Month: October 2013

Here’s where I’m at right now with my logo.

Logo Draft 10/28/13

Logo Draft 10.30/13: Logo Good

marketing: what imagery and information is required of an organization to reach their target audience and/or other potential consumers in a unique, attractive, informative way

culture: an expression of personal and shared identity; relative, perhaps, of a place, time, generation of people and generally expressive of traditions, ideologies, material and in-material impulses.

demographics: statistics which describe a given population

1. Art Haus is a hypothetical organization in the making which provides a safe, accepting space for no-income Lane county individuals to come and create artwork. Through the sale of artwork created and in partnership with local aid organizations, artists will receive “credits” for their work to redeem for food, clothing and other necessities.  It is being created and discovered by myself, Meredith Wong, Carrie Morton and Chelsey Thornton in Cultural Administration this Fall term.  As a group, we believe in the right of all individuals regardless of financial or social status to afford basic necessities and be given the opportunity to build healthy relationships.

2. Art Haus stocks sustainable materials for individuals to transform into creative expression and provides a multidisciplinary art atmosphere. There will be a fair amount of freedom for artists to make what they choose, and while shows may be themed and group collaborative work will be suggested, the artwork made will undoubtedly reflect a range of styles, struggles and successes.

3. There will be, in minimum, a gallery space for showing work, a studio space for making work and an area where artists are able to receive a hot meal. The space is an abandoned printshop, with a brick and mortar exterior with large windows  and a warm interior, with blue carpet and white walls. There will be a small Board of Directors, a 1-2 person paid maintenance staff, a curator and intern curator, and several volunteers. The individuals who use the studio space will be required to do their part in keeping the space clean, safe and running smoothly. The Board will create volunteer work schedules and those who do not complete their designated jobs will be asked to leave. Those who do complete their designated jobs will be rewarded in extra redeemable credits. This organization is looking to build a long term relationship with the Eugene Service Station and create relationships with other aid agencies as revenue progresses.

4. The target audience are no-income individuals in the Lane County area, and also local art patrons and businesses who might be interested in commissioning work or purchasing artwork at gallery openings.

5. The mission statement most recently proposed by Art Haus is:

Art Haus will provide a safe and accepting space for individuals with no current income to express themselves through multidisciplinary art workshops. Through the sale of artwork, participants will be given opportunities to receive credits to redeem with local aid organizations such as the Eugene Service station. This will promote opportunities for individuals to acquire ample basic necessities including stable resources for food and clothing.

1. 

Ninkasi Brewing Company

Ninkasi is a local brewing company that relies on the history of beer for their logo design. They say that the ancient Sumerians greatly valued beer as a healer of illnesses and the way it brought the community together. These Sumerians honored Ninkasi, the god of brewing, for giving them the gift of beer. Ninkasi believes in the notion that beer provided potable water, health and joy to early peoples. Beer, to Ninkasi, is about uniqueness, culture and community, and the ciruclar design works well to that end. The teal color is reminiscent of semi-precious jewels, the typeface reminds me of early Mesopotamia or Greece, and the design around the outside of the circle is much like a repeated floral pattern to represent the joy that beer brought to the Sumerians, and Ninkasi strives to bring to Eugene. The black adds a nice contrast and the light blue creates balance and continuity.

Ninkasi is great– they’re even hosting a show for artwork made by OSLP participants towards the end of this month! Check it out!

2. 

This is the logo for the David Minor Theatre, the venue that shows movies that are about to hit Redbox in a living room type setting, and allows patrons to enjoy beer, wine and dinner while watching. I’m personally not a big fan of the place, but the murals on the outside of the theater and the logo are so intriguing to me that I had to use it as an example. Like many theaters that are trying to preserve the “old time” theater-going, David Minor’s “theater” text is bordered by bright yellow lights and is set on the background of a black unicorn.  I don’t understand the black unicorn. It’s mysterious, it’s unique, it’s joyful, it’s dramatic, it’s barely distinguished from the dark background. It’s almost not there, and yet it is. The slight change in black tone from the unicorn to the background is a nice technicality I haven’t thought of using before. The placement of the phrase, “no longer sneaking beer into movies” at the bottom is distracting for me, and de-classifies the otherwise classy logo.

3. 

I love menus. I think that I would absolutely adore a life of designing menus for restaurants.

For Papa’s, a Eugene hotspot, the menu is more of a logo for their restaurant than their logo, which is completely unimpressive. The sign that stands outside the eatery reminds me of a cheap mom-and-pop diner with little to offer except basic American foods. While the food offered at Papa’s is basic, it’s also pretty delicious. The typography on the sign is not consistent with the typography on their website or on other signs within the restaurant. The only consistency is found in the menu, which holds an incredible amount of character and is completely realistic with what you are served and how you feel within the space. Being at Papa’s is an experience. You have to speak loudly, because more people than necessary are crammed inside together. You should order the food that you eat at family pot-lucks in the park and enjoy your time there as if you’re at the wildest family reunion of your life. The green on the sign just doesn’t go along with this theme for me, and the lettering should somehow emulate that which is found in the menu.

I’m one of those people who is hesitant to turn in my paintbrush and canvas for a LiveTrace and Illustrator. Quite hesitant, actually, and a little terrified.

I’m having a hard time letting go of having privacy over my written or illustrated work. I have urges now and then to blog about my travels or artistic impulses but I tend to be more of a introvert and less likely to share my thoughts or work freely. Thus, my keyboard remains untouched and my diary keeps getting fuller with ideas I’m really wishing I had a way to share, but comfortably. I feel that Marketing, Media and Communications 1 will change some of these feelings I have, and I hope so.

1) I hope to learn ways in which an arts organization can communicate effectively to either target or broad audiences through online and transmedia communication than through printed materials.

2) I hope to learn ways in which it may still be best to communicate through printed materials to certain audiences, or use a combination of printed and digital materials.

2) I hope to build on what basic skills I have with Adobe Creative Suite and gain basic proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, but with a focus on Illustrator as a tool for clean, bold drawing. I look forward to experimenting with original drawings and the way they may be converted into vector images in Illustrator through technologies I haven’t yet worked with.

3) I look forward to learning more about how typography can make a difference in sneakily selecting potential audiences and how the combination of appropriate layout design and text and image can keep those audiences interested.

4) I plan to put some focus on broadening my technological vocabulary- especially in website design and CS program use. I hope that in leaving this class, I will be better able to understand current conversations about digital culture.

5) I hope to feel more comfortable embracing transmedia platforms in my day-to-day life and take pleasure in updating my ePortfolio and personal website as I learn ways that such platforms can help me more effectively share my skills, experience and future goals with more people.