SlowPig | Madison, WI | 10.30.2011

Monday, October 24th, 2011 | Events & Openings, Tonky Graphic Design, edibles | No Comments

Tonky Designs handled SlowPig’s branding and designed its promotional materials. ( logos, e-commerce website, t-shirts, posters/postcards and tickets printed at Brooklyn’s finest letterpress studio: Coeur Noir. )

After spending a few months working on contract as a designer at the National Football League this summer, I can’t say the SlowPig logo wasn’t at least partially inspired by the team logos that that stellar design team puts out. I CAN however say that The SlowPigs would make a very un-intimidating name for a football team.

SlowPig is a celebration of heritage pigs and the people who drive the movement. Just 5 days left to purchase tickets for this all-you-can-eat & all-you-can-drink gourmet extravaganza organized by Chef Dan Fox of the Madison Club. If you dine on swine and live within a day’s drive of Madison, WI, you should be there. I’ll be there; my mouth is already watering.

More info and tickets Click HERE

-Tonky

The Tarball Chronicles | Cover Design by Tonky

Monday, October 24th, 2011 | Tonky Graphic Design | No Comments

Take a gander at my most recent book cover design for Milkweed Editions. The Tarball Chronicles ($24) by David Gessner documents the author’s road trip to and around the gulf coast during the 2010 oil spill.

This was a challenging project and it took a while to zero in on a design that encapsulated Gessner’s work. You can see some of the rejected concepts below. Since Gessner asks his readers to look “beyond the oily pelican” that dominated news coverage I was tasked with designing a cover that was specific to the disaster while also not reading as cliche or “too similar” to every other image we associate with the rig explosion and subsequent months-long undersea gusher.

We settled on this collaged composition that features a monstrous BP cleanup worker with a pelican head ( courtesy of J.J Audubon) and framed out by filigrees appropriated from an early 20th century mardi gras ball invitation

thanks for looking,

-Tonky

Justin Beaver | Limited Edition Print

Friday, December 3rd, 2010 | Contemporary Art, Pop Culture Notions, Tonky Graphic Design, Tonky Limited Editions | No Comments

Just in time for your holiday gift giving, I’ve completed my limited edition Justin Beaver Print.

Little is know about the North American Justin Beaver other than:

- He has beautiful hair
- He sings purty
- He chews down trees to build his sub-aquatic home
- His last name rhymes with Bieber

Supplies are limited and priced to sell at $30. See more pics and purchase online here:
Justin Beaver Limited Edition Print.

thanks!
-Tonky

The Nature of College by James J. Farrell | Milkweed Editions

Thursday, November 4th, 2010 | Pop Culture Notions, Power & Politics, Tonky Graphic Design | No Comments

Check out the cover I designed for the book The Nature of College by James Farrell.
The Nature of College | $16 | Milkweed Editions
It’s a very nice read and especially worth buying for people in or entering college.

I pitched various ideas to the publisher Milkweed Editions and they went with the “Modern Day Vanitas” concept.

Each chapter sheds light on a different aspects of college life: The Nature of Parties, The Nature of Sex and (Sometimes) Love, The Nature of Politics, etc.

So I created an allegorical still life, much like the Dutch ‘vanitas’ paintings. In this modern day example, each object symbolizes a different facet of the book’s contents. Special thanks to Ward Yoshimoto who photographed the still life for me. The raw hi-res image is simply gorgeous.

enjoy,
Tonky

The still life wraps around the spine and back. Here is the full spread sans text and title.

Shangri-La Wall Graphic | Blissliving Exclusive

Thursday, October 7th, 2010 | Tonky Graphic Design, Tonky Limited Editions | No Comments

Ye-all,

Check out the NEW design we produced exclusively for Blissliving Home.
The Shangri-La Wall graphic comes in a set of 4 for $75 and is available in “Storm Grey”

What’s cool about this design is that the grey will match any color wall and you can tile multiples as shown above.

Order at BlissLivingHome.com

-Tonky

Porcelain “Lens” Necklaces

Monday, August 16th, 2010 | Tonky Graphic Design, Tonky Limited Editions | No Comments

Whereas the acrylic stuff is funky and fun, these porcelain”lens” necklaces are elegant and delicious. Those words aren’t really dichotomously opposed pairs. Eh well.

Nevertheless, the single disks (black, red, white) are on long chains, so they can double as soy sauce dishes if you find yourself at a sushi picnic with no vessel.

The “constellation” necklace features white porcelain lenses connected with oxidized sterling silver hardware. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

-Tonky

Acrylic Jewelry: Back to Basics

Monday, August 16th, 2010 | Tonky Graphic Design, Tonky Limited Editions | No Comments

Howdy partners,

Not much sleep these days. Hard at work shooting some of my freshly minted designs.
What do you think of the new laser cut acrylic jewelry?

Above we have:
-Oversized Clinky Necklaces
-Back to Basics Bangles ( circle, square triangle)
- Transparent Color Paddle Necklace

-Tonky