Brian Miller Design Group » BLOG

About our new site.

Brian Miller — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 14:13:42 +0000

Our new site is built using the WordPress open-source content management system. Every aspect of the site is controlled through the WordPress interface seen here. The pages above are pages and each piece of work is a post, that’s fairly standard, but in addition, the backgrounds are custom fields, along with the award icon and the services listed with each piece are WordPress tags. No custom coding is needed to create a new post.

We hope this demonstrates that WordPress themes don’t need to have a wide left-hand column and a narrow right sidebar. In the right hands, WordPress is simply an inexpensive yet versitile back-end that can bring any design to life.

Additionally, thanks to the WP-Touch plug in, there’s a mirrored mobile version of our site so you can keep up with us and our latest project on your iPhone or other mobile device.

Excerpt From Connfluence

Brian Miller — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:15:27 +0000

I was recently featured in the inaugural issue of Connfluence, the publication for ConnCreatives. I was asked to have a photo taken of my self and write about my firm and the photographer — Tracey Kroll. In the background is the amazing image Tracey took of me sitting on my Shea Stadium seats.

Of all the gifts given to me by my father, there are two I’m most grateful for: a knack for design, and a passion for baseball. In my mind, the two are inseparable. Both offer a source of delight and agony — sometimes simultaneously. Both require a strategic, “big picture” approach. Consistency beats trendiness. Discipline trumps flash. It’s this underlying philosophy that drives my approach to every design challenge — minor or major.

Student Work: Sofia Hoflin

Brian Miller — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:00:18 +0000

The work seen here was all done by Swedish-born, UB student, Sofia Hoflin.

Left top: A magazine spread for a travel magazine. Sofia used can tabs to spell out the title of the article: “The Best of Bogota.”

Left bottom: This magazine spread uses type as image replacing the guitar player with body copy.

Right top: Typographic solution illustrating the concept of unification vs. isolation for a poster announcing a concert.

Right bottom: CD covers demonstrating the integration of type, image and space.

Excerpt: Moving Beyond Your BFA

Brian Miller — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:59:14 +0000

A while ago I was asked by Dave Cushman, the brains behind ConnCreatives, to talk about my decision to get my masters degree from Pratt Institute. Mark Snyder of ObjectResonance and Bjorn Akselsen were also included in the piece. Below is an excerpt from the article:

Why did you decide to go back for your Masters?
I decided to get a masters to prepare myself for starting a business. The way I saw it — if I wanted to start a successful, long-term business, my ability to plan, manage and delegate would become more important than my ability to design.

Did you ever consider an MFA in graphic design?
No. It’s not that I don’t think that I can improve as a designer, but I believe in mentorships for that sort of creative growth. I’ve always sought out working relationships with creative professionals that I admire. I think you can get more out of being mentored — and it’s a lot less expensive.

Read the full article on ConnCreatives.com »