Alston Wise Portfolio

A L S T O N W I S E P O RT FO L I O

2016

As a creative accomplished in ar t direction, graphic design, curation, creative strategy, writing and photography, I approach my work as a stor y teller­— harnessing the power of language, type and image to communicate the desired ALSTON WISE

message to a target audience.

+1 352 672 2492 alstonwise@gmail.com w w w.alstonwise.com

IN A NUTSHELL

If I got to choose my three favorite recent experiences, they would be— 1. Curating the collection of hundreds of indie designs at Minted. Discovering the beautiful or strange or ironic and put ting the puzzle together of how they will all become a cohesive whole is some of the most fun I’ve ever had at work.

2. Mentoring college students through the design thinking process, focusing on issues in our community. To watch them discover + name problems, allow ideas to explode and then form into something tangible and meaning ful for them and their audience is inspiring.

3. Writing and illustrating a children’s book about mermaids. It’s magical. And that magic will soon find it’s way into children’s hands ever y where.

01

B.WISE PAPERS Branding, Coding, Illustration, Art Direction + Photography

In 2008, I began an online paper goods storefront. I have worked with companies across the coast, in par ticular Minted, LLC. Working in the stationer y industr y, I have designed ever y thing from holiday cards to calendars to journals and more. My work has been featured in national print ads in Oprah Magazine and Real Simple Magazine.

My full assor tment of stationer y designs is available at: w w w.minted.com/storefront / alstonwise.

Three years ago, the company was re-branded to reflect expansion into ar t direction, styling and consulting. The business cards were blind embossed using a Vandercook press, and the new site was coded using HTML 5 and CSS3. The site is active at w w w.bwisepapers.com.

B . W I S E P A P E R S X M I N T E D | stationery + paper goods design

02

HA RVA RD WRI TIN G P ROJ ECT Design, Typesetting, Photography + Production Management

Working with faculty at Har vard University, I designed guides and handbooks for various depar tments at the university. The work included overall design conception, format ting, print production management and photography.

Please visit the links below to view excerpts from handbooks:

H I S T O R Y : ht tp://issuu.com/alstonwise/ docs/researchsem _excerpts

J U S T I C E : ht tp://issuu.com/alstonwise/ docs/justicefinal

P H I L O S O P H Y : ht tp://issuu.com/alstonwise/docs/hwp_03 _ phil _excerpt

03

INTERIOR PHOTOSHOOT Curation, Styling + Art Direction

Tasked with creating a galler y wall in a space with no strong architectural features, this project involved curating an ar t collection, styling an interior space, and ar t directing the photography for a national ad campaign to sell the merchandise.

04

LITTLE & BRAVE Concept, Branding, Art Direction + Photography

Lit tle & Brave is a concept brand that was created to empower young children in the development of a strong self-concept.

Through the use of symbols both natural and fantastical, the brand evokes the spirit of positive traits such as courage, leadership, adventure and individuality. By using a piece of clothing as a vehicle for the symbols, children can in effect wear the traits. The shield also ser ves as a symbol of protection in itself, adding an additional layer of empowerment. The shir ts are silkscreen printed with metallic ink. The project was featured spring 2015 in two exhibitions in Gainesville, FL.

05

PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENT Concept, Writing, Illustration, Art Direction + Photography

My MFA creative project, Public School Parent, centers around the collision of public and private spheres of influence as experienced by a public school parent.

Using irony and satire, the project calls into question current standards and practices in public schools, specifically related to the business and politics of education —and ultimately how that interrupts the individualized nature of human development and intellectual grow th.

Through the form of a school auction, the project invites critical reflection rather than consumer choices. The auction catalog contains items that provoke a rethinking of the possibilities in education, transforming a traditional mode of consumption into a vehicle for change. The purpose of the project is to provoke a conversation in the community towards a more human-centered and expansive education system.

The project was exhibited in March 2015 in Gainesville, FL. A por tion of the project was presented at the National Ar t Education Association Conference March 2015 in New Orleans, LA. Full content is available at w w w.publicschoolparent.tumblr.com.

P U B L I C S C H O O L P A R E N T C A T A L O G | sample interior pages MORE TIME OUTSIDE

ART, ART & MORE ART

I recently spent some time in a middle school class-

It’s true—ar t really does make you smar t. It expands

room. It was dark, dank, old, and musty with a tiny

the way you think, obser ve, and reflect. And it is

window in the back left corner that was covered with

being cut from public schools quicker than any other

a layer of algae. Mold spores were swinging from the

subject. Our children are being robbed of a process

fluorescent lights, filling the air, baring their fangs as

that expands their person. No more of this ar t 30

they laughed at their good for tune of finding such fer-

minutes a week business. We need ar t ever y. single.

tile ground to procreate. I wanted to get out of there

day. The people who say ar t is irrelevant in education

as quickly as possible, not just out of fear that I would

have never experienced true making. When you are

contract a rare fungal infection, but also because it

engaged in the process of making ar t, you need math

was so damn depressing. Where was the natural light?

to understand propor tions and ratios, science to un-

All I could see was cinder block upon cinder block

derstand the human form and color, social studies to

upon cinder block. Who designed this place—the win-

understand culture and the human experience.

ner of the Prison Architect of the Year (PAY) award?

And what if ar t is the way some kids are wired to Why do we expect children to want to be—let alone

express ideas? Individual brains function different-

spend a significant par t of their days—in these de-

ly, and I think we can all agree that we see this truth

pressing spaces? And if we do not have the money to

at work ever yday in the conversations we have—the

rebuild schools (wait—that can be #11!), why can’t they

morning people talking about how they pop right out

learn outside? What if being in the outdoors was in-

of bed v. the night owls who get more accomplished

corporated into the curriculum? Not only would it get

after midnight than any other time of the day; the

them out of those wretched buildings, but they could

visual learners v. the auditor y learners; the 3-meal-a-

actually benefit from learning in nature—exploring,

day eaters v. the 6-snacks-a-day eaters. As adults, we

obser ving, reflecting and breathing real air.

intuit what makes our brains and bodies work best, and have some freedom to follow that intuition. So why are kids expected to learn the same way, process information the same way, express knowledge the same way? Who decided that ar t had the least value?

And why do we keep allowing “ them” to decide?

NO MORE BULLSH*T TESTING

KIND BATHROOM GRAFFITI

This is the big ticket item, the one that I wish I had

A public restroom without graffiti is like a radio on

$220 billion dollars in order to buy off ever yone be-

mute. It’s one of my favorite things about public re-

hind this conspiracy. We are buried in a testing frenzy

strooms because it’s a par t of the local conversation.

so crazed that even the legislators who are passing the

I’d like it even more, though, if the graffiti was nice.

state-mandated regulations and tests have admit ted to not knowing exactly what they are passing. We, as a

Just for a moment, put yourself back in 7th grade.

society, are drowning in a sea of corporate greed and

You’re having one of those days. The day when ever y-

political maneuvering whose current is so strong that

one has a date to the Valentine’s dance except you,

I’m afraid we might not realize we are drowning until

the cafeteria ser ved beef au jus and ran out of grilled

it’s too late.

cheeses, you forgot to get your social studies test signed and in science you had to par tner with Todd

It’s not just a test. It’s hours of real learning lost. It’s

Pit ts, who instead of working on the assignments,

a change in the way classrooms operate in order to

likes to flick boogers across the lab table. You decide

make room for test prep. It’s a way of thinking that

to go to the bathroom to take a break, and when you

promotes unoriginal ideas and rote memorization. It’s

walk in, the first thing you see is “You’re a superstar.”

a my th, a facade manufactured by companies making

The nex t thing you see is “You got this.”

millions of dollars off of our children at the cost of true knowledge. It’s data mining and product place-

School days are long and hard enough, and bath-

ment. It’s corporations profiting off the small and

rooms can be a whole different kind of scar y—that’s

powerless in our community. It must stop. My child is

where the bullies tend to lurk. I say go ahead and

not a paycheck. Your child or grandchild or cousin or

write on the walls, but write words of kindness, words

niece or nephew or neighbor is not a paycheck. We

that make people laugh, words that make people

need to stand together—mothers and fathers, teach-

smile, words that help others get through “ those

ers and administrators, all tax-payers—to demand

days.” We must never underestimate the power of

education that mat ters, education that is effective, not

words.

based on test taking and test scores. The stakes are too high if we don’t.

P U B L I C S C H O O L P A R E N T E X H I B I T I O N | University Gallery

06

ILLUSTRATION

Concept + Illustration

Inspired by the freedom of the open road and the spirit of adventure on road trips, I created a series of illustrations featuring iconic road trip vehicles piled with either luggage or skis. “To the Ski Slopes” was recently featured in Minted’s nationally distributed catalog. Both prints are available through Minted’s limited edition ar t print collection.

A B O V E To The Ski Slopes R I G H T The Pace Van on the Road

07

THE MERMAID BOOK Writing, Illustration, Art Direction + Photography

The Mermaid Book represents a culmination of two years study of children’s literature. It is an exploration of narrative, of how a stor y can be told concisely, yet clearly, with wit and humor. It is an experiment in reaching a young audience, an audience that is typically honest and discerning.

08

CONCEPTS + FORMS Concept, Writing, Illustration, Art Direction + Photography

Section 08 contains four examples of experimentation in concept and form over the course of pursuing my MFA. I like the challenge of taking simple forms and interpreting them in unexpected ways. The Amazing Sentence Writer is a code breaker in the form of a volvelle; the Wish-Catcher is a game of empowerment in the form of a paper for tune teller; Five O’Clock Island is a game for adults in the form of a map; and Bits and Bobs with Sneaky Cat tells small stories in the form of pop-up maps.

I created The Amazing Sentence Writer as a tool to help elementar y-aged students write sentences with vocabular y words.

It ser ves almost like a code breaker—you match the number of the vocabular y word on your homework list with a let ter that will lead you to sentence prompts. All of the prompts relate back to the child, asking them to think about their unique answers and incorporate them into sentences, to play with language and see how words can go together to tell stories.

The Wish-Catcher is a let terpress version of the age-old schoolyard for tune teller (sometimes known as a “cootie-catcher�), but instead of for tunes about who you will marr y and how many kids you will have, it offers wishes, hopes and aspirations.

Capturing the enduring power of handwriting and the original, serendipitous nature of the game, a simple piece of paper is transformed into a time capsule of wishes.

As a parent, five o’clock took on new meaning. It no longer meant “happy hour”— margaritas and half-price appetizers. No, it became an hour of making lunches, cooking dinner, fielding requests, monitoring homework, negotiations for electronics and allowance —all after a full day at work.

The central objective of Five O’clock Island is to elevate the ever yday—that by identifying the emotions I myself traveled through, I could provide a comic connection to others through our shared experience. Iconic gold stars and gold figurines both add elements of play, tapping into childhood nostalgia. There aren’t many rules to the map —move through it at your own pace, read what you like, take advice as you will. But I do hope others will find the humor in it, and that it empowers them to soldier on in the midst of the mundane and monotonous.

Bits and Bobs with Sneaky Cat is a series of mini pop-up books that I wrote, illustrated and constructed based off a question my son would ask me most mornings: “I wonder what Sneaky (our cat) does when we are gone?� There are four books in the series that range from counting rhymes to a days-of-the-week stor y.

09

PHOTOGRAPHY

Canon Mark III 85mm f1.2 + 35mm f1.4

Over the past year, I began studying photography, including at tending an intensive 3-day workshop with Joy Prouty of Wildflowers Photography this past March. Having worked with countless photos over the course of my career, learning the technical and ar tistic elements of taking photos has fur ther inspired my work, and given me a new perspective on ar t direction and editorial features.

10

MY STUDENTS’ WORK Management, Motivational Leader, Speaker + Critiquer

During the spring of 2016, I was invited to work as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Florida. One of the upper-level courses that I instructed was the design thinking studio, Mint. Over the course of the semester, I mentored students through the design thinking process—star ting from identifying problems, to inter viewing & prototyping, to the end result—as well as ar t directed projects, studio collateral and events for the studio. Two student projects shown here are What are you gonna do with that?, a collaboration with Ar t Education and a local ar t organization to promote creativity in schools; and #Adulting, an app designed to help incoming freshmen navigate the world of adulthood. A promo slideshow of the work produced during the semester that was shown at our end of the year event, Made by Mint, can be seen here.

Adulting (top) and What are you gonna do with that? (bottom left and right)