Risking Absurdity

Where's the action?

2009-04-20T21:29:00.005-04:00

Despite appearances, I have not given up on this blog. Really. I've just been very, very busy. If you don't believe me, check out my page on the UB student server. Basically, ActionScript blows my mind.

At this point, Labs 1, 2 and 3 are completed. I know it doesn't look like much, but believe me it's been a real time suck. The school links will eventually disappear, but I hope to repost my assignments here soon.

I've basically just parroted back the assignments as they were presented, but more diligent students found time to design very elegant and beautiful alternatives. As far as I'm concerned, if it weren't for Curtis Morley's big list of errors, I may have ripped out all my hair. Thanks on ya, Curtis.

Today, a co-worker told me about another useful site: Flash Kit. I'm open to more helpful resources, if you know of any.

Online posters

2009-02-05T23:14:00.000-05:00

Baltimore City Paper recently published a feature about Globe Poster Company. If you didn't see it, check it out. The feature was excellent. In a nutshell, it's about a printing company that's been around for nearly 80 years. (Coincidentally, the place is practically in my back yard—or front yard, if you prefer your cliches to be more literal.)

Regardless, I'm not writing about Globe Poster Company (though I may, should I swing by and purchase some wicked awesome posters.) What I'm interested in is CP's online presentation of this feature.

The 3,000+ words that comprise its body are good. They're great, even. The information is useful, and the interviews are well done. The student's awestruck impression of the place is particularly insightful.

Unfortunately, I nearly missed the fact that there was an amazing photo gallery (by Frank Hamilton) at the bottom of the story. It's painful to see a publication so entrenched in the print mentality that it would bury such compelling material. “There's no place for it in our limited page layout, so the same must be true online.” (Hold on. I'm still choking on that one...)

Sure, CP included anchor text at the top of the page, but those six words are lost in the sea of words that surround it.

The gallery ought to have been first and foremost.

If the thousand word maxim is true, the 3,000+ words written by Chris Landers may have been rendered moot by Hamilton's photos. Too bad. The photos easily articulate several hundred thousand words, collectively spoken at the speed of your internet connection. For must of us, that's pretty fast, and it's certainly faster than any of us could have read the entire article.

The reason this upsets me is because the work of CP (and, in this case, of Landers), is so important. In the face of CP's recent publication downsize (and considering the more recent demise of The Baltimore Examiner), the only way one of Charm City's most valuable resources will survive is to manufactures a more compelling Web presence.

In sales terms, the Flash gallery is a catch 22. It's a fantastic user experience paired with little in the way of monetization potential. Though standard galleries afford a new ad for each refresh, I prefer the Flash varieties for ease of use and simple aesthetic appeal.

At any rate, the online presentation of this excellent article could have been much improved, and increasing the visibility of the photo gallery would have been an excellent start.

Apologies

2008-12-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

I'm a total turd. I used Don Jusko's Real Color Wheel in an earlier post, and I didn't include a link. Apologies, Don. The site is a great resource, and includes lots of tips for painters. Check it out.

Wordle to the wise

2008-10-12T22:38:00.000-04:00

Tried wordle.net yet? If not, you should. It's a playful typography tool that makes "word clouds" from text you choose. I used text from the Mark Strand poem posted below.

Enjoy.

iMade an iMovie

2007-12-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

I've learned a lot in this class. Especially since I knew practically nothing about design before Words and Images started. Obviously, I'm a long way from being a professional, but Pub Design doesn't seem quite as intimidating anymore. There were plenty of times I felt discouraged throughout the semester, but all along I knew I just had to keep working hard. Before the semester ends, I'll almost certainly feel discouraged again (damn you revisions!), and there's no way I'll breeze through future classes without breaking a sweat. Finally, though, I've created something I'm proud of.

Granted, my iMovie still needs a ton of work--volume levels, timing and at least one "blooper" I know of--but I know how hard I worked on this, and that means a lot to me. True, I've already turned it in and gotten a grade on it, but I had so much fun making this I'm sure I'll edit it some more once the labs open next semester.

Anyway, I know it's not perfect, but enjoy.

Shuffle up and deal

2007-12-14T20:54:00.000-05:00

Not only does this blog have a great name, but it's where I discovered this set of cards by Robert Coover, which are actually a short story called "Heart Suit." It's brilliant, because you can read the cards in any order and they should still make sense.

I haven't gotten my hands on a set, but the concept definitely piqued my interest. And, in case you were wondering, Grand Text Auto found out about Coover's story on McSweeney's.

Final show and tell?

2007-12-12T22:56:00.000-05:00

I don't really collect much. I have a bunch of CDs and books, I suppose, but I try to avoid collecting things because it often turns to clutter (and I've already got enough of that).

I do, however, keep a bunch of Baltimore stickers all around my desk at work: Charm City Roller Girls, Baltimore Tattoo Museum, Sound Garden and a bunch of others. I guess they help keep me focused. Besides, looking at them is far better than staring at the inside of a grey cube all day.

By the way, I wasn't even close. The "Get In On It" campaign only cost a half million.

Rate hike

2007-12-07T15:59:00.000-05:00

Guess everyone saw iStock's raising its prices in '08. It's not that much, I guess, but it adds up. Buying photos is like buying gas: You need it, and you're gonna buy it no matter what it costs. Aren't you?

Dying to show, dying to tell

2007-12-05T23:32:00.000-05:00

When asked to bring in something I'd been dying to share with the class, I brought "Selected Poems" by Mark Strand. Many times this semester I've thumbed through the book looking for something that might fulfill the requirements of a particular show and tell. Finally.

Strand is one of my favorite poets because of his vivid use of imagery. I can often "see" the landscapes and situations created by his poems. (To actually see Strand, though, reading a poem, click here.) And though Strand's imagery and metaphor often convey dark themes, his poetry ultimately creates a message of hope. Here's the text for the poem I chose to read in class:

Eating Poetry
By Mark Strand

Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.

The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.

The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.

Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.

She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.

I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.

Go to 'Helvetica'

2007-12-05T22:56:00.000-05:00

Finally, the sleeper hit of 2007 has arrived. Yup, it's a movie about a typeface.

"Helvetica" the movie celebrates the typeface's 50th birthday by identifying the relationship between typography and our everyday lives, and does so by pointing out the many manifestations of the popular font, as well as interviewing well-known contemporary designers.

Maybe I missed the boat on this one, since the film seems to have already made the festival circuit (and even stopped by D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery this past September), but, as the holiday season approaches, the DVD will most certainly make a stellar gift idea for burgeoning designers. (Mom, are you reading this?)

Nov. 29 book signing at Atomic Pop

2007-11-28T17:01:00.000-05:00

Saw this event in City Paper. It's a great excuse to visit Atomic Pop, and a chance to score an autograph from the cartoonist behind the genius comic The Perry Bible Fellowship.

Sounds to me like a win-win.

Was 'free' on my list?

2007-11-27T19:21:00.001-05:00

So this isn't really very design-oriented, but FreeRice.com reminds me of both the favorite word show and tell and the call to action campaign.

Here's how it works: You play the FreeRice vocab game (which is pretty easy) and every time you get a correct answer FreeRice donates 10 grains of rice to help end world hunger. Obviously, they couldn't do that without some major advertising dollars, but it's actually pretty subtle.

Anyway, I thought it was fun (if not a nice distraction.)

So unnecessary

2007-11-23T17:46:00.000-05:00

For the unnecessary process show and tell, I brought in the following description from a cheap bottle of red I picked up at Chesapeake Wine Company called Les Petits Perron:

"This wine from South Western France is supple and juicy, with blackberry, blackcurrant and slightly spicy notes. Drink over the next two years, with barbecue, poultry, Italian cuisine, cheese or simply by itself."

So once I uncork it, I have to make 750 ml of wine last two years? I have a hard enough time making it last the night. Oh, well. At least I can eat it with barbecue or enjoy it by itself.

Roto-rooting

2007-11-21T13:08:00.000-05:00

As I created illustrations for a recent movie project, I wondered if the illustrations would be an appropriate medium to tell my story. (See an example of the illustrations here, but know the text has been given a much-needed overhaul.) Since the tale is a zombie love story, I felt the simple, humorous illustrations would be appropriate. (Let me know if anyone thinks otherwise ...)

That line of questioning reminded me of rotoscoping. Richard Linklater's films "Waking Life" and "A Scanner Darkly" rely on the specialized animation technique, and the peculiar style it imparts contributes a certain tone to each film. Both films have to do with perceptions of reality, and the blurred edges and wavering images created by rotoscopinig help the viewer question what is real and what is not real in each film.

This type of animation, however, is not always appropriate. I get angry each time Charles Schwab releases a new rotoscoped television commercial. Why, Charles Schwab? Why?

Sure, it looks cool. Maybe someone who would typically leave the room during one of your commercials will take a second look, but what does it contribute to the meaning of your commercial. Let me help you out here: Nothing. No-thing. All it says is that Schwab, like so many companies, is trying desperately to reach the coveted 18-34 year consumer group.

Well, Schwab, I'm one of them, and your commercials annoy me. (Though, I might be a bit of a geek, so I suppose I don't speak for the whole demographic.)

'What's our vector, Victor?'

2007-11-16T13:17:00.003-05:00

A recently-forwarded e-mail offered a link to the site Vector Magic. Vector magic is an online tool that converts raster images to vector ones. Pretty flippin' sweet. And handy, too.

I haven't tried vectorizing anything yet, but I did watch the "how to" video, which makes the whole process seem pretty simple.

'zap, zowie, bam, socko, wow, oof, wham, bing'

2007-11-15T12:08:00.000-05:00

In "Sin and Syntax", Constance Hale describes the effect and usefulness of onomatopoeia, citing Dr. Seuss as a paradigm of sound word use. She also mentions onomatopoeia's role in comics (which is where the title of this blog post is from--page 230, if you're interested).

Anyway, here's what I think of when I think of onomatopoeia:

WWRBD?

2007-11-13T16:19:00.000-05:00

What would Ray Bradbury do?

"My characters write my stories for me. They tell me what they want, then I tell them to go get it, and I follow as they run, working at my typing as they rush to their destiny. Montag, in 'F. 451' wanted to stop burning books. Go stop it! I said. He ran to do just that. I followed, typing. Ahab, in 'Moby Dick,' wanted to chase and kill a whale. He rushed off raving off to do so. Melville followed, writing the novel with a harpoon on the flesh of the damned Whale!" (Busch, Frederick. (1999). Letters to a Fiction Writer. New York and London: W. W. Norton & Company)

Makes it sound easy, hunh?

Let's Go

2007-11-12T18:05:00.000-05:00

For the definition show and tell, I brought in my "Let's Go" travel book. True, my 2005 edition is a bit dated, but it could still be considered a dictionary of sorts, defining various elements of travel to Spain and Portugal, including regions and cities (via text and map), cuisine, culture and more. "Let's Go" appeals to a specific audience, skewing younger since the company claims to be the leader in budget travel.

Negligence!

2007-11-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

Oops! I know you all spent the weekend staring at my blog clicking refresh in hopes of spotting some mention of last week's show and tell. I'm very badly behaved, however, and forgot to post.

Anyway, I read a quote by Ray Bradbury from "Letters to a Fiction Writer." In that text, Bradbury advises a young writer to chase his characters wherever they want to go. The exercise provides writers a much-needed familiarity with their character, and even though most of that adventure might get cut from the story, the final product contains a greater breadth and coherence than it otherwise might have had. I'll post the actual quote soon ...

Become more color coordinated

2007-11-09T14:51:00.000-05:00

I saw a color wheel hanging on a coworker's wall, so of course it inspired me to whine about my complete and utter lack of color theory. We talked for a minute or so before his eyes lit up with one of those eureka moments. "You know what's a good resource?" he said.

"Nope," I said.

Anyway, he sent me here: Behr Paint. The site contains an explore color link, which really is a good resource. It allows users to fine tune a color selection, and coordinate that selection with other colors. Users then identify the selected color as the main color or as an accent, and the tool returns monochromatic, complementary, warm and cool palettes.

Most of you probably realize you can use ALT+Print Screen to capture the image. (Yeah, I use a PC. So what?) Once you do that, you can open it in Photoshop and ID the colors you want. Suh-weet!

I haven't had a real opportunity to explore it yet, but I will.

If anyone else has some good color resources, I'd be very interested to see them.

Dec. 11, 2008 update: The above color wheel is Donald A. Jusko's Real Color Wheel. Apologies for not including a link the first time around!

Other people's crit

2007-11-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

Today I got to join a monthly crit hosted by the design team of the Baltimoresun.com. Everyone brought two recent examples of their work, one they liked and one they didn't like.

Even the "lesser" works featured competent design. And they should, since, in most cases, a client paid for that design. What I found interesting, though, were the constraints under which the designers worked. Naturally, I recognized that these constraints existed, however, I'd never really acknowledged their implications.

Quick turn-around times, awkward or unnecessary text, poorly-designed client logos, shoddy client art and mandatory client art frustrated the designers, but each one found ways to integrate the necessary elements harmoniously while remaining true to their intentions. Even the designers whose work was not client-based had restrictions. Obviously, the elements they create need to match the themes throughout the site, so adding too much of a flourish here or opting to use a different type face there could prove fatal in terms of maintaining cohesion throughout the site.

For an example from the crit, check out these Ravens Football Cards. Not only did this particular designer create the image of the card, but she also laid out the text and corresponding functionality.

For me, it was nice (and, admittedly, a little bit terrifying) to have a different set of eyes on my work. Some of the comments paralleled class comments, but I appreciated seeing that professional designers work through through the same process and a lot of the same problems as me.

Isn't there someone I can pay to do that?

2007-11-02T15:07:00.000-04:00

For my most recent W&I assignment, I'm illustrating my own characters (or at least making an attempt).

As we're all aware, there are indeed people you can pay to do that sort of thing, and poking around the interweb I found a site called HireAnIllustrator.com.

Beside being out of my price range, purchasing illustrations at this point sort of defeats the whole purpose of grad school. At least for now. What the site does provide, is a great look at monetizing your creative urges. (Sorry, I keep hearing that word at work. Monetizing.)

Anyway, there are a ton of great illustrations on the site, so check it out.

Also, I found this one today, too. Apparently, a site called FecalFace.com hosts weekly contests for its readers. Free Fridayz, it's called, and this one's a collection of user-submitted robots. Enjoy!

(Oh, and Bob, Fecal Face has a jobs database.)

Oh, crit

2007-10-30T19:26:00.000-04:00

I'm working on the story for a major motion picture release. Really, it's gonna be HUGE.

Well, it'll be at least two minutes, anyway.

I wanted to take a shot at the whole zombie thing (hope that's not cramping anyone else's style), so I've penned a zombie love story. I hope to illustrate the characters and backgrounds myself, which might turn out to be a giant mistake. (Deep breath!)

Anyway, before I delve too deep into the iMovie assignment, can someone suggest some best practices. Does iMovie only support jpegs? If so, what's the best way to convert an Illustrator document? For this post, I simply opened the image in PhotoShop, then re-saved it.

Most importantly, what do you think of my Zombie?

I'd also like feedback on the story, so I'm gonna paste that below. (It's a lot, I know. I'm being very needy right now, but you've got the power to sign off the internet, don't you?) The story will most likely be different tomorrow, sine I'm gonna work on it some tonight, but I'd still appreciate some input. (FYI, I included comments to myself in parentheses.) Feel free to say mean things. This is, after all, only a draft.

Zombies: A Love Story
by Mark Gross

Zack didn't just play football for the local high school. He was the captain of the team. He wasn't just popular, either. He was terribly popular. That is, until Zack had an accident.

At the funeral, Zack's girlfriend didn't look less beautiful for all the sad, wet drops that streamed from her eyes, but it pained the entire town to see Diane cry. Even though the townspeople mourned the loss of their star quarterback, they knew Diane grieved the most. Until that block of frozen toilet water fell from a passing 757, everyone believed the high school sweethearts would be together forever.

The next couple of days were tough for Diane. The townspeople comforted her the best they could, but it provided little relief. She skipped school and cheerleading practice, and spent her time crying alone in her bedroom.

Zack was sad, too. He missed Diane. Zack also missed the town and the people that lived there. No light shined in Zack's satin-lined casket, which left him feeling bored. He wondered what everyone else was doing. Also, he wondered why it was so dark all the time. Eventually, Zack started to dig.

Darkness covered the cemetery ground like a thin layer of icing so it created little resistance when Zack finally busted through fresh topsoil. He stared down at the hole from which he had just crawled, and then up toward the headstone with his name on it. Zack left the cemetery, and then turned up Main Street.

(( Church first? ))

Though he hurried to reach Diane, Zack's right foot dragged as he walked, which slowed him considerably. His pace lessened even more as he approached the soda shop. Inside, Earl, the team's 250-pound center, drank a strawberry milkshake and blushed each time the cheerleaders sitting near him giggled.

It had been several days since Zack last spoke, which made it difficult for him to say his friend's name. "Eaaarl," he called over and over again, although something about it didn't sound right.

Earl looked from his shake to the glass door where a somewhat green and slightly decomposed starting quarterback pounded muddy hands against the glass door, moaning over and over again, "Braaaains. Braaaains."

Earl spilled his milkshake, the cheerleaders screamed and the elderly soda shop owner just about had a heart attack. All of them ran to the back of the shop and sat shaking in the dark late into the night. They wouldn't leave before the whole town had heard the terrible news.
Zack, discouraged his friend did not want to say hello to him, turned, and once again dragged his foot up Main Street, calling Diane's name along the way. Step, drag, "Braaaains." Step, drag, "Braaaains."

(( Flower shop? ))

At the corner, Zack turned down Elm Street. At the end of the street stood a tall, yellow house, and inside Diane had just cried herself to sleep.

When he got to Diane's yard, Zack noticed a familiar blue light emanating from the first floor. About this time, Diane's father typically drank cocoa while watching sitcoms. Zack threw back his head, opened wide and called to Diane, "Braaaains. Braaaaaaaaaaains!" Certainly, she would be delighted to see him.

When Diane finally peeked over the ledge of her window, she looked to down to where Zack stood. "Zack," she cried. "Oh my God, Zack!" She quickly disappeared from Zack's view. Clearly, she was inviting him in.

Diane's father heard Zack moan, too, and came out into the yard to discover the disturbance. Confused, he moved toward Zack to unmask this prankster. Zack, always polite when speaking with Diane's father, said hello and even asked him how his cocoa tasted this evening. "Brains. Braa-ains." Diane's father looked puzzled. That is, he looked puzzled until Zack ate his face off.

Inside the house, Zack approached the stairs, then slowly dragged his right foot to the second floor. He walked down the hall, and stopped at the door with the pink sign on it that read "Daddy's Girl."

Zack heard Diane sobbing wildly behind the locked door. He wanted terribly to console her, and so he cried out to her as he pounded the door. "Braaaaaaaaains."

When the door finally fell from its hinges, Zack saw Diane sliding over the windowsill. He got to the window in time to grab her hand as she tried to lower herself slowly to the ground far below.

"Zack. Zack, no," she screamed.

Zack told her he loved her, though he feared he still was not articulating his thoughts as well as he'd like. No matter, he thought, he'll just try again. "Braaaains."

Diane screamed.

"Brains," he said.

"Aaaaaaaah," she cried.

"Braaaaaaaaaaains!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Zack looked at his sweetheart. As she dangled from his grip, sobbing, he looked to the ground far below her. He told her one last time he loved her, and dropped her.

Diane's funeral was a sad one. The townspeople thought it strange at first, that there was no body. They realized, however, that Diane had joined Zack, and the two of them could be together again. Forever.

(( Should it be Halloween? Should Zack commingle with trick-or-treaters? ))

Design fun

2007-10-26T13:45:00.000-04:00

I saw this pretty funny design thread on Wired.

It reminds me of Photoshop threads like this one from Fark.com about a vampire slayer and iStock's steel cage matches.

Granted, these don't always provide stellar examples of design (although the images on iStock are way impressive!), they do reveal how much fun can be had with the Creative Suite.

If any of us had the time, it would be fun to create a W&I thread somewhere. Any suggestions for what our starting image be?

Is Billy Collins the best poet of our time?

2007-10-24T18:49:00.000-04:00

Tony, a good friend of mine, believes Billy Collins is the best poet of our time. This was true even before Tony had the opportunity to drink a beer with the two-time poet laureate of the United States.

Surfing the Web to get a better feel for Collins' work, I discovered this: Action Poetry.

My first thought was, "Holy crap! This is practically our next assignment!"

My next thought was, "Holy crap! Tony might be right!"

"Hunger" intersperses typography with photography, while "The Dead" relies on illustration.

But if you only watch one bit of action poetry, watch "The Best Cigarette." It's hypnotizing.

More e.e.

2007-10-24T18:30:00.000-04:00

I know. I already posted a bit about e.e. cummings. But having recently presented his poetry to the class (and cited him as a typographical influence), I thought I'd tell you why to read e.e. cummings.

Or at least let Billy Collins tell you why you should read him.

Because Dave didn't do it yet

2007-10-19T19:49:00.000-04:00

If he did, I didn't see it on his blog.

Anyway, this is the Gettysburg Powerpoint Presentation. It's much shorter than I anticipated, but I guess that's why Edward Tufte thinks Powerpoint is evil.

Words and images

2007-10-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

I'm looking for a little guidance here. I'm wondering if anyone can turn me on to some graphic novels that take interesting approaches to graphic design. When I was younger, I was definitely into some comics, but that pursuit seems to have faded. (And, these days, calling a graphic novel a comic could prove dangerous.)

Anyway, I've been told that "The Watchmen" is pretty incredible, but my impression is that the writing is what is unique. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Regardless, I'd like to get over to Atomic Books soon, anyway, so if no one has any suggestions, I'll post some of my own in the future. At the very least, I know they stock lots of Taschen books, which will work wonders toward expanding my design library.

Words I like

2007-10-15T16:53:00.000-04:00

This represents a free form assembly of some words that could be considered my favorites.

ampersand
archipelago
Hieronymus Bosch (triptych)
suplex, Subaru
moose (meese)
Pavlov
Checkov
ton
rotate
spoon
y'alternative
yodel
luminescent
apiary
arboretum
appaloosa
Ludwig
Lupe (Fiasco)
brown trout
trite

I don't know why it didn't make my list before class, but another favorite word--woot!

Annie Leibovitz

2007-10-12T14:07:00.000-04:00

Her name came up recently in class, and now Annie Leibovitz is in town. At least, she was. The Corcoran Gallery hosts works by Ms. Leibovitz until January 13.

'r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r'

2007-10-11T20:34:00.000-04:00

While racking my brain to compile a list of favorite words, I thought I might find inspiration in the works of my favorite poets. While that was somewhat helpful, it actually provided a much greater insight: My inspiration to pursue the Pub Design program originated in my esteem for those poets.

The first place I looked was e.e. cummings. First and foremost a writer, Cummings also sketched and painted a great deal. No surprise, then, that the visual representation of his poems is as important (and often more important) than the actual words.

The title of this post is actually the title of one of his poems; however, most folks just call the poem "Grasshopper." The letters move back and forth for several lines, finally working themselves into an organization readers can actually understand. The poem creates a powerful hopping connotation without ever using the word "hopping." Brilliant!

The image above is actually a different poem, but you can still see here that shape is very important to Cummings.

Anyway, there are other poets to discuss (like the one that inspired the name of this blog), but I'm sure their names will surface throughout the semester.

'Real Simple' is real popular

2007-10-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

Lots of folks brought in "Real Simple" for this week's show and tell, myself included. Seems the mag is a go to when it comes to finding examples of classification.

Well, the same can be said of the publication's web site. For this chart, "Real Simple" reimagines the Periodic Table, but replaces all those boring old elements with wonderful tips about what to clean and how often. Oh, joy!

'Bacon tastes good. Pork chops taste good.'

2007-10-05T16:58:00.000-04:00

Filthy or not, bacon is delicious.

That's why, for the classification project, I've elected to enumerate the many wonderful pork products that come from one pig.

There's sausage, and bacon, and pork tenderloin and spareribs, and pork belly and even scrapple. Delicious!

Is anyone else getting hungry?

Speaking of photojournalism

2007-10-03T16:46:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed this photo around school:

It's a a photo by A. Aubrey Bodine called "Crabs and Natty Boh." Bodine was a photojournalist that worked for The Sun for 50 years, and the photo you've potentially seen is posted to promote an exhibit of Bodine's work at the Student Center Gallery. I suggest you have a look, even if it's just to see the bright space and the view from the gallery.

Bodine, often considered a definitive photojournalist of Baltimore life, captures uniquely Baltimore moments, creating a poignant history of our town.

Here's one of my favorites:

"Wash Day" is a glimpse into a Sunday ritual, which, along with other activities from Bodine's works, has largely disappeared. Maybe it's mundane, but it's most definitely worth a look.

CMYK

2007-10-01T16:30:00.000-04:00

"CMYK" is a magazine that features art from students and recent grads, which includes advertising, graphic design, photography and illustration. I've only seen this one issue, but there's some pretty amazing work in there.

At CMYK on the web, you can create a profile to share your work with the world. It'll be a while, I think, before my work is good enough for that.

Since the call to action I found was a tiny recreation of student work, I won't post it here. You can find the mock ad for the Illinois Department of Transportation in the pictured issue of CMYK. You can even borrow it from me, if you'd like.

Is photojournalism art?

2007-09-26T17:04:00.000-04:00

Reading the Michael Kimmelman piece in chapter seven of McQuade and McQuade's "Seeing and Writing," made me want to see some of the pictures he describes. Here's a couple I found.

Richard E. Byrd claimed to fly over the North Pole in 1926. During the flight, this image was sent via radio transmissions from London to New York, a pretty amazing feat at the time.

It looks pretty boring, if you ask me. Where's the pub?

Next up is Ernest Sisto's photo of the Empire State Building after a B-25 flew into it in 1945, a tragedy which killed 14 people.

Apparently Sisto dangled over a thin ledge while some fellow newsies held him by his ankles.

This last photo from Stephen Crowley is reinvigorated by the looming presidential campaigns, despite the fact that G.W. won't be running.

I don't think the lady in purple will be leaving a very big tip.

Kimmelman ends the piece with the assertion that the Serbian funeral photo (which can be found by following the Kimmelman link above) and the suffering it reveals are "proof not only that art imitates life but that life, when captured in the most profound news photograph, is art."

What do you think, is photojournalism art?

The thing I carried to class

2007-09-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

Sadly, Tim O'Brien on Wikipedia is more intriguing than Tim O'Brien's home page.

Regardless, I hope everyone enjoyed the selection from "The Things They Carried." I thought Hale could easily have included an O'Brien excerpt in "Sin and Syntax." His noun-heavy prose would be a great addition to chapter one's Carnal Pleasures.

Pleasant living continued

2007-09-21T16:21:00.001-04:00

Here are a couple of photos I took earlier this week. (Note: I by no means claim to be a photographer, just a mediocre writer who sometimes takes photos.)

First stop: Butchers Hill. The neighborhood makes me think of the Victorian-style homes and flower boxes that line its streets. Granted, I took a picture of the Butchers Hill sign on Baltimore Street, but this is the one I've decided to share.

Then I cruised down to Canton, where I took a few pictures of the square. Bob's suggestion about the whole popped-collar thing is probably apt, but I was lucky enough not to run into any of those. I just went ahead and got a few pics of John here.

My last stop was in my very own 'hood. Maybe I copped out a little (since the photo actually has the words "Brewers Hill" in it), but this sign makes me smile (almost as much as a wink from Mr. Boh).

Pleasant living

2007-09-17T16:00:00.000-04:00

I fled my cubicle today and headed out under perfect blue skies to take photos around Baltimore. The photos will be part Metromix's new neighborhood guides.

I think it's fair to say that a good designer should have the ability to choose the "right" image to convey an idea, and I'm wondering if the photos I took will provide strong symbols for their respective neighborhoods. I'll certainly post my favorites later this week, but for now (since my USB cable is still at work and I'm not) I'd be interested to hear what images would conjure Canton, Brewers Hill and/or Butchers Hill for you guys. (I'd be interested to hear about other neighborhoods as well, but those are the only ones I visited today.)

Really cool six year olds

2007-09-15T17:57:00.000-04:00

If you'd like to know more about Dan Deacon, Wham City or the impact the collective has had on the city, check out this article in "City Paper" or visit him on MySpace. (If you do both, you'll be able to sing along to the Wham City theme song, which is pretty great.)

If you'd like to see a live interview with Dan, check this out:

Is it just me, or is that newscaster laughing at him?

Tow away zone

2007-09-11T17:41:00.000-04:00

As a newcomer to The University of Baltimore's Publications Design program (as well as the blogoshpere), there are probably some introductions that ought to be made.

So, hi. I'm Mark. According to my parents, I work for the Internet. More specifically, I work for Baltimore Metromix. As an associate producer, I create what our corporate overlords consider "hyper-local" content. I develop ideas for features, manage freelancer content and frequently write for the site. Metromix is all about bars, restaurants and local music, which makes it pretty easy to come to work most days.

For now, my understanding of design is rudimentary at best, non-existent at worst. I believe that I prefer simple designs. That said, one of my guilty pleasures during the summer semester were the signs which indicated tow-away zones. Its simple, functional message is conveyed succinctly by only the back half of both a car and a tow truck.

Despite the heavy workload foreshadowed by our first meeting, I'm excited to delve into Words & Images. A friend of mine is nearing completion of the Pub Design program. His claim about this particular course is that once it's completed, one can finally say "I'm a designer." That is, after all, why I'm here.