Blog – Page 53 – Holly Whittlef

April 15, 2013 — Comments are off for this post.

I AM

This semester, I am taking a typography course.

For a girl who has been doodling her own fonts since she was a frizzy-haired 2nd grader in Mrs. Scheeweis' class, this is serious business. Typography is one of the reasons I made the decision to go back to school for graphic design. It seems quite natural to me now that I would gravitate towards this field of design, as it marries the two things I love to do most: write and design.

The interplay between writing and design is critical. There is a distinct art and technique in being able to arrange type in order to make language visible and understandable. And it is certainly not as easy as the type experts of the world make it seem. As an aspiring one myself, I know the littlest details (be it size, serif vs. sans-serif, alignment) can completely throw readibility off and quickly transform a design from Miss America to Honey Boo Boo child.

Yeah, I went there.

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class Typographic Design
what "I Am" poem

01 Design your "I Am" poem
02 Must be in 8.5” x 11” format
03 Use any Adobe Creative suit software you wish
04 Incorporate any type style you think appropriate, keeping readability in mind

Writing this "I Am" poem (which was based off a template we had to follow) and designing it into a poster was a fun and easy way to start the semester. I wanted to keep my design type-focused, so I kept the graphics simple and chose three very different type styles: Bebas, a handwritten font + Fanwood Italic. The result is a graphic, type-heavy poster with a punch of my favorite colors.

I don't know about you, but I likey likey.

Published by Holly Whittlef in school, typography

April 2, 2013 — Comments are off for this post.

ESSENTIALS: Summer Neutrals

While I am not usually one to completely skip over seasons, it's only 27 degrees here in Wisconsin. That means while it technically may be spring, my mind is jumping right to summer (not the first time this has happened) and spending way too much time concocting my summer wardrobe.

If you know me, you will then know that I am a gal of obnoxious color. I own skinnies in mustard, green, red, blue, polka dot and damask print, to name a few, and have no problem sporting the colors of the rainbow on any given day. Red + pink? Mustard + coral? Stripes + polka dots? There is no combination too gregarious or obnoxious for my equally gregarious + obnoxious laugh.

But as I've gotten older, I've realized the value of investing in neutral basics. They pair with everything and no matter how you mix + match them together, you come out looking all Jackie Onassis chic (as opposed to Rainbow Brite). So this summer, I've got my eye on some summer neutrals that will help balance out my wardrobe but won't break the bank - minus that luscious $150 Madewell tote.

And yes, I do realize the sandals are partially bright green and blue. Just goes to show, you can take the girl out of color but you can't take color out of the girl, amiright?

Published by Holly Whittlef in essentials, fashion

March 29, 2013 — Comments are off for this post.

ED RUSCHA: On the Road

In doing research for a school poster project, I came upon the work of Ed Ruscha. He's a conceptual and quirky drawer / painter / photographer / designer extraordinaire. In this series of paintings, Ruscha conveys the hedonistic beliefs and bohemian ideals of the Beat Generation, who longed for meaning and happiness in post-WWII America. It makes perfect sense then that this line of posters is inspired by and uses quotes from one of my all-time favorite novels, "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.

These paintings were made in the 1950s and are simple in design, yet complex in message. Made with acrylic paint on canvas and museum board paper, I admire Ruscha's use of clean typography set against both abstract and mountainous backgrounds. I would really, really like one of these blown up on my apartment walls (my faves are the first and fifth designs).

As I created my Ruscha-inspired poster for my Typographic Design Class, I tried to keep those same design principles while infusing the poster with my own design style. The final product will be revealed very soon (once I have time to reduce the size on the ginormous 22 x 35-inch file).

[images courtesy of here and here]

Published by Holly Whittlef in art, Inspiration