be evil :: the spyware wars

tomer :: this story that run in Wired describes an internet marketing firm that used aggressive spyware and adware techniques. when it got sued and exposed it reinvented itself under a new name and used the same methods only this time under the title "behavioral marketing". the gist of the story is that the spyware wars are about to be over -- and spyware has won. only now we don't see the annoying pop up windows that reminded us what is really going on under the covers.

the image needed to show an evil entity under a disguise of legitimacy.

they went with the first sketch, to my relief. but there was a problem with using a screen like that since some other section had a man looking through a monitor and they wanted to avoid repeating a similar idea. so I went to final with this mask instead.

...only to retract to the original version, as everybody agreed it was more effective.

memory lane :: the dark side

asaf ::flushed by the wave of nostalgia, I decided to dig some dusty works from the dark side of my closet. those where done sometime during the 3 years I spent at Emile Cohl, an art school in Lyon, France.
it was an interesting experience, and I was lucky to meet some great people.
each of these pieces represents an awkward attempt to imitate a different illustrator, without being completely aware of it. and that would be my two cents for all you greens out there - know your influence, but learn to keep a safe distance. there is nothing more rewarding than developing your own vocabulary.

Skool Daze :: time machine

tomer :: james had a post the other day that made me think about the time I've graduated. some of you might be graduating around this time and maybe, like I was, you too are struggling with questions of style. I went through every available medium/approach while I was attending SVA and when I graduated I was left with a portfolio that looks nothing like my current work. why? because once I was out of the system I wanted to draw the way that felt the most comfortable or natural and that was with ink and brush, the way I drew before attending SVA. but going through four years of trying other mediums really rattled the way I thought about color. I'm not sure there is a big advice somewhere here. maybe not to commit to anything for too long. all experiments seems to contribute even if you go a different rote in the end. there's nothing more depressing then waking up every day and doing the same drawing.