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Our 4th Annual Font Family Contest is about to begin. This is where we post our Student’s Font (Monster) Families and we ask you to like them on Facebook, or leave a comment to show your support for your favorites. Yes you can ‘vote’ for more than one and there is a PRIZE to the student whose family is the most Popular 
. This is one of our favorite assignments and always produces some really fun results. I hope you enjoy them.
In an ever changing design environment of trends, apps, and platforms, I came across a list of 25 Graphic Designers you should take note of:
25 Graphic Designers You Should Know by Name
Check out this amazing optical illusion typeface. Within each letter is an optical illusion. It’s kinda mesmerizing.
Tim Challies’ Visual Theology | ChurchMag.
I found the info graphics above to be beautiful visual aides.
I came across this video that I hope will inspire some of you young designers and help you understand why we make you do all the things we do during your time with us.
I wanted to share a few links that show some examples of some great portfolios.
Enjoy.
1. 15 RIDICULOUSLY GOOD GRAPHIC DESIGN PORTFOLIOS (PLUS 1 BONUS)
2. Graphic Design Portfolios
3. 38 Impressive Graphic Designer Portfolios – Wanna have an Ideal Portfolio??
The end of the semester is quickly approaching and we are preparing to have our Portfolio Presentation on Saturday, Dec. 3. In preparation for this I wanted to share a link with some helpful information regarding developing a print portfolio.
7 Tips For Creating a Print-Based Design Portfolio
I have attended these Parallel events in the past and have found them very interesting. Just thought I would provide the link so if anyone was interested they could go check it out.
I think this fountain is one of the most mesmerizing ones I have ever seen. The pictures, animation, motion, water, all working flawlessly in harmony just captivates me ( and the children who come along in the video as well). All I keep thinking is; I hope one day that I can use my design skills to create something as interesting. Remember some designer out there had to come up with the overall design AND all that water content
I hope you enjoy it.
Well it’s Friday and I thought I would share one of the classic funny forward emails that goes around Graphic Design circles, it still makes me laugh and I have read it several times
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Shannon (the secretary) has lost her cat and has asked David (the graphic designer) to help with a lost poster. This is their email correspondence…
Read from top to bottom….
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.15am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Poster
Hi
I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon.
This is the only photo of her I have she answers to the name Missy and is black and white and about 8 months old. missing on Harper street and my phone number.
Thanks Shan.
From:David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.26am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
That is shocking news.
Although I have two clients expecting completed work this afternoon, I will, of course, drop everything and do whatever it takes to facilitate the speedy return of Missy.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.37am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Poster
yeah ok thanks. I know you dont like cats but I am really worried about mine. I have to leave at 1pm today.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.17am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
I never said I don’t like cats. Attached poster as requested.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.24am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
yeah thats not what I was looking for at all. it looks like a movie and how come the photo of Missy is so small?
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.28am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
It’s a design thing. The cat is lost in the negative space.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.33am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Thats just stupid. Can you do it properly please? I am extremely emotional over this and was up all night in tears. you seem to think it is funny. Can you make the photo bigger please and fix the text and do it in colour please. Thanks.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.46am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
Having worked with designers for a few years now, I would have assumed you understood, despite our vague suggestions otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism. I don’t come downstairs and tell you how to send text messages, log onto Facebook and look out of the window. I have amended and attached the poster as per your instructions.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.59am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
This is worse than the other one. can you make it so it shows the whole photo of Missy and delete the stupid text that says missing missy off it? I just want it to say Lost.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.14am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.21am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
yeah can you do the poster or not? I just want a photo and the word lost and the telephone number and when and where she was lost and her name. Not like a movie poster or anything stupid. I have to leave early today. If it was your cat I would help you. Thanks.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.32am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Awww
Dear Shannon,
I don’t have a cat. I once agreed to look after a friend’s cat for a week but after he dropped it off at my apartment and explained the concept of kitty litter. I have attached the amended version of your poster as per your detailed instructions.
Regards, David. 
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.47am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Awww
Thats not my cat. where did you get that picture from? That cat is orange. I gave you a photo of my cat.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.58am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Awww
I know, but that one is cute. As Missy has quite possibly met any one of several violent ends, it is possible you might get a better cat out of this. If anybody calls and says “I haven’t seen your orange cat but I did find a black and white one with its hind legs run over by a car, do you want it?” you can politely decline and save yourself a costly veterinarian bill.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.07pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Please just use the photo I gave you.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.22pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.34pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
I didnt say there was a reward. I dont have $2000 dollars. What did you even put that there for? Apart from that it is perfect can you please remove the reward bit. Thanks Shan.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Fine. That will have to do.
The art of the perfect subway ad is an interesting article and creative poster produced in photoshop.
The Chair of the Dance department here shared this link with us and I loved the expression of Dance, Animation, Figure Drawing, and Storytelling in this piece, so I thought I would share it with you as well. I hope it inspires your creativity today.
For your ipad, or ipod viewing: Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.
Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.
185 Informative Illustrator Tutorials to make You a Better Designer – tripwire magazine.
Thanks Emily for sharing this link
This is a post a student turned me on to that I thought was fun & I would share:
50 Fantastically Clever Logos
I love how design can be so innovative. People come up with new ideas everyday. The possibilities are always endless. It’s so interesting how you can give a group of people all the same materials and assignment and all of them create a different and unique design. While “stumbling”, I found this site showing students ideas for the future. They were asked to predict how people will prepare and store food, wash clothes, and do dishes, etc.
www.yankodesign.com/2010/06/14/the-top-25-entries-of-electrolux-design-lab-2010
enjoy!
Recently we had the privilege of having Steve Tadlock from the Broderick Agency speak to our Graphic Design majors. He walked them through some of his experiences and showed them some of his work as he has worked on a number of different projects over the years incorporating many forms and kinds of media.
I asked Steve to give us a list of some of the designers, resources, and books that he felt Graphic Design majors should be familiar with and this the result:
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My pleasure, Kris. (This is by no means an exhaustive list).
Each student should make their own list of inspirational websites. My short-list includes:
aiga.com
graphic-exchange.com
grainedit.com
ilovetypography.com
commarts.com
printmag.com
Books to read; these are on advertising, not design so much. It’s important to understand the difference.
GUTS: Advertising From the Inside Out, by John Lyons. (haven’t read this in a while but I remember it was good)
Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. by Luke Sullivan. (if you’re serious about advertising, this is a must-read).
Memorize CA.
Google the credits in work you like.
Some designers you should know:
Saul Bass
Lucian Bernhard
Michael Bierut
Ivan Chermayeff and Thomas Geismar
Seymour Chwast
Steven Heller
Kit Hinrichs
Woody Pirtle
Herb Lubalin
Clement Mok
Walter Landor
Steve Frykholm
Margo Chase
More good stuff for your blog (or just reading)
So You Want To Be A Rock Star …
I like this paragraph in particular:
“After all these years, and after learning a little bit about what it takes to do great work, I’ve come to realize that talent isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Instead, it’s desire that often separates the best from the rest.”
ST
I know a number of our majors just finished up with their Indesign class and a typography class so I thought they and everyone else might enjoy these links:
Adobe InDesign CS5, Advanced Typography and Special Characters
A Crash Course in Typography: The Basics of Type
A Crash Course in Typography: Paragraphs and Special Characters
A Crash Course in Typography: Principles for Combining Typefaces
Illustrator Must-Know Text Effects
A Crash Course in Typography: Pulling It All Together
I hope you enjoy these and keep your fingers on the keys and the type emerging!
Having a career doing what I love is just one of the many things that excites me about design! I love to be challenged, and design presents itself as a never-ending challenge. The principles of design stay the same, but the applications and the processes are always changing and evolving. Design will never get boring! With design there is always something new to learn, and some new technique or idea to discover.
One thing specifically that excites me about design is designing for the web. Web design doesn’t have as many limits as print. More colors can be used as well as many different effects. I love the idea of creating something that is interactive and creating for something that is always changing and progressing.
KJ
Next year?
Oh man, I can’t wait untill next year. Next year I will be half way through college. I will be done with WVC courses and will be able to take more graphic design classes.
Hopefully, I will get to move off campus next year and rent a house with some friends. 
I’m looking forward to more growth. Since I’ve been here I’ve learned so much. I chose to go to a place where I knew no one and feel like I’m thriving here. Belhaven is such a great school for me. I’ve met so many great people and can’t wait to continue growing those relationships.
I’m ready for whatever God has in store for me next year!
LS
From AIGA:
On April 13, 2011,
add your voice to an open, digital dialogue on design. One Day For Design brings together a global community of designers and design enthusiasts to exchange ideas, challenge viewpoints and push boundaries—collaborating in real time on the future of our profession and the organizations behind it. Spread the word. Join the conversation. Right here at onedayfordesign.org or viaTwitter.
Moderators include: Alex Bogusky, Doug Bowman, Liz Danzico, Debbie Millman, Erik Spiekermann, Armin Vit, Alissa Walker and Katherine Walker.
AIGA, the professional association for design
164 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 www.aiga.org
An App Full of Ads: You can now download an app provided by Apple that allows you to view all the iAds in one place. The app is called iAd Gallery and so far only runs natively on the iPhone. The iAd Gallery is a celebration of advertising, featuring iAd campaigns from some of the world’s best brands and their advertising agencies. The iAd Gallery gives you easy access to a selection of the fun and informative ads that have run in some of your favorite apps. Use the Browse feature to discover ads you haven’t seen, or to find those you want to see again.
One of the best experiences I have had this past year as a freshman at Belhaven, was attending the Capital Gains conference in January. It was an extremely challenging experience. I was not quite sure what to expect when I walked in and received my schedule for the day. At first I was slightly disappointed that they had put me in a session that did not look like it would be as helpful to me as another. I remember making small talk with others around me wondering if they felt as anxious as I. After pouring myself a nice hot cup of free coffee, I walked into the first session and was positively surprised by how much I learned from the speaker. She spoke of networking and many different ways we can use that in our graphic design career—a concept I had always heard about, but not fully understood. I still do not understand it completely, but because of the information I learned in that session I am an on my way to mastering the concept! The conference challenged me to overcome my insecurities and to try and do better with social networking and overall designing. I still struggle with wondering if I will ever master the art, but then I have to remind myself to not give up and realize that this is my first year at Belhaven. I have time. God is control of my life and will help me grow. I know he as placed a passion for this art in me for a reason, and I have to keep trying and pushing forward towards my goals. We have to learn to trust Him to give us strength and courage to continue pursuing our dreams.
I love design, I love designing, & I love seeing Great Design. However, I really get excited when I see Design being used for the greater good, and benefiting all of us out there.
When design is used to create a better world it fulfills what I believe the area of Design should…….. so I enjoyed reading this post about the Design Revolution Roadshow where there was an attempt to expose and educate people to the world of design done for the greater good.
So we are offering our Digital Imaging class for the first time this Spring and it is going to be an exciting and interesting class, I am not sure they will have an assignment like this one, but I saw these and thought of them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. :-)
What Do You Do When You’re “BLOCKED”?
I hate when it happens. And, even after “forever” in this business, it still happens to me … regularly.
The ole creative juices just won’t flow. Some call it a “block.” I call it “AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!” Well, that’s what I say, anyway.
I do have some rituals that I go through to try to unlock the creative dam. Like taking a walk to clear my head, or even a quick drive around the block (or to the ice cream shop … Yum!). And I’m never without something to write on and with. You never know where you’ll be when the ideas start to come to you. Just a pocket-sized notebook and pencil will do. Scribble down your ideas, then flesh them out when you are able.
Take a nap. Yep. That’s right. Take a nap. It’s amazing what a little shut-eye can do.
Listen to some upbeat music. Mind you, I said “upbeat,” not “headbanger.” Keep it on a positive note!
That’s it for me. What about y’all? What do you do to help unblock your creative blockage?
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
– Scott Adams, creator of “Dilbert”
Lynda Lesley
VP, Creative Director
The Cirlot Agency
The landscape of the photography industry has changed drastically in the last decade. No longer does pure technical know-how qualify you to succeed or have a place in the industry. In the midst of all the change Dane Sanders has had a significant impact on the wedding and portrait industry with his book FastTrack Photographer as well as the conversations he regularly engages in on his weekly podcast ‘Ask Dane’ and his FastTrack Roadshow Workshops.
We are really excited to have Dane here in Jackson for one of his workshops and just as excited to have him offering a free talk Thursday evening on Belhaven campus. This is an event that you don’t want to miss. You will leave challenged and inspired!
Blessings,
Erin Fults
601.291.3761
In my travel through the web (mostly Facebook) I stumbled upon this creative site of 3-D typographic Art. I hope you enjoy it
I recently came across this site that showed some Ambigrams……… What is an ambigram? Good question because until I saw these I did not know…..
An ambigram as defined by Wikipedia, “is a typographical design or artform that may be read as one or more words not only in its form as presented, but also from another viewpoint, direction, or orientation.” To simply put, an ambigram is a typographical creation where the word reads the same when upside down, or flips to create a whole new word. Ambigrams are often very sophisticated and very imaginative typographical style of visual design.
After perusing the blog last Friday and having a few good laughs over the “unfortunate logos” post I thought, … Hhhmmmm, this would be a great segue!
You gotta love logo design – the stories behind them, the untold hours in research, creative brainstorming, taking your friends’ subjective opinions with a grain of salt and your clients’ opinions to heart. There’s just one little thing that this little bundle of words and images has to do and that is to communicate effectively.
Whenever I’m tasked to create one of these I always look for quick inspiration, especially under a tight turnaround – is there any other kind? Whether it’s a four color job with all the bells and whistles or a one color, type only job, I usually hit the site called:
Kinda starting to sound like a PSA isn’t it? If you haven’t already checked it out it will definitely get your creative juices flowing. It’ s nice to see how they present their marks on complimentary colored backgrounds. Who needs white space anyway?
You can view the site by Top Uploaders, Most Favorites, Most Floats and Most Favorite Logos.
Enjoy!
This super hero, villain based family has had a devastating impact on the world of comics. The fact that these two parents could get along despite their past is sparking romance everywhere.
This once villain has decided to retire from his old anarchic ways and settle down. The unlikely match of him and Catwoman has proven to be perfect. He now considers himself a bit of a family man.
This super hero has taken a new interest in villains. Rather than fighting them, she has now married one. She has successfuly broken the Joker's ways and turned him into a stay at home dad. It's safe to say that we know who wears the pants in this relationship.
Their beautiful daughter has taken her mother's looks for sure. Though she seems sweet and innocent, the reality is she has recieved her father's anarchy. She plans on dropping out of school and advancing her fathers old ways.
This frightening looking child is all but vicious. He may look like his father, but this child is sweet and has a heart of gold. Though never given a chance because of mischievious smile, this child won most loving in his school yearbook.
Coroflot is one of my favorite sites to visit regularly because it offers a ton of insight and inspiration to emerging designers. I would call it the “Facebook of the Design World.” The site allows you to create a profile page, post a resume, share your latest work and receive monthly reports allowing you to know what designs are receiving the most views per month. It’s a great networking tool. Coroflot allows you to create and join existing groups to connect to other designers from around the world that share your same interests. If you’re looking for work, Coroflot even has a job posting section where you can view and send you Coroflot page directly to the companies in your field that are looking to hire. I found this site extremely helpful when I was a student because I didn’t have the time to build a personal website and keep it updated with my latest work all the time. Updating work on Coroflot is as easy as uploading photos to facebook. Anyone can do it, and in my opinion, it’s the quickest way to get discovered as a designer. Check it out: www.coroflot.com
Trey Vann
Art Director
The Cirlot Agency
So after asking a freshmen about why she chose Belhaven, and reading her response I was naturally curious to know more, like how she decided upon Graphic Design as a major, here was her response……..
Why I Chose Graphic Design
I have been surrounded with art my whole life. My sister is a photography major and my oldest brother started out in graphic design but now does more of the business side than creative. I grew up in a home that had a love for art. When I was little I used to sit for hours and hours and watch my big sister work on her college art projects. I just loved watching how she created the beautiful picture and wanted to learn how I could do it too. I took art classes in elementary and junior high school and loved being able to create pictures with pencil, oil pastels, paint, or create a vase with broken pieces of glass. Once I got to high school I took digital photography, drawing, web design, and interior design and loved it all. I knew graphic design was what I wanted to do when I looked at all the classes required for the major and couldn’t wait to take all of them and learn all that I could. The beauty of art has always attracted me and I have always loved being able to create it myself. Sometimes I kind of struggle with the whole inspiration or “what do I draw” thoughts, but with graphic design there is more of a need where a client needs a logo, or a web page, or play bill to be designed. There is already the need and I am here to fulfill that need with my creative ideas and it has more of a purpose than to just make somebody feel something. It is to catch the viewers’ eye and intrigue them to come to your event or buy your product. I love being able to help people. Knowing that I can both create art and help someone with graphic design is just the perfect fit for me.
So why did you choose to be a Graphic Designer? (Or be a Graphic Design Major?)
I recently asked one of our Freshmen Graphic Design majors about her journey to Belhaven. So her is her story…….
How I Came to Belhaven
The first time I heard about Belhaven, I was definitely not interested at all. I think the only reason was just because my mom had suggested it and I just didn’t want my mom to be right. She kept telling me “you need to check Belhaven out. I heard it’s a really good school. You might like it.” but I just kept saying “No, I don’t want to go to some school in Mississippi just because you have heard ‘good things’ about it.” But I finally succumbed to her suggestions and looked it up on-line. I was looking for a Christian school that offered a graphic des ign major and had a dance department- Belhaven had both of these. So, we decided to visit and after talking to several instructors I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the arts program and loved the fact that it was a good Christian environment. After going to a public high school, I knew I really wanted to attend a University where I would be encouraged in my walk with Christ and not torn down.
During the months that followed my visit, I continued to look at other schools. I wanted to make sure that I chose the right school. As word went around that I was interested in Belhaven, I found out my ballet instructor graduated from Belhaven with a dance major, and I later found out on my theater design teacher, Clint Bowman also attended Belhaven for a few semesters. They all had very positive things to say and further affirmed my thoughts of attending Belhaven. I had visited only one other college in, Indiana, and still I felt like Belhaven was the best place for me. The only thing holding me back was that I wasn’t sure about student and dorm life, but after staying in the dorms when I came a second time for dance auditions, I felt a lot better about being able to fit in with the students.
Belhaven had the right programs for me and I received a big enough scholarship that my parents and I felt like we would be able to afford sending me here. Although I was not accepted into the dance department to do a minor in dance, I was told I could still take a few classes as electives. Which was what I really wanted to do in the first place, since I would only really like to use my skill in dance to teach kids. Last year I assisted teaching for a class of little girls ages 6-8 and absolutely loved it. I know I could never dance professionally but with my love of kids and dance combined, I feel God wants me to teach. I am really glad I decided to come here and I’m really looking forward to learning as much as I can for as long as I stay here.
What is your story? How did you decide to come to Belhaven? Leave a comment and tell us.
I enjoy reading a few blogs by different Artists and Craftsman and I think I have pointed out David Duchemin‘s blog before, but I read a post from the other day (and in turn another person’s blog ) on Inspiration, it’s usage, and what is becoming of creativity. So continuing the string that has been started here I really want to encourage you to read 2 blog posts:
First this one by Owen Shifflett entitled:
Consumption: How Inspiration Killed, Then Ate, Creativity
Now read this post by David Duchemin:
In Defence of Inspiration
So what do you think. Is inspiration a bad deal? Is creativity dead? & Why?
Wow what a summer.
Life has a funny way of working doesn’t it? And there comes a time when you just give in to a greater purpose and plug along.
Many of you have wondered what I’ve been up to and why I am not teaching this semester, and I must say that it has been a lot.
Upon the end of last semester I was incredibly proud of the students I had taught and felt the amazing energy that the department contained. I had found another area of graphic design I was passionate about. Don’t fear, I have other great ideas for future projects and semesters, but for now, that will have to wait.
This is my summary of my own events and where I am presently.
I have been working directly with Mississippi Public Broadcasting this summer and am enjoying yet another expansion to my portfolio. It is more of a back-to-the-grind pace, but just as we have discussed in my classes, I am having to call upon my skill for organizing many facets of projects, some quick design problem-solving as well as concepting of many projects for various arms of the agency. This all is very gratifying.
I was anticipating teaching the upper level classes this semester but by time limitation I am not. Maybe my blog posts can lend you some interesting feedback and inspiration.
For MPB this summer alone I have created several logos, Art directed a new television show pilot episode (including dressing the set), designed a web site for a new children’s puppet who promotes healthy eating, along with many different press kits and promotional items for that project alone, and designed a look for a Regional education summit. MPB also has revamped their mission which in turn created a project for a Large corporate display unit that was taken offsite for an event on the coast. whew!
No wonder I’m sweating. Wait… I think that’s the 110+ heat index we’ve been living with also.
Now what does this all mean? That I am an abundance of wound up energy? Maybe… but right now it means I am feeling Blessed. Blessed to put the bread on the table while providing other things for my family, and Blessed to be getting all these creative juices flowing again.
Its also amazing how when you are creative in one part of your life you can continue to thrive in others. My personal design business is doing well also. Opportunity knocks and sometimes you have to welcome it for reasons other than your own personal selfishness. Did I want to go back to the grind and not teach at BU? Uh, No. But One thing is for sure, those of you who know me know that my opinion of being complacent is not so good.
I am not and neither should you be. Work hard, and good things will happen, This field is amazing, constantly recreating itself in new ways for each of us. Now check out this logo I created for a radio show at MPB. Most of this is hand drawn.
Kris asked me to do a walk through of the process that goes into a project for my internship. Since we just finalized and sent this booklet-mailer to print today I thought I’d post about it!
Project Background: This is a 16 page booklet that is going to be mailed to about 40,000 addresses. The booklet is a promotion for the ministry’s (Global Awakening) largest event of the year coming up in October. We needed to stay within the branding that had been created for the event, but create a fresh and exciting mailer.
The Process: It started with a meeting with my Art Director. We talked about what we wanted to accomplish with this piece and he showed me some inspiration for ideas. These images sparked a brainstorming session where we came up with the basic idea for design elements and style. Check out the inspiration page in the gallery below.
After we had come up with our look and feel, we had to decide the layout of all the pages and information. For this step we did quick sketches and used sticky notes to play with page order. This is also where we decided the initial layout of each page and it’s design elements.
Once I had the first draft done my art director and I went through it and talked about things that needed to be changed, added and how to maximize the layout of each page. Once we had everything in place where we wanted it, it was time for the piece to go under the dreaded proofing phase. This phase is where we have to defend our design choices and compromise when necessary to make sure the piece fit the need of the department head who was requesting the design. Once important thing I’ve learned is that even if you have an amazingly creative and artistic layout, if it does not fit the client’s needs, you have not done your job as a designer. Graphic Design isn’t just art, it’s also functional and needs to serve both in order to make it a good design.
So after many proofs and many small edits and changes, walking away for the weekend and looking at it with fresh eyes, making more edits and changes we finally have a finished product! Here it is…click on each image for the full picture and a description. If you have any questions about this process feel free to leave a comment and I’ll try to write you back!
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- Inspiration Collage
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- Front Cover
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- Spread 1
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- Spread 2
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- Spread 3
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- Spread 4
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- Spread 5
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- Spread 6
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- Spread 7
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- Back Cover
This is the summer intern signing off for now!
Gerald is part-accountant, part-superhero, ALL Lumterpuffin. In between office appointments and saving the world, Gerald enjoys explaining the importance of math in everyday life to anyone who thinks learning math is useless; this victim is usually his son, Leroy. Despite his “tough-guy-math-geek” attitude, Gerald is an ultimate family man with a heart of gold and a zest for life that his family adores.
Myrtle Lumterpuffin is the heart of the family. She is a stay-at-home mom who enjoys making quilts, curtains, blankets, anything to furnish her home, while still finding the time to cook, clean, AND chauffeur Leroy and Opal to their after-school activities. She’s a do-it-all and get-it-done type of person, and her friends say it’s lucky she has four arms; she wouldn’t get half of the work done if she didn’t. After 16 years of happy marriage, Gerald still loves her to death, and the kids can’t imagine life without her. In the words of Leroy, “My mom is AWESOME.”
Leroy Lumterpuffin is the performer of the family. He’s always juggling money symbols, throwing footballs, rapping country ballads, and practicing stand-up comedy. Leroy likes to pull good-natured pranks, so beware of silly string and water balloons if you decide to visit the Lumterpuffin household. A happy-go-lucky kind of monster, Leroy brings joy and hilarity to everyone who knows him.
Opal is the Dora Winifred of the Lumterpuffins. A prissy and proper young monster of five, Opal spends most of her time playing dress-up, acting out fairy tales, having tea parties with her stuffed animal friends, and making life miserable for Leroy. Opal strongly dislikes her given name, so she frequently demands to be addressed as Princess Eloise Marie Josephine Feraldi. She’s a… um, cough-cough… er, blessing to the, uh, Lumterpuffin family.
Zip the Dogapillar is the Lumterpuffins’ best friend. Zip enjoys chasing aphids, romping in the rose bushes, gnawing on his Milkweed bone and snuggling with his strange but lovable family. Literally, he’s the best dogapillar EVER.
The Fenstermacher family comes from a highly intelligent race of crab-aliens. They migrated to Earth in the early 90s because Dr. Fenstermacher had a special project as a physicist working with NASA. Unfortunately, the neighborhood association in the family’s new community had a difficult time adjusting to the family’s pet baby dragon Al, so they had to move to the nearby planet Mars, and Dr. Fenstermacher has to make the daily commute to the NASA headquarters. Mrs. Fenstermacher was pleased for this change because little Sylvia and Ben were able to attend a better public school on Mars than they could’ve on Earth.
Fenstermacher Family Mom
Fenstermacher Family Kid 1
Fenstermacher Family Kid 2
Well our good friend Andrew over at Paragon again has shared a post I think is very exciting and cool regarding their involvement with the Weather Channel and one of it’s new HD shows.
So please check the post out here.
I bet you didn’t see this coming but I had one more question I asked the students about inspiration… no it wasn’t a W question but still an important one…..
How do you deal with or record or recall inspiration?
– Depending on the moment, I deal with inspiration in forms of poetry, drawing, photography, conversation, physical activity (cartwheels are my fave…), etc. But, if I do not act on that inspiration, it will either haunt me until I do or leave me without any recollection it was even there.
– I usually record my inspiration through sketching or writing in my sketchbook, which I always have with me. I deal with my inspiration either through continuing to sketch it out, or talking through it with others. I recall the inspiration by looking back through my sketchbook, and if I get the chance, attempting to work it out in other larger or more finalized attempts at art.
– I usually record my inspiration by drawing it down , or writing it down. I love to doodle on my notes and that helps alot.
– Most of the time I sketch whatever Im thinking about
– I e-mail a lot of stuff to myself. Inspiration, photos that friends take and send to me, it all gets sent to my gmail account or a desktop folder labeled “ART?” on my macbook. This way, even if its something that doesn’t inspire me right away, when I am having a creative block I can go and open a jumbled folder and just browse until something catches my eye. The folder is full of googled images, documents to website links, photos (lots of photographs), my own work, classical artwork, color combinations, portraits, some antique jewelry, etc… After it goes to the folder, it gets jotted down in a moleskin and then twisted and played with and added to in there until its ready to become a new creation on the computer.
– By looking at the fact that one day I could contribute to my community or a group of young students.
– I always have my sketchbook or camera with me.. usually both. I also do a lot of journalling which helps me to recall ideas.
Why do you think these times, places, people, or things inspire you?
– I think these specific things inspire me because that is where I am. Art is about life, and these individual people, places, things, and times are what my life consists of. My inspiration has to be just that: mine. So if it is in my life, it is subject to be inspirational; if not, then how could it be relevant? I think the dried roses and Rubik’s cubes key into different parts of my personality and history, my peers and professors are who I share this journey with, and dialog with others corresponds with my tendency to be very relationally oriented.
– I think that this things inspire me in a way that is different from everyone else because i am my own person and have my own personality, just like everyone else.
– I think God just wired me to love people and cities.
– I usually admire whatever it is and want to create it
– Because he (Mr. Vince Gordon) contributes to his community and young children
– I live for the spontaneous, the wild, the unpredictability of reality, the belief in the individual. With Jackson Pollock, his work is all about the individual’s experience. Each person is wild in his or her own way: individual stories, original. Who can predict the flow of a crowd other than an ideal or phenomenon? The spontaneous, unplanned experiences of the night fits who I am as an artist, a person, a woman living in this world we call reality.
– There is such a hippie free-thinking movement, not only in the college scene, but also in the reality of life that its disgusting. Our country, our world, and our mindsets are all rapidly changing… everything from government run healthcare to gay rights. I think its ridiculous and it actually inspires me to look at past generations or other cultures. Getting away from the American mindset of cheeseburgers and the deity of the iphone, and looking back at vintage Italy or the spice markets in Morocco. Bringing things that we aren’t used to seeing back into our culture and giving people glimpses of something else, something that they cannot just add as an app on their iphones.
When do you get inspired?
– I think I get ideas often at night or when I am trying to fall asleep.
– Usually when I am in the creating mindset. I can go through days of creative mental blocks if I don’t have anything to keep my imagination and senses aroused. Thus, I am always trying to find more and more inspiration – whether it’s through other designers and artists work, patterns on fabric, an artistic movie, other cultures and their color palettes, anything that takes my mind out of the ordinary and everyday that I am used to seeing.
– When I’m able to help someone
– Anytime but usually when I have freetime or time to myself
– I most often get inspired when im having a really good day or really bad day. When im having a good day its easy to me to think and just be myself, and when im having a bad day i can use my frustration to get inspired.
– Most of the time, I think through things at night and in the wee hours of the morning. Inspiration comes right after that: after all the thoughts have been put to bed and dreams have come to tuck them in.
– I most often get inspiration when I am in dialog. Whether that be with friends, professors, or, most often, when I am in dialog with God through worship, prayer, Bible study, and His teachings through others.
Here is a another question pertaining to inspiration……
Where do you get Inspired?
– In cities! There is so much happening visually in urban areas that it can become overwhelming. I love it. I also get inspiration from more natural environments but it is different, more of a refreshing inspiration.
– Anywhere within or around the community
– Inspiration can happen anywhere. To prepare for a project its a process involving several different steps. First it involves going out and experiencing life, jotting down or snapping a picture of anything that remotely catches my eye (even if it doesn’t seem to be relevant at the time). I’ve taken a picture with my phone of a piece of trash in the parking lot at work and after playing around with the image, it turned into a main theme for a front article page on beauty products.
– Anywhere
– When i get the most inspired is when I am driving by myself. I think I get inspired because i have time to just listen to the music and think. No one else is there to bother me.
– I get inspiration: outside looking at nature, in church, in my car, hanging with my friends, in class, really almost anywhere that I am present if that’s where inspiration decides to hit.
– Where best to get inspiration from than in a crowd?
Today is time for the second W –
What inspires you?
– Something that is inspiring to me is having faith in christ and a healthy creative mind.
– Fashion, beauty, and style icons
– Usually things that are out of place or off center. A giant clown head in a junkyard left over from a state fair, a sea of different patterns made by umbrellas on a rainy day, stuff that isn’t what you are used to seeing. Moments that aren’t what you would see on a day-to-day basis, which is what makes them stunning.
– His contribution of loyalty to his community
– I get a lot of inspiration from different textures and shapes you find in urban environments. Also, the unique characters and gestures of trees are really moving to me.
– Currently, dried roses and Rubik’s Cubes inspire me. The delicate, crinkled petals and leaves; the intricate designs of positive and negative space, peaks and valleys, when looking into the center of the rose; the ability of beauty to emerge from something that has died; these are the things that inspire me about a dried rose. With a Rubik’s cube, I am inspired by the interactiveness, the twisty turny-ness, and the appeal to logic and reason.
– Every time I hear a story of a person’s life, I’m moved to something. It doesn’t matter if the story is sad, joyful, depressing, strong, awkward, etc. I look forward to these stories and what they make me think about, talk about, and act upon. I am most inspired by the stories in which the narrator learned something valuable: a life lesson of sorts.
So over the next 5 days I am going to share with you some responses to 5 questions about design I asked our students.
Enjoy. One of the great thing is the diversity of the answers which just goes to show how God has uniquely wired all of us to view life from our own unique angles.
1. Who inspires you (or whose work)?
– My Uncle Josh is a layout designer for the nytimes and he is such an inspiration to me. He is so aggressive about pursuing new interests and creative ideas. I love tossing around ideas with him, we always learn from each other. I also get a lot of inspiration from the work of the photographer arnold newman; his portraits really capture the personality of the subject. I also love the work of the photographer Joyce Ravid; she really bends the rules and creates a whimsical, dreamlike world.
– Mr. Vince Gordon
– I find most inspiration in the work of Jackson Pollock (abstract expressionism)
– So many artists… and I really don’t think you want me to list all of them. Everything from artists from the past to contempory ones, graphic designers, photographers, and people who don’t create, but write and form opinions on creations. One place I always love to go to is children’s book illustrations. Something about the purity and technical skill, but with an appropriate amount of whimsy, that has the ability to tell and a story and transport gullible minds to another place. Anyone who can incite imagination.
– My family, friends, and TV stars
– I don’t have a specific person that inspires me because I dont really look at anyones work more then others. The work that inspires me the most is the ones that use photography because I love taking pictures and incorporating them into anything that i do. I love work that uses dark/deep colors.
– Honestly, I probably don’t immerse myself in the art of others enough. So mostly, my peers inspire me. I see their work most as we are struggling through this journey of artistic exploration together. I also really love some of Nate Theisen’s, our sculpture professor’s, work; especially the pieces he currently has up in the Faculty Exhibit in the Gallery. While I was working on my own sculpture assignments last semester, I could see him working on some of those pieces. It’s really cool getting to see that process from one of our professors.
So in talking and dealing with typography today in class, we were presented with this video from one of the students which I felt was both interesting typographically and in what is being said…. ya know what I mean?
Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.
Here is another one of our student contributions……
Q: What Inspires me?
A: One of the things that Bob Pennebaker always hammers in his beginning drawing classes (and high levels too) is not “thinking things up.” This applies to all areas of art, not just drawing. This has been extremely helpful in finding inspiration because I have learned to look around my living room or remember something that happened to me the other day and use that as a starting point. Remembering things that I loved as a child also gives me ideas for development and growth in the future. We are constantly gaining experience, but we don’t always think of it as artistic. That is the point, seeing things from a mindset that anything can become art if you respond to it and make it work.
Just before break I asked a few students to contribute some posts to the blog so here is the first one….. enjoy.
A couple of nights ago I had a revelation. I was sitting in the bathtub after a long hard day of arduous studying and paper writing, when suddenly it occurred to me that I always face the same direction. On spur of the moment thinking I decided to live dangerously, spin around, and face a wall I had never faced before. It was like I was in a whole new room. It was a new view that I had never seen before and I was inspired. The caulking on this wall was crumbled like ancient roman ruins. There were cracks in the tiles that looked like exquisite floral patterns. These things had always been there, I had just never noticed them. I never noticed them because I do the same thing everyday. I got out of the tub that night not only clean and refreshed, but also inspired to look at the world a different way.. Often I think I have to go somewhere to new to get the inspiration that so regularly evades me. But I don’t have to go very far, sometimes I just have to turn around.
SCARY, isn’t it?
What was previously known as Belhaven College is creating quite a stir with our new identity. We are now Belhaven University, (and sometimesBelhaven U, or BU. as we have also been hearing.)
The school is having to be very strategic about how the new brand unfolds, and what an absolute blessing for our graphic design students to experience.
In a meeting yesterday, our Chairman Kris Dietrich and I discussed with many others the importance of not losing our core values in all this, and the message about what our University is about.
In classes next semester we are going to really dig in and involve Graphic Design students in the unfolding of the brand.
There are countless details that have to be attended to, and a need to prioritize which are more important and also which changes are cost effective. Ahhhh, the word budget comes into play here. Call it a reality check, all good for the students in our department to see and analyze. There will be a wild ride associated with it so just hold on, because rules and applications will be scrutinized… Join us to see where all this goes. …gt
Recently we had an opportunity in Graphic Design III to do two real projects for REAL living and breathing (yep… they had a pulse) clients. What an experience for both myself as an instructor and 14 year design veteran, and the students involved in the project. We’ll hear more from them later.
Project 1, was a financial advisor with an amazing way of helping his clients. Wanting to help them to give as well as grow their funds, he is driven to the clients by his faith… and his wanting to help them in every part of their financial life. It’s amazing that businesses still can run this way, right?
His firm is called Marshall Financial Planning. And he luckily had an idea of his wants/needs before hand. His tag line, is GROW. PROTECT. GIVE.
The project started off with a bang with good thumbnail work (though I always can see more… a-hem!) and conceptual ideas by the students as well as interactive time with the client in a round table discussion before and at various stages of the project. The students actually presented several ideas each and we walked through the painstaking presentation board setup such as creating pockets for easy access so the client could remove mocked up business cards and see how they would feel in his hands. {Note from the instructor: graphic design is an interactive process, to be touched, held, and emotionally engaged}.
This project went smoothly, only a few things that I hope the students have learned. While I always discuss, and encourage them, I also demand that they go above and beyond expectations. To be honest, in this area we need a little more work. They are designers and should give the client the “wow I would have never thought of that” moment. I had them also very involved with the estimating process. There is no small task in the overall process of creating for a client.
At this point I think they’ll agree that experience is truly the best teacher. I created this for myself as I was going through classes, and I am excited to guide opportunities like this in the Belhaven Graphic Design program. I have attached the latest of the chosen logos for Marshall Financial Planning.
This logo below, is designed by Andrew White. I think you will find the concept clear and Marshall Financial will find success for their clients as they teach them to GROW. PROTECT. GIVE. Stay tuned for Project 2 of this series.
The holidays are great times.
They can be times of reflection as we travel and head back to old stomping grounds. They are exciting as we think of the scents and colors of the season. But most importantly they are an individual experience.
Many times in class we will discuss design and concepts, and reaching within our own creativity to pull out fresh ideas, but what does that mean to us really?
Well, my take on this is that Design inspiration is EVERYWHERE and you never know where it will strike. Traveling is one of the best ways to re-ignite that spirit because we get out of our own routine and into a fresh set of circumstances.
As you travel this holiday, turn your senses on to patterns, color, and textures of the seasons, whether it be a combination of color in Uncle Paul’s shirt, or the gorgeous colors inspired by nature on our overflowing plates at our holiday meal.
So come back to class with a renewed sense of design, and a new palette too, because the beets you toss, might be an amazing color next to the sweet potato mash in a new design layout {see my headline color combo}.
Oh… and most importantly, give thanks for your talents, your vision and the people that support you in your design endeavors. Safe travels to all.
Thank you Dr. Parrott for that insightful and wonderful post! It is not hard to see why we here at Belhaven are excited to have this new major, and all the possibilties this major can open up for the students.
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A friend of mine who works for a very cool and hip design firm had this Design Inspiration Starter List posted on his blog that I thought was fantastic.
So check it out!
Thanks Andrew & the Paragon crew for posting these resources!
The always inspiring holiday season always excites me. Take a look at some of these color combinations and the texture in some of these very simple ideas.
Also look at the staging of their photos.
(I see nice execution for your portfolio)
With the rush of all the class projects and heavy thinking to make sure we have concept behind our artwork, the constructive criticism weighing heavy on us as we hand in our end of the semester projects, it is fun to work on projects “For Design’s Sake”
The holidays give us lots of visual stimulation, but how many of the cards and notes and gifts we receive truly are well designed??
I often have clients that request holiday cards, and this is a time to let go, and enjoy the creativity that comes along with the real meaning for the season.
After all, the holidays are about giving and sharing, and what better way to give than to share our God given creative talents as part of a gift to others as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. This holiday, make something, anything and share it with others, you might just save a penny or two as well.
So what exactly is it we are doing in our graphic design classes this semester… some want to know:
In Graphic Design I, we just completed an assignment to brand a fictional shoe store concept. Students chose and completed a container for the shoes, a logo, a business card, and a bag to carry the product away.
Branding is a concept that is usually foreign to new design students, but I think you have to start right away, thinking about function of your mark(logo) and whether the vision you have will work throughout a certain length of time. This project created a lot of excitement, and I’ll have photos to post pretty soon.
Some of the ideas were:
Notable, an upscale women’s shoe store which utilized the fabrics and tones of women’s business clothing fabric to help create it’s environment and palette.
Golden Idol, a store that carried island flip flops, materials were raw and imagery and visuals were taken from the forest of an island to give it a unique environment.
Ditto, a children’s shoe store, where the logo was a whimsical set of chairs in bright color and different sizes, and the box, had a handle to be functional for their mini clients to carry their new pair of shoes away.
The Refinery, an upscale men’s shoe store, inspired by aEuropean environment, and utilizing that imagery of the countryside and a store front of a small village upscale shop within the brand elements.
I was introduced to Seeds Family Worship by a student when during a discussion in a class on casting our cares on God she said she had a youtube video she wanted to show us.
Not only was it right on the money for our discussion but I was intrigued by the simple use of type, motion, & music all in an attempt to help young people learn Bible verses. In truth I think this would be a helpful method for me to learn more Bible verses! …..(and don’t think that I am not already thinking how this type [pun intended] of thing can become a regular assignment for our Web & Interactive Media students )
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy these as much as my family does. I know that this time in the semester things can start to be really stressful. So in addition to the cool use of many graphic design elements in these videos, I hope you will also reflect on what the texts are saying and allow yourself a moment to mediate on HIS WORDS.
I just marvel at how Graphic Design is everywhere and how creatively the Lord and Master Designer can be glorified through it.
I was reading David’s blog some time ago and he had this post about Faith & Art that really struck a chord with me, so I hope you will click on the link and take the time to read his post and leave us or him a comment.
