Documenting the daily happenings, work in progress, inspiration and other randomness that goes on in and around the lives of Stefan Dukaczewski and Studio / MSTRPLN®.
February 1, 2012
O'Neill
Recently had the pleasure of hooking up with iconic action sport brand O'Neill on a special project for the X-Games. We got some exclusive coverage of professional snowboarder Sebastien Toutant during his quest for X-Games gold in Aspen Colorado for Forsnowboarding. Shout out to Chris at O'Neill for the hookup.
February 1, 2012
MSTRPLN® Mailbox
Found this in the mailbox. Great art print coming out of Knoxville TN from Ben Adams of The Village studio. This is gonna be framed real soon, I already have a place set out for it on my studio wall.
November 17, 2011
®
A little taste of some promotional branding that I'm working on for the 10th anniversary of MSTRPLN®.
November 1, 2011
Still on that Grind
Always on that hustle. I just wrapped up the boutique re-design for Momentum in Saskatoon, looking forward to seeing how it all comes together once the fabrication is done. Working on physical retail spaces are always a challenge, but good ones to face.In the meantime, I'll be spending the next while building up Forsnowboarding™ for the Winter as it draws near. We are almost at a thousand followers on Twitter and the community is growing by the day. Looks like it will be a great Winter.
October 7, 2011
Forsnowboarding™
Winter is nearing and with that comes the return of my other side project Forsnowboarding™. I revamped the site and changed up the branding a bit for 2012, so everything is ready to go for the re-launch on October 10th. We've hooked up with Nike to do some promos and giveaways along the way so that is really exciting and great to get that support from such a heavy hitter in the industry. Check it out if you get a chance!
September 4, 2011
MSTRPLN® for Joe Mamma Cycles
For those that don't know, I ride fixed-gear. As trendy as that might seem these days, it really isn't for the style but more for function. I spent the better part of three years learning the art of bicycle building and (save for welding my own frames) have built a solid ride for myself from the ground up that is progressively changing. I recenlty did up some shirts for a local bicycle shop that I regularly hit up for all my part needs, Joe Mamma Cycles in Ottawa. These shirts feature a monocle inspired design based on bicycle parts and tools. If you're in Ottawa and you ride, definitely hit them up.
August 9, 2011
Behind the Scenes
Continuing on a brand refresh for a boutique out West. Everything is wrapped up (literally). Here is a look at the logos that did not make the cut from the first round of the creative process.
August 7, 2011
10 Years Plus
Sneak peek at some of the branding for the MSTRPLN® 10 Year Anniversary project.
August 7, 2011
Breaking
Keeping things a bit on the down-low over the course of the Summer. Taking some time off of social media and blogging to recharge while working on some special MSTRPLN® projects, client contracts, and the studio job here in Ottawa.
May 15, 2011
Changing Gears
I took some time off from blogging over the last while as there have been some signigficant changes recently. I've now joined up with Teknision in Ottawa to work on the creative side of mobile and embedded software design. It's quite exciting and there are many possibilities that exist within this industry. I will still be maintaining select projects through MSTRPLN® in the mean-time. Just getting my bearings together as all this has happened so fast, so things will be more regular soon. 10th Anniversary of MSTRPLN® underway as well!
March 18, 2011
The MSTRPLN® Creative Process - Part 2 / Look and Feel
Continuing from my last post about the initial steps in my creative process, part two looks into setting the look and feel of the project. After brainstorming ideas, I generally like to get a mood board in place to set the tone of the art direction and give the client an idea of the type of positioning we're gonna go for before commiting to a design off the bat. Does it evoke feelings of luxury? Aspiration? Minimalism? Do the colors work? It's all up for discussion at this point to get everyone on the same page. It also gets you a solid basis to begin the design stages of the project, which is what's coming up next.
March 18, 2011
The Ottawa Creative Union
Speaking with some local Ottawa designers, we came to the realization there were designers out there that were doing great work, but no real central community to bring everyone together. I took this as an initiative to work on what my vision of this community's identity could be, and The Ottawa Creative Union came together as far as the branding, look and feel of things. I hope it sparks some interest among the creatives in the city and pushes the ball forward.See the full branding on my Behance Portfolio.
March 9, 2011
The MSTRPLN® Creative Process - Part 1 / Building
Working on a brand refresh for a boutique out West. Everything from stationery to the outdoor signage. I thought I would take the time to document part of this process. Strong brand identities come from putting in the time and effort to develop strong ideas and concepts. "How long does it take?" - I would say that 75% of the time put in is sketching and understanding what is required to convey the best message for the brand. It starts on paper first and then moves on to the computer, more on this as things develop further, stay tuned.
March 9, 2011
iPhone Pocket Sketches
Received a surprise package in the mail today that had some sketching books for planning out ideas for iPhone mobile design. Pretty cool concept, nothing beats a pen and paper for mocking up ideas.Learn more and pick up some iPhone Pocket Sketches here.
February 17, 2011
MSTRPLN® Crew / Necks Samples
Working on some special branded projects for the 10th anniversary of MSTRPLN® coming up in April. Crew neck sweatshirts with front and back prints featuring some new graphics unique for 2011. Looks like the hotness, if there is enough interest, I'll have a small line for sale in the Spring to commemorate. What do you think?
February 14, 2011
Keep on that grind
'If you want to leave footprints in the sand then make sure you put your work boots on!'. Best advice I've heard in a while. If you're working hard, people will notice. Keep on that grind and let's do work.
February 11, 2011
Pepsi Throwback
I'm pretty confident that Pepsi will be selling a ton of cases of their Throwback variety soft drink. From a marketing perspective this shit is going to fly off the shelves based on the retro factor alone. Real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup gets the win for me. Pick up a case at your local Wal-Mart.
January 31, 2011
MSTRPLN® for The Clink Room - Raging Wheelers New Era Cap now available.
The Clink Room is Plan B Branding's offshoot division. They are responsible for branding many of Minor League Baseball's teams, and from time to time, have open submissions for designers to create their own teams for ficticious leagues. I was able to participate in their Skate Shop League and developed a team identity based around skateboarding called the Raging Wheelers. After months of waiting, the New Era hat is finally available to the public for purchase from The Clink Room. Only 72 hats were made, so if you like it, pick one up and show your support! Additional views can be found here.Purchase the hat from The Clink Room, $40.00 USD, Available in limited quantities.
January 26, 2011
On the regular
Just a collection of some of the things I'm down with and use in my daily life. Sneak peek at the New Era cap I designed for the Clink Room as well. Available in the coming month or so.
January 4, 2011
New Project: Minimal Bicycle Co.
I had a chance to work on the branding, identity and site design for a great new start-up venture, Minimal Bicycle Co. The brand focuses on fixed-gear and single speed bicycles, and it was a great chance to apply this methodology to their aesthetics as i'm down with clean and minimal design. Boom.View more of the Minimal Bicycle Co. project in the Portfolio section.
December 22, 2010
Happy Holidays from MSTRPLN®
Wishing you all the best this holiday season, and an amazing 2011. Looking forward to working with some great people and on great projects. Have a good one!
December 21, 2010
MSTRPLAID® - Free iPhone and iPad backgrounds
Getting into the festive mood, I designed a custom plaid pattern for the holiday season, perfect for the iPad and optimized for the awesome Retina display of the iPhone 4. It's a free download so get your holiday on!Download MSTRPLAID® for iPhone and iPad here (1.5mb)
December 7, 2010
Dribbble!
I was recently invited to join a new fresh creative community called Dribbble. I'm already part of a few other social netowoking sites that deal with design, but this one is a bit different. The whole point of Dribbble is to showcase crative works in progress, and only through submitting a 400 x 300 pixel image, called a "shot". The site is highly addictive and it really got me back into the creative mindset.Follow my Dribbble works in progress here.
December 3, 2010
MSTRPLN® Branding 2011
I've reworked my business cards for MSTRPLN® as the older ones were getting a bit stale. These ones use a Silver Pantone 877c with a matte laminate for that classy look. I've also re-worked all of the new MP® stationery along with some new promotional items that will be revealed in the next little while. The business cards have since been featured on Creattica and The Design Inspiration. Not too bad.
December 2, 2010
Snowboard Design
Currently working on a few snowboard related projects at the moment. Since it is so close to Winter it's a welcome change and really amping me out for the new season. I've also since re-launched my side-project Forsnowboarding for the 2011 season, so be sure to check that site out http://www.forsnowboarding.com
December 1, 2010
Ottawa
I've finally got everything sorted in Ottawa, it feels refreshing, but also looks like it will be a lot of work to get it all moving. Ottawa is a beutiful city for its heritagem but isn't nearly as cosmopolitan or progressive as other cities like New York or Montreal, but it's only expected and a new challenge it will be. We're only moving forward at this point.
October 1, 2010
Bridgehead Coffee
Took a break to discover some of the things Ottawa has to offer while organizing my day. Popped into Bridgehead, a local coffee chain, and took note of the nice menu and decor.
September 23, 2010
New everything - Welcome to the new era of MSTRPLN
I am back. A lot of things have changed since I've left off. I've taken a couple of months off from the design scene to focus on other things in my life. With these changes come new challenges and new adventures. I've been putting the gears in motion to set up what is soon to be a new creative space and studio to be able to fully work on all of the projects that come my way. Along with that comes this blog that will allow me the opportunity to chronicle that joruney, and post whatever comes next in work and play. I hope you all stick around.
