New Website "Winners With Wheels"

I recently redesigned this website for Casino Shuttle, our third major revision in several years. 

Take a peek by clicking here.

New Paintings Teaser: July 2011

Crowdsoucring your graphic design. It blows. I have proof.

I was inspired by Marco Echevarria's article "Crowdsourcing your graphic design work. Is it a good idea?" No, it's a horrible idea. And I'll tell you why. I have to. I saw a few people actually defending the practice and while "crowdsourcing" not up there with "seal-clubbing" we need to expose crowdsourcing for what it is. Legalized slave labor. Okay, maybe not that bad, but still… it's definitely not a good idea.

The argument has been made that many of the designers that participate in crowdsourcing are not in fact true designers. Possibly. But let's face it, the new economy has made life extremely difficult for most of the American population so I imagine there are at least 20 to 30% of those crowdsourced designers are in fact highly disillusioned and spiteful graphic designers that are working three jobs to make ends meet. The rest are the typical pile of hacks and wannabes. Many are designers that have little or no regard for "copyright infringement."  More on that in a second.

March Maddess - Latest News

After spending two months back in Chicago, Jaime and I find ourselves in Rain City... and with lots of excitement to boot!

Right now I'm wrapping up work on the website for Breathing Space Massage, with two new possible clients on the horizon... a dentist and an auto racing league. My client list keeps getting more eccentric, and I'm loving every minute of it. I'm also working on a new lecture for late spring on the Deep Psychological Aspects of Design (sounds spooky I know) and just starting work on a book with fellow artist and writer Russell Smith. Whew!

And.. just finished work on the Sip and Socialize logo... they have events every Wednesday at Ibiza's in Pioneer Square at 528 2nd Avenue... which I will be attending tonight. If you're around... stop on by!


- Over and Out, Michael

My good friend & client is mentioned on Jaime Oliver's Website....

Good food for kids. One of my long time clients, Paul Boundas at the Country House Restaurant, was recently featured on Jaime Oliver's Website, click here to read their story. They are creating an innovative program to focus on the health and well being of the school community using a healthy kitchen as its heart.

New Postcard for Reliance Accounting

 

Sometimes people ask if I do designs more straight up and corporate... of course I do! Here's a close to final draft of a postcard I recently created for Reliance Accounting. Notice how clean and cool it is... and gets the point across.

Recent Work - Billboard design for Ambiance Suites

 

I am very fortunate that I get to work with some of the coolest and more progressive people in business. Here is a billboard design I created for Ambiance Suites. You may even see it live on the Dan Ryan in Chicago...

Attack of the Black Swans... Ten Predictions for the Next Ten Years

By Michael Foster

As a small business owner, getting a grasp of the big picture on a global scale can be difficult. After two years of research, here is a list of predictions that can be considered a safe bet. Knowing how the future might play out can dramatically increase you chances of success.

Virtual World Officially Fills in Reality Gap
Expect the internet to become completely embedded in our everyday lives. Most citizens will carry either a smart phone or an iPad equivalent at all times. And with the emergence of an artificially intelligent web 3.0 (or whatever it will be called) the web will become far more dimensional. Navigation will feel more game-like while developers add cinematic elements of pacing and instant rewards to help the user mentally retain the vast amounts of information the web has to offer. Everyone will shop savvy as well, with competitor pricing and product origins at their fingertips. Tech trends like GPS, working from home and "smart" highways will greatly reduce congestion. Random internet outages will eventually send mobs of people into a panic. We literally won't know how to live without it.

Creatively Yours - Episode 3

 

In this classic episode from way back in the year 2010... Michael and Joe Discuss attitudes in media and why Mtv is so much more important than let's say... the upcoming bubble bursting whatever Spain banks going under major world crisis.

Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Blunders

Posted the day after Thanksgiving on my Facebook page in response to why the Macy's Parade was rated PG...

Ah yes, another fine example of the problems with modern society which as far as I've determined are summed up by these three major issues…

1) Lost by a corporate committee
2) The shifting of our value system from a juvenile attitudes towards violence to a juvenile attitudes towards sex.
3) The fact that we could apply the Rotten Tomatoes systems towards other industries like Medical Facilities, and we don't. Why wasn't this in ObamaCare? Why can't hospitals have a tomatometer?? WHY???