It’s 1988 I just finished my Senior Year at Bishop Gorman High School In Las Vegas, Nevada. I received a letter to apply to Yale College went through the process and was rejected. So I turned my sights closer to home and found my calling in Tucson, Arizona.
I played Football in High School and Racketball, Track & Field and Skied. Then I set my sights on Men’s Volleyball. Friday Nights I trained with a seasoned National Player Bob Eickelberger then attended a Sinjin Smith And Randy Stoklos Beach Volleyball Camp in Santa Monica. I was hooked. I was a walk on the University of Arizona Men’s Volleyball Club Team.
I had no clue what I wanted to do so I enrolled in Architecture. By my second semester I knew what I didn’t want to do. So a Las Vegas friend and fellow Graphic Designer Gary Benzel pointed me in the right direction. I was in awe of his portfolio and the work he completed and with my background in illustrating shirts for my friends I had no idea that their was a subject and profession for this hobby of mine.
While attending college, I worked during my summers and winter breaks for various Advertising Agencies in Las Vegas and company’s like Sideout Sport in California. I was trained by incredible talents that were graduates of the famous Art Center in Pasadena and business entrepreneurs from UCLA School of Business. I was given crash courses in managing and launching a multi-million dollar clothing companies and having surprise guest instructors like David Carson, and interning with famous Designers like Margo Chase (Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Shout out t Charisma Carpenter who went to my school and was a regular on the show) and Francis Ford Coppola version of Bram Stokers Dracula iconic Poster) and Stan Evenson (New Englad Patriots Logo).
early years
My opsession for volleyball drove me to work hard to make the volleyball team and also to learn from the amazing companies that were thriving off the culture of Pro-Beach Volleyball. Sideout Sport was sold to another company for under 20 million and the owner kept the name King of the Beach to use for tournaments and licsened volleyballs which I helped design. After 30+ years I still get to design for my friends Sinjin Smith and Steve Ascher Jr.
In 2022, Sideout Sport is attempting to make a come return to the fans that miss the brand - I look forward to their return.
The first indoor sand Volleyball courts and dedicated volleyball facility of Las Vegas. the Las Vegas Volleyball Club. Designed their icon, signage, stationery, limited edition Sweatershirts and signage.
Far left, my graphic designcollege professor at University of Arizona Jackson Boelts retirement image. Jackson taught David Carson during a summer course at UofA. Far Right The ORTS posters were created pre-Computer! The featured illustration by Jackson Boelts in David Carson’s First Book End Of Print.
Homage to Jackson Boelts for his retirement, gathered my fellow classmates from Joe Natoli, Todd Fedell, Kirk James, Gary Benzel, Dan Sharp, John Phemister,Jeff Irish, John Brixon
And a few more .
One of my design idols, and mentors Margo Chase. I was fortunate to have her critique several of my works and I Interned with her team while they were working on Paula Abdul’s second album Spellbound.
Known as the designer who embraced Gothic Culture. She was a great admiror of Typography and experimented with the platform.
Senior Project for Jackson Boelts - University of Arizona - Phoenician Nightclub
My homage to Margo Chase, she ripped this to shreds then shared with me how to kern and balance the spaces. Clive Piercy of PHd. Who judged a Student Exhibition at The University of Arizona shared that my work would have won the Gold but it looked too much like Margo Chase’s work.
(That was PURE GOLD for me!)
Clive had a brilliant eye for design.
Clive Piercy (May 29, 1955 – August 20, 2017) was a British-American designer, author, and design educator, active for four decades in London and Los Angeles. Shared valued insights on packaging and strategic design thinking.
He most insightful lesson shared is to understand and know your fellow designers work and apply the Art Of War Principle - Keep your friends close and enemies closer.
Margo Chase passed away in a plane crash in 2017, Eight years prior she shared her insights to my work in Really Good Logos Explained.
This homage made my circle of life complete where my own mentor is now embracing the work I did.
Unfortunately for me, I then became introduced to the amazing work of Rian Hughes! And with his illustration and design work for Marvel and DC was highly Inspirational.
RIP MC.
first five
1992-1995 Various design, ad agencies in Las Vegas, Nevada worked on the Logo for the ground breaking of New York New York Hotel & Casino Arnold Palmer Mesquite Golf Course Logo (Still being used 2.5 decades later!)
Linda Smith helped secure over half a billion in funding for Opportunity Village in Las Vegas. She convinced Celine Dion to dedicate a couplenights of her residency at Caesars to donate to Opportunity Village. And She had Penn Jillette on Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice raise awareness and Millions towards thir support and education in the Las Vegas Community.
I am deeply honored to be her friend and work on her inititives and platforms that bring so much need support and awareness.
In 1996, I secured Stuart-Mixer commercial now Colliers International as a client. And because of their generosity and connections they helped launch our first company O’MileyRyan.
In 1997 we launched the Las Vegas chapter of AIGA Las Vegas.
In 1997/1998 we renamed Nevada Dance Theater as Nevada Ballet Theatre. It was a project of a lifetime.
