This blog post is a bit late, but I recently had the privilege to work with one of my favorite bands, Wrinkle Neck Mules, on the redesign of their website. I also got to work with the gang on their previous web site.

I’ve always had fun working with the Mules, but all parties involved were particularly excited for this recent relaunch. As expected the Mules have garnered a bit more attention as of late due to the Geico “Texas” commercial that is currently running. As the gecko strolls across the Texas bar, the Wrinkle Neck Mules single “Central Daylight Time” can be heard playing in the background. But the real treat comes at the end when the gecko cuts a rug while the Mules rock out. Here’s the ad if you haven’t seen it yet:

And, if just hearing the Mules in the ad isn’t a treat enough, Geico has worked with WNM to provide “Central Daylight Time” as a free download. So, be sure to check out the ad and free download then scoot on over the the new WrinkleNeckMules.com to check out more of their stellar tunes and merch. Don’t forget the shows page to see if they’re headed to your town.

Before the holidays I had to unexpectedly take a week off as my wife prepared for, underwent, and recovered from a very serious surgery that she needed to repair a life-threatening ailment. The support of close family was a big help as I cared for my wife and young son the best that I could. This, however, meant my focus was solely on family and almost not at all on work.

As things returned to normal coming out of the holidays, I began to fall back into the groove with my clients and their projects. That is, until this past Monday when my father passed away. Again, I was unexpectedly out of the office for an entire week while consoling with family and making necessary arrangements to memorialize an extraordinary man. For the second time in four weeks, I was putting my projects and clients on hold to attend to family matters for an entire work week.

This is not an apology. I believe family should always come before work, and I am blessed to work with individuals that feel the same way. That is why I am writing to express my gratitude. As difficult as the past few weeks have been, the understanding and concern expressed by those who choose to work with me have helped ease my troubles.

I didn’t need these recent hardships to realize that I have wonderful clients, I’ve known all along. But it did serve as a reminder. To those of you that have expressed condolences and exercised patience over the past month, I want to simply say:

Thank you.

Back in late April, AIGA Richmond held their GRADE 6 Award Ceremony. 903 Creative was fortunate to be recognized for 6 pieces that we’ve done or worked on with others. Here’s a breakdown of what we had in the show:

1) COLLATERAL – The Playing Field Menu
2) COLLATERAL – SnagAJob.com Educational Brochure (done with Release the Hounds)
3) CORPORATE IDENTITY – Charlie & Jake’s Rebranding (done with yogg)
4) LOGOS / ICONS – Poor Valley Bee Farm
5) LOGOS / ICONS – The Playing Field Triangle Logo
6) WEBSITES – Chris Peace Website

I always look forward to the biennial GRADE show as the work seems to get better and better every time. As usual, AIGA Richmond did a great job with the show and it was truly a awesome showcase of the creative talent found in RVA.

Well, it’s been a long time coming. Three years actually.

In June of 2008, I left my full-time gig to make this freelance dream a reality. Three years later, 903 is still going strong and doing really fun work for really interesting cats. Thanks to all the clients and colleagues for the support over the years. And the best part is that I actually like the site now, so I’ll actually blog and keep it updated. I know, I’ll believe it when I see it too.

So after three awesome years, the best is still yet to come. Stay tuned!

And for anybody looking for the old 903 blog to revisit my discussions on looking like Josh Groban, recaps from our trip to Argentina and all kinds of other randomness, you can find it here.