I received an email last night notifying me I was tagged in a Facebook photo. I logged into my Facebook account to find my very first professionally printed design piece staring back at me!
Talk about a blast from the past!
Picture it, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1993. Sorry, I couldn’t help the Golden Girls reference. I was in my final semester finishing my undergraduate degree. One of my last courses was called Campus Graphics where I was challenged to concept, design, prepare and supervise the production of a professionally printed design piece for an organization at the university. Students had the opportunity to work one on one with an actual client taking their project from concept through fruition. Working with a client other than my professors and following the design through all the different facets of the creation process was an invaluable learning experience. It was the first time I created a project that was actually professionally printed!
My client, James Brendlinger, was a director working with a group of actors scheduled to perform the play “The Purpose of the Moon: Fiction of Tom Robbins.” The gist of the play, well, what I can recall of it, was this: Vincent van Gogh was infatuated with Marilyn Monroe, cut off his ear and sent it to her to show his love. She was so touched by this act that she gave up everything and moved to the south of France to be with him. I honestly don’t recall all that much about the plot. It was 18 years ago after all!
I was charged with creating the cover and inside spreads of the playbill for the play. Below I’ve included an image of the cover. Sorry the interior pages no longer exist or at least I don’t have them. The cover imagery features an abstracted visual of the painting Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh. The main focal point, the moon (image left), manually rotates (the user turns a tab on the moon) to reveal the face of Marilyn Monroe (image right) supporting the idea that she is the center of his universe. Unfortunately Blogger doesn't allow animated imagery or I could show you the rotation in action.
As soon as I saw my old design I realized I have another source of inspiration I’d like to include in my previously posted list of influences. For those that have no idea what I’m talking about please reference my blog post: What are your creative influences? (http://dezignrogue.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-are-your-creative-influences.html)
I’ve discovered another common thread that reoccurs in my designs… paper engineering/pop up mechanization. The term pop-up often refers to a design that utilizes three-dimensional, movable parts such as flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and other types of manual manipulation. (1) I’ve always been intrigued with integrating user interaction into my graphic communication (the vintage playbill design proves this). What better way to engage the viewer than encouraging them to personally interact with it? Pop-ups are another way to help you accomplish this goal!
Below are two current designs where I apply paper engineering/pop up mechanization. Again, Blogger won't allow animations. The first is a series of post cards inspired by the paintings and illustrations of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) and Coles Phillips (1880-1920). Each card features a unique element of interaction through pop-up mechanization. In one design, pull a tab and the woman picks a flower, in other, turn a tab and her dress changes patterns. The second features two spreads from a series of twelve which are part of a pop-up calendar bringing illustrations based on the works of Steffen Bergmann to life. Both solutions offer the viewer a chance to hold the design, manipulate it and take part in the action of the message.
To further support this inspiration I'm including some paper engineering/pop up mechanization student designs I've had the opportunity to creative direct.
The first example is a design for Fruit of the Loom by Jen Brog.
Company Background: For more than 150 years, fit, comfort and durability for the entire family have been the hallmark features of Fruit of the Loom apparel. Fruit of the Loom’s main focus is on products for consumers ranging from children to senior citizens. The company is one of the largest manufacturers and marketers of men’s and boys’ underwear, women’s and girls’ underwear, printable T-shirts and fleece for the active wear industry, casual wear, women’s jeanswear and childrenswear.
Concept: The design speaks to the main clothing purchaser in the household. It reaffirms the emotional connection of family and reminds the viewer that Fruit of the Loom helps make shopping choices for their loved ones much easier. The mailer connects Fruit of the Loom and family by dressing each family members’ fruit shaped “bottom” in a different style of Fruit of the Loom underwear. Hand illustrated fruit visuals utilizing pop-up mechanization support this union.
The second example is a design for Glacéau's Vitamin water by Jeremy Gilberto. (http://jgilberto.com/)
Company Background: Glacéau, is a privately owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola Company that manufactures and distributes various lines of enhanced water. By 2002, the Glacéau line of waters were the top selling enhanced water brand in the United States, with the company’s Vitamin water being its best selling product.
Concept: This design uses ancient Chinese wisdom to reaffirm Vitamin water’s benefits and communicates it is “wise” to drink Vitamin water. An example of such wisdom: “Water is flexible and shapeless, yet can be shaped by any holder. It is weak, but wears away rock. It may not be able to push aside barriers, but it can flow around them.” Each page of the mailer features an ancient Chinese symbol that is die-cut, revealing portions of the pages behind ultimately creating a three-dimensional landscape.
Getting back to my very first professionally printed design piece for a moment. As I recall, we didn’t have the budget to print the playbill and have it assembled by the printer. The director, actors, family, friends and I formed an assembly line construction team. We manually cut out each pop-up piece and assembled the playbills one at a time. I think we created a few hundred of them. I also attended the play opening night and got the chance to observe the audience interacting with my design first hand. Guess you could call it my first consumer testing experience. What a proud feeling to witness others interacting and engaging with my work.
One last point I’d like to make about my old design and I’ll happily put this one back on the shelf where it belongs. Seeing this design some 18 years after it was created, I have to laugh at the weak positioning of the design elements. I want you to unite type and imagery. Get them to interact and communicate the message not act as separate elements that fight for attention. The black bar and type down the right hand side of the design is such a copout! Yes, the type is easy to read on the dark background, but there is absolutely no interaction between the type and the visual. Wouldn’t this message be better served if the type somehow interacted with that manual rotation of the moon/Marilyn Monroe image? The level of viewer engagement is high; unfortunately the placement of the design elements is “C” worthy at best.
Below are some resources that might also help inspire you.
Robert Sabuda
Pop Up Books as Inspiration
http://itp.nyu.edu/~hn271/wordpress/?p=1023
Blog Resources:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_up_boo
Just discovered your blog--it is funny for both of us to be able to look back at the beginnings of our careers with both fondness and amusement. THE PURPOSE OF THE MOON was the first play I ever produced and directed, and while many of the decisions I made back then are indeed cringeworthy, I can also see the pathway that was being laid from good old Kutztown to where I am today. Your work has never ceased to amaze me, then and now. I will always count myself as lucky to have worked with you. This fall will mark the 20th anniversary of that play---just let me know if you'd like to take another shot at that design! lol
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