Bucket List Poster

Here is the poster I presented in class last night. I would have put it up sooner, but I was working on it till the very end.

Five Year Bucket List

I've been thinking about this assignment and these are the main observations I've made:

• how to organize a decent amount of information on a big page
• how to reference plans, desires, directions, etc
• how to do something that's somewhat analytical, but also personal

The concept I would like to explore for this is maps. Maps organize a great deal of information and reference direction and roads. Antique maps, in particular have gorgeous typography illustrating what the map is about, who made it, why, etc... I think this could be an interesting metaphor for my bucket list poster.

Italian Referendum

This pattern is about the recent vote the Italian people had to abrogate 3 laws. This is a particularly important time for Italians... to be able to repeal a law, 50% of the voting population plus 1 have to vote. Italy is run by Berlusconi who announced he would not vote and urged other citizens to do the same (one of the laws up to be repealed allowed him to not be prosecuted for crimes while in office). For the first time since 1995 enough italians voted and enough voted against these 3 laws. Lots of the youth, aided by social networking sites, was informed (despite the clouding of the Berlusconi-owned media) and voted.

In my opinion, this is a great time for Italy, the population of what the EU considered the most politically corrupt country of the union is saying NO, we will not take this any longer.

Another thing that bears mentioning is that these referendums are generally blind to political inclinations... right wing and left wing alike voted against these laws

Online Flirting, Oh La La

Et voila, a pattern on the article about flirting online... so easy to do and so easy to get caught

6 Degrees of Empathy

The article (From Hitler to Mother Teresa: 6 Degrees of Empathy) is about a book that deals with the nature of evil and human cruelty. The author argues that it's all a question of empathy or lack thereof.

You Go Girl!

Pattern in response to the article about a middle aged woman who got fed up with her body and faced her weight problems head on. She's now a role model in her community and 40 pounds lighter

Getting Closer

I figured out that what was bothering me about the pattern thing is that the patterns themselves weren't enough to express the articles and fulfill the assignment (since typography is an essential element)... Adding the type over the pattern felt contrived and took away from all the work it's taking to actually make these patterns... so, I'm going to make the type an actual part of the pattern, then the pattern itself becomes the complete visual response the the article. Here is the new golf pattern:

Another Pattern

This draft is abut the article on legacy golfer Mark Turnesa. I tried to reference golf and geneology.

My First Attempt

I think I'm going to go with the patterns with the screenprinted type. It's something totally new to me, so I figured I'd give it a try. The article I'm starting with is a new addition, one I didn't put into the initial three: it's about Japan and how 7 more people have dangerously high radiation levels in their bodies.

I sampled various traditional Japanese patterns and manipulated two of them

I deconstructed the first, so it would look like flowers flying away or dying and redrew the second so it would subtly contain a radiation symbol. it's not very clear yet, I'm going to redraw it so it's a little less subtle. Anyway, here is my attempt:

Again, this will just be a sort of expressive canvas on which I am planning to make a typographic composition. I think I will keep the type in the entire series uniform in terms of color, maybe just white, but I will try to make it expressive.

Does this direction have potential?

Winning Articles

Here are 9 articles I chose and 3 that are tied for 10th place.

+ Digital Flirting: Easy to Do, Easy to Get Caught.
Technology creates new rules for romance--and may push infidelity 
+ Italian Voters Come Out to Overturn Laws and Deliver a Rebuke to Berlusconi
A recent referendum (first to reach quorum since the mid 1990s) allowed Italians to say no to a nuclear program, no to privatizing water supply, and no to legal immunity to Berlusconi.
+ Thieves Found Citigroup Site an Easy Entry do Data
Hackers broke into the citigroup website and acquired the (partial) credit card information of many. Many security breaches have their origin in Western Europe.
+ Healthier Mother Pushes for Healthier City
Louisville is a very overweight city, this woman decided to face her weight problem head on and is helping others to do so. You go, girl.
+ Glass's Players Warm Up For a Festival in August
Philip Glass recently interviewed talks about the upcoming debut of his 9th symphony and his return to the minimalist feeling and surging rhythms and arpeggios of his youth.
+ On College Applications, a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex
Incredible peak on college applications of students who identify as muliracial. What are the implications and what are the resulting strategies students are starting to employ to make themselves more appealing to competitive schools.
+ Grandson Continues Family's U.S. Open Tradition
Marc Tunesa will be the 46th Tunesa to participate in the U.S. Open. A golf legacy as impressive as the U.S. Open itself.
+ National Design Hidden in Plain Sight
Colonial architecture and design. Elevating and humbling buildings at the same time.
+ From Hitler to Mother Teresa: 6 Degrees of Empathy
An autism expert peers into the nature of human cruelty, and sees neurological disability.


And the three battling for number 10 in the series:
+ Adoptions Rise by Same-Sex Couples, Despite Legal Barriers
Title is fairly self explanatory.
+ Her $16.000 Town House, Now Available for Just $1.879 Million More
A homesteader holds on for 45 years as her neighborhood is gentrified.
+ A Defect That May Lead to a Masterpiece
How stereo blindness can be an asset for 2-D artists.

The Treacherous Tuesday Times Trial

Not the best synonym for "challange," but the only one that starts with T.

My apologies for this brief hiatus I was forced to take... I had some freelance work on a crazy deadline and I couldn't turn it down. Anyway, the bun was in the oven, so to speak, and I've been reading the Tuesday Times thinking about this assignment and what would be the best way to create a set of 10 design pieces that are each a different exploration, but also work as a coherent whole (and are still somewhat relevant to the world of news/media is some way or another). Here are my thoughts:

Foldable Poster/Mailer
It would give me a chance to work on larger typographic experiments (within the limits of my printer). This is the direction most closely tied to the newspaper I would print them on newsprint, so it would have that materiality and color, the would be meant to be folded (so you would just get a somewhat abridged image of the article when it's folded, but you would have to open to get the whole picture--like a paper), and because it's a mailer it's meant to have a sort of experience then throw away type of feel--like a newspaper... and it gets mailed... like a paper CONS: making 10 of these in a weekend scares the shorts off me (yes, I'm wearing shorts... and I still have shorts on my mind).

Playbill
Who hasn't, at one point or another, imagined their life was a musical? I know I have... more often than I care to admit. So, what if the day's events could be made into Broadway posters and all bound in a playbill? I'm talking over the top, old broadway looking posters. CONS: too gimmiky? be honest... I won't cry, I might just break out into a soulful ballad.

Patterns
One of the parts of this assignment that sounded the most fascinating to me is the fact that through our choice of article, we will identify patterns and extract our interests. Likewise, by seeing more and more of our work together, we will be looking for patterns in an attempt to define our own design voice. So, how about taking the assignment quite literally and making 10 different textile patterns each inspired by a different article? CONS: Incorporating typography. Definite con... I could make some relatively simple type compositions and overlay them (like screen-prints) over my repeated patterns.

I welcome any and all advice/direction with this decision. Thank you guys.

DWELL: New Layout

Changed the concept a little... still going with the theme of seeing and invisible furniture.

I tweaked the old concept too, made the type lighter. I'm not sure which I'll go with just yet. The type is definitely better than the heavier one, thanks for the tip, Olga

OUT: Layout

I made the type white and adjusted the weight and leading to make it look lighter

DWELL: Layout

I'm still struggling with this one... it looks so... blah

REAL SIMPLE: Layout

This is what what I've got so far... bad? I tried to activate the edges of the page more and play with the type of the subhead a little.

REAL SIMPLE: Subhead Type Iterations

Working on the subhead and trying to tie it all together...

I tried a few typefaces...

I'm concerned "on a budget" doesn't read as part of the subhead

OUT: Image Swipes

OUT: Concept & Type Iterations

I'm going from one to the other without finishing one completely yet... I feel a little scattered. Anyway, for my Out Magazine layout, I wanted to do something fashion related. Only in NYC do men wear shorts so short as they do.. so, I figured, why not make my article about that: How Short is Too Short: The Urban Gentleman's Guide to the Perfect Summer Shorts.


I struggled with the type a little... I know I wanted to use something dramatic and Bodoni-ish and wanted to do something a little funny for the words "too short."

I tried adding knots as decoration to go with the summer theme

This is the one I think I'm going to go with

REAL SIMPLE: Layout Ideas

When I added the stickers and the by line to the lettering and put it next to the image... it looked strange.

So, I tried taking the stickers out (and just leaving the "of" sticker) and moving the by line tag and I like it a little more... I think my biggest issue now is that everything is so static and centered. Adding the subhead will give me a chance to play around with type and make it a little more dynamic. I'm also concerned with the amount of white space on the left side of the spread.

finished lettering and by line

REAL SIMPLE: Concept & Image and Lettering Process

For my Real Simple spread, I decided to do something about antiques (I walked by an antique store when I was thinking about this assignment). I'm calling the article "the Joy of Antiques"... I haven't decided on a subhead yet. I know I want the type to be elegant, but also a little quirky and whimsical. I decided to try hand-lettering it to go with the images I chose. They are both elaborate objects, one is a white baroque frame, and the other is a little violet plate I actually bought at the store.

I ended up going with the plate... the frame was a little too busy and too white.

I designed the lettering so it would reference the shape and the forms of the dish... The intention was to save space in the loops on the edges of the lettering to fit little stickers.

the sketch

and here is the finished version

DWELL: Mood Board

This is proving very helpful to figure out the Dwell aesthetic. I really like it; it's kind of stark, but definitely a little quirky. Sometimes the type overlaps half of the image or is aligned exactly to the edge of it.

DWELL: Concept & Type Ideas

I decided to start with the layout à la Dwell Magazine. I made a big mood-board this morning (unfortunately, I don't have my camera with me today, so I'll photograph it and post it here this evening or tomorrow morning at the latest). I decided I want to do my spread on acrylic furniture. I really wanted an acrylic chair for my apartment, but then I realized they cost around $200... no ghost chair for me.
I'm going to call the article: Now You See Me, Now You Don't; and the subhead will read something like, "invisible furniture: why we love it so much and why it's so expensive." (I noticed lots of the Dwell articles are about, or at least mention, price).


Here are some very, very rough type swatches:

 

 

 

And the 3 Winners Are...

I don't buy magazines much at all, so I had to really go look for three that I could be interested in.

No 1: DWELL
My mom usually brings me a stack of them when she visits, so I thought I'd use it for this project. Subject matter is interesting and the design is lovely. Very clean and with a definite nordic flair/edge. As for their target audience, I would say, 35 and up (maybe up to their 50s and 60s), college educated men and women, appreciate good quality and design--the paper is nice (so they probably make a decent amount of money... maybe upper class). I would say the typical Dwell reader lives in an urban or maybe suburban area. The layout and content tells me these people have a functional, not overly decorative, sleek, and contemporary aesthetic.

No 2: OUT

I guess I chose this one because the target audience is pretty much... me or sort of. 25 to... um, 40, definitely male, fashion conscious, image conscious; he spends lots of money on products, music, and liquor (none of which I do) so he must have a decent income--I would say middle to upper-middle (or even lower-upper) class. He's probably college educated, but not necessarily. Most likely living in an urban area. He is definitely very interested in the media and social life. He's pretty sex-driven. The more I think about it, the less this guy is like me... The layout and choice of type in particular (lots of extreme, Bodoni-like thicks and thins as well as what seems like some custom hand-drawn lettering) tells me these guys have a playful, dramatic, yet design-concious and contemporary aesthetic.

No 3: REAL SIMPLE

And finally, a tribute to all the women's magazine haters. This is another of my mom's favorites (and I enjoy it from time to time too). It's definitely targeted to women, possibly in the 30 to 50 age group. These ladies love to entertain and cook. The Real Simple gal enjoys...well, simple, understated, wholesome elegance. Her food is always healthy, her kids probably get As, and her house and dinner parties are impeccable. I would say she lives in a suburban area (maybe a small city--though I know I love to imagine I had the space/time/money to have a dinner party on a terrace in Manhattan). This magazine is targeted to women who are doing okay for themselves, but are not unaccustomed to pinching pennies now and again (probably middle class, maybe upper-middle). I think it's safe to say she went to college. The layout is basic (in a good way, of course), simple (real simple), careful in its use of color (but color is definitely always present).

I'm excited to be using these three publications... I think they all have distinctly different voices and audiences as well as pretty different visual languages. This was the easy part... now I actually have to think of something!!

SVA Intermediate Graphic Design

I'm currently taking a class at the School of Visual Arts, so from this point on, for the entire summer, my posts will be regarding the class' process and outcome. I'm really excited about this class!!