Movements & Styles

I found this online. It's a poster for Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in the year 2007. It was a bauhaus exhibition and clearly shows an example in the format of the poster, from the lettering to the diagonal style. For Bauhaus typography, not only serifs were unnecessary, but there was no need for upper and lower case lettering. The aim for Bauhaus typography is communication that is shown in the 'universal' type.  I was attracted to this piece because I love how the same format was used and reintroduced in this poster for 2007.

American Kitsch

American Kitsch is simply known as '50's art' and is prevalent in this picture of the City Center Motel that is located in Las Vegas 'Neon Boneyard'. I was attracted to this piece because I thought that Las Vegas art is very artistic and creative...even though it can look extremely tacky at times. You can tell the casual script of this neon sign. This sign is very representational of Kitsch because it seems very tacky, witty, artistic, brash and tasteless. It must have looked really neat when it was lit!!

Late Modern

The Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia is a great example of late modernism. I found it on a tourism website. Late modern artists applied the non decorative approach of modern to their designs, but without all the hype. There was a new simplicity that was formed and is shown in this structure. You can see the merge of natural curves in this structure and it attracted me because it is beautiful and it displays function dictating form!

Swiss/International

I found this posted on a blog livinglive.posterous.com/ and what immediately attracted me to the piece was the design! Swiss style works reveal a strong attention of graphic designers to uniform design elements and strong geometric shapes. You can see the strong geometric shapes in this example with the background grid and the player outline itself. Their visuals are abstract and seem to clearly convey their purpose in a remarkable way. Just these simple pictures were even used in Olympic photography. So simple, yet to the point!

Contemporary Design

I found this chair on zeospot.com...It's obvious why I chose this design. It looked so comfortable to sit in! "Ivy Chair" will make you feel comfortable as if you were surrounded by trees and flowers. By sitting in this amazing contemporary chair, it will give you the signal to think about nature over the function of the chair. It clearly shows contemporary design because it is simple, clean, and offers an uncluttered look. This design is opposite of traditional.

Psychedelic Design

This is an album cover from the band 'Kay Kay'. You can definitely tell the psychedelic approach on this piece and once I discovered this cd in my brother's collection, I had to take a picture! This psychedelic cover really depicts this design because it includes a 'sensory stimulation' as if you were on something! Everything is pictured as opposite and shows that sensory deprivation. It's as if you were experiencing hallucinations, changes of perception, and an altered state of awareness. This movement appealed to a younger generation.

Postmodern Design

I found this picture on dornob.com. It was shown as a 'what if' these were created. Since postmodern design was during a time of 'funny' design, I thought this picture was great! You wouldn't just be able to buy just one though...there could be a story created with them all 'interacting'...Postmodernism reestablished interest in ornamentation, symbolism and visual wit! Postmodernism deliberately violated the Bauhaus tenet that form must follow function...and it is clearly shown with these lamps!

Digital Design

I stumbled on this website and thought it was really neat what they were trying to accomplish. This is a photo of a digitally mediated environment. The UTSGallery showcased digitally enhanced environments by focusing on digital technologies as creative and critical tools for artists and designers. I think it's amazing what digital design can do and how far it can be taken! I don't think of it as lowering design standards, but enhancing it!

Paste Up!

What the print will look like.

Yellow layer

In History class, we were showed how to create our very own paste up...the old school way of creating a digital print!! It was very interesting completing this project at home...It was, in a way, a very tedious process...we had to come up with 4 separate layers, each being it's own color...bottom layer was yellow, third layer was cyan, second layer was magenta and first and final layer was black...CMYK!! We then had to come up with a cover sheet indicating to the printer how much of each color was to be used. The arrows had to be touching that indicated color for the particular layer (it had to be exact).  This assignment was a great way to learn how these digital prints were made and it made me appreciate the process that was dealt with back then, so much more! I love doing these sorts of things...discovering history all over again! It was a great way to understand the History of Graphic Design a little more!

Magenta layer added

Cover sheet with the exact %'s of ink

Cyan and Yellow layers

Rare Prints Gallery!

We took a field trip to Rare Prints Gallery in Downtown Franklin off of Main Street. This was the first time that I went into this shop, so it was nice to discover something new!

The speaker that briefed us on the history of the gallery was very informational. She described how the process of some of the prints were accomplished and also pointed out some great artists such as Audubon! It was very interesting to hear!

There are 20 foot ceilings in this gallery and as you can see, the walls are taken up with these ornithological prints from ceiling to floor. Some of them I thought were pretty intricate and was told that it took a while for the printer to accomplish their design because of how the prints were accomplished. They are very time consuming because each color is done separately.

I absolutely loved staring at these rare prints up close. It was quite amazing how in detail each of them were...You can really appreciate their true art when you actually stop to appreciate their beauty!

It's quite amazing how rare these prints really are...being that they have been restored from the 1500's to the 1900's. Each one being unique in their own way. They have collections from John J. 
Audubon, John Gould, William Curtis and Giovanni Piranesi just t0 name a few. Oh how breathtaking!

The quality of their pieces are quite brilliant!! For being as old as they are, they have been very well maintained and you can tell how rare they are by their prices!! You need to have a jingle in your pocket in order to afford these rare prints!! There are a few that are $15 and above, small though, but still wonderful! 


As you can see, just picking up a print and holding it was enough satisfaction for me to appreciate how much they really were! I think this one sold for $1200! 


There's a lot of history behind these prints, you wouldn't think so at first, but you can really tell the pride that was placed in each one...They are gorgeous to look at, so you should step in and take a peek.

Breathtaking!

This is a very special journal that my sister gave to me when I moved to Tennessee in June 2010. I think it is the most beautiful book that I own! If you look at the details of this book, it's pretty amazing. I am thinking its a Celtic design because of the obvious cross on the cover. There is also a design in the center of the cross that is really interesting! The art work is breathtaking...I mean, just look at that amazing detail in the center of the cross. There are inscriptions in each corner...I'm not sure what it means or it's significance, but it's definitely something to look into! There are green, gold, red, and blue foil decorations as well that are placed all throughout the design.


The journal opens with a magnetic flap that is designed to be 'hidden' on the cover. What a creative idea. The inner color of the journal is gold, going with the overall look of this masterpiece!


The inside of the journal has blank pages...I have sketched on only one page, but haven't placed anything else in this book...I'm almost afraid I would mess it up. I think the beauty of it is great just the way it is that i'm just nervous to add to it! It is definitely something that I will cherish for a long time!

Hatch!

Went to Hatch on Saturday...took McKenna and Ryan there. Haha...I made McKenna point to the sign out side their door. Hatch Show Print is the oldest working printing press in the United States and is located in downtown Nashville. They design and sell posters for many different companies around the area in and out of Nashville.

Stepping into the shop it seemed a lot smaller than I imagined and seen in the pictures. There isn't much room to walk because the press work area itself took up most of the space.

The walls were filled with posters from every singer such as Patsy Cline to BBKing...this was my favorite part about the shop....it made everything look so colorful and alive!

This photo made me laugh, so I had to post this one!! They have two cats in Hatch Show Print that are apart of their family there among the printers. I had McKenna squat next to one in the shop...she was afraid get close to it...haha.

The shop seems like it's pretty laid back, but you can definitely tell how busy they can get. They seemed pretty busy when we entered with the phone ringing constantly and the chatter and hustle & bustle of printing.

Here are a couple of examples of what they do!! I made Ryan hold up a poster and how appropriate was this one?! I loved it!! I love how this poster is so simple, yet symbolizes what they do through silhouette. All of their posters were pretty amazing!!

I purchased a little notebook from there as well...I thought it was so clever how they incorporated a poster, with many colors and prints and bound it with string to create a book. The pages on the inside are blank, but it's the cover that caught my eye!

I think Hatch Show Print is such a great and amazing company! What they do is amazing and it's wonderful how they keep printing with a press alive and going!!

Speaker, Jim Sherraden from "Hatch Show Print"

Jim Sherraden was a guest speaker to our History of Graphic Design class. He is the head of the oldest/still functioning printers press in America. I've heard of Hatch Show Print, but didn't realize the extent of how great of a place it really was until Jim came in to speak. He talked about the process of what it took create a poster. He discussed the many clients in and around Nashville and the surrounding areas of the United States that used their services. I found it fascinating to hear how everything was ran and put together. He showed a few pictures of Hatch and described it as working in a garage. Even though it seemed really unorganized and messy, you can still find what you need and where everything is placed--if you worked there.

The way his presentation ran was pretty laid back, but very informational at the same time. He showed and passed around many examples of the different posters that they've created. From Taylor Swift, to The Ryman Auditorium posters...everything was hand pressed with the type hand set. It was a pretty amazing sight to see how such a small shop created so much business and also interesting to hear how they have survived for so long in Nashville. Hatch show began to begin making posters for Circus shows and minstrel shows across the U.S. and has grown to tremendous heights with the support of their clients and also the Nashville community.

I really appreciated hearing and learning about Hatch Show Print. I thought that the presentation was well done by Jim and he really made me realize how great of an art poster printing really was!

Mesmerize Me!

So my boyfriend Ryan was in town and stayed at my brother's apartment the weekend he was here. I saw this picture hanging in their living room and just had to take a picture of it!  I loved looking at it the most because there's quite a bit going on! It was definitely "Mesmerizing"!  I noticed the title first. It has a 'Hazard' text feel and thought that it was used rather well because of the overall presentation of the design in the art piece--it goes well with the shape looking DNA strands.






There was another use of text in this piece. It is located in the bottom left corner. It was placed cleverly and also is hidden to a certain extent. The text has been painted over with yellow paint, as to make it transparent.  "Stop Waiting. Start Doing"---this was done in Helvetica type.

I loved the creativity of what the artist used in their piece as well. As you can see, the artist used a Postage sticker for Priority Mail and drew and painted on it. It was an interesting way to incorporate everyday stickers in their design. Not sure what the meaning was, but it looked cool!

Not only did the artist use a Postage sticker, but they also used a name tag sticker as well. This just shows how creative the artist was trying to be and how they wanted their art work to make a successful statement!!

Lino Print!

Left is a picture of a linoleum cut I did in my History of Graphic Design class. The design was done on a whim, but it turned out really great! We took a flat rubber eraser and used it as our stamp. We carved into the eraser with a linoleum cutter. With this particular one I used a size #2. After the cutting was complete, we then used a roller to paint the ink on the stamp. You have to use just enough or else it won't turn out right.

Right is the finished product of my piece! I think it turned out really well! The type almost has an african feel in a way. I thought it looked especially neat because I incorporated the 'N' into the 'O' of my name. It was a fun exercise to accomplish and the great thing about it is, the stamp is reusable!!!

DREAM

This is an art piece that was given to me by my sister. She purchased it from Philanthropy in downtown Franklin. It is by Stoney Noell of Epic Live Creative. This piece was done on a small canvas (size of my hand) and I thought it looked really creative. It's a one word piece that is done in script "Dream". It's meant to be an inspirational/motivational piece. I love this piece because it serves as a constant reminder for me to stick to my dreams and goals. It's small enough that it's placed on a shelf in my room, for me to look at everyday.

"Dreams, take to flight and soar beyond the bleak" is located on the side of the canvas. It's such a great saying! It's done in a serif font, which is different from the front, but still goes pretty well with the overall point of defining dreams. It looks as if magazine was cut and placed with a sort of gel medium. It looks very "craftsy".

Stoney's label for Epic Creativity and his name, along with their website is cut and placed with gel medium just like the explanation of dreams. I think it was a creative idea, but for as small as the art piece is, I think it's just a little too big.

Overall this art piece is wonderful to look at and I enjoy doing it everyday!

Magic Of Macy's!

I saw this ad on television and thought it was SO creative---especially with the whole design of the commercial! This commercial really draws you in and paints the way to the "Magic Of Macy's"!! I love how there are so many 'A-Listers' featured and how they are involved with the 'behind the scenes'---It tries to portray what a sales man goes through to get what you need---in this case, a shoes salesman. Everything seems to come together really well!!! I even love how the Macy's logo seems to pop up every now and then!! You can see the great design taking place and forming throughout the whole 1 minute commercial. There seems to be so much information, but is placed great within the film. Take a look and enjoy!

The Stinky Cheese Man

The Stinky Cheese Man (and other fairly stupid tales), is one of my daughters favorite books!! She received this as a Christmas gift last year and I have read it about a dozen times to her!! Not only are the pictures in the book pretty amazing to look at, the stories are taken from really old tales that I grew up with listening to. The only difference with the stories in this book are the many different twists added to each one!

This is the title page. You can already tell the lackadaisical style of the text and how it's placed on the page. There is no rhyme or reason, just to make the book more interesting and fun to view!





The text throughout the book is great!---Ranging from Serif to Sans-serif--and many, many different styles and sizes!!

This is an example of one of the stories in the book. The story is called "Jack's Story". It's a spin off of Jack and the beanstalk. You can see how the text starts off large and then as the story goes on, it gets smaller and disappears completely off the page...What an interesting and fun way to have a book tell a story!!!

Here is an example of the incredible graphics and colorful pictures in the book!!! I love how they look antique and how they are drawn! You can even tell the style of characters in "Jack's Story"--what fun!

LoTuS!

I loved this when I saw it! The design is pretty incredible. This is an ad for Lotus Energy Drink...The can pretty much sells itself really! I love the use of graphics in this ad, from the dragon on her face-showing shadow, to the Lotus symbols in her eyes! It's pretty great! My eyes go to the girl first and then move to the actual can of the product. The red lettering is good against the white, but fades away into the black, which makes it really hard to read. You can tell that the text wasn't important in this ad, because if it was it would stand out more! I think the designer was more focused on the product standing out.

Here are a couple more pictures of the graphic design used in this ad. Here is an example of the Lotus flower design in the girls eye. To me it seems that if you take a sip of this drink, the energy starts taking over...keeping you awake! And of course there is the can that is depicted in the right hand corner. Even though the design is pretty simple, the simplicity sells! I would definitely try it!!

Time Line of Art

"Yellow Cow" Franz Marc 1911

When I saw this piece I just had to take a picture. This is an oil painting from Franz Marc depicting Early Modern Expressionism. I chose this painting because I thought that the colors and movement of the cow brought forth such an emotion! It almost looks as if the cow is dancing...or jumping with so much passion! The cow is enjoying life!

"Dancer" Alphonse Mucha

After browsing through the ART section in Barnes and Nobles I stumbled across a book with Alphonse Mucha's work. I was fascinated by how many of his works depicted such strong women. He made them up to look so beautiful and lush. His "Mucha Style" became known as Art Nouveau. He wanted to steer clear of it, however, focusing more on a  spiritual message. I absolutely love his style of work. I love how he also incorporates flowers and even flower halo's on the women.

"Roses of Heliogabalus" Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

I think that the Victorian movement was my favorite movement during the 19th century. I chose to take a picture of the painting "Roses of Heliogabalus" by Alma-Tadema  because of how beautiful it was. It is quite breathtaking! I did a little research on this painting and Alma-Tadema actually had petals sent to him weekly during four months in the winter of 1887-'88. He wanted to get each petal accurate. How amazing is that! Just to think how an artist would go to such extremes to create a masterpiece!

"Acanthus Wallpaper Design" William Morris

We have studied about William Morris and his contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement. I chose a piece of his work because it's very intriguing and organic looking! He created this wall paper in 1875. He believed this wallpaper reproduced charm of the forest inside the home. His way of thinking was to portray "purity and elegance" in his wall decorations. I'm not sure if he used this in "Red House", but boy would it have been a sight to see! It's really interesting to see how arts and crafts were used during this movement-from woven rugs to tapestries-they were all made with precision and care.

"Paris Art Deco Exhibition" 1925

This was a picture of a Paris Art Deco Exhibition that I took out of yet another art book in Barnes and Nobles. I chose this piece because it clearly represents this design internationally. Art Deco was prominent in both America and Europe and even the ocean liners that traveled to them both!
You can see the examples in their structure in how sleek and angular they both looked. This exposition was created to show the public a "fairyland" for six months. The different architects were given the reigns of freedom with their designs! It must have looked spectacular!

                                                                                          
                            

All Naturale??

Front box

Side box

I was par-oozing around the house looking for ideas on what to blog about. I ran into a box of my mom's hair color. I started to read the box and was quite taken by the title of Clairol's product. "Natural Instincts "...this box has natural talents or skills? The girl on the front of the advertisement looks so happy with her hair color...it really makes you want to buy the box and maybe my mom chose this box from all the other brands because of her smile =)! What ever it was that sold her, it did a good job of doing it!!

I think the layout is pretty decent though. The name is at the upper top and then after following the lovely, flowing hair towards the bottom of the box, the natural gifts of what this box of color can do for your hair is explained...

On the side of the box, it seems really busy and almost confusing in a way.
It gives the user two steps of identifying your current color. I was always confused at how you can determine what your current color is, when the box only gives you two options to go by...why is this? I also love the shade guide because in all actuality, once you dye your hair the boxes color, I don't think

Back box

there is ever a box where your after color shade will even compare...I don't
think it's ever the same really! The layout, even though it's busy & hardly ever
accurate, is still pretty interesting to look at.

The back of the box compares with the side of the box. It just goes on in MANY words to sell the product even more...as if the busy front and side didn't do the trick. It expresses it's many vitamins and how gentle the formula is...why not try it out? I think it's advertising is right on target...but wonder if it could sell even better with the less is more factor!