tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48858512972316965262024-03-08T03:33:09.282-08:00karenkavett.com / blogkarenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-78353553375055265502010-08-16T15:31:00.000-07:002010-08-16T15:37:53.093-07:00Nerdfighter ButtonsBack in June, <a href="http://alandistro.com">Alan</a> asked a bunch of artists to design some buttons for the new DFTBA button pack, which is still yet to released. I figured I would post mine here before I completely forget I had designed them, which tends to happen with projects that aren't released to the public right away. Let me know which ones you might want as actual buttons in the comments and maybe someday they'll be made!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/nerdfighterbuttons3.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-894159140693969072010-08-15T10:58:00.000-07:002010-08-15T11:21:25.480-07:00Steampunk Bubble GunI always mean to make blog posts about the videos I post, and then just kind of forget. But this one is happening, even if it's a week late. First, check out the video of me painting a steampunk bubble gun, and then read on for a bit more behind-the-scenes info.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nxMZj4z9_ys?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nxMZj4z9_ys?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />I got the bubble gun from my friend <a href="http://youtube.com/robynisrarelyfunny">Robyn</a> after the Times Square bubble battle, since she didn't want it anymore. While it was cute as is, I thought it would be even more awesome if it was painted to be steampunk. As you can see from the video, I first sanded the plastic a bit so the paint would stick better and then put on a white base coat. It would probably have looked neater if I had used spray paint instead of acrylic, but I didn't have spray paint and acrylic is a lot easier to do quickly. Then I just kind of went crazy on it with the brown and blue paint, which I then went over with gold to look a bit more aged. I thought the whole thing was looking a bit grimy overall, so then I decided to make the little doodads that I glued on bright white to add a bit of contrast. It was tough getting the cartoon head to not look so cutesy, and I probably should have done what one commenter suggested and used modeling clay to alter the shape of the head to begin with. But I did the best I could for my first time trying this style, especially in the only about five hours it took.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0003_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0031.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0003.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0029.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0007.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0034.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0010.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0037.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0015.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0027.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0044.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/_DSC0042.jpg"><br /><br />When it came to making the video, I knew even before I started that I wanted it to be set to Joseph Birdsong's song <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyj2jVn2tCA">Hologram</a>, mostly because I've been obsessed with it since I first heard it a few weeks ago. The outfit I wore at the end of the video is one I just kind of put together in about fifteen minutes before I left to film it. The shirt I got from a vintage clothing store in Brooklyn a few weeks ago, and the skirt is actually a dress that I picked up from a free stuff pile at the end of my sophomore year of college. I got the bow headband at Forever 21 and the tights for $2 from Urban Outfitters. I had brought black heels with me to put on, but I thought the grass was long enough that you couldn't tell I was still wearing my Converses, but I was wrong and that ended up being the main thing I wish I could have changed about the video. But I think it came out really nicely overall, and let me know if you agree!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/screenshot1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/bubblegun/screenshot2.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-10451448835509983442010-07-27T18:45:00.000-07:002010-07-27T18:48:19.951-07:00MoMA PhotographyOn Sunday the 25th, my friend Bin and I decided to get our art on and visit the Museum of Modern Art. It was fun, and I took a ton of photos, which you no doubt can see below.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/186.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/188.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/190.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/194.jpg"><br /><br />There was an amazing typography exhibit which is going to be taken down this week (which is why we went on the day we did). So many of those posters I've cited as inspiration throughout my time at RISD, so it was amazing to see them in real life. I didn't want to leave, but there was more art to see.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/197.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/198.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/201.jpg"><br /><br />I love the room showcasing useful objects as art. So many of them are incredibly beautiful.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/204.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/206.jpg"><br /><br />You could just see some of the typography posters through a window. And it's the MoMA, so of course the architecture is amazing.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/207.jpg"><br /><br />This artist named George Maciunas kept the boxes of all his household objects for an entire year. The display was beautiful and a bit disturbing at the same time as we see just how much stuff each of us consumes.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/211.jpg"><br /><br />I didn't really understand the video piece happening here, but the camera was absolutely beautiful.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/215.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/216.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/222.jpg"><br /><br />You guys know me - I can never resist huge typography.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/223.jpg"><br /><br />The bale of hay in the middle of this room smelled so good. I loved watching all these different types of people walk by it, then do a double take and lean in closer to smell it.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/225.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/226.jpg"><br /><br />I didn't get the artist's name, but the way these ads were manipulated is hilarious and beautiful.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/230.jpg"><br /><br />Portrait by Picasso. I'm not always the biggest fan of his work, but I thought this was gorgeous.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/233.jpg"><br /><br />I have no idea what this thing is, but it's boat-shaped and purple and squishy and I want one.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/234.jpg"><br /><br />Cloth book by Louise Bourgeois. I would love to try to make one something like this one day.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/240.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/241.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/242.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/243.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/244.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/246.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/247.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/249.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/250.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/4/251.jpg"><br /><br />In the sculpture garden, they had a wish tree, in which you would write down a wish and tie it on. My wish proves that I am a nerdfighter through and through, and Bin's wish proves that I am not the only person in the world obsessed with typography.<br /><br />Sorry this post was so long! Leave a comment below if you wish to.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-63294545731783503442010-07-19T10:41:00.000-07:002010-07-19T10:59:15.056-07:00FakeJohnGreen REVEALED<img src="http://karenkavett.com/fakejohn91.jpg"><br /><br />...the title sort of killed any suspense I had going there, didn't it? Well, to make it perfectly clear,<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen">I am Dailybooth's FakeJohnGreen.</a><br /><br />So, now that that's taken care of, I guess I can end the blog here. Thanks for reading! Oh wait, you probably have some questions. Or, I have some questions you may be asking. If you care at all.<br /><br /><b>How did you come up with the idea?</b><br />I was talking to <a href="http://youtube.com/songsfrompaul">Paul (songsfrompaul)</a> on Skype one day, and he mentioned that someone had made a fake Miley Cyrus Dailybooth account. I commented, wouldn't it be funny if someone made a fakejohngreen Dailybooth, since the FakeJohnGreen Twitter had been around for a little while at that point. I decided it was a good idea, made the first photo, and posted it later that day. After I made the second one the next day, I realized that I couldn't promote it myself or I would be found out immediately so I sent the link to <a href="http://alandistro.com">Alan Lastufka</a> and he tweeted about it. And it just snowballed from there. Paul and Alan knew right from the start and Alan told John and Hank, but I tried to keep it as much of a secret as I could, at least at the beginning.<br /><br /><b>Why did you stop daily photos after two months?</b><br />Quite honestly, I ran out of ideas. It came to the point where I would spend an hour trying to come up with an idea and then about 40 minutes making it, and I didn't have the time to do it every day.<br /><br /><b>Did you have any help?</b><br />Paul came up with some of the ideas along the way, though at this point I don't even remember which ones were his. Alan gave me a few suggestions too, and posted one or two of them on nights when I was out late. All of the Photoshopping was done by me though.<br /><br /><b>How long do they take you to make?</b><br />I don't think I spent more than two hours on any of them, but some of the simpler ones could take as little as ten minutes. It's really just a matter of coming up with a good idea.<br /><br /><b>It really wasn't Hank/Alan/Monica/anyone else?</b><br />Nope, I promise you. When Hank posted that one in his video before it was on the feed, it's just because I sent all the ones I had made, and I guess he didn't realize that one wasn't posted yet.<br /><br /><b>Are you also FakeJohnGreen on Twitter?</b><br />No. And I'm not going to tell you who is.<br /><br /><b>Which ones are your favorites?</b><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/939066"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/f1b3590d879cbc405e19d1a48c553441_939066.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />Of course I have to include the one that started it all. I love how the shading I added makes it look like the graphics are actually on the shirt. Skills, right there. #modestkaren<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/972546"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/cb80370c58cc4c60069cfd6c5dcd58ec_972546.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />I don't even know what I was thinking with this one.<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/1097311"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/500770625bb2bd413813c8ed39c37f58_1097311.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />I really, really want to make this a reality.<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/1272100"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/0b83361a1be49c9252882a93915f8c6f_1272100.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />This idea took me about an hour and a half to come up with, but the cropping is just so, so good. #evenmoremodestkaren<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/1281634"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/ec84aff44f786eb09c739a248100673c_1281634.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />This literally took me three minutes to make. But apparently everyone thought it was hilarious.<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/1350086"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/370b80dbc784b69861062aa918d30aa6_1350086.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />I had to photograph my BobbleJohn from about ten different angles to get this to look real, but I love how it came out.<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/1447593"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/ef0c49fcb3a18bae79824f7e78d04730_1447593.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />Mostly I just love the description I wrote for this one. Let's get John to write this, mmkay?<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/1524086"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/a3dab551af183477cfc13518641ffcab_1524086.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />After Hank tweeted about his Halloween costume, I only had about two hours to put this together. But I think it turned out really well, apart from using the wrong font for the V.<br /><br /><a href="http://dailybooth.com/fakejohngreen/4375485"><br /><img src="http://cdn.dailybooth.com/pictures/large/64c2787f810d36460b0396f31d854fc2_4375485.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />You have no idea how happy I was when I discovered I had the Sweet Valley High font on my computer (it's ITC Souvenir).<br /><br /><b>So why are you outing yourself now?</b><br />Well I haven't been making them nearly as frequently, and I want you guys to get some answers before you forget all about it. I will probably keep making them every so often, but in order to do that I need some ideas. So feel free to suggest stuff, and if I come across any I like, I just may make it.<br /><br /><b>Wait, I follow fakejohngreen but I have no idea who you are.</b><br />That's not a question, but alright. I'm Karen Kavett and I'm on <a href="http://youtube.com/xperpetualmotion">YouTube</a>, <a href="http://twitter.com/karenkavett">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://dailybooth.com/karenkavett">DailyBooth</a>, and I have a <a href="http://karenkavett.com">website</a>. Let me know if you like them.<br /><br />Well I hope that answered all your (my?) questions. If you want to know anything about a specific photo, feel free to ask and I may do a follow-up blog with more details. And really, thank you so much to everyone who has followed the account and commented and tweeted about the photos. I still get the notification emails, so I've read every comment you guys have left. Let me know in the comments here or on Twitter which your favorite photo was and who you thought was running the account!<br /><br />FakeJohnGreen, out.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-59714380427032701102010-07-13T19:01:00.000-07:002010-07-13T19:03:34.496-07:007.13.10 Life in NYCThank you so much to everyone who commented on my YouTube flowchart! A post about VidCon and then a very special post I've been waiting to post for a long time will be coming soon, but for now I'm putting up one I wrote about a week ago but never actually put up. Let me know if you guys like these kind of photo posts or if you find them boring. Ok, enjoy!<br /><br /><b>:: LEGO Store ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0083.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0085.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0089.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0090.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0101.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0102.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0103.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0104.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0108.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0107.JPG"><br /><br />On Friday my friends and I trekked up to Rockefeller Center to see the new LEGO store that had just opened a few days beforehand. It was pretty awesome - the selection of merchandise wasn't great and everything was exectedly overpriced, but they had displays set up of scenes of the city and various giant LEGO sculptures and it was just a really great atmosphere.<br /><br /><b>:: Awesome Hotel ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0113.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0114.JPG"><br /><br />After the LEGO store, we didn't really have anything to do so we walked about 40 blocks back to our apartment. On the way, we passed this beautiful hotel. I don't remember the name of it, so if any of you guys know, tell me in the comments.<br /><br /><b>:: Central Park ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0133.JPG"><br /><br />On the 4th of July, we had a picnic in Central Park, which consisted a lot of us lying on the ground looking up at the trees and just being generally silly. I didn't get any photos of the actual picnic, but it was delicious.<br /><br /><b>:: Fireworks ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0138.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0147.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0151.JPG"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/3/IMG_0175.JPG"><br /><br />Then we walked down to 12th Avenue for the New York City fireworks. They were absolutely beautiful, and not nearly as loud as I was expecting. It was the first time I had seen fireworks in about 15 years but that's probably enough for me. Honestly, it's just kind of the same thing over and over. But I did get some good photos, so yay.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-2413249119161315352010-07-06T05:51:00.001-07:002010-07-06T05:53:31.050-07:00So You Want to Watch YouTube FlowchartI was really inspired by the <a href="http://mrdouglaswood.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/soyouneedatypeface.jpg">So You Need a Typeface</a> poster and figured, why not make one for which YouTube channel to watch? It was a bit of a bigger undertaking than I originally anticipated, taking about 3 days from start to finish. I began by making a list of everyone I'm subscribed to and other popular YouTubers I thought should be on it. Then I divided them into Vloggers, Musicians, and Everyone Else, and just went at making a really ugly graph showing all the different routes. I had to cut some people out since their channels were just too similar to others I had already used, so if you're not on here please don't feel offended. If I included everyone I wanted to it would probably be about twice as big! Finally, I designed this final piece, which luckily, everything fit perfectly into.<br /><br />Enjoy and let me know what you think either in the comments or on <a href="http://twitter.com/karenkavett">Twitter</a>.<br /><a href="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/youtubeflowchart_final_big.jpg"><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/youtubeflowchart_final_small.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br />In terms of technical details, I designed it in Adobe Illustrator CS3 (using only a touchpad - my hands were really sore afterwards). The typeface used is Univers Bold Condensed. Since it's vector it could be printed as a poster, but for now I'm only distributing it as a computer wallpaper. If you really want it larger, get in touch with why and maybe we can work something out.<br /><br />By the way, if you want to watch my videos, I post under the username <a href="http://youtube.com/xperpetualmotion">xperpetualmotion</a>. You may enjoy this recent vlog in which I <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pis96aJRSiw">complain about typography</a>. And if you want to see more of my design work, click through the rest of this blog or check out <a href="http://www.karenkavett.com">my website</a>. I will be attending <a href="http://vidcon2010.com">VidCon</a> next week, so if you see me there, come say hi!<br /><br />If you want to share this, here is a short link:<br /><a href="http://bit.ly/youtubechart">http://bit.ly/youtubechart</a>karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com118tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-507319599411515862010-07-05T12:03:00.000-07:002010-07-05T12:11:04.166-07:00A Couple ThingsToday's blog post is just a mash-up of a few random things I've made lately that I don't have any idea what to do with. They are ideas <a href="http://youtube.com/vlogbrothers">Hank Green</a> emailed to me asking me to make, which he never did anything with afterwards. So here they are in all their glory.<br /><br />First, a Photoshop of the Twilight cover, except with a Pokeball instead. I was going to write out a whole explanation, but that's about all there is to it.<br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/forhank/twilightpokemon_2.jpg"><br /><br />Next, a mashup of the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell logos, as per the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ8ViYIeH04">infamous song</a>. Done in the color schemes of both companies, since it looked gross when I tried to mesh the color schemes as well.<br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/forhank/pizzahuttacobell.jpg"><br /><br />If you have any ideas of things to do with these now, let me know.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-53574113293823224582010-07-02T13:22:00.000-07:002010-07-02T13:24:39.281-07:00CollagingLately, probably because I've been spending so much time on the computer at work, I've really felt the urge to work with my hands and make something non-digital. So, I decided to cut up and collage two New York Times Style magazines. I have all the Style magazines going back years, but I never really look at them anymore. So my thinking is, if I collage the images I like, I can get rid of the clutter of magazines I never read while getting way more out of them than just paper sitting on a shelf. I haven't collaged in ages, which kind of shows in these compositions I put together, but I think they came out alright. It's nice that it's really easy to do - all you need is a big sketchbook, scissors, glue, and a brush to put the glue down in a more controlled way. Hopefully I'll have time to do more of these soon, and I'll be posting them here when I do.<br /><br />(click the images to see them larger)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/collages/face_big.jpg"><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/collages/face_small.jpg" border="0"><br /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/collages/chairs_big.jpg"><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/collages/chairs_small.jpg" border="0"><br /></a>karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-30471120823637172192010-06-29T17:10:00.000-07:002010-06-29T17:11:00.718-07:00Sand VillagesOn Sunday, my friends I went to Coney Island to hang out at the beach for a day. Of course we had to build a sand castle, especially since one of my friends is majoring in sculpture. We didn't have any tools, so we had to just use our hands, and it turned into more of a sand village than a castle. Then we decided it was a utopian society, with a school and a university, but it also had a laboratory where dinosaurs were created, and a colosseum where they would fight to the death, and a racetrack where the winners would race. See also if you can spot the luge track, the pit the criminals and dinosaurs are kept in, the volcano, and the giant piece of pie. My god, we're such art students.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/sandcastle/castle1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/sandcastle/castle2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/sandcastle/castle3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/sandcastle/castle4.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/sandcastle/castle5.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-31893016142253360382010-06-28T08:10:00.000-07:002010-06-28T08:12:35.199-07:006.28.10 Life in NYCIt's time again for another round-up of the photos I've taken over the last week or two. I've been up to a lot of exciting things, so let's get to it.<br /><br /><b>:: Library ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/library1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/library2.jpg"><br /><br />Yes, I consider the library exciting, especially when it looks like this in the stairwell.<br /><br /><b>:: Washington Square Park ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/maninbox1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/maninbox2.jpg"><br /><br />I love sitting in Washington Square Park, because you never know if you're going to see a man fold himself into a tiny box or do crazy handstand tricks, like we did Thursday night.<br /><br /><b>:: New York Pier ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/citylights1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/citylights2.jpg"><br /><br />On Friday night, my friends and I walked down to the pier overlooking Hoboken. I didn't bring a tripod so I could only get blurry, light stock-ish photos. But trust me that it was really beautiful in real life.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/infographic.jpg"><br /><br />A really cool infographic showing the location of historic bells throughout the city.<br /><br /><b>:: Bubble Battle ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/bubbles.jpg"><br /><br />On Saturday, Robyn, Erica, and I went to Times Square for the BUBBLE BATTLE, which consisted of several hundred people blowing bubbles at each other. You can see video from the ordeal <a href="http://youtube.com/karenkavett">here</a> but I didn't take many photos since my hands were covered in sticky bubble solution.<br /><br /><b>:: Coney Island ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/beach1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/beach2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/beach3.jpg"><br /><br />On Sunday my two friends and I went to Coney Island for the day. I haven't been to a beach in about two or three years so it was so nice to just relax and play around in the ocean, even though I did end up with a very annoying sunburn in random places where I didn't manage to get sunscreen. I also ate my very first corn dog in honor of Hank Green. It was delicious but not something I'd want to eat more than <i>maybe</i> once a month, since I could just taste the fat and grease and general unhealthiness.<br /><br /><b>:: Random New York ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/newyork1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/newyork2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/newyork3.jpg"><br /><br />I'm not really an architecture enthusiast, but some of the buildings in New York are really beautiful.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/buygold.jpg"><br /><br />Multitasking.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/streetatnight.jpg"><br /><br />Nighttime in the city.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/streetsign.jpg"><br /><br />It's a little baby street. So cute.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/vespa.jpg"><br /><br />And finally, I love little picturesque houses like this, where everything is beautifully color coordinated. May I please live there?karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-16348280278982951472010-06-25T12:42:00.000-07:002010-06-25T12:50:46.946-07:00Weekly Inspiration #1Thank you to everybody who left a comment on my last blog post. The things you guys said really meant a lot and I might be doing a follow-up post soon.<br /><br />For today though, I want to introduce a new weekly-ish segment (yes, another one), in which I share some people or websites that inspire me, either directly related to graphic design or not.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/inspirationpeople/nubby"><br />The first person I am going to feature today is <a href="http://nubbytwiglet.com">Nubby Twiglet</a>. I have been reading her blog for several months now, but since I first came across it, I haven't missed a single post. She is basically everything I want to be in a couple years: a professional graphic designer with incredible fashion sense who seems to have some sort of adventure every week. Her graphic design work is beautiful, and her style, both in her art and in her fashion sense, have noticeably influenced mine. If you are a graphic designer, I highly recommend checking out her <a href="http://nubbytwiglet.com/category/advice/">advice blog posts</a>, as she gives lots of good insight into putting together a portfolio, working freelance, and other helpful subjects we all face. And if you're not a designer, she doesn't only post about graphic design! She has series of posts called <a href="http://nubbytwiglet.com/category/what-i-wore/">What I Wore,</a> <a href="http://nubbytwiglet.com/category/week-in-pictures/">The Week in Pictures,</a> and <a href="http://nubbytwiglet.com/category/link-love/">Link Love,</a> and everything she posts is incredibly beautiful. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/inspirationpeople/alan"><br />I'm sure most people reading this blog already know who <a href="http://alandistro.com">Alan Lastufka</a> is, but if case you are new here, he is the co-founder of <a href="http://dftba.com">DFTBA Records</a>, a musician who has released two albums, <a href="http://dftba.com/shop/categories/Music/Alan-Lastufka/">Erase This and Taking Leave</a>, and a YouTuber under the name <a href="http://youtube.com/fallofautumndistro">fallofautumndistro</a>. Alan is one of the most hardworking people I know. He has so many great ideas, but then also has the skills to get those ideas put into action. He has turned DFTBA from a small start-up with a couple artists to a label signing some of the biggest names on YouTube, that sells thousands upon thousands of CDs. And he's done all that from a little town outside of Chicago that's basically in the middle of nowhere. Alan is a master at using social media to build a community that stays true to the values it was founded on. He has skills in many, many different fields, from graphic design to music to business management and a natural instinct about who would be good collaborators to make his projects the best that they can be. Since Alan and I became friends a little over a year ago, I've learned so much while working with him, and I can never wait to see what else he manages to come up with.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/inspirationpeople/unclutterer"><br />I have been reading the <a ref="http://unclutterer.com">Unclutterer</a> blog for more than a year now, and it is always one of the first websites I check every morning. Erin Doland, the main writer, manages to write in a way that is accessible to people at all levels of organizing, and is helpful and encouraging without being pushy in the slightest. As it says right on the homepage, "Unclutterer is the blog about getting and staying organized. A place for everything, and everything in its place is our gospel." I recognize in myself that I am quite the pack rat (seriously, I have way, way too much stuff), but reading this blog has helped me begin to realize why I am that way so that when I eventually move away from home I hopefully won't take all that clutter with me! Along with the daily posts about things like managing your to-do list or how to tackle and organize paper clutter, Erin also has weekly posts called <a href="http://unclutterer.com/category/unitasker-wednesday/">Unitasker Wednesday,</a> which is absolutely hilarious, and <a href="http://unclutterer.com/category/ask-unclutterer/">Ask Unclutterer,</a> which can be very useful if you have a similar problem. There are a good number of people who post in the comments every day, and they often offer suggestions or ideas that are just as useful as the original post. If you are looking to declutter your life on a large scale or just need a daily kick in the pants to stay organized, this blog is a fantastic resource.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-53259730899933226912010-06-23T19:31:00.000-07:002010-06-23T19:36:09.049-07:00Thoughts on GD as a careerFor some reason, I'm still surprised when the skills I learn in school turn out to be skills I can actually use in the real world. I've been at my summer internship for a few days, and while I'm not going to tell you exactly where it is, I can tell you that it is a small design studio that does a lot of work on magazines and websites. Anyway, for the past 2 days, I was working on a logo design, and it was still so odd that I'm being paid (not much, but still) to do the things that I've been practicing and doing for fun for the last six years. However, no matter how big or small the client is, I always find myself doubting my own skill and being convinced my work is a complete mess until I hear that they are happy with it, or at least happy with the direction it is going.<br /><br />Anyway, back to the logo I was working on - after I had a fair amount of concepts, I met with my boss and another designer in the studio to go over it. It felt just like I was back at a RISD critique, with the things we talked about and the suggestions they gave. I guess that could also be partially because the other designer I was talking to graduated from RISD just a few years ago and in fact did many of the same projects I just finished last semester (though his work was much better than mine is), but it was still surreal to be having a crit in the middle of New York City with "real" designers for a fairly large client.<br /><br />When I'm working for a client as big as this one, it comes with a lot of pressure to do a good job. One of my weaknesses as a designer, which I know I need to work on, is to not be happy with the first decent design I come up with, and instead to push myself to make it great. It can be frustrating when you think you've come up with a successful solution, but a couple more painful hours tweaking it and pushing it into a new direction can be the difference between competent and brilliant.<br /><br />I try not to show it too much, but a lot of the time I just completely lose faith in myself as a designer. There is so much good design out there that it just becomes overwhelming. I know that I can never be the best, but why can't I make my work look as good as all the people I admire? It can be kind of scary actually - if I can't even get this logo looking decent, what hope is there that I will ever get a real job? I suppose this is something everyone must feel at some point in their respective fields. There is just so much out there to learn, and the graphic design field is so incredibly competitive that it's scary to think that soon I'll have to make my own way through it, and just hope that I've gathered enough skills and knowledge to be qualified for the kind of job I want to get.<br /><br />I guess the only thing left to do now is to keep on going, to try to learn as much as I can without realizing just how much I will never learn at all. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter either as a comment here or on Twitter. I may do a follow-up to this blog soon, so get commenting so I have something to actually respond to. And thank you so much for reading my rambling thoughts even when I'm not just showing you artwork.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-49955351660815073352010-06-20T17:54:00.000-07:002010-06-20T18:04:03.338-07:006.20.10 Life in NYCHello again everyone. As you have probably noticed, unless you're scarily unobservant, I've done some work on this blog layout, mostly to be able to accommodate larger photos. I'll probably be working on it more over the next week or two, so if you visit and everything's looking a bit wacky, just come back in a while and hopefully it will be back to normal.<br /><br />Anyway, this is the first of a new series of posts in which I document my time spent in New York this summer through photography. It is inspired by Nubby Twiglet's <a href="http://nubbytwiglet.com/2010/06/18/the-week-in-pictures-6-18-10/">The Week in Pictures</a> posts, though I'll probably be tweaking the format of mine in the coming weeks so it's not quite as blatantly copying hers. I apologize for the quality of some of these photos - many were taken with the camera in my Blackberry since I only just got my new point and shoot which I'll be carrying around in the future.<br /><br /><b>:: The View (not the talk show) ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/view2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/view1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/view4.jpg"><br /><br />The view from my room is really beautiful on a nice day. I'm glad I escaped the New York City stereotype of having a window that looks at a brick wall!<br /><br /><b>:: Brooklyn Bridge ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/bridge1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/bridge2.jpg"><br /><br />Last Friday, two of my friends and I trekked down to the bottom of Manhattan to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. These photos really don't do it justice, so make sure to walk it yourself if you're ever in the area!<br /><br /><b>:: Festival of India Parade ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/indiaparade.jpg"><br /><br />One of the things I'm loving most about New York is that you never know what you're going to get. Case in point, last Saturday I walk out the front door to see a parade going by for the Festival of India. It was total craziness but a fun surprise nevertheless.<br /><br /><b>:: ADVENTURE TIME ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/adventuretime.jpg"><br /><br />Similarly, just wandering around the Columbus Mall two days ago, I come across this beautiful poster for my favorite cartoon ever, <a ref="http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/adventuretime/index.html">Adventure Time!</a><br /><br /><b>:: Nerdfighter Note ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/117424598.jpg"><br /><br />It always makes my day when I find a nerdfighter note (though I look like a crazy person flipping through all of John Green's books to find them!) This one was found in the Barnes & Noble by Columbus Circle. Did you leave it? Let me know in the comments!<br /><br /><b>:: The Mermaid Parade ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid5.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid4.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid6.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid7.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid8.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid9.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid10.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/mermaid11.jpg"><br /><br />I'm so glad I got to go to the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island this year. I've been meaning to go for the past two years but never made it, but this year it was a beautiful day and everything worked out well. It was hot and sweaty and crowded, but the costumes and floats were beautiful and everyone seemed to have a great time.<br /><br /><b>:: New York at Sunset ::</b><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/weekinphotos/downstreet.jpg"><br /><br />And to finish off this (absurdly long) post, a photo I took while walking back to my apartment at sunset last night. New York City can be really beautiful sometimes.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-66451090919952126372010-06-19T07:33:00.000-07:002010-06-19T07:37:33.927-07:00Nigtmare & the Cat BannerLast week I got an email asking if I could design a banner for a new band that was starting up, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/nightmareandthecat#!/nightmareandthecat?v=app_178091127385">Nightmare and the Cat</a>. I really enjoyed the music on their site, and was given some great source photos of the band to use, so of course I said yes. The band wanted the banner to have a vintage, collaged style. This was really fun for me, because this is the kind of work I used to do before I even went to RISD - just blending photos and random objects into beautiful looking collages. It was nice not having to worry about color profiles and print specifications since it was just for the web. The band is very happy with what I came up with, as am I.<br /><br />A larger version of the banner can be seen at the link above.<br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/nigtmareandcat_banner_small_blog.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/nightmareandcatlogo_blog.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-83741620715179536692010-06-18T10:59:00.000-07:002010-06-18T11:01:35.668-07:00VidCon PosterToday's post is something that I just finished designing last week, which nobody has seen yet and most people won't see until July - a poster for <a href="http://www.vidcon2010.com">VidCon 2010</a>. When Hank asked me to make the poster, he didn't give many guidelines; he basically told me to include the logo and date and to make it look cool. I had a lot of fun exploring the themes and purposes of VidCon in a visual way; the thumbnails are what we see on YouTube every day, but at VidCon we will be ripping through the 2D-ness of the computer screen and meeting everybody in real life. The poster is tabloid size and will be available for free at VidCon, and will also be on the cover of the VidCon programs.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vidconposter_web_small.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-61543297709999701402010-06-17T05:51:00.000-07:002010-06-17T05:53:34.079-07:00Dan Brown Shirt PhotosI don't have a new project for you today, but rather an update on one that I <a href="http://karenkavett.blogspot.com/2010/04/two-shirts-for-two-youtubers.html">blogged about before</a>. I received the shirt I designed for <a href="http://youtube.com/pogobat">Dan Brown</a> in the mail, and I wanted to show you guys what it looks like as an actual shirt. Dan decided to print it on purple instead of the gray I suggested, and while that color wouldn't have been my first choice, I think it still works well. The shirts are still available for purchase <a href="http://www.districtlines.com/Dan-Brown">here</a> if you are interested in buying one for yourself.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/danshirt/photo_1_small.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/danshirt/photo_2_small.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-46777998705639804632010-06-16T16:45:00.000-07:002010-06-16T16:46:22.316-07:00TARDIS ClockToday's post isn't about a school project but a really nerdy thing I just did on my own. I was having a really strong urge to paint something about two weeks ago, so I decided to customize my boring white clock. Being the huge Doctor Who fan that I am, I painted it to be TARDIS themed. I first painted the rim a dark blue, layering on bronze, silver, and black to make it look more wooden and aged. Then I designed a custom insert for the actual clock, copying the design of the sign on the front of the TARDIS. I printed it on watercolor paper to give it a little more texture, and added some paint around the edge so the transition from the blue to the off-white wasn't so drastic.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/tardis_clock/clock_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/tardis_clock/clock_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/tardis_clock/clock_3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/tardis_clock/clock_4.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-12882931852108607962010-06-15T04:38:00.000-07:002010-06-15T04:39:10.073-07:00Looking for Alaska CoverAnother John Green-related project today. Today I'm going to share with you the cover I designed for the contest John Green's Dutch publishers put on, where <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P0y1D5EAoY">they asked nerdfighters to design the cover for their new edition of Looking for Alaska.</a> This was right in the middle of what was probably my busiest week at school which is why it isn't necessarily my best work. I only had about 4 hours to work on it one night, and there are definitely some things I would change now. However it is already sent off for consideration so I can't really fix it now.<br /><br />When I was designing the cover, I wanted to use imagery from the book without making it too literal. It is meant to appeal to teenagers so I tried to use bright colors to make it really pop off the shelf. If used, I would ask that the silhouette of the girl be replaced with the <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-8508061-hair-styles.php">iStockPhoto one I traced</a>, but I didn't see the sense in spending $15 on the download if it wasn't going to be used.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/alaska/alaska_cover.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-78294097157975463932010-06-14T06:05:00.000-07:002010-06-14T06:08:19.001-07:00John Green's Website IconsA couple of you may have heard of an author named John Green. I hear his books are pretty good, but he also makes videos on the internet? That's actually kind of weird...<br /><br />Ok, just kidding. Today's post is about the icons I designed for <a href="http://johngreenbooks.com">John Green's new website</a>, which was designed by <a href="http://www.alandistro.com">Alan Lastufka</a>. Alan asked me to design icons for each of John's books and a couple other pages, which he wanted to look hand-drawn and simple. I chose symbols from each of the books from the various covers and drew them out with the pen tool in Photoshop. For the text, I couldn't find a typeface that looked exactly how I wanted it to, so I wrote the alphabet out by hand, scanned it, and pieced together the words in Photoshop. It became a weird hybrid of a typeface and handwriting, and I think it works well for John's site. Below you can see all the icons I designed, including the ones that Alan didn't end up using in the final design.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/website_icons/letters.jpg"><br /><br />The letters with the dots over them are the ones I used for the text.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/website_icons/johnicons.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/website_icons/screenshot.jpg"><br /><br />By the way, I didn't make the colored versions of the icons that you see when you mouse over them on the site. You can thank Alan for that feature.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-45384958605274212562010-06-13T07:51:00.000-07:002010-06-13T07:54:26.627-07:00Final Review PhotosToday I don't have just one project to show you but many. Namely, photos from my final review at the end of junior year. Basically, all the graphic design majors must bring all their finished work from the entire year to their appointment to get an overall review from their assigned professors. Even though we don't get a grade from it, it is an incentive to have all of our work finished and in one place, and it is helpful to be able to see it all as a whole. My review went really well this year, and here are the photos I took of what I had set up.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/final_review/posters_1_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/final_review/posters_2_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/final_review/table_1_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/final_review/table_2_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/final_review/table_3_1.jpg"><br /><br />The work that you can see in the edges of some of the photos is not mine; it is by my friend who had her review after mine. So don't think I'm not showing you guys everything, because I most certainly am. Well, except for some of them which I'm not really all that proud of and don't want to show off in high quality. But I'm showing you the rest =)karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-57917748144036844922010-06-12T06:06:00.000-07:002010-06-12T06:10:28.472-07:00PhotographyLet's take a break from graphic design today and delve into the wonderful world of photography, shall we? I took a photography class last semester and I really feel like I learned a lot about editing photos to make them look professional. I would like to share some photos I took for my analog photography class last semester. I scanned the negatives (on a very, very expensive scanner) and worked on the photos extensively in Photoshop. Even though it might not look like it, each photo has several Levels and Curves adjustment layers and look vastly better than the original scans.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_4.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_5.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_6.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_7.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_8.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_14.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_15.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/anvil_photos/anvil_photo_16.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-62383289172516409612010-06-11T06:14:00.000-07:002010-06-11T06:15:54.447-07:00Visual Systems Process BooksFor the final project for Visual Systems, we had to create a process book showing our notes from the lectures and our process for the two projects we had done during the semester. I chose to split my book into three smaller books that all obviously went together as a system. I chose to use the typeface Folio, because it works at both the large scale on the cover, and as body text. I am very happy with how these books came out; my paper cutting and book binding skills have definitely improved drastically in the last two years.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_book/book_all.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_book/book_1_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_book/book_1_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_book/book_2_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_book/book_2_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_book/book_2_3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_book/book_3_3.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-36707280740363864372010-06-10T06:18:00.001-07:002010-06-10T06:18:55.286-07:00Visual Systems PostersIt seemed like I was constantly making mock-ups of posters last semester and the project I have to show you today is one of the reasons for that. Our second assignment in Visual Systems was to design a series of three posters for an exhibit at the Canadian Center for Architecture. We had to make posters for exhibits of the work of Richard Neutra, Louis Sullivan, and Frank Gehry, and we were given all the text. That posed a bit of a challenge since there wasn't an equal amount of text on each poster but we still had to create a system that would make it clear that the three posters went together.<br /><br />When it came to sketching out ideas, I first researched the three architects’ styles and their impact on architecture history. I discovered that Louis Sullivan is essentially the “father of modernism.” He designed many of the first high-rise buildings and also used massive arches in many of his designs. Richard Neutra’s designs were all very geometric, combining metal and stucco to make light, open spaces. Frank Gehry designs in a deconstructivist style, where the form can take more precedence than the function. After I felt like I had a good idea of the architects, I sketched out ideas that were inspired by the posters. I experimented with grids, but ultimately decided that I really wanted t o explore the possibilities of having a large letter to stand for each designer being the focus of each poster. I was inspired by many posters, especially this one:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_posters/poster_inspiration.jpg"><br /><br />I love having a large graphic element like that and the typography is handled and balanced beautifully. In my posters, it just so happened that the first letter of each of the architects' last names mirrored their architecture style, so I decided to run with that when designing the main form of the poster.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_posters/poster_final_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_posters/poster_final_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/vs_posters/poster_final_3.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-35162176936044155702010-06-09T05:13:00.000-07:002010-06-09T05:14:18.242-07:00Ode to Typography BookToday's post is about my final project for Typography III, a book laying out the poem <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/25293819">Ode to Typography by Pablo Neruda</a>. We had to include the entire poem, and the book had to be tabloid size (11x17). With those parameters in mind, I read the poem several times to try to get a sense of what he was trying to say. Maybe I just don't appreciate poetry, but I found it to be overly long and repetitive. While at the end of it I did feel very appreciative of letterforms and all that they accomplish, I really felt like it took way too long to get there. In the end, I decided to use my own photography in my book to show the uses typography has had through history up to modern times. It gave me a chance to explore many different styles and layouts, and, while I did have some trouble reining it in to make the whole book cohesive, I think many of the spreads ended up working very beautifully.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_1.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_4.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_5.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_6.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_7.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_8.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_9.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_10.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_11.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_12.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_13.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_14.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/type_book/book_15.jpg">karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4885851297231696526.post-40237512050768463392010-06-08T05:20:00.000-07:002010-06-08T05:33:53.423-07:00The Crystal Goblet Book & PosterThe project I would like to share with you today is a book/poster for Typography III. We were told to read the essay <a href="http://gmunch.home.pipeline.com/typo-L/misc/ward.htm">The Crystal Goblet by Beatrice Warde</a> and then lay it out in a way that showed our interpretation and opinion on the subject. The main idea that Beatrice Warde was trying to get across in this essay is that typography should only be used for conveying information; she believed that the typography itself should be invisible so that the message can shine through without distraction. I agree that there is a time and a place for invisible typography, but I disagree that it must always be that way. I believe typography can be an art form not in just laying out information but also in the way the letters themselves are constructed. While it may not always be appropriate, there are times when expressive, possibly unreadable typography can be used to get across a point or just be a beautiful form in itself. Typography is such a rich subject filled with meaning and history that I don't understand why Beatrice Warde believes it should be limited to just one purpose.<br /><br />When it came to doing the actual project, I took inspiration from the layout of linotype books, since the typography in these books is not supposed to be invisible. In fact, the whole purpose of these books is to show the forms and uses of all the different typeface options so linotype machine owners will purchase them.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/linotypebook.jpg"><br /><br />However, I decided to design some of my own letterforms which may not mean anything to us English-speakers but can still be beautiful in their own right. I based my letterforms on the typeface Poster Bodoni, designed by Chauncey H. Griffith in 1929 and based on Bodoni, designed by Giambattista Bodoni in 1798.<br /><br />Poster:<br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/poster_final_1.jpg"><br /><br />Book:<br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/inside_4.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/inside_5.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/inside_6.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/inside_7.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/inside_3.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/inside_2.jpg"><br /><br /><img src="http://www.karenkavett.com/blogp/beatrice_essay/inside_1.jpg"><br /><br />In these spreads I crossed out what I felt were the most typographically limiting points in her essay.<br /><br />I printed it on a textured cream colored paper, to try to soften the harshness of so much solid black on white. It also invokes a feeling of history, which is appropriate since this project needs so much historical context to be meaningful.karenkavetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17925013024133045660noreply@blogger.com2