After a few months of work and rework, I’m happy to announce that I’ve designed my first typeface. It’s a slab serif based on a variety of early advertising type. While I’m as green as could be when it comes to typographic design, it’s been a dream of mine for some time to create a complete face. I’ve only developed one weight in all caps and numbers, but I believe it’s a good start for my growth as a typographer.

As I’ve grown as a designer, I’ve discovered a passion for letters and the printing process that I’m very interested in developing. There’s something that feels “right” when I get away from the computer and get my hands dirty making something. I think the next thing to tackle in 2009 will be some wood block prints using this typeface; I’m excited to see where things go from here.

Hello, world! I’m proud to announce the birth of my little girl, Alayna Leigh. She was born on December 10, 2008 and weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces.

Watching my wife in her labor was inspiring and a most amazing experience.

Here’s to diapers, late night feedings and rushing home at 5:00 to spend time with the little peanut.

In a slightly surreal moment, I opened up the latest issue of Macworld to see my name in print (page 18, “Apple’s Growing Pains”). It’s always great to be published in design annuals, but I can’t say any of my “copywriting” has ever been featured. Thanks to the January 2009 issue of Macworld, that status has changed.

Big thanks to the Editorial Director, Jason Snell, for recognizing my prolific abilities with words (even though my grammar is less than stellar).

The January Macworld sports a photo of a much younger Steve Jobs in 1984, which happens to be the same one that appeared on the very first issue. The Apple Macintosh is 25 years old next month.

Here’s to new accomplishments, even if it only means two paragraphs of reader feedback.

Lancaster, Penna. is officially on the radar, my friends. While the county in general is known for its quaint farming landscapes, Lancaster City is experiencing a cultural rebirth and people are beginning to take notice.

This past weekend I dropped by the newly opened Apple Store in Park City Center and found it packed to the gills with Mac enthusiasts. I must say, this kind of excitement around an icon like Apple can only mean more good things for our own version of small-town USA.

A few months ago I chatted with the manager of Iron Hill Brewery, a restaurant and micro-brewery with most of its locations in the greater Philadelphia area. She said they opened in Lancaster because they recognized it as a growing community with excellent investment opportunities. Apparently Apple did too.

There’s an excitement in the air around here that’s palpable. You feel it when you walk the streets. You see it in your neighbor’s eyes. You hear it when talking with local shopowners. It’s a great place to live, work and play. There’s no place I’d rather be right now.

Maybe I’m jumping the gun on this one, but I’m just too excited not to share. I’m developing a brand-new packaging line for Square One Coffee, sporting a kraft paper bag design and custom illustrated labels. This illustration is for their single-origin coffee from Guatemala. Look for the completed design in a few months.

If you haven’t been to Square One on Duke Street, it’s high-time to discover them. They’re quickly making some big strides with their brand. I must say, I get really excited when good design meets an amazing product; it’s a killer combination.

I’m proud to say that I’m now the co-owner of a beautiful Kelsey 3×5 letterpress. It may be small, but big dreams are wrapped up in its metal plates.

When I set out to alter the path of my design career (i.e. waving goodbye to employment), there were three major goals I had in mind for the first year. I list them here in no particular order: screen print a poster, design a typeface and learn how to letterpress (surviving helps too). I’m happy to say my typeface is well under way, and thanks to a fieldtrip to Wayne on Tuesday, my letterpress goal is within reach.

The Infantree boys and I took a trip down the turnpike to visit Louella Press and Two Paperdolls. Big thanks go out to Colleen Walsh for showing us around the new studio and letting us see some of the bigger presses.

Louella Press was just featured in HOW Magazine (October 2008) for some incredible promotional stationery they created. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you kick yourself and say, “Wish I thought of that.”

Check out Louella’s blog for some more pics. And make sure to drop by Briar Press for some letterpress goodness, circa 1820. I’m sure I’ll be hanging out there a lot more.

Take my advice: Get out of the office for a day and go meet some other creative people. Spend some time around people smarter and more driven than you; it’s sure to rub off.

It’s hard to put into words how satisfying it is to manage a project from start to finish, concept through print production, and hold the end result in your hands.

After developing an award-winning identity for Crossway Church, we followed it up with a branded capital campaign called “OneMission,” desiring to cast a vision for the church’s future.

The booklet features a 20-page layout that sports a flood dull gloss cover and spot varnish, and utilizes the brand new paper from Scheufelen called Heaven 42 (a beautiful white coated paper with a soft finish). Once again, Donald Blyler Offset did a fabulous job with the print production. For Crossway Church, Heaven has truly come to earth.

The pastors commented, “We are so overjoyed with our OneMission booklets! They are amazing and we believe will really bless the church.”

It’s completely ridiculous that I can have this much fun and make a living at the same time.

I’m very happy to announce the first published project for RSD is the mark of Crossway Church. I worked very hard for my friends at Crossway and it’s paid off. The mark will appear in LogoLounge 5. LogoLounge is a prestigious series of identity volumes published every two years that showcases identity work by some of the most prolific designers in the world. Over 33,000 logos were submitted for the competition! The book is slated to hit shelves in June of 2009.

Though I’ve had numerous projects published before, this one is especially sweet, as it represents the first project recognized under Ryan Smoker Design. More good things to come!

Read more about the project here.

When I think back and consider why I’ve been successful so far, I think it comes back to people. I’m amazed at how much I’ve learned from all the smart and interesting friends (including my lovely wife) that have helped and coached me along the way. RSD lives in great part because of your encouragement and help. Thank you so much!

I give a very big thank you to Jeremy Hess Photographers and Crossway Church for allowing me to create truly unique and beautiful solutions for their new branding efforts. I look forward to strengthening those relationships in the future.

Finally, thanks to Kyle Sollenberger for his help in developing this site. I owe you big time!

Here’s to the next 6 months and the years ahead! Give a shout, I’d love to hear from you.

I can hardly believe it, but today marks the first day in my new office space. It’s an incredible feeling to be sitting in a space that offers so much potential for the future. I like to tell people that my goals change from day to day, and it’s true for the most part, but moving my office downtown was a big step. Not only is it a professional location where I can entertain my clients, but it also offers the possibilities of screen printing and operating a letterpress. I’m excited to see where things go from here.

The space is located at 21 North Prince Street in Lancaster City. It’s on the fourth floor of the same building that houses Prince Street Cafe. It’s also right across from the historic Fulton Opera House (see the view from my window) and on the same block as Central Market. In short, it’s right in the thick of the arts district and an easy 15-minute walk from my house.

I’ll be sharing some room with Tim Hoover and The Infantree. The Infantree began several years ago as a gallery and artists’ studio, and has continued to evolve. Tim and I will be starting a new branding effort in the near future to reposition The Infantree name and create a collective area for us to work together. We spent a few days the last several weeks painting and cleaning things up. We transformed the one room from an ugly teal to a neutral pearl white, which complements the exposed brick of the gallery perfectly.

Lancaster is an amazing place to live and work. I’m looking forward to pursuing a rewarding design career in this truly unique town.

I’d love to show things off to anyone who’s interested, so feel free to drop by. The stairs to the fourth floor will give you some good exercise!