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2016
Carla Gruber selected works
Wordmark My wordmark and identity design for Open Access was inspired by the yarn in the installation. The slogan for Open Access 2015 was “Open for Collaboration.� I first drew the wordmark with pencil, and then laid yarn on top of it with glue and took a photo. After editing, the result is a bright, eye-catching identity meant to intrigue and excite the viewer.
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Open Access Brief: Design an installation and wordmark, adapted to different formats, to promote and raise awareness about Open Access. What is Open Access? Open Access is a global initiative that promotes the movement towards free, online access to scholarly publications and data. Without a subscription, one must pay to access every journal article they wish to read. This makes independent research extremely costly and difficult. Each year, the University of Alberta pays over 20 million dollars in subscriptions to scholarly publications for students and staff to access. For those not affiliated with an institution like a university, the cost of scholarly research is unaffordable.
High costs unevenly disclude people from acquiring knowledge and furthering their own pursuit of education, especially in low and middle-income countries that have less disposable income. However, for one week each year, Open Access takes effect globally, and allows everyone equal and open access to online scholarly publications. This year it is October 19 - 25, 2015, with the theme as “Open for Collaboration� The following project serves to promote, celebrate, and raise awareness about Open Access.
Installation I decided on a woven canopy of yarn as a methaphor to communicate Open Access, as it involves many individual components working together to create something larger than themselves. This idea correllates with the concept of sharing knowledge to foster innovation and collaboration. The sculpture is meant to symbolize and celebrate the possibility and inspiration of freely shared knowledge.
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LCD Slide
Stand-up Banner
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Web Banner
Instagram Graphic
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Twitter Graphic
Lyric Interpretation Brief: Choose a song lyric, and design 15 different versions of the text. Each one should demonstrate a linguistic, typographic, metaphysical or conceptual principle related to the song. Five versions should depict formal type principles (how the text is seen), five should depict mechanics of type (how it is read), and five should depict interpretation of content (how the text is understood).
I chose the song “Knee Socks� by the Arctic Monkeys. This song is about being out at night, and revolves around a moody romance. I therefore designed the packaging for this project as a matte black envelope with a black knee sock printed on top. The ambiance of the song has been kept in mind with every detail in this piece.
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See These five designs focus on text as image. They repurpose text from just language to visual art.
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Understand These interpretations aim to reiterate the meaning of the text by focusing on a particular aspect in the lyrics, such as chorus, dialogue, or emphasis.
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Read By imitating different textual forms such as an article, a book page, a poem, a poster, and an annotated passage, these designs change the way one approaches and reads the text.
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Logotypes & Branding Brief: Design a logotype, letter-head, and business card for an upscale, French eatery that describes itself as hip, modern, cool, and edgy.
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My logotype is based on the mark that a wine glass leaves on a table. The brush-type lettering has been carefully selected and edited to reflect the characteristics of the eatery. Serif font with loose leading indicates the upscale aspect, coupled with red accents to evoke modernity and sophistication.
Brief: Design a logotype, letter-head, and business card for a ‘mindfulness of breathing’ meditation centre. Inviting to all levels.
My logotype focuses on calming colours and lines that elude to breathing and relaxation. Open white spaces help make the business card and letterhead light and airy.
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1 Carla gruber
Folio: Travel
Newspaper Spread
The Santa Cruz Trek affords
This folio spread serves to communicate information and tone regarding my experience on the Santa Cruz Trek in the Peruvian Andes. The spread aims to strike a balance between a personal travel story and factual anecdotes gathered from secondary sources. Elements such as the handdrawn look of the headline, and the organic line of the trail map evoke qualities of a personal journal, while the clean lines of the boxes behind text, and the info graphic of mountain elevations speak to a more objective aesthetic, intending to make the spread appear reputable and professional. The tone of the spread is earthy, outdoorsy, and carries an undercurrent of adventure and mystique. This is achieved primarily through the photographs and colour palette. The dominant background image of a dramatic valley shrouded in cloud, with two tiny people walking at the bottom, serves as a focal point and immediately sets the tone for the article by displaying a powerful scene of nature. This photo also provides a setting and framework for all of the other elements to hang off of. Both photos are of low saturation, and the body copy is 85% black. The graphic elements adopt their colours from the photos. These softened tones create an earthy effect by relating directly to nature. The bright orange 12
Alpamayo (5947 m) which in 1966 w ‘The World’s Most Beautiful M
accent colour serves to invigorate and add contrast to the piece. Hierarchy is dictated by typography, colour, and positioning on the page. The headline is the largest type, and commands attention at the top-centre of the page. The “Overview” section is set in DIN 12 point, which stands out from the smaller 9 point, serif body copy. Sub-headings pop with orange to stand out on the page. Pullouts are treated in two ways — either in 18 point italic or set in small caps. In both cases they are bracketed by a line on the top and bottom to set them apart.
Overview The Santa Cruz Trek takes hikers through the Andes of Peru in the Cordillera Blanca, or “White Range,” named for it’s wealth of glaciers and perennially ice-capped peaks. The Cordillera Blanca is 180 kilometers long, and is the highest tropical mountain range in the world. The range includes Peru’s highest peak, Mount Huascaran at 6768 meters, and contains the most summits over 6000 meters outside of the Himalayas. The Santa Cruz Trek affords a view of Alpamayo (5947m) which in 1966 was called “The World’s Most Beautiful Mountain,” by German magazine “Alpinismus,” as it is nearly a perfect pyramid of ice. Peppered with glacial lakes and weaving through lush valleys, this trek always has a view to offer. If the clouds are clear at night, the stars appear brilliantly close and light the entire sky. Despite including a 4750 meter high pass, The Santa Cruz Trek is suitable for amateur hikers to take in the highlights of the Cordillera Blanca in just four days.
The two illustrations in the piece (the map of South America and the map of Peru) are smaller and are coloured green and grey in order for them to sit back as a point of reference rather than a main focus. The snaking orange line of the trail is the most important info-graphic, and is therefore a larger scale, bright colour, and centrally placed. The info-graphic of mountain elevations is supplemental, and therefore sits lower on the page and calls less attention to itself. None of the text is justified, but opts for a rag edge as it is more conducive to the organic — and frequently rocky — experience of trekking through the mountains, which is the overarching subject of the article.
Mountain Elevations
10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0
Everest
Huascaran
Visual CommuniCation Design 493, 2015
Designing Complex information
s a view of
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Duration 4 days Distance 50 km Trip Type Trekking Adventure
was called Mountain’
Grading Moderate BestTimeTo Go May – September Guides Solo or guided
A Celebrated Four-Day Trek in The Peruvian Andes
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5 hours driving 4 hours trekking Drive Huaraz to Vaqueria Trek Vaqueria to Paria
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7 hours trekking Trek Paria to Taullipampa
SOUTH AMERICA
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t6:30 a.m., Quechueandes picked me up from Hostel Akilpo. The other seven memt bers of the group were already in the van. Two couples from Norway in their 30’s, Anna,
Grzegorz, Aleksandra, and Daniel, also Brad, 33, from NYC, Jorris, 21, from France, and Sanja, 23, from Switzerland. We drove for about two hours before stopping in the town of Yunguy for a typical Peruvian breakfast, which consisted of buns and jam, some scrambled eggs, and coffee. As the drive had been dark and sleepy until this point, breakfast was the first opportunity to socialize with the group. Brad, Joris, and Sanja were all solo travelers like myself, and the two couples from Norway were traveling all together. The Norwegians had lots of experience hiking, while for the rest of us this was our first multi-day trek. The group was friendly made for very good company on the excursion. Signing up for the trek without knowing who I’d be grouped with, I feel lucky to have gotten along so well with my companions. After breakfast we continued on the drive up winding mountain roads to Portachuelo Pass. At 4767 m, the view out of the window is breathtaking. We stopped a few times to take photos. At 12 p.m., we reached Vaqueria where we
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PERU s Ande Huascaran 6768 m Huaraz
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de s
Lima Machu Picchu Cusco
began the Santa Cruz Trek. All I had to carry was a day pack with essentials like my camera, extra layers, and a bag lunch provided by Quechuandes. Everything else was taken ahead by mules led by the cook and an assistant. The first day of trekking was easy, walking down gentle slopes or level ground through pastoral fields and valleys. The weather was temperate and conversation was easy. We passed creeks, bright wild flowers, and some wildlife such as cows and alpacas. After about four hours we reached our camp site at Paria. Nestled in a valley surrounded by towering peaks, our tents had already been set up by the cook and an assistant. There was a large tent with a table and chairs inside for us to eat. We were given tea and a snack before dinner. All of the meals provided were of high standard. Dinner that night was vegetable soup to start, spaghetti bolognese as the main, and a chocolate pudding for dessert. The sun set at about 7 p.m.. When we stepped outside of the tent after dinner, each of gasped at the brilliance of the stars. The sky was clear and absolutely full of stars. Even the milky way was visible. After taking in the beauty of the sky we went to bed. The night was chilly, but with a few layers and a down-filled sleeping bag, I quickly fell asleep.
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he second day of the trek was the most strenuous. After breakfast, we left camp at 8 a.m., trekking towards Punta Union Pass. Although long and steadily uphill, the ascent was gradual and never uncomfortably steep. Our guide, Victor, who is fluent in Spanish and English was extremely knowledgeable, and kept as going at a steady but fairly relaxed pace. We took many breaks to catch our breath and snap photos. After about five hours of trekking , crossing the pass to Punta Union was an exhilarating accomplishment. At 4750m, we had reached the highest point of the trek and were rewarded with a 360 degree view of some of the Cordillera’s highest peaks. Jewel-like lakes dotted the sweeping landscape below us, and we stopped for some time to take it all in. Punta Union was a thrill for the whole group. Joris in particular was beaming with happiness. The remainder of the trek that day was downhill to our picturesque campsite nestled in a meadowed valley at the foot of Mount Taulliraju. Stunning mountain views were to be had on all sides. The evening consisted of dinner featuring fried trout, and some relaxed conversation and card games.
The spot felt ethereal, and was decorated with a multitude of inukshuks
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7 hours trekking Trek Taullipampa to Llamacorral
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he third day of the trek held the most variety in landscape, and promised a view of the famed Alpamayo. Leaving camp again at 8 a.m., we passed first through Santa Cruz Valley. This once lush, steep-sided valley was hit with a colossal landslide in March 2012, and is now filled with millions of tons of rock and earth. Although the richness of the valley has been wiped out, the barren stretch of sandy rock winding through the mountains is a spectacle in itself. Small flowering shrubs and dead branches dotted our path. At one point we wove through a sea of boulders. Mist hung low in the air as we passed among the rocks, some big enough to tower over our heads. Once through the valley, we began ascending towards Alpamayo Base Camp. Mist and fog clung close to the mountains that day, and our visibility was low. We eventually reached the pristine waters of Lake Arhuaycocha. Fed directly by a vivid blue glacier, the water lay calm and transparent. The light drizzle of rain that had been falling all morning cleared slightly, and although it was cloudy, we were lucky enough to be granted a view of the pyramidal snow-capped Alpamyo. The spot felt ethereal, and was decorated with a multitude of inukshuks set up by past visitors. The remainder of the day was spent trekking downhill past a wealth of vegetation and small streams.
3 hours trekking 3 hours driving Trek from Llamacorral to Cashapampa Drive to Huaraz
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he last day of the trek dawned with a crimson sunrise over the jagged peaks. The day turned sunny and hot as we made a steep through a narrow valley full of plants, birds, small waterfalls, and even some wild horses. We were all a bit tired and sore as it was our fourth day trekking, but it was still an enjoyable journey. Although hiking boots were strongly recommended, Sanja and I had joined the trek on short notice and were equipped only with running shoes. Sanja developed painful blisters on this day and struggled significantly at the end of the trek. I was fine, but I would not recommend doing the trek without proper hiking boots. After about 3 hours, our trek ends in Cashapampa. We had our lunch at a cafe and celebrated the completion of our journey with cold beer. We then piled back into the vehicle and were shuttled back to Huaraz where our journey began.
The group was friendly and made for very good company on the excursion
The city of Huaraz is the jumping-off point for trekking in the Cordillera Blanca Getting There The city of Huaraz is the jumping off point for trekking in the Cordillera Blanca. It is a busy hub for hikers and has many hostels and tour companies to help guide your journey. However, the city is not exactly a quiet mountain town. Busy traffic day and night make for a noisy and hectic environment. Huaraz is great for organizing a trek, but not the best place to hang around for long. The best place to find information on trekking is from hostels and other travelers. A multitude of tour companies advertise along the main strip, but not all of them are reliable. I stayed at Akilpo Backpacker’s Hostel, and highly recommend it for beginning the Santa Cruz Trek.
Alpamayo
Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building)
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As trekkers themselves, the staff are extremely knowledgeable of the Cordillera Blanca, and will happily sit down with a map to offer explanations and advice free of charge. Akilpo Hostel run their own guided treks and are also linked with Quechuandes Travel Agency, another reliable company for guided treks. I also recommend talking to other travelers for tips and advice about trekking. I heard many stories of cheaper tour companies who were ill prepared to guide the Santa Cruz Trek, providing tents with holes or inadequate sleeping bags. The best place to meet fellow trekkers is at hostels or at Cafe Andino, a trendy place in Huaraz to get a coffee and talk over a map.
No Qualms – A Quarterly Travel Zine
No Qualms is a quarterly zine that documents my travels in pursuit of discovering new places and people. It’s purpose is to share my experiences with readers, and show that traveling is not as hard as it may seem. In this issue I present a nine-day hitchhiking adventure through Ecuador with my friend, Dominic. From the border of Peru to Ecuador’s capital city of Quito, we 14
travel through national parks, towns, cities, and meet new people everyday. Traveling by hitchhiking, we get off the beaten path and find a sense of what life is really like in Ecuador. This zine includes some hand-lettered elements to associate it with a journal. It is layed out on a grid with the intention of looking clean and easy to read.
Kicker indicates subject on each page. DIN 8 point.
Body copy. Minion pro, 9 point, 85% black.
Title. Dubiel Italic 12 point. Article headline. Draws attention with size and colour. DIN 11 & 65 point.
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18 point gutter. Half-inch margin.
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ad
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Web Page This web page is designed to accompany the zine as a digital complement. The site would include archives and display the articles form the zine online. The aesthetic of the site is directly derived from the print design. Each image would act as a link to a different part of the zine.
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Editor’s Note No Qualms is a quarterly zine that documents my travels in pursuit of discovering new places and people. It’s purpose is to share my experiences with readers, and show that traveling is not as hard as it may seem. In this issue I present a nine-day hitchhiking adventure through Ecuador with my friend, Dominic. From the border of Peru to Ecuador’s capital city of Quito, we travel through national parks, towns, cities, and meet new people everyday. Traveling by hitchhiking, we get off the beaten path and find a sense of what life is really like in Ecuador. We met many kind and generous people, and got to experience the stunning landscapes of Ecuador from car windows, truck beds, and on foot. I hope the stories and images of No Qualms inspires you to go out and find your own adventure. – NQ
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Archive About Contact
ATEUR’S GUIDE TO ADVENTURE
VOL. 1
Hitchhiking in Ecuador
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- Jack Kerouac
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Sign Painting
The following signs were created on chalkboard surfaces with chalk and chalk-marker. I have done each of them freehand, and designed the lettering and aesthetic with the needs of the client in mind. Counter-clockwise from left: The Beauty Lounge, The Melting Pot, Packrat Louie Restaurant, Lululemon.
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