graphic design

Week 3 of the Arts Itoya Residency

Shelby Prindaville's Arts Itoya solo exhibition "Ikigai" show card!

In my third week at Arts Itoya, I continued to spend a lot of time in the studio! Rainy season had officially commenced, so studio time was even more cozy. I also caught a cold, but it was a fast one - only lasting a few days. I was happy it had waited to strike until after my Yakushima visit, as that meant I didn’t have any issues with my scuba diving or intense hike.

One rainy afternoon, my bike hydroplaned atop some slick ground tiles and I hit the ground, so I had a number of scrapes and bruises from that. I was even more inclined to stick to the studio afterwards! We were also aware that our exhibition was coming up quickly. I designed my own show card as well as the poster for everyone’s shows within the multi-artist exhibition gallery. For my own show, I chose to title it Ikigai (生き甲斐). Ikigai is a Japanese concept/philosophy that has already made its way into English, much like zen, bonsai, and wabi-sabi. Ikigai is your reason for living; it combines passion, mission, and profession.

There were still a couple of new adventures! I had discovered that there is a lake with swan boats relatively nearby, so Emily and I went on a swan paddle boat outing. We also visited the Yoko Museum and Japanese Garden in Takeo. We observed that all the ceramics were wired down, and my theory is that this is an earthquake-damage-prevention measure.

Morningside Student Designed the New Sioux City Garden Club Logo!

Miriam Moore’s new Sioux City Garden Club logo design!

I love to partner with community organizations in art department coursework with beneficial, real-world projects. This semester, I agreed to host a design competition within our graphic design program for the Sioux City Garden Club! Their president, La Vone Sopher, reached out to me and we worked out a plan: students in Graphic Design I and II would submit logo designs, and the club would proffer a $50 first place (and use that logo) as well as a $25 second place prize.

Students in these two courses submitted 26 designs, and there were a lot of quality options for the garden club to choose from! The board winnowed it down to six, and had the club members vote to select their first and second place designs. Graphic design and history major Miriam Moore’s logo was the winner!

I like to take on these sorts of projects - even though it invariably adds to my workload - because students get to work with actual clients, the top designers receive compensation, and all students create portfolio pieces while the winner sees their work enter the community. It also raises both the winning artists’ and our art department’s visibility… particularly when we issue press releases about the successful conclusion of the partnership!

Here’s the Morningside University press release (complete with a quote from me), which was picked up by KWIT and a KTIV television interview.

And He Might Have Gotten Away With It Too - Photoshop Edition

As we were critiquing all the student animations turned in for my ART 210 Graphic Design I final, one piece prominently displayed the Photoshop twirl filter.

I commented to the class that when I see that filter, I recall how it was used by an infamous pedophile to hide his identity online, but international police managed to reverse it enough to allow for identification which then led to his capture.

My students were like, “huh,” and then we moved on with the critique.

The twirl filter applied to my most recent "baked potato" raku-fired bowl.

The twirl filter applied to my most recent “baked potato” raku-fired bowl. Scroll down to see it unaltered.

Citizens Savings & Loan Debit Card Design Scholarship

F19 debit card design.JPG

Citizens Savings & Loan has partnered with the University of Saint Mary to offer a university-branded debit card that raises money for student scholarships - and they put out a contest call a few months ago for designs. The winner was to receive a $500 scholarship and have their design printed as the inaugural card… and sophomore art major Adeline Pagan Sanchez won with the submission to the right!

Addy took the initiative to compete and worked very hard on this contest. She created and submitted a variety of designs since she wasn’t sure what aesthetic - cartoonish, sporty, refined - the selection team was looking for. Her classy, modern take on the USM spire and surrounding architecture hit the mark. Here’s a picture of us presenting her with the award, via an oversized ceremonial check!

Addy debit card c.jpg

I’m proud of her and look forward to more of her successes. For further details, check out USM’s press release, which was published in the Leavenworth Times too!

Leavenworth Times Article on My Graphic Design Class's Digital Colorization Project

The Leavenworth Times wrote a front-page article on one of our class projects - digital colorization - in AR 383 Graphic Design!  You can read it here.

Employment Options in the Arts

I have a number of students ask me what careers they can pursue in the arts.  This list is by no means exhaustive and includes some careers best served by dual majors, but here are some of the possible employers/roles in no particular order:

  • technical/medical illustration with the military, medical publishing, engineering firms
  • commercial illustration
  • graphic design/web design/user interface design
  • game development
  • animation
  • 3D animation
  • running CAD systems
  • film
  • concept artist
  • product design
  • advertising/marketing
  • printmaking studios
  • photography studios
  • ceramics studios
  • jewelry studios
  • metalsmithing
  • furniture restoration/design
  • textile studios
  • personal studio practice
  • portrait artist
  • caricature artist
  • art festival circuit
  • Etsy/Amazon Handmade/online vendor
  • tattoo parlors
  • sign companies
  • galleries/museums
  • art theory/writing
  • scene design
  • interior design
  • faux-finishing/mural work in collaboration with interior designers
  • staging store window displays
  • cake decorator
  • special effects/makeup artist
  • art teaching positions at K-12 private schools (public typically requires additional certification beyond a BA in art)
  • community arts center/camp/craft instructors
  • teaching adults at those "Painting and Pinot" type night/weekend classes
  • private art lessons

With graduate school, additional options open up like art therapy, higher education, and more.

New Business Cards!

I just redesigned my business cards and ordered a new set from Moo.  Since Moo allows printing of multiple back designs with a fixed front, I printed two different options.  I was concerned that the one with the Balancing Act snails detail might be too much, as it can look it when you see both sides at once, but in person it works quite well.  I'm liking both types enough that I may continue to order the mix... until I decide to redesign the card all over again, of course!