Crap Detector!

Human Flipbook

Check out the Human Flipbook. and then take a look at The Making of the Human Flipbook.

Swiped from Best Week Ever (you caught me...I was reading gossip *gasp* while working on teaching prep. The horror).

CMYK Entries Due October 8th!

CMYK Magazine: They have about four call for entries each year. We have had MSU students represented before! Let's do it again! You may apply online or pick up forms outside of my office!

If you are a member of the MSU AIGA you will save 20% on entry fees for up to four competitions a year.

What Does Marsellus Wallace Look Like?

Pulp Fiction in Typography

This has been floating around the internets for awhile...Great study of type and motion and type and emotion. Warning: Don't watch if you didn't like Pulp Fiction or if you haven't seen Pulp Fiction and don't watch if you are offended by the way the mamma F word looks (and sounds).

Typography: Good Type/Bad Type

You are going to be making a series of two posters (possibly three, but more on that later).You will be picking one classic typeface and one not so classic typeface (more of a font, really) blindly. Remember how we talked about the differences between a typeface and a font at the beginning of the semester?

Purpose: To familiarize self with typeface history, work more with Illustrator, explore various printing solutions, research typeface uses and poster design history. Another main objective: realize the difference between a typeface and a font and how you can produce something well designed with a not so well designed font.

Part One: Type Selection
You are the proud owner of two faces. These faces will be yours for the duration of this assignment. It is your responsibility to do applicable research with respect to your faces, such as who designed it, when it was designed, specific applications for the face (was it designed for a medicine bottle, road signs, specific document or product?). Know its historical and modern uses. You are to report back to the class in a brief presentation covering your findings.

Your good type is going to have a large family of fonts to choose from. You may use all of them. Your bad font will only have one font choice. Your are stuck with this and must utilize it to produce a skilled, elegant poster. You may, however, choose one other helper face to use for body copy or other secondary information when creating the bad font poster.

Part Two: Poster Exercise
You are to design a poster introducing each good type and bad face to an audience that has never heard (or knows very little) about them. The poster should highlight type flexibility, history etc. Use the alphabet (you may use its numbers and special characters) and some clever copy to relay your concept about each face. You may use illustrations that you create, but hold back. I don't want this poster to be too image heavy. Check with me before you start.

Make both of your final posters the same size. The size must be 11x17 or larger.

Due Dates:
Thursday, September 27th::intro assignment, research on typefaces, thumbnail sketches for both posters
Thursday, October 4th::Meet with me to look at progress and ideas. Have at least 10 well rendered ideas for each poster. Presentation on typefaces-later upload progress to flickr.
Tuesday, October 9th::small group crit on posters. upload your posters to flickr.
Thursday, October 11th:: have all progress uploaded to flickr, pre-crit on PRINT OUTS of both posters and if any time is left over then use it to work!
Tuesday, October 14th:: both posters due

The Mother of all Paper Posts (repost)

Okay design kids (esp. graphic design one kids), I want to give you a brief overview of the POWER OF PAPER (insert evil laugh here).

The following is a list of paper company links that you should be able to order samples from if you wish to do so.

Utopia

Fox River Paper

Finch Paper

French Paper

Gilbert Paper

gmund paper

International Paper

Mohawk Fine Papers

Neenah Paper Company

Sappi Limited

SMART Papers

Stora Enso

Wausau Paper

Yupo!

Curious Collection

paper.com

Paper Source

Strathmore

Start ordering samples, start printing on non-traditional papers, go to msu printing and ask for samples, go to Von Printing in Starkville and ask for samples...don't be afraid. Paper is awesome.

And I am back...

above image: opening night at jen bekman for more photos of what I was doing this entire last week, check out my flickr set of show installation and opening photos. See, I wasn't just sleeping in and watching soaps this past week.

ANYWAY. Crap Detector is back, I am back, class is back. Turn your brains on, school is in session.
See you tomorrow morning.

Advertising One: Do You Want Fries with That?

Advertising class, your next assignment is to develop a restaurant and its advertising campaign. Your restaurant can be the following: BBQ, Sushi, Vegetarian, Mexican, Seafood, Italian, Diner, Creole-French or ANYTHING YOU WANT IT TO BE. Make your design mouthwatering and develop ads that will leave them asking for seconds! (whew! that was some stinky copywriting!)

Part One: Creative Brief/ presentation on your restaurant concept (review earlier post about creative briefs and create questions that would relate to restaurants)
Part Two: Logo (black & white and color)
Part Three: Major Traditional Campaign (pick one)
Newspaper Ads (at least three with smart copy and concept)
Billboards (at least three with smart copy and concept)
Subway/Street Posters (at least three with smart copy and concept)
Part Four: Minor Non Traditional Campaign (pick one)
Menu
Take Out Packaging
Website Ads

other collateral items may be suggested (encouraged, actually!)

Due Dates:
Monday, September 24th: Research and Brainstorming for restaurant campaign
Wednesday, September 26th: Creative Brief Presentation
Friday, September 28th: Workday/Roughs for Logo/flickr
Monday, October 1st: FALL BREAK
Wednesday, October 3rd: Pre-Crit Logo/flickr
Friday, October 5th: Workday Logo
Monday, October 8th: Logo Due/ Start Campaign work
Wednesday, October 10th: workday and digital files showing progress/flickr
Friday, October 12th: Pre-Crit on campaign
Monday, October 15th: workday and digital files showing progress
Wednesday, October 17th: group crits and workday
Friday, October 19th: Final Crit all boards mounted and due. Intro new assignment.

photo credit: Thanks to Gayla! Check out her site!

Advertising One and Print Production: The Creative Brief

I want you to write a creative brief for your upcoming project. The creative brief includes questions that will help you develop an innovative, exciting and FANTASTIC campaign.

The following is taken from: Advertising By Design. I linked it up on the right hand side of the blog.

THE CREATIVE BRIEF:
"Ideas come from understanding how and why people use a product or service. That's why clients and ad agencies spend so much money on market research and focus groups. Market research is usually the first step in the process of developing advertising. Research might provide a jumping off point for an idea. After market research comes the strategic planning: the overall plan of how to position, market, and advertise a brand or social cause. After that, the creative brief is written, where answers to crucial questions are formulated.

A creative brief is the map of the agency's and client's prepartory mission. Most creative briefs consist of questions and answers aimed at understanding the brand, the objectives of the advertising, the context of the advertising, the audience, and the strategic plan for implementing the objectives.

Essentially, a creative brief is a strategic plan that both client and agency agree upon and from which the creative team works as a strategic springboard. A thoughful, clear brief can lead to creative and successful ads."

Usually a creative brief is written between the agency and the client, but since your client isn't accessible some fill in the blank work will be needed.

Answer the following questions. Add your own questions and answer them if needed.
1. Why are we advertising? (why does the client need a new campaign?)
2. Whom are we talking to? (target audience for your campaign)
3. What do they currently think? (what does the audience of your product currently think of it? make an educated guess)
4. What would we like them to think? (how will your campaign change their views?)
5. What is the single most persuasive idea we can convey?
6. Why should they believe it?
7. How do we execute this strategy?

Please add more questions or alter this as you see fit. What I want you to do for me by next class period (MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24th) is to present your questions and answers to the class and then turn into me. Also, present your plan of action. This presentation should be smart, thoughtful, organized and proactive. Once you have completed your creative brief will have also created a map for your campaign.

Don't Cry, Crap Detector will be back September 24th!

While I am getting prepared for my show at jen bekman in nyc, this site is going to go on hiatus until September 24th. I may still be reached by email while I am gone. You might even see me on IM since the gallery will have wireless.

above image: crying models from cycle seven of america's next top model.

Type One: Music Postcard Assignment

Pick a song lyric and design a postcard . Convey the meanings and/or feelings of a musical lyric through type. Think about literal, connotative and historical meanings of your lyric. The typeface characters may not be manipulated in any way (NO PHOTOSHOP FILTERS•DO NOT STRETCH TYPE). You may not add any graphic elements. To convey your lyric’s meaning think about size, placement on the page, orientation, direction, and typestyle. Remember that there are two sides to a postcard, make sure you create both.

OBJECTIVES:
•to analyze appropriate fonts for interpretive value.
•to encourage the use of type exclusively to convey an idea.
•to introduce type as a visual-communication medium
•to encourage thinking of type as an interpretive, expressive medium

due date*
Tuesday, September 11th: Bring in printed card AND you song for final critique.