Clockwork & Brilliance

We've moved!

2011-03-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

New blog:
http://reganfredjohnson.tumblr.com

2010-06-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

I know i'm in italy and having the time of my life and a lot of people are waiting to hear all about it, but for now I'm just going to say that every couple minutes I think "how can this be my life?" That immediately translates to this accompanied by some casual rat-kinging.

This will have to suffice for now.

Meetcute

2010-05-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

If you google Regan Johnson the first thing you'll see is "Regan Johnson Designer and Illustrator." Somehow that isn't me. Its actually a female that does work like this. By some twist of fate we both really like magic. I first stumbled upon that site when I was starting up design classes and I gave some serious thought to switching career paths for fear of ever being confused with her. So, I became Regan Fred Johnson (to avoid confusion and to establish my gender right up front).

Funny, though, that anyone trying to find me is still going to go there. By some slim chance they might find my portfolio site featuring work from my sophomore year. Either way they're going to be impressed!!!!!!

Rumor has it that a reganjohnson.com redesign is in the works.
Hopefully reganfredjohnson.com will be updated in the coming months. Unfortunately without argyle patterns.

2010-04-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

the player piano—after the fact

2010-04-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry you missed it.

2010-04-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

I made an electric sign for this exhibit that is entirely impossible to photograph.

Valentine for Perfect Strangers

2010-02-01T15:34:00.000-08:00

February (/mo' money mo' problems?)

Valentine for Perfect Strangers from House of Bath on Vimeo.

You'll live forever in my heart

2009-12-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

This was the single most influential magazine issue of my life. See ya I.D.

Bibio is so good.

2009-11-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

To lengthen the wait, to stretch out the day longer
The night is so cold, the wind cuts us both stronger

Oh, this moment
Just be forever

My fingers and toes have no feeling to hold, oh
I know that you long to be warm on your way home
but for you I would wait till the cold takes us both under

Oh, this hour
Just be forever

It crumbles my heart to think of us part, oh
To know that you hope for the night to be through, oh
And the last thing I save is the palm of your wave, oh

Oh, this moment
Please be forever

Quotes from famous architects

2009-10-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Taking a history of architecture class coupled with redesigning an architecture magazine for class has made it impossible for me to do anything other than draw furniture.

"Design what the public ought to like—not what it does like" -Otto Wagner
"We must be free to create—not imitate." -Otto Wagner
"Decoration = Crime!" - Adolf Loos
Truth of Materials. Fitness of Purpose -Gerrit Rietveld
"Form Follows Function" - Louis Sullivan
"Less is more" - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
"A house is a machine for living." - Le Corbusier
"All houses should be painted white—by law!" - Le Corbusier

Alvar Aalto is a current favorite:

Along with anything these guys do:

My senior project research consists of watching youtube videos of rad instruments

2009-10-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Two things I love—this instrument and Mr. Bojangles.

Good ideas for covers:

2009-10-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

Beach Boys --> Pure Imagination
Grizzly Bear --> Pretty Young Thing by Michael Jackson
Beach House --> "The Weather" by Built to Spill
Bibio --> All Creatures of our God and King
Caribou --> Hallowed be thy Name by Iron Maiden
Detektivbyrån --> Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy
Michael Jackson --> Cross Out the Eyes by Thursday
Dirty Projectors --> Happy Together by The Turtles
Boards of Canada --> Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear
Blood Brothers --> Re:Stacks by Bon Iver

Letterpressed Card

2009-09-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

summer

2009-09-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Back in April/May I had the extreme pleasure of working on the Typophile Film Festival opening credits. I helped design/write/storyboard. I came back from new york to find my dreams a reality. The production team did an incredible job. The video is already doing quite well on the blog circuit, so I thought I'd contribute:

Typophile Film Festival 5 Opening Titles from Brent Barson on Vimeo.

Summer was perfect. StudioCase was ideal. New York is #1.
Great things have happened in music since May. Some already-heavy-hitters released great records (grizzly bear, dirty projectors), and some newer bands (woods, bibio) are blowing my mind.

I finally purchased Foreign Born's new album, Person to Person, and it is so solid. Great jams, great percussion. I also purchased Uzi and Ari's Headworms. They're from SLC and I've been seeing them around since '05 (even opened for them a few times). Headworms is definitely their best work yet— it manages a great balance of electronic and acoustic.

Also, school is getting good.

We are the music makers and the dreamers of the dreams.

2009-07-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

I've had some good ideas for bands/recording projects:

Last summer, being in new york, I got really into street performers. Some seriously amazing musicians, often playing some rad make-shift instruments. I got the idea to orchestrate a grand recording project where I would write music and have street performers play different parts. Perhaps specify some basic chord progessions to the accordian player and have him go for it. Or play the melody for the flautist and get some improvised counter-melody. Or give some bare-bones rhythms to the bucket drummers to embellish. I didn't even start writing for this project last summer, unfortunately, and even now, more than two months into my visit this year, I still only have some rough sketches. Too bad. That drummer playing alone in the middle of the williamsburg bridge at rainy midnight would have been ideal.

Also last summer I had the idea to start a Michael Jackson piano-jazz cover band. Though I do play the piano, I overestimated my jazz-piano abilities. Amanda, whose vocal jazz offerings astound, was all ready on vocals. Could have been really special. I think I was most excited about "the way you make me feel."

The last few days I've been into hardcore, and more specifically, the idea of doing a hardcore cover of a very-not-hardcore song. I think a Bon Iver hardcore cover band would be especially poignant.

A more practical idea for me, though, would be to continue a project I started 6 years ago (though many of the ideas surrounding it have evolved considerably). Music that is very rhythmic and acoustic-sounding. Many toms and stick-clickings. Vibraphone/Glockenspiel/Various keyed instruments/Horns/Omnichord. Vocals that are both strong in melody and harmony. The important thing, though, is that it would be guitar-less.
And yet more practical would be just me and a glockenspiel, with a lot of looping and pitchshifting. Perhaps a brushed snare or ride, and definitely a guest female vocalist. Unfortunately most of this is out of the question now that my band moved away and I no longer have access to such stellar musicians/instruments.

I guess what I'm really saying here is that I want to make music that fits under the "conceptual blogcore" umbrella.

long-day clocks

2009-07-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven

2009-06-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

Storm / Static // Sleep / Antennas To Heaven

Each track is made up of the following pieces:

Storm:
Lift Yr. Skinny Fists, Like Antennas To Heaven... /Gathering Storm/

"Welcome to Barco AM/PM" / Cancer Towers On The Holy Road Hi-Way

Static:
Terrible Canyons Of Static / Atomic Clock / Chart #3 / World Police
and Friendly Fire / ...The Buildings They Are Sleeping Now

Sleep:
Murray Ostril:"...They Don't Sleep Anymore On The Beach" / Monheim /
Broken Windows,Locks Of Love Part III

Antennas To Heaven:
Moya Sings "Baby-O" / Edgy Swingset Acid / Glockenspiel Duet Recorded

On A Campsite In Rhinebeck, N.Y. / "Attention...Mon Ami...
Fa-Lala-Lala-La-La" / She Dreamt She Was A Bulldozer She Dreamt She
Was Alone In An Empty Field / Deathkamp Drone / Antennas To Heaven



Rockets fall on rocket falls / Drifting Intro Open / When All The
Furnaces Exploded / East Hastings / Providence / Mending holes in a
wooden heart / Aural florida (approach) / "if only a sweet surrender
to the nights to come be true" / There were no footprints in the
dust behind them... / tungsten / The marvellous engines of resistance
Set fire to flames / Fading lights are fading / Telegraphs in negative
Mouths trapped in static / When sorrow shoots her darts / Sleep maps
Buzz of barn flies like faulty electronics / Rites of spring reverb
Winterlude / The black horns of H2T / My country is winter / He has left
us alone but shafts of light sometimes grace the corner of our bedrooms
Lonely as the sound of lying on the ground of an airplane going down.
Broken chords can sing a little / Sit in the middle of three
galloping dogs / Stumble then rise on some awkward morning / 13 angels
standing guard 'round the side of your bed / The silver mount zion
memorial orchestra and tra-la-la band / Born into trouble as the sparks
fly upward / Sister! brother! small boats of fire are falling from
the sky / This gentle heart's like shot birds fallen Built then burnt
Take these hands and throw them in the river / Could've moved
mountains... / Tho you are gone i still walk miles with you C'mon come
on (loose an endless longing) / The triumph of our tired eyes
The silver mount zion memorial orchestra and tra-la-la band (with choir)
This is our punk-rock,' thee rusted satellites gather+sing / Sow some
lonesome corners so many flowers bloom / Babylon was built on fire
Goodbye desolate railyard / Microphones in the trees / Pretty little
lightning paw / There's a river in the valley made of melting snow

2009-04-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

I feel like nothing good has happened in music for a long time, locally or otherwise. Except for the Holly Hox show last month. And this video that Rory showed me:

Check out the Radiohead cover by the same guy. Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest comes out in a mere 28 days, and that is sure to change everything. I'm holding out till the official release date, even though the album leaked months ago. I have read something about the album just about every day since January.

I leave for NYC one month from today! (studioCase!)

A book series I redesigned got into the AIGA 100 show, which is exciting. Here are some pictures:

America's Top Graphic Designer

2009-03-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

There is no way this can be good.

Application:
28. Do you drink alcohol? If so, how often do you drink and how much?
29. How do you act when you get drunk?
36. Do you have a temper? How often do you lose your temper? What provokes you?
39. When was the last time you hit, punched, kicked, or threw something in anger? Please provide details.
50. Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself and why you believe you would be America’s Top Graphic Designer? Try to differentiate yourself and be creative.

They seem to have the proper focus.

Tear-Water Tea

2009-01-22T21:36:00.001-08:00

Thanks Zany.

Documentation

2008-12-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

I'm really into making lists, playlists, schedules, outlines, documentation, etc. I make a playlist for each month, and I made a best of for the year. And since I'm seeing so many lists of album of the year and such, I thought I'd post mine.

Best new music (in playlist-minded order):
Caribou - Melody Day (OK, '07)
Museé Mécanique - Like Home
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
Beach House - Heart of Chambers
Panda Bear - Bros
Sigur Rós - Gobbledigook
Department of Eagles - Waves of Rye
Dr. Dog - The Rabbit, The Bat, and the Reindeer
Radiohead - House of Cards ('07)
Bon Iver - Re:Stacks

Most Played:
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Mr. Bojangles
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 (Shoreline)
Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountains
Grizzly Bear - Little Brother (Electric)
The Album Leaf - Streamside
Built to Spill - The Plan
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young - Our House
Devendra Banhart - Seahorse (I'm always sitting next to Colin)
Department of Eagles - No One Does it Like You
Sigur Rós - Saeglopur

Department of Eagles' In Ear Park is my vote for album of the year, followed by Fleet Foxes, Beach House, and Bon Iver.

In keeping with this theme of lists, I've decided to start a new project. I want to gather a lot of different kinds of data from peoples lives and experiment in information design. Kinda like when I did this. So if you want in, let me know. Maybe you've kept meticulous records of the growth of your bonsai tree. Or maybe you have a gnarly sleep schedule and want to track it. Or maybe you are bipolar and you've cataloged your moods. Or you've charted your music intake. Anyway, the more personal/embarrassing the better. I still don't know what I'll do with all the graphics, but I'm interested in the process.

2008-12-06T00:35:00.000-08:00

Just a follow-up to this post:

School is really gnarly.

Geometry

2008-11-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

I heard someone say that on a street in new york one day and really enjoyed it.
I was one of 3 "Outstanding Geometry Students" my sophomore year of high school.

Also,
Mr. Bojangles by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Peach Fresca
BFA Studio

Johan <3 Sego

2008-09-20T21:45:00.001-07:00

Come see us at Sego! 7 pm at the Castle Stage! 3 new songs!

Cornbelly's

2008-09-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

No' vemo'

2008-08-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

Goodbye PMS 390/SMG
I'll miss you Gothic 720 BT/Pistachio Text
I'll never forget you, blind people on 23rd St.
Miss you Burritoville.
You'll live forever in my heart, unicorn wrapping paper.
I'm sorry it took me so long to understand you, indesign templates.
I'm sad to see you go, massive type, but I think its for the best.
Promise I'll keep in touch, coworkers.

I'm sorry I'm leaving, Pistachio.
You were far too good to me.

While you wait for the others.

2008-08-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

I finally saw Grizzly Bear on Saturday and it was incredible. In my mind there was just as much hype and excitement for this show as there was for the Dark Knight. The Dark Knight was a let-down in comparison. Grizzly Bear's album, Yellow House, is one of my favorites of all time. So consistent and so cohesive. In fact, I can't think of anything better right now—though I'd say Built to Spill's Keep it like a Secret and the Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl series are up there as well.

Only two weeks left in New York.

Oh, and this is for Colin:

I didn't know deers could go like this.

2008-08-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

Some distinct styles.

Scott Hansen (iso50).
I really love the feel of his work. I found out about him about a year and a half ago and it was one of the first designers to really got me excited about design. Beautiful stuff. Its a very distinct style and he rarely strays from it.

Si Scott (siscottstudio)
Just interesting.

I haven't found my style.
I don't know that I want to find my style.

Fiscal Planning

2008-07-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've kept every receipt since my second week in New York.

Right now my favorite part of the GD is grid systems/layout. This layout isn't really my own idea, but I put my own twist to it. At first I organized things by week, and then by month, but I finally set on dividing it into hundreds of dollars spent. Dynamic. And I'm really happy with the color scheme and underlying grid. Prize for whoever can find the best purchase. Its a little bit shameful to look at the staggering figures, but you know, I'm living the dream. I'll just be that much cheaper when I get back to Provo.

Playing the Building

2008-07-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Really neat

+ gnar-gnar beard

The streets is crazy.

2008-07-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

*Edited for content.

4:33 PM

colin: You've been invited to this chat room!

Rory has joined

colin: is it working?

4:34 PM group?

me: apparently I still look wussy even with a beard

Rory: yes yes yes

colin: what beard?

another rumor?

Rory: regan me and you both have beards

colin do you have one?

colin: i'd like one

me: no, the beard is for realz

Rory: regan

tell the details

4:35 PM colin: yeah regan

me: well how much did you hear?

colin: embellish as much as you'd like

Rory: jumped harlem niggaz

torn shirt

colin: i heard about the brass knuckles

Rory: nigga please

me: well, I was waiting outsite eleanor's apartment...

4:36 PM I could see her through the glass door walking down the hallway. I was putting my phone back in my pocket when out of the corner of my eye I saw two guys running at me

4:37 PM Rory: WHOA!

was it like west side story/ beat it?

4:38 PM colin: oh man

Rory: dance fighting?

colin: or thriller?

or "stress" (the video)?

me: mostly a lot like thriller

Amanda has joined

Amanda: ooooOOooo

Rory: You've been invited to this chat room!

4:39 PM colin: amanda, have you seen regan's wounds?

Rory: shhhhhhh

colin: sorry

Rory: he's telling us the story

me: so one of him had his hand raised

in a fist

comin at me

Amanda: no

Eleanor has joined

4:40 PM colin: OMG

Rory: the suspense is killing me!

me: So BAM!! right in the side of the head

like he hit my ear with an iron fist

Amanda: ouch!

colin: iron knuckles

me: My first thought was that he was going for my phone, so I protected it

colin: good idea

4:41 PM me: yeah, real good

but mostly at this point what I remember most is that I wasn't really thinking anymore

Rory: and did they ask for your wallet or what?

Amanda: makes sense

me: So that guy keeps running...drive-by style

4:42 PM I'm kinda bent over (maybe?), oh and the first guy knocked me out of eleanor's view

4:43 PM anyway, I look up and see the second guy. He had his hand up like the first guy did, and I could've sworn he had a brick in his hand

but no brick. Just another iron fist to the side of my head.

colin: yikes

Amanda: A BRICK???

zoinks

4:44 PM me: But this guy grabs my shirt and kept hitting me a few times

Rory: or was the only brick the one you were crapping cause that's what i'd be doing

Rory=wuss

colin: keep it g-rated rory

me: continually in the side of the head

so now I'm realizing I'm screwed. Real screwed.

4:45 PM I thought there'd be more drive-bys

but mostly all I was doing was saying "Whoa! whoa! whoa!"

and kinda struggling to break free

and then he kept running

colin: didn't take anything?

4:46 PM me: then I stood up and eleanor was there. She lookied like she had just seen a ghost and that ghost had punched her in the stomach

Amanda: awww

that makes me sad

colin: is that true eleanor?

4:47 PM me: and then we walked to my house and I don't remember being the pissed ever. but I kept my cool. No swears even.

And then we made cookies.

Amanda: how is your mom going to feel about that?

4:48 PM

me: I probably won't tell her

Amanda: i'm glad you are ok

that is soooo scary

colin: oh man

me: cause even though they came up from behind and were school girls about it, it still doesn't make me look tuff

but yeah, street cred

colin: whatever

4:49 PM i think you're tough

Amanda: whatev...i think your tough

colin: you never fell down

Amanda: haha

you're

colin: i'm glad you're ok too

me: <-- sturdy foorting

footing

colin: both

4:50 PM Amanda: do you have any bruises?

or scratches?

or headaches?

or broken bones?

me: headaches

Amanda: ps. we lost rory

awwwww

me: sore spots

near-concussions, but we made sure my pupils were still good

4:51 PM Eleanor: wow group chat

wow

Amanda: that was smart

cuz you could have fainted or something...

4:52 PM colin: rory was being dirty

4:53 PM regan, knowing you gives me some street cred

and i told heber, he said, "that's awesome"

Eleanor: I just want to say now that I have joined the chat and have read through stuff I can say "yes that is true" to the question someone asked

Amanda: cha ching

4:54 PM Eleanor: street cred for everyone who knows regan... as the witness I'm divying it out

Michael Jackson Forever

2008-07-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson is so amazing. I'm a big fan, but for some reason I have always overlooked Black or White—most likely caught up in the irony. One of his finest melodies, for sure.
Also, watch the video to see how good Macaulay Culkin is at breaking the fourth wall.

I heard rumors recently that Hayley had made shoes for Michael, which unfortunately isn't true. Only Madonna.

Coworker Pete

2008-06-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

I heard Pete once ate 100 flapjacks in one sitting.

<3

2008-06-05T08:12:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to do this for awhile now. If you don't know what Hype Machine is you should familiarize yourself with it immediately—it will change your world. You can find pretty much any song on there. You can't download them, but you can make a playlist and things. I haven't purchased music in a long time because I have hype machine and I'm always on the computer anyway.
So here is the idea: I created an account and chose some of my current favorites as starters, but I want the two people that read my BLOG to be able to add to it. So go here. Or you can go to www.hypem.com and login with the username clckwrk. Password: tricky. While you're signed in you can search for tunes and then click the heart by them. When the heart turns red you know it was placed in "your loved tracks." Make sense? The only requirement is that you heart rad music. Let me know if you have any questions—I'm sure that was confusing.

2008-05-31T07:54:00.001-07:00

I've been in New York for about a week now. Everything is better here. I live in East Harlem with a whole lotta Puerto Ricans, which is really great. I'm terrible at taking pictures—I don't do it often enough and I don't do it well—so here is my meager attempt. Carnival in Central Park. Thoth: the greatest of street performers. The view of Central Park from my window. EFY in Central Park. Puerto Rican flags everywhere.

Shop Rory!

2008-05-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Handcrafted.

Typeface based on Lubriplate No. 105 packaging. And more transferring.

Gr&

2008-05-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here is a little study I did the other day of ampersands. It is amazing to me that these are all the same symbol. The first few are my own, or at least customized. My friend Aaron showed me how to do acetone transfers, so this was also my first chance to try that out.

Chin up, cheer up

2008-05-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

Grizzly Bear can do whatever they want. Just try and decide who is the most important member. Go here to watch a lot more goodness. Only listening to them for weeks while working on their poster (for class—see below) made for a couple great weeks.

The rest of my works

2008-04-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

CD Packaging

2008-04-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last Spring I listened to nothing but Pinback for a couple months, and this is what came of it:

Poster

2008-04-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

I made this. For optimal viewing please use 3d glasses.

Dem Bow

2008-04-22T17:20:00.000-07:00

Dear World,

I'm sorry about reggaeton. I didn't mean to.

-Puerto Rico

See In You

2008-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I haven't really slept, gone to work or class, or done much else besides eat mike and ikes and get designy. I will soon post photos of the work I submitted yesterday for the BFA portfolio review. My good friend Rory already posted his portfolio. I have sat next to Rory in all my design classes and the only reason my stuff is half decent is because I'm trying to hang. His Clear redesign blows my mind.

While I'm spotlighting, also check out www.hplovecraftnyc.com My best friend since high school draws on shoes and does it well. Shes been in Nylon and Elle. She has newer/better work that has yet to be added to her site. But, check out Ian Curtis!: