Collections

Below is a link to a presentation I gave during lecture last week showing one of my collections of "stuff" and how it describes me as a designer. The particular collection I chose is simply a series of snap shots of things in my room. As I've alluded to in an earlier post, we are fortunate as designers to create art that people surround themselves with everyday. My presentation shows examples of such art that I particularly enjoy. It also illustrates my theory that every individual should attempt to embody their personality within their living space. I feel I've always done a great job at plastering my identity all over my walls and always find it strange when someone lives in a house with a blank or generic decorating scheme.

View the presentation

Cakespy.com

Another website/blog I really like - I found out about CakeSpy at a craft fair in Seattle where the artist was showcasing her drawings. I love how this site combines adorable design and illustration with fun baking tips.

Thoughts down on paper

I spent a lot of time last week playing around with and combining typography, color and illustration to see what could work and what wouldn’t work as the new Blue Cross identity. I’m coming up with concepts for a revised logo and also brainstorming various presentation ideas – the most successful of which I feel will be “the equation”. Through the use of eye-catching pictograms, I’m hoping I can develop a series of equations using the cross as a plus sign. Ideally they will attractively and clearly communicate various Blue Cross calls to action – donate, volunteer, adopt, learn more, etc. The following are some placement tests of the various illustration styles and logos I’ve developed thus far.

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Art is everywhere, and that makes me happy

Our class visit to the V&A’s 20th Century exhibit reinforced in my mind one key benefit of being a designer – we are one of the few classes of artists that have the ability to create art that the average person can interact with every day.

Like any typical museum exhibition, the 20th Century collection sits behind glass. Visitors mosey along a well-worn path glancing at each artifact. If something catches their eye - they skim its description written on a small plaque and learn why it’s important. However, what made these pieces of art unique is that only a relativity short time ago, they were simply props in a normal person’s day-to-day life – furnishing his home, clothing her back, helping her clean the carpets or sitting in his office. The sleek lines and functionality of a typewriter, the playful pattern on a child’s dress, the organized layout of a car manual – all of these things were hand-crafted by a designer. They then entered and exited the consumer’s life and can now be celebrated alongside some of the greatest fine art ever created.

It’s fun to guess what things in my life I might find myself viewing in a museum one day. The computer I type this blog post on? The mobile phone sitting next to me? The trendy boots on my feet? What about these cool post cards we grabbed at the V&A?

Maybe even (fingers-crossed) one of my own future designs….

Business for Design: Logotype concepts

Here is a sampling of logotype options for the two business names I'm exploring for this module. I haven't applied color yet, but this shows what I'm thinking as far as typography and composition.

Button:

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Kettle:

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Takin' care of business

To ensure I stay on track to meet the Jan. 20 deadline for the RSA/Design Project A, I created this timeline and corresponding check list.

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Oh, hello friend blog

My friend showed me this blog a few weeks ago. Not only is the content interesting and innovative, the overall look and organization is really great. So many ideas for beautifully designed crafts. Truly inspiring!