BOB PALTROW
I have worked in the graphic design field intensely and extensively since graduating cum laude from the University of Arizona in 1990 whereupon I received my Bachelor of Arts & Sciences degree with an emphasis in graphic design and illustration. I also have considerable academic and professional experience in painting, drawing, photography and sculpture. The culmination of my formal education preceded the widespread use of desktop publishing, so I’d like to think that my experience straddles the more nuts-and-bolts process of traditional design, coupled with a solid grasp of digital design technologies. The U of A's design program was rigorous in developing hands-on process, with an even greater emphasis on concept-driven design. A well-executed design should be preceded by a well-developed idea. That's the foundation of my design philosophy.
In addition to Sound of Light, I have operated Bob Paltrow Graphic Design in Bellingham WA since 1996. During that time, I've been able to cultivate long term relationships with a variety of clients. This has been especially gratifying because not only does the work evolve, but the relationships grow as well. Using my creativity to serve my clients and community is a way to give back to the cumulative culture of Bellingham, while becoming a part of it in the process.
I spent the first 15 years of my life in Long Island, NY before moving to Tucson AZ in 1978. I studied classical and jazz piano and music composition formally from the time I was 10 through my first year of college before switching to design. Music production, composition and performance continue to be a big part of both my personal and professional lives, and many of my clients are musicians and/or artists themselves. It has been extremely rewarding for me to parlay my life's passions - art and music - into a career.
After graduating college, I worked a variety of design-related jobs in Tucson, including creating mechanicals for children's pop-up books; rendering pen and ink illustrations for math and science school books K-12; typesetting and ad layout for a small Tucson newspaper; in-house designer for a franchise coffeehouse; and a variety of freelance jobs.
In 1992, while I was working renowned independent music label Soundings of the Planet, I transferred from their Tucson office and relocated to Bellingham, WA where I now live year-round. I continue to work as their principal designer and illustrator for all of their albums and print advertising as an independent contractor.
In addition to my graphics art training, I have a great deal of experience working with groups of people, specifically to produce fund raisers and plan events for a variety of causes including domestic violence awareness, women's issues, race issues (I host a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day open mike every year), local environmental issues, and preserving animal habitats. I have also emceed events on stage, so I have experience thinking on my feet while multi-tasking. I've also have done community outreach,
JASON DARLING
Creativity has been a life-long endeavor for me through images, words, and music. This Washington state native was chosen to attend Young Author’s Conferences and competed in a city regional spelling bee in my earliest school days. I tried many different instruments in school bands until discovering punk music. In high school, I was selected to attend a week-long artist-in-residence camp through the Centrum organization even though my high school art teacher thought I “needed to try making happier art.”
The sun set on my sullen, leather-garbed youth and after some bad college art class experiences, my formal higher education finally settled on studying environmental education and experiential service-learning. I excelled in live teaching as well as interpretive methods that included printed signage and collateral materials. During my teaching years, I found my love of art, graphics, and photography percolating up through the cracks as I taught myself how to use digital media at night doing projects for friends and family. Ten years after graduating from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, I shifted my focus away from teaching and towards graphic design and multimedia.
In addition to my own projects for clients, I work as the marketing &outreach manager for the RE Store, an award-winning non-profit organization based in Bellingham and Seattle. RE Store gives me the opportunity to do everything from print and press materials to truck graphics and trade show displays. I create all web-based and e-newsletter publications for the organization, as well as organizing and publicizing RE Store’s annual recycled art and fashion show in Bellingham and touring our mobile recycled art creation station around to festivals in the greater Puget Sound region. RE Store is like a family to me. The quality of the relationships in my work are important, and I value the dialogues that can result in a design that becomes ever more engaging to the senses.
My immersion in various realms of creativity, production, and management in combination with my background in art and education gives me a unique skill in discovering the message gems in a service, a product, or an event that can really catch someone’s attention.
I am also an accomplished percussionist, having recorded on 15 different musical projects with many different genres of music. I have performed up and down the west coast of the United States as well as impromptu performances in places like Egypt and Cambodia. Travel opens my eyes to the creativity, lifestyles, and histories of this amazing little planet we share. Contact me here and let me know how we may be of assistance to you. No project is too small or large.