This was my second-time tie-dye, which made me an expert to compose this guide. Read on with confidence. Prior to being the design studio that we are today, Imaginary Zebra was a clothing brand. Naturally, I kept the shirts in the vault. While organizing the vault,
You know how parents like to take pictures of their new born to document each milestone? We might’ve taken it too far. This one is to Zoltan, without whom this post would have been completed two years sooner. It all started with the Buzz Lightyear
Otto Frei is a watch and jewelry depot founded by Otto Frei, a Swiss master watchmaker, and his wife Alice in 1930. The warehouse is chaos. Their website looks pre-internet. But this place is a gem. If you look close enough. Otto Frei 126 2nd
[aside] Location: Richmond, CA Photo cred: Benson Camera: Canon 5D mkIII Lens: Canon 70-200 II f2.8 [/aside] Had a golden opportunity to shoot the spectacular custom by JP Custom Kicks. I’ve never done any serious sneaker shoots in the past; the last pair I shot
Brand development and stationary design for portrait and wedding photographer from Michigan, Riutta Images. [su_heading]Before & After[/su_heading] Bryana Riutta picked up photography just three years ago, and has been pursuing it professionally this past year. She’s established the brand “Riutta Images” and approached us to
[aside] Project: All-Star Inspired Design Collaborator: Marvin King Client: Self-initiated [/aside] Bringing together some of top players in league on the Eastern and Western conference to ball out for the All Star trophy! Marvin and I have put together this design to highlight the starters of
Brand development and stationary design for Canada based photographer, Derek Hui. He wanted a logo that can reflect the film like aesthetic and artistic engagements he exerts with each project. The customized hand written script embraces the natural/retro/organic essence that he wishes to convey and
A logo should look good and be able to stand on its own, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Designers (most of them, atleast) come a long way and go through a rigorous procedures to design something that’s seemingly simple. Here’s the
*This is a design inspired by the SF 49ers, not an official product of 49ers. About 11 months ago, Marvin & I came together for a series of apparel made in dedication to the outstanding performances of the San Francisco teams. We’re not sports fanatics,
At Imaginary Zebra, we work with passionate people to produce passionate products, and that’s the exact reason why we initiated this project.
Melly Lee is a Los Angeles, CA based photographer. She’s had the chance of working with some of the most renown YouTube artists, professional dancers, musicians, and entrepreneurs such as David Choi, Shay Carl, Cloud Campos, Mike Song, IJustine, and many more. Her quirky and
For those who aren’t familiar with Zeebs, they’re the mascots of Imaginary Zebra. I’ve been refining the style and the aesthetic of the characters since 2006, when Imaginary Zebra was solely a hobby that occupied me during down times: Minor tweaks on the body proportion
I had the opportunity to work with Josh, the executive producer of Empty Duck Digital, to develop the corporate branding for his video production company. Empty Duck Digital produces a wide spectrum of videos from highlight reels to feature documentaries with clients from bands, athletes,
Facebook :: Website I had the pleasure of working with Benny, Founder of NewMediaRockstars, to design the identity for his latest project—NextShark, an online magazine dedicated to providing current news and resources for the young entrepreneurial mind. Having a visual element in the brand name
Facebook :: Website Branding development for a California based music production co., Burgundy Suite. I created the brand mark using the form of “B” and the curves of “S”. The icon subtly displays both letters in a cohesive manner without shouting “B.S.”, a connotation that
Had the honor of collaborating with the one and only—Elissa Alva. She’s a mother of a five year old, yet still managed to juggle her time between the role of a full time student and professional model. Not only is she one of the sexiest
HOW Design Live is a web & design based conference that’s currently taking place (June 22nd-26th) in San Francisco. Although, I’m big on design and have been revolving my career around it, I’m quite disconnected with the field in terms of professional gatherings and events
*This is not an official apparel for the San Francisco Giants. It is, however, a design inspired by the SF 49ers. I wouldn’t say I bleed red and gold, but I’m certainly a big supporter of my local team. 49ers have made a pretty good
Ah, the actual show. This is part 1 of 2 of this ENORMOUS trade show, where they had exhibits in Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and the Venetian ballrooms. All the big players were at LVCC, leaving some of the most innovative startups in Venetian.
“Best Gift Ever” is our biggest project yet, where we collaborated with 100 of you to come up with a design for our winter/Christmas items. The span of the design process took more than 2 weeks, from accepting entries to compiling and polishing the design
*This is not an official apparel for the San Francisco Giants. It is, however, a design inspired by the SF Giants. In 2010, Giants took it home. People (San Francisco people) went wild and the streets were covered by a sea of orange and black.
Going at it for Round 2! Connor and I have teamed up again to collaborate on the 2nd set of cameraman, this time for the Nikon shooters out there. Cut right through the chase, here goes the design process! After more than 3 months of
F.A.M.E. stands for Fashion, Art, Music, and Exhibition. It’s a bi-annual event typically hosted in San Jose that gathers some of the best locally grown street wear brands and artists alike for a night of loud music, glamorous fashion show, and mad shopping spree. I’ve
New site’s finally up and running. It’s the most minimalistic layout, yet. The design process will be out shortly. Gotta hit the sack. ’til next time,-Benson http://www.theimaginaryzebra.com
Go big or go home. After spending $100+ a ticket to enter Tough Mudder, the team and I weren’t just going to show up to the event with plain tanks and shorts. To boost our spirits, 14 limited jerseys titled “The Toughest Cream Puffs You’ll
Working with New York Strangers Sports Organization (NYSSO) to come up with a design for the 25th annual NYMini volleyball tournament. It was an epic event with more 70 teams across the States and Canada competing for the title. “The New York Mini was inspired
Every once in a while, I’d come across shops or gadgets so well designed that it hurts too much not to share. Sightglass, a coffee bar & roastery, located south of Mission. and I don’t even drink coffee. 270 7th st, San Francisco. [Google Map.] The
A photography series for Plushtography. I heart NY was a mark created by Milton Glaser as an ad campaign to promote tourism for NYC back in 1970s. It swapped across the nation and soon became a pop culture icon that has many many imitations. Obviously,
Two years ago in December, I had my first Renegade experience. It was my first encounter with the event of its kind – an enormous gathering of hand-made, crafty artists showcasing their phenomenal and creative products. The very event not only inspired me to create
How this all came about! Sharing the steps and encounters of how the shirt’s been developed is part of what I do for The Imaginary Zebra. Not only do I think the process is just as important as the final product, if not more, I’d
There are plenty of things out there that are beautifully and intelligently designed – NBA tickets aren’t one of them. Inspired by the Boarding Pass FAIL project by Tyler Thompson, this is an exercise that I came up with to allow participants to think critically on the importance of
From sleeping on his brother’s couch to Time Magazine cover, Jeremy Lin, or most of us known him as Linsanity, is what flooding people’s facebook dash page. He’s an underdog. And everyone loves an underdog story. Not only is he swiping people off their feet with
All the way from the Buffalo, NY and NYC, a couple of friends decided to pay California a visit this past week. California’s home for a couple of them, but for the rest, it’s a place with great food, spectacular scenery, and no snow for the
A recent project with New Media Rockstars – An online publication which aims to showcase current and rising creative minds in new media as well as to connect New Media to Mainstream Entertainment. They’ve worked with Mystery Guitar Man (YouTube Personality), KassemG (Comedian), David Choi (Musician,
A collaboration tee for an upcoming water + shaved ice company in the bay area! Before I even get into the design process, just like to say that I’m glad there’s this place in San Pablo now to cool off the summer heat. (Although, there’s
I’ve been posting snap shots of the new notebook via instagram, now it’s time for a review. Or rather, a look back at the notebooks of the past. ↑ Really learned to optimize the space of each page second time around. It was not a sign of
Cheryl from Campus Rotaract Club (CRC) of Davis contacted me awhile back to collaborate on their latest club tees – a shirt design that represents the club’s aim for the given year. (This item’s available exclusively via CRC at UC Davis.) Here are a couple
Founded by Barry Orms, former professional basketball player, BonesBall’s an online platform that provides an educated perspective to sports issues and topics. Their objective is to show how sports can be a metaphor for life. I was asked to redesign their identity for the recent
↑ A collabo tee between TIZ and Pixel, the graphic design club @ UC Davis. Not for sale. It’s one of my favorites. Just to show much of a design geek I am. Don’t hate. Yet another food post!? I blame my current job nature.
Recently I was asked to come up with an identity for the CCSF Breakdance club – Break’n Friday. I have always been fascinated by the breakdance culture, so it’s a pretty cool experience to put my fingers on expressing the culture into simplistic icons or
