Are triangles still cliché?

Nahhhhh.

Instagram: robertjameszarske

Show this Friday!

Hello friends,

It's been awhile since I've posted here. If you're still following/reading/staying tuned to this blog, I appreciate the loyalty. I wanted to post a flyer I designed for a DJ show I'm throwing with a friend of mine (see photo). I'm really pleased with how this flyer turned out and am also very excited for the show. If you're in the Uptown Minneapolis area this Friday and fancy a fun dance party, join us! We will be taking over the VFW basement and providing a plethora of underground techno rhythms to keep your feet moving and your ears happy. To RSVP, click on the flyer image.

My new DJ mix: "Late Night Lounge"

Just when you thought this blog was dead, I'm back with a quick update! I've taken quite the extended vacation from this site as well as some semi-unintentional time away from releasing my monthly live mixes. For those of you out of the loop, don't fret! I'm still DJing, still loving it, and have recently released a new live mix for download. It's called "Late Night Lounge" and the title pretty much sums it up. It's packed full of smooth house rhythms and middle-of-the-night lounge-style beats perfect for kicking back and vibing to. It clocks in at just under 90 minutes making it a great weekend warm-up or after hours cool down. I had a lot of fun recording this one. Enjoy:

I plan on releasing more mixes this Summer so stay connected to my Facebook and SoundCloud pages for info and linkage. Thanks for the support.

http://soundcloud.com/dj-robert-james

https://www.facebook.com/djrobertjames

My new DJ mix is here!

 Robert James - Mid-Summer Moombah! by (DJ) Robert James 

Coming Soon

School is winding down and graduation is fast approaching. During the next month or so I will be posting more of my work from this semester including print and outdoor ads for JCPenney as well as excerpts from a book I am currently designing for my graphic design class. Here's a teaser from the former:

It looks like I will have no problem staying busy for the rest of the semester via tests and final project deadlines, not to mention the continuous job search, so postings may be sparse (as if they aren't already). That aside, continue to stay tuned for more insights into the realms of graphic design, advertising, and the world around us. Speaking of which, I plan on launching a sister blog this summer as an outlet for my obsession with kerning. More on that later. As always, thanks for reading.

New mix: TECH ED

Here is a new DJ mix I recorded. It's full of techy acid house, minimal, tech house, and all around funky songs. Download it here and check out my page on Facebook for more mixes.

Tracklisting: 

Strip Steve - Breakin (Rynecologist Remix)

Djedjotronic - Feta

Jason Taylor - Sabotage

Angger Dimas and Neon Stereo - Zorg

Miles Dyson - Zooloo (Pleasurekraft Remix)

Harvard Bass - Caked

Renaissance Man - Spraycan

Nouveau  Yorican - Boriqua (Douster Remix)

John Roman - Sing!

Tiga - You Gonna Want Me (Hey Today! Remix)

Beltek - Eclipse

James Blake - CMYK

Words to consider

Some phrases I live by and chose to stylize:

As a designer I think these phrases are vital. You truly must create and create often to challenge yourself and grow. You must also remain authentic and set goals as well as reach those goals. If you are not authentic you are not harnessing your full potential. Without goals, where is your work going? It's one thing to make something that just looks cool or aesthetically pleasing but if you don't have a goal in mind or a reason for what you're doing then it has no real value. These phrases apply to any number of disciplines, not just art or design, they can benefit all of us.

If you're in the area...

Happy Birthday

 Robert James - RJZNOV by DJ Robert James 

BRAINS - October Mixtape

Halloween is almost here so I included plenty of violent grime in this mix. Make sure to turn your speakers way up on this one. This is not a full quality stream so don't forget to download.

Stay tuned

October mix coming soon

Septembre Sombre

Here's the latest installment in my mix series. Went for a more mellowed out and smooth approach with a nice climax this time around. I also threw together two versions of artwork for you to choose from to add to iTunes. It looks like the hosting site is having some issues so streaming may be hit or miss. Download for original high quality. Hope you enjoy.

Spare time design: self promotion

V. 1

V. 2

Type.

I Thought I would share a little bit of what I have been doing in class these first few weeks... Here is some typography work I did using Illustrator. The quality isn't the greatest after converting to jpeg format but you get the idea.

Here are some monograms I made using my initials in Helvetica manipulated in Illustrator:

Next I did some tinkering with the words "disruption" and "expansion" to show literal meaning, some more successful than others:

Lastly, some more word form work using the word "Typography". We needed to choose a word pertaining to the class and typography seemed like an obvious choice but proved to be quite difficult to execute. The word itself is already literal in regard to its definition but I think I managed to come up with some fun variations:

OH.

I already put out an August mix which you can find a few posts back, so consider this one to be the awkward middle child until I put out a September edition. Being that it's awkward, I have affectionately titled this 50 minute piece, "OH" (to be effective you need to say the word in a very dry and monotone fashion to constitute judgement or lack of approval). The track selection is random yet effective and includes some odd moments, some bangers, some classics, and more. Enjoy.

About my mixes:

After posting my August mix some people asked why it has to be one long track instead of cutting it down to individual parts. That's a valid question but these are mixes not albums. I make them by recording myself while I DJ in real-time so the end result is one file of everything I have done for however long I choose to DJ. If you're new to DJ mixes and have a hard time following the whole thing in one sitting I recommend playing them while working out, partying, relaxing, going on a long drive, etc.

August Mixtape: Freaknik

I just finished fine tuning a mix I put together a few weeks ago and it's ready for download. It's a short one, only about 25 minutes, but it packs enough noise to freak out to/get freaky to/act like a freak to or just enjoy while having a picnic... thus, FREAKNIK. The tracks range from new and old so I hope you all enjoy, I had a lot of fun making it. You can stream and download below or use this link directly. Don't worry, it's a safe download so ignore any awkward ads on the site. Also, since it is a longer file, buffering may take a moment or two if you're trying to stream it first.

FOETOES

The above photos are some of my recent random shots (my friend's EVO, Chicago traffic, downtown Minneapolis, Chicago skyline) using my Nikon D60. I have always had a passion for photography and often received some nice compliments on my pictures from back in the day. Now that I finally have a professional camera I have been wanting to take pictures more and more. I am still learning the essentials as well as some cool tricks thanks to my buddy Drew who has been pumping out some serious photography work for awhile now. I think it is more fun to learn as I go first hand like this rather than in a classroom but I think I might take a photography class down the road, couldn't hurt right? I just want to learn more technical stuff, I think I have always had an eye for good shots/angles/points of interest, etc. but now I want to take things further. Do any of you out there enjoy taking pictures? What are your favorite things to shoot/what motivates you? I think photography is such a powerful and fun art form. I can't wait to bust out the D60 in Europe this fall!