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Who doesn’t LOVE well-done infographics? I’m always impressed by artists who can take a pile of information and turn it into a work of art (check out this site for some great examples). I was thrilled recently when asked to create an infographic to be used in an online presentation. I was given a general outline along with what they had in mind. Terms throughout the text inspired a railroad theme, but rather than just create an old locomotive versus a high speed train I imagined a scene like something out of the film The Truman Show. I placed a wall between the trains to indicate that there is a better world (or system) than the one that’s been created for us.

Final design below as well as some detailed images. Unfortunately all most all of the information had to be removed due to the confidential nature of the presentation.

It’s been a big year (so far) for Thoburn Design & Illustration. On August 1, I left the safety and comfort of my “day job” to support this business full time. It’s a direction I was quietly being nudged in, but a plunge I was reluctant to take until I was pushed. I had grown quite comfortable in my current position of eight years. A nice office with a great view and an extremely comfortable chair (I miss that chair). The thought of leaving was a cocktail of excitement mixed with terror. I had many fears including healthcare, the economy, healthcare, billing, healthcare, payroll, healthcare, taxes and did I mention healthcare? Seriously, taxes and healthcare left me lying awake at night. Surprisingly, the transition was smooth. Everything fell into place including healthcare in the form of health savings accounts (hsa’s). It works like car insurance, is affordable and just makes sense. You can find out more here. As for taxes, I hired an accountant who after one hour had calmed all my fears, freeing me up up to create. I’m excited about the future and to solving design dilemas with some amazing clients.

So get in touch, and lets create something together (just us though, not with a committee)!

More than a year ago I scratched out a very rough sketch of a cat pawing into an aquarium for a snack, and subsequently being pulled in by a huge octopus. It was an idea I had to illustrate the idiom “curiosity killed the cat”. That sketch got filed away in an ever increasing pile of “eventual-projects-to-get-to-when-I-have-the-time”. A couple of months later I caught my son giggling away while snooping through that pile. When I asked him what was so funny, he handed me the sketch of that cat about to be devoured as a result of it’s own curiosity. He loved it, so I decided to move it to the top of the pile. That is how curiositykillz.com was born.

I decided to expand the idea into a series of 9 illustrations depicting the lives of 9 different cats. Back stories were researched and developed.

I want to make something perfectly clear, curiositykillz.com is in no way meant to glorify the death or harming of animals. I’m hoping it’s clear that my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek by the over-the-top stories and illustrations. However there are those who won’t “get it” or don’t think it’s funny. In fact one website has refused to carry the merchandise as they deemed it “offensive”. In our family we have four cats (and a dog along with two fish), and this series of illustrations was born out of love for those cats and an observation of their insane behavior. I personally know the benefits that pets bring to our lives and how important they are.

You can follow curiositykillz on twitter or you can become a fan on Facebook