Renascence by Rachel Elise

By Rachel Elise

Re.nas.cence noun The revival of something that has been dormant.

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

It can be termed synchronicity, or the Theory of Everything [ToE]... it is what we write off as phenomenon, coincidence and subconscious actions that are in fact clues. Clues that everything is connected. Using this book as a case study of sorts subtleties, design cues, timing, proximity, and exposure all influenced my work over multipleâ&#x20AC;&#x192; mediums. These elements are the variables and while I, as the designer, am the point of origin my experiences connect my work... go see!

WHY RENASCENCE... Switching profession from architecture to graphic design was/is a gamble. Honestly I just ended up cornered in this part of the boxing ring by shear default resulting from economic decline and an oversaturated field.

In April of 2012 with not much going for me I was challenged go to graduate school...again. With no relevant rebuttal or recourse, and my application fee covered, I forged ahead on this quest to assimilate into the fine arts and graphic design.

In a matter of weeks I packed my bag for school once more an headed off to a freshman level design class...150. Frustrated and oddly enough challenged to cultivate a 2D way of thinking, I enrolled for the fall term skipping a few steps and landing in both the junior and senior design studios. This of course was among the rest of a course load that would consist of only studio classes. ie- all work and learning by doing...no tests.

The end of that fall semester essentially confirmed suspicions that design was where I was meant to be. My work underwent a radical transformation as it matured and evolved into a professional product with substance, not merely superficial “designed” projects that bootlegged and bastardized “cool” elements of work I found.

Until that point I was, as some might put it, walking around blind leading the blind. I was faking it to make it. As things were quite seriously a survival situation at times, I don’t regret those experiences, but the wealth of knowledge I’ve absorbed has brought a refined edge and reality to my work as a whole. First, I didn’t know what I didn’t know...studying graphic design for the first time was like discovering the lost city of Atlantis. Second, I hit that “AHA!!!” moment I’d been looking for all those years before in architecture.

As a very detailed person I focus significant time and effort on the foundational aspects of a project to ensure its longevity and that the design itself has the opportunity for surprises and depth. In architectural projects I would nail the concept, get bored working in black and white all the time, and sit assembling my presentation boards in an amateur manner, yet loving that part of the process most of all. This ignorance of a “grid” or typography that was so critical to bonding my experiences across so many mediums came at mid terms last fall. Deb said, “don’t try so hard, just

do what makes you happy”. So I marinated on that and since then the confidence, skillful eye, artist, and wisdom that had been dormant for so long awoke and have been at work. This shows how far I’ve come since.

THE YEAR JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

pg.001-022

pg.023-040

pg.041-058

pg.059-076

HERE’S HOW THIS WEE BOOK WORKS... Pick a month...any month, and with most spreads marking a particular day you’ll see a glimpse of not only how I work, but catch on to thematic elements in various pieces worked on simultaneously or tangential to each other.

While research and ideation on one project might have informed the color, form, etc of another piece, a crunched schedule with many projects often forces streamlined workflow to complete all projects on time. In turn the methods used produce a result that’s directly influenced by time and therefore may have a specified visual result in the end product...what am I doing explaining this when you can see for yourself!?!

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

MONDAY

SUNDAY

class Begins

001

JANUARY 352 Studio

Screenprinting

Digital Matte Painting

Photography

Web Design

Metal/Print/Wood Shop

Volleyball/Gym

Homework

Work @ UCOPY

< 3hrs Sleep

Client Project

Charette Work

Hangout

Church

A Highlighted Day in the chapter

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually a cold winter, unlike last year, and every studio and shop is freezing. However, school churns on nonetheless; classes resume and ideation commences. Every semester returning to a class schedule is a welcome rhythm to work within. But while I thought I was loosening up my schedule this term it became a tight knit day to day cycle that seldom saw a break from the never ending feed of new projects. Adjusting to the rhythm of 10-15 hour days was tricky, but it forced me to make better use of my time and increase production efficiency.

002

1.9.13 Digital Matte Painting...figure out what that is and make a sky just like God, but its tougher than it looks since the eyes are a great bull$#!t detectors.

352 Studio... Show the Traffic Flow & Volume

003

A NEW WAY OF THINKING

1.9.13

Screen Print...

Day one of school, the main

fractals is all

focus...start thinking in info

I could think,

graphics...buy supplies, read

just fractals and

assigned material, etc, etc.

crystals

But aside from all the typical preparation I found that my own ambition was to tackle what was consuming my excitement for this new term: make 2D work come off the page, to start using black in my work, and to get a great handle on photography both digital and analog. The way I thought of information though had to change...I had to free my mind to see the possibilities of many forms.

004

1.9.13

TIME OUT In an effort to make 2D work come off the page, I found myself searching for some technical approach that would do the trick rather than considering my previous works. By that I mean painting, math, & sketches. “MATH?!?” you say? Yes, math...a subject I was horrible at for the loooooongest time. So... as I was learning the use of silkscreening and the professor was talking about the matrix...that was it, my mind started racing in all directions finding relationships between things and troubleshooting. Geometry was always my passion in the world of arithmetic, but here it stretched to the physical dimension in the way of fractal and crystal patterns. The reflectivity of the light (physics) causes a single color object to appear multi-dimensional and multi-colored. I didn’t know it at the time, but this inspiration for my first piece in screenprinting would go on to inform a slew of other projects all semester long.

005

For a moment of inspiration

1.9.13

Mercury Mountain edition 1/6

006

So...how efficient are you? I only ask, because apparently the less time and resources I have, the more that gets accomplished... often with fewer resources.

007

Packed Schedule

Lots of Free Time Fewer Things

More accomplished

get done

008

1.18.13

When was the last time you stole something, or the last time someone stole from you?

NERVE CHARRETTE

With the prompt of â&#x20AC;&#x153;NERVEâ&#x20AC;?

Through a string of ideas

to react to, I partnered

and a desire to install a

with an underclassmen to ex-

very personal statement

plore and meaningfully com-

piece we ultimately chose

ment on the idea of theft...

to interview each other

aka having the nerve to

about our experience with

steal. Whether it be physi-

stealing. Then while show-

cal items stolen, or an emo-

ing those interviews we also

tional quality/value.

asked passersby to pin their experiences to a table and stools I constructed from stolen materials.

009

1.18.13

My experience was having my confidence stolen and mass humiliation in high school, while hers was about physical items stolen when she ran away from home to Yale in CT.

010

011

012

1.21.13

Process Imagery

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a few weeks into the semester and after the Charette, a quick exercise in information design, and a jump-start to really learning Photoshop one thing became clear: It was time I took my work to the next level. I needed to look beyond the obvious. In data mining for an information design project, the subject matter of a matte painting plate or concept of an abstract print I was initially reaching too shallowly. I found that it took about 2 rounds of diving in {thinking I knew what I was doing} before generating a valuable foundation for each project to rise up from.

The game changer here was combing through data for the information design project, on my favorite band. Learning to look for patterns and relationships beyond raw data that could be read at face value...but it was a lot of data!

013

1.21.13

shoot a streetscape and clouds then create a new sky to replace the existing sky.

GET BEYOND THE OBVIOUS

develop an abstract print...not as easy as it looks for a planner like me. Just as with the matte pinting I struggled to find a proper place for each piece.

014

015 KYOKO

HANNAH

JORDAN

JESSICA

RAE

ZARED

JENNIFER

during the Junior Design Workshop.

signify the team that person was on

The [R]ed [G]reen & [B]lue photos

ZANE

MELODY

MEREDITH

BEN

JOSIE

VINCE

Has >2 classes with me

at the key to identify the types of

CAN

They are BFFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

posure...the 352 studio. Have a look

connections between people.

We all Hangout together

So this is my primary group of ex-

1.29.13

tion is still underway.

The effect and adapta-

This is a+b experience.

resides/exists.

the longer the being is

ment becomes apparent

within that environ-

learned and an identity

survive. Efficiency is

the being evolves to

refine experiences and

Action and reaction

the environment.

reaction to what is in

amending response and

it learns to survive by

ing into an environment

By introducing a be-

[a] = Me [b] = 352 Studio [c] = The Effect

a+b=c

-Actively working to convert weaknesses to strengths, all while keeping life in balance -Seeking to improve the lives of others with design -Never stop learning and refining...this is my life

When surveyed most said: -My work is: well planned, intellectual, bold, precise -I am: hard working, friendly, ambitious, confident -Strengths: determined, communicative, Hard working -Weaknesses: perfectionism, fear of failing, intimidation -If I was a software: InDesign, AutoCAD, Excel -If I was a Font: Helvetica, Forza, Rockwell, Pristina -My color is: Purple by far! [then red/coral/orange] -If they were my boss they’d have me teach them something -Nicknames: The Thesaurus, Relise -Most used phrase: “What’s up kids!?!?”

-Entered this environment with 6 years of architecture and product design experience from the Midwest -2 years in sales having run my own freelancing gig -Accomplished but confidence in all had run dry

1.29.13

016

017

018

hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why.

take proper care of my body...and

months fo trying to eat clean and

this has been a tough couple of

Still on that efficiency note,

clean eating

more junk food eaten

roadblocks

more mental

Faster/Better

work

1.30.13

019

1.30.13

GAME CHANGER A fear of coding websites washed over me as the semester began but this very book was the tipping point, The right and left side of my brain had converged and suddenly I felt a fool for the apprehensions.

For being so organized I finally found a practical application for those deeper rooted needs to sort, and establish relationships in design...site mapping and developing the User Experience as a whole.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like designing a building on a smaller scale and mocking it up using numbers and figures rather than shapes.

Have I found my calling???

020

021

022

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY

MONDAY

SUNDAY

023

FEBRUARY 352 Studio

Screenprinting

Digital Matte Painting

Photography

Web Design

Metal/Print/Wood Shop

Volleyball/Gym

Homework

Work @ UCOPY

< 3hrs Sleep

Client Project

Hangout

Church

A Highlighted Day in the chapter

One full month in and the pressure is on to get a new portfolio and resume together, manage material funds to survive the end of the term, and ample sleep to avoid the sickness plaguing everyone else.

But with 4 consecutive Fridays hanging out with friends, this month was the thickest for social exposure and over all a mental recharge. Work & Play!

024

2.4.13

CMYK 025

2.4.13

Noir, negro, schwarz, nero,

...BLACK After architecture school you might say I had my fix of black. Every project was bathed in black or white, and every person had a wardrobe that was more than 50% black, and every other person wore the archetypal black “architect” glasses.

I’ve never been afraid of color, and hadn’t realized until recently much my work had been devoid of this utilitarian color.

So a challenge I presented myself with this term was to use black in at least half of my endeavors, and make one project in mostly a gray scale palette...enter the Phaidon project.

026

2.4.13 This print series was likely one of my most successful pieces of the term... so successful in fact, it earned a place in the gallery of the UT student art show/competition.

With a prompt of â&#x20AC;&#x153;interior vs. exteriorâ&#x20AC;? I explored my illustrative skills and architectural background to comment on the last seven years of my life. Both conceptually and physically, when the perspective is shifted the whole print and narrative changes. One way is a grand cathedral in ruins while when flipped the composition becomes a humble and modest well kept lake house.

PERSPECTIVE

027

2.4.13

028

2.4.13

HOW I THINK If you skipped over the page where a number of classmates described my work as extensive, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve likely come to the same conclusion.

My brain is constantly looking for patterns and relationships that will reveal information making way for more accurate decision. I believe and work under the auspices of cause and effect. This was made incredibly clearer as we began coding HTML for web design. With a simple code there is an evident effect...so long as the code is correct.

029

2.4.13

The same goes for my method of building furniture, and even running a graphic design project. I keep a good handle on resources at hand, make a decent plan of attack, and work out how to accomplish the task all while staying somewhat emotionally distant. This makes amending changes on the fly and experimentation much easier. CAUSE & EFFECT...thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of empathy for those that make bad decisions...this is a life lesson.

030

031

032

TRY TRY AGAIN

2.14.13

This was a rough week. Everything I would start and feel fairly good about seemed to constantly change directions, or find some hitch. In the Power Tower poster I realized the booklet was meant to include all of my photos for documentation and had to change styles to accommodate.

The web design 405 site was a tricky one when it cam to freezing the navigation to the left bar, and not unlike the digital matte painting there are coloration issue each time I forget to convert color modes on imagery.

By now Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve figured out that sometimes it just takes trying it again.

033

2.14.13

034

2.21.13

THE PHAIDON PROJECT DONE

035

2.21.13

036

2.25.13

Take a look at the form of the water/ sky that the balloon is floating in. The form of that print is yet another moment of developed fractal pattern influence.

...Same goes for the Paper Route graphics.

037

The soft illustrative angles used here in

2.25.13

the balloon mono-prints were informed by the characters in the Paper Route graphics.

3D 2D Remember when I said I wanted to make 2D projects come off the page in more of a 3D way? Well, this is where I started to accomplish just that.

From the tonality in hand drawn mono-prints of balloons, to the texture and value changes in the Paper Route Graphics. Even bringing dimension to a digital matte painting by adding floors to building and drama in the color values.

038

039

040

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

THURSDAY

WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY

MONDAY

SUNDAY

Spring Break

041

MARCH 352 Studio

Screenprinting

Digital Matte Painting

Photography

Web Design

Metal/Print/Wood Shop

Volleyball/Gym

Homework

Work @ UCOPY

< 3hrs Sleep

Client Project

Spring Break

Hangout

Church

A Highlighted Day in the chapter

March...well, sand volleyball is kicking off again, but shoe horning that into an already packed schedule wasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as difficult as anticipated. That was until the supposed Spring Break...a week slammed with 105 of the 168 hours doing contract work for a client. But hey, at least I got to add a body of corporate work to the portfolio.

This month also saw my work featured in 1 online publication, 1 magazine, and 1 gallery exhibition...I was pleased, yet yearning for more exposure.

042

3.4.13

EFFICIENCY TEST Efficiency is something that I try to maintain as projects thicken and deadlines are overlapping, but this week was a time that really saw a lot of work to be completed at once. Data from the class reading lists to be mined, revisions and coding to the YOKE site to be made, and choosing an appropriately easy shot to extend a road for digital matte painting...so obviously corners were cut where possible.

043

3.4.13

352 Reading Inspiration List RACHEL

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The Wall Street Journal Worth Magazine Inside Out Magazine Dwell Magazine Popular Science Magazine GQ Magazine Architectural Digest Sport Illustrated Magazine The Hatchet By Gary Paulsen Who Made God by Raavi Zacharias A Beautiful Mind by sylvia Nasar The Creative Priority by Jerry Hirschberg Transmaterial by Blaine Brownell The best of Book design {annual} The first 10 years by HOK or HOK Global Design Portfolio by HOK

JESSICA

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand The End of Print - Blackwell/Carson Lust for Life - Irving Stone The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom Communication Arts Magazine Project Management for Dummies Data Flow 2 The Client - John Grisham The Total Money Makeover- Dave Ramsey The Hour Game - David Baldacci Last Man Standing - David Baldacci The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

RAY

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

On Keeping a Notebook by Joan Didion Forget all the rules you ever learned about graphic design. by Bob Gill Graphic Design Referenced Communication Arts magazine Design as Art by Bruno Munari The Push Pin graphic Touch: graphic design with tactile appeal Visual Thesaurus Tactile: High Touch Visuals The Best of Business Card Design Neogeo: a new edge to abstraction Typographic Design: Form and Communication Los Logos Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information The Elements of Typographic Style

MELODY

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World's Great Graphic Designers Illustrators 53 Altitude: Contemporary Swiss Graphic Design The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Color Computer Arts Magazine It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life The Elements of Typographic Style IdN Magazine Data Flow 2: Visualizing Information in Graphic Design Things I have learned in my life so far Naive: Modernism and Folklore in Contemporary Graphic Design

044

045

046

3.13.13

In the thick of a design project, or even in merely conducting a photoshoot there needs to be enough of an established process that one can trust themselves to forge ahead. That is, enough trust and technical skill to experiment and generate many versions of a project.

Here I was forced to trust my decisions to produce compositions for class.

047

3.13.13

TRUST IN PROCESS

048

3.18.13

EUReCA If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve spent much time around me at all its a well known fact that I can fix just about anything. A lot of those skills originate from frustrations in my own life that turn into manufacturing a solution to solve my problem beyond a quick fix. In this case a printer rack inspired by an oven.

Last term I chose to explore metal working and integrate that into my furniture design skills as well as research and graphic design. To even include QR code integration for tech support.

For the Univ. of Tennesseeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undergraduate research competition generated a prototype, production/process booklet, and working drawings for the exhibition.

This is multidisciplinary problem solving.

049

3.18.13

050

3.21.13

051

3.21.13

PROCESS & GOOD WORK High density and multifaceted work, as shown by this print and the successive versions of the 352 book list, according to my classmates is nothing short of a common occurrence. A challenge.

If a professor says to write a book, I will shoot for a novel and see what comes of the project. If the prompt is to make a print, then I will willingly stare down the barrel of technical problems that hitch up the average person...ie- illustrative work.

Depth and substance, comes from experience and those qualities can be gleaned from the work of an artist. The flexibility to transition in this manner across multiple mediums and intuitively guide myself toward a desired outcome is one way I’ve come to rely on this new process developed.

Finally, I‘m at a point where I trust myself to unilaterally make decision and not put full stock into the opinions of others...it’s about time.

052

053

054

3.29.13

SPRING NO BREAK While others caught a flight to exotic places around the globe I buckled down and got right to work for a client here in Knoxville, TN turning study reports into nicely crafted deliverable documents.

If there is one thing I learned with this job it was that these days the bar is set extremely low in the way of design. I produced fresh graphic charts and report in a week, and while this wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t my best work it certainly thrilled the client and earned succeeding accounts.

It is amazing what continuity of design does for a document, and perceived intrinsic value.

055

3.29.13

056

3.21.13

057

3.21.13

352 BOOK LIST ...DONE

058

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

SATURDAY

FRIDAY

SUNDAY

classes End

059

APRIL 352 Studio

Screenprinting

Digital Matte Painting

Photography

Web Design

Metal/Print/Wood Shop

Volleyball/Gym

Homework

Work @ UCOPY

< 3hrs Sleep

Client Project

Junior Workshop

Hangout

Church

A Highlighted Day in the chapter

It’s nearing the end of the term, and April has regressed into a mere flash of time rather than a month of time to work and complete projects. While this won’t be all that’s completed I’ve done 4 Volleyball games,

3 Workouts, 3 days of a design workshop, made 8 books from recycled prints at UCOPY, shot

1500 frames, 12 silkscreened shirts, and spent countless hours crafting a new website look to couple iwth a new resume and portfolio. This is a bittersweet end hopefully a bright new beginning to take on.

060

4.6.13

THE JUNIOR WORKSHOP

the 1st Annual

Old City Kids Run Saturday May 4

www.theoldcity.org/events

061

The junior workshop was an interesting one for sure as it capitalized on condensed man-hours of work within teams of 5 to quickly produce a solution to a problem in downtown Knoxville, TN.

4.6.13 Our team...The Green Machine was a great compilation of talent that divided and conquered according to strength. Each person is connected to their specific area of contribution below.

062

063

064

4.8.13

THE DOCTOR IS IN 065

On March 7

THE DESIGN STUDIO

Me:

“Hey, What’s happening kids?”

Vince

“Jordan needs stitches its deep!”

& Josie:

4.8.13 “Let’s have a look. OK, Jordan

Me:

sit down give me your hand and get your heart rate down. Josie, go buy a new bottle of super glue, and hand me those paper towels please.”

Jordan:

“SUPER GLUE?!? ...ok I trust you.”

Me:

“Yep, call it an architecture/ military fix that’s just as good as the ER.”

On April 6

THE PRINT SHOP

Me:

“What’s happening kids?!?!?”

Brett

“Oh, Corey Just cut himself real

& Megan:

bad and needs stitches”

Corey:

“I don’t know what to do I’m broke”

Me:

“Lets see...I got this. You’ll be back to work on your project quick and not wasting money at the ER”

this semester I conveniently walked into a stu-

dio of edgy students who didn’t know how to deal with a cut. After all of the project battle wounds I’d seen and concern for sanitization as well as afford ability I knew both situations just needed me of all people to step in. UPDATE: No one was infected, both Corey and Jordan are fully functioning and very grateful for the buddy care.

066

4.18.13

067

classes end and aside from school assigned projects there are a few things I endeavored to complete on my own this term as well. One of which was to design Vegas bachelorette party shirts that are appropriate for wear after the trip, and were not cliche. In a really clever twist all of

CREATING DEPTH

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only one week before

4.18.13

the white on the shirts is also glow in the dark!

As for digital matte painting I increased the depth of the space by over half using information in a number of original photos

068

4.25.13

069

4.25.13

YOKE REDESIGN ...DONE

070

4.25.13

TRANSITIONS

Relise Designs

RELISE DESIGNS

Relise Designs

071

RELISE DESIGNS

4.25.13

In an effort to use leftover plywood remaining from the Power Tower project I took the prompt of 3D printing as a conceptual way of speaking to my process. Direct, well executed, clever, and with a textural value. The shadow box features multiple versions of my company logo and show cases failures as well as completed prints.

Like this particular matte painting the moments of failure are quite obvious to one who sits to look for the clues. The lack of attention paid to transitions are what have handicapped the matte painting as a whole.

072

073

In one year so much has happened. I can scarcely believe to the volume of information and technical skill Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned, or the strides my design style has made.

Nothing is finite, and the things that seem sure often arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, so where I go from here may be a huge question mark, but it will surely be forward and looking to grasp any possibilities afforded to me.

The real questions is, HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT IT?

074

Graphic Design

Business & Marketing

Sales & Management

3D &

Industrial Design

Architecture

075

2D Art & Design

FINISH 7 years of college...done.

[Now I can get some sleep ...NAH!]

076