Critical Critique.

SouthwestLogo
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

4th quarter is complete, and I must say that this has been one of two very detailed critiques I've experienced so far. On the whole, my work was received about 50/50 with a couple of items working well and others...not so much. All 4 panelists agreed that my rebranding of Southwest Airlines was the strongest, which I was very happy about. In fact, I should have photographed some of it before I turned it in. Above you'll notice the logo, a new way of looking at SW. I interpreted the Prickly Pear Cactus, the official state cactus of Texas, for the look. A cactus that stores water over long periods of time allowing the flower to bloom even through droughts; not unlike SW's 32 continue years of profitability even post 9/11. That's also where the colors came from. The letterhead suite, luggage tag, ticket sleeve, airplane, and in-flight snack pack I designed followed the same look of safety and service. A couple of my other logos were highlights, as well as a book I did on Alcoholism. Type issues, thoughts on 'see/say' (what you say is what you see), and wrong audience were the weak parts of some of my other pieces. I just got a little too conflicted. Tomorrow, it's moving day.

Pack or No Pack?

As of midnight last night, my 4th quarter projects are complete. The final critique is tomorrow evening so I've got some presentation prep time. Lyndsey and I are also moving into our new duplex on Thursday, so it's not like it's lazy time around the apartment. We still have plenty of item to pack and get ready for when the movers arrive. Moving is such an insane event. What do you pack first? What do you still need to use until moving day? (of course that answer is "everything.") If you pack the kitchen, then you can't eat. If you pack the DVD player, you can't watch movies? If you pack your bathroom, you won't be clean for a few days. These are thoughts that run through my mind; and therefore, even if we have already packed 20 boxes, it still feels like nothing has been packed. Moreover, I forsee attending this same event many more times in the future. It's a show Lyndsey loves to experience. But I still have 2 days with a little Final Critique in the way.

Who Am I Going to Call?

broken cellphone
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

I've promised some of you that I would call you back, or you've probably called me, not left a message and wondered why I haven't called you back. Well the answer is simple...as you can see. The broken inside and outside screen on my cell phone, though a beautiful piece of artwork, does nothing positive for me. Luckily I can still receive calls; but it makes me wonder, how exactly was life before we all carried cell phones?

Did I really get frustrated not being able to call friends and family at the flick of a thought? Did I actually have numbers memorized since there was no digital storage bank? Are we this needy? I think the answer is yes. I've never been much of a phone talker, but if it's in my hands at all times, there's never been an excuse. I could call mom, or my brother anytime I had a question, wherever I was, wherever they were. After just typing that, another question came to mind, since when have we been anxious to be contacted whenever, wherever we are? Seems like quite a nuisance. Anyway, give me a call, we'll talk about it.

Wake Me Up When September Ends.

So I'm smack dab in the middle of Studio week and of my 2-year tenure at Portfolio Center. This time we have one extra studio week and one less week of break because of the AIGA Design Conference in Boston. Many students and instructors would be away from town for a week and therefore disrupting work and critique time. This change is both good and bad. An extra week never hurts, although it also means more time to tweak...and tweak...and tweak some more. This can easily get out of hand. The plan is still to complete the work as if the situation were normal and still take the standard break off; after all, Lyndsey and I have a whole apartment to pack by Sept. 22nd. So far, it shouldn't be tough...but I'm still planning to take my time so the craftmanship stays top-of-the-line. Critique is Wednesday, the 21st. and 7pm. 7 Logos, a Poster Trilogy, a Pop-up Book + Case, and an array of items for Southwest Airlines rebranding model. Wish me luck.