Kirk Starr Illustration & Design

An archive of the artwork of Cthulhu is my Copilot creator Kirk Starr

[kirkstarr]

Title: Elric and Cymoril Client: K3D Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Rhino 3D; Poser 4; Bryce 5; Adobe Photoshop Year: 2005

My favorite author of all time is Michael Moorcock and his Eternal Champion, Elric of Melinbone, is easily my favorite of his characters. So this image pretty much had to happen at some point.

If I did it all over again today, I'd add some foreground. But since Moorcock himself has seen this and given it a thumbs up, I don't let the lopping-off of poor Elric's feet stress me out too much.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Absinthe Eclairant Client: Cthulhu is my Copilot Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Photoshop Year: 2014

A poster I did for CimC celebrating the widespread availability of the notorious spirit derived from wormwood and flavored with anise.

The French phrase at the bottom translates "The Green Fairy."

[kirkstarr]

Title: Prototype X Cover Client: Darren Partridge Type: Cover Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2003

The client’s exact words regarding his requirements for the cover illustration were as follows:

"I have the insistent image of a front cover for Prototype-X1 involving the synthesised elements of a sabre-rotored Cierva C30 autogyro darting like a quicksilver dace through a pale azure background, combined with a winter dawn (photographic) image of the ruins of Ripley Priory."

I had my work cut out for me, to be sure.

I worked closely with Darren (despite the massive expanse of ocean that lay between us) over the course of several weeks as we massaged his original idea into what you see here. A photograph of the Ripley Priory gave way to a centuries-old woodcut. The autogyro was slowed down and given a slight “blueprint” treatment. Icons were added. The result remains one of my favorite pieces to this day.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Miskatonic University Seal Client: Cthulhu is my Copilot Type: Logo Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Photoshop Year: 2012

A large view of the seal I designed for the Miskatonic Diploma project. The Latin translates “Either Learn or Die” and is a parody of the famous Latin phrase inscribed above the King’s School, Rochester (second oldest school in the world).

[kirkstarr]

Title: HP Dinner and a Show #2 Client: HP (for Zones) Type: Poster Print Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop; Adobe Illustrator; Adobe InDesign Year: 2012

Hewlett Packard held a sales contest the reward for which was an elegant meal and then a private screening of some movie that was huge at the time. They wanted a “golden age of film” feeling and to give the impression of a big night out on the town. I went with art deco and an excited crowd (can you spot the celebrity in among the silhouettes?).

The tough thing about this sort of project is fitting all the required text while still keeping the poster visually appealing overall. I use various methods to make important text stand out or draw the eye to the important bits of information...

...after I’ve ensured the vendor’s logo has been given the proper respect, of course.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Zones 2013 Mouse Pad Client: Zones Type: Mouse Pad Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2013

When I was handed the task of designing the mouse pad design that would be handed out by Zones to a gazillion people over an entire year, I knew I had to come up with something that branded Zones well and would stand out in anyone's pile of free vendor swag. I also wanted to avoid the temptation to lazily add the provided copy to some stock photo of a person pretending to use a computer.

Zones has always been into swooshes, so in the end, it was swooshes and the corporate colors that shaped my design. Deciding how to use the swooshes, I thought about how a mouse moves over a mouse pad and sort of made a background for that. I did not take it from some CD of royalty-free vector patterns; I drew each and every one of those lines in Photoshop.

Yes, it is very bright and very busy, but the logo stands out, the text is easy to read, and the finished product doesn't make you want to pluck your eyes out and set them on fire.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Zones TechConnect Headers Client: Zones Type: Email Graphics Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2012

These represent an example of making a group of graphics that are "the same but different." I'm often asked to make individual images for things that appear to be connected but have their own unique elements. It usually requires a bit of cleverness, but in this case, it was as simple as swapping out the background city.

The cities, from top to bottom, are Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Denver, and Chicago.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Zones Final Recruiting Event 2012 Client: Zones Type: Web Banners Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2012

When I first got into graphic design professionally, I was mostly doing web graphics. Animation was something I knew how to do but seldom utilized due to the huge amount of animated .gif  abuse back in the day. I was a bit surprised last year when I was asked by Zones recruiting to create animated banners for the Oregonian's website. Fortunately, the Oregonian's file size requirements greatly limited the amount of animation that could be utilized, so I wasn't forced to add more than was necessary.

I should mention only the bottom two banners are animated; the top graphic is static.

[kirkstarr]

Title: 2003 Christmas Card Client: Cthulhu is my Copilot Type: Greeting Card Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2003

[kirkstarr]

Title: You Too Can Rock with HP Client: HP (for Zones) Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2010

One of my posters hanging on the wall in the Zones offices.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Q4 Sony Media Contest Client: Sony (for Zones) Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2011

Another one of my posters hanging in the Zones offices.

[kirkstarr]

Title: IBM Winter Moneyland Client: IBM (for Zones) Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop; Adobe Illustrator Year: 2010

Often when I am given a project, I am not similarly granted all the details needed to see the project through to completion. I never let that stop me, however, from designing an ad that makes money.

This project, for example, didn't even have a name or theme associated with it. All I knew going in was that IBM wished to reward the top salespeople each month with some extra cash.

Because it was fourth quarter, I decided on a snowy theme and came up with the name "Winter Moneyland." I set up the design like an editable standings board and had the posters laminated. Then I gave the IBM guy a dry-erase marker and asked him to regularly update the standings so the salespeople always knew where they stood. This, I assured him, would ensure constant competition to sell more IBM products. It did.

As a designer, I strive to bring more to the table than just the ability to draw pictures on my computer.

[kirkstarr]

Title: HP Race for Blue Ribbons Client: HP (for Zones) Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2010

[kirkstarr]

Title: Double Your Money with VMware Client: VMware (for Zones) Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop Year: 2013

[kirkstarr]

Title: HP Road to the Million Client: HP (for Zones) Type: Poster Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop; Adobe Illustrator Year: 2006

One of the perks to being an in-house graphic artist for a sales organization is constantly getting to see your work on display. It may not be A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, but it's mine and it's hanging on walls other than my own. That's rewarding, folks, let me tell you.

This is one of the many projects I did for Hewlett Packard. A lot more went into this than it might seem. The background is a combination of several heavily manipulated photographs and the sign was drawn completely in Photoshop. Still, I managed to have the final draft ready for print inside two business days in order to make a truncated deadline.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Four in a Row by Yours Truly Client: HP (for Zones) Type: Posters Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Photoshop; Adobe Illustrator Year: 2010

All four of the posters in the photo above are my designs. Walking through the halls at Zones often felt like I had my own art gallery.

[kirkstarr]

Title: Zones Has Talent Client: Zones Type: Illustration and Logo Parody Medium: Digital Software: Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Photoshop Year: 2013

I was asked to emulate the America's Got Talent logo as best I could and design something to create excitement for a company-wide talent show.