Recently, I designed a t-shirt for the National Day of Silence, which takes place on April 15, 2011. From the Day of Silence website:
“Sponsored by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, the National Day of Silence is a day of action in which students across the country take some form of a vow of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. Through their activities students can speak out against harassment and organize for change for their schools and communities.”
My friends Angie and Ashley posed for a photo, which I illustrated for the shirt. Have a look:
Check back soon, as we have several other projects to add to the blog!
-shannon
Shannon and Nick are very excited to announce that we have recruited a new designer , Nathan Treme, to become a part of the DuJour Creative team. Our great friend April turned us onto Nathan’s work earlier this year, and we were really eager to grab him up before someone else found him. His work is incredible, and we feel that he fits in perfectly with our aesthetic.
A little more about Nathan, taken from his portfolio website: “Nathan Treme is a graphic designer currently living in Shreveport, Louisiana. He grew up south of the border in Mexico where he developed a deep admiration for tacos, punk rock, and futbol. He loves to draw, paint, make music and pet puppies. His graphic design work is internationally recognized and celebrated (by his mom).”
We can’t wait to start working with him on our upcoming projects! Welcome aboard, Nathan!
Usually about twice a year I get a hankering for an all-out art spree. It’s refreshing to get to create something that is totally subjective, totally open, totally whatever you want to create. This year I have been really drawn to drawings.
|
It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character.
- Camille Pissarro Contemporary drawing has certainly moved beyond mere rendering, although Pissaro’s idea remains constant: idea that our drawing is the very structure of our perceptions, our physical description of what we see. I am interested in the quality that drawings have to hold our attention intimately, as if it were a living being; suspending us in their inviting glow. Thus the title.
|
I am curating this show alongside Allison West, who is a well known creative force in the area.
I designed the poster as a fun, simple expression of bold shapes, lines, and typography; a mixture of things refined and raw in an attempt to communicate our my for such content.
-Nick
Last year, I had the great opportunity of designing all of the advertising, website, and other graphics for the 2nd Annual North Louisiana Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. They were so pleased with the results, that they have hired DuJour to come back for another year.
The third annual event will be held in September of this year. Last year’s posters featured very blatant, in-your-face illustrations that were quite direct about the “gayness” of the event. Lots of same sex near-makeout sessions taking place. Here’s one of the posters:
This year we decided to go with something more subtle, with a minimalist, clean design. Pictured below is a sample of one of the comps, to give you an idea of the direction we’re taking. There will be several different images, which will be on postcards, invitations, posters and the website.
We’re really excited to work with the festival organizers to make this a really fun event for the community, and hope to continue to work with them in the future.
The process of divining just the right look for Hannah was comprehensive. We had many things we were interesting in incorporating: Antique charm, elegance, sophistication, youthfulness, optimism.
We landed on this mark through a collaborative dialogue. It was inspired by a rough sketch that Hannah sent to me near the end of our comps that referred to a blending or weaving of the letterforms H&F, creating an elegant, monogrammed feel. This was reinforced by the frame and the traditional type.
Shak is an up and coming singer/songwriter in the UK who needed some CD packaging for his new EP as well as business cards and a modest website. He was initially drawn to a hand-drawn aesthetic that would communicate his style of music and personality. The music is new folk/soul like you would hear in a coffee shop. I described it as “Jason Mraz meets Elvis Costello.” He wasn’t opposed to that.
Within the development of comps, we stumbled upon a compelling image of a staircase coming from the negative space of an ocean: kind of a “parting sea” type thing. This emerged as the clear winner so we moved forward with it, clarifying type and color details.
For the business cards we went with a simple illustration paired with bold color to create a dynamic impression. There are a series of four cards, each with a different quote about music.
Stop Motion Fun
Now and then I dabble in film and animation (when I can find the time; it's few and far between, but maybe I can stop sleeping and just create full time!) Here's a little animated short that I created a couple of years ago. And yes, I do paint custom shoes for people. So if you're interested, hit me up on that contact form!