Icons Dropping Like Rocks
First it was David Carradine. Then Ed McMahon. Then Farrah Fawcett. And Michael Jackson. A real shocker came with BILLIE MAYS!!! And David Eddings. And Steve McNair.
I don’t know how to handle this. As a relatively young person, all of these people have been around (and famous) in my lifetime. David Carradine was the kung-fu master and the wild-west aficionado. I remember watching him from the Legend continuing to the history of Jesse James. Ed McMahon was the voice of the Tonight Show and one of the last of a dying generation of show stars. Farrah was the “blonde bombshell” that we knew from Charlie’s Angels, and from her selfless submissions to tests to help others coming after her. Michael Jackson was the true King of Pop, his songs gracing every single dance and wedding I’ve been to. No one who watches television can honestly say that they’ve not heard Billie Mays shouting to them to purchase some various product with unmatched enthusiasm. Steve McNair was the great rival quarterback to our Indy Colts.
And then there’s David Eddings. And it’s ironic that I’m in the middle of two books he’s written when it happens. He is one of the best fantasy fiction writers ever. His series “The Belgariad” is ubiquitously known to fanfic readers. And it’s rare to find a fantasy reader who’s never heard of Belgarath the sorcerer. My wife and I own 19 of his books. The only other author I own close to as many books of is L.E. Moddesitt Jr., another prolific fantasy athor. Add in Terry Brooks and Kevin Anderson, and We have over 50 books on my shelves.
And I don’t know how to handle it. An Actor. A voice. A beauty. A Singer. A seller. An author. And an athlete. All gone, and it’s not even been two weeks. I can’t really comprehend it, to be honest. But I will continue reading Eddings until I’ve finished the books, and then I will continue to cherish his work until I join him. It’s been a strange week. That’s for sure.
Please Welcome Our Newest Host!
He’s the hostest with the mostest. Over the weekend an agreement was made with a good friend of my to co-contribute at least on a temporary basis, but maybe a more permanent one as well. Keep your eyes and ears open for changes to the site and for posts from someone other than myself. Be prepared for awesome.
Artist Profile: Dane Benton
This is the first of what will hopefully become a series. Dane Benton is currently a Visual Communications Design major at Anderson University as well as a good friend of mine. He’s originally from St. James, MO, but is looking to move to Indy (yeah!).
MS What’s going on in the design life of Dane Benton right now?
DB Right now there’s a lot going on in the life of Dane Benton, period. I’m wrapping up my degree in Visual Communication Design at Anderson University, and trying to see what’s around the bend in the professional world. It’s a really bittersweet time in my life as I look forward to the future, because I’ve really loved college. As far as design work goes, I’ve been spending some extra time redesigning my personal identity components and business system, and have had the opportunity to design some wedding invitation systems for friends. I’ve also been working on some small(er) jobs for the university that have been good opportunities to pursue some of the ideas that fill my head.
MS What excites you?
DB Everything. I know that’s one of the most expected answers in the book, but I genuinely enjoy life, and the many opportunities it offers every day. I’m a big fan of chipotle, new running shoes and nearly anything with an apple logo. I love color and typography, and when the two are executed in a cohesive way, I’m to the moon. I am most fond of solutions that make me think. We live in somewhat of a rudimentary time, and knowing that someone is forcing me to consider a different approach excites me. I’m a big fan of the genuine things in our world, whether that be letterpress printing or a really good laugh, I love surrounding myself with those things.
MS Who inspires your work?
DB My grandmother, who is a quilter. Growing up I watched her pull all these components together and make something beautiful with them.I give her credit for my desire to be a designer, because she inspired me then and she still does today. In my normal process, I pull inspiration from a ton of different sources as I go about my work. I am inspired by culture, and the people around me, and design solutions that make me say “I could’ve done that,” (even though I know it took the designer days, if not months, to achieve the solution).
As a student, I’ve been inspired to work collaboratively with my design cohort, and my roommate, Joshua, is among that group. I think we inspire and push each other to do as good of work as possible, and there are many nights that we’ll be winding down and launch into a critique or conversation on design that will keep us up for a couple more hours. As far as other designers, I look at a lot of designers’ work, and some of my favorites are people like Bradbury Thompson, Paula Scher, Stefan Sagmeister, Paul Rand, Maira Kalman and Michael Beirut. Oh yeah, and Josh Taylor…
MS What’s your take on the design world right now?
DB I think the design world is being forced to be really creative about the way we do our work right now. Budgets are smaller, expectations are higher and we’re forced to adapt to those changes. We live in a society where a lot of people think they are creatives because of a small knowledge in digital photography and programs like Photoshop where people can learn just enough to be somewhat dangerous. I don’t mean to sound snotty, but there is a reason that people go to college to learn those skills, and I think as designers we’re really having to put it on to show the knowledge and creativity that is (hopefully) perfected with a degree.
I think we live in an exciting time in design as interactive and multi-media design becomes more influential and expected in our society. Social media is taking over and I think it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We have to find ways to connect with one another amidst our crazy schedules, and social media adapts to our lifestyle in that way.
Sustainability has also become a big focus in design, and I honestly think it’s about time. As designers, we really set the tone for our clients, and if we can adopt environmentally-friendly thinking in our process, it will only encourage our clients to do the same. It’s okay for us all to have our opinion on this subject (because I know there are many) but I think it’s a good move forward for ‘ole mother earth.
MS Any future aspirations?
DB Yeah. A lot of ‘em. I think the most common aspiration I have, though, is to make a difference in the world. Whether that’s the world that I interact with daily or the world as a whole, I try to be an example and do something good every day. Some of my other favorites, though, are:
• Running at least a half marathon
• Earning an MFA in Graphic Design
• Writing a book
• Hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim (which should be happening next fall!)
• Visiting China
• Being a Father
• Retiring somewhere warm
MS You are currently exhibiting at Converge in Anderson, what are your thoughts about the show?
DB Honestly: I’m so, so, thankful to be a part of the exhibition. The work that composes that show is incredible, and knowing that I have a part in it is awesome. More than the work, though, I’m blessed to be amongst the fellow artists that have composed the group. They are great individuals who I’ve been encouraged and supported by through the process, and I’ve really enjoyed the entire process of the exhibition. I think the work is amazing, the space is well considered and it is definitely an impressive body of student work. If you haven’t been - get to it by May 1!
MS What about your own work in the show?
DB Who, me?… I’m still processing the way I feel about my own work. I took a really personal, vulnerable route to the pieces and it didn’t really hit me until a few minutes before the show opened how much I’d put myself out there. I think I learned a lot about myself as I was creating these pieces, and I thought about my past in a lot of new ways because of the work. I think that our lives inform our personal work a lot, and it was nice for this to be almost a reverse effect, as the work started informing my life. I went about the pieces in a totally new way, creating collages rather than traditional graphic design - but it’s been so rewarding to create the work in this manner as it really made me slow down and re-work, sometimes in a matter of days. It’s so easy to apple + z in InDesign, but this took time, thinking, and critique that slowed the process tremendously. All in all, I’m really happy with the way the work came out, and it’s become a bit of a step forward for me. I’m acknowledging where I’ve come from, what my life has been like, and with that I’m able to move forward to the unknown. A lot of people are afraid of what’s next, but I’m really excited to see what it may be.
—–
A special thanks to Dane for agreeing to be the first in the series! If anyone else is interested, just leave me a comment somewhere with a link to your portfolio or a way to contact you and I’d be glad to get something started.
Syfy: It’s a Trap!
Drawing inspiration from real life, I decided it was time to make a cartoon of the Syfy debacle going on right now. As an added bonus, Sheldon definitely Ackbar’d it on the Big Bang Theory this week. Good times.
