34:00.001-07:002012-03-23T09:42:21.771-07:00Blaze and ZorroMy dogs are a constant source of entertainment, so I took a little inspiration from them for this week's blog projects.<br />
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First up is Blaze, my little red toy poodle. I wanted a very retro, '50s look for him.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-timyzKU0mx8/T2yn2IRuXfI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/4_TOeRVrJQA/s1600/blaze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-timyzKU0mx8/T2yn2IRuXfI/AAAAAAAAAJ4/4_TOeRVrJQA/s400/blaze.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
And now Zorro, our Fox Terrier mix. I went for a more rustic, outdoorsy look for him.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wx4oPVqdoGo/T2yhmaOchyI/AAAAAAAAAJw/C9LIXPjuhZI/s1600/zorro_seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wx4oPVqdoGo/T2yhmaOchyI/AAAAAAAAAJw/C9LIXPjuhZI/s400/zorro_seal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I ended up having two wildly different ideas for Zorro's seal, and I like them both. Here's the second one, a much more modern, technology-inspired logo.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gI4YB-qCCn4/T2yhjnUfJcI/AAAAAAAAAJg/rYx6-L-v5Os/s1600/Zorro_tech.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gI4YB-qCCn4/T2yhjnUfJcI/AAAAAAAAAJg/rYx6-L-v5Os/s400/Zorro_tech.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-8319427348097513632012-03-16T09:00:00.000-07:002012-03-16T09:00:02.696-07:00Robin HoodI'm fairly certain I drove my parents insane watching Disney's Robin Hood over and over (and over and over) when I was a kid. I revisited the movie this week (I've been whistling ever since) and was inspired to do a couple posters.<br />
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First up, our villain, King John: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PODXtFIdDwU/T2Ndn7aPj2I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/syyqLariCL0/s1600/king_john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PODXtFIdDwU/T2Ndn7aPj2I/AAAAAAAAAJQ/syyqLariCL0/s640/king_john.jpg" width="417" /></a></div><br />
And now our hero, Robin Hood:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BeG1GZMVRdY/T2Nd_BbLsVI/AAAAAAAAAJY/4x7kCSou2vk/s1600/robin_hood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BeG1GZMVRdY/T2Nd_BbLsVI/AAAAAAAAAJY/4x7kCSou2vk/s640/robin_hood.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-67849376425532489692012-02-17T09:02:00.000-08:002012-02-17T09:02:38.841-08:00Valentine's DayHere's a quick Valentine's card I made for my husband. It was inspired by the Weezer song "My Best Friend," which Blain put on a playlist for me when we were dating.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g14-1ZQCE2s/Tz6EA_XGAKI/AAAAAAAAAJI/F4lypz3_7lo/s1600/for_blain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g14-1ZQCE2s/Tz6EA_XGAKI/AAAAAAAAAJI/F4lypz3_7lo/s640/for_blain.jpg" width="512" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-83668373280080973222012-01-06T09:34:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:35:30.635-08:00Old TilmanI love to read, and I've immersed myself in the world of Honor Harrington (written by David Weber) lately. It's a great military sci-fi story, centered around the adventures of Honor Harrington, a navy starship captain. While reading the books, I really wanted to do something to show my love for them, and I latched onto the idea of designing a label for Honor's favorite beer. So, without further ado, here's my design for Old Tilman.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e5wcl1JFoZ0/TwcrIyOvJ4I/AAAAAAAAAGU/6R14auEKFX8/s1600/Old_Tilman_Labels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e5wcl1JFoZ0/TwcrIyOvJ4I/AAAAAAAAAGU/6R14auEKFX8/s400/Old_Tilman_Labels.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And here's an ad for Old Tilman, just because I was having so much fun with the project.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb5gJAz9TEo/TwcwW2GJZsI/AAAAAAAAAGk/l_Lohzrtmy4/s1600/Old_tilman_ad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb5gJAz9TEo/TwcwW2GJZsI/AAAAAAAAAGk/l_Lohzrtmy4/s400/Old_tilman_ad.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I made the labels and bottlecap in Illustrator. I made the ad (including the beer bottle) in Photoshop.<br />
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A few random notes: The date 1471 is actually about 3574 according to our calendar. Dating in the book starts over when the first colony ship leaves Earth in 2103. The three stars in a triangle represent the three planets of the original Star Kingdom of Manticore, and are part of the insignia for an admiral in the Royal Navy.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-28689982733087527852011-10-28T08:28:00.000-07:002011-10-28T08:28:02.897-07:00Halloween Week 4Here it is, my final Halloween piece. Here's <a href="http://hefnerdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-kickoff.html">week 1</a>, <a href="http://hefnerdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-week-2.html">week 2</a> and <a href="http://hefnerdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-week-3.html">week 3</a>.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Halloween everyone! </div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-55928449094189826612011-10-21T06:46:00.000-07:002011-10-21T06:46:49.866-07:00Halloween Week 3It's the third Friday of October, which means it's time for the third post in my Halloween series. Check out the <a href="http://hefnerdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-kickoff.html">first</a> and <a href="http://hefnerdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-week-2.html">second</a> posts in the series, too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXaF09Go0nk/TqF3SrllktI/AAAAAAAAACw/lqIqe9JGNSw/s1600/halloween3-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RXaF09Go0nk/TqF3SrllktI/AAAAAAAAACw/lqIqe9JGNSw/s640/halloween3-web.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-47914636505527133942011-10-14T07:20:00.000-07:002011-10-14T07:20:34.917-07:00Liberate Gotham!<a href="http://www.planet-pulp.com/">Planet Pulp</a> has a pretty awesome show going on right now celebrating the work of Stan Winston. Since they started Fan Art Fridays, I thought I'd do my own Winston-inspired piece.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8gehUiaTjU/TphEOs38fVI/AAAAAAAAACo/FzuyvoJcj50/s1600/the-penguin-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o8gehUiaTjU/TphEOs38fVI/AAAAAAAAACo/FzuyvoJcj50/s640/the-penguin-web.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-59513706537366597302011-10-14T07:07:00.000-07:002011-10-14T07:07:56.006-07:00Halloween Week 2For the month of October, I'll be posting a Halloween-related piece every Friday. This is the second poster in the series. Check out the first one <a href="http://hefnerdesign.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-kickoff.html">here</a>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KCP7g4Rl1_U/Tpg_1MgixHI/AAAAAAAAACg/kLY13lEhRx0/s1600/halloween2-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KCP7g4Rl1_U/Tpg_1MgixHI/AAAAAAAAACg/kLY13lEhRx0/s400/halloween2-web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-45712363272110617802011-10-07T09:02:00.000-07:002011-10-07T09:02:49.632-07:00Halloween KickoffIt's October, and Halloween is fast approaching. While I love Christmas for presents, and Thanksgiving for food, Halloween may be my favorite holiday because it's crazy, spooky, scary fun. To celebrate, I'll be putting up a Halloween-themed piece every Friday this month.<br />
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Without further ado, here's my first poster in the series.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hz8pB5_DYQc/To8h8mEu0-I/AAAAAAAAAB0/V0JR2TnyrF4/s1600/halloween1-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hz8pB5_DYQc/To8h8mEu0-I/AAAAAAAAAB0/V0JR2TnyrF4/s640/halloween1-web.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-49011518767941808182011-09-30T06:53:00.000-07:002011-09-30T06:53:17.806-07:00People Are Alike All OverI saw a few episodes of the Twilight Zone as a kid, but I didn't remember much about it until I started watching re-runs on cable with my husband. I love show and its bizarre flavor of sci-fi. I love the little twists and turns and trying to figure out just what is going on in a particular episode before the reveal.<br />
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The episodes that stick in my mind the most are the ones where things go badly for the main character. With that in mind, I created a poster for a certain zoo on a nearby red planet...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1am35hRBeMI/ToXHNqdUYwI/AAAAAAAAABw/eqSiMkoIHXc/s1600/earth-creature-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1am35hRBeMI/ToXHNqdUYwI/AAAAAAAAABw/eqSiMkoIHXc/s640/earth-creature-web.jpg" width="414" /></a></div><br />
Poor Samuel Conrad found the Twilight Zone, and he'll be in that zoo on Mars for the rest of his life.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-8556298108925233192011-09-26T16:41:00.000-07:002011-09-26T16:41:30.097-07:00A Dragon for a Special LadyI love dragons. Dragons have been one of my favorite creatures for as long as I can remember. It's something I got from my mom, who introduced me to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series when I was in middle school.<br />
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Her birthday was Sunday, and instead of buying her a generic card at the store, I made one just for her, featuring our favorite fantasy creature.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oc3VFKFzrkE/ToEG-7vaDII/AAAAAAAAABs/sR1AEw0paFc/s1600/card-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oc3VFKFzrkE/ToEG-7vaDII/AAAAAAAAABs/sR1AEw0paFc/s640/card-cover.jpg" width="414" /></a></div><br />
She loved it. :)<br />
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I used Illustrator to create the dragon and swoops and Photoshop to bring it all together.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-84527046153101185642011-09-11T19:05:00.000-07:002011-09-11T19:05:35.164-07:00Come to Quark's...My goal with this blog is to try to do a fun, non-work related design project every week or two. This week, I merged two of my great loves, beer and Star Trek.<br />
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I love the look and feel of old Guinness ads. They have a really fun, playful style, and I wanted to combine that with my love of Star Trek by creating a retro-style ad for Quark's. Quark's, of course, is the bar at the heart of Deep Space Nine, a show I watched about 10,000 times as a teenager. Quark's was more than just a bar--it was a home away from home for a lot of the characters, and it was a place where they would gather to relax, celebrate, and mourn throughout the series. So I wanted my poster to have a warm, playful look, with just a touch of class.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WlkSTefKrp4/Tm1imgRKqtI/AAAAAAAAABo/w9ZYQbg-TIU/s1600/quarks+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WlkSTefKrp4/Tm1imgRKqtI/AAAAAAAAABo/w9ZYQbg-TIU/s640/quarks+poster.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><br />
I created the logo and glasses in Illustrator. I brought them into Photoshop, where I created the background and beverages. I added some age and weathering to give it a "lived in" look, and ta-da--an ode to the best bar, restaurant and gambling facility this side of the wormhole.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6653810311608006631.post-16312635326247425232011-09-05T19:59:00.000-07:002011-10-07T10:54:57.927-07:00Well, I've finally done it.I've finally gotten up the motivation to start a blog. The catalyst for my sudden motivation? Losing my job of four and a half years.<br />
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It was a rude surprise to lose my job. I know the economy sucks right now, but I'd always seen my job as fairly reliable. It was at a small company, sure, but we were growing fast, and there was always work to be done. So, when I was called into the boss's office on a Friday afternoon and told I was being laid off, I was shocked. <br />
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I drowned my sorrows that night, then went out the next day with my husband to escape reality for a few hours by watching Planet of the Apes. I was feeling better, and hopeful, by Monday morning when I filed for unemployment and started sending out resumes.<br />
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Good news came on Thursday, when my former supervisor called me to tell me he knew someone who was looking to hire a graphic designer. I called the company and had an interview the next day. It went fabulously well, and that afternoon and over the weekend I worked on a test project. By Monday afternoon, I had more work. Hooray!<br />
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So now, I'm contracting with an awesome branding/design company based in Salt Lake City. My work has much more variety than it used to, and I feel like I'm challenging myself and learning new things every day. I'm excited for the future, and I'm looking for ways to expand my personal and professional boundaries.<br />
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Hence the new blog.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14122566382087414046noreply@blogger.com2