Inquiry 2
I feel so good about this inquiry! This is the first thing I have made that wasn't in an illustration class that I feel is worthwhile in my portfolio as far as where I want to go in the future. Kate Bingaman-Burt's visit really opened my eyes to how I can make design more fine arts based. I've realized that I need to stop trying to be good at what everyone else is doing and instead focus on my own strengths which is pencil to paper, analog design.
Menus for Nacho Taco in Spartanburg, SC
I knew menu design was something I'd been interested in trying ever since I went to this Mexican restaurant in my home town one time and they had new menus. Their menus are so bright and so clear of brand identity without being shy. When I ate there in high school, I couldn't help but imagine the person who designed and illustrated them, and it fascinated me. Ever since then, I pay special attention to most menus that I hold and experience. I remember the first time I went to Peebles I ranted to my non-art major friends who I was with about how horrible their menu was. It wasn't even that it had bad hierarchy or legibility, it was just so devoid of personality and you could tell this restaurant did not have a budget or concern for their brand identity within their restaurant. While doing this project, I was reminded and inspired by another restaurant in my home town called the Flock Shop. I can't find any good photos online, but they include a lot of hand drawn elements in their restaurant, including their menu drop down panels above check out and general signage within the restaurant.
I knew I wanted to do a menu with hand drawn elements, so the first thing to do was pick a restaurant, which I eventually landed on Peebles. I knew I didn't like their current branding and thought I could definitely do it better. I had a lot of different ideas but was stuck on where to start for a while. I sketched a few different chickens in viking hats until one stuck out to me: the silhouette of the chicken with the text within. I used this design to then make the back of the menu design. I was going to surround the logo mark with just crows feet, playing off of the mural they currently have on the side of their building, but then I had the sudden idea to scribble all over the paper. I knew I wanted to make this design less serious because their brand archetype is the jester. This back design then propelled me into the front design naturally. It was enjoyable and I did it all in one sitting. At the top of the front side I wrote the new word mark with the same letter forms that were in the chicken shape to make things cohesive and not complicated.
These are also different versions of the back design I did while playing with blend modes in photoshop, I eventually landed on the one on the far right.
Design Matters with Debbie Millman- Ping Zhu
Debbie Millman interviews are always such a pleasure to listen to. Such a great conversationalist and researcher of her guests with great questions. I was excited to listen to this episode because of the picture uploaded on our basecamp that said she was an illustrator, and I love the hand drawn text.
While listening to the episode I looked up some of Ping Zhu's work and scrolled through her website. Her artwork is so beautiful and has so many qualities that I want to embody in my own work, like beautiful contrast of color and simplification of forms. Her work has such a loose childlike quality which is something I feel like I'm just now starting to explore more in my artwork since I'm thinking about pursuing children's book illustrations.
When I heard she only applied for art schools I was impressed with her confidence in her own work. When I was applying for colleges, I actually didn't even apply for any art schools. Even though this was mainly a money issue for me, I was still scared that if I applied I wouldn't get in.
Also, hearing that she was intimidated by her classmates was also encouraging. I feel like I've only recently gained confidence in my design work and stopped comparing myself to my classmates. This inquiry I feel like was a big step for that as well.
Artwork done for the New York Times by Ping Zhu
Feb 2, 2023