final style guide

graphic design 3 project 2 April 13, 2010

Tristan Bowersox Jovan Nedeljkovic Lindsey Nichols Lauren Schroer TARGET AUDIENCE

Young adults from the ages of 16-25 persuing or thinking about persuing a career in the visual arts. PUBLICATION NAME PRE

We named our magazine PRE because of the way that word is used in our vocabulary. It is used before words and means “before, in advance of, early”. Our readers are in the “pre” section of their career. CONCEPT

Our magazine applies to those who have not yet reached the professional part of their career and are still studying the area of visual art that they are interested in. PRE gives readers a chance to see what is going on outside of their school and helps them to prepare for life after they recieve their degree. TRIM SIZE

A4 DESIGN TEAM

Tristan Bowersox - Art Director Jovan Nedeljkovic Lindsey Nichols Lauren Schroer personas key words

Angela Crafton is seventeen years old and in her senior year at Blue Valley Southwest in Stilwell, KS. She really enjoys the digital imaging springboard classes she has taken in her junior and senior focus years and is thinking about persuing something drive like this as a major in the future. Her teacher energy subscribes to PRE Magazine for the students ambition describing words to look at to inspire them to help with their devotion projects and inform them on upcoming design creativity events in their area. This helps angela see what intern is going on outside of her classroom and helps mentor her to focus on a future in design. supplies how-to educational knowledge original future personal toolbox helpful Andy Michaels is a twenty-one year old and is startup informative about to graduate his university with a degree origin fun in illustration. Andy’s passion is drawing and embark inspiring he dreams of being able to do what he loves boost creative as a professional someday. This magazine not launch entertaining only provides tips that will help him in assembling propel new a portfolio and preparing for interviews. what will the audience respond to in terms of editorial and design?

Our audience is young adults from the ages of 16 - 25. These people are all wanting to persue a ca- reer in the visual arts.

Our magazine will include articles on subjects that will be helpful to readers. It will include subject matter such as: inspirational artwork artist profiles student work features information on competitions and workshops tips and pointers upcoming events job opportunities study abroad opportunities table of contents features departments

paint me a story story-telling in the visual arts book recommendations

martin majoor pre-folios type nerd artist profiles

robert frank tips and pointers dissecting the American image for interview, portfolios, etc.

hand drawn type student spotlight “i don’t care!” regional a guide to pruning your audience color palette pre - table of contents

Jovan Niedeljkovich Lauren Schroer

Layout Coordinator Local Correspondant

Paint Me a Story: 18 Storytelling in the Visual Arts

Martin Majoor: 26 Type Nerd

Robert Frank: 32 Dissecting the American Image

Lindsey Nichols Tristan Bowersox Presources: Eduardo Recife: 42 Writer Art Director Recommendations 4 Collage & Typography Maker PreFolios

Tips & Pointers 6 Student Spotlight 12 Hand Drawn Type 49 60

Pregional: “I Don’t Care!” 56 Kansas City 64 A Guide to Pruning Your Audience Minneapolis

St. Louis 65 Chicago 66 Indianapolis 67 Cincinnati 70 71

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Standards

As ordained by Jovan & Tristan. If you have questions, contact either of us. And everyone ABSOLUTELY MUST USE PARAGRAPH AND CHARACTER STYLES, which are all included, so it should be no problem. :)

The ‘A’ Master is for everything, the B Master is for the Departments. pre - department

To change text that was on a masterpage, hold Com- mand and Shift and click on it. For this little header, put a shortened title of your department. For features, put the title of your article in quotes. For words that would nor- mally be lowercase in a title, use 5AM Gender Light. Example of a Title This is a sample paragraph So, not to sound longwinded, a digital portfolio is really the way a prospec­tive employer will have the most time to take a look at your work. / (and the way to know what the employer is seeing is Asides should be set off with most current) / The best thing to do, is get yourself a website set up. a slash, followed by a “thin The website can be the cheapest plan possible because you don’t have space” (Command + Alt + to store your videos on it. You can upload your full res videos to vimeo, Shift + M), and then paren- and then just embed the vimeo video files onto your website, reduc- theses. Put a thin space and ing your bandwidth transfer and completely removing any need for an another slash at the end, expensive web hosting plan. There are even free web hosts out there, highlight it all and set the you just have to find or search for them. tint to 50% Use your own discresion whether or not to The fastest way for someone you meet at a conference or capitalize the sentence. industry event to see your work is to give them a business card with your website address on it, that way they can just visit your site, and you don’t have to give them a demo reel to awkwardly carry around all day if they don’t feel like it. When designing your site, you want it to be as easy to navigate as possible. Your demo reel should take no more than 1 click to get to if it isn’t already embedded on the first page we land on, and ev­ery other project should be able to be located easily with simple navigation.A standard 2 frame website is best, Left column/ Frame is your Content Links, Right Column/Frame is your area to dis- play that content from the links.

Most employers see the same thing over and over and over as well from graduating seniors, a mix of a few strong pieces, then a few bad ones mixed in, you have to edit and discipline yourself to only show your strongest work. / (I know its tough, all the time you spent on that one project that means so much, but may not be so strong to other viewers... has to get cut out) / Which leads me to how you can create great content for your demo reel, by participating in one of my favorite industry friends bi-weekly animation contest called

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“Pencil Line”

.25pt, black, 60% tint, solid line. Drawn with the pencil tool (N). Try to make the angles as straight as you can using the mouse—you won’t be able to, but that’s the point.

The Pencil Line is used to link captions or images to sections of the body text that are vaguely related or the title. This is different from the way the dots are used because, basically, the pencil lines aren’t strictly neces- sary at all. They just link ideas together kind of like you might if you were drawing in the margins of a book.

The idea is to add a human element to contrast the very simple, reserved style.

Japanese dots

.25pt, black. Always straight (or at right angles). Ends with a circle—which is .25pt, black, and 8.346pt wide.

The Japanese Dots are used to link captions to the image they are describing (like on almost all of Jovan’s spreads).

The line sits approximately 5pt below the headline.

Colors

These are the final colors. Jovan and I axed the yellow because in print it is nearly invis- ible. I also altered the others slightly to make them a bit more different from each other.

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This is what it should look like Example of a Department

I am going to create an icon set to differentiate the depart- ments. That will go here instead of a thumbnail. Each one will be white inside a dot, which will be color coordinated by Tristan & Jovan

Lead-in paragraph. This can be the first paragraph of your copy, if your department has body copy / (Like Jovan’s) / or a couple of sentences describing the content of the department. Like a brief or abstract. First person is okay here too—think of it like you describing the content briefly to the reader.

This is always black. Jovan and I tried every possible way to use the colors. Trust us; this bal- ances the spread the best.

1 4 our department spreads include: a book review to help readers explore different kinds of books that could teach and inspire them in all aspects of visual arts and creativity. artist profiles that highlight artists across the nation student work to give students a chance to have their artwork seen by people who would not have seen it otherwise a local section divided into southwest, west, midwest, southeast, and northeast. a tips and pointers section that will guide readers in interviews, portfolios, and anything else that will help them to excel in the real world. pre - books design, typography, photography

Books worth a look Font. The Sourcebook With essays and interviews from esteemed typographers, graphic designers and artists, Font: The Source- book explores font as information, fine art, reccomendations reviews identity and historical marker, all the while and charting the evolution of the typeface with pioneering fonts that have marked its his- tory. Looking at both the iconic and the more arcane arenas where fonts come into play, the book goes on to profile some of the most innovative and important historical and con- temporary typefaces currently in use, making by Tristan Bowersox Font: The Sourcebook a resource no designer, typographer, artist or aesthete will want to be without.

Graphic Design: a New History Impressive Eskilson's user-friendly text has excel- lent coursebook potential for col- Today's graphic designers, illustra- lege-level classes in the history of graphic tors, and typographers are rediscov- design. The book highlights and defines key ering old printing techniques and hand- terms, visually spotlights central information crafts. They are inspired by passion for the Already, 2010 has seen the release of some exciting new within chapters, and displays high-quality, unique; the feel of different papers, press detailed images throughout. Graphic Design: cuts, and embossing; the brilliance of printing books, as well as some editions of old classics that are fresh A New History will draw students in with inks; and the originality of book binding tech- exciting imagery and expand their knowledge niques. Impressive investigates the interplay enough to warrant another look. with an engrossing narrative that presents an between traditional handiwork and current evolution of events unfolding as with any cap- trends in graphic design. The work collected tivating plot. in this book shows how relevant and exciting the modern use of traditional design forms can be and how much it can inspire the visu- Seizing the Light: ality of the future. a social history of photography

Seizing the Light: A Social History of Photography provides a thought-pro- voking, accurate, and accessible introduction to the photographic arts for all readers. With stunning images and commentary by hun- dreds of international artists, the text clearly and concisely provides the building blocks necessary to critically explore photographic history from the photographers' eye, an aes- thetic point of view.

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Artist profiles Pre: When did you first realize that you were an Anthony: artist? • I started feeling like an artist when my work started to sell. Up until then I felt like I ANTHONY WHITE was trying to be an artist. P: You say that the process is just as important as the outcome. Can you give examples of this? • I also AW: feel that the end result of what you have pro- duced should make you think. Recently I did some spontaneous glass artwork with some friends that involved putting some empty wine and beer bottles into a hot camp fire by Lauren Schroer over night. The process was heaps of fun but P: What got you started on the money series? • I didn’t think much of the end result. I was AW: My girlfriend got sick of me thinking about also with some other artists and rather than money all the time. I guess this happens hiring a model they just took their clothes off and when you work as a stockbroker. My girlfriend drew each other. thought I needed to get a hobby to try and get a more rounded personality. I went back to art P: Your money series of paintings seem to be get- and The Money Series was the first thing that ting a lot of attention online. How has the came out. Internet helped your career as an artist? • AW: The current artwork would not exist with out P: Could you talk about your latest series of paint- the internet. I feel that my web site is part of ings and what you are trying to achieve with the art. The current online attention has resulted AW: them? • The latest series was the Euros Series. Anthony White was born in Sydney, Australia. He is a in sales to about twenty different countries. I only wanted them to be sold only to people From living in a small town I have to rely on who found me on the Internet I also wanted student of both the National Art School, Sydney and the the Internet for sales. I do not have a choice. them to be sold to people who have not bought Local opportunities are limited. my work in the past. I really wanted to find a New York Studio School, New York. This year, Anthony will new audience for my work. Up until the Euros P: What artists have influenced you, and how? • Series I had only sold my work to people in be returning to the United States to undertake an artist in AW: Andy Warhol. Not so much his artwork but three different countries Australia, USA & reading about his artwork. He worked really UK. Now my work has been exported to over residency program at The Vermont Studio Centre. hard and he also got to enjoy the results of twenty different countries. the hard work. When I first bought a house I painted the entire bathroom including the P: What advice would you give to an artist just start- toilet S-bend silver in Andy’s honor. I think AW: ing out? • Expect to be poor. Make sure you that Warhol’s talents where not in the produc- really love it. I just finished reading Jeffrey tion side but really in the sales and marketing Smart’s biography. In the book he talks about side. When I am unsure of something I often establishing an income that is not dependent think “What would Andy Warhol do in a situ- on your art work. I think this is a good idea ation like this?” even if the income is small.

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ARTIST PROFILES Pre: When did you guys actually shoot P: In the notes for the film, Aaron Rose writes about Winter X Games Posters Geoff: Beautiful Losers? • Kind of a long how the film speaks to a lot of different themes, Geoff McFetridge uses time ago. Maybe even three years like the power of friendship and the transforma- ago now. Which feels like ten tive power of love. How does that come into play GEOFF MCFETRIDGE years. I think if you were making GMF: in your artwork? • I think that’s great, and I March of the Penguins, you just think the reason he would say that is there go up, film the penguins in the are a lot of ways to talk about the art world winter, and then come down and that Aaron is involved in, and I don’t know if edit right away. But this is like people would say that, that it is about love. penguins and geese and polar And that is a simple root to it, and the work bears, coordinating all species. is personal and based on something very pri- mary. For me, love is the source of my work. by Lauren Schroer P: How did you get involved with the I think my best work is introspective. It’s GMF: project? • Well, there was a big like love and introspection, it’s about the ideas touring art show, so I was part of being clear and communicating. An idea is like the show, and I’ve known Aaron discovering language right? But hidden in Rose for a long time. I think they that, the root of what I’m trying to get at is talked to me because what I do is much more abstract and emotional. And I different. Well, everybody does think that can be an emotion like love. I think something different in the show, the things I love like my family, my kids, my but I represented something life, the sun. That’s all in there. I’m always that was unique in that I’m an confused if the tangible world is actually a part artist but I also work as a graphic of my work. I don’t really know how my environ- designer. I think when you’re ment, or the things I do in my life, have any- McFetridge is a artist based in Los Angeles California. Born in Canada, he was talking and you’re making a doc- thing to do with art making. umentary, you want to announce schooled at the Alberta College of Art and the California Institute of the Arts. the relevance in a way that’s clear. P: You’ve built a practice that transcends tra- In me speaking about my work, ditional graphic design definitions. You work He is part of the Beautiful Losers Exhibition and makes solo exhibitions from Los it’s an easy way for me to say in with graphics, print, film, video, and even toys. speaking to an audience, this is What inspired you to be so multi-media-ed? • Angeles, Berlin, Paris, London, the Netherlands and Japan. Instinctively ignoring work that is familiar to you. You GMF: I feel like the root of it all is that I have know this work, and that’s what always looked pretty critically at the world creative boundaries, McFetridge is a truly multidisciplinary artist, ‘an all round brands can do. Name brands are a around me. Anything conventional has always way to describe something that’s made me uncomfortable. When I started to visual auteur’. From poetry to animation, from graphics to 3D work, from textile familiar to people, like you’ve learn about making graphics there was such seen this before. It seems famil- a thing as “Commercial Artists.” My undergradu- and wallpaper to paintings, McFetridge has complete control over these widely iar because it is. And I think that ate program was called “Visual Communica- helps to put the work I’m doing, tions.” You had to draw and learn about type, divergent disciplines. and maybe some of the other peo- and a lot of felt pen stuff. By the time I grad- ple’s, in context. uated we had a Mac Lab and they changed the name of the school to the Alberta College of art and DESIGN. We were always pushed to chose between being an Illustrator or a designer, but the logical choice was neither. It always seemed shortsighted to think that way.

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Making a Showreel

For instance, if you gave me your demo reel before ever having an internship, it would probably have some okay student work, and maybe some small stuff you worked on while at your internship. An employer is going to know what they’re seeing right away, but imagine if you went to work for another design company, did a ton of awesome work, then went tips and Pointers to apply for a job somewhere with a better newer REEL. If that company had seen your older The fastest way for someone you meet hard copy demo reel, or even still had it to at a conference or industry event to see your pass on to someone inside their office from work is to give them a business card with your you mailing it to them previ­ously, it may website address on it, that way they can just visit not be your most current, or strongest work, your site, and you don’t have to give them a demo which you really would rather not have sitting reel to awkwardly carry around all day if they by Shawn Burns in an office knowing its not your best or stron- don’t feel like it. When designing your site, you gest work to date. want it to be as easy to navigate as possible. Your demo reel should take no more than 1 click to get So, not to sound longwinded, a digital to if it isn’t already embedded on the first page we portfolio is really the way a prospec­tive land on, and every­ other project should be able to employer will have the most time to take a look be located easily with simple navigation.A stan- at your work. / And the way to know what the dard 2 frame website is best, Left column/Frame employer is seeing is most current / The best is your Content Links, Right Column/Frame is thing to do, is get yourself a website set up. your area to display that content from the links. The website can be the cheapest plan possible because you don’t have to store your videos Most employers see the same thing over on it. You can upload your full res videos to and over and over as well from graduating In terms of you graduating, and having to prepare a vimeo, and then just embed the vimeo video seniors, a mix of a few strong pieces, then a few files onto your website, reducing your band- bad ones mixed in, you have to edit and disci- portfolio or dvd packag­ing, etc, it is not as crazy as you width transfer and completely removing any pline yourself to only show your strongest work. need for an expensive web hosting plan. There / I know its tough, all the time you spent on that would expect. The industry is really changing fast, and are even free web hosts out there, you just one project that means so much, but may not be have to find or search for them. so strong to other viewers... has to get cut out / giving someone a hard copy of a physical reel is something Which leads me to how you can create great con- tent for your demo reel, by participating in one of SHAWN BURNS we are seeing less and less of. my favorite industry friends bi-weekly animation recently graduated in contest called march of 2009 from the savannah college “:05 second projects” of art and design, and was hired at mk12 after completing a summer internship.

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someone with their own style and imagina- tion, not someone who can just recreate a Video Copilot tutorial effect and put it into their demo reel (From the employers perspec- tive, this is can be seen as uncreative, and shows that the person can just follow direc- tions not think on their own yet) So keep that in mind when editing and branding your reel The reason to participate in these :05 towards the type of company you’d like to second projects is because the time you work for. spend to create just 5 GOOD seconds of ani- mation, you can then turn around and put Now, I know i said 4 pieces at the into your reel / This should be the MAIN most on your Demo DVD, this is if you’re reason you do this, and is a GREAT IDEA!!!!! / required to make a DVD, and each project will Another great reason to participate is to build be viewed at their full durations, the Demo your software and technique skill set, on top REEL is open ground to cut in as many great of that, injecting and building your own style pieces as possible, plus your work you may into things. The 05 second projects are sup- create while doing those 5 second projects posed to make you want to try out new things / The best way to have a great versatile reel / like maybe 3D, Traditional Animation, Stop Motion, etc., but these things help build your style which is very important.Employers want

These are great Tutorial resources.

http://www.videocopilot.net http://ae.tutsplus.com/ http://www.toolfarm.com http://www.motionworks.com.au http://www.maltaannon.com http://www.graymachine.com http://www.allbetsareoff.com/category/tutorials

& Some of my favorite Motion Graphic Blogs

http://www.motionographer.com http://www.squeezeme.tv http://www.greyscalegorilla.com/blog

Below are some great & informative talks Nick Campbell of Digital Kitchen has given on get- ting into the industry, being creative, and getting paid.

http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/02/presentation-how-to-be- creative-and-get-paid/

http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/04/gsg-cast-learning-to- become-a-creative-creator-qa/

http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2010/01/nick-campbell-of-greyscale- speaks-at-hyper-island-sweden/ NICK CAMPBELL

A former digital kitchen designer and animaor, Nick is really doing great things for teacing students how to get into the industry.

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Kayon, is a line of exotic Sri Lankan Cinnamon. After doing research about cinnamon and its origins, I discovered that the areas of Sri Lanka and Indonesia are the JARED WELLE world’s leading producers of high quality cin- namon. Therefore the name Kayon is derived from a Javanese word meaning “tree of life.” A Kayon: or stylized tree, is present in this regions renowned shadow puppet theater and therefore the name and logo for this project is based off of this concept. The unconventional shape of the labels is based upon the pointed By Lindsey Nichols archways and other architecture elements of the Buddhist and Hindu temples found within Sri Lanka. I wanted the color palette of the labels to compliment the rich brown hues of the cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, and cinnamon extract. Its my hope that my choices of materials, typography, paper, and closure details conveys the look of an exotic, established, spice company.”

“For this rebranding project I wanted to focussing on Minnetonka Moccasin’s Jared Welle, is a recent graphic design graduate of Brainco: heritage as a vintage road trip souvenir. There- fore I incorporated vintage postcard imagery The Minneapolis School of Advertising, Design, and and road sign iconography into the design of the catalog, bags, hangtags, and boxes. Also Interactive Studies, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He I used hand stitching and suede details to convey the hallmarks of the brand, all while sent in one of his latest projects, Kayon. utilizing an earthy color palette reminiscent of the tanned suede used to stitch Minnetonka Moccasins.”

Minnetonka Moccasins

Vintage hangtags that The brand has two different hang by material styles of bags, that have a made out of twine. unique touch with images on each side.

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Minneapolis

"Avante La Lettre: Insight's Design Lecture Series - Process Type Kansas City St. Louis Foundry"

"First Fridays" "Young Artists Showcase 2010"

The Midwest Regional content

Already, 2010 has seen the release of some significant new books, and some new editions of old clasics.

Chicago

"The Darker Side of the Light"

Indanapolis Cincinnati

"Tara Donovan" "Supply & Demand"

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The Blue Gallery

One of the can’t- miss galleries of First Fridays

The List Wall

KANSAS CITY One of many First MINNEAPOLIS FIRST FRIDAYS Friday exhibitions Avant la lettre: Where is it? If you have taken a jaunt through The Crossroads Community is a mile wide Insights Design Lecture Series - downtown Kansas City lately, you’ve downtown area of Kansas City bounded by 15th Process Type Foundry bound to have noticed something serious is St., I-35, the Freighthouse district, and Troost going on in the Crossroads district. Dishev- Ave. The heart of the Crossroads Arts District eled buildings have turned into hip art galler- lies along 20th st. and Baltimore. Process Type Foundry has quickly ies, while run-down businesses have morphed become one of the most sought-after into trendy restaurants. If you’ve ever tried to Gallery Information type foundries in the United States. Created drive through there on the First Friday of the The Galleries open their doors to the public in 2002 by Eric Olson, the company is known Klavika month, you have most likely been stuck in a and have free admission from 7-9 pm. Some for its unique contemporary typefaces, extensive The foundry’s most surprising traffic jam. What’s going on in the galleries not to be overlooked include the Blue extended character sets, and custom commis- The studio’s work has been featured popular typeface middle of Kansas City, you ask? Gallery (19th and Grand), The Sherry Leedy sioned work. Its early font releases included in the book Metro Letters and in numer- to date. Contemporary Art Gallery (20th and Balti- the rounded sans serif Bryant, the quirky mod- ous magazines, including Eye, Nylon, PRINT, What exactly is “First Friday”? more), Cube at Beco (19th and Baltimore), and ular FIG Script, and Locator & Locator Display, etapes, HOW, STEP, Metropolis, Task News- One the first Friday of each month, the Cross- the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center (20th and Main), a type family designed to represent the Twin letter, and CAP&Design. Prior to forming Pro- roads Community’s art galleries, studios, and which all offer something for every kind of art Cities. Klavika, released in 2004, has become cess, Olson taught at the Minneapolis College restaurants open their doors to showcase local lover-- from appreciator to serious connoisseur. the foundry’s most popular typeface to date, of Art and Design (MCAD)and was a design and national artists. Much like the already es- appearing in everything from the Facebook fellow at the University of Minnesota Design tablished First Friday’s of Phoenix and Hous- Just a Tip logo to NBC’s on-air graphics and magazines Institute and a graphic designer at the Walker. ton, Kansas City’s version hosts a free evening Many restaurants in the Crossroad’s offer appe- such as Blender and Architecture MN. Pro- A principal in the company, Nicole Dotin of art entertainment where people gather to tizer and drink specials on First Fridays. Most cess Type Foundry has worked with clients received her MA in Typeface Design from enjoy local and national art, the company of like The City Tavern (101 W 22nd) who opens such as New York Times Magazine, Thom- the University of Reading, England, and pre- others, and even a free glass of wine. up their patio to First Friday goers who’d like a son-Reuters, and Chevrolet to strengthen viously taught at MCAD. In 2006 she joined glass of wine or a quick snack (spinach and arti- their identities with custom type work, and in Olson as the foundry’s second designer. choke dip is a favorite) before heading off to the 2005 Olson engineered the Walker Art Cen- Individual event tickets: $20 next Gallery. It’s next door neighbor, Lidia’s, ter’s new graphic identity. Student Individual: $10 offers up an ample array of Italian appetizers Student Series: $40 (think quick fried calamari or bruchetta) as a place to meet up with friends.

Nice Weather? First Fridays, while held throughout the year, are not to be missed during the warm summer and fall months. It’s this time of year that the whole city gets into the swing of things and the crowds spill out into the streets with street ven- dors and bands adding to the cultural mix.

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ST. LOUIS CHICAGO YOUNG ARTISTS’ SHOWCASE 2010 THE DARKER SIDE OF THE LIGHT

Opening: April 3, 2010, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Juror Ron Thomas, a full time artist, EXHIBITION AT THE recently retired from the St. Louis Com- Exhibition Dates: April 3, 2010 - April 30, 2010 munity College at Meramec after forty years SMART MUSEUM OF ART of teaching Painting and Drawing. Professor Admission: Free and Open to the Public Thomas graduated from The School of the Art The obsessions of a lover, opium dreams, despair Lacking the public catharsis of a Institute of Chicago and has Masters degrees of impending suicide, meditations on vio- modern day Oprah, Celebrity Rehab Submissions due: March 21, 2010 from Indiana University at Bloomington lence and the fear of death are themes being or best-selling tell-all books, people turned to and SIUE. He has won the National Endow- explored in the Smart Museum of Art’s newest these works to reflect on their darker nature. Young Artists’ Showcase is a walk-in, ment for the Arts Fellowship for Excellence exhibit--just in time for Valentine’s Day. Collectors hid them away in cabinets and port- all media exhibition of local high school in Drawing and has had numerous solo exhi- folios to be taken out for private experience. students’ artwork. The exhibition will show- bitions including shows at The St. Louis Art The name of the exhibit, The Darker It is considered to be an important chapter in case artwork by students between the ages 15 Museum, University of Missouri-Columbia, S i d e o f Light: Arts of Privacy, 1850-1900, refers the history of collecting as a private endeavor. to 19 living within 150 miles of the St. Louis Laumeier Sculpture Park Gallery and The Art to another dimension of the reign of Paris as Artists’ Guild. The Young Artists’ Showcase Foundry, St. Charles, MO. the city of light and Impressionism during A walk through collection still provides an escape encourages and supports the artistic talents the second half of the nineteenth century. As from the distractions of modern life. The and creativity of a wide segment of young, the mainstream swooned over Impression- art seems to offer timeless portals into the pri- emerging artists in the St. Louis community; ist paintings of beautiful landscapes and bus- vate interior of the soul and shows that per- many of whom will get to experience their tling Parisian streets, a more melancholy art sonal suffering and conflict rarely changes. first opportunity to exhibit in a professional world thrived underground--featuring darker Despite the subject matter, it is by no means gallery space. images not for public display. depressing, but rather a communal experience student work of the demons that haunt us all. The winning artist will receive a $500 featured in the Organized by the National Gallery of scholarship prize from Emerson, while exhibition Art in Washington, the show comprises The Darker Side of Light: Arts of Pri- others will receive cash and merchandise an intimate display of prints, drawings, illus- vacy will be on display until June 13 at awards from the restricted Guild Prize Endow- trated books and small sculptures that express the Smart Museum of Art at the University ment Fund. the artists’ thematic visions in nature, cities, of Chicago. other-worldly creatures, love and death. Many one of the of the great artists of the period explored pieces featured the medium, creating opposing styles and in the show schools of thought under the radar screen of the masses.

Etching was revived and became the popular medium of the movement. The works of Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whis- tler and Max Klinger, among others, take the viewer into a somber, introspective, private world of self-revelation. Albert Besnard’s “Morphine Addicts” reveal the knowing, opportunistic eyes of two female addicts. Adolphe Appean’s “Nocturne (Fisherman in a Boat)” shows a lone fisherman engulfed in the night’s natural beauty.

1 66 67 pregional indianapolis, cincinnati

INDIANAPOLIS CINCINNATI Fairey already has a following here, EXHIBITION: EXHIBITION: strengthening the potential popular- ity of his exhibition. His work was very well TARA DONOVAN - UNTITLED SUPPLY AND DEMAND received in the CAC’s 2004 group exhibition Beautiful Losers, which gathered recent con- April 4 - Aug 1, 2010 FEB 20 - AUG 22, 2010 temporary work that drew inspiration from street art and skateboarding culture. As one of the most innovative sculp- tors working today, Tara Donovan dra- When it was announced last year that Since then, the artist and illustrator matically transforms everyday materials— S h e p a r d Fairey’s traveling solo show Supply has become even more ubiquitous as the such as pencils, Elmer’s glue and electrical and Demand would stop at Cincinnati’s Con- creator of the wildly popular “Obama HOPE” cable—into sublime abstract environments. temporary Arts Center, it immediately seemed poster. But he currently finds himself in the Donovan’s drawings engage in an one of the a masterstroke for the museum. Once it opens middle of a legal dispute, because he used Known for her commitment to process, important dialogue with the processes pieces featured Friday (continuing through Aug. 22), we’ll see without permission an Associated Press pho- Donovan employs a labor-intensive explored in her installations. She uses materi- in the show if the attendance and community interest live tograph of Obama as a reference for the red, method of accumulation to explore the percep- als such as rubber bands, bubbles and shat- up to expectations. white and blue posters that were widely dis- tual and atmospheric effects that result from tered glass to create abstract drawings that tributed during Obama’s successful presiden- a vast multiplication of individual units. Care- suggest traces of these three-dimensional As intelligent and beautiful as recent tial campaign. As a result, he’s in the middle fully attuned to the innate sculptural proper- elements. Both her sculptural installations CAC exhibitions by Anri Sala and C. of a lawsuit. ties of these typically non-art materials, Dono- and drawings provoke viewers to think about Spencer Yeh have been, they have also been van draws on their specific characteristics in materiality in new ways. challenging — asking us to stretch how we He believes what he did constitutes often surprising ways. The resulting configu- engage with and consider art. Sala works pre- fair use. rations evoke a sense of expansive growth, as Tara Donovan was born in 1969 in dominately with videos, Yeh with sound. well as natural phenomena such as ripples, New York City, where she currently lives “I think it’s very important for me to clouds, haze and undulating landscapes, tran- and works. Donovan received a BFA from In contrast, Fairey is an increasingly recognizable fight for the rights of artists and exercise sive exhibition of Fairey’s work, to scending the mundane qualities of the materi- Corcoran College of Art + Design, Washing- name working in popular, accessible imagery. The my political speech with images,” he says. Cincinnati, the CAC is making a move to als of which they are composed. ton D.C., and an MFA in sculpture from the 40-year-old Los Angeles-based artist, trained “All artists’ political speech [will be] far more relate the critical art dialogue that takes place Virginia Commonwealth University, Rich- at prestigious Rhode Island School of Design limited … if we lose this case. I’m worried for within the institution to popular culture at mond. Donovan was the recipient of the Alex- and has become one of the most well-known the generation of artists coming up that don’t large in our city. To artists, young people and ander Calder Foundation’s first annual Calder “street artists” for appropriating images from have the resources to license photographs or those who view anyone who helped Obama Prize in 2005 and the prestigious John D. and mass media — from wrestler/actor Andre the arrange photo shoots. They are going to be get elected as a hero, Fairey is a big draw. Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellows Giant to our President — for use on stickers very limited in the kind of art they can make Program grant in 2008. and posters that carry strong, sometimes-politi- from references. Warhol, Rauschenberg, Bar- cal, graffiti-style messages. bara Kruger — all favorites of mine — are [artists] who I emulated. If the people who “Street art is my way of participating in democracy,” look up to me are told, ‘He did it this way, Fairey says during a phone interview with but you can’t,’ I don’t think that’s a good CityBeat. “I express my political viewpoint thing for art or political dialogue on so many with pictures, art and taglines. A lot of people different levels.” feel powerless. They think that they can’t do anything Street art shows that on a very lim- ited budget, you actually can.”

One component of this exhibition will involve Fairey working in public spaces and on mural projects, but not unauthorized graffiti. pictures in political discussions that Fairey calls “viral.” 1 70 71

storytelling, art, design, portfolios

Although it may sound strange to say, how an Later in the atricle, Goodman explains why: image looks may not be paramount to its suc- cess. Aesthetics isn’t everything, and the most “As a species, we evolved in a story-telling culture: that’s how polished work of art will ultimately be surpassed each clan preserved its most importan lessons and ensured they by a crude sketch if the sketch tells a story. would be passed on to succeeding generations. Even today, we read to our children beginning at very early ages, implicitly You may think that your proficiency in your teaching them to look for the narrative structure that can bring skillset / be it concentrated on After Effects or the paint- order and meaning to a seemingly random jumble of events brush / will be enough to secure your future. Now more (otherwise known as ‘life’).” than ever, however, employers and larger clients are keen to the importance of storytelling skills. And if you utilize Chip and Dan Heath take the investigation further. Their it in your work effectively, they will pick up on those ele- book, Made to Stick, is an examination of what makes ideas take root. ments in your portfolio and they will be moved by them. Among the several key factors that determine the likelyhood of an In “Storytelling As Best Practice,” Andy Goodman cites idea to stay with a person are Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concrete- the old maxim “In a two hour speech, people will remem- ness, Credibility, Emotions, and finally Stories. The chapter on stories ber a two minute story.” I think we could extend that rhet- delves into the social and psychological reasons that storytelling has oric to say, “After reviewing a hundred [portfolios/sub- remained a mainstay of the human experience for millenia, focusing missions], [clients/judges] will remember the one that on the concept of stories as a mental training ground, in which the told a story.” audience actively participates in the events described. The book cites scientific evidence that audiences doesn't just imagine the events of a story, they project themselves into them. “...The right stories,” it notes, “make people act.” storytelling in the visual arts Paint Me a Story

by Tristan Bowersox

Exerpts from Ira Marcks’ “Illustrative Score”

These ink & watercolor illustrations are segments of one continuous scroll that accompanies music by The Few Moments. The video is available at witchknots.com/ illustrativescore

19 pre - Paint Me a Story storytelling, art, design, portfolios

Will Eisner popularized the term "sequential art" to refer to comics, and although the art of making comics is rarely directly utilized in other disciplines, there is some advantage in studying their relationships.1 / Especially since they are a perfect example of story- telling in a visual medium that isn't tied to the use of words / Comics consist of a series of images, usually confined to “panels,” that build The change mentioned ear- a story in the reader's mind. In magazines, posters, websites, and the lier would, in this example, like, the reader's eye is also drawn across the page to build an under- be within the audience. There standing of something. Unlike comics, the sequence is not necessarily are no characters, per se, but like as linear and the art is not so confined, but both exist as a whole and music, which builds one’s per- as a series. ception of it over time, so the feel- ing of your portfolio is built up Look at this spread. When you opened this page, your eyes to its whole over time. “Build” is moved around it / and continue to move as you read this / Instead of “At the end of the day, we are another useful word, so I’m going looking at the object in the upper-left corner and proceeding to scan to say it again in bold: a story’s across and down / as you would with a comic book / there were larger sequence builds something. elements that caught your eye first.2 This is similar to panels of dif- all just storytellers. All we can ferent sizes and shapes that break up the monotony of rectangles in While the "sequence" defi- comic books. The reason for both is to create a sense of rhythm for nition of story has helped us the reader. When designing a piece of art, try imagining how you do is hope that what we feel so far, there is a major problem might present the information in a comic book. / The term "infor- with it. It excludes single, static mation is used loosely; one of the benefits of imagining a project as images / which comprise a sig- a comic is that comics can present abstract ideas and concrete infor- in our hearts resonates in the nificant portion of the category of mation equally well / Where would you want the reader to start; when visual art / But before we strike should they pause; what should jump out at them? In your mind, you the “sequence” definition of story, can adjust the size, shape, and arrangement of the hypothetical panels. hearts of others.” lets re-examine the meaning Then, take those panels and apply them to your page / informed now of “sequence.” also by the principles of layout aesthetics / —Sunita Khosla So now we have methods to apply storytelling techniques to both series and singular works. But there are other important aspects of storytelling that we have yet to cover. So far, we have merely been discussing ways to make your work mimic the rhythm of a story. What we have not looked at is the methods and effects of creating more concrete stories.

It is clear that an understanding of the role of storytelling in The most basic thing that all stories have in common is the visual arts, its value, and how to implement it could easily set your that they all take place over a period of time. To put it another way, they portfolio apart from the rest. For visual artists, however, the process have a progression or a sequence. “A man walks into a bar.” Already of making a work into a “story” isn’t as obvious as it is for a writer. In we have a story forming. / One you’ve probably heard before / It has a order for the goal of telling a story to be meaningful for visual artists, character and he does something. But that paradigm could also pretty we will first have to hammer out our own definition of what a story is. closely define a sentence and, without sliding into a cesspool of seman- tics, one wouldn’t say that every sentence is a story. To be a story, it One thing before we start, though: In order for this to be needs to “go somewhere.” We say that. / “That went nowhere.” “Are useful to us in teaching how storytelling can be applied to visual art, it you going somewhere with this?”/ If something is moving, it is chang- will help to think of storytelling as a gradable attribute. / One that a ing. In order to become a story, this anonymous Man would need to do work of art or design can have to varying degrees / Therefore, we could things that lead to a change. say that inasmuch as a work exhibits the key attributes we will be dis- cussing, the creator has leant it a sense of story. So far, our tentative definition of "story" is a sequence that evinces change. This can be applied to any collection of art. Take your portfolio for example. If you have a number of photographs in your portfolio, the sequence in which you arrange them has a definite effect on the way one perceives them. If the sequence is profound, one 1 The principles of creating a path for the reader’s attention are described under the heading of will see it as a story because the progression moves them / Dare I say “changes them”? / If you consider the emotional effect of each piece in “hierarchy” and there have been scores of books written about them. your portfolio and arrange them to create an emotional gradient, as it 2 For further insight into the methods and significance of comics, Scott McCloud’s Understanding were, you will have added a strong element of story to your presenta- Comics remains a high water mark forwriting on the subject. In addition to containing a great tion without even changing its content. number of insightful ideas about the medium, its presentation in itself is a prime example of visual storytelling and information organization.

1 20 21 pre - Paint Me a Story

Pre: The title of your website is "Ira Marcks is a Storyteller." How would you define 'storytelling'? • Engaging an audience in Ira Marcks: an an effective way with words. It's an open field, as long as it's done right. Some one's successful lie is storytelling just as much as Aesop's Fables are.

Stories are generally said to have a beginning, middle, and P: end. This would imply that storytelling is linked directly to a sense of time and, by extension, sequence. Do you believe it is possible for a single, static, wordless image to participate or IM: utilize storytelling? • If it is implying those elements you mentioned, I think so. Storytelling is almost instinctive to human nature. If something hints at a deeper meaning, people will search that out.

P: How pervasive is storytelling in the process of creating art? • I IM: think it's easy to qualify most art as, essentially, storytell- ing. Even reactionary art, tells us something about a time and place. It's all a piece of the bigger story of culture.

P: How literal is the storytelling in your work on the Illustrative Score for March Part 3? In other words, were you concerned with showing the story that the singer was telling, with showing a new story inspired by the content of the songs, or with visualizing the sounds of the execution of the IM: music? • At different points in the piece, all of those methods were used. The words were interpreted through the pictures but I used the themes as inspiration to fill in the gaps between verses. Then I imposed a feeling of density and motion by referencing the musi- cal textures.

P: Were the materials and final execution of the Illustrative Score important to its meaning or IM: purpose? • Yes, by my definition of the term, it was important that technology interfered as little as possible in the experience of the visu- als. No editing, no 'digital' motion or effects. I didn't even tough up the images in photo- shop. I just pieced them together, applied a speed for the sliding motion and set it on it's way.

1 22 4/10 pre - Martin Majoor: Type Nerd typography

After school and student placement at URW in Hamburg, he started in 1986 as a typographic designer in the Research & Development department at the current typefaces were not efficient or practi- Telefont List for the addresses. He experimented with a few different styles, and in cal because of primitive digital and laser technology. the end decided not to use any spikes or ink traps. And, in the end Telefont’s clar- The finely drawn characters tended to lose their serifs ity and readability were very successful so in 1994 his Telefont family began to be on the primitive screens and printers. Therefore, used in the Dutch phonebooks. Majoor’s first typeface had bolder characteristics than artin Majoor most of those used at the time. In 1996 on a train ride with his wife to Warsaw he began work on his M was born in Seria typeface. He wanted font that was more appropriate and better designed for 1960 in Baarn, Neth- In 1988 he was hired by Muziekcentrum poetry and other forms of “refined literature”. However, his Seria typeface was erlands. He graduated Vrendenburg as the assistant designer, this job used for his former boss’ newspaper. Another reason for the creation of Seria was 2 from the high school of allowed him to dodge the army for a couple of years from a request of Hector Obalk, a renowned art critic who was planning to release Arts in Utrecht in 1978. as he was a conscientious objector and also opened a book. He was a great fan of Majoor and had asked him to design a font similar The 1980’s were crucial up the opportunity for him to work on his first suc- to Scala, but he wanted it to be an extra-slanted italic. Considering the fact that an time period for Majoor’s cessful typeface, Scala. Vrendenburg’s design depart- extra-slanted Scala italic is impossible Majoor knew that he had to design a new development as a type ment used Pagemaker, a Macintosh application, to typeface for Obalk’s book. But, because of Obalk’s request for an extra-slanted italic designer because he was distribute all of their public material, but Pagemaker Majoor did create two forms of italics for his Seria family. Seria was not designed studying graphic design did not have a font that was desirable for Vrenden- with economical or space-saving factors, but merely for its aesthetics. When creat- at the Kunst Acavdemy burg so they asked Majoor to create a typeface that ing Seria he followed the same successful approach he used for his Scala family in Arham. The majority would suit their needs of small caps and oldstyle fig- by drawing the sans serif version of the type in accordance with the seriffed origi- of his study and his later ures. When designing Scala and Scala Sans Majoor nal’s proportions and structural characteristics. The result could be described as work were influenced by had a lot of freedom with experimentation on serif Scala Sans’s more bookish cousin. Seria consists of many of the same qualities as traditional type design. and sans. According to Majoor, “Scala was definitely Scala, such as openness and clarity and also has a serif and sanserif series. Yet, One of his close school- influenced by humanist typefaces like Bembo and by Seria’s dimensions are more similar to those of the classically inspired romans. mates at the School of typefaces from the mid-18th century French typogra- The characters within the Seria family have several subtle details and unconven- Arts was Fred Smeijers, pher Pierre Simon Fournier. “But I wanted Scala to tional curves. In addition, seria comes with two different types of italics, an upright Dutch type designer, have low contrast and strong serifs, as I had learned italic and a more cursive or sloped italic. Although, Seria was finished to late to be who specialized in typo- that most Postscript-fonts were too thin.” He was suc- used in Obalk’s book it helped with several other projects. Majoor himself in a pub- graphic research and cessful at creating this new font and therefore Scala lication of poems first used Seria for the publisher Herik in 1998. In the autumn of development for prod- became one of the first font families used by Macin- 1999 it was used on posters and handouts for a contemporary music festival. And, uct manufacturers. tosh with the traditional characteristics of fonts used later in 2000 the Seria type family was used in the FontShop’s FontFont series. Before Majoor gradu- in books. Scala was a highly versatile font and used ated form the school of for several mediums of publication. Majoor’s Nexus typeface was released in 2004 and has three versions, arts he designed his first a serif, a sanserif, and a slabserif that are all connected’. Additionally, a typewriter typeface called Serre, The triumph of Scala created several artists version and two sets of stylishly drawn swash capitals. It was one of FontShops first which in French means and businessmen to pursue Majoor and convince OpenType fonts and two years later it won first prize at the Creative Review Type narrow. The Serre type- him to develop more typefaces. Consequently, he cre- Design Awards 2006, in the category Text Families. OpenType fonts use the same face was actually a pref- ated several other typefaces belonging to the Scala font file on Macintosh, Windows, Sun, Unix, and other systems. This makes the ace or study for his next family such as Scala Condensed and Scala Jewels. new innovative fonts highly accessible, interactive, and versatile. They also have and first official typeface Scala Jewels was actually a typeface consisting of pic- the ability to support widely expanded character sets and layout features. Open- called Scala. tures of hands designed in a 19th century style. Scala Type Fonts denote a western character set, but using typographic layout features was highly successful in both the Netherlands and such as automatic substitution of alternate glyphs and discretionary ligatures are abroad. It was used by several book designers, and included. Once again placing Majoor at the top of the list of type designers just as was the first font family of its generation to be used to his first breakthrough with Scala did in the late 1980’s. Martin Majoor. Type Nerd restyle a major Dutch newspaper, Algemeen Dagblad. by Jovan Nedeljkovic Additionally, it was used by several German compa- nies, including Taschen, a high profile art book pub- lisher. Because of the success of his Scala typeface he was hired to design a new font for the Dutch phone- books that was more user-friendly. So he developed Telefont typeface which was much more practical than the font the phonebooks were using at the time. He actually designed two separate typefaces, Tele- scala sans font Text to be used for the introductory pages, and a humanist M sans-serif typeface

1 26 27 pre - Martin Majoor: Type Nerd typography ABCDEFGHJKL MNOPRQSTU Fonts Designed By MARTIN MAJOOR:

Baucher Gothic, FF Nexus Mix, FF Scala Jewel Pearl, FF Seria, FF Seria LF, Baucher Gothic Bold, FF Nexus Sans, FF Scala Jewel Saphyr, FF Seria Sans, Baucher Gothic Extended, FF Nexus Sans Bold, FF Scala LF, FF Scala Sans, FF Seria Sans Italic, Baucher Gothic ExtendedBold FF Nexus Serif, FF Scala Sans LF FF Seria Sans LF, FF Nexus Typewriter, FF Seria Sans LF Italic VWYXZ&

Majoor has taught typogra- phy at several Schools of Arts and since 1992 and has also given count- abcdefghijklm less lectures at conferences concerning typography in Budapest, Paris, San Francisco, Barcelona, The Hague, Ber- lin, Prague, Warsaw and Stockholm. His work also has been exhibited in several locations including Rotterdam, New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Cape- noprqstuvyxz town, Helsinki, Barcelona, Bologna and Ontario. Moreover, he has written ar- ers at the same time. It is almost as Martin Major is now a type ticles on the subject of typography. He if one would be incompatible with d e s i g n e r a n d graphic designer in firmly believes that superior knowl- the other, using different sides of the Poland and the Netherlands. Poland for edge of book typography is not just brain. A combination of micro/macro five weeks, and then they go to Arn- about display types, but also a greater type of approach would be certainly hem, the Netherlands for the next few knowledge of style and history that al- very interesting, and beneficial, and he weeks. He decided to live and continue 0123456789 low one to be a great type designer. answeard: Indeed there are not many his innovative design career in these His knowledge of the history and designers that combine the two skills, two countries because of his family. style of typefaces is quite overwhelm- so my conclusion must be that there ing. His familiarity with typefaces is are not so many good type designers. I proven within the book “tipoGrafica,” am talking about serious text faces, not first published in Buenos Aires. In about display faces. I think there are a the interview with Peter Bil’ak he was lot of good display type designers using .,‘’–:;!? asked:”You mentioned that you are these faces in beautiful posters. This is convinced that one cannot be a good probably due to the speed of making type designer if he is not a book de- posters, using only a few characters. signer. I very much agree, but when In, let’s say, scientific books you must I look around, I don ft see many that have endless patience, not only in the combine those two skills. On a larger design of the typeface, but also in the level, I don’t see many that would be one of the books, it is simply not so good designers and good type design- attractive at the same time.

ff scala

an old style, neo-humanist, serif typeface

1 28 29 pre - Robert Frank: Seeing Beauty in Our Shadows photography

ROBERT FRANK Seeing Beauty in Our Shadows Robert Frank’s book of photographs “The Americans” was first published in the United States 50 years ago, in 1959. The pictures had been taken in the course of several trips by car across the country in 1955 and 1956. They show peo- ple—old and young, black and white, rich and poor—in bars, hotels, luncheonettes, parks, offices, factories; at funerals, casi- nos, parades, cocktail parties, rodeos; on streets and roads. They also show settings without people: gas stations, barber shops, newsstands, dime stores. There are jukeboxes, cars, buses, motorcycles, and each of the book’s four sections is announced by a photograph prominently featuring an American flag. Some of the people are happy, some not; some of the settings are desolate, others opulent. The book wouldn’t be mistaken for a brochure meant to sell the country’s image abroad, but neither does it constitute an indictment. It is a poetic portrait by a photographer to whom all of it was new and who took nothing for granted. At the time, however, the United States didn’t recognize itself.

Initially unable to find an American publisher, Frank, Fifty years later, it is the focus of an exhi- a Swiss émigré, first saw his book issued in 1958 in France in bition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, an edition featuring a cover drawing by Saul Steinberg and, on the “Looking In: Robert Frank’s The Americans” (Sept. 22 pages facing the photographs, an anthology of critical texts about to Dec. 27), which originated at the National Gallery the U.S. by writers ranging from Alexis de Tocqueville to John Dos in Washington, D.C. The original catalog is over 500 Passos. The book received only glancing attention. The first Amer- pages long—many times the size of the original book. ican edition, a proper one containing no extraneous images and (Full disclosure: I contributed an essay to the cata- no text apart from skeletal captions and a brief, lyrical forward by log, and next month will be participating in a discus- Jack Kerouac, was issued by Grove Press, then the preeminent pub- sion at the Met in conjunction with the show.) “The lisher of all things daring or avant-garde, from Victorian erotica to Americans” routinely appears near the top of every Samuel Beckett. list of essential books of photography, no matter how short. It has had nine separate editions, not counting Aside from a brief notice in the New Yorker that called it those in foreign languages. How did 50 years trans- “a beautiful social comment” expressed with “brutal sensitivity,” the form Frank’s work from pariah to classic? Fifty years critical reception was savage. “Utterly misleading! A degradation of have added somewhat more ambiguity to the national a nation!” thundered the photographer and editor Minor White in self-image; perhaps we are more capable of seeing the his magazine, Aperture. The book caused such a furor at Popular depth of shadows and the beauty of doubt. Photography that the editors assigned no fewer than seven critics by Luc Sante to review it, almost all of whom agreed that it was “a wart-covered picture of America” by “a joyless man who hates the country of his Robert Frank’s ‘The Americans,’ unpopular when first published, adoption,” and who was “willing to let his pictures be used to spread hatred among nations.” The book sold only about 1,100 copies, and has shaped the way America looks at itself almost immediately went out of print.

1 32 33 pre - Robert Frank: Seeing Beauty in Our Shadows

“Indianapolis”

from The Americans by photographer Robert Frank.

The extent to which Frank’s status as a foreigner determined his vision is open to debate. Certainly there were native-born photographers at the time who shared his aesthetic and general outlook, although they tended to be New Yorkers and perhaps could be seen as equally foreign to the vast expanse of the country. There is a consistency to Frank’s approach and choice of subject matter that links the pictures in “The Americans” to Robert Frank was born in Zurich in 1924. the photos he took in Bolivia and Spain and Wales and France; he does not seem to have shot much in his native After apprenticing with local photographers, he Switzerland after leaving it for good. Frank’s foreignness may have influenced his critics, in any case. The sailed to New York in 1947, where he was hired by 1950s were a famously nervous time in America, awash in Cold War terrors and attempting to assuage them Harper’s Bazaar. In the following years, he traveled with grimly sunny boosterism. The most widely broadcast currents in art photography tended to be fastidiously extensively in South America and Europe, taking pic- uncontroversial: Ansel Adams’s Western landscapes, Eliot Porter’s nature photos; and Edward Steichen’s great tures. In 1953 he met Walker Evans, who encouraged success as photo curator at the Museum of Modern Art, the thematic exhibition “The Family of Man” (1955), him to apply for a Guggenheim Fellowship. His appli- which was hardly a disgrace to photography (Frank, in fact, was included) but wouldn’t have been out of place cation was successful; the fellowship, renewed once, at a World’s Fair. Frank may not have been alone as a maker of fugitive, spare, sometimes bleak photos, but the underwrote the trips he documented in “The Ameri- others didn’t have published books. cans.” Evans had abundant experience with road pho- tography. As a contract employee of the New Deal-era Walker Evans did. But the culture of social critique with which that work was associated had passed Farm Security Administration he had traveled exten- most of a generation earlier and fallen into opprobrium since then, because of the looming specter of Com- sively through the South in the late 1930s, ostensibly munism. In the 1950s, Evans was an employee of Fortune magazine and going through a fallow period in his documenting the crisis of American agriculture and personal work. In stark contrast to the 1930s, when Evans and his collaborator James Agee could propose to its relief, but really looking for the sort of rough-hewn Fortune a study of destitute tenant farmers in Alabama (the magazine turned it down but it was published as a native vernacular beauty that was everywhere along book, “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,” in 1941), views of American society that couldn’t be proudly displayed the road but seldom if ever noticed, let alone acknowl- to the people of the Soviet Union didn’t get much of an airing. edged. His own first book was called “American Pho- tographs” (1938). He clearly saw Frank as an heir to And the critics couldn’t have missed the cover of “The Americans,” on which was reproduced “Trol- his vision. ley—New Orleans, 1955,” which shows a row of windows of a conveyance headed left: blurred white person, scowling white woman, dressed-up white boy and his vaguely distressed younger sister, and, at the rear, a black Indeed, there are remarkable similarities man with a look of infinite sadness. Although no contemporaneous critic mentioned it to the best of my knowl- between their two books. Both feature a lot edge, Frank portrayed quite a lot of black people in his book: elegant mourners in South Carolina, a turbaned of ordinary people in unguarded moments, and a mystic bearing a cross on the bank of the Mississippi, a dashing couple of motorcyclists in Indianapolis, a very lot of the sort of expressive but unassuming com- dark nurse holding a very white baby whose expression matches hers. On the whole, African-Americans come mercial décor that everyone took for granted before across in the book as possessing somewhat more grace and style than their white counterparts. You didn’t see that landscape was overwhelmed by corporate logos. that very often in published photography before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Both are moody, terse and passionate about level- ing the distinction between high and low; both avoid Furthermore, the mainstream aesthetics of the time could only see the pictures’ oblique, asym- simple anecdotes and tidy resolutions. The similari- metrical approach. Their fluid edges and melting grays were received as messy, even squalid. The refusal to ties extend to individual choices of subject here and present sharply delineated, self-contained, centered figures was to the eyes of the time as troubling as the failure there, as if Frank were deliberately answering Evans. to provide clear-cut moral anecdotes and examples for emulation. The pictures were a photographic counterpart The possible presumption of their titles leads in dif- to beatnik poetry and bebop jazz and Abstract Expressionist painting and European art movies, none of which ferent directions, however. Evans was announcing an got much respect in the conventional press of the time, either. Both their form and their function were suspect American modernism based on native, non-academic in a time when uncertainty was as good as treason. styles quite distinct from any European models. Frank was presenting the view of a foreigner experi- encing the length and breadth of the country for the first time and posing certain questions, if not exactly drawing conclusions.

1 34 pre - Robert Frank: Seeing Beauty in Our Shadows

Anyway, it is difficult for us to see “The Americans” through the eyes of 1959, because its influence has been so pervasive, persistent and deep that it is impossible to think of the photography of at least the ensu- ing 30 or 40 years without reference to it. Our vision, collectively, has been permanently altered by it, and this is true even for people who’ve never seen it but have been exposed to its style and outlook at second or third remove. The book may only have sold 1,000 copies initially, but word got around nevertheless. By the time of its second edition, in 1968, its influence was already widespread. Frank’s work at the very least gave courage and inspiration to like-minded younger colleagues such as Lee Friedlander, Garry Winogrand, Danny Lyon, and Bruce Davidson, while it was formative for the following generation. There isn’t a documentary photographer who came of age in the 1970s and ‘80s who didn’t absorb the book and reflect its lessons in some way, and that includes such disparate figures as Stephen Shore, Sylvia Plachy, Eugene Richards, James Nachtwey, Thomas Roma, Gilles Peress, Nan Goldin, and Mitch Epstein.

Frank essentially abandoned conventional still photography not long after the book came out. He went on to make films, as well as montages and assemblages that employ photographs that are physically altered, sometimes violently. The ultimate success of “The Americans” seems to have cut him much deeper than its transient early failure—he didn’t want to replicate the book, for one thing, and yet every picture he sub- sequently took would lie in its shadow. Although much of his later work is significant—some of the movies, in particular, are extraordinary, such as “Pull My Daisy” (1959), “Me and My Brother” (1967), and “C’est vrai/ One Hour” (1992)—Frank remains so completely identified with “The Americans” that it has threatened to overwhelm his entire life and career. He has been, as they say in entertainment, branded by it, and that’s not necessarily helpful for an artist who wishes to change and grow.

The overt influence of the book on the young may be on the wane these days, in large part because of the different possibilities and demands of digital photography. Among art photographers there may be more interest in manipulation, narrative, scale and deliberate control of the image. In documentary photography, on the other hand, its influence is deep-rooted and seemingly permanent. “The Americans” might be said to have brought agnosticism to photography; it forcefully introduced doubt, as expressed by asymmetry, overlaps, tilts, radical cropping, out-of-focus foregrounds and the use of massed shadows and pulsing glare. That quality has come to be synonymous with truth-telling, even if it has been abused over the years. Until someone comes up with a transformative new way of taking pictures that can convince us it has an even stronger mimetic relation- ship to the way we actually see, it is likely to stand as such. Even if art photographers are for the nonce more interested in creative ways to concoct falsehoods, the legacy of “The Americans” remains evident and even nec- essary in journalistic photography. More than a subjective portrait of a particular country at a particular time, the book is an essential treatise of visual vocabulary.

—Luc Sante, the author of “Low Life” and “Kill All Your Darlings: Pieces 1990-2005,” teaches writing and the history of photography at Bard College.

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Collage and Typography Maker, Eduardo Recife INTERVIEW BY ADRIANA DE BARROS

A casual conversation with collage and typography maker Eduardo Recife. An interview discussing the fun and downside of living in Brazil, his early years as a tagger and now a typography designer, and how to succeed as an artist.

Various Collages

Examples of Recife's collage work can be found on MisprintedType.com

1 42 43 pre - Eduardo Recife: Collage & Typography Maker collage, illustration, typography

ADRIANA DE BARROS: You live in a country that is lively, social, rich in many ways yet also poor and unstable. Brazil is full of lifestyle contrasts. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages living in Belo Horizonte? • Brazil is a fan- Eduardo Recife: tastic place, what really ruins it is the political corruption, violence and crime. I enjoy living in Belo Horizonte because it has one of the best I think that the vintage, worn look climates in Brazil: it’s not too hot, neither too cold, usually just warm and sunny. We have the most beautiful mountains and waterfalls, and “ if this isn’t enough, they say we have the most beautiful women. The gives a sensation it was touched by disadvantages are that there is not much to do here… Most people get wasted in bars… We don’t have a whole lot of cultural events, the art scene is pretty restrict and conservative; and violence and crime is the hands of time or by the artist. increasing everyday. ” AB: How hard is it to make a living as an artist? • Well, most of my income comes from my commercial works as an illustrator/designer. Last year, ER: I had an art show in LA, where I showcased my drawings on panels… The thing is when some of the remaining artwork was shipped back to me, it got stuck at the Brazilian customs. They were charging me $1000 to get my OWN drawings back! Somehow they thought I was importing the artwork. I got a lawyer to help me out, but things here are so bureaucratic, lazy, disorganized that I did not get a hold of my artwork yet. This pretty much upset me to the point that I didn’t draw a whole lot ever since…

AB: I know that you started off as an urban artist, I suspect graffiti was involved. AB: “Panic! At the Disco” is an interesting band with kick-ass t-shirts designed by How influential was this phase and experience to the formation of your ER: you. How did you meet them; get this project started? • In 2006, I received ER: current art style? • I wasn’t really a graffiti artist. I liked tagging walls, an email from their label commissioning me to design some tees, but such things that I regret… But I was very much into graffiti and the things were so hectic then that I couldn’t work on it. So I asked them to alphabets; I just wasn’t competent enough to work with a spray can. contact me for their next line of tees; they did contact me again and it At this point in time I developed a passion for type and all the differ- was a pleasure to work on their t-shirts. They were very receptive about ent kinds of alphabets. Later on, I discovered the grunge type scene my work and they gave me complete creative freedom. The whole pro- on the Internet and it was love at first sight. I identified so much with cess was dealt with me and the label, and not directly with the band. it, that in 1997, I started to create my own alphabets and typefaces for my personal use. AB: You’ve grown up in the so called “Copyright Era”, which establishes rules on what can be used or what cannot. And because Collage Art relates to reusing images, many of those printed and copyrighted. Have you had any problems with the images put into your artwork? Are you careful about your AB: Your art is characteristic for its old era style. What inspires you to reuse worn ER: selections, or do you disregard and create freely? • I believe in common ER: out objects, faded photos, and misplaced and broken stuff? • I think old sense. I do not use the latest magazine ad in one of my collages. This graphics were unbelievably more beautiful than what we have today. It is also one of the reasons why I enjoy using vintage material. I think was more poetic, and the colors were more attractive. Throughout my once you completely change the intent of the image you’re using as a whole life I’ve liked old stuff. When I was young er, I used to get worn source in your work, it makes things more “acceptable”. I often try to clothes and shoes from my older cousins, and I loved it! Even today, I modify, add and manipulate a little bit the images. But so far I have am really fond of vintage (second-hand) t-shirts, etc. Besides all this, not had problems. I think that the vintage, worn look gives a sensation it was touched by the hands of time or by the artist. Somehow clean lines from the com- AB: You’ve stated that you “do not sketch”. What is your creative process like? • puter bother me, because it feels so cold and mechanical. ER: I do sketch sometimes… But what is upsetting is that collage makes the end results almost unpredictable. It truly depends on the images Most of my digital collages are processed by hand: creating textures, you’re going to work with. I rather have an almost formless idea in stains, scratches, doodles, and more. I want the computer to help me my mind, and then let it develop as I find the graphical resources for compose—not to slave me between the mouse and the chair. it. Once started on a collage, I don’t change much of the layout after- wards… I don’t like the 2nd version as much as I like the very first design. I believe a clear concept is more important than a sketch of the image. I like the moment of creation to be spontaneous.

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Freeware AB: You’ve been generous to give free downloads of your custom fonts. Why are ER: you this nice? • When I first started creating typefaces it was just for my An image that personal use. Later on, I decided I would share them on the Internet. headlines on his I could have placed them as shareware or even commercial, but it was website when you great to help students with no money. Students were able to use them open up the into their work… I remember I liked so many commercial typefaces freebies link. and I literally couldn’t buy any. Some people say I’m stupid for not charging my freeware fonts for commercial use. They say people are making money out of my work… I rather think that I’m helping people somehow. A few years ago, I put some commercial fonts online as a way to support the freeware section. But the freeware ones are going to remain free!

AB: It never hurts for you to brag a little bit during an interview. What do you ER: consider is your best artistic talent? • Collage

AB: Throughout the years that I’ve known you, you’ve done web site designs and you don’t know any technological languages. How do you get these sites up ER: and why have you gotten involved in web? • I created the first version of Misprinted Type by myself. I don’t know how but it worked. I had no clue about what I was doing. It was trial and error and persistence. Since then I’ve worked with programmers from the second version of misprintedtype to all other websites.

AB: Let’s talk about flea markets. I love them, and I know that you do too. How many do you visit per month, and what do you normally look for? • I used ER: to go every month to an old book store in my city. I would come out with tons of magazines, old books and sore throats… But the thing is that there is no flea market in my city… So I get my material either when I travel, or from gifts or finding some stuff online. I usually try to control myself in these situations, I try to really think about the things I need… It’s tempting, but I keep my eyes only on magazines and books, which will have good use in my work.

Chords

Created in 2007, and is for sale on his website at misprintedtype.com

1 46 47 typography, illustration

Steven Heller, a former art director at The New York Times, is a co-chair of the MFA Design Department at the School of Visual Arts and a blogger and author.

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“Hand Lettering Is Seen As A Means To Distinguish Expressive From Non-Expressive Messages.”

You may have noticed it, or Eventually it became a maybe not. It may not be stylistic code for youth- perceptible to the layman’s eye. ful demographics. / The After all, type and typography are poster and title sequence for the supposed to be a crystal goblet film “Juno” stands out as a high- / transparent / seen and read but water mark in hand lettering, and not heard. Type should not be before that, the TV series “Freaks boisterous or distracting, though & Geeks” used the trope before it must be appealing. In recent being embraced by the main- years there has been a veering stream like the aforementioned away from the exclusive use of IBM advertisements / traditional typefaces / or fonts / to an increase in hand or custom lettering for advertisements, mag- azines, children’s books, adult book jackets and covers, film title sequences and package designs. Hand lettering is not just used, as it once was, for D.I.Y. youth-cult concert posters and T-shirts.

Calvin Klein, IBM, Micro- soft, even the Episcopal New Church Center have run ad campaigns using what might be viewed as sloppily scrawled, sketchily rendered, untutored lettering. Its applications are so widespread that a couple of years ago, I co-authored a book about it / Handwritten: “Expressive Letter- ing in the Digital Age,” Thames & Hudson / and from what I can see, there is no sign that the trend is on the wane.

Owing to its infinite capac- ity for perfection, the com- puter has made this kind of hand lettering possible and inev- itable. Incidentally, this is not the beautiful hand-crafted callig- Nature Type raphy celebrated by scribes and hobbyists and used for wedding Is a piece that was invitations and diplomas. On the done by the artist surface, this riotously raw letter- Jessica Hische. ing looks like it was produced by those who are incapable of ren- dering letters with any semblance of accuracy or finesse. And while this may or may not be true, a decade or so ago, this lettering was a critical reaction to the com- puter’s cold precision. It was also, in certain design circles, a means of rebelling against the purity and exactitude of modernism.

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LE BERET DE KA TORTURE

A piece that was done by the artist Jessica Hische.

Hand lettering is seen as a means to distinguish expres- sive from non-expressive mes- sages. Or conform to certain fash- ions. I recently rented “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist” because the poster reminded me of the laissez-faire lettering of “Juno,” which I liked so much. It said playful and youthful. Lettering JJ Grey + Mofro can certainly trigger that Pavlov- ian response, and hand lettering Created for an event can do it better than most formal that takes place typefaces. in New York Every Year. I am a big fan of this anti- type typography. This may be because it is something I can Some hand lettering derives do without mastering complex from roughly sketching vin- techniques. But it is more com- tage and passé letterforms plicated than that. Nonetheless, (including Victorian, Art Nou- hand lettering is liberating. Sure, veau, or Art Deco styles), making most official documents, in fact, them even more imperfect and, most things we read (like books, by doing so, injecting a contem- magazines and blogs) require porary aesthetic. Others are crazy official typefaces — the more Urban Outfitters and novel scripts and scrawls elegant, readable and legible, the based on nothing other than an better. But not every type treat- Created by Mike eccentric sensibility. Some look ment needs to be standardized. Perry for Urban suspiciously like the kind of The hand offers a more human Outfitters Brand. block letters with shadows that dimension and individual per- one might draw on a doodle pad. sonality. Of course, this will inevi- With the popularity of comics and tably change. A popular design graphic novels, hand lettering of trope will be copied until it is the comic strip variety has also overused and we’re sick to death emerged as vogue. of it. But while it is still done well, my advice is to enjoy it, for in Once, designers replaced another few years it may simply official typefaces with their be that style of the early 2000s, own handwriting because it quaint and old hat. was too expensive to set type (see Lush Paul Rand or Alvin Lustig). These Is a piece that was days, it is not an economic dec- done by the artist sions at all. Jessica Hische.

1 52 53 pre - editorial design

Universal appeal is an ethic held in the hearts of most young designers, or at least in the backs of their minds. Certainly it is an ideal that many clients cling to, and, intuitively, it would seem like an aspiration worth pursuing. But lets not beat around the bush here—it doesn’t exist, and it isn’t the chief end of design, as some would have you believe.

What does young Shuyo Tanaka care about your newsletter for the local chapter of The Arbor Day Foundation? How does your redesign of Nike’s web catalog relate to the San bushmen of Africa? These are extreme examples.* Still, they illustrate the point through hyperbole. Almost nothing appeals to, or can even be understood by everyone—even within a culture or area.

Really, we all know this intuitively. We don’t consider those in vastly disparate cultures because, of course, our content isn’t relevant to them. Narrowing your focus to your own continent on the project outline is merely an aknowledgement of this. The key is to take the principle of exclusion further and start hacking away at your audi- ence until you have a sharp, slender wedge.

A guide to pruning your audience "I don’t Care!" by Tristan Bowersox

The first benefit of picking a narrow target audience is that, parodoxically, it will free you. When you are designing for everyone, you can’t do much that is specific to any particular group. Instead you are constricted to universal, average design that won’t exclude anyone. When you have a clear and specific group, however, you aren’t bound by the shackles of mass appeal. Instead, you are released to experiment with and relish in the visual vernacular of that community, and there- fore foster a more rich connection with it.

By using this more specific visual language, you will be able to take bolder risks. As a result, the work will stand out. Your design will more easily develop its identity and character into some- thing unique and memorable.

The direction you should take will become clearer as well. As Durkheim would put it, increased freedom leads to anomie. If you

The character of the design will become personal to the reader. Design that appeals to “everyone” does not often grab its read- ers emotionally. There is nothing that would inspire loyalty from any of them. Conversely, if you are specific, though you may alienate some of your readers, those who respond to the design will have a distinct attachment to it.

* The first of which was handpicked as an obscure reference to Sandy Frank’s Time of the Apes

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Dark Side Dress

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Sparkle Elastic

Gold Sequence Elastic Headband. Comes in blue and black online. One Size. Imported. 18025560 $35

5/10 MacBook Pro • Ultra thin MacBook Pro print demonstrating the thinness of this laptop. At only one inch thin, the MacBook Pro is the slimmest. who did what tristan - art director table of contents contributors page “Paint Me a Story” feature article Book Recommendations department spreads “I Don’t Care!” feature article Target series Flickr ad Albuquerque typeface Jovan “Martin Majoor” feature article Tips & Pointers department spreads “Robert Frank” feature article grid development Converse ad Vans ad subscription page Lindsey Free People ad “Eduardo Recife” feature article “Hand Drawn Type” feature article Student Spotlight department spreads Lauren Prefolios department spreads Local department spreads MIAD ad Macbook ad