Foldable Dice

This is the foldable dice I made for Fruzil garden game. Its very easy to fold and to glue too. The dice got one way to fold it flat and everything is very balance so it would not turn the same side each time. Below is the PDF file of the dice if you want to print it out and to make it yourself. I made 3 color versions a white, blue and a red version of the dice. Fold the striped line before gluing it. And use a embossing pen to make it easier to fold.

If you want to put this foldable dice on your website please link back to this blog. Download the foldable dice here.
For the best quality and that it can fold and be strong in of, print it on 180 grams paper.

Click here to view the 3d wrl file to see how to fold the dice. To watch this wrl download a WRL viewer here.

Update plastic version

The update is not in the form or shape or how it is folded it is the materials. Here above I use a acrylate sheet and silver marker to make the dots. You can buy these sheets at any hobby shop or bookstore. But at professional art and craft stores you can buy colored ones. These sheets makes the dice much stronger than the paper ones and also better against sweaty hands. The markers you can buy at any store at Christmas times there are allot of stores selling silver and gold markers.
This one is made with a blue acrylate sheet and a gold marker.

To make these plastic dice you can print out the template. Cut it out and past it with glue that does not stain on the acrylate sheet (I used photo glue that it really great because I can pull it off with out a stain). Then cut the form out of the sheet. When you are done grab a empty pen or a pencil and trace the folds on the acrylate. This will make the plastic easier to fold. Then just glue it all together. If you don't want to use super glue because it stains there are glass glue that are transparent and dries with sun light and don't leave nasty stains like super glue.

TMVG1 Fruzil garden game

This was a theme base project where I had to work in a team. However we all made different designs and later the teacher /the company would choose the best designs. The imaginary company we had to work for was named Bunda ( should not search google for this word because it means "ass"). This company export organic products from Brazil and want to set up a branch in Europe. First assignment was a research which was very boring and too much on a marketing side.Then we had to find a new name for the new branch of Bunda. We first had Tutti Frutti which is a existing product of dried fruit, but there were no companies that were named Tutti Frutti. But Bunda applied that you can't name it that, because it is known product. It like calling a company banana and sell different fruits instead of only bananas.

However I found a better name very fast. The new name would become Fruzil, which is a combination of the word fruit and Brazil. Fru in Fruzil is used because there are many languages that uses these 3 letter in there word for fruit. Like frutto, frutta, frutti and fruit. And the last part ZIL of Brazil. And we had search if anything was called like this, but there was totally nothing.These are a few ideas for the logo. First top left is about export cause you see the orange circles going to the i. Top right is a subtle leaf on the i making it a kind of fruit. Both lower logo are about sunny Brazil and showing a sliced orange.
And this is what it become after comments from Bunda. The logo had to show more the way of Brazil and fun side. So I use a some what thicker font Vag rounded.

The company already have a strategy how to get publicity in Europe. They want to give a free board game to the costumers who buys their products.
This is my board game concept. The game exist of different small cards with fields on it. The game can be played in few different ways. Like the magic labyrinth or make a own road and see who get to the finish first. Or place everything in a straight line and try to get to the finish first and try to block the way of the other players.These are the equipment for the game everything should be made in cardboard to preserve the environment without using any plastic or any harmful materials, because its a organic company. Even the dice is made out of cardboard, it totally fold able so it could fit into the package easily. The pawn can be pushed out of the card and the costumers can put them together.Trying to make use of the packaging and use less materials the rules and inventory were placed on the packaging it self. Because everything is a card and flat I though it could fit easily in a packaging that looks like a pack of poker cards.And this is my banner to advertise for this the free board game.

And the between presentation my concept was chosen only the packaging had to change into an envelop because one of my team member designed a concept that would use a envelop because it's cheaper. After that we had to make the concept into a real prototype.

How ever I only was assigned to do the fold able dice and the banner because I was the only one who knew how they worked. But end result isn't that bad. I also had to make the photograph of everything.The game was placed on top of a light table and it made a pretty good result.This look like a real commercial shot of the game. Would have look great if we had use my packaging design and used this picture on it.And this is what the banner looks like. Click the picture to see the animated version of the banner. We finished this project with a great result. And earned allot of competent points.

Realistic vector watch

This was made for a theme projects. This was one of the many assignments. for tis assignments I had to make a vector Illustration of a bitmap picture of watch. And I wanted to make the watch as realistic as possible. And its pretty realistic if you don't look at it from close by.This is the the outline view of the watch. Allot of time gone into the meters and small lines. Since the vector Camaro I learned allot, how to work the gradients better and more experience with the pathfinder.

Capturing Colors

Color pencils in a row with a high saturation. This is a collection of photo's that I made in my free time. I am trying out some new ways to get great pictures without making a studio. By taping a sheet of paper directly onto a desk lamp and using the camera in total manual. And also trying to create special effect using a light table/ tracer.

Copic Markers in a circle with a spotlight from above.

Copic markers on the light tracer and a spotlight above.

Spiral of pencils. All the colors I got plus a HB pencil en a 1B.

Shadow of color pencils, I made the photo with the pencils on top of a light tracer.

Logo Design Process step 1. Brainstorming

I will be making a tutorial for people who want to learn how to design a logo. This will be the first step on every design, that is making a mindmap. A mindmap? you might say. A mindmap is a sheet where you write down specific information in a diagram that you need to get a idea where to start.

I will show you how I will be making a logo in few steps. I will be making a logo for a non existing company. After searching for a good name I though of a name of a slogan. The name for the company is Limakis Design, and Limakis stand short for Less is more and keep it simple. I searched around if there are companies that have this name, and found there is non.

So what do we need, to make a mindmap. Actually you just need a pen and a sheet of paper, but there are software that makes life easier. Like Microsoft Visio that can make a diagrams, but recently I found a free online program that is totally free. That program is called Bubbl.us you can visit this link http://www.bubbl.us to use this program. It is a very straight forward and easy to use, and I use it in this tutorial.

So lets start brainstorming and go to http://www.bubbl.us and press the start button.

I won't be explaining how bubbl will work because it got a own help menu that explains everything.

The first word we will write down and the center of it all will be Limakis, because it is the main subject. The main subject is always in the middle so you always remember what it is all about.

From this word on you will start to make child balloons to start on the diagram. But first we need to ask ourself or the company few question to determine allot of stuff so you know what the company does en represent and what they really want.

These are few questions we need to ask to determine allot of things.
- What kind of company is it?
- What do they sell or produce?
- What is there motto or slogan?
- What theme of feeling do they want?
- Which colors?
- For what are they going to use it?
- Objects?
- Illustrations?

From these question we will write down the answers and then search for words that got something to do with them and connect them all together. Of course if you got different question and got problem you need to figure out you can write them down as well. Also write down things you need to do or need to keep with, as you could use this as a reminder list. And just write down the words with a logical connection to all of these.


And here is the mindmap for Limakis. Of course this could be bigger and more words but this is in of for you all to know how to make a mindmap. To make its even more easier to understand and for yourself to make this less boring, you could add picture to the mindmap.

From this mindmap we can determine the logo need to be simple and not buzy with little things. And use little colors with allot white space.

Design process
1. Brainstorming
2. Moodboard
3. Design

Cure Coatings / Available

This is my entry for Cure Coatings logo contest. Cure Coating is a coating companie that make special coating. The logo need to show a coating and performance and protection.
This logo got a quite long process to develop the final version.

This was the first idea for the logo. Three squares in a perspective view layered on top of each other to represent coatings.After comment from the contest holder we get to hear that its a single layer on top a surface. So I changed the logo from three layers to two. And looked at different colors. But still lacked performance and protection. After a while I though about a check mark that represents a ricochet of something bouncing of the coating. This way the check mark show that their products are good. The contest holder liked the added check mark. But needed something more solid with the colors and so I showed some colors that I find that works with the logo. And the contest holder liked the green black version. And to finish it I added a subtle amound of gradient in the logo. And that brings us back to the top logo.

Firefighters fighting fire above my apartment

About 3 to 4 o'clock in the morning I woke up hearing hard compressor noise looked out of the window and saw firefighters. When I went outside, the fire was already out. However I managed to take few picture from the living room window of the firefighters. But I should have gone outside to photograph so I wont have the trouble of reflections from the windows.
I found out that its hard to get good light picture of them because of its really dark and a slow shutter time is very hard to hold the camera still. So had to compromise it, so that I could still get a sharp picture.Something not to do is to use flash lights as you can see the flashlight reflects very bright from the reflector paint and clothing parts. But it does give a very cool effect. Click full post to see the rest of the pictures.
Also there using a very bright light to help them to look better at the building. But cause of the light its very hard to get a bright picture.
I managed to make a small panorama picture from out of the living room window. Around 5 to 6 o'clock they went away so haven't got real good sleep from this though. However the firefighters did not said to the people to evacuate the building. But I am not sure if its a small fire or what, because they said nothing. There were 3 firefighter vehicles, a cop car and a ambulance. But don't think this would get into the local papers though.

Packaging Department Packaging

For PAC1 we had to design the logo for Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam Packaging department. Also we had to make few packaging design for few free gifts. I gave myself extra theme to these designs. Every package will not use any glue. First gift is for the new student of Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam. Its a USB-stick for transporting files and schoolwork. The USB-stick is fastened with a plastic sheet to the cardboad packaging. The packaging got a double flap so you wont directly see how it fastened. And also necessary information can be printed on the inside.
Second gift is for the teachers of GLR, they wil get a free mp3 player. And also will see the skill of the packaging department and what they can do. The MP3 is on top of the box which have the cables inside. The MP3 can be see directly by the costumer, the MP3 is fastened with a plastic sheet that got a special lock to the box under it.
The last gift is for the companies that are in search for Packaging Designers. The Slimpen floats in the middle of the package, its secured by 2 plastic sheets that got a lock onto the sides.

Photographing nature from the shadowside

Here are few photo's that I made in my free time cycling around the city in Maassluis. Here is a collection of nature shots that are made in the shadow with the sun toward me. The dark light contrast in these photo's give the view in the nature more life then when everything is perfect bright and colored. Click full post to see the rest of the pictures.
Here I tried to capture the reflection of the sky in the water.
Here I tried to find light and dark contrast and tried to get the trees in shadow and the grass to be light.
Here its was getting dark but saw a great glow throe the trees. It got a very nice total dark effect and light in the distance.
Here I try to capture the water stream. It is a great light dark contrast photo.

Wisenheimer Tees / Avaible

My entry for Wisenheimer Tees. Wisenheimer Tees sells t-shirt so I found the W look much like a colar for a polo shirt. So I made the initials into a shirt.

Idioma

This is my entry for the Idioma contest. Because Idioma is a consultant company I used the shape of a dialog box around the name. I choose not to use caps for the i to show that there are i and not l.

Proofmark

This is my entry for Genuine Proofmark contest. Genuine proofmark is a button on the bottom of the e-mail to check if the mail is real of not.

Fedilis / Available

This is my entry for Fidelis medical group. I had this idea for a long time to pull a part of a letter into one point. But I am not really satisfied with flat colored version of the logo.

The Decal Source / Available

This is my first entry for TDS / The Decal Source. The Decal Source is a company that works with racing teams and make the decals for on the racing vehicles. This year is their 10th anniversary and they want a new logo their company. They wanted a new logo that is fast and the may got something to do with racing. This logo I don't want to stay with there original logo and don't want to use racing flag, because its too easy and used too much for something that got to do with racing. So tried something more about decals. Left block resembles a sticker that going to be paste and the dark block on the right is the shadow and the area where it will be paste.
This is a revision because the contest holder wanted a more racy and fast feeling to the logo. I gave the logo a bigger angle so its more edgy and fast. And block under the T from small to big is a kind of speed movements.

ShiiZen / Available

This in my logo entry for Shiizen. This a acupuncture company in Australia. The name Shiizen means nature in Japanese. However I know it should be shizen with one i instead of two. But the company is called Shiizen with double i. Here I tried to make hills with nature and bottom with a body curve with few acupuncture needles. Only the needles didn't really add more value to the whole picture.

Creative Minds / Available

This logo was actually made by mistake, during a project I though we had to make a logo for our group but it wasn't needed. This CM logo shape stand for a brain or a dialog box. Have been trying to give it a web 2.0 color but didn't add any value to it. It is good in of to stand on it own. And it is really great logo because I change the colors allot and learned a bit how the colors react on this logo. Here the cyan and gray make the logo very fresh and new, like a new company.

And how darker the colors become how more serious the logo become. However it depends allot on the target you aim for which colors to choose. If you are targeting young and youthful costumers the fresh logo would do best. If you want to have more established look and serious company the darker color what you want.

CLOSE UPS OF A LADY BUG

This is a real lady bug that was walking on the living room table. It was very dark so I had to lower the shutter time and also used a higher ISO. But its very hard to capture the lady bug on camera because it don't want to stay still so the shutter time can't be too short. And can't use flashlight because its so small and get scared and fly away. So I had to change the ISO and get a bit grainy pictures instead. He is still somewhere in the living room and haven't flew out of the window yet. So might get more chances to get better pictures.

My name will appear on the Team KR bike

This weekend during the final race of the Motogp at Valencia my name will appear in the right side logo on the tail of the Kenny Roberts bike, that will be ridden by Kurtis Roberts.
Many luck during the final race in Valencia Team KR and Kurtis Roberts.