Johanna Diaz

Richard Avedon Exhibit: Larger Than Life

Avedon was well-known for his fashion work that appeared in Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Magazines after WWII. Subjects of his portraits are placed against a plain white background, so as not to distract from the person. Taking the photographs in black and white became his signature trademark. Avedon was fascinated by the tension created between movement and stillness.

Avedon has photographed many people. Some of the more famous people he’s shot are Audrey Hepburn, Marylin Monroe, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and several presidents and congressmen. He also compiled several collections, including In the American West, Jacob Israel Avedon, The Family, and Democracy. Each series of photography represents a particular project in his life and showcases them with a unique vulnerability.

Avedon’s exhibit was breathtaking and inspiring. I was amazed how timeless his photographs were; looking at his fashion pieces from the 50s, it’s amazing how relevant they appear today. It is the same with his portraits; most of them look like they have been recently taken, even though they’re decades old. I’m glad I got to see some of his work in the state of Michigan.

This exhibit is on display from October 3, 2008 to January 4, 2009.

Links:
www.richardavedon.com

GRAM and LEED

On November 30, I visited the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) and also saw the Richard Avedon exhibit.

LEED Certification
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. The GRAM was the first Gold LEED-certified art museum in the world. Walking into the building, you would have no idea that this building is different from any other. But design features of the building make it an environmentally-friendly structure. Its innovative water collection system reduces the demand for city-treated water by 20%. Even the gift bags used in the museum store are made from recycled paper.

The large windows allow natural light to filter through the building, and the walls and ceilings are painted white to reflect heat. The building itself was built over a previously developed site, reducing its environmental impact. Materials used to construct the building have low levels of volatile organic compounds, which are detrimental to breathing. The materials were also gathered from local facilities to reduce transportation emissions from trucks. The wood floors also come from a company that practices sustainable harvesting. Almost all materials used in the construction of the building are recyclable. Energy-efficiend L.E.D. lighting is used along with skylights to illuminate the building and artwork.

The GRAM is a beautiful building, and is setting a great example for the importance of constructing other sustainable buildings as well. It is an excellent example of successfully combining form and function.

Links:
www.usgbc.org/leed
www.artmuseumgr.org

AIGA Design Archives

I explored the AIGA design archives and chose to talk about 10 designers and their work.

Designers I’ve heard of:
Paula Scher: “Multiplication”
The drawings of multiple pairs of rabbits implies the idea of multiplication in a unique way. It is easily recognizable why the rabbits were chosen to represent the idea. The illustration is powerful and unique; if actual photographs of rabbits or more simplified drawings of rabbits had been used, the impact would not have been as great.

Woody Pirtle: “10th Annual Potato Festival, Hampton Day School”
I like this poster because it feels handmade. The loose, handwritten typography reinforces the playful “potato head” image. The information is segmented in individual bars that look like they could be French fries.

Seymour Chwast: “Nicholas Nickleby”
This poster is a unique way to show how the main focus seems to be bombarded by so many different people. His face has an expression of concern, almost bordering on disgust. The colorful clothing of the people climbing on him contrasts with his black-and-white attire.

Stephen Frykholm: “Summer Picnic Poster”
I love the flat color illustration in this entire series. He simplified objects and foods found at picnics in a very interesting way. The bright colors are playful and almost childlike, just like the environment at a picnic.

Designers I haven’t heard of:
Dick Barnett: “Key Magazine Cover”
The typography in this image takes the form of a key. It is very structured, but looks loose on the page. It conveys the information in a unique and interesting way. The colors work well together.

Ellen Lupton: “#S”
The colors on this piece are superb. The organic illustration balances with the grid of sheep and solid color, and the type in the middle looks very elegant. It is altogether an interesting piece.

Ellen Friedman: “The Sawfin Stickleback”
This children’s book looks whimsical. The illustration style is very unique and the color choices are simple without looking boring. The simplistic illustration style is balanced with interesting composition.

J. Malcolm Grear: “The Printing Salesman’s Herald Book 33, magazine”
The creation of the design is extremely simplistic in that the text is just repeated over and over across the entire page. However, the placement of the repeating lines helped create an interesting texture. It begins to look 3-dimensional if you look at it long enough.

Irving Penn: “Flowers”
These wonderful images of flowers are placed on a white background to maintain their role as the focal point. The composition is interesting, and color selection is elegant. The images look almost painterly.

Stephen Schudlich: “L+F+Ant=Elephant”
This design is so simplistic and clever. The playful and organic shapes make the image appear childlike. Leaving blank space to the right of the equals sign lets the viewer complete the equation in their head. The answer is spelled out for you, but not completely.

The AIGA design archives is a great resource for inspiration and information about a multitude of designers and their work. These award-winning designs are wonderful to look at. I often find myself browsing the archives for hours on end and feeling inspired by the amazing work.

Links:
http://designarchives.aiga.org
www.paulascher.com
www.pirtledesign.com
www.pushpininc.com
www.hermanmiller.com
www.elupton.com

Design and Business: Brand Identity Practice

USPS
The United States Postal Service is a part of the executive branch of the U.S. government that operates in a businesslike way. It has changed along with America since it was established about 200 years ago. Changes in transportation, economics, industrialization, communications, and government have all impacted the industry in different ways. It has played an important role in the development of the country, and each day millions of messages are delivered to millions of homes and businesses.

From 1782 to 1837, the Post Office Department used the Roman god Mercury as its symbol. This was replaced in 1837 with a running pony, which was then replaced by a bald eagle in 1970 when Nixon was president. In the 1990s, the eagle was redesigned again into a more simplified version.

Process and Strategy
They broke down the eagle’s head to its most simplified form. It appears that they just took out the eagle’s body from the 70s logo. It has already become such an integral part of society that everyone already knows that it is an eagle head. They maintained the signature USPS navy blue color to help with immediate recognition.

Creative Solution
The eagle looks like it is fast in flight, just as the Postal Service works quickly to deliver letters and packages. It is traveling from left to right, the same way we read. The square surrounding the eagle head is actually a parallelogram, indicating movement. The wordmark is on the same slant to indicate movement and add a dynamic aspect to the logo. It also looks like it could be the nose of an airplane

Results
The USPS has become a major part of the United States. Perhaps not as much as it was in the past because of the dawn of the Internet, but it is a part of American life nonetheless. The logo is on delivery trucks, mailboxes, and stamped on delivery (cardboard) boxes.

The USPS often receives requests to use the logo from people affiliated with USPS service partners. There are strict approval requirements for anyone to use the USPS logo, and fees sometimes apply.