WFDJ » Degree Project

6000 Frames and 6000 Paintings

Chris Burns — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:37:31 +0000

Imbibe in painstaking craftsmanship. Take in the sheer bulk of work that is this project. Each frame of the five minute video you are about to view is a fine-art piece of painting. This monumental graduation project is called “Khoda.” Each painting placed in order over a 2 year start-to-finish period of production. The designer, painter, and director of this piece is art student Reza Dolatabadi. It’s a thriller.

What if you watch a film and whenever you pause it, you face a painting? This idea inspired Reza Dolatabadi to make Khoda. Over 6000 paintings were painstakingly produced during two years to create a five minutes film that would meet high personal standards. Khoda is a psychological thriller; a student project which was seen as a ‘mission impossible’ by many people but eventually proved possible!

Director and art director: Reza Dolatabadi
Written by Reza Dolatabadi & Mark Szalos Farkas
Animation by Adam Thomson
Music by Hamed Mafakheri

In addition to the feature film above, you can also find a gallery of sketches for other projects by Dolatabadi below. Keep your eyes on the “full-bleed” sketchbook illustrations. They’re basically worth their own post with the loveliness they shine.

This post is graduated from the World Famous Design Junkies degree project category!

Back Tew Mailers

Chris Burns — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:33:46 +0000

Mail, mail, slow, wonderful mail. Every once in a while you’ve got to utilize our socialized mailbox and delivery person system. And when that happens, you’ve got to go crazy! It’s important to bring the heat with heck-a creative energy. The one you see before you’s made by architect Nick Doermann and it’s got amazing folds and letters and symbols.

Yes, architect, yes. Even you benefit from the magic of typography. Witness as it unfolds into different compositions and composes itself into different additional fabulousnesses. It’s a card, its a banner, it’s a poster!

This post is part of the World Famous Design Junkies gridwork category.

Mutanagenic Poster Holding

Chris Burns — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:09:03 +0000

Nick Sanchez has a design portfolio on the internet and indeed Nick Sanchez is a designer. I want to show you at least a couple things that he’s done. One of them is this book called “Designers on Design” which has a quote that goes “Try something else. That took me fucking forever to figure out.” – Chip Kidd. The other is the picture above: the mutant poster holder technique.

I swear not a week goes by where I don’t find a new way to hold a poster. You know the ones used most often: that one where the designer holds the poster with their hands, holding it up in front of them, covering up their face – then there’s the one where it’s just those black clips holding the poster up on the wall.

We’ll here’s a new one! It’s a mutated designer! Four hands for three posters – just fabulous I tell you! Now look at the other things Sanchez has for you!

This post is all up in the World Famous Design Junkies posters category.

It’s a Dinosaur Fantasy!

Chris Burns — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:42:07 +0000

Blockbuster graduate show! This is the show not only had fantastic design, and a lot of it, books and sheets, and posters galore, it’s got a bowl of free dinosaurs. Yes that is right, it’s perfect, isn’t it! Free dinosaurs! Those little guys you see there, in the bowl and all over. Of all the little thangs a designer could give away for free, how prehistoric is this? It makes me feel like the entirety of this show (oh, by designer Stina Johansson, did I mention that?) is contemporary, colorful, and totally established in her design etiquette and love for some real good letters set real nice on some nice paper.

Also, just incase you are an animal rights activists looking to protect our ancient allies, don’t fret! During the exhibition, each and every dinosaur was taken by a loving family to have and to hold forever. Sooo sweet huh? Don’t forget to look at the other, non-dinosaur stuff too! It’s real fantasy stuff.

Graduate show at University of Cumbria, June 2009. I gave away free dinosaurs, which was very popular. Later my tutors stole the empty bowl because they thought I was begging for money.

© Copyright to Stina Johansson 2009.

Discover the entirety of Stina Johansson‘s portfolio website. Having just graduated this year, Stina J is undoubtedly in the whirlwind of post-school freedom fervor. Catch her now and find yourself with a wild velociraptor on your hands! And with that said, there should be no doubt whatsoever in your mind that this post is part of the pizza party category.

This post is also part of the small and elite degree project category here on World Famous Design Junkies. Devour!

Brouse Fantasyland

Chris Burns — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:43:05 +0000

A fantasy of TOYS that is. Here is the senior project of Jenna Brouse: MCAD senior and strange-design extraordinaire! Maybe I’d call her a kitsch champion. She’s fond of sparkles. Anyway, here’s her senior project, which catalogues the first 10 years of her time here on planet Earth. Special Note: she also illustrated and designed all of the 2009 Red Hot Art promotional materials. Wowie!

Untraditional blog-type portfolio with a sticker: http://blog.jennabrouse.com/

02 MAY 2009
senior proj = COMPLETE
I just finished up my senior project, a book cataloguing memories from the first decade of my life. Fascinating!

Below see lots of fantasy-land illustrations and whatnot from the archives of Jenna Brouse, especially the first few, which depict pages from her senior project on her 10 first years. Then be extra-sure to see http://redhotart.org/, visit the Boiler Room in South Minneapolis to see the preview show for Red Hot Art, and of course, go to Red Hot Art itself! It’s a hip-slammin good time!

Free BJ for everyone viewing MCAD Portfolio Week!

All Prologue ala Liz Plahn

Chris Burns — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:05:45 +0000

Liz Plahn’s (pronounced like “plain”) senior project is paper on top of paper on top of paper. It’s on the “American working class” in a modern well-set context. The most striking moment I had peeking at this project early, (it’s currently hanging in physical form at the MCAD,) was with the poster above, part of the “Black and White Posters” part of the project. We went from working for ourselves to taking from our neighbor to defending ourselves against giant, mutant killer frogs. That’s what it means Liz, right?

Below is basically every bit of documentation miss Plahn currently has on her project “All Prologue.” Take each bit for what it’s worth, as each little page has intrinsic aesthetic and metaphysical value. This is a designer in the heart.

All Prologue is an investigation into the historical and contemporary struggles of the American working class, and how they are reflected in my personal histories and experiences.

The goal of the project is to create work that speaks deeply to both the working class and art communities, while remaining an inherently personal study.

From the project:

An excerpt from Barbara Kopple’s 1976 documentary about Kentucky coal miners, Harlan County, USA. In this scene, while picketing the Duke Power Co. in New York City, miner Jerry Johnson discusses with a local police officer the disparities between their respective professions.

Jerry Johnson: The tunnels here is just like a mine.
NYC Police Officer: Yeah.
Jerry Johnson: Only ours is about 42 inches high.
NYC Police Officer: I think-I think these are more secure than a mine, sir. I wouldn’t mind going under here, but your mines-
Jerry Johnson: Yeah. You wouldn’t wanna go in the mines?
NYC Police Officer: No.
Jerry Johnson: They could make a good profit off the mines if they had a union. They won’t give us one.
NYC Police Officer: Make good profit, but they keep it all themselves. Right?
Jerry Johnson: Yeah.
NYC Police Officer: They don’t spread the wealth. I thought you guys got paid a little more than you do. You don’t get paid a bad salary, but I thought it was a little more.
Jerry Johnson: We get paid real good, but, you know-
nyc police officer: No, it’s not. What’s real good? Five dollars, six dollars an hour?
Jerry Johnson: Yeah, we-
NYC Police Officer: That’s not real good. I make more than that.
Jerry Johnson: Yeah?
NYC Police Officer: Sure, I do.
Jerry Johnson: The policeman makes less down there.
NYC Police Officer: We make about seven.
Jerry Johnson: God! That’s good money. We draw union strike benefits. And it’s real hard, you know, to live on a hundred. Is your job real dangerous, though?
NYC Police Officer: Look at me.
Jerry Johnson: I mean-
NYC Police Officer: This is all I do. It’s a lot of bullshit.
Jerry Johnson: I mean a lot of people don’t understand that that electricity burnin’ over there takes somebody dyin’ every day for it. There’s one man dies every day. You probably got medical coverage.
NYC Police Officer: Free.
Jerry Johnson: Free medical coverage. I’d save up, buddy, buy a house. Kids all get sick, I’d have to spend every penny-
NYC Police Officer: What about dental?
Jerry Johnson: No dental. You got dental?
NYC Police Officer: Dental.
Jerry Johnson: Goddamn.
NYC Police Officer: We got dental. We got all kinds of health. We got drugs. I could retire at 36. Half pay-10,000 a year.
Jerry Johnson: Well they don’t want us to ever be able to retire.
NYC Police Officer: That’s bad.
Jerry Johnson: That’s the reason we’re here. That’s the reason we’re on strike. Been on strike nine months.
NYC Police Officer: Nine months?
Jerry Johnson: Nine months.
NYC Police Officer: I thought this was the first day.
Jerry Johnson: No! This is nine months. We can’t get a-they won’t sign a contract.
NYC Police Officer: It’s good you came here to bring some publicity.
Jerry Johnson: Yeah. Yeah.

This project is hanging on the second floor of the MCAD along the giant stairway. Details for the show are at the MCAD site and oh, look at that, right here:
When: May 6-17, 2009
Where: MCAD Gallery | All Galleries
Reception: Saturday, May 16, 5-7 p.m.

Graduating students from all departments of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program present their thesis work.

This exhibition is open to the general public, and admission is complimentary. Click for gallery hours and directions to campus.

Personal Sketchbook
Ongoing (last updated 3/19)

An ongoing collection of scans from my sketchbook. These pages visually and literally describe my thought process as I continue to move forward with this project.

Minnesota Iron Range
Feb 2009

Photographs documenting a trip to the Minnesota Iron Range, and exploring it’s role in Minnesota labor history and the state’s working class.

Digital Collages
Feb 2009

Quick exercises in synthesizing my research into something visual.

Liz loves to make plans, write out directions, and keep notes.

LIZ PLAHN
Address: 2501 Garfield Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55404
Telephone: +1 (320) 333 1018
Electronic Mail: lizplahn@gmail.com
URL: http://helloliz.us

EDUCATION
+ Minneapolis College of Art & Design; BFA: Graphic Design
[May 2009]

EXPERIENCE
+ DesignWorks; Minneapolis, Minnesota
Graphic Designer
[2007–Present]
+ Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art; North Adams, MA
Design Intern
[June–September 2008]
+ Walker Art Center; Minneapolis, MN
Freelance Graphic Designer
[January–April 2008]
+ Freelance Graphic Designer
Clients includes local artist Stacey Davidson
[2008]

EXHIBITIONS & HONORS
+ Featured in HOW Books’ upcoming publication CREATIVE GRAB BAG
[August 2009]
+ MCAD Commencement Exhibition

MCAD Gallery
[May 2009]
+ AIGA Design Road Show
Student category winner | Weisman Art Museum; Minneapolis, MN
[2008]
+ Photographic Illuminations: The Art of Narrative
Curator | MCAD Gallery
[2008]

SKILLS
+ Strong conceptualization, time management and research skills.

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign & Dreamweaver
Microsoft Word, Excel & Powerpoint
Working knowledge of HTML and CSS
REFERENCES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

A real live design junky for MCAD Portfolio Week!

Jacqueline Kennedy’s Birth as an Icon Through the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Chris Burns — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:07:36 +0000

A now-complete several-years-long research and display project of the life and influence of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In this project, Sarah Kissell, Graphic Design graduate of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design / MCAD does some great justice to the legacy of one of history’s most influential first ladies. View the documentation book below and read more about the project.

And while you’re at it, be sure to visit Kissell’s portfolio site at http://puremagenta.com/ for your eyes to behold what a super-swanky design portfolio looks like. Super-purply.

STILL REMAINS®
THE IMMORTAL CYCLE OF AN ICON: JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS
007 B

Catalog

A celebration of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ birth as an icon through the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Still Remains examines the iconography of November 22nd, 1963 through the cycle of life/death/birth — preserving the moment when Jackie and her pink suit ‘shaped the shift’ in definitive American, gender and fashion culture.

——

The interior and exterior design decisions of this large-format catalog are based upon a formal and contextual inversion of the body bag. More specifically, my intentions were captured throughout the pacing of the book; first providing a historical background, then through the documentation of “Shaping the Shift” where we see Jackie’s immediate influence on culture through 1962-1964, and to conclude, a transition into contemporary fashion essays, theories, symbolic metaphors, and side-by-side positioned photographs.

The size and shape of things:

Additional Information

Format: 11.75″ x 17.75″, 119 pages. Series 1 of 1.
Materials: cyanotype silk cover, hand sewn binding, handset gold taping.

You Must Visit These Fellows if You are in the Local UK Area

Chris Burns — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 07:50:25 +0000

Visit them or I will punch you in the nose! This is a conversation had by two fellows that had an amazing idea. Tom & Shaun sittin in yer window, doin all kinds of stuff. For a full week(?) they’ll be sitting in this window display, doing all sorts of stuff via internet users all over the world – telling them what to do! And they aren’t half bad at typography and the like, are they? They’re totally awesome.

How Many Phrases Have Yet to be Nicely Set in Type?

Chris Burns — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:34:34 +0000

The secret class that most typographers take before graduation from design school is “Certified Elitism.” Electricians, also known as “Sparkies,” also take this same class. Clément Neyret-Le Tulle presents his ’08 Graphic Design Degree wall-o-stuff. Typographic sheets o phrases set nice and so forth.

As [Sam Harris] notes, it takes a brain surgeon to perform brain surgery, and on occasion, elitism deserves to be defended. Who doesn’t love a good type wall?

Designed by: [Clément Neyret-Le Tulle]