Arboreal

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

Because anticipation is the better part of any gift: summer's coming.

2012-01-03T21:10:00.001-08:00

2011-12-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Job applications via email are not worth it.

Winter tires are worth it.

Never buy a car at night, or in a hurry.

Show your friends and family that you value them.

A little bit of grace covers a lot of mistakes.

If possible, don't make mistakes. Some people don't understand grace, and everyone is watching you.

God will provide, if you ask him to.

I graduated from college one year ago today.

2011-12-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

2011-12-04T21:52:00.001-08:00

2011-11-07T22:03:00.001-08:00

2011-10-11T18:34:00.001-07:00

2011-10-08T23:52:00.001-07:00

2011-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

The ~~glamorous~~ life of a designer.

After three months of staring at this computer screen eight hours a day, I'm just going to repeat the wisdom of whoever said, "It's a fun job, but it's still a job." (I always hear it in the voice of Cypress Hill.)

I've been doing a lot of pre-press setup and will be for quite a while, but I can't complain. I do get to do a few creative projects-- it's all arguably creative, a discussion for a different day-- but the reason I'm not disgusted with being stuck at a desk all day is I'm solving problems. It always comes down to problem-solving eventually. How am I going to fit this logo on the car door without the door handle interrupting it (see below)? How am I going to please this client, who wants everything bigger and bolder, while still maintaining the legibility she doesn't know she needs? How am I going to get these three projects done today without compromising on quality?

The other thing I do in this job is communicate. "Yes, it's all about visual communication bla bla bla..." That too, but no. I mean talking to people via email, phone, and especially face-to-face. If you can't communicate with your coworker about why one arrangement is better than another, your glorious compositional eye is wasted. Skewer it with a fork and throw it against a wall. The more persuasive designer's sketch will go on to become the final design. Bank Gothic and all.

Besides the fact that solving a problem is rewarding to a young designer like myself, I don't see its importance ever being reduced. If I were a senior designer basking in my finely balanced logo designs using carefully-selected weights of expensive fonts, I would still be solving problems and communicating with people. There would only be more pressure involved.

Bring it.

2011-09-19T20:50:00.001-07:00

2011-09-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

2011-09-07T21:12:00.000-07:00

Every day, I'm a little bit less of a guest here.

Some day I might drive into town after a weekend away and think,

It's good to be home.

2011-08-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've written anything, but I find myself in the airport with free wifi and nothing else to do. How about another roll call of things I am currently thankful for? I might have done this before.

Topping the list: watching the moon set through the fog as I blasted down the Guide Meridian and I-5 very early this morning. Regina Spektor on repeat and completely empty roads until halfway to Seattle. Nothing but win.

Another cool thing: bacon. Everybody knows bacon is good- how about a whole pack for breakfast? I'd rate that well beyond good. Four guys, four packs of bacon, much of it flame-roasted over the campfire. And no backyard campfire, mind you: it was at Murray lake, at the top of the Coquihalla. We were living the dream, and it was an excellent dream.

Also very nice: pancakes for supper, with fresh blueberries. How about an after supper walk with Tank the dog and blackberries on the side of the road? I told that pug, "You know these things are edible!?" He just looked at me. Blue- and blackberries in the space of an hour!

And you know what else I appreciate? My car is still running. I bought it for under a thousand dollars in January with well over 400 000 kilometers on it. It's still going, remarkably. A trend that I hope continues.

I'm going to fly to Toronto now. See some friends get married. Good stuff. Peace out!

2011-08-05T18:40:00.000-07:00

2011-07-24T22:12:00.001-07:00

2011-07-11T21:22:00.000-07:00

When the forest met the sky again,

the sullen, heavy clouds were glad.

They wept the tears the man would not,

embraced the earth that he forgot.

2011-07-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

2011-06-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

This was a fun project. I was able to help the couple reduce wedding costs by designing their invitation as a 5x7 photo print.
Congrats and God bless your marriage, Arlen and Vanessa!

2011-06-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Gillis Lake, BC

2011-06-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Text: from Emily W. on facebook chat.

I see it on a t-shirt...

Senior Year

2011-06-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

I don't feel like writing about senior year- it's still too real- but I have to finish the series.

Senior year came as a relief from a summer of working 55-65 hour weeks for Dordt Maintenance and Fareway. The successive arrivals of athlete, then freshmen, then upperclassmen filled me with joy. Energy returned to campus. Dordt was back to itself.

Only, after a while the semester didn't seem to be that much of a relief after a while. I kept working at Fareway, taking as many hours as I could fit around school. I was the photographer for the yearbook. I had a full class load. I tried to be a good WOW (freshman orientation) staff member. I had to write major papers, the 15-page kind I thought I had avoided by majoring in graphic design and digital media production. For the first time, I had to start saying no to things. I was usually tired. I had finally discovered and crossed the line between a blessedly full life and a state of panic.

But enough complaining, Andrew! It was still a pretty awesome time. I'm not sure where to start on good things... a sweet brand new dorm, a couple of fun classes, donut runs, a blizzard, a lot of learning, and so much more. I think I'll talk about good people instead of good things. My fresh boys Jeff, David M, Dirk, Sam, and Andy; roommates Justin, Adam, Travis, Lucas, and Jordan; ah, let's just do a roll call, shall we?

Friends like Matt & Janaye, Nadji, Kroll, Rela, Miriam, Emily, Palmer, Dan K, Hannah and Sierra, Amanda, and anyone who ever considered me a friend. You guys are so solid. I have places to visit all over this continent, thanks to you.

Awesome people I wish I knew way better: Nathan (all of them, but Gross comes to mind- I love you man), Wendy, Joel, Alex (U. and P.), Stephen, Sam, Gary, Kristin, Kurtis, Kyle, David P, Mike and Denise, Klaas, Feije, Janine, Graham & Kelly, Leslie, Abby & Jesse (most godly and humble couple I know), Emil, Jander, Mark, Dale, Alvin, Toots, Ben, Jared (several), Danielle, Bryce, Jordan Y, Taco...

And YOUR name should probably be on the list somewhere. Every single person who came to my surprise farewell party. That was HUGE for me.

There are also the crazy randoms who make life better even from a distance: Roland, Brandon, Jory, Lee, Jon. Keep being yourselves, and I will too.

Dale and Ruth, thanks for adopting us all at CCC, and for the use of your hot tub. Tony and Marina, you kids rock.

I also have to send out some props and respect to my favorite profs. Mark Volkers (digital media), Matt Drissell (art), David Versluis (design), Jake Van Wyk (art), Doug Burg (photography). Most of my profs were good teachers, but these guys are the cool ones.

And the biggest thanks possible go to my parents. For teaching me about faith, priorities, work ethic, and high expectations, and some financial help getting through school too.

Well, that feels like enough talk about me. Back now to the regularly scheduled content of photos and design. Thanks for reading.

2011-06-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

Vancouver

Junior Year

2011-05-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

I could have had no idea what being an RA would mean for my junior year.

It started with a full week of training some 16 hours a day. This was serious, more serious than I could have imagined. I was responsible, and a leader. A servant leader, specifically. We were even anointed as such, in a moving ceremony I'll never forget. I would be up til past midnight on duty at least once a week, go to weekly meetings, chug eggnog when necessary, pay closer attention to people than ever before, and change my personality to be more outgoing.

It was awesome.

Adam became one of my best friends, and I traded my roommates for a wing full of the coolest guys on campus. If people groups are mosaics, this one was neon. It was Vegas if you replaced half the casinos with churches. There were the tough-guy brothers who never let me in their heads, and the aspiring nudist. There were all the guys who contributed to the Bible study I barely led. The dude who shaved his chest weekly. Jason from the opposite wing, who I saw in the bathroom every night regardless of what time I went to bed. I can't think of anyone I'd rather hang out with while brushing my teeth. There was half the baseball team. There was Emil, the one and only. He stepped out of his big brother Jander's shadow right away. (Yes, that Jander, my PC Leader from freshman year. The Dordt community is that small.)

Our wing bonded in fits and starts. Sometimes it seemed impossible. Other times, we'd do something like unexpectedly win the dorm soccer tournament and the unity was tangible. It was very rewarding when things came together like that. As RAs, much of our hard work went unnoticed, but it was always worth it, even just to see one quiet guy come out for an event.

But being an RA didn't just let me get to know the guys on my wing. I also met most of the freshman class and got more involved with almost all aspects of campus life. It was my best year at Dordt.

It was also the year I met the love of my life: LaFawnduh, a sweet little maroon Accord. She was rusty, smelled badly of cigarettes, and sometimes acted unpredictable. But she had a 5-speed manual transmission, pop-up headlights, started up on even the coldest days, and she was mine. A major highlight for the year was when, two weeks after my acquisition of this dubious specimen of an automobile, five of us crammed in it and drove to Ontario. We actually got there and back, proving summarily that God still wanted us all alive for his purposes.

LaFawnduh would later be totaled by the inspection required to make her street-legal in Canada, but her legacy lives on. My goal is for every car I own to bring people together, beyond the obvious function of moving our bodies around.

Next time: senior year.

2011-05-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Sophomore Year

2011-05-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

For my second year, I got to move in with some of the best friends I had made the previous year…

Travis, Luc, Justin and I lived in West 116. It was a tiny space for four tall guys and a lot of junk. At 6'2" I was the shortest one, and between us, we owned the gear for most any outdoor sport you can try to do in Iowa. Hunting gear, a snowboard, skis, and rock climbing gear took up the spaces left around the giant maroon leather hide-a-bed. There were also three or four longboards at any given time, two dorm fridges, and a coffeemaker that was vital to our mission of hosting as many people as possible every Saturday afternoon.

Because of the limited space, things were stacked high. My favorite memory of Travis was him standing on a chair to reach the coffeemaker, excitedly telling a story one evening. He was wearing boxers and maybe socks. Suddenly he realized that the curtains were open and our room was right next to the building's main entrance. It was even more funny than the time some of the girls pranked us by swapping girls' clothes with ours, and he tried some very tight pants on with hilarious results.

Luc met his future wife that year (I'm shooting their wedding this year), Travis had a girl from back home, and Justin even got a senior to date him, though it wouldn't last long after her graduation. And me? I continued my freshman frenzy. I was a big man on campus, WOW leader and apparently a funny guy. She was a freshman who laughed at my jokes. I fell hard. After Tri-State I convinced her to date me. We had some great times, learned a lot, then she moved on. And that was good too. Now, I'm blessed to have a third little sister.

What else happened that year? Oh yeah, trip to the Philippines with Volkers and crew, no big deal right! PLIA in Toronto. Declared my second major, graphic design.

Our RA, Adam, had been in my PC group. We started to develop a friendship he talked me into applying for Residence Life. I am still thankful for that, as the job would enable me to return to Dordt for my third year, and turn my Junior year upside-down- but that's a story for next time.

2011-05-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

text: received in an email from my Korean-learning-English pen pal.

Freshman Year

2011-05-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a four-post series on my college experience. This is pure nostalgia, so don't read it if you aren't already bored. Also, there will be a whole lot of lingo that only Dordt people will understand. Anyways, let's start with freshman year...
When I arrived at Dordt, it was almost home to me by the second night. Even though everything was new, I felt more comfortable there than anywhere else I could remember. Maybe I'm exaggerating that, but maybe I'm not.

When I stumbled into my room with my possessions in two suitcases and a backpack, my roommate and I hit it off right away. He was sitting at his computer shirtless: "You must be Andrew." He was from a fictional place called Wisconsin, and he was smiling at me. This would be a good year.

Dordt does a really good job of folding freshmen into the system. My PC leaders were joyfully welcoming- the volume of Shena's laugh helped with that. I still hang out with her and the guy she would marry three years later. Then there was Jander, who cares for everyone he meets, and he turned out to live on my wing. I would look up to him until he graduated.

Our group had some good kids in it, too. Kroll, the gangly local kid who I'd love and hate and love again, but mostly love. Miriam, the cynical missionary kid from Africa (there was a probably a specific country or even city where she grew up, but more people knew where Africa was). Curtis, the class clown who would disappear after one short year at Dordt. Jacob, who is probably reading this over my shoulder as I write it- kid, you'll go far if you stop creeping into people's rooms. And the others... we were all compatriots, because we had to put up with GEN 100 together.

North Hall was a good- no, the best- place to live. It was rank at times, but it still smelled better than the foul mixture of chemical scents that filled the halls of East, where girls were. I took any and every opportunity to visit East and meet girls. My only regret from that year is how many girls I hit on. I chased ladies all year, and later I would see how foolish it is to ruin friendships because you think a girl is cute. This is not what relationships are about! I would not talk to some of those girls again until senior year, when we would ruefully laugh at selves past. When we were just kids.

Classes freshman year seemed lame. It was hard to care about general classes that everyone had to take. That will probably never change. But I learned a little about work ethic, and I got into my first digital media class, and I was hooked. Mark Volkers is a great professor because he isn't really a teacher. He is good at teaching, but was not trained as such. He actually makes films himself, and his passion for it is contagious. It makes you want to tell stories that will change people's lives.

This probably isn't one of those stories, but come back soon to reminisce with me about sophomore year!

2011-04-22T23:32:00.000-07:00

2011-04-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

2011-04-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Text from Heb 12.

2011-04-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Text from "Hands" by The Almost.

2011-03-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

2011-03-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

A Brief Commentary on Photography, and Art vs. Craft

Recently, someone tried to compliment one of my photos by telling me, "You have a really clear camera!" This simple statement contains an idea that surely irks any reasonable photographer: the linking of gear and skill. In response, I formulated the following three categories, which I will use to sort photographers and their work until I find a better way.

1. Ownership of a camera
If the flash doesn't go off, people in this group may get confused and have to check "if the picture took." Their response to a particularly striking image is an inquiry either on the cost of the camera or what software was used.

2. Understanding how the camera works
A lot of people like photography; it is a common hobby. Most people who buy an SLR eventually get to the point where they know what's going on. They might have just a fuzzy understanding of how changing settings will affect the image, or they might enjoy complete mastery over every technical aspect of the camera. Either way, they usually fall short of--

3. Telling stories.
Any narrative can be stuffed into the famous thousand words a picture is worth. But so many of these accounts are worthless: "Here is a tree with moss on it." "We drove to Idaho." A great photograph, that is art rather than just craft, tells a great story.

Most of us, most of the time, sleep in that second camp. Actually, sometimes feel like I've never been outside of it. But here's to the pursuit!

2011-03-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

2011-03-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

2011-03-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

After seeing the images and stories coming out of Japan this morning, I want to respond. I have no words, so I'll just re-post this simple graphic from Arturo Torres.

2011-02-27T16:39:00.001-08:00

2011-02-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

Ethan, style on Da Plow. Ledgeview in winter.

2011-02-19T16:54:00.000-08:00

As yet unnamed…

2011-02-13T17:07:00.000-08:00

On a winter trail

Tron's Toyota churns through snow

The haiku is forced

2011-02-03T23:33:00.000-08:00

I spent high school and college learning how to hate writing. I worked hard to write as little as possible, though I never replaced all the periods in any of my Times New Roman, 12 pt., double-spaced oeuvres with 14 pt. periods. I have, I'll admit, browsed the thesaurus looking for longer synonyms to get a paragraph onto the next page. It was easier than forming another sentence at one o'clock in the morning.

And now? I just feel like writing something every once in a while. On Sarah's blog (which is a good read, by the way), she added this quotation under her profile picture:

I am desperate to write. I am crazy to write. I want to write.(A.P.)

I don't know who A.P. is and I don't share this level of passion. But I do want to be a very good communicator, and that's more than listening well and speaking clearly. Outside of direct interaction, writing still holds the gold standard for communication. Unlike video, its only real competitor (as per Neil Postman), the written word doesn't disappear after you read it. And though a well-executed graphic design achieves its effect through the visceral, text is still its backbone.

As a designer, I must not only know how to make words look good, but how to make good words. I want to write.

2011-02-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

Mike De Koning at Vedder.

2011-02-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

2011-01-31T23:40:00.000-08:00

2011-01-21T17:15:00.000-08:00

2011-01-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

I've learned that there's beauty everywhere. During my time in Sioux Center, I enjoyed Iowa's magnificent sunsets, spacious plains, blizzards, double rainbows, even the fearsome power of a tornado funnel. On trips to Kenya and the Philippines, I had my breath taken away by the mind-boggling Rift Valley, the lush greenery of the Filipino mountains, and one epic moonset. Road trips within this continent have shown me the allure of an empty moonlit highway, the unceasing thunder of Niagara Falls, and the surreal Mount St. Helens devastation.

The past few years have brought an incredible, wide variety of experiences in almost every sort of scenery, and for that I'm thankful! However, when I wake up to a view like this, it makes all the hassle of moving back to Canada seem worthwhile. It just feels like home.

Agassiz, BC

My Best Photo of 2011…

2011-01-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

…so far.

Sated

2010-12-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

Montana, starlit

2010-12-21T15:31:00.000-08:00

Road Trip

2010-12-17T11:51:00.000-08:00

2010-12-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Cubism

2010-12-09T21:45:00.001-08:00

2010-12-05T16:02:00.001-08:00

Chicago II

2010-12-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

Chicago

2010-11-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

Cars

2010-11-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

I'm in Chicago for Thanksgiving break with my roommate, and it's interesting being back in a city. One thing that really stands out to me is the car culture here, which is much more vibrant than that of small-town Iowa. There's a wider variety of cars on the road, and people care more about them.

As a tourist, the aspect you see most of a city is its roads, and the cars on them. You're surrounded by hundreds of people on the freeway, but because there's no interaction with them, you know them as their cars. There's the jerkface Audi that cut you off a mile back. There's a mint, classic Volvo wagon– what a beauty! There's a lumbering Bonneville in the left lane with one tire half-flat, followed too closely by a big work truck. Losers.

I'm a relatively new car owner, so I'm still processing how it becomes a huge part of one's identity. I'd love to be able to claim it hasn't been that way for me, but honestly I'm far too proud of that beater in the parking lot. Today a friend and I went to a nearby Ford dealer to check out the new Fiesta, discovered that we knew more about the car than the salesman did, and had a lot of fun pretending to be impressed by the wheel options and seven airbags. We're going back tomorrow to see if we can get a test drive. I don't want a $15k Ford – if you gave me one I'd sell it – but it sure is fun playing these war games with the salesman.

Is this who I've become?

2010-11-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

2010-11-20T21:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight when I got off work early at 10:00, I thought I'd spend the $20 Walmart gift card I'd been given. It's cold now, so I drove with the engine barely off idle, letting the car warm up at her own pace. Thanks to the expensive repairs scheduled for next week, I'm not taking LaFawnduh the Honda for granted right now.

When I got there, I went straight to the clearance aisle, hoping to find something random and fun. Nothing. Why would anybody buy this stuff? Checked the automotive aisles, thinking I could score some cheap gadget for the high-maintenance lump sitting in the parking lot. Nothing.

Perused the toys, feeling very self-conscious as I looked at the Hot Wheels (hey, those things are actually cool)! Nothing. High school girls walking this way. Moving right along… looked at the cds. Radiohead? Not in the mood. Saosin? Meh. Brad Paisley? Much rather have nothing. Went through the men's clothing, tried on a jacket, but realized I was already wearing one.

It was getting lonely at Walmart. And I didn't want for anything.

Defeated and a little depressed, five bucks less in my wallet and a $25 iTunes gift card in the passenger seat, I didn't drive quite as gingerly on the way back. But neither did I want for anything.

2010-11-18T12:51:00.000-08:00

2010-11-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

Collaborative work with Carrie Goff for chapel at Dordt.
Chalk pastels, 3x5' paper, approx. 40 min.

2010-11-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

Photographic Manifesto

2010-11-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

Photographs captivate me because they capture a moment in time like no other medium can. It's my ambition to achieve control over my camera as if it were an extension of my body: eyes, hands, aperture and shutter working together to capture the decisive moment, or perhaps express it– for to photograph is as much to design as to capture.

Sitting between two conversations

2010-10-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I wrote all these fragments down but I'm sure I'll enjoy reading them in the future.
11:00 pm in the 55th Ave.

I had a horrible night because I didn't realize-

Ready? Ready?

It was at the end of the season, so there were all these slush spots.

What was that? This is why teams is awesome- you get stuff like that.

It was probably about the size-

I looked at it going, half a sec- he was like six cards and all the sudden you're out of your chair! Shuffle again.

How far is Vermont?

Oh my goodness. Re-shuffle. Yes!

Good terrain park out there.

That's why they're winning every time.

Did a backflip down the stairs. I've never seen anybody do that.

Hey Jordan, did you-

It was so fun.
Is he-

What are these?
Ohhhhh nooo!

These drop offs, you could get so much air off of them!

As usual.
No, we don't have any clubs.
Need some spades out there man!

I would do that. My parents are taking me sometime this year.

You guys suck!

The first breath when you get in the mountains- actually what takes your breath away is there's not as much oxygen.

That's the thing is if you're working this you really- we weren't really tag-teaming. Like, if you're working the pile,

They have a traverse, and you just go down through the woods, and there's like three foot of powder everywhere.

If I-

It was over eight feet deep. We had to pack it down with our snowboards.

We've been doing it like it is,

And there's a big cliff coming, and he just stops, and I stop. But I fall off. But it was only like fifteen feet.

One, two, and go!

And there was a random mogul.

Yes! Oh yeah, baby! We won!

Whoa, you have big hands, dude!

When I saw the youtube video, I thought they were actually adding cowbell for the video.

Some of them were really hard.

That's actually cowbell, like what were they thinking?

I always crack it, pop it right there.

Ready, go.

In my back-

Hey Emily, don't screw up.

It hurt so bad.

You guys are losing.
We're up to negative one!

Although that would be quicker.
Anyways.

Jordan-smash!

We're so lucky.
That would be awful.
Yeah. Anyways.

Six, six, six, I need a six!

Anyways, you guys know what I mean.

YEAH! WOOOO!
You sons of men and women! Daughters too.

Promising Land

2010-10-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned Rene Clement's Promising Land project on this blog before, and now he's trying to get it published. This is a very cool project, and if I weren't a broke student... anyways, here's the link.

Concert Poster, Polished

2010-10-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

After putting some more time into it (due to the evolution of event details), the result is much more graphic. The paragraph font was switched to Caslon Italic, and I think it's a great contrast with the plain headlines. Legible and classy.

Corduroy Thursday

2010-10-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Half hour of power X

2010-10-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

12:09 AM

2010-10-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is probably not quite how the architects envisioned this space being used.

Distance Relationship

2010-10-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

This couple, who are on different continents for this semester, posted these status updates within 60 seconds of each other without realizing it. Moments like this just make me laugh!

Family

2010-10-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend, it was a real pleasure to enjoy a sammich with my grandparents and sister at The Fruited Plain. The older I get, the more I appreciate them. Because they're a big part of who I am.

Parents' Weekend here at Dordt was a fun opportunity to meet a lot of other students' parents- and learn a little more about who they are.

Half hour of power IX

2010-10-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

This is a first draft for an 11x17" poster. Click on it to see it bigger.
The target audience is the Dordt student body (and, secondarily, the Sioux Center community).
Fonts used are Bebas and Footlight, though the latter will probably change.
Your thoughts?

St. Catharines III

2010-10-07T19:05:00.001-07:00

Strange Choices

2010-09-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've developed an interest in user experience (hereafter referred to as UX) design. Designing for the user to have a specific experience is relevant not just in graphic design but in anything you can possibly design. In his book The Elements of User Experience, Jesse Garrett uses the example of a coffeemaker. If you can't easily get your hot brew in the morning when you aren't thinking straight, you probably won't buy another product from that company. This idea can apply to anything: a product should never make the user feel dumb. Garrett is a real expert in this field so I hesitate to refer to his work seconds before making my own judgments about a design, but here goes.

The new Kuyper apartment building on Dordt's campus is great. It's spacious, well lit, and generally a good place to live. But there's one really interesting design choice I can't get my head around: the light switches.

In the bedrooms, there are two separate light switches for the closet lights and main ceiling fixture.

And they make me feel dumb.

Every time I walk into the room, I automatically reach for the light switch next to the door. This turns on the fixtures that are in the closets by the door. I then have to decide whether to leave them on (because I didn't need or want them on in the first place), while taking another step forward to reach the switch for the main room light switch. Sometimes I end up sideways trying to grasp for both switches at the same time, and they're just slightly further apart than my arms can comfortably reach. After over a month of living in the building, I still have to do an awkward, time-wasting side step half the time.

Hey, there could be some benefit to all this. I can turn the closet lights on and find clothes without disturbing a sleeping roommate, right? No, actually the closet lights are bright enough to wake most people up... but not bright enough for working at my desk during the day. Surely the architects had a reason for choosing the strange setup, but I can't figure out what it might be.

Southview, the next building over, has a much more elegant solution.

It seems so obvious! Put the two switches together. Users will learn within the first two attempts which switch is which. Even in the dark, it's nearly impossible to confuse the positions of the two. This arrangement is much more intuitive.

In short, I'm really curious why the choice was made to put the two light switches on different walls in Kuyper. Every design is a compromise, but this particular compromise doesn't bring any benefits I can think of.

Next up, I'll find something that's designed well and explain why I think it is. Stay classy, Sioux Center!

Good Morning

2010-09-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

The Things We Make

2010-09-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

"As a people we do well when we make good things and not so well when we don’t."
-new Jeep Grand Cherokee commercial

Chrysler seems to have learned this lesson the hard way. As a whole, it appears to be on the recovery from a couple decades of mediocre products. Through the '80s and '80's, this company plagued consumers with short-lived transmissions. It sold cars that looked suspiciously like Mitsubishis and trucks that looked tougher than they were. Its halo vehicles were outlandish styling exercises with underwhelming performance. The PT Prowler was an aggressive-looking hot rod packing an anemic V6. The Crossfire was a rebodied Mercedes SLK, detuned so as not to hurt Mercedes' own sales.

Well, the 300 is now cruising 'hoods all over America, the Challenger is lighting fires in old men's hearts, and even Jeep is somehow making sales with a dumpy little CUV named Patriot. With some branding work, Ram trucks are being differentiated from Dodge cars, and the new 200 might just be able to lose the Sebring stigma. If Chrysler can convince consumers and not just rental fleets to buy a few cars, the company might eventually pay back its debt to the American public and become an asset to its new Italian owner, Fiat.

Regardless of Chrysler's position, it was this statement that punched through a commercial miasma of nationalism and nostalgia in that TV spot I quoted earlier:

"The things we make, make us."

We're created to create. I'm sure that's not how the writer meant it when he penned the commercial, but we derive our identity and not just our national debt from what we make. I don't mean this in the shallow, materialistic sense, where it's implied that "the things we own, make us" (they do, if we let them). I mean that we all have a strong creative impulse. You can say you're not an artist, but you cannot truthfully deny your drive to make something.

I'm about to graduate college and that's all I can really hope for after December. To use my mind and hands and make something good out of this life I've been given.

I don't know

2010-09-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

why station wagons are not more popular in America than they are.

Sports

2010-09-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

2010-09-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes, just as the waves crash themselves against the sullen, hopeless cliffs, I feel a tempest of desire to embrace someone, a woman of the domestic type, but we must take this for what it is, the effect of hysterical overexcitement rather than the vision of actual reality."

Pretty wise for a guy writing from an asylum. Vincent Van Gogh (in his Letters to Theo).

Who's Dordt-stalking you? Find out now!

2010-09-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Click the chart to see it bigger.

Candidly, Dordt College

2010-09-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

1. East Campus Block Party- always a good time until somebody spikes the root beer
2. Bri and Wendy stop to talk in the Eckardt Lounge. Yes, this does happen and is not (very) posed
3. Justin and Lucas discuss room decorations

Success

2010-08-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

This year, Dordt is ranked third in the Midwest by US News & World Report. An improvement over last year's ignominious 4th-place tie with our good friends down the road in Orange City, I feel the result demonstrates real effort that went into improving things around here. It seemed like the students' voices were heard more than in previous years. The general atmosphere on campus was one of excitement and optimism despite economic hardships. There was unity, and the freshman class energized the rest of us like we hadn't experienced in the two previous years.

Last night was the first (annual, hopefully) campus-wide slip'n'slide. I am not sure how this got approved– liability and all– but it was an incredible experience. I guess about 400 students showed up. The rain held off just long enough and everyone I talked to was having a great time.

It's the kind of thing that makes Dordt great. Sure, maybe other colleges have a sanctioned slip'n'slide. But do they also have three fully optional corporate worship opportunities a week? Do they have 80% of students residing on campus, with the camaraderie* that it brings? What about a professional residence life staff that will show up to a slip-n-slide and abandon dignity to have some fun and talk to students? These things make the institution seem less like a business that rakes in money and hands out degrees and more like a special community. One in which I'm heavily invested at this point.

With momentum like this, I'm looking forward to what could be an outstanding semester. It's probably my last one here, and I hope to make it mine. To own the semester is what I want; to be able to say I'm proud of what I did here before I left. Here goes something!

*camaraderie: mutual trust and friendship among people who are stuck together in close quarters.

Week of welcome

2010-08-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

The feeling that summer is almost over.

2010-08-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Double Rainbow

2010-08-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

Too much of a good thing

2010-08-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

I like work. There is probably not a more satisfying feeling than slumping on the couch after a sixty hour work week, like I am right now. But there is also a strange, dull complacency about starting it again on Monday. My creativity is blunted and I've been half sick for a week and a half. I can't seem to muster excitement about anything and get annoyed with people way more easily than I should. I think I understand why adults are so boring.

But enough whinging: the end is in sight. Just a couple more weeks of this and it's back to the less wearisome job of being a student. I can't wait too find out what great things God has in store for this semester!

What The Kids Are Up To: Warped Report 2010

2010-08-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I hopped in a car with two girls I didn't know and drove up to the twin cities for a rock show. Just a rock show? No, my friends, the Warped Tour is more than that. It's a fascinating cross-section of the messed-up American music scene, it drives trends in the industry, it entertains probably a few million people every summer. Kids go to be seen, "adults" go to get wasted, and everybody gets a big dose of music at the same time. Say what you will about the jaded bands, needy emo kids, and $5 drinks– Warped is a good time for your 40 bucks. I saw quite a few bands this year. If you care about music, or are very bored and would rather read about my Shakopee Warped experience than do something useful, keep reading. I don't even have any pictures- left the camera in the car with no regrets.

VersaEmerge: Chiodos wannabes with a female lead. Shrill high-pitched synth scales running up and down over a double-kick-bass foundation. Add a wall of rhythm guitar and a convoluted bass line with occasional bass drops and tell the kids to mosh. At least they were melodic, with some very catchy lines.

We The Kings: Toward the end of a long day of rock, this pop group was actually a welcome relief. No screaming and no anger, just puppy love. They were definitely playing for the ladies, but their cover of Jimmy Eat World's The Middle made it worth sitting through the show with the girls.

Flatfoot 56: A great celtic punk band out of Chicago, and they're Christian. These were the only guys I really wanted to meet after their set, because their stage presence was so unpretentious. I did, and bought a shirt. Have you ever moshed to Amazing Grace? That's the emotion the song deserves!

Tip The Van: Girly ska, what?? Yes, a female-fronted ska band, with energy to spare. They had a small enough circle pit that I got a chance to actually skank instead of fight for survival. I don't really remember the music, though it was good. I just remember high fives all around in the pit and I rocked out hard enough to lose my earplugs (found 'em back, even!).

Reel Big Fish: When you think of third wave ska, it's these guys along with O.C. Supertones and Mighty Mighty Bosstones. They played a really fun set, including covers of Enter Sandman and Take On Me. Even though it was the hottest time of day and everybody was dripping sweat, the energy in the crowd was huge. I'd like to see them again. Well, any punk band with a trombone and trumpet, really…

Alesana: Shrill screamo. I didn't enjoy it much. Am I too old?

Mayday Parade: pop punk with just enough distortion and heavy drums to let the band appeal to girls and their boyfriends.

The Casualties: You could call this real punk, but you'd be at least ten years too late. Angry they are, but it's a very contrived rage. They've been around long enough to perfect the art of bottling angst and selling it to the young audience. Drinking three beers on stage instead of the provided Monster brand water isn't rebellious; it only demonstrates alcoholic tendencies. The band does have a classic punk sound.

Pennywise: Ditto. I don't have much more to say about them than The Casualties, but they played a very accurate cover of Blitzkrieg Bop and their ever-popular anthem Bro Hymn. Which are two very good songs. Drunken fans provided some entertainment value too.

The Rocket Summer: Pure, undiluted pop with a prominent keyboard part. They did some cool live mixing though.

Haste The Day: An honest, if unremarkable Christian metalcore band. Enjoyable for the headbanging and lack of gimmicks.

Notably Absent: We left too early to see Alkaline Trio, and Sum 41 didn't perform due to sickness. We did meet Tom, the guitarist of that good old Canadian pop-punk band. Lindsey spent the next half hour texting all her friends about it.

Senior Photos

2010-07-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

California: overexposed

2010-07-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

4th

2010-07-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

The City of Sioux Center put on a decent fireworks show, but I don't think it topped the spectacular sunset earlier that evening.

American Hunter

2010-07-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

She patiently leans on a shopping cart more empty than full.

He faces the other way, a tableau of indecision.

After twenty painful seconds of this, he makes his choice. Selecting a sausage from a shelf of options that all look the same, he carefully hands it to her. She hefts it, nods in affirmation, and places it in the cart.

Another small victory for the hunter!

Half hour of power VIII

2010-07-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

Original photo of B.J. Haan ~~courtesy of~~ stolen from LIFE.

Half hour of power VII

2010-06-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

Click to see larger.

A question of the eyes vs. the heart

2010-06-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

When I saw this at the drive-in last night, I knew I had to shoot it. I really wanted to capture the little piece of life in the Midwest. So I did, with great care not to bother anyone.

But I'm not sure it's ethical to take pictures like that. They say public events are fair game, but nobody goes to the movies expecting a kid with a Nikon to post their likeness on a blog the next day.

When you look at this with the knowledge that it's a stolen portrait, do you still like it? Chime in– there's a comments section for a reason.

Kirbee

2010-06-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

I went along with my roommate to make pictures of his three-month-old niece. Ella is beautiful, a wonderful creation. She's beginning to imitate noises, she tries to support herself, she gurgles and smiles at you, and your heart is stolen.

I ended up dissatisfied with all the baby pictures I snapped, but I did feel like I was able to capture some of her mother's incredible love for her.

Half hour of power VI

2010-06-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Photoshop practice.

Youth of the summer

2010-06-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

Flying down the interstate
my car hit a lightning bug at seventy.
Its remains glowed on the windshield.
If I were more like me than I am,
I'd write an avant-garde poem about it.

You can't make this stuff up

2010-06-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

As I was getting off work at the grocery store tonight, a few friends arrived, shopping for groceries to greet our newlywed friends to their new apartment. "If we sold condoms, I'd buy 'em a family pack," I told Travis in what I thought was a fairly hushed tone. We snickered and continued perusing the frozen goods.

Two minutes later, as we were about to check out, a distinguished middle-aged gentleman approached me, looking a little bit worried. "Excuse me."

I realized I was still in uniform and snapped to attention. "How can I help you, sir?"

"You don't sell condoms?"

I will always be proud that I was able to hold a straight face as I replied, "Sorry, I don't actually know. I work in the meat department. I was just wondering, myself."

Stock Cars and B-Mods

2010-06-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

At Sioux Speedway Thursday night for the first race of the season.

Road Trip Sunsets

2010-06-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

Kansas

Iowa

An Honest Hug

2010-05-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

I was eating my cereal when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I yelled, hoping I wouldn't have to put a shirt on. Hannah poked her head in, then jumped into the apartment with a huge smile. "Andrew! Hey!"

"You're back! Let me put on a shirt real quick."

She rolled her eyes. "You don't need one." She was right. Hannah is like a sister to me. After we hugged, she didn't stop talking for an hour, and I didn't even mind. It was amazing to see the joy and wonder of someone who just got out of the Midwest for the first time in her life. And what an escape. Zambia! As she described the food, the hospitality, and all the other experiences of the trip– people who had never tasted brownies!– I was more than content to sit and listen.

Now I want to travel, and maybe further than Kansas.

My honorary sisters Rela and Hannah.