SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER

I teach people Photoshop at a local community college. Yes, I'm that teacher that sets adults and teens off on the whimisical journey of making all your photos look stupendous or really bad (depending on how good the student is).

Today is the last day with my students, they survived, I survived and well some of them actually will become quite skilled and talented in the field of visual communications.

With exception of a couple of crazy moments, like the student who cracked under the reverse mask selection portion of his final practical and had to go out in the hall and hyperventilate into a paper bag for a few minutes--I assured him not knowing how to inverse his selection would not cause him to fail the course. Or the student that decided to turn the model for his retouch-face exercise into a dirty coal faced, Kentucky child bride.




As well as the crazy cousin of mine who found out where I was teaching and began crying in fits of hysteria at the doorway of my class room and he didn't seem to understand why his parents had changed the locks on him and kicked him out on his 23 year old keister the week before. He's got a history of drug addiction and well with the help of campus security he is gone to Chicago to live and hopefully rehabilitate with grand parents. Ah, family don't they just make your job so much more pleasant!

Anyway I am ready to hunker down to the nearest Mexican restuarant, order up a pitcher of margaritas and let the semester file away into the annals of the past.

Can't wait to see what is instore for me in the Fall.

BLOG-ERIFIC!

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/your-photos-here/


The New York Times chose my photo(see previous voting/polling station photo below from May 6,2008) to link their polling site photo example for the AIGA/NYT caucus blog.

If you click on the hyperlink for polling sites in the first paragraph, it takes you to the Fountain Square, Palmer Street Polling Site photo I took.

MAN BABIES!

Just when you thought it was safe to post your baby photos online....

Internal Dominant Personality

Yesterday, after realizing I had not marked on my calendar the four hour department meeting I was not prepared for yesterday, I was then asked by my favorite marketing account rep to add an "emergency" color correct/door knob image to the list of tasks for the day. This was on top of the full day's work load and deadlines I had scheduled for the day. Granted the task requested was not an overwhelming time-burden it just added kindling to an already burning fire of anxiety and stress.

Well, I'll be blunt, I was pissed. The first order of business from my department meeting was that all ten of us had to take a disc test. It's a personality test to see how you communicate, react and interact with others at your job. I would advise anyone taking this test, don't take it "angry."

Of course I did and and my answers all pointed to "dominant" personality category. Of course the rest of peers did not believe my answers could be pointing to a dominant personality, because normally I'm a ever-patient, over-accommodating graphic designer who uses her "MAC boom stick" and creates visual magic for their every need. Well, I blew a gasket (a lite, tiny gasket-cause I don't think I've ever gone completely bonkers on anyone before) and began explaining how I was an "internal dominant."

While I'm fulfilling all of the departments needs and graphic emergencies, inside I'm screaming at each person just to tell me exactly what they want, approve the design proof and let me move on to the next task. Then of course my wrath (internal dominant wrath that was being expressed with the fast jibberish to explain all of this) was directed to the earlier mentioned marketing account rep.

I went on to explain how I juggling a great deal of items and I can't prioritize them all efficiently if I have one individual constantly throwing a new item into the task list that has to get done right away. Anyway, I put internal dominant on the disc map--I'm sure passive aggressive designers of the world will rejoice that I have claimed a title that only those that have had to create the same damn logo over and over again and found that the only change the client gives you is to show it to them at a slightly different variation of an orange pms color or make the size of the sub brand logo being supported visually of course by the main brand logo "a little bigger," would understand. My list could go on and on...

My next concern is where in the corporate leadership chain will my internal dominant personality exist?

I've said my piece--so now I'm ready to let it go and move on.

Indiana, god, basketball and voting.

So I posted this on the polling place photo project. The polling place my husband and I visited was pretty dead in Fountain Square. They thought I was pretty weird for taking a photo of the place--but it fit the dead, dated feeling of the experience. I originally thought the experience of voting during this year's primary would be like having someone jump out of cake after you submited your optic/scanner vote--alas instead I had elderly people fearing my digital camera and where I was pointing it.

Now we wait and see who wins the Indiana democratic primary!

OBAMA-MANIA

So000, maybe it's the sugar from the cake I ate today but I'm bursting out of my body-cause tonight's the night for a major Obama appearance at the Indianapolis American Legion Mall. If you can make it, you should be there! A little bird has told me that Stevie Wonder may be throwing a few songs out there for the Obama love.

If you don't go tonight-please vote in the Indiana primary tomorrow (regardless who you support).

Design--Southern style is a wonderful smash up with old school hand lettered signs/mural-wall advertisement and the 21st century mesh ads that hangs over it's most popular downtown city-haunts.

I just returned from a weekend trip to Memphis, TN and the juxtaposition of the downtown scenes of Jim Jarmusch's "Mystery Train" and the slick advertising of the main shopping/tourist destination of Peabody Place work well together as the city experiences a gentrification.

"Emerge Memphis" is the message plastered on the bombed out/abandoned warehouse buildings along Main Street remind me of the industrial and older looking areas of Indianapolis. Currently, downtown Indy has several old fashion hand painted wall murals ads around downtown--you can see remnants of these murals on College (from 11th street to 16th).

I just wonder what will become of some of the older structures and graffiti/murals around town. Will they be re-used for current branding messages or one day be covered over completely?

I live in the Fountain Square Area of Indy, the square (or really peninsula) supports mural projects on it's buildings and tries to include the art community in every aspect of it's promotion (the Fountain Square Arts Festival, Masterpiece in a Day, etc.) but I would love to see how the rest of downtown Indianapolis develops with a similar "emerge."

Just a thought....

This takes the cake, the icing, the cherry and whip cream with sprinkles.

My favorite album covers have been Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life, Michael Jackson's Thriller, Billy Joel's the Stranger, Jackson Five's Dancing Machine, Willie Nelson's Stardust, the album art of Peter Saville-especially New Order's Substance and The Twilight Singers' She Loves You. There is a clear talent in designing for albums, but album art is already taken over by Cd inserts created for plastic jewel cases, and it's not the same. In a short time from now, the jpeg/pdf layout for itunes download purchases will completely take the cd insert's place.

Still, if anyone want's to put out some vinyl and let me design the album art, give me a holler.

In the meantime, take a load off and enjoy the freak show.

Jim's collection of the Worst Album Covers of all Time.
(I don't know Jim, but he is a gracious man for posting this collection of LP covers, thank you kindly, Jim.)

Rock for Riley--March 1st, 2008
This flier is for the Full Blown Productions Showcase at Birdy's to benefit Riley Hospital for Children. No boob, but it's for the children and well maybe I could have gotten away with breastfeeding in the poster--I opted to keep it clean.

Check out the bands:
The Redwalls
Catfish Haven
Modoc

Come out to Birdy's to see some fantastic bands and help out Riley Hospital.

The Father of Album covers:

Alan Steinweiss
Exhibit

I am envious of the city of L.A. right now, I wish I could get there before February 12 but alas I am cash strapped and tied to the job until spring. If I had a million dollars, I would blow it all on traveling and museum exhibits.

If anyone happens to live in L.A. and gets a chance to go, please let me know if it is as cool as I imagine, or if it falls short of expectations.

I stole this from Design Observer--but it was just too good to be true to not post!

Branding--American Gangsta Style.

You had to have known that after the 2004 Jib Jab election parodies that this was coming.

KUNG FU Election by Atom Films is up and running. It's not quite as funny as the Jib Jab films, but this time around you can pick your candidate and fight them to the electoral death you feel they deserve. I'd advise skipping the intro it gets really annoying after the first 20 seconds.

So it looks like Mr. "aint' ever hit a bitch" had more than natural causes come up in his autopsy. What a non-surprising shame. I liked what he did for Sun Records, but I can't respect the man who tried to keep Tina down. Big river keep on turnin'....

Cocaine is a hellova drug.

My boss and I have this great knack for talking about design in all it's business oriented and evolving properties. She's a smart, sassy industrial designer who doesn't have any "pie in the sky" ideas about design...she understands that design has to have a purpose and clean function.

Our jobs in the office are often dictated by the whims of big business and we both cringe when we see how little unity, direction and vision comes across our desks as the big "it" campaigns that will supposedly sell our companies products through the roof. We both share a sadness about the way business fragments and pulls apart design. But like most designers who care about good design in business, we brush off the dust and dirt and get back on our proverbial design horses to try and educate/persuade the misdirected masses that good design is important--really good design, when aligned with solid business objectives and consistent marketing strategies can save a business from extinction. Today my boss gave me an article to read about "the business of design"--take a read if you dare. It's dated from a Fast Company issue from April 2005 but it's message is still current.

It's the end of one year and the beginning of another. I'm staked out in Nola for New Years and I could not be happier. We're gonna try our damnedest to get back her next year and even make it our permanent residence.

I've never wanted to make love to a city before, but I spent most of last night humping New Orleans' street lamps as way to prove to my husband how much I feel alive and full of love for it's dirty, broken up little streets.

As for design--gigposters, music, branding excursions, adventures in Nola and a heck of a lot of photography are coming my way in 08.

Look for changes in the next 12 months--I learned a few things in 07 and I'm hopeful for the future.

I guess I'll leave with the self-indulgence of my top five songs from 2007. I ain't a music expert-- so I'm not basing this on anything but the songs I loved this year.

Also, wish me luck on staying awake past 11pm tonight-my hubby bets I don't last.
Good luck to everyone and take care (xoxoxoxox).


1. Marry Me (St. Vincent)
2. How Deep is Your Love (The Bird and the Bee--cover of the Bee Gees'song)
3. The News From Your Bed (Bishop Allen)
4. For Agent 13 (The Besnard Lakes)
5. Sad Sad City (Ghostland Observatory)

I'll be giving this puppy a facelift shortly-it kinda reminds me of a book cover from 1952--maybe to kill a cock fighting mockingbird?

I was in a hurry and put this poster together with the idea that all I had to do was come up with a "tail" pun. Well, everyone keeps asking me what does it mean?

My answer: I don't know.

I just have a very naughty and wild imagination. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes not. I just wanted to include a cool graphic and a fox tail--you can draw your own conclusions. If it makes you laugh or remember it, then I'm happy. I'll even be the first to say it, it looks like the tail is shooting out of her ass. I think I need to study some four-legged anatomy to get it right.

Oh, well....Ciao, baby.

I've been a little stressed out, can you tell?

I still love to design posters, but my workload has just doubled for the next two months.

Pray for me, better yet just send me on a long vacation to Hawaii or to a drunken excursion to NOLA.

The "boob" is back.

Bottoms Up Burlesque is a local charity burlesque troop in Indianapolis. They work hard at raising money for y-me.org . You should check out their other events, like Dr. Sketchy

As for me I'm going back to work to create some more posters--eventually I'll get my style down pat. It's a weird, fun and disheartening process. Sometimes everything flows, and sometimes I feel like I'm mixing something artificial with what should look natural. I'll figure it out.

See ya later alligator.

This one is sans the "boob." Still my thoughts are that this might be perceived as sexist, (hint notice the female matadors and the charming bachelor with the bull spear). I may do another that plays up the reversal of this and post later.

There is still room for assemblage, my pal Kim is still confirming the line up--so look for matadorv2--electric boogaloo.

Ciao, baby.