graduating in December

In December of 2009, I will be walking across the stage during the UTC graduation to earn my BFA in Graphic Design. Wow. December seems forever away, even more so because many of my design classmates are graduating this May. Even so, I am glad to have the opportunity to go to school and be taught by the best in the business of graphic design, Leslie Jensen-Inman and Matt Greenwell. I have have a wealth of knowledge in design that I will carry with me after graduation into my career. Leslie has shared her knowledge with the design students, and her love for learning and teaching is priceless. I will miss my classmates, critiques in the hallway (maybe not), and design software issues that end in laughter.

Really, this is just the beginning, because I know how to network. Cindy Li is the networking queen. She spoke at createhere to an audience of graphic designers and other professionals about the importance of networking.

new job

I was left unemployed when the bookstore I was working at, closed it’s doors forever in December of 2008. After hearing I was going to lose my job, I got a second job (looking for another job). It truly does take up a lot of time.  My professor, Leslie Jensen-Inman was a big help in finding me a job. Leslie informed me of a job at MB Creative with Mandy Bowlin. Mandy works out of her home in a nicely designed office, where she creates collateral for hospitals and a credit union, among other businesses. I have learned a lot about setting up files for print since my first day at MB Creative. Working wih clients has been a big part of my job duty. I converse with the clients about the job at hand through my business email account. Mandy Bowlin has been great to work for, and I look forward to the future of my employment with MB Creative.

installing in a gallery

gallery install

If you ever have to install in a gallery, before you do anything else, make sure you have an extra set of hands to help with the installation process. My classmate Julie Burney assisted me in the installation of my work in the UTC Cress Gallery. The curator, Ruth Grover, set up the placement of the work, the angle in which it should hang, and the overall placement of the work in the gallery. She is passionate about what she does, and is great at making sure the installation process runs smoothly in the gallery. The vinyl hung beautifully with a suspension bar I purchased at Ikea. The bar is meant to hang curtains, but I made it hang vinyl, and it blended nicely with the ceiling in the gallery. Thank you to Leslie for recommending the suspension bar to hang my work.

Matt Harris and Shaun Inman interacting with the work

working with vinyl

transparent vinyl banner covered in facebook and twitter

My choice of medium for the presention of my senior thesis was vinyl. I had no idea it would be such a hard material to work with. Vinyl cling is not meant to hang, it is used to spruce up a window in a restaurant, gas station, etc. The printer warned me that it might curl once it has been hung, but that was the least of my worries once I tried to position the figures on the banners. As my professor Leslie Jensen-Inman put it, “it is like a vinyl sandwich.” Pretty much. It was very difficult to align the figures just right so as not to have an outline around a figure coming from the back of the figure on the other side of the transparent banner (they were printed on opaque vinyl).

In order to attach a figure to the vinyl, I had to:

squeegeeing surface of the vinyl banner

spray the vinyl banner with water

attach one figureand position in place

re-wet the entire banner

squeegee the surface, making sure to rid the banner of air bubbles

repeat process on opposite side of banner

senior show (cont)

initial idea

final installation

My sister-in-law, Laura played an important part in the completion of my work. I decided to go with two female figures instead of the previous idea with a man and a woman. I did not want the concept to be about a disconnect in a relationship.

Artist Statement:

My installation is an exploration of the evolution of communication, an observation of the varying levels of communication. Is society becoming more detached from each other the more connected we are? This work is a tangible display of our virtual line of communication.

Each figure is secluded in their own space, surrounded by a virtual embrace of the social networking sites, facebook and twitter. A separation of the two figures refers to the separation from reality that occurs when one logs onto a social networking site. One can control another’s perception of themselves with the freedom of a delayed response in conversation via a networking site or texting on a cell phone. In contrast, a face-to-face conversation calls for a more immediate, literal response. This work observes the path communication is taking.

senior show

Over a year ago, the seniors were assigned a senior thesis assignment. We were given the opportunity to come up with our own concept, use of materials, and size of project (the only limitations was the gallery space). I decided to explore the aspect of online communication. The inspiration for my thesis came from an experience shared by my professor that she had a design conference. She mentioned that people were having conversations in the hallways of the building, but that they were not verbal, face-to-face conversations. They would be on twitter or facebook, messaging back and forth to each other from two feet away. I was so surprised to hear that! That is when I began researching online communication, people’s reasons for logging on and how often they would dialouge with others online. For some, twitter may be a valuable source of socializing. One man mentioned on a blog that I read, “Twitter helps me keep in contact with a world I normally ignore. I don’t like watching TV and I don’t really socialize much so I don’t normally get the info on events. But with Twitter, I can keep informed.” Another said, “Twitter allows me to get out my daily frustrations.” This research made me question where human communication is headed.

senior exhibition collateral

Every year, the UTC Art Department has a Senior Thesis exhibit. Every aspect of the department is represented; design, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and painting. Each Senior creates his or her own piece for the show. As with any exhibition, marketing materials are created to inform the public of the upcoming exhibition in the gallery.

The objective for the Senior graphic designers is to create collateral for the show, representative of every apect of the Art Department at UTC. The designers are divided into groups, each group designing collateral for the show. Grouped with Nick Lamkin and Stephen Bush, we each designed collateral for the show. The group decided on Stephen Bush’s design. A Keynote was created with the design and presented to our fellow artists in the department. Each group presented their refined design. Everyone voted for their favorite design, and Michael Mahaffey, Shaina Dobosh, and Tenley Mayfield’s design was chosen.

show mailer

designing in a recession

Image credit: Aaron Russell

Unfortunately, one of the first things to go during a decline in the efficiency of the economy, is advertising. Companies have less money to work with, and put their profits into other things besides advertising. If a company is not doing well, they are trying hard just to keep the employees paid, and the business afloat. I believe it is crucial to advertise during a recession. People want to make sure they are not wasting their hard-earned money on a product that is not going to last, a movie they know nothing about, etc. Of course, a recession calls for a battle between designers for the clients willing to pay for advertising. Advertising is the heart of graphic design, it’s reason for existence, they go hand in hand.

file_save

Leslie Jensen-Inman, the teacher of my Graphic Design Workshop 2 class, assigned a presentation project recently. Each student was given a power verb, and asked to create a presentation based directly or indirectly on the assigned verb. We were given free reign on this project, as far as what concept we chose to present to our fellow classmates. The only guidelines were, the presentation had to be created in Keynote and presented within five minutes.

Save was my assigned power verb. I chose to take the literal approach and create a presentation geared towards graphic designers, stressing the importance of saving. That concept sounds unnecessary, I know, but as soon as I heard my power verb, I had a scene in mind. Please see below.

happy designer

less than happy designer

I chose to inform my classmates of the importance of saving, with the help of my friend, humor. Everyone enjoys a good laugh. Creating a situation in the presentation every designer can relate to, makes for a connection between the presenter and the audience.

two-color beauty

Designers are often faced with a job that calls for, what some might think, a limiting two-color palette. A designers’ dream is full reign of the color wheel, not incorporating every color, of course. Whether the job calls for a two-color process or not, sometimes it is the best outcome for a design. Collateral with a two-color palette can lend itself to a sophisticated quality, or something different entirely, a more pop-art design. The two photos below are examples of the two-color process, each with differing aesthetics, proving the sky’s the limit when “limited” to a two-color job.

http://www.dynamicgraphics.com/dgm/Article/28907

two color-labels (sophisticated quality)

two-color (pop-art feel)

two color soap box