Burn After Reading

Burn After Reading . . .
I've been told numerous times that I would love this movie, hence the reason I took it upon myself to google it.  I have yet to see it, but this poster really caught my eye.  I love the simple colors, and the dark silhouettes.


The thing that REALLY caught my eye, though, is the typography. It's very geometric yet almost child-like.  It kind of resembles the logo for The Man With the Golden Arm done by Saul Bass.  I suppose that makes this design a relative of the Late Modern New York School era.


Now I'm thinking I might press "publish post" and take a little journey to rent Burn After Reading!

MOVEMENTS. again.

Early Modern: DeStijl

I've always had an affinity for Vans shoes, even though I've never stepped foot on a skateboard.  While looking up some of the more cleverly designed pairs, I came across these.  I love the play off Piet Mondrian's Composition.  Obviously, very DeStijl.

American Kitsch

When I think Kitsch, I think Las Vegas.  Kitsch is a german word meaning "in bad taste."  So naturally, I my brain jumps to the word tacky.  Colorful, bright, geometric, glitzy -- Nothing is more kitsch than the Las Vegas sign.

Late Modern: New York School

While studying the New York School, I found the Otto Storch's designs were my favorite of them all.  I love the way he believes that art and typography are inseparable.  So, I found this advertisement on Google for the Australian Post Office, and I thought it captured Storch's style and flair very well with simply a more modern take on it.

Swiss/International

I read Douglas Coupland's book Hey! Nostradamus about two years ago, and it ended up being one of my favorite novels.  Since then, I've always looked at his different novels and thought about buying them in hopes that I'd have time to read.  So, I've found this one many times at various book stores.  Nearly all of his book covers look like this.  They all have a style much like the Swiss designers.  There is this fascination with simple layouts, colors, and Helvetica.  So, I thought this book hit the nail right on the head.

Contemporary

I just recently bought this book at Books-A-Million.  I just saw it sitting on my desk and thought to myself, "Perfect!"  Many of the textbook images for this design movement shows very simplistic shapes, relatively flat designs, and bright colors.  This Charles Bukowski poetry book reminds me a lot of the Contemporary designs from the 60s and 70s.

Psychedelic

So, I've seen this poster many times because my friend Will introduced me to this band about a year ago.  They're music very easily reflects the Psychedelic era.  They are a band called Animal Collective, and this concert poster has a lot of qualities that the Psychedelic music posters of the 60s and 70s had.  The unstable, hand-written typography, that really isn't meant to be read too closely; the swirling patters; and the bright colors make this quite psychedelic.

Postmodern

During the time of Postmodern design, one of the most overused elements was the "stair step" look.  In the mid to late 70s to early 80s, this "stair step" was in just about every design.  In our textbook, designers such as Willi Kunz and Michael Manwaring use the "stair step."  The left side of this building I found, when looking at interesting architecture on the internet, shows that element of postmodern design.

Digital

Digital design could be ANYTHING recent, but instead of just finding something random, I wanted to look into one of the designers from the book -- Gitte Kath.  I think her work is fascinating.  I'm attracted to the dark, almost scary looking designs, so I googled her and found some more of her work. 

Are They for Kids, or What?

Right at every register at Publix, we have these little fruit puree things called buddy fruits.  So, needless to say, I spend a lot of my day staring at them.  They're always 10 for $10, and most everyone grabs a handful of them before they're finished checking out.  So, I'm left wondering, do these people have kids at home? Or are these little things for adult, as well?

Either way, I've never bought one, and I feel weird asking customers about them for some reason.  I suppose I'll never know.  I have to admit, however, that they ARE eye catching.  They have this quirky, almost comical looking apple front-and-center.  Along with simple, bright colors on the tops.  Those same colors are used for the side bar (for lack of a better word) which describes the fruits within the container, and again the same color is used for "Buddy Fruits."  It's cute, kid-friendly, and apparently it catches adult eyes as well.

HATCH VISIT!

On Friday, November 19th, Bianca and I went on a little Hatch Show Print date!  What a hectically crazy place it is.  Jim's pictures showed how the place looked, but you really don't get that full impact until you physically step foot inside of it.  Everything is chaotically organized.  They really must have a method to their madness.  It was quite busy while we were there, which I'm sure it's like every day.  Just listening to Jim's presentation about Hatch doesn't quite do it justice, it is SUCH an interesting place to visit.  I saw familiar faces, that we saw from the video and pictures Jim showed us (including the precious kitties!)  I really enjoyed looking at all the different posters they have created -- what talented people!  It's such a quaint, and nostalgic place.  It is now one of my favorite places in Nashville.

Paste-Up Project

The purpose of this assignment was to understand life in design before computers.  It was much more challenging than I had expected.  There is a lot of thought and precision involved.  It is organized by the way it will be printed.

The first image is the completed project and the example we were given to go by.  The top layer is Black, which is the final plate to be used in the printing process.  On that layer is the last "L" and the circled text.

The second is Magenta -- The "R" and the man tilted at about (if you were looking at a clock) 2:00.

The third is Cyan -- The "O"and the man titled at about 10:00.

The bottom sheet is Yellow -- The first "L" and the man tilted at about 7:00.

The bottom later, Yellow, would be printed first, and it would go in order all the way to the top layer, Black.  

And there you have it, CMYK.

The last thing that was done to complete the assignment was to have a cover sheet that shows the printer what percentage of each color will be used.

And that is how graphic design kicks it old school.

Rare Prints Gallery

Two classes ago, after taking a very difficult test, we took a little trip to downtown Franklin.  The intention was for all of us to walk together, however, it was 40 degrees and a little bit rainy, so we made the decision to drive.


If nothing else, I learned that day that there is a free parking garage in downtown Franklin.  Apparently, I've been living under a rock because I was unaware.


Rare Prints Gallery is right in downtown Franklin. 
I have to admit, It wasn't my favorite place I've visited, but it was interesting nonetheless.  The woman working there (I apologize for forgetting her name) described how these prints were made.  I didn't gather a whole lot of information, but she certainly knew exactly what she was talking about. After she was finished speaking with us, we roamed around for a while and gawked at how high the prices were. 

I picked up a print of a lemur and I was surprised to discover, despite the size of the print, that it was pretty much more than I make in a month a Publix. So that was a bit frightening.

The visit, though not my favorite, was entertaining, and I had the satisfaction of leaving with a goofy picture of myself mimicking the expensive lemur's expression.

Printmaking

Printmaking it something very new to me.  I had never done it before my value project in Design Fundamentals, and then shortly after I had completed that I did it again in History of Graphic Design.

The goal was to carve our names, in some creative way, into a large eraser block.  I found the eraser block much easier to carve than the linoleum we used in Design Fundamentals, so I feel pretty confident in how it turned out.

1. The first step was to draw my name, with pencil, onto a piece of tracing paper.
2. Next, I flipped the tracing paper over and placed it directly on top of the eraser block.
3. I then traced over it, the opposite way, which transferred the graphite onto the eraser block in reverse.
4. I then used the speedball carving tool, sizes 2 and 3 to cut around the letters and border.
5. Once the design was finished, I used a brayer and black ink and rolled the ink onto the stamp.
6. Lastly, I placed the stamp onto the paper and rubbed the back to ensure that all the ink made it to the paper.
7. And there you have it!  My first and middle initial and my last name.

Guest Speaker

Jim Sherraden from Hatch Show Print came to speak to our class.  He, very casually, talked about all aspects of Hatch which make it unique.  He showed us old slides of many of the posters they make, and they were all fascinating.


I loved the way he presented everything.  He was so relaxed, and it felt as if he was really connecting with us. Generally speaking, whenever I have listened to any guest speaker, they are very detached from their crowd.  They simply give a speech and that's that, but I think Jim made us all feel like he was speaking to all of us one-on-one.


Not only was Jim easy to listen to, but he really had some very interesting things to show us as well.  It was lovely for him to pass around all of those original prints, and to show us some of the oldest prints he has and his favorites.


Overall, I found it to be a very enriching presentation, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who couldn't wait to run out the door and actually visit Hatch.

POM!

Pom Tea is probably one of the most delicious beverages I have ever tasted.  

I have to admit, though, no one ever told me about it before I tried it.  I tried it solely because I came across it on the shelf in the produce section at Kroger and I liked the way it looked. (Typical for most of us VisCom kids, I'm sure.)  My first Pom Tea was in a glass, but unfortunately they don't package it in glasses anymore.  The bottles are still quite aesthetically pleasing, though.

The simplicity is really what draws me in.  The colors of the tea are gorgeous, thanks to the beautiful red pomegranate creates.  The logo is just white text with a red heart replacing the "O".  A green leaf with a hand-written style "Tea" is coming off of the heart.

I can't quite put my finger on why I love it so much, but I can't help myself from buying it (despite how expensive it is).  Not only does it look good, but it tastes good too!

Cozy Fruit!

While I was sifting through a Communications Arts magazine, I came across these advertisements for the Calgary Farmers Market.

First of all, fruits and vegetables wearing sweaters is just plain adorable.  Aside from that, though.  I can really appreciate the Plakastil-like style of the design.  It's straight forward. You know from first glance exactly what this advertisement is for.

Fruit or vegetable wearing a sweater.  

Open all winter.  

Calgary Farmers Market Logo.

Simple, yet very effective.

bad habit.

I unfortunately have a nasty habit.  I smoke Camel Menthols, so naturally I would know exactly how the package looks, but I can recall a time not too long ago when they made the big switch from old to new.

Marlboro and Camel are two of the  top cigarette brands, though they are both successful, Camel has been significantly more successful design-wise.  Marlboro never strays far from the normal packaging--just a few changes of color here and there.  They've pretty much had the same design for as long as the company has been in working order.  Camel, on the other hand, also has a very distinguishable package, but in recent years has upped their look to something much more modern.  I'm sure the goal of this is to appeal to a younger crowd, which it certainly does.

Camel Menthol, in particular, changed its package significantly about six months ago.  The classic Camel logo is still front and center, but instead of an elaborate drawing, it has become a simple silhouette.  This silhouette is highlighted with a whirlpool of shades of teal and white.  The placement is interesting; The design is coming from the bottom right corner.  I think it is very pleasing to look at, and that it has definitely been a successful face lift.

neon bible

This is the album cover for The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible.  The design is quite interesting for a couple of  reasons.  One, it is unusual for a band to not plaster their name on the front, so I think that is admirable.  Two, the design itself is almost Victorian and Art Deco at the same time.  The border surrounding the bible-like neon image is slightly Victorian in style.  The different angles of the neon bible itself is very Art Deco. 

Cool music.  Cool album art.

HAUNTED

Chuck Palahniuk is my absolute favorite author.  Not only is he the genius behind Fight Club, but he's written even better things that most people have yet to discover.  Now, his novels are quite graphic and rather raunchy, but the deeper meanings within each book have been life changing for me.  Some of his writing literally gives me chills.

Now, the cover of Haunted is a little freaky, BUT it's also ridiculously cool.  I'm a sucker for a good book cover.  In fact, I probably never would have picked up one of his books had I not been intrigued by the design.  The typography is perfect for two reasons:  It has an eerie feel to it just on its own, which plays off the title.  AND the book itself is about a writing retreat that ended up horribly, so I can imagine them feverishly documenting their experiences with handwriting similar to that shown on the cover.

The white portions of the face on the cover are actually glow-in-the-dark.  I definitely did not know that until I was reading before bed, switched the light off, and then nearly had a heart attack.

Now, as a side thought, here is a quote from the novel:

"In the big factory of perfecting human souls, the Earth was a kind of tumbler. The same as the kind people use to polish rocks. All souls come here to rub the sharp edges off each other. All of us, we're meant to be worn smooth by conflict and pain of every kind. To be polished. There was nothing bad about this. This wasn't suffering. It was erosion. It was just another, a basic, an important step in the refining process."

MOVEMENTS!

I used the same book to do this assignment that I used for a design blog earlier.  It is Gig Posters: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century.  I thought it would be interesting to see how many of these posters resemble the posters from the Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Early Modern, and Art Deco movements.

VICTORIAN:

On the left is a poster for Hank Williams, and on the right is an example from the textbook.  I think the busy, intricate illustrations are very similar.  Although the illustration on the left is within an oval frame, the borders surrounding both illustrations are nearly identical.  Also, though not shown in the text book example, text within banners was very popular in Victorian design, which can clearly be seen in the Hank Williams poster.

ARTS & CRAFTS:

The Neko Case poster and the textbook example have extremely similar line characteristics within the illustrations.  I think the bold use of black and white is apparent in both.  The Neko Case poster could easily be mistaken for a woodcut illustration, which the textbook example (from The Hobby Horse, 1886) just so happens to be.  Intricate woodblock illustrations were the essence of what William Morris stood for during the Arts and Crafts movement.

ART NOUVEAU:

I think this one is pretty self explanatory.  The resemblance is uncanny.  The Art Nouveau artists had a fascination with the woman figure, particularly from a side angle.  The stylized hair pattern was a hallmark of the era.  The Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Moximo Park, and Hot Hot Heat poster is a direct descendant from the work of Alphonse Mucha in his Job cigarette paper poster.

EARLY MODERN:

The flat color, the simplicity, the self-explanatory design.  These two are alike in almost every way.  Even down to the black background.  The Wilco poster is for a concert in Washington, DC.  The Washington Monument is the center of attention, and it is followed with the largely printed "Wilco" underneath it.  Minimal information gets the point across quickly and effectively, and that was the whole point of Plakastil.  This can be seen in both the Wilco and Priester posters.

ART DECO:

These two aren't really as similar as the others have been.  I do think that the Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie poster has some Art Deco qualities.  When I look at both of these posters side by side, my eye is forced upwards, which is a HUGE characteristic of Art Deco design.  Aside from just that fact, I think the interesting typography on both is something to be noted as well.  

GELATO

In 2009, I traveled with a several members of my senior class to Europe for our spring break.  Our first stop was London, the second was Paris, and we saved the best for last: Italy.  We went a few places in Italy: Assisi, Florence and Rome.  Each one had something about it more magical than the last.  Though the scenery and architecture is absolutely spectacular, there is nothing better than the food.  American translations of Italian cuisine is appalling!  Aside from all the pizzas, pastas, and breads I ate, there was one thing that really stuck with me... GELATO!

So fantastically delicious!

Naturally, upon stumbling around the internet, I had to stop and admire this package design.

What I think is truly spectacular about these is that each flavor shows the charm of Italy, while still maintaining a very clean and modern design.  I would definitely buy this in a grocery store, no matter how much money I was spending for just a few spoonfuls.

I worked 22 hours this weekend...

I work at Publix, which I actually really love even though they practically own me on weekends.  So, I see a lot of products and different packaging designs go through my line.  I scan them, barely look at them, but every now and then something will catch my eye and I'll have to stop what I'm doing to admire it.

Interestingly enough, I think that the Publix brand itself has done a great job with their packaging.  The aluminum foil is one of the best.  They do such a great job of making their names and overall design very simple.  Usually just black and white with one color, and the product itself is always displayed but never in a dull way.  It's ridiculously creative to have the aluminum foil shaped like different animals.  Everyone has done that at one time or another, so to display that is just too adorable.

Here's a Publix brand version of Cheez-its which is just so cleverly designed!

Anyway, come visit Publix.  Check everything out. :]

Mr. Talbot, you'd be proud!

William Henry Fox Talbot created what is known as the photogram.  Although his process was far too complicated for me to even begin to comprehend, I made a few today using light sensitive paper.  The simple way of doing it was to place objects on the paper and expose it to light.  When the blue paper turned almost white, I took it back inside and placed in a tub of water for a few minutes.  After the paper dried, the background turned a dark blue, and where the objects were became white silhouetted images.

For the first, I used a few twigs and some leafs that I found outside.

For the second, I used a swirl pattern sticker of sorts and leaves.

And for the third, I used mesh ribbon, a bird sticker, and a button.

Though they didn't turn out perfect, I'm pretty impressed by the concept of a photogram.

Today, we took a scenic route to an adorable place!

Leiper's Fork.  So charming.  Where exactly did I go today, you ask?

A lovely old book store, Yeoman's Rare Books.

I found the tour to be very interesting.  I've always been fascinated by old houses, so just being in there was a treat.  It's funny, though; I absolutely hate history.

Anyway, so I picked up a brochure.

Now, tell me that is not the most creative brochure you've ever seen?! Did anyone else pick one up?  I had to have it, as soon as it caught my eye.  The little houses are just precious.  It's such an appropriate design for Leiper's Fork.  The brochure has just about as much charm as the place itself.

Laura Foote from Character Maps for Your Community did all of the drawings for the map and front of brochure.  Kudos to you, Laura.  Brochures are generally very boring to look at (in my opinion, at least), but this one it's really quite spectacular.