lahtidesign.com is Ahde Lahti
Design, Art, Fine Art, Sculpture, Models, Illustration, Sketching, Rendering, Life Drawing.


LahtiDesign.com develops ideas into images, 2-D or 3-D. As a means to communicate symbolic thought into visual thought, LahtiDesign.com forms, delineates, pushes ideas until the clients can visually agree on the projects overall look. Through the process of visualization, abstractions become material: it can be manipulated, enhanced, sent to bid and it can be built. Often a project cannot be totally explained by drawings, in that case a model can be built so that all sides can be examined and studied. The amount of detail on the model is critical only to the intended use of the model.
LahtiDesign.com works with Set-Shops, Production Companies and Art Directors to Sketch or Render Storyboards into viable sets. Lahtidesign.com has collaborated with Illustrators to quickly finish complex projects. His Illustrations are fresh, specific and show the quality of light, space and volume. LahtiDesign.com works on location or through the Web to give a Client a Drawing that incorporates the Point of View, Props and Concept critical to the Creative View.

Ahde Lahti
I've: built a house, hiked in Kauai, swum in the Mediterranean, run six marathons, scuba dived off Cape Florida, skied down the Cornice, gone down the entire length of the Mississippi in a [self designed and built] power boat, built a 1200 c.c. car, been on the team for theme graphics where the Tuscan landscape meets the crimson sky over Tokyo Bay; sculpted monsters and trees, taught architecture/design and life drawing classes, bicycle raced in Baja, drawn a line and a curve, sketched life into concepts, walked to work, bicycled to my studio, driven a motorcycle to Istanbul, owned a 55 Chevy, refinished the wood dashboard on my 1966 MBZ coupe, rebuilt a 1933 twin lens Rolleiflex, built a crystal radio, watched black and white TV, quoted Spinoza, skippered a racing sailboat, crossed the Arctic circle with a portmanteau of imagination, seen the midnight sun, been there when the northern lights blazed green and red heralding the unspeakable wonder at where energy is (born).

I will: define the future, interview the past, reinvent time, be the interface for creativity, be the catalyst for change, answer the meaning of life, jump start eternity, take the apposite and abrogate Armageddon, interpret the hieroglyphs of the mind, be the suzerain of order, pull the threads from the tapestry of chaos, fill the arroyo of clandestine indecision, play a game on the irrevocable table of fate, manipulate the marionettes of desire, be the architect of freedom in the paling light of hope, turn back the maelstrom of entropy . . . . with your help of course.

Ahde Lahti
QUALIFICATIONS: Freelance Artist, conceptual sketches for production companies, set shops and individuals. Sculptor, "BeetleJuice" show for Universal Studios, "Sendak" theme parks for Sony. Graphic Designer on team for theme park signage (research, design development and production design) for Tokyo Disney Sea. Art Director on commercial for international client. Production Designer/Exhibit Designer/Artist for Fortune 500 company commercials, signage/sculptures. Co-Founder and Professor at premiere architectural school in nation; Southern California Institute of Architecture, also known as SCI-Arc. Graphic Designer in the hospitality industry. Expert in Digital Graphics on Macintosh platform. Trained in 3-D Animation with SoftImage on SGI.

Ahde Lahti: FREELANCE CLIENTS
FM Rocks Set Sketches: [Sunset Strip-Metro-Muscle Beach] Janet Jackson Music Video, Peter Hampton, Global Set Sketches, Janet Jackson Music Video, Chris Hyde;
Jet Sets Architectural Presentation Sketches, Michael Gaw;
Cinnabar Set Sketches: Models & Digital Graphics , Jonathan Katz;
Straw Dogs: CCC Design Inc. Set Sketches, Carol Clements;
Colby Gallery N. Y.: Miniature Presentation Case, David Mitchell;
MGM: Murals, Product Sketches, Signage & Sculptures, Richard Parness;
HCA Partners: Digital Graphic, Murals & Faux Stone for multiple projects, Richard Chavira;
Hatch/Colasuonno Architects: Renderings, Murals & Sketches; Luis Colasuonno;
DXTR'S: Production Designer, Hasbro & Ross, Jack Provost;
Sanchez Kamps Associates: Graphic Artist for USC & Burbank Airport;
Sanwa Bank: Graphics, Signage;
Pt Java Indi Dimensi: Art Director, M.Gee;
T. R. Thompsen Assoc.: Frame design and fabrication for MGM;
Zenobio Institute, Venice, Italy: Catalogue & Poster

Ahde Lahti: PUBLICATIONS
The Big Book of Logos, graphics included for publication: Yoshiki Yamauchi, Salty Dog Productions & Lahti Design, West; Irving J. Gill. Architect 1870-1936, by Marvin Rand (Design Layout, Ahde Lahti), Celebrity Society, Design Issue, March April 2008, "Ahde Lahti:Bring Concepts to Reality", The Mariner Magazine, Cover Issue #62, "The Fate of the Wooden Boat" Illustration of the wood boat "BOSS".

Ahde Lahti: COLLECTIONS (paintings, prints, graphics & sculpture)
MGM, Sutro, Panasonic Newcraft, Flour, NASD, Continental Airlines, Hyatt Regency, Standard Oil, Bank of America;

Ahde Lahti: EXHIBITIONS
Pacific Design Center, University of Michigan School of Art, The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, San Francisco Art Institute, Istituto D'Architettura Switzerland;

Ahde Lahti: EDUCATION
University of Michigan; MFA: graphic design - printmaking / sculpture; University of Michigan; BSD: industrial design /graphic design - printmaking / sculpture;

Ahde Lahti: COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
Adobe Photoshop, Aldus Freehand, Adobe Illustrator, PowerCadd, Form-Z, Aldus PageMaker, QuarkXpress, Adobe Premiere, Microsoft SoftImage, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word

Ahde Lahti: EMPLOYMENT
Cinnabar California Inc., 4571 Electronics Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90039; Sculptor (character): Sendak Characters, Sony Theme Park, in San Francisco & Odaiba Japan; Lexus, Coors, Heroes, Progressive Insurance, Tricon, Nuveen, Universal Studios Florida & Japan, Buick, Windex, Palm Springs Follies, Bounty; Artist: Old Navy, Brita, Mrs. Butterworth's, Progressive Ins., Tommy Hillfiger, Maxwell House Coffee, Mervyn's, Tricon (KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut), J. C. Penney, Mattel, Bozel Agency, Universal Studios, Domino's, Kinko's, Planet Hollywood, Propecia, Samsung, Nuveen, BET, House of Blues, MTV, Honda, Hartford, California Academy of Sciences, Hyundai, Jeep;
Walt Disney Imagineering: [WDI], P. O. Box 25020, Glendale, CA, 91221; Graphic Designer: Tokyo Disney Sea, Period signage, from 1902-1910, Northern Italy from Portofino, Tuscany to Venice.

Ahde Lahti: FREELANCE
Cinnabar, Jet Sets & Global, set shops, where he works on concept sketching, model making and sculpture for commercials and theme parks: Sony's Metreon and Sendak Odaiba, Japan; Universal Studio's Beetle Juice Show in Japan, MGM, DreamWorks, Tide, M&Ms, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Home Depot, Morgan Stanley, Revlon, Planet Hollywood, Wells Fargo, Budwiser, State Farm, Miricle Grow, Madonna World Tour 2004, Buick, Ford, Nike, Neuveen, Toyota, Energy Star, Sony, Windex, A&E, K-Mart, 409, Discover, Domino's, GM, Hallmark, Honda, Hyundai, Levitra, MCI, Coors, Jose Cuervo, MasterCard, Progressive, Bacarra Resort, Bel-Air Hotel, Kellogg's Rice Krispies, Baskin Roboins, Mervyn's, Target, UPS, McDonalds, Celine Dion, Sleep Number, Sprint, Samsung, Old Navy, Gap, Olay, Neuvis, Nisson, Maxwell House, Mattel, L'Oreal, Kellogg's, KFC, Smithson Ham, Jack-in-the-Box, Barilla Pasta, Kemper, SoftBank, Neutregena, Levitra, Janet Jackson, Chase, Panteen, Playstation, HBO, Boston, Burberry, Coca Cola, Nationwide, Swiffer, Jimmy Dean, ComCast, AT&T, Target, Geffen, Pirelli, Marriott, Gerber, RAC, Saphire, Amoeba, HCA, Cal Tech, Celebrity Society Magazine and Gibbs-Smith Publisher.
DXTR'S: 6140 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA, 90048; Production Designer: Commercials for Hasbro [Nerf] and Ross Logo development, Story-boarding, sculptural 3-D and painted/drawn 2-D art props and set design.

Ahde Lahti
Recently he worked with John McGraw on the drawings and renderings for the stage in Madonna's Reinvention Tour, with Carol Clements (Art Director) on a Nationwide Insurance Commercial, with Richard Amend (Art Director) on UPS Commercials, with Deborah Evans (Art Director) on a MCI Commercial, with Michael Gaw (owner and Art Director of Jet Sets) on a Buick (Harley Earl) Commercial and with Peter Hampton on a series of set sketched for Janet Jackson's music video; sets: Sunset Strip-Metro-Muscle Beach. He completed a project in the Graphic Design department at Walt Disney Imagineering working on Mediterranean Harbor, one part of Tokyo Disney Sea.

Ahde Lahti
He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan. Ahde was an Assistant Professor at San Diego State University and California State Polytechnic University. Ahde was a founder and Professor at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) where he taught for 24 years: Design, Environmental Studies and Life Drawing. Ahde was instrumental in establishing a graphic direction for the Zenobio Institute in Venice, Italy. Ahde's prints have been in many national shows and private collections in the US.

Ahde Lahti
He has been Production Designer and has been Art Director for several commercials, has designed and fabricated several projects for MGM Corporate Headquarters, numerous restaurants, and has done highly technical models and graphics as demonstrative evidence for jury presentations. He has built two boats, two houses, motored the length of the Mississippi, toured Europe on a motorcycle, raced bicycles and sailboats, completed six marathons and doesn't smoke cigars. He lives in Ojai with his wife. He has two adult children.

Lahti Design
With the help of Aleksis Lahti we have now started production of the ADIRONSTACK TM wood chair in western cedar. It is similar in style to an adirondack chair except that it stacks for winter storage. This new product for California has been in production in Michigan for years and has been found to be comfortable and long lasting in the harshest weather. The ADIRONSTACK TM is also a beautiful product.