“Simmer Down Sprinter” is a fabulous hand-built high-tech art project developed by my old friend and collaborator Steve Lambert:

“Simmer Down Sprinter is a two player, sit-down, arcade style video game I designed and programmed in which players compete to move runners around a track. The game is controlled by player’s bio-feedback. The more relaxed the player becomes, the faster the runner moves around the track. Essentially it is a game of competitive relaxation.”

“Competitive relaxation” — genius!

The visual style of the cabinet (like the game itself) casts a knowing backwards wink towards classically tacky ’80s arcade video games such as Track & Field, the Six Million Dollar Man, et al.

This hyper-American vernacular style was great fun to work with– the stars, the obligatory Tron laser grid, Bruce Lee-style high-contrast super graphics … what’s not to like?

Before you ask, no — though the game has been a huge hit wherever it’s been exhibited,it isn’t coming to an arcade near you; it is (sadly) a one-of-a-kind piece.

By the way, Steve not only programmed the game, but built the box, stars as both video avatars, and that’s his short-shorted image splashed all over the console. Visit his website for more explanation, photos, and videos of hot gaming action!

This CD package and illustration of an irritated rhino was created for a sprawling and powerful 12-piece band from Oakland, California. Picking up where the revolutionary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti left off, Albino! is all about “Heavy Heavy Afro-Beat”.

The producer came to Calyx Design with a general concept, a visual meant to evoke both the thumping power and political consciousness of the band: “I want a lonely rhino on an African plain”. This image, together with the music, inspired the visual style of the whole piece. Through use of textural tricks and emulation of batik or off-register screen-printing, it evokes the hand-made. Both roughly textured and densely detailed, it simultaneously evinces an aura of rawness and sophistication.

It’s practically an absurdist concept — taking a winery on the road? After parting ways with an outdated property, Roshambo Winery needed a temporary home while their new digs were under construction. Voila, the “Roshambus”, Batmobile to Roshambo’s “Party Army”.

We’d already established a unique and powerful visual style for the upstart winery, which lent itself beautifully to the task of creating a red-and-black road whale that would shriek their identity. Mission accomplished. People cheer, wave, and honk their horns as the beast sails by, a true measure of the Roshambus’ — and the winery’s — populist appeal.

Milton Davis Junior of the family-owned Davis Sign Company was a great help in realizing this large-scale vinyl-wrapping project.

CD package for a Hammond-organ fueled funk-jazz instrumental groove band. Yes!

The cover depicts quantum electron flow, inspired by the group’s juiced up name. The digital artwork was donated by its creator, physicist Dr. Eric Heller.

These three hands are familiar to any child who knows the RIGHT way to settle the problem of “who gets the front seat”: Rock, Paper, Scissors. This playful multi-part label for industry upstarts Roshambo Winery identifies their line of affordable table wines, known simply as “Red” and “White”.

I’m proud to report that this label was selected for inclusion in Unique Packaging, a glossy visual sourcebook featuring the best in international packaging design. Check out page 168!

The illustrations stamped into this series of wine labels feature the combatants in an ancient child’s game: Rock, Paper, Scissors. As the source of Roshambo Winery’s playful name, these three elemental icons have been pressed into service to distinguish Roshambo’s line of higher-end wines.

With embossed, foil-stamped, and die-cut labels, these wines are high-falutin’ enough to be known by their initials alone: RPS.