JenOdom

Dove Save the Date

2008-05-31T08:07:00.000-07:00

I designed Emily and Robbie's Save the Date postcard this week. I like to creatively respond to the elements I start with. For example, Whitney Carlson of Dove Wedding Photography sent me an engagement photo of one of her couples: Emily and Robbi. The photo is urban with concrete structures in the background, with a splash of an organic element (i.e. dirt). The picture is dynamic with diagonals created from the concrete structure in the background. So I wanted the type to interact with the background--not interrupt it but rather sit nicely within or on top of the background.

Emily and Robbie's colors are raspberry and navy. Good shot Whitney. They look so happy with each other.

Imaje Summer Promotion

2008-05-29T11:05:00.001-07:00

Heard from an old friend from Imaje last week. The company has developed a new identity since the last time we spoke. It's simple, clean, and powerful, yet fun and exciting. Markem-Imaje develops machinery that prints on various packaging for tracking and identification. In fact the small barcodes you find on postcards shipped from the post office are printed with their products. Copied directly from the website, "Markem-Imaje is a trusted world manufacturer of product identification and traceability solutions, offering a full line of reliable and innovative inkjet, thermal transfer, laser, print and apply label systems and RFID-based systems." Read more about Markem-Imaje at www.markem-imaje.com.

They needed a postcard to market their summer promotion. This is what we developed in order to remain consistent with their current identity:

Portraits Postcard

2008-05-22T15:08:00.000-07:00

Just sent off the final files for the Perimeter Ladies Ministry Summer Interview Series for Young Women. They call it 1000 Portraits Paint One Picture. Each week, there will be an interview with a super cool young lady, served along with yummy desserts and coffee. As far as the design goes, we were going for stylish, inviting, comfortable, warm, yet still conveying our concept of portraits (i.e. interviews that paint a portrait).

This is a great solution for them. I'm very excited about our result. It really suits the environment and the ultimate goals of the series. Here are some of the other concepts we liked a lot but didn't feel fit the right solution.

They're young, high fashion, and magazine style. But ultimately, they don't convey the right mood. They're too glitzy-formal. Getting away from the risk of singling out particular types of women, we decided to go more abstract---more object oriented. Here are some favorites.

The apple option points to our innate common ground, sin, which started with a piece of fruit. I really enjoyed this project. Can you tell?

Jeffrey Hardy's work is now available on iTunes!

2008-05-21T15:39:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Hardy has been hard at work promoting his new self-titled EP, which is now available on iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, and Amazon MP3. We printed up some one-sided full-color postcards for him and his team to market the newly available purchasing options. Here is the design:

Perimeters Night of Worship

2008-05-15T08:30:00.001-07:00

The past several weeks have been exciting for God's given me the opportunity to concept on several projects involving my faith. I also get to serve in the choir occasionally when I'm not traveling to shoot a wedding. These two areas of service, design and music, come together is this latest project where several worship leaders will lead the congregation in worship on Sunday evening, June 8th, while being recorded to a CD–hence "Night of Worship". Here is the design direction chosen for the CD's cover.

The textures are contemporary and the tower points to the location. As communications manager Scott Logan put it (paraphrased), "This cover is particular to Perimeter. Without it, any church could claim the design. The tower makes this design unique."

Jessica & Alex's Awesome Invite

2008-05-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

I'm trying something new! Thanks Jessica for being my sweat guinea pig! Jessica and Alex are atypical, non-traditional, hey-let's-go-for-it people. They'll be getting married outside at the R-Ranch in Dahlonega this coming June, and I have the honor of being the primary shooter at their wedding! Jessica didn't want to do the traditional white invitation pressed on rag paper. She wanted something that fit her style, so we decided to do some state-of-the-ART digital printing on watercolor paper. It's a 5x5 trifold that we put in a white envelope. Here is the design result:

I love this product, and any designer who knows me could pin point my taste. Jessica's older sister, Whitney Carlson of Dove Wedding Photography, shot the photos in Nashville. Read her post about the engagement sessions here:

P.S. Note to all of you thinking of sending square stationary through the Postal Service: it costs $0.17 extra per envelope seeing as how the square dimensions do not fit nicely in the machines and must be hand fed.

Julie and Charlie's Shining Engagement Shoot

2008-05-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

We held our breath hoping it wouldn't rain on our Sunday evening engagement shoot in Dunwoody, Georgia, and sure enough, it turned into a beautiful session! Julie and Charlie will be getting married on this Chattahoochee River bank in October. I can't wait! This particular river bank belongs to Charlie's mom, who has done a wonderful job landscaping the front and back yard. There are so many great places to hang out and take photos. We had a hard time narrowing it down to just a handful! The great Becca Hayes was my third arm during the session helping direct the light, keep up with equipment, and make us laugh. Here are a few more of my favorites from the day.

Aren't Julie's eyes stunning?

I look forward to the wedding!

Jeffrey Hardy Goes to Print

2008-04-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Atlanta artist Jeffrey Hardy is releasing his first EP in a couple weeks. We just sent off the artwork a couple days ago. Take a look.

Other local musicians like guitarist Alex Nifrong, bassist C.J. Velvet, and drummer Brock Evans contributed to the album. Recording engineers Daniel Gardner and Robert Dyson tracked the songs at Glow in the Dark Studios in Atlanta, while Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount mixed at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross. Dave Collins of Los Angeles mastered. Brian Hall, a personal friend of Jeffrey's, took the photos. In May, Hardy's work will available on iTunes. Bookmark his website www.jeffreyhardymusic.com and check it regularly for updates.

Melanie & Tony's Wedding Album

2008-04-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

Melanie and Tony were married at the First Baptist Church in Clarksville, TN. Their entire day was so relaxed and welcoming. For their album, I wanted to mimic the beautiful lace gown the bride, Melanie, wore and only splash color selectively.

This is one of my favorite shots from the day, making it one of my favorite spreads.

To see the whole album slideshow, go to the Dove site:
www.doveweddingphotography.com/MelanieTonyAlbum

Odom Vacation in the Smokey Mountains

2008-04-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Zack and I headed for the hills last week to take a break from cell phones and computers and connect with history and God's Creation. Having grown up in Georgia, I can't believe it's taken me this long to see this beautiful national park. It's name derives from a Cherokee word that describes the blue haze that rises like smoke characteristic of the range. We split our stay between a cozy lodge and a cabin deep in the woods. I wish I could say we camped, but neither of us grew up as scouts, making the venture more foreboding.

This is my dashing husband, Zack, for those of you who don't know him.

One of our favorite days was spent in Cades Cove. We packed lunches, let down our windows, pulled back the sunroof and drove. This was the first time I've driven my stick-shift Mini since I had surgery on my foot in February. Zack kept laughing at me as I softly said, "Ten...two...ten...two," describing my hand position on the steering wheel while we rounded curves.

Our second favorite day included indoor skydiving and go carts. We had the tracks virtually to ourselves, racing only each other. It was a blast! I'm so grateful for the break.

Chelsea and Matt's Wedding Album

2008-04-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Chelsea and Matt's wedding took place at the Belmont Mansion in Nashville. Having both attended Belmont as students, taking pictures at the base of the bell tower was very important to them, which is why one in that series appears on the cover and the first page.

I have a tendency to go monochromatic (one color with tints and shades) with my designs. So this time, I branched out. This was one of my favorite spreads.

The rest of their album can be found on the Dove website at the following link:
doveweddingphotography.com/ChelseaMattAlbum

Decisive Designer

2008-04-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

Joining The Decisive Moment team! Since the turn of 2008, I've taken over the album design process for a local Atlanta Photojournalism Studio called The Decisive Moment. Their aim is to capture the wedding story with real events and genuine emotions from the wedding day that is distinctly the bride and groom's. They manage four passionate primary photographers: Jean Shifrin, Jenni Girtman, Adam Linke, and Will Godfrey. And it's my job to place a handful of their beautiful images into an emotional pictorial narrative we call a wedding album.

Here are some samples of the albums I've designed for them:

Singh–Wadhera

Lastinger–Murray

McCarley–Ivey

Duncan–Prouty

Worship Foundations International Annual Report

2008-04-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Just recently, I received my finished Worship Foundations International Annual Report in the mail. Still feel proud to see my work in the real world–––my world. This year we printed the annual on 80 pound Cougar Natural (uncoated) paper. This look was a nice evolution for them. This piece remains artistic yet inhabits different graphic elements than we've used in the past.

Back cover includes accomplishments of 2007, goals for 2008, and letters from two board members: Dave Hunt and Chip Taylor.

Inside spread includes a letter from founder, Martin Allen, the 2006-2007 financial report, mission statements, and a list of board members.

I love working with this ministry. They seek to develop the most prepared and effective generation of musicians ever. They have a network that spans the globe. To find out more about Worship Foundations, check out their website at www.worshipfoundations.com. They also have a mentor network for musicians: www.mentornetwork.com.

Shannon + James Wed in Nashville

2008-03-30T20:22:00.001-07:00

This weekend brought travels to Nashville to photograph the marriage of the lovely Shannon and James with Whitney Carlson of Dove Wedding Photography. Their ceremony took place at Wightman Chapel (Scaritt Bennett). Beeeeautiful site! Gorgeous wedding. We all had a blast. James even climbed a window or two to prove how crazy in love he is. What a great way to start off the busy season! Their reception was at The Hermitage Hotel downtown. Here are a few I grabbed at the ceremony.

Shannon's twin nieces were her flower girls:

James's expression seeing Shannon walk down the aisle to be his bride:

Walking together as husband and wife for the first time:

To see more, frequent Dove's blog: www.doveweddingphotography.blogspot.com.

GWC DVD Slipcover

2007-12-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

GWC now has an awesome DVD available! Nina Baldridge of Fast Forward Management has a blast going through all the footage from the past couple years. In describing what will be on the DVD she say, "It will be a montage of footage and pictures from the beginning to date including the 2 videos we have done." Their release party is tonight December 7th at The Loft. You can get more information at www.myspace.com/greedywhitecitizens.

Save the Date Postcard

2007-12-06T15:24:00.000-08:00

Donna and Ken are getting married next July in Paris, TN, and I had the honor of being at their engagement photo session with Whitney Carlson of Dove Wedding Photography. The couple is sending out Save the Date postcards just in time for Christmas. The only perimeters she gave us is that her colors are pink-almost-fuchsia and black. The main texture is linen. Here is their card.

Anna & Alex Wedding Album

2007-12-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about Anna and Alex's wedding Album! It really fits their style and the overall mood of the entire day. Their wedding took place last spring at the Carl House in Auburn, Georgia. Not only did Alex wear his favorite shoes (flip flops), but so did the rest of the Groomsmen––a very fitting touch for the unique Groom! Thank you for letting us be a part of your day!

You can view more pages here:

www.doveweddingphotography.com/AnnaAlexAlbum

Jennifer & Belger at Villa Serena

2007-12-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

Bryan Redding, a fabulous editor, photographer, graphic designer out of Athens, Georgia, needed a second photographer for Jennifer and Belger's wedding at Villa Serena, an Italian mansion outside of Conyers. The place was beautiful! It's a gorgeous place to have a wedding. Belger said he never wears a suit, but he looks so natural in these poses–like he's modeled for years! Here are some from that day:

Jennifer & Matt's Wedding Album

2007-11-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and Matt got married a First Baptist of Fayetteville, GA. In designing their album, I wanted it to feel classic in much the way their entire wedding was: elegant and timeless. So I looked to some old books I had of my grandfather's. The linen cover, the way the photos sat ON the page (not printed on the page), and pictures trimmed with debossed silver lines were all characteristics of the cherished books handed down from generation to generation like these wedding albums will be.

I also wanted to use poetic type as a graphic element. I don't do this much in designing wedding albums because the pictures already do so much of the talking. But this one called for it. I'm very pleased with the result.

In much the same way old daguerreotypes were stored with handwriting on them, I "etched" the important time and place information on the introductory page.

I really like the simplicity of their album. This page in particular look like it should be viewed in an oak-paneled study with the fellas.

This is my favorite spread in the album (not just because I took the picture). Throughout the night, Matt kept looking at the ring on his finger in mystified satisfaction as if remembering and savoring the day–especially his vows. So I included them to the side.

In the end, these pages will be printed on linen pressed paper by a company in Italy. To see more pages, go to Dove website by clicking the link below.
www.doveweddingphotography.com/JenniferMattAlbum/

Switchfoot & Relient K Concert Photography

2007-11-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

I had the honor and privilege to assist Outerlight Entertainment in attaining photos for their new, upcoming website. Switchfoot, Reliant K, and Ruth Band were fabulous in concert at the Atlanta Civic Center with a wonderful light show by all bands, falling "snow" and thrown candy canes (to highlight Reliant K's new Christmas album), and a 60 second all-american freeze by Switchfoot. Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot, even treated fans by climbing through the crowd with a light cord and crawling up to the balcony to sing. Incredible! Here are some of my favorites from the show:

Caedmon's Call Poster

2007-11-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

I had the honor of designing Caedmon's Call's upcoming Overdressed Tour poster and flyer. Derek Webb will not only be rejoining the crew for this tour but he'll also be opening for the band along with guest artist Andrew Osenga. You can check out their official tour dates on their website: www.caedmonscall.com

Nina & Johnny's Wedding Album

2007-11-08T11:21:00.001-08:00

Nina and Johnny's wedding took place on March 31, 2007 in Springfield, TN where Nina's family as well as Johnny's family would relax every year. The weather held off in time for the ceremony when it began to lightly shower. And you know what they say about showers on your wedding day? Many years of blissful marriage.

www.doveweddingphotography.com/NinaJohnnyAlbum

Krysten & Mark's Wedding Album

2007-11-05T11:11:00.000-08:00

Krysten & Mark's Wedding took place in Brentwood, Tennessee June 30th of this year. The day was gorgeous with the ceremony taking place just before sunset. I had the honor of second-shooting the wedding with Whitney Carlson of Dove Wedding Photography. I also had the pleasure of designing their album. Drop me a line and let me know what you think!

www.doveweddingphotography.com/KrystenMarkAlbum

Worship Foundations Intl Trifold Brochure

2007-11-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

Just got the samples back from the printer of WFI's new general brochure. They needed to combine the two brochures they've used in the past, keeping the information general and not trip specific (which is outdated very quickly) while also adding two other facets of their ministry. I recommended a pocket so they could insert more up-to-date information about each ministry more economically.

I'm very happy with the outcome.

Chris and little Corinn flutter by the house on Halloween

2007-10-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a safe Halloween. This one was special for me, seeing as how my niece experienced her very first dress up holiday as a butterfly! She and her mommy are so beautiful! I'm soooo glad they came by!

Corinn is getting more beautiful by the day. Maybe one of these days she'll have an Akridge cousin to play with!

We had a blast watching the 1979 version of Dracula, which I must say is the best version out there, while answering the swarm of trick-or-treaters we had this year. It must have been a record!

Carv'n Pun'kins

2007-10-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

My neighbor invited me several times to carve pumpkins with her and her family and friends before I finally relented to put my hand in the guts of the slimy things. To my pleasant surprise, it was a blast! None of us knew what we would carve before we started but it didn't matter. This was last year.

Thanks to some interesting circumstances, we held our own pumpkin carving this year. My aunt and I headed down to the pumpkin patch to pick out the wartiest, most perfect pumpkin of the hundreds on the ground.

April and Rob really made Aunt Lita and Whitney's first pumpkin carving experience complete with Halloween music, spider rings, fun carving tools, and a HUGE guts bucket! I was hoping to cook a bunch from the fruit of our labor, but work seemed to get in the way. I only managed to crank out one loaf of pumpkin bread and currently two batches of seeds.

Lady Katherine

2007-10-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite people in the world came to visit, Lady Katherine Cremeens. Yes, she does own land in the British Isles (all 1 square foot of it), making her a true Lady! We had her regular meal–the meal we seem to cook every time she comes over: pork tenderloin, garlic mash potatoes, and asparagus. Oh so good.

Zack snapped this one while making her laugh. He'd make a great photographer if music wasn't his first love!

Kat is senior designer now at Porter Design in Lawrenceville. It was great to hear of all the new things she's learning there, including increasing production with the new Adobe Creative Suite CS3. I can't wait to invest!

Soap and Studs: Will gets a bath!

2007-10-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon and evening with new mama, Professor Grem. She graded papers while I worked on a wedding album at what used to be my favorite coffee shop in Athens called Blue Sky but runs by the new name of Walkers. It's not a bad change, but definitely not the coffee shop I miss so much. Jenna, we have to do this again sometime!

We ran home so the other Professor Grem could go to his first practice with a new band while Jenna bathed the little W. Grem. Here's some pictures I caught during one of his favorite times of the day, his bath.

Compassion in Action

2007-10-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Through an organization of churches called Unite!, help is being brought to so many places across North Atlanta, crossing denominational, racial, and socio-economic lines. Hands On Atlanta helped organize this massive effort while the churches responded with volunteers, logistics, and time. Driveways were made, school yards were cleaned up, bathrooms painted, treat bags made for teachers in appreciation, houses cleaned, as well as many many more projects all across Gwinnett and Fulton counties.

At Norcross High School, teams of volunteers from all different churches worked together to lay straw, pick up trash, blow debris off sidewalks and driveways, as well as paint bathrooms.

Father and son working together.

In the cafeteria, goodie bags were made in appreciation for the teachers of Norcross High School. Many families showed up to work side by side like this little girl and her dad.

At Wellspring, a transitional house for women, a sidewalk and driveway were poured (that's hard work) while women and teens painted and deep cleaned the inside.

They didn't forget one part of the house, including the shutters!

Postcard Invite

2007-10-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Perimeter Church, a leading church in the Southeast, hosts a covered-dish dinner once a month to tell the basic story of where they've been as well give a tour of the facility for those unfamiliar with it. They call it Taste of Perimeter. Soon they'll be focusing each Taste of Perimeter on a target age group. The first will be the young professionals 18-35 whose ministry they call the Gathering. Here is the postcard they'll be sending out promoting the evening.

This is the mailable side.

You can check out their website at www.perimeter.org/gathering. It's real clean, geometric, and contemporary–a really good look for them.

Wedding Save the Date

2007-09-21T18:41:00.001-07:00

While freelancing at a lovely place up the street that feels like home, I put together the following Save the Date card directions for a bride who will be having an elegant catholic wedding next summer. Her colors will be black, cream, and burgundy with lots of lacy details throughout the evening.

I really like the type treatment on the one above. It works nicely with the Victorian textile pattern and the original intentions of the bride.

The negative space of this layout makes it a more contemporary choice. The decor behind the type becomes almost iconic. Wedding invitations along with everything that go with them, the program, RSVP card, directions, invite, etc. are a lot of fun putting together.

MacBook Pro Users

2007-09-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Note to all MacBook Pro Users: Apple is not making the AC adapter available for 4-6 more weeks, and all of Atlanta is sold out of them, including Apple Lenox, Apple Perimeter, Apple North Point, and Fry's. So take extra care of your adapter, because if something happens to it, hope you have a friend with a MacBook Pro.

The Breakdown Promotional

2007-09-12T22:10:00.001-07:00

The Breakdown CD package is almost done! Hooray! It's been an exciting journey for their debut EP, Thoughts Lost in Yellow Lines. This set we will be sending to DiscMakers, who specializes in the types of runs these guys are doing. Turn around time can vary, but they promise 2 weeks for the print material and 3 weeks for the tshirts. Just a couple more steps and we're through.

The slipcover:

Front and back of the slipcover:

Two-color screen-printed 2" stickers:

Two-color screen printed black t-shirts:

Maybe in the future, after millions of dollars worth of record sales, they can offer this tshirt in the babydoll style. ;-)

Full-color poster with an area at the bottom for metallic writing of concert information:

That's all for now. Drop me a line, and let me know what you guys think.

Compromized

2007-09-04T06:45:00.001-07:00

A word to the wise: make backups of all the information on your computer and make sure to get a security system as soon as possible. Also, secure your house as much as you can by going to a hardware store in your area where there are lots of little gadgets to make it more difficult for thieves to get into your humble abode.

I recently spoke to a former politician in our area who now is developing areas around our county and had to increase security around his properties due to the increasing crime rate. He mentioned the decrease in the housing market has caused an increase in unemployment in our county. How sad a situation it is for this niche of our population resorting to thievery in order to pay the bills. And the former politician also said that the crime will only get worse.

Corinn's New Bed

2007-08-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

For about two months, my dad swore me to secrecy while he built. He was constructing a precious heirloom for the family: a beautiful crib for our babies to sleep, rock, and test their lungs out in. It'll accommodate the critters until they're about four months old. He also pre-installed plaques for each baby that would soon be swaddled in the work of art. Notice the plaques on the long end-post. The baby's name and date of birth will be engraved on the plaque. Not that he'll only have three grandkids, but that's all he bought for now. More can be added later.

Dad can't take all the credit, although he deserves most of it. He planned it, altered the plans, bought the material, put it all together, and stained it. The hardest and most time extensive part of it all was the sanding. Mom, Zack, Jim, and I all pitched in to smooth edges, fill imperfections, but mostly repeatedly run the electric sander over the parts of the soon-to-be crib.

The Breakdown Photoshoot

2007-08-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Back in July, the guys in The Breakdown and I headed to the Stone Mountain area to take some shots for their upcoming debut EP called Thoughts Lost in Yellow Lines for which I am also putting together their promo materials with DiscMakers. What's funny is right as they showed up, it began to rain. I already had in mind where I wanted to go and all the spots were outside.

Time for plan B. As we moved away from Lawrenceville, the rain began to let up and the sun began to come out. The evening turned into a beautiful sunset. We went to a place they like to call the mafia house. Here's a few examples of what we took.

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For more, check out their slideshow: www.jenodom.com/slideshow/thebreakdown/index.html

I created a blog!

2007-08-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Jennifer has officially started a blog! Hooray! Now you can keep up with all my daily/weekly happenings. For starters, I am now an aunt. My brother and his wife gave birth almost a month ago to a beautifully big baby girl. Her name is Corinn. I'll have a slide show link up shortly. Chris allowed her mom, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law in for support. Chris was amazing! After 2.5 hours of labor, Corinn wouldn't budge. Later we would find out why. She was 9.6 lbs! Mommy is quickly recovering. Both are still learning how to talk to each other. I had no idea you had to teach the little ones how to feed. I guess I thought it all came with the package! Ha! I was wrong!

In talking with my brother this week, it seems Corinn has discovered her lungs. She's being very communicative. (wink, wink)

Corinn

2007-08-10T13:17:00.001-07:00

Corinn was born on July 18th, 2007 around 3 in the afternoon at 9 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long. She's beautiful. Just a small little red spot on her head where Dr.Hood used a suction, but otherwise, she had great color, good cry, no defects, perfect.

My brother is a new daddy. How proud I am of all of them! One day...