Preparing the Identity for Up Fashions

As part of my senior thesis, I am required to create a brand identity for the fake company chosen for me. As part of a high-end leather boutique. I hope to post my progress on sketches and finished project as I continue through the process and other requirements my school asks of the seniors.

Holiday Madness

We all know the holidays are filled with happiness and joy. But they are also filled with angry and inpatient people. I am happy to say that I get to meet with the second half of these holiday shoppers an a every other day basis and it brings me strange joy to hear the weird thing that come out of their angry mouths.

But more importantly its the things I like to make during the holidays to save money that brings me more joy then my customers. I make sure all my made gifts are still high in quality regardless of the money saving. So this year I made wood burnings of scenes or signs I knew my mother, brother and boyfriend would love.

My mom's was a round of cherry wood with a baying wolf burnt into it along with an Native American feather gathering. My brother's was a round of cherry wood broken in half that was turned into a beware zombies sign. And last my boyfriends was the Fox Racing design matched with a tribal background burnt into a coffee table that I then stained and finished.

Hopefully I will have photos up by Monday but if not then very soon. Til then, See you all after Christmas and have a Happy Holiday.

Work in Progress: Motion Media final

My final for our motion media class was a 35 sec skit of myself and my friends acting like we normally do during late night study sessions. Which doesnt sound too exciting to most, but then again you haven't heard the conversations of those late nights.
I hoping to share the finalize video with everyone via youtube, as soon as I edit the language so it can be "rated" E. Right now the video is unedited and rated MA for strong language.

Progression of Senior Show Entry-Banner

The final copy for the banner being the last of the campaign. The banner is to be printed at roughly 9ft tall by 30ft wide, with the winning piece to be hung out front of the school for all of Lancaster, Pa to see.

This is the only model whom was not actually painted by hand but done digitally. Using the thick acrylic option in Corel Paniter X, I made a layer to cover his body. Then by importing into PhotoShop CS4 I did a overlay and adjustments to create a brushed on feel. Painting the symbol on my own skin I then digitally sampled it and applied to the model's skin and background.

Good Luck to the rest of my class and I hope to announce the winner and approved links by the end of next week.

Model: Brandon M.

Progression of Senior Show Entry-Postcard

At the top is the final product for the cover of the postcard, paired with the original photos. Model: Alyssa Cross.

Progression of Senior Show Entry-Poster

In expectation to the 2010-2011 graduating senior's, PCA&D promotes the graphic design senior's to develop concepts for the show. Although the show includes all four major's, the designs must represent us as a whole but does not have to correlate the different majors.

With that in mind, my original idea was a illustrated, outlined work and the mix of a wide variety of mediums. Then I moved into an allusion related concept. With that I gathered a few friends and began a 3 hour per-person mission. Paint their entire upper half and add different kinds of simple symbols.

The process included opaque acrylic paint mixed with dish soap for the comfort of the models and easy removal. I painted almost all the skin, careful to move around any piercings, mouth and ears. The hair was digitally colored as well for the comfort of the models. With the poster the color was digital tuned up for more visual aesthetics and to match the vibrance of the other pieces. Then the final point was to sample the color of the painted skin for the background and sample a piece of the symbol from the skin to re-make the pattern in the back.

Therefore, make the model blend in with their surroundings. The main point of my concept here was to show what artists see in everyday life and for us to share that view with our audience. I love when everyone can "be a part of.." the art we all share in the world.

Model: Leslie Stasko

Tassimo Brewbot Commercial Fav

Watch Tassimo Brewbot

I love this commercial for its ingenious ad campaign message. A simple yet versatile machine that can make your favorite coffee beverage without your own personal know-how.

Art Water Design

Art water entry

Above is a link to my entry for the Art Water contest. Using the template given I made my design which all the white area's are to be transparent to see through the bottle.

Current Class Project- JA

One of the many submissions to Junior Achievement of Central Pa. Part of a class project for all senior graphic designers to create an opening motion video only with assets from the winning print design, by Jason Getz, to be played during their fund raising event.

Inspiration from KH Website

I find inspiration from this site's homepage and interior pages for illustration and Web design. Loving the interactivity of the navigation on the original homepage. I'll let this piece speak for itself so feel free to follow the link below and explore all the interactivity.

http://na.square-enix.com/games/kingdomhearts/

This Weeks Projects

Ahh, that time again. The crunch before the holiday break, where all those big projects come into play before a little breather and then repeats itself at the end of the semester.

This week my projects consist of time management. No seriously, management of my work / school / hmwk / sleep time. I have to complete the last few lines of CSS for my website, 2 papers, a photo journal and another media work for motion class.

But the most exciting thing, apart from the completion of my website, is my senior studio project. I have a brave friend whom will allow me to paint her body many a colors and photograph her for my idea. Hoping to pick up some good Halloween left overs at work tonight so I can get the shoot done on Thursday and communicate with my teacher before the Turkey break.

Hope to post the photos on Friday or Saturday to share my process with you.

DIET MOUNTAIN DEW Ferret

Also here is a great video for Diet Mountain Dew that I wanted to share with you last Friday.

Great book for interest and inspiration

This is a great find for any level Graphic Designer. It includes a wide variety of briefs for fun, exercise, and for the ever evolving portfolio. It gives a reference list and glossary for artistic and graphical terms if you are confused on anything. The briefs are very informing on what is expected to from you for each project.

It includes 3 or more individual projects for 

• Packaging
• Branding
• Visual identity
• Promotion
• Page Layout
• Music Graphics
• Screen-based Design

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cover Art

The cover of the soon to be released Black Ops, from the Call of Duty series, has created a stir amongst many gamers. Many are disappointed with the look of the cover more than the quality of the artwork. They are worried that the lone "jungle soldier" look means more sniper-esk gaming then COD's more traditional run and gun feel.

This is the first COD game to take place in the cold war era so the cover gives you that gritty soldier look. With opinions put aside, the work is high quality. You know its a war game right away if you have no prior knowledge of COD games. The dark and intense feeling from the way the man's face is shadowed yet you can still see a sort of intensity in his eyes.

Though it does remind me of a Stallone film like Rambo, the posters scattered about the mall and game stores really caught my eye. I have not been hounding my gaming news as much as would have liked this past semester so the poster caught my attention and made me ready to play.

Cover Photo from: http://www.fpsvideogamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/call-of-duty-black-ops-cover.jpg

New Daily Themes

To keep my mind a little more focused I've decided to use my teacher's idea to make each day a theme for discussion. So listed below are my chosen themes about what interests and inspires me; as well as, my reviews on other designs that I'd like to share.

Monday:         Current personal or school related projects.

Tuesday:         Design discussions.

Wednesday:   Images of interest or inspiration.

Thursday:       Illustration / photo of the week.

Friday:           Video game discussion (the play and the design).

Saturday:       Video media / animation inspirations.

The intriguing bathroom art.

This artistic addition to the Tourist Inn bathroom made me smile. I love the out-of-the-box thinking on this little female joke. I could not find the name or signature of the artist whom painted this piece; but, who ever you are... Thank you for the smile on my face.

Opening post

While being in my last year of college I have come across many new friends and fellow designers. I have also been introduced to many great instructors and clients during my classes and internships. So as an opening post I'd like to thank you for helping me on my journey to and through the art world. From understanding the whys and hows from digital to print.

These posts will be my experience as a designer for the rest of the semester and the beginnings of the GD world. Some will be on my inspiration and the little things in life that help the wheel keep on going.

Farewell and blog on.