The Brand Spankin' New Job!

I've now been at Design Ranch here in Kansas City for almost two weeks, and it's been so wonderful! I couldn't ask for anything better– everyone here is so friendly and welcoming, the building is gorgeous, and the work is exciting! I'll have to take pictures soon and post them up. In the meantime, here are a few little crops of some of the work I've been doing.

Unusual Behavior

Graphic Design Senior Show 2010

Everyone should come!!

Painting: ink drawings

Ink drawings for my painting class, all 4.5" x 6". These are all studies done outside of class, and we work in oil on canvas during class. So fun!

PP: My Identity & Collateral!

Finished up my identity and collateral this past week!

DP: Mid-Semester Degree Project Summation

Thinking about my degree project so far, and looking at the timeline I've started with, I feel like I've gotten nothing done. I'm so far behind according to my timeline, and I have so far to go in order to get to where I want to be. The one thing that I've really taken away from this project so far is realizing that I always assign myself waaaay too much to handle. For some reason, I always tell myself to do incredible amounts of work, amounts that in reality, I know I couldn't possibly do, but I tell myself that I should try anyway. I've done this my whole life, and I'm not sure why.

But then, looking at my process book, I've already filled over 50 pages, so it's not like I'm not trying. I'm in the process of writing, developing a logo mark, color palette, and aesthetic for my project, and I can see the final result in my head. I really have come a ways.

Although, I still need to update my timeline to put it into a much more manageable scope than what it was before. Instead of writing, designing, and producing an entire book in a single semester, I'm instead planning on doing two or three little booklets (what would have been the sections or chapters to my book) and having blank mock-ups for the others in the set (for photography purposes). That way, I can make the few that I do awesome, and not spread myself thin over a whole book.

As far as I'm concerned, I'll be making two booklets, based in different eras in time that will be juxtaposed with modern day issues / marriages / human relationships, to see why they compare / contrast. Looking at and understanding our past helps to inform our lives in the present.

that is some beautiful knotted typography! I'm inspired!

SE: the auto show

practical / poetic / persuasive elements of a car show:

practical: security guards keeping everyone in line

practical: signs telling us what to do

poetic: a car with a very unique and unexpected matte finish

poetic: Penny Lane herself, straight from the tire!

persuasive: a HUGE honkin' 'hybrid' plaque on the side of a new escalade. There's no way you can miss this one...

persuasive: but just in case, they tell you in fifteen other places too, including a huge 'hybrid' across the top of the windshield. I think I've got a hunch that this car doesn't run on fuel alone?

persuasive: the car dealers. enough said.

DP: sorting things out

I'm finally getting into my degree project. Phew. When I was writing my timeline a few weeks ago, I really didn't understand just how much work I was getting myself into. As in, years and years of work that I don't have...

I just recently realized that I only have a few months to do this project (well, less than two now), and I was planning on authoring, designing, illustrating, and producing an entire book, when it takes real authors years of their time to just write everything out. I'm not sure what I was thinking...

So, instead of trying to rush through an entire beefy book, I'm planning on refocusing my time on just a few (2-4) booklets, each representing a section of the overall "book", that will be housed in some sort of box/package. That way, I can actually make these things what I want them to be, not just a sad sad shallow version of the whole thing.

Each booklet will pertain to a different era in time, and juxtapose that era against society's current trends and issues, how they relate, and why they are the way they are, for people to keep an open mind.

Booklets I plan to create:

(maybe) Ancient times (think Anthony and Cleopatra). Why marriage was all politics and alliances back then, and how today's love-based marriage is only 200 years old. And how the rise of capitalism separated economics from "affection".

the victorian era Why they suppressed all forms of sexuality, segregated genders, and gave great efforts to sanctify marriage. Juxtapose that with how today, many couples are seeing gender role reversals, equality is nearly ubiquitous, everyone is much more open about things, and marriage, in a way, is becoming "unsanctified" (more on that later).

the roaring 20s I want to talk about "La Garconne", or the symbol of women's new liberation, and the 'overcompensation' of sexuality and exploration caused by the buttoned up Victorian era. The dating system replaced "calling", and pop culture became saturated with sexuality. Open use of birth control, etc. Juxtapose that with today's even more liberal perspectives, and why those have come to be.

the 1950's traditional marriage: the long era of the 'utopian' marriage, that ended up not being so utopian after all... Strict gender roles, marriage was meant to build a family, male breadwinners. Pair that with today's gender blurring, marrying later in life, or not at all. Gay marriage rights, artificial insemination, and women's full independence.

I'm beginning to develop my logotype/aesthetic for my project as well- (see above for the current state of my logo). What do you think?

Also, I've decided on my color palette– the grasshopper green, black, grey, and cream are all symbolic of tradition, standards, and being "proper". The bright tangerine orange (I wish wish wish I could print in day-glo orange!!) is the wake up call: the strikingly modern, the break from the norm, to raise questions and shine a light on what's really going on with modern marriage and relationships and why.

I'm excited to keep working!

SE: Habitat '67 construction barricade