Ink Factory Graphic Recording and Graphic Facilitation

Blood, sweat and . . .

2012-02-23T13:54:00.001-06:00

Don't mess with Ryan when he's got a camera in his hand. You'll end up like these actors. (kidding). Ryan recently took a side step from graphic recording and created a few images for Black Box Acting Studio's new print campaign. Check the coming issues of Time Out Chicago to see all the blood, sweat and craziness in printed form!

Ink Factory in South Africa

2012-02-20T15:52:00.001-06:00

Lindsay recently shared a day with the students of the Liwalethu ECD Centre in the Franschhoek Valley just outside of Cape Town. She reconnected with her friend, Teboho David Molorane who introduced her to a very excited and creative group of children. The kids welcomed Lindsay with open arms and could not get enough of the marker sets that Ink Factory was able to provide. There was dancing, singing and a lot of adorable pictures drawn. It was so humbling to see how these little people opened up to the possibility of drawing and were unabashed to put pen to paper. It was truly awesome!!

Whatta good lookin' crew!

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000-06:00

We are just about finished with a stellar week of collaborating with a stellar crew in Melbourne, Australia. Ryan was able to convince these good looking folks to pose for his camera and snap a few pics. We wouldn't have been able to tackle the 17 hour time difference without the energy and creativity of these mates. It was also nice to escape the cold cold Chicago winter and enjoy some time outdoors in the sun. Thanks again Philippe, Hamish, Sarah, Ashlee, Chanun, Pierre-Louis, Kate, Steve, Andy, Jessamy, Thomas and Mr. Chicken. Looking forward to working with you all again soon! Cheers!

Whew, whatta year for Ink Factory!

2011-12-29T13:29:00.001-06:00

If you ever need travel advice, give us a jingle! We've got about 300,000 miles of travel experience from 2011! Check out the map to see where we've been! We're so happy to be doing what we're doing and cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!

Ink Factory @ NBC Chanel 5 Plaza

2011-10-18T15:26:00.002-05:00

Whew! What a great way to end the week! Ink Factory had a fantastic opportunity to sketch some big ideas from Chicagoans. We setup three 4x15 foot long panels at the NBC 5 Plaza just a few feet behind Marilyn Monroe's panties! Wow, how often do you get to say that?

We talked to SO MANY different types of people; from a 5 year old who wants "more bling in the world" to a 85 year old man who gave the valuable advice to "marry a rich woman". The door was wide open for anyone's ideas. We were even interviewed on the Chanel 5 News! In the end, our three panels were filled with over 150 ideas ranging from personal well-being to hot topics like education and housing. Thank you NBC5. Thank you Chicago Ideas Week. And thank you Chicago!!

Ink Factory - The Wet Logo

2011-10-13T20:27:00.001-05:00

One of Ink Factory's goals is to challenge the traditional ways of showcasing our logo and creating graphic recordings. Here's a quick video of our logo coming alive using pure ink, go figure. This was shot in one take using simple foamcore, some pure solid black ink, a great lighting designer and a Canon 5D Mark II.

It's a small world after all.

2011-10-08T10:12:00.000-05:00

By far, one of the best resources for photographic new stories is at Boston.com and their Big Picture blog. We're blown away at their recent post covering the Nikon Small World Photomicrography competition. Our world is such an amazing place, especially when you view it from a different perspective.

An antique mount of a blowfly (Calliphoridae) proboscis was photographed by Dr. Davis Linstead of Kent, UK with differential interference contrast. (Dr. David Linstead)

Inkling: New Kid on the Block - PART TWO

2011-10-07T17:32:00.000-05:00

Today's Inkling is part two to the previous one drawn by Lindsay and inspired by a recent WIRED Magazine article about the future of light. Have a bright day!

Inkling: New Kid on the Block - PART ONE

2011-10-05T17:35:00.003-05:00

Today's Inkling is inspired by a recent WIRED Magazine article about the future of light. Have a bright day!

It's about to get awesome in the Windy City!

2011-10-01T18:35:00.002-05:00

Chicago Ideas Week + Ink Factory = Awesome!

2011-09-28T17:40:00.001-05:00

Prepare yourself to be blown away during Chicago Ideas Week!! From October 10-16, 2011, Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) will bring the world’s top speakers together with Chicago’s best thinkers to create an ecosystem of innovation, exploration, and intellectual recreation.

And Ink Factory will be there to visually capture all of those exciting ideas! We're super stoked to be a part of capturing the thoughts of an amazing collection of thinkers, movers, shakers and experts. Learn more about Chicago Ideas Week here.

Get your tickets now! They're going fast.

Can we predict the future?

2011-09-20T22:13:00.002-05:00

Such simple but complex statement. I remember, when I was a kid, I used to think the year 2000 was SO far away and that we would have flying cars, teleport stations and that I would be riding around on a hovercraft! I think this is the first time I've heard a pretty damn close prediction of what the future would be like. Of course, coming from the 1960s, Clarke's interpretation was pretty radical for it's time. What do you think the future will be like for communication? I can already see a resurgence in human interaction in today's world. And I think the word "digital" is already a stale term for how we interact with each other. What's next? What's new? What's it going to be like in 50 years? 100 years?

Here's a fun clip from the 1930s depicting what women's fashion would be like in the year 2000

I Met the Walrus

2011-09-16T19:52:00.002-05:00

This is an AMAZING and inspiring motion graphics video. By combining pen and ink illustrations, live video and motion graphics along with this wonderful conversation between John Lennon and a young, 14 year old Jerry Levatin in 1969. Just beautiful.

The official description: "In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced him to do an interview. 38 years later, Levitan, director Josh Raskin and illustrators James Braithwaite and Alex Kurina have collaborated to create an animated short film using the original interview recording as the soundtrack. A spellbinding vessel for Lennon's boundless wit and timeless message, I Met the Walrus was nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Animated Short and won the 2009 Emmy for 'New Approaches' (making it the first film to win an Emmy on behalf of the internet)."

Inkling: Public Service Announcement

2011-09-16T13:41:00.001-05:00

Over here at Ink Factory, we'll be posting some pretty cool stuff: client updates, behind the scenes, cool videos, internet oddities and more. We'll also be posting some of our random drawings. These will have no theme, no rhyme or reason, no point or purpose. They'll just be drawings paired with a funny phrase, inspirational quote, an overheard conversation on the train or even a joke. They'll be there for your viewing pleasure (and created by us when we're bored at the airport, on the train or kicking back at the park). Enjoy our Inklings!