Stalwart: The Graphic Design Portfolio of Alison Rae Murphy

the Graphic Design Portfolio of Alison Rae Murphy.

First, Let me say this:

have been studying art and design for a fairly long time. Five years, in fact. And it has taken me that long to find out that I truly do not know that much about design, yet. I have some theories, and I have some ideas, yes, but I think that truthfully it simply takes a person this long to learn how to learn. Like you have to walk before you run, but you have to crawl before you walk? In the very least it’s taken me this long to learn how to learn, and I would flatter myself to say that it does show. And so, I must admit that Stalwart is not necessarily what I am today. It is what I hope to someday become, but it is what I call myself as a designer to always remind myself of that goal, to take chances with design, to be brave, and most of all, to never stop trying to out do myself.

Thank you for your time.

Bandai Entertainment Advertising

6-9

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund Advertising

10-13

Slayage Conference Advertising

14-17

The Pig Head Identity & Print

18-21

Lennie Small Fine Art (Photography)

22-25

VinacafĂŠ Packaging

26-29

Baby Bento Identity & Packaging

30-33

Entropy Editorial

34-37

Black & White Affairs Identity, Print, & Collateral

38-41

Smoothie King Identity, Packaging, & Print

42-45

The Grand Opry Fine Art (Sculpture)

46-49

Bandai In which Namco-Bandai decides to begin an annual convention detailing upcoming news and future releases within their extensive animation and gaming empire intended for both the average fan and the business sector.

Namco-Bandai is a giant within its field, and distributes thousands of the Japanese anime and gaming industries most popular titles including Gundam, Tekken, Cowboy Bebop, and Tamagotchi. With so many titles, the amount of press surrounding their work can be substantial, so this project explores how Bandai could possibly market their own convention as opposed to tagging along to other various gaming and entertainment conventions. By taking the initiative to consolidate their major press events, Bandai could even use the convention to double as both a marketing event and a research tool to test products and conduct surveys of their consumer base.

The challenge was to come up with a series of advertisements for Bandai’s new convention that would appeal to and speak to a very broad audience of industry colleagues such as merchandise buyers and production companies, as well as their fan base who know and love the company for their collection of titles, all the while staying true to Bandai’s spirit of play. Ultimately, these ads should drive consumers to plan on attending the convention, for either recreation or business.

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To begin meeting all the parameters of Bandai’s various advertising requirements, I started with the company’s slogan “To play is human.”

From here, I came to the decision to work in illustration to maintain a loose sense of fun, and used a tight form of halftone illustration inspired by black and white Japanese comic books. The tag lines on the advertisements are invitations from the company to all comers, utilizing humor that would be accessible to everyone and so could reach out to any and all interested in Bandai. It even pokes a little bit of fun at Bandai such as seen in the giant robot ad, which I feel is very true to who they are as a company. However, in order to maintain a sense of professionalism, I chose to keep the body copy very structured and reined in, to make sure that none of Bandai’s business partners would simply write the convention off as strictly a fan event.

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Intrepid Fallen Heroes In which the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund attempts to promote awareness of the needs of traumatically wounded veterans of all wars, as well as raise funds for building new hospitals that specialize in veterans’ needs.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund was established in 2000 to provide fi nancial support for the families of United States military personnel killed in action. When federal legislation substantially increased the benefi ts granted to these families in 2005, the Fund switched focus to another area of the military community needing help: the wounded. They began building hospitals specializing in war traumas such as loss of limb, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injury, and (with the help of their Board of Trustees) who absorb all operating costs from interest collected on investments, are able to put every single penny raised toward helping the wounded. This ad campaign would help promote interest in the charity and raise awareness about their cause.

The most challenging thing about advertising for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund is creating a dialogue that adequately expresses the sorrow of these soldiers plight without being overly gory or repeating what others have done for this cause, but still pushing people to learn more about the Fund and what they can do to help.

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As I was considering how to advertise for such a sober cause, I happened to re-watch the film “Toy Story,” and one small scene in which the mother steps on some toy soldiers, breaking one, and kicks them aside stayed with me. It felt strange to me that even though they were only toys, they could be tossed aside so casually, and I couldn’t help but draw the parallel to many of our veterans. Gone are the days of grand parades and rejoicing at a soldier’s triumphant return. Now, the only ones exuberant to see them return unharmed are their families. The sense of duty Americans once had for their servicemen and women has dissipated, and this to me seems a tragedy, so to me, this cast aside relic of childhood became synonymous with our injured veterans.

Meanwhile, I struggled with how to simplify the Fund’s message into a simple headline, especially considering the Fund’s name no longer truly reflects their mission. I kept returning to the word ‘fallen’ however, and feel that while the soldiers that need the most help today haven’t fallen in battle, they are certainly not standing any longer, in some cases quite literally, considering the numbers of amputees of modern warfare, as well as patients suffering from severe head trauma and psychological disorders resulting from the traumatic stress of combat. These soldiers may not have ‘fallen,’ but it would seem that they have certainly stumbled, due to injury that many would not be able to get care for outside of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

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The Slayage Conference In which the Whedon Studies Association required an advertisement for their fourth Slayage Conference, an academic study and discussion considering the collected works of television and film maker Joss Whedon, most famously Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The Slayage Conference was started in 2004 by the Whedon Studies Association, and is devoted to the academic study and discussion of the works of Joss Whedon, the creative force behind many cult classics, from the vampire drama “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” to the outer space western “Firefl y,” to the online phenom “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog” starring Neil Patrick Harris. Since its inception however, the Whedon Studies Association has suffered from the stigma of being a simple fan organization, an excuse to get everyone together, dress up in costume, and watch re-runs. However, this is not the case. Similar to scholars that study classics like Dickens or Coleridge, the W.S.A.is blazing new ground by devoting their study to a new media (film), but unfortunately are not always taken seriously by other scholars.

Here, the challenge lies in creating a dynamic, eye-catching image that will not immediately scream “fan convention” but still be true to the spirit of Joss Whedon and his work, as well as come across as a serious discussion that would appeal to academics.

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In considering this poster, I foremost wanted to stay away from any sort of treatment that could harken back to the aforementioned stigma the W.S.A. is already fighting against. Seeing how the target audience for Slayage seemed to be academics, I felt there was no better way to create a dynamic image for them then to do it with words. As I found out about more and more about Joss Whedon, I discovered the massive amounts of themes, media, philosophies, and trends that were noted to recur within his work, so using this ultimate theme list, I created a grid layout of these words, paying attention to highlight some of the terms noted to be of particular note to scholarly work like humanism and salvation. I feel that presenting Joss Whedon collected works in this light could help erode the negative stigma felt about the study of this new media and go a long way in attracting more academics to the Conference.

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The Pig Head In which a start up British pub and restaurant opens their flagship store, their key trait being an unyielding and self-described stubbornness to serve only fresh, quality food and drink. They require a logo and menu that embody this feisty spirit.

The Pig Head Pub and Restaurant is an eatery following the cuisine of classic British pub foods, a tradition of simple comfort food that goes back generations. What sets them apart, however, is their abhorrence for processed foods many restaurants serving this style of food ultimately resort to, in order to cut costs and get food on the table. They choose instead to refer to themselves as “pigheaded” in their refusal to serve anything that does not meet their high standards of quality, and to champion this new virtue of stubbornness.

The challenging thing about the Pig Head is making a refined menu that isn’t fussy about its elegance.

Simple, straight to the point, and delicious, which is much easier said than done. The other challenge is turning the term ‘Pigheaded’, typically connotated as a negative trait into their unique strength.

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To highlight the Pig Head’s rebellion against the sub par food quality in British Pubs, I turned to the American Revolution for inspiration. After all, when has there ever been a more successful revolt against something the British were doing that some stubborn upstarts didn’t agree with?

So, in researching art and costumes from the time period, I came across some simple portrait sihouettes of the time, which seemed perfectly apt to adapting itself to the idea of a Pig Head. After doing more research into the costume of the period, I ended up with a collection of five sihouettes to use across the Pig Head’s branding system. To handle the mass body of text needed for the Pig Head’s menu, I took my inspiration from a Revolutionary War era printing of “The Life of General Francis Marion,” particularly noting the mix of sans-serifs with more ornate serifs in the advertisements as a jumping point for the delineation of the subjects and body. Further research showed that the Caslon typeface, the signature typeface of the Pig Head identity, originated within the Revolutionary period, which combined with it’s own elegant simplicity, made it a perfect match.

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Lennie Small Saving things seems to be a big thing among the women in my very Southern family. Sometimes, the things we cannot bare to part with are as common as shoes and clothes that we swear are going to fi t again soon, trivial things like magazines, stacks of greeting cards from the dentist and other people you never really cared for that much anyway. Stranger still, things like an army-sized stockpile of canned goods stowed away under the bed all labeled with their date of purchase, and even to the extreme where the sheer mass of clutter has hit critical capacity and has overflowed into two large sheds in the backyard. That they love what all this represents to them so much to me is praise-worthy, and this nigh-compulsion we have to hold on to these things has always fascinated me, and it is from that fascination that I came to the body of work you see here today. Because when you’re preserving things, there is the flip side of the coin to consider, which is destruction, and how even at times the simple act of trying to hold onto an object of memory for so long can ultimately destroy it. I found similarities in this idea to Lennie in Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, who wished only to hold small and soft to him, but killed them by mistake. This dark side of love, this wish to possess the things we cherish, forever, is equal parts fascinating and repulsive, but has to be acknowledged along with the innocent wish to not forget in order for either to be appreciated.

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VinacafĂŠ In which the coffee company Vinacafe begins its expansion into global markets from Viet Nam. A complete overhaul of their packaging systems is required to appeal to the American gourmet market, starting with their most popular item, 3 in 1 instant coffee.

Vinacafe of Viet Nam is the largest holding within the fairly large holding that is the Viet Nam coffee industry. Though very successful in their home country, Vinacafe does not enjoy the same success abroad, due in part both to the often clannish loyalty many coffee brands have cultivated as well as the fact that Vinacafe’s number one product is instant coffee, a product viewed by most Americans as inferior to more traditional brewing systems.

There are several major issues that arise in trying to launch a brand that will appeal to the often stubborn American people, especially one that must function in both Viet Nam and English speaking nations simultaneously. There is also the challenge of coming up with some sort of slant that will encourage consumers to branch out and try something new.

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Since Americans are so hesitant to try new brands, it becomes just as important to sell the idea of the product as the product itself. So first, the target must be established, American consumers that are willing to try something new: gourmets and foodies. Being made of Vietnamese coffee beans, Vinacafe actually has a bit of an edge: they have a completely new flavor, that will appeal to the gourmet market that is always looking Let the flavor and sights of Viet Nam take you away in seconds with VinacafĂŠ instant coffee.

to sample new flavors. Since these consumers are looking for something they’ve never experienced, we instead sell them the

Thƥm Ngon Bᝑ Dưᝥng Tasty and Delicious

experience of Viet Nam itself. We must convince them that the

Net Wt. 20 g KhoĂŽ ď€ˆ Lưᝣng Táť‹nh 20 g

country is in the aroma, the robust taste can connect them to the very soil of Viet Nam. To achieve this different direction, I turned

7+ÂŁ1+ 3+Ĺœ1

6ă1 ;8Ĺ›7 7Ä…,

to vintage postcards for inspiration, the types of facts and sites

- Ä?Ć°áť?ng, báť™t kem, cĂ phĂŞ hòa tan (14%) - Sugar, creamer, instant coffee (14%)

&Ăť1* 7< &Ä˝ 3+Ĺ&#x153;1 9,1$&$)ÂŹ %,­1 +Ä&#x2013;$

they displayed, their organization and hierarchy, and coupled that

- Cho báť&#x2122;t trong gÂ?i vÂ?o t ch, Ä&#x2018;áť&#x2022; nĆ°áť&#x203A;c nĂłng, khuẼy Ä&#x2018;áť u.

- Empty content of 1 packet into cup, add hot water, stir, and serve.

style with the unique travel experience of Viet Nam itself. Vinacafe becomes an affordable luxury to people, as well as a delicious alternative to the average cup of coffee.

Instant Coffee Mix

CĂ&#x20AC; PHĂ&#x160; HĂ&#x2019;A TAN 3 trong 1 / 3 in 1

This silver reclining Buddha at the Long Son pagoda in Nha Trang is new to their collection of giant Buddhas.

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Khu cÂ&#x152;ng nghiáť&#x2021;p BiĂŞn HÂ&#x201C;a Táť&#x2030;nh Ä?Ă´ng Nai

9,1$&$)ÂŹ %,(1 +2$ -2,17672&. &2 Bien Hoa Industrial Zone Dong Nai Province

TC: 02/2002/CPBH Bảo quản nĆĄi khĂ´ rĂĄo thoĂĄng mĂĄt NgĂ y sản xuẼt vĂ hấn sáť­ d᝼ng ghi trĂŞn Ä&#x2018;Ć°áť?ng ĂŠp

Instant Coffee Mix

CĂ&#x20AC; PHĂ&#x160; HĂ&#x2019;A TAN 3 trong 1 / 3 in 1

The epic splendor of Ha Long Bay near the city of Hoi An has made it a UNESCO world heritage site.

Instant Coffee Mix

Instant Coffee Mix

CĂ&#x20AC; PHĂ&#x160; HĂ&#x2019;A TAN

CĂ&#x20AC; PHĂ&#x160; HĂ&#x2019;A TAN

Rice terraces, like these near Sapa, are an ordinary but nevertheless breathtaking sight in Viet Nam.

The many holy sites of the Perfume Temple Complex attract thousands of pilgrims to Viet Nam each year.

3 trong 1 / 3 in 1

3 trong 1 / 3 in 1

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Baby Bento In which a new baby food and product line requires an identity and packaging for their signature item: the bento box, which is a traditional Japanese lunchbox. Their items must be bright, gender neutral, as well as environmentally friendly and allergen free.

This new environmentally friendly product line features a pre-packaged box of baby food snacks for babies and toddlers beginning independent feeding, intended for sale in the deli section of grocery stores, alongside pre-made sandwiches and the like. They have taken their queue from Japanese bento boxes, which are traditional lunchboxes containing a wide variety of different foods, as well as the furoshiki clothes that traditionally wrap the box tight. Due to the delicate digestive systems of many children, they have chosen to create their packaging without the use of any chemicals that could possibly contaminate the food and upset any delicate tummys.

There are many several challenges to go with this product. First, creating a logo that at the same time acknowledges their Japanese inspiration but is still a unique symbol in and of itself, and that embodies their values as a company that nurtures children with nutritious food. Second is the challenge of constructing the box without use of any sort of glue, to ensure there is no chance of contamination and third is working in and explaining the furoshiki cloth, and its reusable capabilities.

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In designing the logo, I looked to Japanese seals as a jumping point, and letting it grow organically from there, ending with a linear symbol babe safely swaddled in rounded corners. For the box, a stiff but still recycled material was found and formed into a no-glue template held together by a tab system. The Furoshiki cloth included in the box provides padding to keep the food from getting to scattered or crushed, and is made of a durable cloth that can be used as anything from a carry all to a baby drop cloth, to gift wrap, all it needs is to be washed and reused. To encourage people to get in touch with the Japanese tradition behind bento boxes and furoshiki, the side panels are printed with furoshiki wrap instructions that can be torn off and saved for future reference.

The box is five inches by seven inches by two inches.

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Entropy In which the 1970’s design manual by Gregg Berrymen receives a total design overhaul to better reflect the timeless quality of information that all graphic designers should know and undestand in order to master their craft.

Although ridiculously informative, Gregg Berryman’s 56-page booklet “Notes on Graphic Design and Visual Communication” looks exactly like it is: a wordy leaflet from the 1970’s. The level of work that went into the piece has to be appreciated however, every page is painstakingly written by hand, complete with illustrations to demonstrate the principles he discusses. The quality of information, too, remains and must be appreciated but desperately needs a design overhaul to present it in the way it deserves, and make it easier to digest.

Here, the biggest challenge is finding the right form to present Berryman’s work. The design must not be overworked, but cannot underwhelm either. There is also the mass amount of information that must be included. Though originally short, it is an eight-and-a-half by eleven leaflet, with every spare inch crammed full of information.

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Due to the massive amounts of information and strange often cyclical diagrams, I became inspired by the structure of science textbooks. I used the side definitions that used to appear in my textbooks on the foldover tabs, which work both back and front, and worked in elements of the science lab everywhere I could, including the new title: Entropy, which in its most basic form is the measure of how organized or disorganized a system is, a perfect title for a book about design. Also, in order to spread out the overwhelming amount of information in the original, the book was pared down by eight sections, and split into four sections to allow for easier mental digestion. The diagrams kept their cycling effect, and were allowed to cycle even further by the use of gradient effects. The new book is sixty-six pages long.

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Black & White Affairs In which a pair of chefs based in Little Rock, Arkansas launch a private chef service, which requires an identity, collateral branding, and a low-cost production leaflet that all carries an edge of refinement.

A pair of chefs launching aprivate chef service in Little Rock, Arkansas require a brand. Private chefs are hired professional chefs that come into the home of a client and produce a meal catered to the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal tastes. In order to do this, they need a logo, a leaflet explaining their service, and several collateral items to complete their branding and promote recognition.

The first challenge here is establishing an elegant, unique brand that will speak to Arkansas consumers, while not putting more emphasis on either chef (being an equal partnership). Secondly, being a start up, Black and White does not have much money for print work. Being as that is the case, their leaflet specifically would have to be produced at a low cost, but still have a sense of elegance that will speak to their upper class clientele.

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First, allow me to descibe the logo: while brainstorming ‘black and white’ I came to magpies, a black and white species of bird, and ultimately the nursery rhyme stating “one [magpie] for sorrow, two for joy,” which I felt was perfect to depict the duality in equal partnership.

Second, the leaflet that must appear high-end but be cheap to produce. The best way to really cut costs is print without color and print only on one side. So, a thirty-two inch by five inch template (36 being the max length on most sheet fed printers) is embossed to add the feeling of luxury, french folded to create pages, and finally notched and bound to force it to perform as a leaflet.

The van is decked in birds in flight to begin establishing brand recognition, and they each have personalized chef coats to add to the legitimacy of the experience.

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Smoothie King In which the national brand rebrands itself and simultaneously relaunches their line of childrens’ smoothies. To do this, of course a new logo is required, as well as a pair of new mascots, in-store displays, and cups.

Famous for its smart and delicious smoothies and healthy vitamins, Smoothie King’s marketing for children is basically non-existant, even though there are plenty of mother’s out there that that would love a healthy vitamin-packed smoothie for their children to snack on during the day. In launching this hypothetical campaign with Smarty Tarty and Fruity Puch, simultaneous with a new logo, everything from mascots to in-store displays are designed for the new smoothie line and logo.

The challenge in Smoothie King is creating an icon that defines them as unique compared to the other Blank King restaurants, as well as mascots that work in and outside the childrens’ line of products, so adults too won’t be embarressed by the thing on their cups.

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I started with the mascots to begin my inspiration for this project.

First, the Strawberry King, whose costume is based off a portrait of Henry the V111, followed by the Lemon Queen, who is based off a portrait of Elizabeth I. I kept both of them in flat planes of color, however, since Smoothie King is a very no-frills, health first sort of company. Friendly but not running away from the core values of health, children will delight in the colors and cheerfulness, while most adults will appreciate the quirky-ness of the characters themselves. Second, the in-store displays were designed to be eyecatching and straight to the point to attract and inform customers about the Kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new smoothies. Finally the logo was informed by the flat simplicity of the king and queen themselves, and is appropriate in that the straightforward simplicity is very much in keeping with the company itself.

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The Grand Opry Easily the highlight of the body of work I produced in my Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of Art portfolio, this is a chandelier made entirely of chains of crocheted yarn. This piece was my attempt to understand and reconnect with the emotion that went into the traditional womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crafts that held such importance in the lives of my grandmothers, both personally and culturally. The frame is made of galvanized wire, and is about three and a half feet wide and hangs about three and a half feet down from its top ring. It is made from about nine skeins of yarn.

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