Alex Barnes
Graphic Design Portfolio
Fall 2016
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KOMB Mobile App
P8
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The Sword Album Art
P24
Killiteracy Ad Campaign
P16
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St. Augustine Archaeology
P32
Voir Film Company
P48
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Limelight Theatre
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Freelance Projects
P40
P58
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About Me
I have always been in a constant state of exploration and search; questioning everything and everyone. Whatever it is, I may never find out. But it has substance and truth. I continue this search every
day through fine art, photogrpahy, and graphic design. Each of these practices lends itself in a unique way to the search. The study of graphic design has endless possibilities for gaining insight and
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creating meaningful projects through creative problem solving. At its best, it even helps people on a large scale. Otl Aicher was a designer that made a huge impact on me and my approach to graphic design
and rational problem solving. He resisted corrupt authority in his life and suffered for it. But, Otl used his skillset to solve big problems. He created more than a pretty logo for a company or
a nice poster design for an event. He, along with other Bauhaus designers became inspirations for me and my goal is to reach that very rare level of graphic design that has true meaning.
good art
good design
Inspires Motivates - Otto “Otl” Aicher Alex Barnes \ About \ 5
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1 KOMB
Interactive Shark Tooth Identification App Design Rationale
KOMB is a mobile app that provides Stylistic choices were generated from various sources. Insights gained the user with the ability to identify from user research aided the color choices as well as the use of textures shark teeth found on the beach, and patterns as secondary elements. Other inspiration for the formal learn about different species of qualities of KOMB included consideration to the location of where the app sharks and crucial information about will be used (the beach) and incorporating those elements into the design. endangered species, customize the Typography photos of the teeth with special filters, and share their findings with friends. KOMB’s conception began with user reasearch analysis. An observation was made during the research process: there were no Migrena Grotesque Light Italic apps that allow users to interact with their findings at the beach, and a lot of people go to the beach. Nearly 60 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This clearly idenitfyied a hole in the mobile app market. The target audience was decided as females aging from 15-26 years old. From there, user research was done to establish a clear direction for both the UX and UI design of the app as well as the stylistic and formal properties.
Migrena Grotesque Black Migrena Grotesque Medium
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The main menu screen serves as a database for all of the current shark teeth the user has logged. Clicking on a tooth takes the user to the info card on that shark, which displays
a simple illustration of the shark tooth, a small list of facts about the species, and where that species falls on the endgangered scale. From the main menu, the user can
reach any of the other features: Identify (Camera), edit photos, and the settings panel. Navigation is simple and intuitive, with icons for each button.
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The main feature of the app: the shark tooth identifying camera. The user is prompted to take a photo of his or her tooth on a blank background. After a brief pause,
the tooth is analyzed and identified. The info sheet is displayed and an alert runs across the top panel telling the user what kind of shark the tooth belonged to. The info
card is able to be revisited from the main menu screen.
MOBILE APP
The Komb mobile app icon is both an abstraction and a combination between the shape of a shark tooth and an uppercase “K.� The pattern applied to the
tooth was utilized to resemble the gesture of scanning, the main feature in the app. The loading screen was inspired by the movement of waves along the shoreline. A
diagonal cut through them emphasizes this, along with balancing the composition.
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INFOGRAPHIC
The Frequent Flyers infographic presents a detailed recording of the migratory patterns or, “flight patterns,� of different species of sharks, along with other facts
about sharks, such as how endangered some species are, how their teeth are very important in the fossil record, and statistics relating sharks to climate change. The
infographic is displayed over a glass window of an aquarium with sharks on display. This is not only an excellent way to expand the scope of impact of the mobile app, but also a
great opportunity for possible collaborations with museums and aquariums.
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2
KILLITERACY
Reading Advocacy Ad Campaign Design Rationale
According to the National The design decisions for this campaign reflect a specific style prevalent Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in old 1940’s poster design. The type, imagery, and textures centered reading levels are at the lowest around this to maintain an authentic and vintage aesthetic. The printed they have been since 1982. The ad in a traditional context would be too predictable and easily looked over, Killiteracy campaign is a reaction however, placed on a “show flyer pole,” it is more readily viewed. to this problem, and the primary Typography goal is to encourage high schoolers (millenials) to read. The campaign targets millenials through celebrity endorsements, guerilla marketing, and branded event booths at popular music festivals. In order to effectively leave a lasting impression ITC Stone Informal Std Medium on the target audience, a unique, fresh, and aggressive tone was taken. The message of the campaign is subversive and communicates the call to action in a very sarcastic, indirect, anti-authoritarian manner. The style was inspired by vintage “Reefer Madness” propaganda posters, as well as underground street culture.
Sign Painter Brush Flyer Fonts Hardcore
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POSTER
The printed ad will serve as a promotional item to be given away at events, as well as part of the guerilla marketing, in the version of smaller, flyer-sized pieces
placed around cities, typically on poles that house show flyers .
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PINS
To maintain the look and feel of an old political propaganda campaign, pins will be used as a form of promotional material. These will be given away on the website
and at the promotional events like music festivals at the branded merch booth.
CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS
To kick off the Killiteracy campaign, three celebrities were chosen to endorse it. It was important to pick three figures that represented different lifestyles.
Each of them have already established a large following among millenials. All are well qualified to represent the campaign. Lupe Fiasco is a hip-hop artist that advocates
the importance of education in his music. Emma Watson is a British actress, and activist. She was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in
2014. Steve Berra is a profesional skateboarder that now runs the popular website “The Berrics.� The message of each post will reveal the nature of the campaign
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WEBSITE
The website is the final destination that the campaign leads to. It provides information and guidance to direct the viewer to understanding the importance of reading.
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This is reinforced by book lists generated by the celebrities that endorsed the campaign kickoff.
MERCH BOOTH
The merch booth setup at select music festivals provides direct interaction with the target audience, in a place they are most likely to be open to hearing about
something new. Music festivals included in the campaign will be the Van’s Warped Tour, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza. These are the top three music festivals for millenials.
Along with giving away small items like the pins and posters, campaign employwees will provide information about the importance of reading. Collaborations with
performing artists at these festivals such as meet-and-greets will provide an opportunity to reach a large portion of the target audience.
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3
THE SWORD The Sword are a sludge metal band that sound reminiscent of early metal bands like Black Sabbath and Sleep. The artwork created for the fictional album, “Lazerwulf,” was inspired by science-fiction airbrush art found on many album covers during the 80’s. Promotional items include t-shirts and enamel pins of the wolf head featured on the album cover. The function of these promotional items is simple and clear: to promote the album and generate passive income for the band.
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Album Artwork & Promotional Media Design Rationale The design choices made for the album artwork and accompanying promotional material were mostly aesthetic appeal. It was important to capture the sound that the band produces in a visual manner, so rhythm was a design element that is seen throughout all components.
Typography
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The track listing layout is consistent with the thematic elements of the cover, while also existing by itself in an interesting manner.
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ALBUM ART
The album artwork is generated from the rhythmic sound that The Sword produce. Sharp, aggressive lines wrapping around spheres serve as abstractions of this.
The subject matter, stylizations, and color choices were inspired by early 80’s sci-fi art.
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The enamel pin industry has exploded in the music scene in the past two years. The wolf head art style lent itself to the medium of enamel pins.
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PROMOTIONAL MEDIA
Within the music industry, creating passive income has become imperative, especially with the advent of the internet (music pirating). Merch sales are vital to the
success of the band as well as the record label. This was an opportunity to utilize the unique look of the album artwork.
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4 SAAA
St. Augustine Archaeology Association Rebranding Design Rationale
The Saint Augutine Archaeology The primary consideration for this rebranding was the limited budget that Association is a group of such a small organization has readily available. The Logo was designed to archaeologists that do research work at any size, and functions as a 1-color component, requiring minimal and field work in and around the cost in printing and other applications. The designed poster is a simple, Saint Augustine area. Much of their 3-color print that will save on costs as well. workforce includes volunteers that Typography work for free and students. The primary goal of this rebranding project was to garner an interest among students in the study of archaeology and encourage them to help the organization by volunteering their time. This includes United Italic Reg Light a refreshed logo that can be used in various sizes, a promotional poster template that is eye-catching and interesting enough to hold a college students attention, and a branded research bus that will serve as an advertisement as well as a functional vehicle for volunteers to conduct field work, preservation, and research in.
United Sans SemiCond Heavy United Sans Reg Medium
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RESEARCH
BUS
The choice was made to use a research bus for two reasons: it will be an excellent form of advertisement in such a small town like St. Augustine. Also, it will serve the
practical function of providing a mode of transportation to volunteers. Research and documentation will now be able to be conducted on site.
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LOGO CREATION
The Saint Augustine Archaeology Association currently did not have a logo. Consideration was given to the applications in which the logo is to be
used. Its primary applications are on printed materials as large as posters, and as small as brochures. The logo solution is simple yet impactful, utilizing the shape and
layout of an old coin. The abbreviation was necessary due to the cumbersome nature of the long name.
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POSTER TEMPLATE
The poster design will serve as a reusable template to be used to promote upcoming events within the community. The poster will be placed around town and on college
campuses. Color use was kept to a minimun to keep production costs low.
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5
LIMELIGHT THEATRE The Limelight Theatre is a local venue located in the heart of St. Augusitine. It features a small Blackbox theatre and a larger theatre that seats 125 people. The theatre typically stages seven plays each season. The main goal of the rebranding and environmental design is to reach out to the local community and create an interest in the art of theatre. A secondary goal is to clarify the brand identity of the theatre. Prior to rebranding, there was much inconsistency and the logo required the use of gradients that looked illegible at medium to small applications. The new logo takes advantage of halftone dot patterns to maintain consistency at small, medium, and large formats, as well as one, two, and three color applications.
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Rebranding & Environmental Design Design Rationale The choice to redesign the exterior building was a result of the new logo and a need to display it publicly to gain attention from the local community. The old building is very easy to pass by unnoticed; this new exterior will be difficult to miss. A Poster template is important for brand consistency, while also providing an opportunity to create engaging artwork for each play.
Typography
Oswald Demibold Oswald Demibold Italic Oswald Light
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EXTERIOR DESIGN
The Limelight theatre is set in the small local city of St. Augustine, and many people still don’t have a clue where exactly it is. A redesign of the exterior is an effective solution
to this problem. This would also provide an opportunity to implement the new logo as a marquee as well as the new brand colors.
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LOGO REBRANDING
The logo rebranding was done with consideration to the applications it will be used in. This will include poster design, ticket stubs, t-shirts, plaques, etc.
It is important for the logo to maintain the same appearance throughout these applications, so different variations of the logo were created to ensure consistency.
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POSTER TEMPLATE
The poster design and layout was created with the vision of other plays that the theatre will stage in mind. Information can change easily while maintaining
brand consistency. An accompanying illustration has its place in the center shape, and can be switched out accordingly.
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VOIR
Art Direction, Packaging, Branding, Mobile App Design Design Rationale
Voir is a 35mm film project that includes the conception of a fictional The motivating factors behind the desicions for Voir were influenced by a hole in the market for a service for analog photographers. Film photography company that would function like is making a resurgence, along with other analog mediums such as vinyl a monthly subscription service. records. It is currently very inconvenient to pracice analog photography, and Packages of film are sent via mail in Voir’s platform is designed specifically to cater to these problems a branded container after the initial Typography signup process is complete. After shooting the film, it is returned in the same package it came in. It is then developed at a Voir Photo hub and uploaded onto the subscribers Helvetica Neue Regular account. New rolls are sent back Helvetica Neue Light with the negatives of the previously developed photos. With monthly subscription options, customers can choose how many rolls they receive each month. They can view, store, and organize each set of photos on the mobile app. Printed media such as large posters, standard 4x6’s, and even t-shirts and other various media. All are ordered through either the mobile app or the Voir Website.
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LOGO CONCEPTION
Voir’s logo is inspired by the beautiful cameras of the analog era; the angular treatment taken from the metal viewfienders. The “V” shape is a strip of film running
through the middle. The symbol itself can be used seperately, just as the secondary “Voir” logomark can stand alone when a horizontal orientation is necessary.
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The Voir mobile app allows users to view other members’ projects and profiles.
The app serves as a storage folder for the user developed photos. Throught these, he or she can publish projects on their profile.
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A look at what the folders look like inside. The user can attach meta data to each photo for easy organization.
MOBILE APP
Voir’s logo is inspired by the beautiful cameras of the analog era; the angular treatment taken from the metal viewfienders. The “V” shape is a strip of film running
through the middle. The symbol itself can be used seperately, just as the secondary “Voir” logomark can stand alone when a horizontal orientation is necessary.
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Color contrast is especially important for the film canisters themselves. When loading film in the dark, it is easy to accidentally load a different speed film.
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PACKAGING
The packaging components were inspired by the time period when analog was most popular. The main considerations given to the packaging components were
clarity of information (the ISO needs to be easy to see in low light), and practicality where shipping is concerned. A die cut pattern for the film boxes was created
to fit properly within a larger shipping container.
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Ancient City Brewing
Art Direction, Branding, Logo Design
photography by Elise Crigar
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FREELANCE PROJECTS
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Hoptinger Bier Garden
Illustration
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photography by Elise Crigar
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