September 11, 2012

Robo Jams

Robo Jams: Cover Design and Playlist Curation by Chris Engler

Nope, still haven’t written the big “Moving To South Carolina” post yet. I think it’s because I’m still getting used to it down here. Still finding all the good lunch spots, still working on my tan, etc. However, I did manage to create a pretty impressive playlist of some favorite EDM tracks called Robo Jams. It has a wide variety of subgenres, but in general the playlist is pretty upbeat. Perfect for a night of late-night code wrangling, or any other time you need to stimulate your neural net. Check it out below:

I should mention that Porter Robinson, one of my favorite DJs lately, hails from Chapel Hill, NC. It’s good to see North Carolina artists making their mark in the electronic scene.

Posted in Design, Design A Playlist, Illustration, Music
July 31, 2012

The Macho Mix

The Macho Mix: Cover Design and Track Curation by Chris Engler

There’s definitely been a lack of updates lately. Lots of things have been going on in the past few weeks. Specifically, I’ve relocated from Charlotte, the city I’ve called home since graduating college, to Charleston, South Carolina. I’ve been staying creative, and plan on posting some updates on a few projects, but for now, I’ll share this long-overdue album design and playlist, entitled “The Macho Mix.” These tracks are perfect for an alligator-wrestling, whiskey-swilling, molotov-cocktail-throwing night of testosterone. Local bands from NC are highlighted in bold. You can listen to The Macho Mix below, or download it on Spotify.

1. “Rock Out” by Motorhead
2. “Shoot First And Run Like Hell” by Nashville Pussy
3. “Painkiller” by Judas Priest
4. “I Just Wanna Rock” by Municipal Waste
5. “Problems” by The Sex Pistols
6. “Rock And Roll Weekend” by The Flat Tires
7. “I’m A Babyface Killer” by Antiseen
8. “Metal Metal Land” by GWAR
9. “The Prisoner” by Iron Maiden
10. “Con Artist” by Remembering Never
11. “Unbreakable” by Sabaton
12. “Straight To Your Face” by Hatebreed
13. “I Just Wanna Start A Circle Pit” by Against All Authority
14. “Jenny Two-Times” by The Dielectrics
15. “Drunk, Tired And Mean” by Nine Pound Hammer

Posted in Design, Design A Playlist, Illustration, Music
May 16, 2012

Measuring The Universe

Stumbled onto this really cool animation explaining how astronomers measure the distance between distance objects in space, and their relative distance from Earth. Some of the concepts are a little tricky to grasp, but the minimalist character design and animation make this a very enjoyable piece. Check it out!

Posted in Design, Illustration, Motion Graphics
April 27, 2012

Design A Playlist: The Macho Mix

Ever need to knock out a rough day on the job, a brutal workout, an intense study session, or a late night of coding? I find that the best way to get shit done, when you really have to bring every ounce of grit, guts and brains to the table, is to have the right soundtrack. That’s why I’m putting together The Macho Mix. I’ll be curating a playlist 15-20 tracks of hard-hitting punk and metal expertly designed to help you get through the rough stuff.

But I can’t do it alone, I need your help. If you have a favorite song that helps you power through a long day like a hot chainsaw through butter, email me with a link to it on YouTube, Grooveshark, Spotify or Rdio. I’ll post it here with a fancy-ass album cover design. To keep the playlist cohesive, I’m asking only for good punk and metal this time. Future “Design A Playlist” posts may be more eclectic. Thanks to my lovely wife Krista for the idea and to you for contributing.

Posted in Design, Music
April 21, 2012

North Carolina Politics: Amendment One

Remember when I said I was gonna try to steer clear of politics a few posts back? Yeah, me neither.

Right now there’s an odious piece of legislation working it’s way through the North Carolina Legislature. It’s known as the North Carolina Same-Sex Marriage Amendment. Because it’s 11:54pm on a Friday night, I won’t go into too many specifics about why it’s a horseshit law that flies in the face of any pretense of good-old-fashioned conservative “small government”. All you need to know is that, in the year 2012, amendments like this are a curious anachronism at best, and wholehearted bigotry at worst.

Having absolutely no influence in the North Carolina House of Representatives or Senate, I’ve decided to do the next best thing: design Facebook profile icons and cover images that encourage young, web-savvy Facebook users to take a collective stand against this hopelessly antiquated amendment. Will it change every heart in Raleigh? Probably not, but at long as it gets the issue on the minds of the voting public, I’ll feel like I’ve done my job. You can download both sets of cover images and profile icons here.

And while I’ve got your attention, seriously, vote “NO” on May 8th against Amendment One. Don’t let a bunch of old white guys in Raleigh decide what constitutes “love” and “family.” I can think of few things that are more personal and sacred.

Posted in Design, Life
April 12, 2012

Flipping Out About Facebook

While it’s sad to see a plucky startup like Instagram be absorbed into the Borg Collective that is Facebook (they’re definitely not the first, but probably among the most “controversial”,) I think we need to take a step back from our nerd-rage and remember that it’s also part and parcel of the extremely fast-paced world of web-based technology today. Companies come and go all the time, both due to intense competition, the rapid pace of technological development, and mercurial consumer demands. Facebook is just doing what they feel is necessary to stay on top.

On the other hand, a diverse marketplace is what breeds innovation and, ultimately, benefits consumers. Monopolies are never a good thing*, and if huge tech companies like Facebook and Google simply buy out the competition, as opposed to creating better alternatives, that can’t be good for users. In any case, I’m interested to see how this plays out. Will Instagram be heavily integrated into the Facebook experience, or will it largely be left alone?

*Internet browsers being the only exception because that would make my job so much easier.

Posted in Life, Technology
April 11, 2012

Captain America: The First Avenger

These Captain America titles are just flippin’ great. If you’ve seen my work, you may have noticed that I’m way into old propaganda posters, particularly pre-war, Constructivist art. This sequence mixes both Art History and The History Channel all into one really engaging piece of work. You literally dive into the poster as these larger-than-life images are given a sense of 3-dimensional depth.

My dad, a 30-year USMC veteran and an avid history buff, would love this.

Posted in Design, Inspiration, Motion Graphics
April 1, 2012

An Introduction

Howdy folks.

I’ve been thinking about starting a blog for a while. At first, I was thinking I might step away from discussing design all the time and devote my blogging specifically to news and politics. Brilliant, right? Nobody’s ever done that before! As I was working on some material for it, I decided that wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to devote a bunch of time to posting what would essentially be a weekly manifesto, (hey, if you’re gonna argue, argue right.)

So I decided to go back to my roots and integrate the blog I was working on with my new website. Along with keeping my blood pressure in check, I would have a little more leeway in the amount of content that I could produce and share. Sometimes I may post manifestos, other times, a simple video or photo will do.

In any case, keep an eye out here for updates. You may learn something new, and I may learn how to talk gooder.

Posted in Design, Life