Pleasing everyone else is your day job.
A Face Only a Mother Could Love
Only a mother indeed. Graphic design has always been good at, and has a long history of, being incendiary concerning matters of social or political distress. The fact that this actual face is covered with a mask speaks metaphorical volumes in addition to drawing even more attention to itself. And, of course, the broken heart replacing the eye hole completes the sentiment.
Alter (L)Ego
Is it serendipity that putting an (L) in front of “Ego” lets me build a crazy character out of Legos? Is it also serendipity that I can then turn this character into my evil alter ego? Perhaps, but I will pretend that it was some cleverly planned double entendre.
Feed Your Soul
One part experimentation, one part research, and another part creative outlet. It would be a lie not to admit the latter in this book. At its best, graphic design is the visual execution of ideas that communicate. These visualized thoughts are the life-blood of a designer.
Sacred Cow
So many fun ways to depict a Sacred Cow. On a more pretentious note: “divergent design thinking”, and all that.
Giving You the Stink Eye
Dirty looks. Dirty colors. Dirty type.
Giddy Up, Horsie
After usurping control of a country, hours of manly judo, and secretly poisoning my enemies (KGB-style), I find nothing more relaxing than riding my carousel pony, says autocratic modern-day dictator Vladimir Putin.
“You Can Fool All the People...”
This quote is attributed to both Abraham Lincoln and P.T. Barnum. With such confusion as to its authenticity it made sense to use equal parts Americana and circus in its visual interpretation. This mashup (both verbal + visual) could also suggest the questionable nature of the country at times, if one were so inclined to see it that way.
“For Darkness Restores What Light Cannot Repair”
Much conceptually driven design tends to be intellectual. There are symbols to be read, situations to be noticed, puzzles to be deciphered, combinations to be compared. This way the viewer can understand something. But it is also possible to focus on emotion. Creating a mood or a vibe can bring about a feeling that keys into the content at hand. This might often be hard to succinctly describe or put into words. I still believe that this play on emotion shouldn’t be completely arbitrary. But there is just something about it that creates an atmosphere that feels like the material. This quote from the Joseph Brodsky poem, “On Love” attempts just that.
Jekyll & Hyde
I know, it’s a little cutesie and a little cheeky. I try to never do anything that falls into this category…BUT for some reason I wanted to play with Mr. Potato Head. And playing with Mr. Potato Head, by its very nature, is already a little cutesie and cheeky, so why not embrace it? Nothing else in the book really utilizes this philosophical direction so that also checks the box of ‘trying something different’. Purposeful under-lighting gives it a cartoon drama, and the addition of Mr. Hyde holding a potato peeler throws it directly into the realm of Nickelodeon. Maybe I’ll make a children’s book with these characters. It was actually a lot of fun to not take it so seriously. Why not?
Seinfeld-Mifflin
Comic books and graphic novels have always been labeled as “low-brow art” from “prestigious” art schools and art history books. An undeserving term since they are incredibly hard to create. What more fun exploration of the format than blending the two best sitcoms of all time into a storyboard medium. Comic format for comic materal. A Festivus of beets, bears, and Battlestar Galactica.
