katy creative

We are Live.

2011-01-09T00:40:00.000-08:00

yes, it's true. i finally have a website.

come. explore. leave happy. www.katyabramson.com

favorites of late

2010-08-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ryan Bingham at the Levitt Pavilion last Thursday. mmmmm, he was good.

LaurieBStyle in a shoot we did for The Fashion Fronline contest.

A stunner from a shoot for the lovely & talented musician Sonnet.

Ciaran’s Heroes

2010-06-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

For the past year, I have been following a blog documenting the struggles and recovery of a very brave little girl. CiaranNeiman.wordpress.com.

On July 17, 2010 The Neiman's are hosting a wine tasting / silent auction to fundraise for Ciaran's recovery and I jumped at the chance to help. I have donated these two, 5x7 prints to the silent auction.

Ciaran Quinn Neiman

“The Warrior Princess”

Ciaran is a beautiful and happy little girl who celebrated her 3rd birthday on June 20, 2010. She loves to smile and laugh, just like her parents Doug and Shannon Neiman.

Last July, Ciaran contracted a very serious E. Coli infection from an unknown source. Unfortunately, the infection lead to life threatening complications – a disease called Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (HUS).

In Ciaran’s case, while fighting HUS, she suffered a series of micro strokes. As a result, she has lost normal function of her limbs, as well as the ability to speak clearly and eat normally. Fortunately, her cognitive abilities remain intact.

After 5 months in three different hospitals, Ciaran is on the road to recovery. Her rehabilitation includes intensive physical, occupational, speech, and eating therapies on a daily basis. She has been nicknamed “The Warrior Princess” as she tackles these therapies with amazing determination. The process is not easy and takes a great deal of time, but Ciaran has the potential to retrain other portions of her brain and restore her loss of function.

Intensive therapy over the next year is critical to her recovery.

Most recently, Ciaran went through a 3 week concentrated physical therapy program at The Napa Center. This rehabilitation program goes well beyond traditional therapies and has been able to produce results far above the standard therapy. Doug and Shannon hope to continue with these types of specialized treatment programs to help Ciaran achieve a full recovery.

If you would like to make a donation or submit an item to the silent auction, send to: Monica Kennedy, 745 Toyopa Drive, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272. Make check payable to Ciaran Neiman. All proceeds & donations will go directly to Ciaran’s Rehabilitation.

Sonnet Photoshoot

2010-05-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

even though i hold a degree in commercial digital photography i don't consider myself a photographer. well that might have changed on saturday when i spent the day shooting the lovely & talented singer / songwriter Sonnet. the images above are from the "studio" portion of the shoot. see more pics from the shoot on flickr.

model / musician: Sonnet
styled by: Laurie B Style

see Sonnet live Tuesday, June 1st 2010 at the Hotel Cafe - 10pm. i am so there.

'Date Night' Photo Shoot

2010-05-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

at it again with Laurie B Style. last night we took over the Grove and finished up at The Village Idiot. fun with photoshop (also one of my favorite pics of the evening) below.

favorite pics of 2010... so far

2010-05-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

my favorite meal from the big LA - Seattle road trip in February. a waffle with pepper bacon, brie, fresh basil and house-made peach jam from The Waffle Window, Portland, OR. oooohh yeah.

my favorite shot from a photo shoot for my fabulous friend, Laurie Brucker.

i take a lot of pictures of this guy. he's a fantastic subject. this one is my favorites of late.

Favorites of 2009

2009-12-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

December 31st, 2009. wow. what a great year. here are a few highlights. enjoy!

Favorite New Blog: JewelryWhore

Creator of JewelryWhore, Jade has been artfully running the site since January 2008. I stumbled upon this treasure during a normal afternoon of blog-hopping and I have been mesmerized ever since. Her blog is packed full of goodies like DIY projects, weekly sample sales, the latest jewelry trends, styling advice and so much more. The variety of styles and price points showcased is refreshing. I'm hooked.

Favorite New Burger Joint: Umami Burger

My apologies, Father's Office. You make a hell of a burger, but it's time to move on. I recently had the most delicious burger of my life at Umami Burger Hollywood. With the recent explosion of high end burger joints serving craft beer to match, Umami Burger has risen to the top. They boast 10(ish) yummy burgers, DELICOUS sides and an acceptable beer/wine list based on an interesting concept that I will leave to Jonathan Gold to describe.

The restaurant is dedicated to the concept of umami, the savory, meaty "fifth taste" that may be technically defined as the carboxylate anion of glutamic acid, which is to say the dash of soy sauce in your stir-fry or the catsup you like with your fries. - Jonathan Gold. full article here.

Does that make sense? All you need to know is the food is delicious. JUST GO!

Favorite New Weekend Activity: Hiking

My handsome and talented boyfriend recently turned me on to the wonderful world of hiking. A couple months ago I found myself on top of the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains. This profound experience has led to many subsequent hikes all over southern California. For me, hiking has been a challenging, exciting, emotional, rewarding experience. California is such a beautiful state that I am finally beginning to explore. And now I look forward to my first backpacking trip in a couple of days. I'm so excited!!

My New Hobby: Photography

This magical art form has interested me since I was a child. My sisters and I would create elaborate sets for our fashion shoots that consisted of "clothes" made out of old sheets. I continued to document my life through photography and in 2006, I earned a degree in Commercial Digital Photography. After a 3-year hiatus in which I discovered my current career, graphic design, I have recently drifted back. It's no mystery, I got an SLR for my 30th birthday (October) and since then I rarely go anywhere without it. I continue to explore new techniques, such as using Photoshop to create panoramas and fake tilt-shift miniatures. Photoshop is a powerful tool that I am glad to have on my side. Documenting our hikes has been quite a thrill as well. I enjoy exploring this world through a lens, and I will continue to do so.

Thank you for reading. Don't forget to visit my friends!

my holiday card

2009-12-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

happy holidays!

Dos Equis Logo

2009-12-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

Last week I spent a couple of hours creating this logo for a video spoof on the Dos Equis, Most Interesting Man in the World commercials. I redrew the Dos Equis logo from scratch and made some adjustments to better accommodate the updated subject matter.

With the help of some friends, Rikki Glassman created this hilarious video. Difficult to explain, this is a must see.

that's me!!!!

It's that time of year again!

2009-12-15T18:49:00.000-08:00

GAG gift giving time! Around this time every year, my department gets bombarded with ridiculous graphics requests for gag gifts. It has always mildly infuriated me that for two weeks in December my time and talent (I'm using the word loosely) is spent creating the silliest, most ridiculous items you can imagine. The purpose of these items is to entertain and humiliate co-workers, a sport that interests me little. I worked (and continue to work) on my share of stupid, waste-of-time gag gifts, however THIS year I got a real gem.
The Boarding Pass.

I designed a fake boarding pass and accompanying sleeve to inform Mrs. Managing Director's Wife that Mr. Managing Director is taking her to France in 2010. This was less of a gag gift and more of a Christmas present. This project fell right into my creative wheelhouse and boy was it fun.

Following some light internet research the design fell into place quickly. I ran into a few question marks while creating the sleeve, considering airlines don’t issues these anymore I didn’t have a good sample to look at. Are they shorter or longer than the boarding pass? Are they open or closed at the bottom? After some consideration, I went with a size and design that made sense to me. Printing had the usual snags but nothing I couldn’t handle. At the end of the day Mr. Managing Director is happy and I have another piece for my portfolio. Everybody wins.

homemade vanilla extract

2009-12-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

My apologies if you are one of the future recipients of this homemade gift, but I couldn't wait any longer. This one has been on the works for weeks and I'm ready to share. For the past six weeks I have been brewing homemade vanilla extract in my very own kitchen. It's a simple process: vodka + vanilla beans + six weeks = vanilla extract. Well, it's a little more complicated. directions here.

After whipping up the vanilla concoction in a large mason jar I had plenty of time to ponder packaging variables. Boy, did I ponder. I found the bottle right away, but the label took a bit more tinkering. Due to the shape of the bottle, the label needed to be round. My first attempt was zazzle.com. I uploaded a design and my order arrived a few days later (love the quickness). Unfortunately, the stickers were a tiny bit too small. I had enough time to find an alternative and although no one else on the planet would have noticed, I knew that those tiny labels would haunt my dreams forever. So, I searched online and luckily found (correction, my boss found it) exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Pike!

When all of the components were ready I strained the vanilla mixture (now vanilla extract), poured it into the individual jars and slapped on the labels. It didn’t take me long to realize that the cork stopper was unsuitable for liquid (Doh!). I traveled with three bottles recently and found that the cork cap soaked up the vanilla. In fact, that cork LOVED my yummy homemade vanilla extract. No matter how tight that cap was lodged into the bottle, the vanilla was still going to escape through the cap. What is the lesson here people? Cork is an unsuitable stopper for liquid. The rest of the bottles have been repackaged into 3oz glass bottles with an airtight bail-and-seal hermetic closure.

This was a fun project. I encountered some hiccups along the way but I’m happy with the end result. Looking forward to handing these bad boys out!

Make vanilla extract at home and order my labels here.

laura's birthday gift - revealed!

2009-11-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

continuing with my handmade pledge, i created these "happy birthday laura" pennant banners for my old friend.

i used a different pattern for every pennant and then cut out each letter by hand using an exacto knife.

now it gets interesting. after i had cut out all the letters it occurred to me to take it a step further. instead of tossing the letters, i organized and scanned them to create this card to accompany the banners. a handmade gift AND a handmade card. the total package.

Final Wish Flyer

2009-11-13T16:40:00.000-08:00

i designed this flyer for my friend, Lauren Chojnacki, who's mother was recently diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. if you are in the LA area i encourage you to participate in this event (details above).

laura's birthday teaser

2009-11-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

laura's birthday teaser. handmade, of course. more to come...

handmade card

2009-10-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

continuing with my handmade pledge, i created this card to accompany the seed packet. i also made one of those super-hip wrap mailing labels. done and done. this baby is on it's way to chicago. i hope sara likes it!

grand central market

2009-10-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

during a recent exploration of grand central market in downtown LA i had a tongue taco. no joke. this gentleman made it right in front of my eyes. it was quite an experience.

that's my tongue.

the final product. beautiful yet kind of yucky.

seed packet project

2009-10-22T16:01:00.001-07:00

so here we have my latest craft project. i have decided to do a semi-handmade thing (i know there is an actual handmade pledge, but i'm lazy sometimes so I’m not going to commit to that) wherein i make thoughtful, crafty, handmade gifts for my friends and family. i think this is going to help my creative process overall, requiring me to start planning earlier and be more patient. these are good things.

ok. so i’ve made a custom perennial mix seed packet. i created a template in InDesign and laid out a fun design, including care instructions complete with cute little icons. next steps – print, cut, score, fold and glue but not before filling the packet with seeds. i think this came out awesome.

i'm a terrible blogger

2009-10-22T15:59:00.001-07:00

IMG_0331, originally uploaded by katy creative.

ok, i know i'm a terrible blogger. my posts are erratic and succinct. my creativity comes in spurts, my internet is spotty and i can be very lazy. i wish i were more diligent, but really, i'm ok with how things are going. i don't even think anyone reads this blog, so there is very little pressure. it's more of a way for me to see all the cool stuff i have done over the years. it's quite narcissistic, actually. my point is that I have no point. this is really just an excuse to post this cool picture i took of my sister recently.

bon iver - 2009

2009-09-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

sunday morning i experienced an amazing event. bon iver played a sunrise (as in 5:45am) show at the hollywood forever cemetery. it was truly magical. capturing the event was a joy and a challenge. these are a few of my favorite shots.

pan-o-rama

2009-09-20T12:20:00.001-07:00

these were both taken in beautiful upstate new york, near Crystal Lake. both of these are 3 images that were stitched together in photoshop.

robin, robin, robin and robin

2009-09-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

so, this is interesting. i recently attempted a digital watercolor tutorial (photoshop) using an image of my lovely and talented little sister robin from her LA visit last summer. i played around with this for a while, and although i wasn't entirely successful, i ended up with these 4 versions. i presented them as a set because they are more interesting as a group rather than individually. slapped on a cute little graphic in the center and voilà! this experiment went from failed tutorial to quadruple cool.

matt+lisa - wedding gift

2009-09-08T20:18:00.001-07:00

my friends matt and lisa zelznick just got married in upstate new york. the wedding was amazing (pictures to come) but here are the custom, handmade wine glass charms i made as a wedding gift. from designing the label, to photographing the final product, this project was fun. this is the most well thought out project i have ever done. from idea to completion, the process was slow, steady and thoughtful. i am THRILLED about how it turned out and i have a new outlook on approaching larger scale projects like this in the future.

i enjoy working on projects that require several components. this one allowed me to combine bead work, photography and graphic design. below is the label i created for the outside of the tin box which held the wine charms. i viewed this like branding a product, something in which i have little experience. but i do know a little something about logo design. after some playful experimenting, i settled on a 'logo' using matt and lisa's names. the rest of the design fell into place shortly thereafter. i'm super happy with the outcome and i look forward to exploring product design and branding.

Harp's 1st birthday present

2009-08-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

my niece is turning one in a couple of days and i made her this portable, standing picture frame. it was a labor of love. i initially set out to make her a box, but then i realized that i didn't know how. using the same materials, i shifted the focus to the frames. i love how they turned out.

i'm a graphic designer by day (super-crafter at night) so i designed this card to slide into one of the frames. designing for children is a whole new ballgame that i'm looking forward to exploring.

kate+eric

2009-07-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

well hello there. it has been quite a white. but i've been re-inspired by a few new projects. first thing's first, my dear friends kate & eric got married in june. this first item is a sticker that i created to put on their gift. i wanted to do something a little different. i thought this was quite clever.

i designed the bridal jewelry for the event and here is the final result for the earrings. each lovely lady had a custom set of earrings and matching (yet completely unique) necklace or bracelet, depending on their personal preference. the dresses were a soft, summer lime so i chose pink and white pearls with pink stones. rose quartz, actually, because kate's middle name is rose. a lovely and personal touch.

really cool picture of kate and eric on their wedding day. image by Kristin Spencer Photography

clay pruitt

2008-09-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

this is clay pruitt, a friendly and talented musician who i met on the promenade today.

fun with photoshop

2008-09-22T18:47:00.001-07:00

took this shot on our way into the Hollywood Bowl last night. fancied it up with photoshop.

motiovation

2008-09-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

what makes you tick?

MOAB '08 logo

2008-09-03T00:35:00.001-07:00

collaborated with Cat to design this logo for a biking trip my company is planning. it's clean, modern, straightforward and simple. me likey.

Boat Night

2008-09-03T00:31:00.001-07:00

a few notable shots from my most recent sail. thanks CG!

bon iver

2008-08-26T23:23:00.001-07:00

bon iver @ the troubadour. it was truly amazing.

Pacific Park Series

2008-08-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

took these shots during my favorite summer activity - the free Thursday night concert at the Santa Monica pier. we finally went on the roller coaster and i took these shots on the way there.

invitations, invitations, invitations

2008-08-12T20:05:00.001-07:00

these are OLD invitations done for my company. they are not terrible, it's just hard to look at older work sometimes. i would approach these very differently if they were assigned to me today.

baby game

2008-07-18T20:01:00.000-07:00

My big sister is having a baby!!!!!!! I'm heading to New York tonight for her baby shower. I designed this sheet for a baby game we will be playing at her shower. So cute.

its sedar time!

2008-06-28T15:01:00.000-07:00

i love passover. i love the story, the food, the tradition, the wine, the family & the fun.

bebe fashion show

2008-06-23T19:21:00.001-07:00

added drama to these old shots using photoshop. i'm not doing much shooting these days but there is always time for post work.

business card samples

2008-06-18T22:48:00.000-07:00

these are business card samples designed for a client recently. this is how it goes. i talk to the client to get an understanding for their business/personality/style & then i provide 3 samples for the client to choose from. get it, got it, good.

closing dinner invite

2008-06-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

a totally rad invitation i did for my company.

new promo piece

2008-06-17T22:44:00.000-07:00

here is a quick promotional piece that i threw together recently. it's fun, eclectic & versatile - just like me.

buddhism flier

2008-06-17T01:17:00.001-07:00

i am attempting to ignore the 4 months that have past since i've posted. i'm back, baby!

designed this flier as a favor for a good friend. she wanted something fresh that would appeal to young people. i think this does the trick.

amanyara brochure

2008-01-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

occasionally a friend or family member may ask "katy, what do you do all day as a graphic designer?" well folks, here's a great example of a 4 page brochure. enjoy.

football invite

2008-01-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

this is the front of an invitation i did for the UC v USC football game. knowing NOTHING about sports this invite posed a serious challenge. i think it turned out alright. it's sporty and classy :) i don't hate it.

sydney

2008-01-08T17:34:00.000-08:00

this is sydney, a 6 month old vizsla pup. she is stunning.

mansion invite

2008-01-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

this is an invite that i did recently for a party my company is throwing. the printed piece was WAY cool. the black area was embossed (raised) and coated with a shiny black foil. it was very cool.
(that was for you, Katie J.)

brooke

2007-12-04T10:37:00.001-08:00

quad lens camera / jeff devers

2007-12-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

these nifty shots were taken YEARS AGO with a quad lens camera. the camera has 4 separate lenses that are timed to capture the image with a slight delay. if you examine these images you will notice that no section is completely alike, due to the time lapse between capture. the lucky subject is the wonderful Jeff Devers, always a sport and and all around stellar individual.

things

2007-10-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

yes, it's been quite a while since i've posted. this is know. trying to get back in the swing of things with this collague. this if from my web class.

3 flowers

2007-10-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

this image was captured in studio at Harrington College of Design. it was taken as part of a series for my studio final project. i borrowed the jewelry pieces from a local bead store and they subsequently used these images in their marketing materials. i learned A LOT in my studio lighting class. even though i'm not shooting much anymore, i'm still glad that i have this particular skill.

the store, the studio

2007-09-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

these are images from Jenna White Miami.

with night invite

2007-09-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of an invitation i did for the make-a-wish foundation for their annual wish night event. this was a 4 page invitation with an accompanying rsvp card and a vellum inset. this is by far the biggest audience i have ever reached, 4,100 pcs of each are being printed. in my world, this is huge.

liz & ella

2007-09-14T22:47:00.000-07:00

i spent Labor Day weekend in New York and i met this amazing little creature, ella miriam. this shot captures a beautiful moment between mother and child.

robin & natan

2007-09-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

young lovers

pearls 5 & 6

2007-08-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

pearls, pearls, pearls everywhere. these pearls seemed to congregate in the kitchen. it's so much fun to explore these old images. i created this series almost 2 years ago - feels like a lifetime ago. these were captured on film. they have a grainy texture that can only be achieved with film. Enjoy.

kate rose

2007-08-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

this is a portrait of my very lovely friend kate rose. she is an artist and is seated in front of one of her paintings of a fairy, dressed as a fairy. i LOVE this image. it captures her spirit, beauty, vitality and playfulness. this is truly one of my most successful images to date.

jenna white invite

2007-08-10T14:17:00.001-07:00

i created this invitation last year for a friend. it's graphic and funky, just my style.

portrait of my mother

2007-08-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

this is a portrait of my mother. she was sad because my little sister, robin had just moved to israel. you can see sadness in her eyes. this is part of being a parent; worrying, having to say goodbye, hoping... i truly love and admire my mother, and sometimes she misses us so much it hurts. i don't know that kind of love.

brown pearl necklace

2007-08-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is a detail shot of a beautiful brown pearl necklace. I love the composition. The strands run wild, but feel completely contained within the frame.

robin

2007-07-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

This beautiful chick is my little sister, Robin. She is an actress and this is her headshot.

portfolio

2007-07-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is my prized portfolio. I created every aspect of this book, I do not lie. I hand die-cut the cover and wrapped boards with book fabric. I printed every image on velvet art paper and sewed up the spine by hand and for added touches I peppered vellum pages throughout the book. This book was a labor of love, and it's fantastic.

pearl series submissions 3 & 4

2007-07-19T23:33:00.001-07:00

"no loitering" & "naughty" are both part of my pears in peculiar places series. "no loitering" was spur of the moment, while "naughty" was staged. this project developed very organically. i think it works.

china town

2007-07-14T20:21:00.001-07:00

China Town, Chicago, IL.

ed

2007-07-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

Say hello to Ed Wesley, one of my professors at Harrington College of Design. Extremely intelligent and yes, he is an interesting as he looks.

Jimenez / Tudor Wedding

2007-07-03T20:41:00.001-07:00

This is the food menu I did for the Jimenez/Tudor wedding. I also did a lovely 6 page wedding brochure and a beer menu.

pj

2007-06-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

this was my favorite image from this shoot. pj my friend, thank you.

josh & julie

2007-06-28T23:09:00.001-07:00

i shot josh for my pearl series and julie is a good friend who was kind enough to model for me one night. i like seeing these two together...

bridal shower invite

2007-06-28T12:10:00.001-07:00

This bridal shower invitation was so simple and elegant. It think it's fantastic, and so easy to make.

picture a day portfolio

2007-06-27T23:33:00.001-07:00

This was my portfolio for the pearl series. I'll be posting images from that series soon. The assignment was to take a picture a day for 50 days. The subject I chose was an over sized strand of pearls and I shot them everywhere. For the presentation, I made this box in the likeness of a jewelry box. I love this project, I'm happy with how it turned out.

301 Howard Invite

2007-06-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite invitations to date. I threw it together in less than an hour. I dig it.

my new logo

2007-06-26T10:10:00.001-07:00