I’m excited to share a new little photo project of mine, portions of which were published in this month’s special travel issue of Indianapolis Monthly. I was asked to visit and photograph a number of Chicago’s best restaurants for an article on, well, eating in Chicago! It was a lot of fun to learn about and visit the restaurants on the list, and Jessica and I even took it upon ourselves to try out a few of them. Yum.

The art director wanted the photos to feel natural, as though a tourist of the city had taken them on a trip—a day in the life, so to speak. We also wanted to convince the reader that Chicago was a city worth visiting for more than just its restaurants. I had a blast walking around and shooting all my favorite spots, and with my 35mm Spotmatic! Thrilled about the chance to shoot film for a client job (first time!), I shot about 7 or 8 rolls of 400 speed Kodak film, hoping for at least a couple decent shots… got ‘em!

This project was just a lot of fun. It was the perfect excuse for me to get out and explore certain parts of the city that I wouldn’t have otherwise, and made for an excellent photographic exercise. You can view a number of my favorite shots from the assignment on my website—Check em out!

Hot off the press, the new Design Bureau issue is out now! I’m excited to share a bit of editorial illustration I produced for the article, Design Takes Root. The piece focuses on an efficient new system for urban agriculture that encourages communities to bring more green into their neighborhoods. The lettering embodies the essence of the story, while the info graphic illustrates the systematic approach to spreading agriculture throughout the city.

I’ve gotta thank Design Bureau/Alarm Press art director Lindsey Turner for this wonderful opportunity to get involved in such an inspirational and motivated new publication. She is a fantastic designer herself and an absolute pleasure to work with!

If you still haven’t picked up a copy of Design Bureau yet, you’re missing out on some of the richest design literature out there!

Check these guys out. Toben, an excellent young bunch of designers from Australia, specializing in super fresh editorial/layout work, with a splash of identity and interactive.

Okay, so maybe I’m a little jealous…

Proximity is a contemporary art and culture magazine, based here in Chicago. It is by far the best local publication I have seen in the last nine months of living in this fine city; smooth full color features, mixed stock, insightful interviews and remarkably well-written articles, plus really unique sections including Portfolios, and Studios. Not to mention its the thickest magazine to call itself a magazine since Transworld Skateboarding!

Our mission is to amplify discourse on local and global art ecologies. We hope to serve as a map of artists, collectives and alternative spaces to commercial galleries, museums and universities as a means of connecting and cultivating sustainable creative communities.

Proximity is published by Public Media Institute a non-profit 501(c)(3).

Your Friends, based out of Oslo, produce some really fresh work in the way of editorial, layout and type. The piece featured above, Ny Norsk Arkitekturpolitikk, is one of the most clever and well-designed mailers I’ve seen in a long time!