for Auld Lang Syne

(for times gone by)...

The last day of 2009, a dreary day, but I had work to do so it doesn't matter much. The Twilight Zone marathon is on, which means I will spend every available chance watching it. 2009 was a rocky year in some ways, but I got through it and came out stronger, I hope, with mere scratches. I have learned more about times when it is appropriate to give up, and times to persevere. (To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven). I have seen how God can take a situation that looks like a complete disaster and work it for good, so it adjusts for something better in the future. 

I wrote a couple entries back about the book Look Both Ways by Debbie Millman. I purchased it in Barnes and Noble yesterday (which is a big deal because I rarely buy books; I just read them in the store). It's that good. I proceeded to tell Debbie Millman through Twitter, and to my surprise, she actually responded! This is one of the best last moments of my 2009!

I need to still make my resolutions for 2010. I can't make them too difficult to achieve (it's usually something like "run every day" or "read the Bible every day", and I get through maybe 2 months of it and eventually quit, not because I want to give up, but time intercedes and I get caught up with school and other stuff that I put all my effort into (so much that it takes my sleep time too!). 

I know whatever I spend my effort doing in this next year, this next decade, I always want to continue to pursue wisdom and truth. I want to live passionately, with a burning fuel that never gives up on the things that matter. I want to be genuine, and I want to be hard working.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne...

Pens

Christmas was nice. I spent it in Greenwood with my family. My mom took my sister and I to see The Blindside with Sandra Bullock (I saw her in New York once!). I met up with Diana and we had coffee at Starbucks, one of our last times before she moves away for grad school.

I found this blog that obsesses over pens! I have always, since I can remember, been fascinated with... office supplies. Pens and paper especially. When shopping, I always find myself in the aisle staring at a massive collection of various pens, even if I am not buying any that day. The fine ball point ones are my favorite (especially the Zebra F-301 ones). I had quite a collection of gel pens when they were popular in middle school. 

New book from Debbie Millman!

I was in Barnes & Noble yesterday on my break from a double shift, and as I wandered aimlessly through the disarray of crazed holiday shoppers, I found this interesting new book by Debbie Millman, called Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design. I picked it up to thumb through it, and found that it was a compilement of short life stories- the kind of minor moments that impact and stick with you though they seem mundane at the time. To my delight, each story was executed in a unique typographical way. Most are handwritten, but done with great care and makes it personal and intriguing. Some are done with traditional typefaces in interesting ways. I only got to read a couple, because I was on a short break, but I immediately wanted to buy the book.

"We Didn't Start the Fire" (Billy Joel)

I particularly like the 1950's part. And it mentions Elvis.

Painting: Senior Project

t was my first time in the Senior Project class for painting, and it was a lot different, but I learned some valuable things. I set out to do representational paintings that were all or mostly oil. The content was based on the idea of different exchanges people make in life, different things they trade in order to obtain something they believe would be better for them, and what they have to give up in order to get it.

Exchanges: Health for Pleasure 2x3'




Exchanges: Comfort for Beauty 2x3'




Exchanges: Religion and Faith 5x7'




Exchanges: Vanitas 1x1'

 

Pull party!

Hey guys. Sorry about not posting as frequently. This is a very busy time of the semester, and I can't foresee it letting up until the end. But I am doing a lot, or trying to anyways.

Our graphic design club, ThinkTank, held a "pull" party last night in the art building. Anyone that wanted to came and pulled prints. We had styrofoam prints, linoleum cuts, and letterpress. The party pretty much lasted all night (I stayed until 6 a.m.). We ordered pizza, played good music, and just made a bunch of stuff to sell.

I made the Elvis prints. It took forever to cut in linoleum, but it was worth it.




Success.

The Shining

I recently watched Stanley Kubrick's The Shining again for Halloween. It's a brilliant movie, layered with rich imagery and symbolism. It's disturbing in different ways, some of which I feel reach a deep psychological level that's hard to explain. I feel like there are so many factors of why this movie creeps me out, but these details are so thought out that I don't even know WHY they creep me out.

Here's a great poster designed by Tes One as a tribute to The Shining. Grain Edit (GREAT BLOG!) interviews the designer on her thoughts about this poster:

"The “Danny” poster was a lot of fun to work on. The Shining is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time and for years I’ve been wanting to do some work for it, waiting for it to feel right. While the movie is filled with an abundance of haunting and unique visuals that I could have easily used as a reference for this print, I preferred the more subtle undertones to guide my direction.

The pages from the typewriter reveal where Jack’s mind really is - trapped in an endless maze. Each turn (or sentence) looking exactly like the last one. Jack has succumb to the Hotel’s request for he and his family to stay in the hotel forever, and ever, and ever.

This same offer is also extended to Jack’s son, Danny as he plays in the hotel’s hallways. As a tennis ball is rolled toward him over the hexagon patterned carpet (maze), The ghosts of the Grady Twins are inviting Danny to play with them for the same period of time.

For a movie that is nearly 30 years old, it is still one of the scariest movies that I have ever seen. The “Danny” print serves as my appreciation to Stanley Kubrick for creating it!"

I saw this commercial for htc cell phones with their new You campaign and immediately loved it. It reaches a wide variety of people because it acknowledges universal day-to-day feelings and actions.

Halloween costume

I want to be this! Kat just showed me this awesome Lichtenstein girl costume. It looks like she just stepped out of one of his paintings! Check out the process here. It doesn't actually mention Lichtenstein; it just says the inspiration is a comic book character, but I think that it has clear ties with Lichtenstein's Head with Blue Shadow (1965).

Design Quote of the Day

"Good ideas turn into good designs fairly quickly. If you catch yourself fiddling too much with colors, borders, and treatments to bring a design together, chances are the problem lies somewhere deeper."

-Ryan Singer

For more design quotes, visit Quotes on Design.

I'm going to see Art & Copy tonight. I'm so excited!

ART & COPY Trailer from ART & COPY on Vimeo.

This is a short animation by 34 year old Donato Sansone. He uses an entire room filled with flipbooks to animate in a crossword-like movement. Pretty crazy. It's like a cross between the stop-motion videos and traditional animation flip books.

VIDEOGIOCO by Donato Sansone from Enrico Ascoli - Sound Design on Vimeo.

I want these! Decals on Etsy: Jailhouse Rock and Elvis portrait.

Phil Hale

Phil Hale is a painter in London whose work I found and absolutely love. I like the way he handles color and his ragged style brushwork. His subject matter can be a bit disturbing, on the edge of frightening, with his use of color, close up figures, or just plain oddity of form. I didn't put the creepiest paintings on here.

Piano Stairs

It's raining, it's pouring

In recognition of yet another rainy day this week, I thought I'd post some Gregory Thielker. I totally thought about doing this over the summer- painting rain and outside as it looks from behind the glass of a car- and then I found that this guy has already done it! They're amazing paintings that I really enjoy.



Suspension. 2008. Oil on canvas.




Low Road. 2006. Oil on canvas.



Coming to a Complete Stop. 2008. Oil on canvas.



Cash Only. 2006. Oil on canvas.



Vortex. 2008. Oil on canvas.


This rain is making me feel rather lethargic. I can't seem to get what I want done, and there's plenty to do.

Ladies and gentleman... Milton Glaser.

I enjoyed listening to Milton talk about drawing, specifically what he had to say about how it connects with life, art school, and THE COMPUTER.

MILTON GLASER DRAWS & LECTURES from C. Coy on Vimeo.

For those that don't know, Milton Glaser is one of the most famous Graphic Designers of our time. He is most remembered for the Bob Dylan poster and the "I Love NY" logo. Here is a great interview conducted by designboom with Glaser. I found this question/answer relevant to myself and other students:

"any advice for the young ?

it's a tough business,
you have to be amazingly consistent and persistent.
you have to work like hell.
you cannot become an excellent practioneer without
constantly working hard all your life. it is not an easy way
to earn your money. you have to be well trained and you
have not to be narrow to references, because everybody
else is doing that at the same time. the richness of
understanding comes from the deep historical,
philosophical idea."

Good packaging design 2

Here are a few examples of packaging that are beautifully designed. Typically good packaging sites are The Dieline and Lovely Package. See more here at Packaging of the World.





















































































Alcohol packaging can be done in so many different ways, and I would say that it holds the best packaging out of any other general products. It's just so beautiful to look at. I wish I could buy so many bottles just for the packaging.


























































Anwar Pack (from Atlanta, GA) designed this nice grooming kit for men. He wanted to "design something that was traditional and nostalgic, but at the same time contemporary enough to appeal to a more youthful audience."























Check out this site for old vintage packaging. I get excited about kitsch design, and sometimes it can stand out on a shelf compared to everything else with modern and contemporary design. It also holds a certain attractive nostalgia.






































Andy Mangold designed this suave repackaging of the classic Monopoly Game by Parker Bros. This is my favorite board game, and I'm glad to see it treated right.




















































This is the cd packaging for the debut album of ALB, a French electro/folk/pop band. It is modeled after a portable 45 record player (the Univox Mange-Disque).


























































"Oh Shit Kits" are designed by Eric Hollings. I like it because it grabs attention, was designed in a simple clear way, and it includes random objects that may be needed for an "auto debacle", the "walk of shame", or "office problems".



























Designed by Werner Design Werks, this gorgeous aluminum bottle is an energy drink that features a graphic that glows under blacklight. Who wouldn't want to take this to a rave?

Good packaging design

Here's a few examples of design that have great function or concept behind the use of the product:



















The "Toothbrush Buddy" is a container for your toothbrush that will keep it in a sterilizing solution, away from harmful things in the air that may come in contact with it.











































Designed by Knoend, the "Lite2Go" is a lamp that can be assembled quickly and even includes the packaging as the lamp shade. It comes with a light bulb inside, and can be used on tabletops or hung from the ceiling.











































The "Hangerpak" was designed by Steve Haslip from Wivelsfield Green, England. It can be used to ship shirts bought online, so a hanger can be included. It is an efficient way to use resources.







































"Familjen" (The Family) is a fictitious brand of beer, designed by Anders Jönsson (from Sweden!). It is a box meant to contain six various types of beer, "one taste for every member in the family". It's made for easy opening and carrying.









































Designed by Petar Pavlov, this is a new way to rethink Doritos packaging. It has an interesting shape and is designed to close after using by folding the box a certain way. It makes more sense to me that chips would be kept in a box, rather than a bag where they could be more easily crushed.