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Asian Film Festival of Dallas Gets a New Look!

July 20, 2016July 20, 2016Shelley LaiLeave a comment

This year, I was given the opportunity to design the marketing materials for the Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD). They were open to a complete redesign and gave me creative freedom – what designer doesn’t love that? It was a demanding schedule, but I was up for the challenge!

The first thing I did was update the logo, giving it a clean, contemporary look. I chose new fonts, along with a new color palette (primary: black, white, grey; secondary: red, gold). These styles were then extended to the website and promotional videos for AFFD.

With all the changes and updates approved, I started on the festival program. This, too, received a healthy redesign: from the cover, front of book pages and ad placement, to special section pages, program schedule and film reviews. Response to the new cover layout was overwhelming, but I was even more pleased with AFFD‘s reaction to the new layout of the film reviews and program as a whole. I wanted the reviews to be easy to read, and eye-catching at the same time. With this in mind, compelling movie stills were placed at the top of the page to grab the reader’s attention. Since there was a lot of info for each film, it made sense to lay it all out in a grid-like format. This made it easier to read. Another thing I added was the special premier labels to let festival goers locate premiere films more easily. Once I redesigned the festival program, I then updated the look of AFFD’s VIP badges, flyer, poster, vouchers, ballots, Facebook profile images, and T-shirts.

Fortunately, I was able to attend the festival this year to see all the new marketing materials in person and, finally, to meet the new people I’d been working with. All in all, I think everything was well-received and came out nicely.

If you “love subtitles” like I do, the Asian Film Festival of Dallas (AFFD) runs through July 21st, so it’s still not too late to check it out!

AFFD Marketing

Poster

Festival Program

T-shirt

Planning the program with awesome handwriting.

Flyer

Festival Program

VIP Badges

Vouchers and Ballots

Festival Program

10 Cool Modern Unique Desks

February 25, 2016Shelley LaiLeave a comment

1. Minimal Wall Desk by Orange22Modern

2. Katedra office desk by Desnahemisfera

3. A33 modern office desk by J&M Furniture

A33_1000

4. Volna desk by nüvist

5. K Workstation by Misosoup

6. Tank Desk 1.2 by Peter Petersen

7. Bulego desk by Abad Diseño

8. Walker Desk by Modloft

9.Leo Desk by Valsecchi1918

10.Goggle Office Desk by Danny Venlet

10 Must Stream Documentaries on Netflix! Part 3

January 22, 2016January 22, 2016Shelley Lai1 Comment

It’s been way to long since my last post on documentary recommendations so it is! Some of these aren’t as main stream, but they are worth watching. In case you missed the first two posts. Here they are: Part 1 Part 2

1. Desert Runners
Facing some of the world’s harshest conditions, a diverse group of ultra-marathon runners attempt to successfully complete a series of four 250k runs in a year.

2. Maidentrip
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage to be the youngest person to sail around the world alone.

3. I Know That Voice
Hear what it’s like to be a voice actor and what it takes to be one.

4. The Propaganda Game
With controlled access, Filmmaker Álvaro Longoria documents his visit to North Korea and compares it to the Western view of the country.

5. Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom
A peaceful student demonstration turns into a violent revolution and civil rights movement over the course of 93 days.

6. Antarctica: A Year On Ice
Follow the daily lives of workers maintaining research facilities in the most remote and coldest place on Earth.

7. On The Way To School
This documentary really makes you appreciate being able to go to school. See the daily challenges four children from different parts of the world have to overcome to make it to school.

8. Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the Serbian performance artist prepares for her unique exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Spectators take turns sitting opposite of her while she looks into their eyes in silence with no food or bathroom breaks for 30 days.

9. Marmato
Living on a huge gold mine, The Colombian townspeople of Marmato must confront foreigners who want to destroy their homes to get to the gold.

10. Twinsters
Identical twin sisters separated at birth and adopted from South Korean discover each other through social media.

Logo Design With a Modern Twist

December 14, 2015December 15, 2015Shelley LaiLeave a comment

My brother and his girlfriend recently opened their own chiropractic practice in Denver. All the hard work and logistics into starting a new business is a feat in itself, so I wanted to help by creating/designing their identity and branding. After much brainstorming, we decided to take the chiropractic angel and put a modern interpretation to it. The thin straight lines, light condensed sans serif font and symmetry of the logo represent balance, comfort and tranquility. A neutral, calming shade of blue was chosen to reflect trust, calmness and peace for the mind and body. Since the first letters of my brother and his girlfriend’s names start with an “A” and “V” and are in the name of their practice, it was fitting to highlight those letters in blue. A lot of white space was used in creating the business cards to continue the same feel and look of their identity. All in all, we were all very happy with the results. Expecting a successful future for Rejuvinnate Family Chiropractic, I look forward to and am excited to help expand their brand! Congrats to Andy and Victoria and all my best to you!

Elegant Austin Opera Invitation Design

January 12, 2015Shelley LaiLeave a comment

Here’s a recent project I did for Austin Opera. They wanted an elegant invitation designed, along with a reply card, benefits insert, and envelopes. I’m really pleased with how they turned out. Originally, a small floral mask icon was placed above the return address on the envelope. However, to keep the printing cost down, we decided to leave it off. I think it still came out looking great keeping it nice and simple!

Travel Feature Magazine Design

January 9, 2015January 9, 2015Shelley LaiLeave a comment

This is a feature layout I did for The Society Diaries, a high-end glossy magazine. When laying out a feature about a destination, I feel that the pictures should be the focus point and be able to speak for themselves. With this, the opener started with a two-page spread image with just the header and subhead. A few key words were highlighted in a complementary blue to make it a little more interesting than just keeping all the text white. Since the feature was about paradise in Hawaii, I felt it was important to keep the layout clean, simple and breathable. Ideally, I would’ve liked to have another spread just for the island photo shown on the second spread. It’s such a gorgeous photo and it encompasses the beautiful island of Hawaii. Overall, I’m really happy with how the feature turned out!

15 Must Stream Documentaries on Netflix! Part 2

December 22, 2012February 22, 2013Shelley Lai2 Comments

It’s been a while since my first post about Must Stream Docs on Netflix so it’s time for a new one! Also in no particular order — definitely watch them all if you can! Plus, it’s the holidays! What do you have to do that’s more important than watching documentaries all day long??? JK! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

1. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
This compelling documentary explores three years in the life of celebrated Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who uses social media and his art to inspire protests against the state… more

2. Jiro Dreams of Sushi
This delectable documentary profiles sushi chef Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old master whose 10-seat, $300-a-plate restaurant is legendary among Tokyo foodies… more

3. Mansome
From director Morgan Spurlock and producers Will Arnett and Jason Bateman comes a raucous but thoughtful documentary examining what defines masculinity… more

4. Children Underground
This Oscar-nominated documentary explores the tragic policy decision by Romanian dictator Nicolei Ceaucescu to outlaw the use of contraceptives and encourage his impoverished populace to have more children… more

5. Grizzly Man
Renowned nonfiction director Werner Herzog chronicles the tragic and untimely death of outdoorsman Timothy Treadwell, who devoted his life to studying grizzly bears… more

6. The Invention of Dr. NakaMats
This hilarious documentary from director Kaspar Astrup Schroder profiles prolific Japanese inventor Yoshiro Nakamatsu… more

7. A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt
Sally Rowe’s documentary dishes a rare glimpse into the heated world of haute cuisine, with brilliant and controversial chef Paul Liebrandt… more

8. Indie Game: The Movie

This captivating documentary follows several independent game designers as they painstakingly develop their games and hope for breakthrough success… more

9. Only When I Dance

To achieve their shared dream of becoming ballet superstars, two young black dancers from the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, must overcome poverty, prejudice and incredible odds… more

10. Man on Wire

Philippe Petit captured the world’s attention in 1974 when he walked across a high wire between New York’s Twin Towers… more

11. Dark Days

Documentarian Marc Singer trains his camera on a group of homeless people who live in an abandoned New York City railroad tunnel… more

12. The Great Happiness Space

This compelling film explores the rarely seen world of Japanese host boys, men who are paid to entertain wealthy women in exclusive nightclubs… more

13. America the Beautiful

Director Darryl Roberts’ provocative documentary examines America’s fixation with outward appearance and the unrealistic standards of beauty… more

14. Without the King

In this provocative documentary about Swaziland’s ruling family — the last absolute monarchy on the African continent — King Mswati III faces myriad challenges as he governs a troubled, poverty- and AIDS-stricken country… more

15. First Position

Follow dancers training for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions… more

Hello Kitty Happy Hour #25

December 17, 2012December 17, 2012Shelley LaiLeave a comment

Chia pets have just gotten COOLER and CUTERRR!! I sooo want one!

Hello Kitty Happy Hour #24

September 21, 2012Shelley LaiLeave a comment

So last night, my friends talked me into waking up this morning to do a 6AM workout. OMFG it was still PITCH DARK OUTSIDE when I woke up! Anyways, I’m glad I went because look at these awesome HK goodies they got me!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Now I just have to decide if I’ll actually open them up and use them, or add them to my collection! If you’re wondering why there are two oatmeal packs included with the goodies, it’s because I’ve never had hot oatmeal before (only in cookies and granola bars). I guess here’s my chance to try them! Thx B n SX!!!