Artist Spotlight - Pixels & Ink

Today's spotlight highlights a team of artists from Pixels & Ink Incorporated. Applying their creative design expertise, the team submitted two extremely creative design themes: one espousing the potential of recycling and reuse and a second exploring the importance of imagination touted by PBS.

Pixels developed the PBS theme in conjunction with the plane's sponsor, PBS, a major employer in the Crystal City neighborhood. The green-themed plane, Eco-Plane, is being sponsored by JK Moving & Storage, a program partner and sponsor that has adopted an environmentally-friendly business philosophy.

Eco Plane-
This plane was inspired by a group conversation we had at lunch one day about how cool it would be to cover a plane with all recycled or renewable materials. We all strive to be as environmentally conscientious as possible in our personal lives as well as our professional lives, and so we thought that creating the Eco-Plane would be a fun way to express the importance of doing so.

So far the plane is coming along nicely, although we have hit a bit of turbulence, so to speak. One of the difficulties was making the base of the plane into a planter to accommodate the types of plants used in green roof construction. To do this, we had to build up a concrete edge all the way around the existing base, adding at least another couple hundred pounds to the already very heavy planes. So far, so good, though, as you will note from our progress photos. The next big hurdle will be figuring out how to get our recycled aluminum cans to lie flat enough against the wings of the plane so that they can withstand the curious hands of viewers and the elements of nature. Once we complete this, we¹ll be on the home stretch!

Be more PBS plane-
The concept for this plane was another group collaboration between our team and the great folks over at PBS. Of all the colorful PBS branding and products there are, we thought that a PBS Kids themed plane would be the most fun to create and the most fun for viewers to see. And of course, who can choose between all of those cute PBS kids characters?!
It was tough, but we could only fit so many of them on the plane, so with the help of PBS, we narrowed the group down to seven key characters that are flying the “Be more PBS” plane. To really convey the whimsical spirit of the characters and of the PBS Kids brand, the plane will be painted in their bright green signature color, accented with stripes of purple and orange, and of course, the faces of characters such as Dot, Dash, Clifford, Curious George, Ruff, Word Girl, Hooper and Arthur. The base of the plane will represent the sky through with the plane is flying, along with the special Be More PBS words...Be more adventurous, creative, inspired, adventurous, etc.

About Pixels & Ink

Pixels & Ink, Incorporated (P&I) is a full-service graphic and multimedia design studio. Founded in 1995, P&I has nearly 50 years of combined experience in all aspects of marketing solutions. P&I strategically tailors clients’ marketing and design needs to meet the overall goals of their organizations. The P&I creative team, a mix of seasoned professionals and innovative young artists, works with clients to understand their unique business needs and craft results-oriented plans by offering broad experience in all aspects of print and publishing solutions including newspapers, newsletters, brochures, annual reports, direct mail and magazines. The impact of print collateral is enhanced when teamed with a variety of multimedia design solutions including websites, interactive CDs, three-dimensional illustrations, animations and promotional videos. Incorporating multimedia with traditional design approaches, P&I offers complete design and marketing solutions.

By establishing a corporate identity, creating web presence, multimedia design, advertising and publication layout, P&I offers one-stop shopping for all your design needs. Moreover, P&I maintains a cohesive group of dynamic and creative talent to deliver the latest in industry trends and standards. And in addition to producing great graphic design, P&I’s artists are constantly involved in the local community and art scene, participating personally and professionally in Crystal Flight, Artomatic, the Corcoran School of Art + Design, AIGA, ADCMW, and the Torpedo Factory.