Exploring Ink

 

Getting back into the groove of things, as I’m coming towards the end of my UI/UX design studies (though it never stops!). In my off time when I’ve been tired of staring down a design or strategy problem, I’ve been trying to divert my attention into something like sketching to allow my thoughts to pause for a bit.

I’ve also used the sketching as a way to avoid dwelling on chronic headache pain. As the pain sets in, it’s easy to get frustrated and distracted. While it is certainly frustrating, I’ve been experimenting with that diversion of thought (taking from my meditation practice) and attempting to “meditate” on my sketching. I’m sharing one of those pieces today, where I’ve been exploring a hatching style but trying to do my own thing with the implementation.

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M. C. Escher

Recently visited the M. C. Escher exhibit in Industry City in Brooklyn, was deeply inspired, then walked through the gift shop and decided not to buy the print album of his work (I felt so strong, but the deep regret set in quickly), but then on a trip to Vermont last week I found an album of his work for sale at a beautiful old library, for three dollars, bought the book and felt that the hole in my heart from that day at the exhibit was filled and I could proceed fulfilling my destiny as a designer.

All jokes aside, M. C. Escher’s work is not only outstandingly mathematical and hypnotic, but it is also mostly wood block and lithographic prints, which was a huge discovery for me. That gives so much more depth and perspective to his work. A true genius and inspiration he is, so today’s post is one of his more spooky pieces. Getting into the Halloween spirit I am indeed.

Jazzlab – Poster

Stumbled upon a series of posters created by Jefferson Cheng, with a simple but compelling taking up majority of the page, in different shapes and colors, creating a lovely set of posters. I’m particularly liking the balance he’s striking with the elements, while still creating a sense of fullness despite the minimal presence of content.

Michael Bierut – Poster

I learned about Michael Bierut and the work of Pentagram when I started listening to Debbie Millman’s podcast about a year after graduating college. The breadth of people she spoke to opened my eyes to a whole new world of design and it was invigorating to say the least. It was only until I read his How To book a few days ago, that the breadth of his work with Pentagram really sunk in. I was floored by the amount of work that he touched, and that in turn had shaped my visual experiences as a child growing up in NYC. From the way-finding to the New York Times building, to the museums. I had always been attracted to visual identities, architecture, the whole gamut really, and to find that many that I had connected to were created by Bierut was flooring, to say the least. If nothing else, it was a reminder that of my undeniable attraction to well designed visual stimuli, and the effect that graphic design can have on the citizens experiencing it.

This piece here is one of the posters he had made for one the Yale School of Architecture open houses (source). There are countless pieces he had made for Yale, all of which are incredible, but the whimsy in this one was another reminder that it’s not just about how you arrange something on the page, but that adding weight to the content can give the piece a whole new character.

Pouya Ahmadi – Work

I’ve been perusing Behance for graphic design inspiration, and somehow came across Pouya’s work, which stopped me in my tracks. His work stuck a cord with me in its typographical exploration with minimal use of color. Something about it is simple, yet endlessly interesting, making we want to explore every corner, and look deeper into the layers.

Poster Design

This is a poster designed for the Mausashino Art University by the Daikoku Design Institute. I am pushing to explore the simplicity in Japanese design. Its appeal is in its no nonsense presence, which says so much, with less – a very attractive and effective concept for design.

Update: I will be posting these graphic design inspiration pieces every Friday! Trying out this things called consistency.

Paula Scher – Campaign

I recently listened to Debbie Millman’s interview with Paula Scher, on Debbie’s incredible podcast, Design Matters. As always, it is a huge inspiration to hear how the best of the best got started doing what they do. Paula’s journey was fascinating, and once I took a look at her work after the podcast, I was embarrassed that I hadn’t seen it earlier. She holds a long career of eye-catching and rule-breaking work, pulling it off boldly yet elegantly. This piece here was created in 1994 for The Public Theater in NYC.

Mitsuo Katsui – Poster

I am a big fan of Japanese graphic design. Actually, Japanese…everything, but that’s for another time. Here’s the inspiring work of Matsuo Katsui. I gathered information about his life and past work at a site called Graphicine. Someone created this website to organize their design inspiration, which in turn helps me in my discovery process. Good on them indeed!