YOU CAN'T MISS #5

So the other day, I went to Barnes and Noble to get some inspiration for our prototype project. I ended up finding this magazine called Step Into Design. I'm pretty sure everbody BUT me has probably already heard of it, but I was enthralled nonetheless. I went to their Web site and ended up finding links to this design firm in SF called Method. Their featured work right now is for the San Francisco International Film Festival, which I thought was relevant since we are about to embark on T/F and we just made the MAP posters. It was interesting to think about how those two projects could come together. Check it out!

RESPONSE #5

I went to the POYi judging this morning and it was very interesting. There were about 34 submissions to start with, and the first time through I was dying for them to slow down! The slides shot by so fast, I could barely keep up. But I just figured they were the experts and knew what they were looking for. They were unable to keep some of the best submissions because they had to be disqualified for breaking an entry rule. For me, that was kind of heartbreaking to know that those photographers might not ever know why their photos weren't chosen. That seems like a stupid thing to get stuck on, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking that they would never know that the reason they weren't chosen had nothing to do with the actual quality of their photos. It also really reiterated, to me, the importance of following the rules and paying attention to the guidelines. It was also really interesting to listen to the judges as they narrowed what was left of the 34 to just 6. I was surprised at how much of the judging was based on the story topic and the narrative and not as much the technicality or degree of artistry to the photographs themselves. That really reiterated the significance of using photos to tell the story. It kind of goes along with what I learned while doing the hockey photo essay for VOX. With that I had a lot of help from Kristin, our Creative Director, in figuring out which photos really got at the heart of the story. It was hard for me to get past some of the ones that just looked cool. Also, sequencing and emphasis was really difficult, so I really feel for the judges and the decisions they had to make.

CRITIQUE #5

So, I didn't have anything for VOX this week, but I did do a poster for the Missouri Association of Publications. I was actually inspired by one of the pieces I looked at for my historical perspectives project, which was a very modern/constructivist splash page created by Samuel Antupit, Esquire's art director from 1964-1968. I wanted it to be very bold, but after seeing some of everyone's work in class the other day, I want to start trying to layer my text a bit more to give it more dimension.

RESPONSE #4

This week in class we had a project about the historical development of a magazine of our choice. I chose Esquire from 1964-1968 while it was under the art direction of Samuel Antupit. From everything I read, he was responsible for reviving the magazine and basically preventing what would have been an extremely unfortunate (and premature) demise. What I found to be most interesting, and what I will talk about in my presentation, is how easy it is to take layout design for granted. Antupit really thought about the page and how best to display the information to the reader. He was especially creative with his photography and used a lot of horizontal spreads to engage the reader. Before he came along, Esquire's "design" was being done by the editor Harold Hayes and left something to be desired. Seldom was there an image to bring a story to life. For the most part, the only illustrations were random cartoons interspersed throughout, none of which had much to do with the story they interrupted. The only play with type was a differentiation in size and placement on the page. When Antupit came in everything changed. His vision brought the magazine into a modern era.

YOU CAN'T MISS #4

Oh Esky, what will you get yourself in to next? Haha, just kidding! But going along with my response, I found this cover archive of every single Esquire cover since 1933 to be fascinating. It is amazing to see how much they've changed. Initially they were using their mascot, Esky, in what appeared to be an endless stream of compromising situations. Then, they started to get even more creative with him, weaving him in to the image in various ways. Eventually he made his way up to the logo and then got stuck above the i. These days he resides on the spine. With that, it's great to see how much the dynamics of the cover has changed. While the typeface has stayed relatively the same, the actual cover image and sell lines have come a long way. With Esky's demotion came the use of much more striking and controversial imagery. A lot of this was due to Sam Antupit. Click on the title of this post to go to the archive!

CRITIQUE #4

This was a cover design for our issue about the True False film festival. This one was my favorite of the three I presented. I felt like my others were just kind of mechanical, if that makes any sense, so I felt like I wanted something that was more organic. The tree was meant to symbolize the growth of the festival, but also convey a bit of an indie vibe. I know that in our Monday meetings when all the designers and editors, etc. get together, the editors mentioned that the festival organizers don't necessarily want the festival to become too large, so I thought this would be a great way to convey its growth, but still keep a simplistic/humble attitude. I felt like it was also a good way to convey the opposing nature of True/False that I talk about in the post below, but in a different way. The one on the above is the redesign. I really loved the tip about using the movie titles as the grain of the tree! After getting that advice, I couldn't wait to get home and try it out. I think one way I might still be able to make it stronger for my portfolio might be to play with sizing of type to make it fill out the whole tree a bit more.

CRITIQUE #4 (continued)

This was one of my other cover options. The one above was what I presented initially. My concept began with using pull elements from the Web site, such as color scheme and the constructivist influenced bars of solid color, to kind of add an element of cohesion for people who are interested in seeking out all forms of media to gather more information about the festival. I had the words True False streaming throughout the background to emulate the fluidity of film, but then also to represent the layered nature of what it means to really get at the truth. I'm not really sure if that even makes sense, but I knew what I was thinking at the time! The cover below is a result of the in-class critique. Instead of repeating True False in the background, the editors provided the idea of making it even more content-based by using the movie titles themselves. I loved the idea and thought it turned out pretty good. They also suggested I play with different color combinations. I chose orange and blue because they seemed relatively different in terms of the usual color scheme for true false, which is red and black, but yet they were still complimentary colors, which, to me, conveys the opposing nature of True and False in a less obvious sort of way.

RESPONSE #3

I found the trip to Meredith to be pretty enlightening. Obvsiously one of my favorite parts was the cover design critique session. While I was there, I definitely had my favorites. However, after looking through all of the creative covers produced for Metropoli, I realized just how formulaic covers can often be. Because they are so important, I think it is definitely neccessary to agonize over what will appear on the cover. For the most part, I felt like everything we saw at Meredith was safe - beautiful, but safe - so much so that I now wonder how much oomph they will have on the newsstand. Then again, safe might be exactly what their readers want/need. I have to say, I was not a fan of the image of the pantry or cupboard or whatever it was for the special issue on organization. Although it was different, and highlighted some great ideas, I felt like the image itself seemed somewhat chaotic. I think the same idea could have definitely worked if they used a different image.

YOU CAN'T MISS #3

I found this video on the blog I'm tracking for class. http://www.panopticist.com/archives/718.html
(I'm still kind of figuring this out, but if you click on the title of my post, it should direct you to the video.)
It's a tribute to Paul Rand, the incredible graphic designer of the IBM and UPS logos, etc. that we talked about in magazine design. In addition to having wonderful illustrations, the video features a running clip of Paul speaking about his design aesthetics. I think what he says is really informative and inspiring, especially in light of what Kirby had mentioned on her blog about designing what you love, and not necessarily just what "they" think will sell. I also really liked what he said about content and form. After the hockey feature this week, I absolutely agree that they must balance each other, or be equal, in order for the design to work.
*It took the video a while to load, but I think it's definitely worth it.

Huge difference, right?

OK, here are the images of my initial spread. Pretty cluttered, right? No white space to be seen, but that's why I was so happy w/ the final (I saved these wrong, but you get the gist. It's supposed to be a spread.)

CRITIQUE #3

So this week I had the secondary feature in VOX. It was a photo essay on Mizzou's club hockey team. The gist of the story is that our school doesn't have the facilities for these guys to practice or play, so they have to go to Jefferson City to do so. Because of that, they can only practice once a week, but they are still a really competitive team. I feel like I say this same sort of thing each week, but for me, this week truly felt like I acheived some sort of milestone with this design. The initial design I turned in was borderline ridiculous it was so over the top. I think I just became obsessed with putting everything I could on the page, and forgot to really think about the story. It took a lot of hard work and a lot of help and patience from our art director, Kristin, but I'm really excited about the final product! I've said before that I really admire white space, but for some reason, I just couldn't get a handle on it myself. An additional challenge was a lack of vertical photos, but after working w/ Kristin I feel as though I understand much better how to group and size images on the page so that they convey a clear story, no matter their orientation. Although I'm still learning, I feel like I'm coming to an understanding for how to MAKE white space, not just admire it. I've posted what I had originally turned in above so you can see the difference, which is just huge. As I said before I was absolutely trying to do WAY to much and it was just kind of gross. Also, I commited the same stupid mistake when I saved my work into PDFs and the part that is supposed to be a spread is not together. The first two images are two different options for the opening page and the last two pages are supposed to be a spread.

CRITIQUE #2

This week I designed the Screen department page. The story was about late night comedians having to forge ahead w/out writers. The biggest trouble I had was probably finding images that were large enough. Other than that, I really enjoyed the challenge of designing a department page. I know it might seem like a department page would be way easier than coming up with a whole spread, but trying to make the text fit in a creative and aesthetically pleasing way while still working within a given framework wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. (But of course it was still fun!) That said, the final design ended up being a bit different than what I turned in b/c I wasn't there to help make changes, BUT, I really LOVED what was done. I really hope my in-class commentary reflected that. I didn't want to make it seem as though I was upset w/ the changes, because in reality it is much better than what I had. (Thanks Meredith!) It was much more elegant in its simplicity. Basically, I had a lot of extra crap on the page that didn't need to be there. Also, the way the titles of the TV shows are done now is something that I just wouldn't have thought of. Mine were kind of clunky and boring, one little line of white text in a colorful little box - woohoo. I loved seeing the changes, and I think it taught me a lot to see what I did compared to what could have been. I guess I'm still feeling my way through the whole elegant-white space-simplicity thing I admire so much, and this was a great eye-opener to see it carried through on one of my designs. It was like I got see exactly how it could be pared down into something better, something less obvious and obtrusive. Last semester I took the Art Context and Culture class and we read the article "Ornament and Crime" by Adolf Loos, which is also referenced in the intro to our graphic design book. Basically it is a passionate manifesto denouncing those obsessed with superfluous decoration as criminals and degenerates. Haha, so I guess I've come to realize that, after a long stint as a criminal/degenerate, I'm working my way back into design society! (But since I'm not, nor ever have been, an expert, maybe I'm just a first-timer working my way toward getting a foot into the door of design society, period. But I'm glad to get the chance to do so.)
*side note: the black line at the top of the page is actually behind the comedians' heads now

We also had an assignment this week called Shutter Graffiti, which I loved. I feel like everything we've done in class so far has just been incredibly eye-opening, and this assignment did not disappoint. Anyway, the purpose of this assignment was to open our eyes to the prevalence of design in our daily environments. We had to create or compose a word using our own photographs of letters. The word I chose was Columbia. My concept was to use typography from storefronts that are a huge part of Columbia's identity. To me, Columbia's personality is ecclectic, quirky and fun, which is most evident in the downtown area, or "The District," which I feel is the heart of the city. Some of the included hot spots are: Slackers, The Alpine Shop, The Field House, The Blue Note, Sparky's, The Penguin(!), etc. Honestly, I feel as though they could probably be a lot more cohesive design-wise, but I like that they are a bit ecclectic for what they are supposed to represent. I wanted there to be a little bit of a sense of motion, a bounce or playfulness, to the word, too. Also, I tried to pay attention to using all san-serif letters except for the i, which is from Wren's Birkenstocks. I just felt like the quirkiness of it would fit more with the feel of the word than something too staid.

YOU CAN'T MISS #2

Although all of the designers featured in the Helvetica film were, umm.... passionate, about typography, there was one who was especially passionate (a.k.a. out of her mind) when it came to the implications of Helvetica's overuse. Yes, I'm talking about the lady who apparently believes a typeface is partly to blame for the Vietnam War. However, I really liked the few clips of her work, which showed how she used type as more of an illustration, or added illustration to the type to create a cohesive and playful message. So when I came across the poster above on the blog I'm observing for class, I thought I would share! It isn't her work, but I thought it was a great example of how type can be incorporated into the illustration, or, better yet, become the illustration. (The poster was done by a guy who goes by Moctezuma. More of his work can be found here: http://www.gigposters.com/designer/76441_Moctezuma.html)

Also, I thought the CMYK images below the poster were pretty amusing and thought you might, too! They are part of a series of ads created by Saatchi & Saatchi New York for an apparently fictitious printing company called Hudson Repro.

*NOTE: I'm working on making links clickable and incorporating more images of my own work and the design process, etc. I'm having some technical/blog newb difficulty. By next week, all will be up and running much more smoothly.

RESPONSE #2

In class, we watched a film about Helvetica typeface. I was absolutely in awe because I never realized just how often it is actually used. Throughout the movie, there seemed to be an argument unfolding. On the one side there were those who seemed to be in complete disgust at the prevalence of the typeface- especially its overuse in corporate America. On the other hand, there were those who believed its overuse was a direct result of its universal beauty. I must admit, the more I saw of it the more impressed I became at how beautiful it could be. It was especially interesting to see how, yes, there are literally hundreds of corporations who use the typeface in their logos, yet each logo somehow takes on a separate identity. Although I agree that it may be overused, I don't think that takes away from its beauty. After seeing the movie, I spent the rest of the day on the lookout for Helvetica, and it just continued to amaze me. That said, I was especially amused by the following post on the blog that I'm keeping track of for class. The photos of the Crate&Barrell logo above are from the panopticist blog to illustrate what he is talking about. You can also find the info here: http://www.panopticist.com/archives/2006/01/
(again, this whole link issue will be taken care of by next week. It's probably super easy, but I've not had time to ask for help just yet. I will! I promise.)

January 15, 2006
When Logos Get Sick
Even the most conservative, unimaginative logotype can be very effective at putting forth a brand identity. Take the Crate & Barrel logo—it’s basically Helvetica Bold (or a minor tweak of it) with a very round, un-Helvetica-like C:

When it comes to corporate graphics, nothing is hoarier than good old Helvetica Bold. But the Crate & Barrel logo is memorable enough, and it pops nicely when stamped in big black type on the white bags and boxes that customers carry out of the store.

In Crate & Barrel’s early days, company executives probably paid tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to the design firm that created the logo, and the company likely considered dozens or hundreds of variations on the current logo before choosing one. The creation of a logo is often a painstaking process, and the end result is supposed to be an unalterable design whose elements are always rendered in exactly the same way.

So I was amused last fall when I noticed that some things had gone terribly wrong with the sign above the Crate & Barrel store on the northwest corner of Broadway and Houston. Below is what the sign looked like in late September. The r in “Crate” and the e in “Barrel” have rotated counter-clockwise, as if drunk, and the second r in “Barrel” is hovering above the baseline, as if it’s trying to float away: