bqphan — 2017 graphic design portfolio by Bao Q Phan

bqphan a porfolio by  BAO Q PHAN

contents A I II III IV p. ii

introduction

p. 04

visit ho chi minh city

p. 06

p. 08

p. 10

travel postcards & advertisements

pluto sans type specimen

linear chronology card calendar

die zauberflĂ–te vinyl record packaging

V VI VII VIII p. 12

p. 14

p. 16

p. 18

balloons, airships & other flying machines informative booklet

buon coffee inc. beverage branding & packaging

glass, concrete & steel postage stamp series

kokoro chocolate branding & packaging

A

I NTRODUCTION Af ter three years studying Music, Dance and Theatre at Reed College, and one gap year at home in Viet Nam, I returned to the United States an immigrant, and restarted college. It was then that my exposure to the visual arts began, quite late in my academic career, and only after a significant break that required fundamental changes to my academic approaches and environments. I started with a drawing course at Portland Community College, took up printmaking and 2D design, before winding up choosing to major in Graphic Design, as well as Music Performance, at Portland State University. With such a supportive faculty in the College of the Arts at PSU, I have had an intensely creative and rewarding academic career—this portfolio, altogether, showcase just a small part of its outcome. Bao the designer is, nevertheless, just as passionate as Bao the singer, the dancer, the first-generational immigrant, the aspiring artist and educator, the urban design enthusiast, etc. My hope is that through this portfolio, I might not only demonstrate my potential as a designer, but also present glimpses of the many facets of my life that inform and inspire my work. Most importantly, I hope it will make apparent my desire—as a young citizen looking to make the world a more beautiful, empathetic, and meaningful place—to expand my knowledge and to hone my skills to ever greater heights, which will allow me to create works and experiences that are not only beautiful but also profound, so that I might help open hearts and minds to the lifechanging powers of the arts, the same way my teachers and professors, from my high school in Connecticut to Portland State, have helped me.

From left to right: Wedding portrait (ART 131, drawing, pen & ink); Dracula (ART 131, drawing, pen); Urban Harmony (ART 115, record cover, collage); Sunny day, Sunset, and Stormy night (ART 271, prints series, intaglio). All rights reserved.

ii

introduction

introduction

iii

I

VISIT

HO CHI MINH CITY travel postcards & advertisements Inspired by my hometown’s energetic urbanism, I created this set of illustrated postcards and advertisements to celebrate Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam’s architecture, heritage, and tourist appeal. Urban forms are abstracted and brightly colored to evoke the dynamic spirit (and everglowing lights) of the Southeast Asian megacity.

04

SPECIMEN I — visit ho chi minh city

travel postcards & advertisements

SPECIMEN I — visit ho chi minh city

travel postcards & advertisements

05

II

PLUTO SANS™ type specimen

Pluto Sans™ is a quirky yet legible type family designed by Hannes von Döhren (founder and principal designer of HvD Fonts), with wide, geometric characters softened by subtle humanist touches. It is part of a superfamily that includes Pluto, an even more flamboyant family. Thanks to its large x-height, wide range of glyphs and ligatures, and variety of styles, Pluto Sans™ is incredibly versatile in text or display typography, on screen or in print. The booklet’s bold design contrasts and complements the type’s personality, showcasing its characteristics and illustrate to the furthest extent its expressive potentials.

Pluto Sans™ and HvD Fonts logo and trademark belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved. Their use for educational purposes constitutes fair use.

06

SPECIMEN II — pluto sans™

type specimen

SPECIMEN II — pluto sans™

type specimen

07

III

LINEAR CHRONOLOGY card calendar

Made to be mounted on a desktop photo holder, this simple calendar set, with two months on each page, is both visually appealing and unobtrusive. The hand-drawn line artwork, inspired by architecture, is decorated with soft gradients, which subtly illuminate the forms, allowing them to shine without dominating the design.

08

SPECIMEN III — linear chronology

card calendar

SPECIMEN III — linear chronology

card calendar

09

IV

DIE

ZAUBERFLÖTE (THE MAGIC FLUTE)

vinyl record packaging

Set in a fictional place and time in ancient Egypt, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's two-act opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) illustrates the most primary conflict of nature—between light and darkness, control and impulse, rationality and irrationality—through the vehicle of Pamino, an archetypal hero on a journey liberally sprinkled with Masonic symbolism. To illustrate this duality, the box and sleeves feature two design motifs: the equilateral triangle—symbolizing light and rationality, embodied by Zarastro, the Priest of the Sun—and the crescent—symbolizing darkness and irrationality, embodied by the Queen of the Night—on opposite sides.

At almost three hours long, the opera requires a boxed package of three LP vinyl records, whose sleeves’ colors as a series (No. 1 through 6) cycle from dark to light, representing the hero’s path from ignorance to enlightenment.

Deutsch Gramophon label, logos and trademarks belong to Universal Music Group (UMG). Berlin Philharmoniker and RIAS Kammerchor trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Their use for educational purposes constitutes fair use.

10

SPECIMEN IV — die zauberflöte

vinyl record packaging

SPECIMEN IV — die zauberflöte

vinyl record packaging

11

V

BALLOONS, AIRSHIPS & OTHER FLYING

MACHINES

informative booklet

This booklet presents an overview of the timeline and developments of various means and vehicles of flying. From the balloon to the helicopter, the color scheme progresses from warm to cool, signifying the advancement of the technology.

12

SPECIMEN V — balloons, airships & other flying machines

informative booklet

SPECIMEN V — balloons, airships & other flying machines

informative booklet

13

VI

buon . coffee inc

beverage branding & packaging

buon Coffee Inc. is a Portland-based importer and distributor of Vietnamese coffee, whose brand takes after part of the name of the highland region from which most Vietnamese coffee comes. As it seeks to introduce culture-specific types and ways of drinking coffee to an international, cosmopolitan market, the company needs to appeal to coffee enthusiasts who understand the culture, the Vietnamese diaspora, as well as general drinkers who are just curious to try a new drink. It thus employs a straightforward and friendly branding strategy for its packages, by combining two contrasting sans serif typefaces with a simple, pleasant color palette, and an instantly recognizable illustration of the “phin” (a special Vietnamese coffee filter). buon Coffee Inc. is a fictional brand and company.

Any resemblance with actual individuals, organizations or corporations are merely coincidental.

14

SPECIMEN VI — buon coffee inc.

beverage branding & packaging

SPECIMEN VI — buon coffee inc. beverage branding & packaging

15

VII

GLASS, CONCRETE & STEEL postage stamp series

Triangles, rectangles, and parabolic curves are all the necessary elements to represent architectural forms. In this postage stamp series commemorating modernist landmarks in major US cities, these forms are abstracted into luminous illustrations, as vivid colors and glistening gradients enhance their depth and impart on them a gem-like luster.

United States Postal Service logo and wordmark belong to the United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.

Their use for educational purposes constitutes fair use.

willis tower

usa forever

16

SPECIMEN VII — glass, concrete & steel

postage stamp series

2017

SPECIMEN VII — glass, concrete & steel

postage stamp series

17

VIII

KOKORO™

chocolate branding & packaging

A high-end brand of fair-trade organic chocolates, KOKORO™ utilizes sophisticated design to market to discerning and conscientious contemporary urban consumers. On each package of KOKORO™ chocolate, bright colors and an intriquing geometric mark immediately capture potential buyers’ attention, inviting them to take a bite of the delectable, indulgent content therein.

KOKORO™ is a fictional brand and company. Any resemblance with actual individuals, organizations or corporations are merely coincidental.

18

SPECIMEN VIII — kokoro™

chocolate branding & packaging

SPECIMEN VIII — kokoro™ chocolate branding & packaging

19

bqphan

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