Planet Yang

The eyes have it

James Yang — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:05:36 +0000

There are loyal clients and there are LOYAL clients. The Chronicle of Higher Education is one of the first publications to hire me in 1984 and we have consistently worked together ever since. Illustration about the reluctance of trustees to open their investing strategy to outside review. Ellen Winkler, AD

Gone in five seconds

James Yang — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:04:36 +0000

It is amazing how many reputations have been tarnished with the “what was he/she thinking” tweet that has to be taken back after many apologies. Illustration for American Federation of Teachers teaching students to take five seconds before they tweet or post so they don’t have to suffer the fate of unfortunate celebrities. Michelle Furman, AD

Shake rattle and roll

James Yang — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:36:36 +0000

The word of the moment seems to be crowd. Whether it’s crowd funding or crowd sourcing, everybody wants to join or access a crowd. Illustration for Alchemy Magazine about the trend for companies to bypass the major institutions in favor of multiple smaller partners. Kelly McMurray, AD.

Evil is as evil does

James Yang — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:51:35 +0000

Don’t be evil seems like a simple goal. Apparently it becomes harder when you’re a tech company and your goal is world domination. Art Director Minh Uong threw out the idea a robot could be a great metaphor for the story. Being asked to illustrate a robot bent on world domination is one of the reasons why illustration is such a great job. Illustration for the Sunday Business Times. Minh Uong, AD.

How to succeed in business by really trying

James Yang — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:26:29 +0000

Series of illustrations for Computerworld magazine’s annual job survey issue. The big takeaway is work is picking up but people have to work a lot harder. April Montgomery, AD.

Mortgage in a bottle

James Yang — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:59:01 +0000

Strangest news these days is buyers buying houses by the hundreds. I guess it is always good to stock up. Illustration for Community Associates about buying houses in bulk. Mark Mavillia, AD

You say tomato

James Yang — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:17:49 +0000

Sheryl Dermawan, AD at the Wall St Journal called and mentioned my different characters and asked how I chose characters. I told her the idea dictates the character. She said she loved my circle and squared headed guys and had a story about IT and non IT people being unable to communicate with each other. It was perfect for the heads she wanted.

Back to work

James Yang — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:22:28 +0000

Interesting how certain subjects will come across my desk. I have had a few projects lately discussing the health of jobs in the current economy. Illustration for the Washington Post for a special section describing job growth by sector. Meredith Brown, AD.

The right thing

James Yang — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:44:03 +0000

The latest episode of This American Life with a retraction of the Mike Daisy Foxconn story was captivating radio as Ira Glass and Rob Schmitz confront Daisy about the facts. Ironically, it was more compelling than the original story. Illustration for Investment News Magazine about holding to a higher ethical standard. David Stokes, AD.

Smaller the better

James Yang — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:52:26 +0000

Streamlining is the theme this year at the Yang household after spending a month in Hong Kong. Living in a smaller space makes you realize life is cluttered with stuff you don’t need and there are smarter ways to do things. Illustration for the Wall St Journal about companies finding the appeal of making smaller deals over larger deals. Dan Smith, AD