Type-ful Graphics!

When the mind is restless

and the spirit is out flying

blogs tend to take a backseat.

I've been slacking more often than not.

But work has definitely been picking up

for us folks at D

I featured a certain caricature I'd done for a friend. 

The caricature itself was done about a year back, 

and the link to the post can be found here :

http://traveloguesofacompulsivedesigner.blogspot.com/2010/08/arjuna.html

And what good use it has come to!

My friend has started his own site at

http://arjunjassal.com/

The background that reads "Media Is Social"

was entirely Arjun's idea, and the execution is mine.

The typography is courtesy me too.

A lot of work off late has started revolving around type.

If a picture can tell a thousand words, 

then imagine what a good representative text could do!

Following are the doodles suggested for the banner for the brief as he gave me :

Cyberpunk!

Had the most amount of fun doing this one!

But I guess the complexity really did make it a bit incomprehensible.

Finally the following was decided upon

for a simple stark effect type that was both readable and very tech.

Various options were suggested 

for a digital representation.

Though eventually a classic White on Black was decided upon, 

I think some of them did turn up pretty darn cyberpunk!

 Which as a genre, I personally think after much research, 

lacks some good typography to match up to the animations and the graphics.

By and large, type remains to be an under explored subject 

in the overall scheme of things.

So now coming back to the caricature

It has been used on the Bio section of the site

http://arjunjassal.com/?page_id=2

Its been modified to make Arjun maintain his geek-ery as he likes to call it!

In case you are wondering why it looks different from the original,
then its because its a patchwork of arjun's famous thick black geek glasses,
half of his nose and and his lips!
Arjun did you know that??

Hope you enjoy going through his site,
(though it is still a work in progress)
By the way, this post has been featured on this post!

Promise to come back soon with more stuff!

Interrogating Complicities

How does the category “queer” and the critical practice of “queering” translate, as it travels from its historical specificity in the US to other global, postcolonial contexts? Does the postcolonial get elided within discussions of Queer transnational and globalization studies? The conference showcases work that asks these questions, among others, and invites discussion on the possible complicity of the postcolonial and the queer with the normative.

http://complicities2010.umn.edu/

Interrogating Complicities 

Postcolonial, Queer, and the 

Threat of the Normative

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

November 16-16, 2010

A poster developed for a friend who is involved in organizing the conference.

Tools Used : Photo ink washes, 

with a simple structural graphic overlay on corel and photoshop.

The design sensibility is greatly inspired from 

the famous and influential school of avant-garde art -

Bauhaus.

Use of geometry, patterning, imagery, and lettering

to create simple, direct graphics

that reflect the overall aesthetic message of clarity and boldness

play a pivotal role in arriving at the end result. 

The Bauhaus (1919 - 1933) 

firmly established industrial design 

and with it stripped away the decoration, 

and left clean lines of function.

To some it represented the removal of all that is human,

but a personal bent towards those very exact human errors

made me choose a background that is created with photo ink washes.

Thus what is arrived at is an amalgamation of both the hand made 

and the industrial.

That 50s Show Finale

On a gray granular sky,

floats the love story

of Steve and Emma.

He's looking for

that special ring for her,

and is in grave dilemma!

He calls her sister Emily,

and she really is Family.

She knows her Ems deep,

and comes up with a solution

promptly!

Following is the final layout of the handout.

Imprinting Steve and Emma's love for each other.

To be shared with those who're looking to make a commitment.

Tools used : Cartridge stained with tea and photoinks.

Emily painted and lined with acrylics, water colors, poster paints, colored pencils, 

photo inks, rotring, and pretty much anything and everything!

And assembled on Corel and Photoshop. 

Following is the test print depicting the fanfold.

Its slated to have a little chiffone scarf around it

(hence the name).

But is currently in satin of course :-/

And with this we've come to the end or perhaps the beginning of a beautiful love story.