The Illinois Women Artists Project gathers information about artists who worked throughout Illinois between 1840 and 1980 and promotes the appreciation of their work and experiences. Until now, little has been known about many of these artists.The IWA is interested in their work—paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and photographs—and in how they managed their creative lives. They are curious about their experiences, and the roles they played in the history of Illinois and the Midwest. To learn their stories, look at their work, and recognize their strengths enriches our cultural history and supports the value of women’s art and the integrity of their experience. The IWA Project is a unique, not-for-profit, educational endeavor.

Although Bradley University has developed and houses the website and the archival materials, the IWA was in need of a rebrand to reflect the true nature of the organization, its vision and to take it forward. The students were challenged with creating a brand mark (six each, actually). and presenting a variety of key touchpoints connecting the IWA with its audience(s).

Here are the four favorite selections from the client.

 

The 2016-17 Season of wonderful plays is going out with a good old Shakespeare masterpiece – Twelfth Night. This particular rendition is set around the early twentieth century, in New Orleans. With these two ‘prompts’ and some good discussions between myself and the director, here is the promotional piece we arrived at. Playful interaction between words from the script itself, Mardi-Gras, and Feste, the Jester. With just a subtle ‘nod’ to the era through the surrounding border.

To compliment the new brand mark for the society, (designed by Taylor Ackerman, a Bradley University Graphic Design alum, now setting the design world alight at the Simantel Group), the students, working in small teams, were invited to 1. apply the new brand identity across a range of key touch points, and 2. also consider a launch campaign strategy to promote awareness of the organization to a new, younger, demographic while retaining the loyalty of existing members.

 

 

Continue reading “Peoria Historical Society Branding Project”

Alan Aldridge was a celebrated English graphic designer, artist and illustrator. He created the cover art for Who’s second album A Quick One. Moreover, he held the position of an art director at Penguin Books. His densely-packed illustration revitalized the paperback publisher’s business and culminated in skyrocketing sales.

Continue reading “THE MAN WITH KALEIDOSCOPE EYES: ALAN ALDRIDGE”

I’m a big fan of our junior graphic design students designing a resumé package, (cover letter, resumé, work ‘teasers’), aimed at one specific person at one specific company. Leap frogging HR – land something so wonderfully crafted on the desk of the Creative Director/Studio Manager that they can’t help but respond. Here are a few of this years wonderfully varied results with hopefully a good few heading out for possible summer and fall internship positions as we speak:

Continue reading “The Resumé Experience”

The first of the Spring season of productions for the Bradley University Theatre Department is the harrowing, but empowering ‘These Shining Lives’. A play written by Melanie Marnich. Based on the true story of four women who worked in a watch factory in Ottawa, Illinois, the play dramatizes the danger women faced in the workforce in the 1920s, and the lack of concern by companies for protecting the health of its employees.

Narrated by one of the workers, Catherine Donohue, These Shining Lives shows women getting a chance for a well-paying job in the 1920s and early 1930s, which was uncharacteristic for the time in the United States. The job, which seems easy enough to the four main characters, is painting the hour markings onto different sized watch dials using a radium compound which glows in the dark. Radium Dial, the company that hires the women to do the painting, tells them that there is no evidence that radium is harmful, and even has health benefits. After a few years, the workers notice that their hands start glowing in the dark, but assume that it is just from the radium powder that is used to paint the faces. The ladies develop ailments, including jaw infections and bone pain, but several local doctors tell them that all they need is aspirin, which of course does not help. After years of search, they find a doctor who is willing to put his name on the line and diagnose the women with radium poisoning. This in turn helps the four main characters decide to file a lawsuit against Radium Dial. An attorney, Leonard J. Grossman, agrees to take the case for free with Donohue as the lead plaintiff. They win, but Donohue succumbs to radium’s effects. The real Catherine Donohue died on July 27, 1938, shortly after testifying before the Illinois Industrial Commission.

As always, a challenging, but extremely enjoyable piece to work on. The visuals for the production needed to show the obvious elements of radium and time, but also emphasize the collaborative strength and empathy of the women characters involved.

Here are some initial ideas followed by the final poster piece…