Calyx Design

A fantastic and quirky guitar maker tucked into an unassuming Sacramento Valley town — to connect with the world of potential customers, Joe Dragony needed a website. »

Stuart Rice is a man with vision. In fact, a man with many visions, not the least of which is a re-imagining of the entire Hindu pantheon. This time around, the gods and goddesses spring into new life as 20th-century pop icons. »

When a charming, potty-mouthed marketing genius sends me an email with the subject “Make me into a sexy logo, please”, I pay attention. And get busy. »

The seed was planted a few years ago, when my elderly grandmother pointed me towards a small bookshelf. “Take whatever you want”, she said, “I’m not planning on leaving anything behind when I go”.

I picked up two volumes of poetry, carefully annotated in her spidery hand. A history of the Mennonites. Then I noticed a slim book entitled, of all things, “How to play the Ukulele”. Grandma had a notoriously wry sense of humour, and was infmaous in our family for — and this was way before my time, so I’ve only seen photos — a raucous, knee-slappin’ ukulele-flailing, vaudeville comedy routine.

Whoa, Grandma!

I kissed my grandmother and tucked the books into my bag — and not long afterwards, she passed away.

What is it now, ten years later? Well, that ukulele seed has finally sprouted. I’ve just become the proud owner of an early-50′s vintage Bobby Henshaw ukulele. It’s a little beauty, ridiculously fun to play, a fabulous graphic design stress-reliever, but best of all — every time I pick it up, I remember Grandma..

The “Town Crush” is a fundraiser for the Old Town School for Boys, an independent K-8 school in San Francisco. this year, it’s being held at the fabulously gangster-swanky Bimbo’s 365 Club in North Beach, and thus — when the red Emergency Logo Phone started ringin’ off the hook — themes of “Old Las Vegas” and Frank Sinatra came wafting through our heads. »