Ed on Design

Updating a 57 Year Old Plymouth Belvedere

2011-07-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

I've always been told that things get better with age. Young wine becomes tastier with age, aged vinegar livens up salads, and Democrats become Republicans. I'll get some heat for that comment. Speaking of heat. Here is my latest rendering. Mike Filion at Pro Design Hot Rods (Santa Ana, CA.) gave me a call a few weeks ago to create a rendering for one of his good customers.

The customer wanted to do something special with a 1954 Plymouth Belvedere. So, Mike and his customer brainstormed and one thing was certain. The very rare stainless steel moldings would remain as this Belvedere sported the "Spring Edition" styling.

From this point, Mike wanted modern headlights grafted to the front fenders, a de-crowned roofline and lowered suspension with custom Billet wheels. The customer also spec'd Cadillac tail lights. And, I suggested a pancaked hood and turned down exhaust. The culmination of all these ideas is reflected in this mixed media rendering that was drawn on Canson paper. Enjoy!

Stumbled on this L.A. Times Article

2009-10-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Google your name and see what comes up. When I googled mine I stumbled upon an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times back in 1992. Back then I was in college at CSULB working towards a degree in Industrial Design. I did want to get a job in the design field but there were few jobs in general. Particularly for a college student wanting a job in the design field. Someone had mentioned to go to city hall and see what they had. This article talks about the job climate at that time. Here is an excerpt of the article. Click on the link to see the full article. Then go Google your name. See what comes up.

Good Jobs but No Pay - Deficit-Ridden City Saves Money, Fills Gaps With Volunteers

By CAROL CHASTANG, TIMES STAFF WRITER|December 10, 1992

NORWALK — Doris Carter could not find the job she really wanted, so the city let her create one. Now she spends four hours a week helping children read.

Katherine Portillo, who wants to become a police officer, spends part of her 15-hour work week writing tickets for motorists.

And, using his experience as a graphic designer, student Ed Madinya designed the logo for the new Norwalk Arts and Sports Complex.

Their perks include flexible hours and a nice work environment. The only catch is that the jobs don't pay.

The deficit-ridden city is saving money and filling gaps in its depleted job force with volunteers.

Modeled after a 10-year-old program in the Northern California city of Sunnyvale, the Norwalk volunteer service has 86 workers, coordinator Gary DiCorpo said. More than 130 volunteers have worked for the city since the program began July 1.

"Our goal was to bring in 100 volunteers in one year, and we are way ahead of that," DiCorpo said.

Volunteers worked 389 hours in August, 360 hours in September, 859 hours in October, and 521 hours in November. DiCorpo said more volunteers than usual worked in October during the city's Halloween parade and carnival. In November, the opening of the sports complex accounted for the increase.

Carter said she volunteered because she wants to teach children that it is fun to read. She knew that other cities run literacy programs, but Norwalk did not have one. When she approached the city about starting one, officials were delighted.

The city donated money for books of short stories, which the children take turns reading aloud.

Carter, who works full-time as a customer service supervisor for a food distribution company, was surprised at the response from the community for the eight-week program. She has 24 children and more on a waiting list.

"The kids I work with are really bright, and they enjoy reading with their peers," she said. "My determination is that they will want to read and excel on their own."

Interested in a career in law enforcement, Portillo works 6 to 15 hours a week for the city as a volunteer reserve officer. The city contracts with the Sheriff's Department to patrol city streets but also has a crew of reserve officers who support the deputies.

"This is giving me good experience, something I don't have a lot of right now," she said. In addition to writing tickets, she helps dispatch reserve officers and types manuals and reports.

Portillo recently applied for a job as an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. "I included this (volunteer experience) on my application," she said.

Madinya, who has about four semesters remaining until graduation from Cal State Long Beach, said he tried for months to find an internship with a company where he could use his skills as a graphic designer. When that failed, he volunteered to design a logo for the new Norwalk Arts and Sports Complex. City officials plan to use the logo on sports complex stationery.

He said he is treating the volunteer position like an internship. "After this exposure, and with meeting a lot of people and networking through this, I will get my foot more in the door," he said. "I'm very lucky to have this job."

http://articles.latimes.com/1992-12-10/news/hd-2422_1_volunteer-service

Give Yourself a Little Credit.

2008-08-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder where that credit card in your wallet (or purse) came from? I mean, did you really ever wonder the origin. Besides for the reasons that banks want to let you borrow money so they can earn some interest in return. Well, I can tell you that I know where this Platinum Credit Card came from.

The idea to create this unique card came across my desk many months ago. We went through various ideas, concepts, and then numerous revisions. We also spoke with a number of vendors who would have the expertise to produce the new design. The final product that you see here will be swiped by qualifying members of Orange County's Credit Union. By-the-way if you live or work in Orange County, Riverside County, the communities of Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood or Cerritos you can become a member of this credit union. Believe me they are so much better than a bank.

Well, this card had a very complicated design that featured several inks and treatments. Here is the list: Visa Blue 286, Via Gold 1375, Ultraviolet, PMS 138, Litho white, Black, Litho white bump, Pearl. And the core color was Silver foil.

The blue card (with the wave) that you see was designed for Orange County's Credit Union Pacific Account holders. These members are between the ages of 13 and 19 (teen agers). This card is particularly special because I was THE first designer to create the transparent card outside of the credit card manufacturer's art and production department. It was our desire to design the card exclusively. It was so unusual to do it this way because their production team was really giving us proprietary production guidelines that are not known by anyone outside of the card manufacturing industry. Sorry, I am sworn to secrecy for two reasons....one, I promised not to divulge any information, and two... job security. LOL. This card is strictly for the teen members even though ALL the other members want this card but can't attain it.

Summer Blockbusters are keeping us busy.

2008-07-19T00:13:00.000-07:00

Here is our 3rd Digital Edition of Latino Weekly Review! So far we have generated lots of interest from around the globe. The fruits of my 19 hour work days, Polo's countless business development meetings and Juan's thousands of words, are showing tremendous results. We add more pages, and more world-class content. We will be adding podcasts soon and our Blog will be deployed in a few weeks.

This issue features: The Dark Knight (Have you noticed the long lines in front of theaters?), commentary on the liberation of Ingrid Betancourt in Colombia; Jules Verne, Apples iPhone; Canadian Diva-Giorgia Fumanti, and an essay on Sex in the City movie and HBO's Sopranos. Click on the link below and enjoy the read!

http://webmail.elatinoweekly.com/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpublishing.yudu.com%2FFreedom%2FAk662%2Flwrdigizine3%2F

Our 2nd Digital Magazine for Latino Weekly Review.

2008-07-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

This one features Hellboy II and cinematographer Guillermo del Toro. The Cover design was enhanced by me to give Hellboy a mysterious impression. Other stories include Wall-E, The Incredible Hulk, Gabriel Beristain, Will Smith, and Angelina Jolie.

Readers have been giving us great reviews. The Annenburg School of Journalism said Latino Weekly Review is "a hit." See for yourself by clicking below.

http://webmail.elatinoweekly.com/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpublishing.yudu.com%2FFreedom%2FAjf67%2FlwrdigizineHellboy%2F

Another Milestone!

2008-07-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

We Published our first digital edition of Latino Weekly Review. The team includes Managing Partners - Juan Rodriguez Flores (Executive Editor), Polo Munoz (Managing Editor), and Ed Madinya (Creative Director). This has been a passionate desire to bring together the top talent in the publishing industry and we continue to deliver the products and services that we promise. Take a look at http://www.elatinoweekly.com/ for the portal and http://webmail.elatinoweekly.com/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpublishing.yudu.com%2FFreedom%2FAib21%2FLatinoWeeklyReviewDi%2F for the digital edition of Latino Weekly Review. We want to thank all of our loved ones, family, friends, contributors, partners, sponsors and also our loyal readers. Ariba!

And on a personal note: Thanks for your support Leah Bergman (My lovely wife of 11 years - I love you.)

We Inked a Real BIG Deal!

2008-04-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we sent out a press release that announced the partnership between Wizzard Media and eLatinoWeekly.com. You can read it at our website. It is exciting news about podcast show distribution. Have a read.

http://www.elatinoweekly.com/article.cgi?article_id=1194

Automotive Art

2007-05-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks for coming Back! I have posted some renderings to reflect how I have been using my mixed-media rendering style. I also posted some photos of the actual vehicles. Of course there are literally hundreds of rendering out there in private collections, plus a few hand illustrated "cutaways" and "digital" cutaways.

Here are some automotive related magazines in which my renderings and designs have appeared over the years. Import Racer Magazine, StreetTrucks Magazine, Off-Road Magazine, Drag Racer Magazine, Hot Rod Magazine, Street Rodder Magazine, Custom Rodder Magazine, Truckin, Custom Classic Trucks Magazine, Kit Car Illustrated, Popular Hot Rodding, SUV Magazine, Mini-Truckin.

Early on in my automotive art career I received "props/accolades" from Steve Sanford, famed automotive artist, when he was shown a rendering I drew for the Chrysler. That project/build became known as the "World's First Custom" Dodge Durango sponsored by Chrysler and was featured on the cover of Truckin' Magazine's 25th Anniversary Issue.

2006-10-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ed Madinya has an all-encompassing design background. He has developed many projects in various design fields including corporate design, magazine design, advertising design, industrial design, automotive design and photography. His studies at California State University, Long Beach’s nationally recognized industrial design program developed many talents. His career began as an art director for McMullen Argus Publishing, where he worked on several of their 26 different national newsstand titles. He furthered his career by securing a position with Y-Visionary Publishing and their 12 national consumer titles. By updating the look and appeal of each magazine, CMG (Hearst-Conde Nast LLC) agreed to perform sales, marketing, and distribution for Y-Visionary’s titles. Over 475 covers later, he is considered an authority on cover development and design. He has also designed the work-flow and production systems for publication-based editorial and design departments, which enabled those departments to design effectively and work efficiently.

Ed has a highly esteemed and reputable marketing and design ethic. When a project or campaign is born, Ed is called to develop and design all aspects of the project or campaign. His comprehensive campaigns have won numerous awards. Ed has done everything from direct marketing, corporate branding, advertising and has even helped to start, design and manage several magazines from consumer, to trade, and niche markets. Many of these have become successful, award winning, national newsstand titles. His latest endeavors in the publishing world include Latino Weekly Review, Tech Coast Magazine, and Speed Machines Magazine.

Ed (also a well-known automotive artist) has also worked on multiple projects that have gained national notoriety. He has designed visual elements for Auto Show concept vehicles for Geo Motors of America, General Motors, North American Suzuki, Nissan Racing Development and Jeep (The JK Unlimited). Other automotive projects include manufacturer sponsored vehicles for Carparts.com, Clarion, Planet Audio, Calmini Products, Off Road Magazine, Car Audio Magazine, Drag Racer Magazine, and Suzuki’s Heisman Trophy Edition Grand Vitara, which was given away by Tony Dorsett to the Heisman Trophy winner.

To Contact Ed (use proper email address format)

Please email him at emadinya [at] gmail [dot] com

Industrial Design

2006-09-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

I am an industrial designer by formal education. Over the past several years as a professsional designer I have implemented Industrial Design methodology to nearly every type of venture that I have been involved in. Why? Frankly, it is because I discovered that this type of methodology is best suited, in my opinion, to successfully build products, businesses, and designs. This was when I realized the value of my education at Cal State University of Long Beach's Industrial Design program. The methodology fit nearly every future endeavor. Let's take an example. When I was asked to design my first corporate sponsored vehicle for Suzuki and the Heisman Trophy Commitee, I put my sketch pad down. I sat back and thought about the process. I knew what the client wanted. I knew what the manufacturing process would be. I knew who would be manufacturing the vehicle. I understood the Suzuki and Heisman brands. And, I had a deadline. The ID Methodology was the only way that I had learned and thus I pressed on to sketch, examine color schemes, play with weights and proportions of the vehicle and the aftermarket accessories that were being designed. The first picture of the Heisman Edition Grand Vitara is above.The Grand Vitara was a huge success and later Suzuki would use this concept to build future editions of the Grand Vitara (The second digital rendering features my concept of the XL7 with colorshifting paint). Want to learn more about my ID Process? Leave a comment.

SUZUKI's HEISMAN EDITION GRAND VITARA - Built by CALMINI. Graphics designed to showcase and celebrate American Suzuki Motor Corp's sponsorship of the Heisman Trophy. Debuted at the 2000 SEMA show, appeared at the 2001 Detroit Auto Show driven on stage at unveiling by Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett.

http://www.suv.com/news/2001/suzukiheisman.01.html
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/20010103/press033453.html

2006-08-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Ed On Design
by Ed

This blog is a sounding board dedicated to design. Consider this the who, what, where, when, and why of design based on Ed's observations as a professional designer, creative director, publisher, artist, and entrepreneur.

Here you will find valuable insight, radical thinking, reasonable opinion, problem solving, and a little humor. So, take a look, have a read, give him your thoughts, and navigate your way back to Ed On Design regularly.