The final Fall 2011 post!

Being a famous designer is like being a famous dentist.

— Noreen Morioka

Well, the semester has finally come to an end! I am done with all my finals and classes! For my last post, I thought I would quickly recap on what I have learned and loved about my internship this semester.

First, like I said during my mid-term post, I have learned so much about regulations, working clients and working with a printer. All my trials and mistakes have definitely taught me how to deal with certain things that I am sure will come up in the future!

I have also learned how to design for someone else. In design classes, you are designing to your specific tastes and likes, and when you design for an actual client, they ultimately have the final say in your design. Now, I do have to say that the Cultural Programs was an awesome client and so easy to work with and I was very happy that they were my first internship!

I loved being able to create designs that I knew in the end would be printed in large quantities and seen by a large group of people. It really did give me a sense of accomplishment and pride in my work. I also loved being able to go to all the performances. I felt that I had spent time with these artists before the show even began because of the amount of research I did on each one for the designs of the postcards, and to be able to actually see each one perform was a great conclusion to each design.

Overall, I have really, really enjoyed designing for the Cultural Programs this semester, and I look forward to continuing it into the next!

Just a little something extra

Designers have a dual duty; contractually to their clients and morally to the later users and recipients of their work.

— Hans Höger

Because the Calmus program is a holiday concert that is less expensive than the others, I thought I should target students a little more and because students don't actually get the postcards, I thought it would be nice to design a small poster to supplement the advertisement of the concert. I thought a little poster hung up around might catch the eye of a student who might not know about the concert otherwise. Here is the poster I designed that the Cultural Programs printed out on 8.5 by 11 size paper.

The end is near!

Designers are meant to be loved, not to be understood.

— Fabien Barral

Well, I have completed all the postcards necessary for this semester. I have posted all four postcards as a final look at everything I have done this semester from the most recent to the oldest.

I will continue to make postcards for next semester's programs; however, I won't be doing it for internship credits, just the free tickets to the concerts!

Finishing the Calmus Designs

Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.

— Jeffrey Zeldman

I have completed the designs for the Calmus Program. Like I said in the last post, the image presented a difficult task of where to place type. But here are the three designs I presented to them.

The Cultural Program chose the third design in the end.

Calmus Research

Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.

— Joe Sparano

The next performance by the Cultural Programs is Calmus on December 2nd in the Fine Arts Concert Hall at 7:30 pm. Here is the Cultural Programs page for more information.

Calmus is a group of German singers who sing tradition to popular music. This particular concert is a special holiday concert, so they will be singing very traditional hymns as well as traditional German Christmas songs and some current popular songs. They have amazing voices that are so powerful and harmonious. They are an a cappella group that has such a presence in their songs! Here is a link to a video of some of their music. Now for the brief.

Target Audience: Because this is a cheaper concert (only $8.50) and because it is a holiday concert, I think that the target audience will be a bit wider for this concert. Possibly more students and more community members.

Adjectives: strong, powerful, flowing, harmonious.

Colors: Because this is a holiday concert, I want to play with winter colors including whites, greys, and blues. I also thought about trying some traditional green and red christmas colors.

Images: the image sent to me is a fun image with all the members of the group laying on the ground. In a way it really reminds me of a snow flake, which works great with my concept! It does present a bit of an obstacle with text placement, but I have figured out a couple of options as you can see with my sketches below.

The choice

People ignore design that ignores people.

— Frank Chimero

The Cultural program has decided to choose the postcard below for the Julie Fowlis program. It was my personal favorite as well...

Finishing up for Julie Fowlis

Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.

— Brian Reed

Below are my sketches for the Julie Fowlis postcard. I have also posted some sketches and handwritten typography that I wanted to include. While listening to Fowlis’s music, I was very inspired to incorporate natural hand drawn graphics. While listening, I came up with this tree that I definitely wanted to incorporate.

Here are the three completed postcard designs I have given to the Cultural Programs to choose from. My personal favorite is the first one with the hand drawn tree. The hand drawn elements give the postcard a natural, organic feel that I feel symbolizes her music. I also chose blues and grays that are reminiscent of the ocean and natural surrounding of her hometown. (My favorite is the last) Enjoy!

Gaelic Research- Julie Fowlis

Design is not the narrow application of formal skills, it is a way of thinking.

— Chris Pullman

The performance for November by the Cultural Programs is Julie Fowlis on November 6^th in the Fine Arts Concert Hall at 7:30 pm. Here is once again the Cultural Programs page.

As with previous postcards, I have been doing research on Fowlis by listening to her music and looking up videos and articles for further information. First I would like to say that I am incredibly excited for this one! She has the most amazing voice, and although her music is in a Gaelic language that basically no one can understand (besides 1% of Scotts), it is incredibly powerful and so beautiful. Her music is soothing, folky, upbeat, and just plain wonderful! Along with singing, Fowlis can also play a variety of instruments including the bagpipes, flute, oboe, accordion, and more. Now for a couple links: Here is a great short film about her, here is an example of her amazing traditional songs, and here is an awesome cover of Blackbird (love, love, love!). Now, on to the Brief!

Target Audience: I feel that this performance has the ability to attract a very wide audience. Those who enjoy folky, traditional music, those who enjoy upbeat music, and those who enjoy more calming slow music, so basically almost everyone. I feel that this performance may also attract a large student population and younger audience because of the artist’s age and her particular music.

Adjectives: pure, soothing, folky, natural/organic, upbeat, dancy (yeah not sure if that’s a word…)

Colors: I definitely want to keep this one very organic and natural, with deep greens, browns, and possibly blues (the short film made me really think of the ocean and fields while listening to her music)

Images: the image sent to me is absolutely beautiful, and has a very organic airy feel to it, which fits perfectly with my concept. I am also playing with the idea to add some texture such as burlap or other fabrics to introduce the folk-traditional aspect of her music. I also really want to add some hand drawn typography.

Here are a couple of inspirational posters and images:

I like her signature on the second as far as hand type goes.

What I have learned from my internship...

Design is an opportunity to continue telling the story, not just to sum everything up.

— Tate Linden

It is almost midterms and so I have decided to write a blog about what I have learned thus far from my internship. One of the first lessons I have learned is how to interact and provide for an actual client. So far, this has been a very positive experience. Basically, I am given a list of information and a couple pictures and set free. I create a concept, make a couple variations, and make final touch-ups and revisions to the postcard chosen. One particularly interesting aspect of this is that unlike my graphics classes, the final critique is not given by a group of artists or professors. Instead of a critique based on form and design, it is more based on what words to italicize and when to make a specific sentence smaller or larger or the overall function. This can be very difficult because I feel I have to critique my own personal work at a much more critical level; nevertheless, I feel that this is also a very good technique to learn!

Another aspect of my particular client-designer relationship that I have had to adapt to is preparing work for an actual printer and sending work to a client. This part has definitely been aided by my current print production course, but still is an invaluable lesson from my internship. My first postcard was by no means correct when I originally sent it to the Cultural Programs, but after several revisions, it was ready to send the printer in a correct format. Now I feel very confident not only sending preliminary options to my client, but also sending a finished product to the printer.

A third aspect to my internship is the importance of a deadline. Although this has always been present in class assignments, there is absolutely no option to move back a deadline for the postcards because the performance is very set in stone. Because there is a long line ahead of me that will need my design in order to get it sent out in time, I really do have to be constantly aware of when I need to have the options for the postcard sent to the Cultural Programs.

Finally, I thought it would be pertinent to explain what knowledge I have brought to my internship. Of course all the design rules I have learned in the past two years I have used extensively, such as hierarchy, color theory, and grid alignment. I have also used all the technical processes I have learned in my courses using Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign.

Overall, the short 8 weeks of my internship thus far has been incredibly helpful in my growth as a professional designer and provided significant insights into the real world of design.

Choices for the ICO and Leon Fleisher Postcard

The only important thing about design is how it relates to people.

— Victor Papanek

I have completed three options that I have sent to the cultural program. First though are my sketches. These won’t make a lot of sense, but like I said in my last post, I really loved the picture, so I wanted to focus on that. However, through my search for inspiration, I fell in love with the graphic images of the instruments associated with orchestra. Below are a couple of my sketches:

And here are the finished products:

Personally, I like how all three came out. Now it is up to the Cultural Program to decide! And then revisions, printing and sending…

Orchestrated research-The Irish Chamber Orchestra with Leon Fleisher

Behavioral design is all about feeling in control. Includes: usability, understanding, but also the feel.

— Don Norman

The next performance brought to UW by the Cultural Programs is the Irish Chamber Orchestra with Leon Fleisher, a pianist, on October 24^th in the Fine Arts Concert Hall at 7:30 pm. Here you can find the Cultural Programs page with a small blurb.

Similar to the research for Jane Monheit, I have been listening to music from both the orchestra as well as Leon Fleisher. I have also watched quite a few videos on both, here is a great one for the Irish Chamber Orchestra and here (scroll to bottom of the page) is a short film by Nathaniel Kahn about Leon Fleisher (I know this is CU’s page… but it was the only place I could find “Two Hands” on the internet). It is undeniable that both the Irish Chamber Orchestra and Leon Fleisher are absolutely amazing musicians who highlight classical music. Below is the brief for the postcard for this performance:

Target Audience: Once again the students and professors of the university as well as community. This particular performance will most likely appeal to a large crowd of older more mature community and university members as well as students involved in orchestra and band at the university.

Adjectives to describe performer: Strong, intense, moving, powerful, classical.

Colors: I am thinking deep monotone colors with possible pops of lighter or stronger colors to depict the wide range of both.

Images: The image the cultural programs has sent me to use is extremely visually striking. I would like to feature the image as the main graphic element and mimic the curving lines in the image. It is black and white, so I feel that in order to keep the image the most dominant element, I will need to keep my color pallet and typography somewhat recessive.

Here are some inspirational posters I have found:

Aren't the typography instruments absolutely amazing!?!

A tall order...but I think I can pull it off.

The Finished Product-Jane Monheit's Postcard

Design is not the narrow application of formal skills, it is a way of thinking.

— Chris Pullman

And finally I have finished the postcard. Below are my two final products that I sent to the Cultural Programs office:

Both of the postcards passed my credentials I listed in my first post here. I feel the postcards efficiently describe her music and what audience members can expect to hear. The hierarchy is obvious for both and the color pallet in particular represents the feel of her music and my concept for each. Finally, it includes all pertinent information for the concert. However, I did have a few complications regarding number 5, the regulations. As I have learned extensively in a Print Production course I am taking this fall, there are A LOT of regulations to follow concerning mailing regulations that I didn’t really put a lot of thought into previously. Luckily, I have learned enough to complete a postcard which will most definitely be able to be mailed, and look good doing it too.

The Cultural Programs chose the more modern postcard (my personal favorite as well), and after several small revisions concerning the type size, placement, and specifics and adding bleed (oops), it has been sent to the printer and will be sent in the mail on October 7^th. Now that that is completely finished, on to the next! The Irish Chamber Orchestra and Leon Fleisher!

Inspiration and Sketches

Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.

— Edward Tufte

Through further research, I have gathered a few inspirational pieces, and I have begun to sketch out ideas. Here are a couple of the posters I have found:

Most of these posters are based on old Jazz posters or more contemporary takes on Jazz posters. As far as my sketches go, I have done a few with an old jazz feel and one that is a more contemporary, soothing feel that features just Monheit’s image (a suggestion from my professor). I am going to complete one of the old jazz ones (the top one I believe) and the more modern one and send both to the Cultural Programs office. Below are some of my more finished sketches I have done.

Jazz Studies- the research phase for the Jane Monheit postcard

A designer is a planner with an aesthetic sense.

— Bruno Munari

My first “assignment” of the semester is to create a promotional postcard for the upcoming performance of Jane Monheit at the University on October 16^th. A small blurb about her (as well as all the artists for the coming semester) is here on the Cultural Programs page.

As for the research, I have been listening to her music, reading her bios, and looking up information about her and her music. Now, first I would like to mention that I have never really listened to jazz for any real length of time before. Usually my Pandora playlist features Owl City and the Postal Service; nevertheless, I have LOVED listening to Monheit’s music. Even as I type now, I am listening to a tune from her newest album Home. If you would like to sample a little of her music, visit her website here or her myspace page.

As I mentioned before, I have been doing quite a bit of research on her and her music as to better understand what the audience will experience at her concert, so I can infuse that in my design. In order to organize the information I have gathered to best inform my design, I have created a short creative brief adapted from one that my professor has us fill out at the beginning of each project.

Target Audience: Students and professors of the university as well as community members [this will most likely be the jumping point for each project]; more specifically, those who enjoy calm musical performances. Monheit’s music appeals to a wide range of listeners, so the target audience for this project also includes a wide variety of people.

Adjectives to describe performer: Light, airy, soulful, clean, fresh. This list was compiled from a combination of listening to her music (primarily her more current music) as well as looking through the current image she is trying to project. The university’s exact quote of her style (found within the blurb on the schedule page) is as followed “Monheit is a smooth, elegant, stylistic vocalist, with a repertoire ranging from standards to contemporary jazz”.

Colors: Light colors; blues, greens, and neutrals. These colors were influenced from her music as well as her current website design which I feel really does replicate a feel for her music. I would also like to add pops of deep colors to really describe her vocal range.

Images: Her picture will most likely be the most appropriate image to use. Other than that, I am currently thinking of more possible graphics to include.

Along with research I have conducted about the performer herself, I also have begun looking at classic Jazz posters and promotional pieces. I would like to create a postcard that combines the feel for these classical images with a contemporary and modern flair because she often discusses her music in reference to classical jazz songs and to most effectively represent her style and performance.

Welcome!

Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.

— Robert L. Peters

My name is Kira Cheshier. I am currently studying Art, International Studies, and German with a minor in Women’s Studies at the University of Wyoming. As the title of the blog suggests, I will be recording my progress and development of my graphic design work as I intern for the Cultural Programs at the University of Wyoming. To begin, I will give a brief overview of what I will be doing this semester as well as how I plan to go about designing.

This semester I will be designing the promotional work for the artists who will visit the University through the Cultural Programs. Mainly this will include postcards and the occasional program, as well as anything else I am asked to do! My plan at this moment in the semester is to listen to each artist or group who will perform and get a feel for his or her work and his or her performance style. This, of course, is the initial research step in any good design. Next I will focus on the concept for each performer’s promotional pieces. And last I will sketch, doodle, and find inspiration from my research and experience to create the actual piece. In order to evaluate myself before I turn in the postcard or program, I have created a list of questions to ask myself to critique the pieces. The evaluative questions I have created are:

1. Does the piece speak to the artist? When the audience views it, does it give them a hint about what they will experience at the performance? Does the piece make them excited for what they will experience?

2. Are the design aspects of the piece coherent with the concept and performer? Is the hierarchy easily identified? Does the typography work (readability mixed with concept)? Is the composition pleasing? Does the color pallet represent the concept and compliment the overall composition?

3. Does the piece target and speak to the appropriate audience?

4. Does the piece incorporate the appropriate information regarding the performance in a readable and easily accessible format?

5. Does the piece match the restrictions and guidelines of the Cultural Programs and any other organization involved?

So, with these aspects in mind, I continue forward with the task of designing pieces, which will be viewed by a larger population and audience than I have ever designed for. Gulp.

Please stay tuned for the exciting adventures of a graphic design intern! I hope you enjoy the following posts!