cheddar

I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago and heard the djs talking about slang on the streets. I knew I would find a definition just by listening and sure enough, I did. Ordinary citizens might think of cheese when they hear the words "Kraft Singles" but on the streets "kraft singles" is a term for one dollar bills. Because money is referred to as "cheddar" a single is obviously a kraft. I hope everyone is now more enlightened on current street slang and believe me, one day all of you will thank me for keeping you hip on the lingo.

my credo

monkeys are like cheese... they make everything better.

Princess Grace of Monaco

No other woman in history has stolen my heart like Grace Kelly. I have always admired her beauty and the fact that she lived a real life fairytale. This month's issue of Town & Country is a tribute to Grace Kelly's life from beginning to end. The featured pictures were enough to steal my time for hours not to mention the heartfelt words spoken by friends, family, and colleagues. I can't imagine what one minute in her presence would have felt like--I have heard "ethereal" used multiple times. As sad as her death was to everyone in the world I am so happy people still talk so highly of someone so deserving of praise. If I could live out the question "What famous person, dead or alive, would you have dinner with?" my answer would have to be Grace Kelly.

Chip Kidd Philosophies

As I was skimming through this week's Mcquade Mcquade readings I found myself consumed by the interview with Chip Kidd, the graphic designer most notably known for his skeletal Jurassic Park dinosaur on the cover of Michael Crichton's book. He has a fantastic outlook on design principles and is wonderfully easy going when it comes to his own work. He stated that rules of design are never set in stone and he even breaks his own rules when the mood is right. As a words and images class we have been told all semester to discard what we love because (most of the time) it is what we love that stands in our way of better revisions. But he said he occassionally breaks this rule and goes back to that first idea thinking, "Hmm, the reason this is the first thing you thought of is that this in the best thing."


When asked how he avoids repeating himself after being a designer for so long he said, "I don't avoid repeating myself. I rip myself off all the time." I worry, sometimes, about being too repetitious with my work. Obviously I don't have enough experience to where this has become a problem yet but what if it is in the future? It's always nice to know people deal with similar issues/fears I face everyday.


The best part of the interview was when he said, "The most tiring--and yet most rewarding--experiences are when you have to keep redoing it again and again, but what you end up with is actually the best thing." Thank god I'm not the only person constantly revising every little piece i create.

spooktacular

here are the spooktacular construction paper cut-out story boards we completed in class. i had an excellent time creating the story and helping my group complete the art work. i have found my new rough draft process! plus, construction paper is always fun.

typography

I had plans to find a better example of typography than my 7 eleven big gulp cup but something a classmate said to me while I was in the lab solidified my decision. I chose to show my big gulp cup because of the reaction Dierdre expressed towards it. We were sitting in the Mac lab on the 4th floor pulling our hairs out in frustration when she looked at my cup of half diet/half regular cola and said, "that word 'gulp' on your cup makes me want to take a big gulp of something right now." At that moment i moved my cup to the other side of the desk (just in case she was serious) but not without thought of how the typography on the cup created an instinctive reaction in her to grab for it. Kudos to 7 eleven on their fabulous typography--I would be lost without your big gulps.

p.s. the font is futura extra bold

active reading

As contradictory as this post may seem to my "too many hands" post I do appreciate the concept of this advertisement. I like when I am asked to be physically involved in viewing magazines. I like to turn it upside down and sideways so i can see every piece they are trying to sell me. I have heard many people say they do not like ads like this because it is annoying turning the magazine every which way but I applaud the originality. I am the same way with my food--I love being involved and using my hands to get to the meat. Thank you to good magazine for keeping me active (literally) in my reading!