What I would GIVE to jump on a plane and head somewhere this weekend, but I’m not sure when we will feel comfortable getting on a plane again. Traveling always puts life into perspective for me—even my biggest problems seem minuscule when I can evaluate them from a distance. The last place that I visited was Costa Rica. In fact, I returned only 9 days before Chicago shut down the city…

When it comes to design, visual weight is distributed either vertically or horizontally to achieve balance. Imagine if your design were a three-dimensional object — if you have distributed its weight properly then it can manage to stand on its own. Designers are trained to use elements such as line, texture, color, and form in their creations to render stability. Symmetry creates order…

Overall, the packaging world is insanity, when did we become a culture of more is more? This photo is the aftermath of attending the Chicago Sweets & Snacks Expo today and it is a noisy mess. I keep focusing on the Million Dollar Chocolate Bar because: money. There aren't many days in the month that I am weak enough to indulge in that much chocolate, but I highly doubt it tastes like a million bucks…

I am a designer and constantly reevaluating what my niche is. Maybe it is the naive child in me, but I still believe that one can design their own career based on the crossover between their passions. I had a realization that designing for pharmaceutical companies isn't exactly why I went to art school. But, when I am designing something that I love, my life is a little closer to perfect…

Christmas reminds me of my grandpa, everyone that knew him loved him. But he was a matter-of-fact kinda guy—if he wasn't interested in what I was doing he certainly didn't pretend to be. And because he was a farmer, I never found it out of the ordinary if he asked me how much rain we got last night, before he asked how kindergarten was going…

Today is the day every creative hopes to never face, like every other person in the world, I am passionate about what I do for a living! Yeah 'kay, but when I DO get excited about a project it is easy to spend every minute of my day nurturing it, putting all other deadlines on the back burner and going too far down that rabbit-hole of possibilities. There aren’t too many professions where you get to make things that you really love…

My sister Melissa was married on Sat and I just don't know that the King's are cut out for weddings! The wedding was beautiful, it's always the day after that is the pits. The celebration was held in Carbondale IL, and on Sunday morning I am riding back up north with my brother Alex. We both had a lot of fun the night before and I found myself wondering…

My cousin, Patrick got married in Pittsburgh on Saturday but it was just one of those weekends that starts off on the wrong foot. Some clown set the air traffic control tower on fire Thursday to avoid his job relocation from the Chicago Suburbs to Hawaii. All flights from Midway, O’hare, and Rockford were canceled for the entire weekend, so our only option was to drive. All the rental cars in Chicago had been booked due to the closed airports…

If you know me, you know that love talking to strangers - it likely ends with a good story! About a year ago I met a guy who works in advertising too. His agency was collaborating with the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation to raise money for the families of fallen officers. They were looking for Chicago Artists to be commissioned by organizations willing to donate to their cause, and the horses will be displayed along Michigan Ave in a public art show through November…

I've decided that my career is a moving target, and maybe creative types are not meant to be satisfied. We should continue to strive for better work. I heard someone say "your days are your life", it is a simple yet profound thought. Today marks the first day in almost two years that I've had the ability to work from home. Had I gone into the office it would have meant driving my bicycle 2.5 miles through an ice storm into the loop…