Nicholas 
I was flipping through my Pantone book the other day when I had this epiphany: designers don’t “do” regular math, but they do have to do a different kind of math. Working with color is very challenging and getting consistent color whether it is in print or on the web is one of the most … Read more
The last time I redesign my website was 2008, and I had been meaning to update the design since about 2010, but client projects and a very full schedule have kept it on my to-do list until this year. While not a complete redesign of the site structure, I have changed a lot. My new … Read more
HVAC professional and my friend over at American Air Care didn’t have a website. He’d tried working with designers in the past, but things just never seemed to work out. So late last year, he approached me to design his website. He didn’t have much in the way of requirements: something that would feature his … Read more
Yesterday, we had 80+ mile per hour winds blow through our area and knocked out power to about 90,000 people. While my work lost power, I was fortunate to have power at my house. As I was talking with a neighbor about the situation he mentioned the abbreviation “woe” that he saw on a store … Read more
I was talking to a friend the other about design related things. Somehow the conversation turned to type and I remarked to her that “free fonts are like a $20 hooker. You never know what you’re going to get.” She laughed and said, “that would be a great t-shirt.” So I made it into a … Read more
Designers fell in love with Helvetica when it was first introduced, and that love has not subsided over the years. A clean and elegant font, it works well under a variety of conditions. It only seemed natural to pay tribute to one of the all-time favorite fonts in the world with a tongue-in-cheek verison of … Read more
My dad, Harry O. Nawroth, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in the final years of his life. He lost his fight last year on this date at the age of 83. Some days he had good days, some days not so good. But deep down inside, my dad was in there. I’m glad that he’s … Read more
I’m having fun with a new series of posters that I developed at the end of 2011 and 2012 that started with Dream Pig and Give Peas A Chance. I love the simple iconography and type combined with a single, strong color for a quick, compelling story. I’ve tried to keep the feeling light and airy throughout. I … Read more
I’m having fun with a new series of posters that I developed at the end of 2011 and 2012 that started with Dream Pig and Give Peas A Chance. I love the simple iconography and type combined with a single, strong color for a quick, compelling story. I’ve tried to keep the feeling light and … Read more
Girl Scout Cookies are a yearly tradition as we transition from winter to spring. This year, as I was munching my way through a box of Thin Mints, I had a brainstorm: why not do a poster that celebrates the awesomeness of these addictive little cookies with the tagline, “Resistance is futile.” I chatted with … Read more
One of my favorite pieces, The Sleeping Beauty, was chosen to be exhibited at the Gothic exhibit at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in Orange County, California from February 2 through March 24. This is the first time that my piece has been selected to be a part of a juried show and I … Read more
I had a dream where there were pig shaped clouds against a pink colored sky. I woke up and had the title of the piece: When Pigs Fly. The idea stuck with me and I finally had some time this year to give the idea a whirl. After creating the pig and his fancy wings … Read more
After spending time in Chicago and working on this year’s Cheese Show Poster for my day job, I was in a retro deco sort of mood. Which was good because it was time to work on the poster for our annual Food & Wine Show. I’ve been designing the posters since this show’s inception in … Read more
I originally had the idea for this poster in late 2010. I envisioned a can of peas with the peace symbol on it. However, after some experimentation, I dropped the can idea and just went for the peas making up the peace symbol. I bought a couple of bags of frozen peas and on one … Read more
Last year, I participated in the first Say Something Poster project. It was a fun project and is for a good cause, so I decided to join in again this year. While the organization and theme had changed, the mission hadn’t: try to inspire the youth of today with a positive message. Today so many … Read more
My friends over at Jane hancock paper produce a fabulous Letterpress calendar each year. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in the 2012 edition. The call for entries was in May and I chose September as my month from the selections left since that was my Dad’s birthday month. Little did I … Read more
While I was in Chicago this summer for HOWDesign Live, I went to Willis Tower for the Skydeck tour. While in the gift shop, I shot a pic of the Chicago World’s Fair poster. In July, while discussing the cheese show poster for my day job at Dorothy Lane Market with our Cheese … Read more
For my holiday card this year, I decided to do a new twist on my standard style. I Envisioned a sort of “Charlie Brown”/60s funky sort of look for this year’s card. I originally designed it without any textures. But I just couldn’t resist adding some to add to the watercolor effect. 🙂 Here’s hoping … Read more