briannajohnson portfolio

7/29/2019 BriannaJohnson Portfolio

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good

design


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good

design


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good

design

* A.K.A: DESIGN IVE DONE THAT ISNT TOO BADTHE MFA GRAPHIC DESIGN PORTFOLIO OF BRIANNA JOHNSON

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CONTENTS

TUBE10 FREEATL

AST 24HOWTOAVOIDTH

EBUMMERLIFE36 HOTELE

XPRESSIONISM48

HANES 56

VISCERA72 EPHEMERA

90

SUPERLOVESMILE104


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EXAGGERATED

As a designer, the question I find I constantly ask myself is: What is Good Design? Design today

comes across, sometimes, as one exaggerated run-on sentence of visual information. We are constantly

bombarded by it. From mundane canned beans and shampoo bottles to huge shiny billboards and

television commercials, it permeates every aspect of our lives. As Ive developed and learned, so has my

definition of Good Design. Where I once believed Good Design to be just well-structured and nice

to look at, I now see it as being design that takes risks, stands out and is able to clearly communicate

its purpose through the white noise of our design-saturated world. It is this kind of work that I strive

wholeheartedly to create. In my endeavors as a designer, I always aim to create bold and purposeful

work. Because, above all, I believe the most important part of a designers job is to make sure the art

conveys the message.

The concept of the design for this portfolio plays on both the idea of exagge rated amounts of visual

information and the importance of being able to relay the core message through it. Throughout, you

will see ridiculously long titles with certain words called out. While the long statements do state the

information, it is the shorter call-outs that convey the important message. What you really need to know

has been designed to stand out.

INTRODUCTION / ARTIST CONCEPT STATEMENT

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sleep

e a

t

livet.v.

KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATIONNON-PROFIT HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION

AMERICANS SPEND 22 TO 28 HOURS PER WEEK VIEWING TELEVISION:


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MFA GRAPHIC DESIG N PORTFOLIO / BRIANNA JOHNSON


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TUBE

We watch far too much television here in the United States. In fact, the notion that more people wouldhonestly rather zone out in front of the T.V. than read a good book is st aggering. Tube was a conceptual

project about this phenomenon. An exploration of typography and experimental design, I wanted this

book to satirize Americas addiction to television. And since I knew people usually opt to watch television

rather than read, I wanted to really call out and play up this disinclination by creating a book that

informed but did so with very little actual written content. With a combination of statistical information

graphics, abstracted photography of television screens and cliched promotional T.V. quotes, such as the

books subtitle, Stay Tuned, my goal was to communicate the idea that we, as a people, are turning

into a nation of television zombies. Beyond the titling and the quotes, Tubes typographic style is also

very abstracted , both vi sually and in meaning. Much in the same way that televi sion a ds always have

huge, in-your-face messages combined with that ever-present fine print that no one ever reads, I chose

to juxtapose very large type with extremely tiny type. Sometimes I would relay the ideas on a huge scale,

and other times, Id hide it in the fine print. And while it might look like there is nothing to get out of

some of the pages, there is always an underlying message coming from each spread. Surprisingly (and

rather ironically), as a result of my experimentation between the balance of literal content and the

meaning behind that content, I ended up creating a piece about televisions degradation of intellige nce

that was really for an intelligent reader.

CATEGORY / BOOK

COURSE / EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHY

INSTRUCTORS / CHRIS RO & JIMMY SOAT

SPECS / 10 x 13, 32 PAGES

IMAGES / PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANNA JOHNSON

FONTS / UNIVERS

PROJECT: TUBE / INTRODUCTION

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PROJECT: TUBE / BO OK COVER

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PROJECT: TUBE / COVER DETAILS

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MFA GRAPHIC DESIGN PORTFOLIO / BRIANNA JOHNSON


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to

g e t

freedom

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KI NG, JR.HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

I AM HAPPY TO JOIN WITH YOU TODAY:


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PROJECT: FREE AT LAST / POSTER DETAILS

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PROJECT: FREE AT LAST / POSTER FRONT SIDE

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PROJECT: FREE AT LAST / POSTER BACK SIDE

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BIKE

ma d

n e ss

STEVE STEVIL KENEIVELCYCLING LIFESTYLE BLOGGER

IF PACKED INTO A NUTSHELL, ALL THIS COMMUNICATION REALLY CONSISTS OF IS:


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how

to avoidth e

bummer

life

How To Avoid The Bummer Life was an exercise in converting a purely digital media (namely a cycling

and lifestyle weblog) into a print artifact. As I went into the problem, my focus was to maintain the

essence of what the blog is and how it works without imposing my own point of view too heavily upon

it. I felt that the writer s and readers of the blog had already created something so unique and fun and

special to their niche that it would be inappropriate for me to completely remove the material from the

source content just for the purpose of making it mine. So, as I approached the design, I resolved that

in order to maintain the purity of the blogs voice and structure, I would literally grab from the sources

digital material and make it print. By taki ng countless screenshots, I chose a collection of iconic words,

images and stories to exemplify just what How To Avoid The Bummer Life is and whom it represents. As

to the form of the book, that too was inspired directly by the blog. Since a weblog is both an interactive

and ephemeral experience, I wanted the book to be these things as well. So, book the pages became

removable cards. The cards were made to be torn out and used at the readers discretion. In fact, the

only place my voice made itself overtly apparent in the book (outside of the colophon and end remarks)

was in the various practical and humorous uses these cards could take. Whether as beer coasters, wall

art, dog toys or spoke cards, I tried to mirror the fun and wacky spirit of the blog when writing the

suggestions. Ultimately, I wanted the How To Avoid The Bummer Life book to be something that couldbe used, abused, shared and enjoyed.

CATEGORY / BOOK

COURSE / PUBLICATION NARRATIVES

INSTRUCTOR / MI CHAEL SAINATO

SPECS / 4.5 x 4.5, 144 PAGES (72 CARDS)

IMAGES / COURTESY OF HOWTOAVOIDTHEBUMMERL IFE.COM

FONTS / DIGITALLY-CAPTURED & HELVETICA NEUE

PROJECT: HOW TO AVOID THE BUMMER LIFE / INTRODUCTION

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PROJECT: HOW TO AVOID THE BUMMER LIFE / BOO K SPREADS


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PROJECT: HOW TO AVOID THE BUMMER LIFE / PAGE DETAIL & BOOK SPREADS

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PROJECT: HOW TO AVOID THE BUMMER LIFE / SPR EAD DETAIL

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ITS

ART

MIKE THE STREETS SKINNERGARAGE RAPPER & MUSIC PRODUCER

ILL TELL YOU, ILL TELL YOU STRAIGHT:


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HOTEL

EXPRESSION

ISM

Hotel Expressionism was an interesting exploration in non-standard typographic layout. In this project,I was told to select a song and create a poster that represented the music visually. And, I was asked to

do so with minimal the use of a computer. As a class, we were allowed to create the basic type digit ally,

but were required to then capture both the quality and layout in a purely analog manner. The song I

chose for the project was Hotel Expressionism by the UK-based artist and producer who calls himself

The Streets. It is a short, humorous, satirical song about the art of trashing hotel rooms that fuses

garage, electronic and hip hop musical elements and has a snarky straight-from-the-London-streets feel

about it. And, I had to express all of those elements within the layout of this poster. The truly fun part

of this project was getting to explore the many varying ways one can still create design with out the use

of a computer. Different light, differe nt materials, different environmental settings, the options were

surprising. The method I ended up using to capture the musical essence of the song was to print the copy

onto transparent acetate and position the pieces of acetat e in a back alleyway with some graffiti elements

and then use gritty black and white photography to capture the composition. As the song itself is pretty

much the audible equivalent of getting the middle-finger from a sarcastic street youth, I feel like the

resulting poster is a competent visual parallel.

CATEGORY / POSTER

COURSE / EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHY

INSTRUCTORS / CHRIS RO & JIMMY SOAT

SPECS / 24 x 18

IMAGES / PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANNA JOHNSON

FONTS / NEWS GOTHIC & HELVETICA COMPRESSED

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PROJECT: HOTEL E XPRESSIONIS M / INTRODUCTION

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PROJECT: HOTEL E XPRESSIONISM / POSTER

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WEARUS

OU

T

THE RE-BRANDED HANESAPPAREL MANUFACTURER

WELCOME TO THE NEW HANES BRAND, WE JUST WANT TO SAY:


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hanes

This was a project in which I chose a company that I believed was in need of an aesthet ic overhauland completely re-envisioned it as an entirely new brand. I chose the undergarment and leisure-wear

company, Hanes. Hanes had firmly placed itself in that familiar realm of All-American comfort. My

goal was to take it out of its comfort-zone and make it a desired brand rather than just an old standard. I

wanted it to be something that was cool while still being classic. Something that would have its own store

rather than something that was sold in cheap plastic baggies at the local convenience mart. Something

that still called out to the long history of the Hanes brand, but also struck a cord with those who follow

the current fashion trends. So, I developed a logo that was at once both classic and contemporary. Blocky

and solid with elements (such as the lowercase letters in the logotype) that kept it fresh and fun, I wanted

the logo to embody the new direction I was taking the brand. In keeping with the concept, I also created

a color palette that was both bold and unusual and a type style that combined a modern typeface with

one that had an air of quaintness. With these basic building blocks, I was able to create a whole range of

brand elements and extensions, including a store, packaging, website and promotions that were fun and

desirable rather than boring and forgettable. Essentially, my ultimate goal in re-inventing Hanes was to

be make it a brand people would actively seek out as a favorite fashion basic.

CATEGORY / IDENTITY & BRAND STANDARDS BOOK

COURSE / NATURE OF IDENTITY

INSTRUCTOR / HUNTER WIMMER

SPECS / 8 x 9.5, 54 PAGES

IMAGES / STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY & ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY ANDILLUSTRATIONS BY BRIANNA JOHNSON

FONTS / UNIVERS & CLARENDON

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PROJECT: HANE S / INTRODUCTION

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PROJECT: HANES / NE W LOGO

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PROJECT: HANES / IDENTITY: STATIONERY & LOGO SPECS

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13 X

4 X 4 X

4 X

2.667 X

1.333 X

X

4 X

4 X


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PROJECT: HANES / BRAND STANDARDS BOOK SPREADS & COVER

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PROJECT: HANE S / ONLINE STORE

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PROJECT: HANE S / FLAGSHIP STORE

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PROJECT: HANES / FLAGSHIP STORE CHECK-OUT & SHOPPING BAGS

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TA

B

OO

JAMES MUDGEINTERNET FILM CRITIC

AN ALMOST AVANT GARDE EXPLORATION OF CINEMATIC VIOLENCE:


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VISCERA

CATEGORY / IDENTITY, CATALOGUE BOOK, PRIN T, PACKAGING, ETC.

COURSE / INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS

INSTRUCTOR / HUNTER WIMMER

SPECS / VARIOUS DIMENSIONS

IMAGES / PHOTOGRAPHY BY NIKLAS PEARCE & BRIANNA JOHNSON

FONTS / HELVETICA COMPRESSED & TRADE GOTHIC

PROJECT: VISCE RA / INTRODUCTION

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Viscera was a project that challenged me to design the identity and collateral for an entire fictional film

festival. I was expected not only to come up with a name, logo, poster and tickets, but also a festivalcatalog, employee uniforms, a website and collectibles, including a DVD set and souvenirs. And all the

items within the project were expected to adhere to the identity I developed for the festival. In the class,

we were given carte blanche when it came to deciding which film director we wanted our festivals to

revolve around. Wanting to make the challenge of designing a festival even more interesting for myself, I

chose to go with a director that was not only a horror-genre director, but also a foreign filmmaker. I went

with Japanese writer / director / producer, Takashi Miike. Though I was personally unfamiliar with his

work at the time I began the project, I knew that Miike-san had quite a fan following here in the

United States. In fact, it was this that became the basis for my design. As a result, my festival became a

combination of fan convention and film festival, catering to the cult film fans who have a taste for camp,

horror, black comedy and ultra-violence. And from this came the name of the festival. I chose Viscera

as the title because, not only were Miikes films gratuitously violent, but they also took chances. It was

based on the idea that it took guts to not only make a film in which a person splatters someone elses

guts across the room, but it also took guts to watch it. Once Id chosen the name, it was just a matter of

sticking some needles and splattering a little blood to develop and implement the design throughout the

collateral for this project.


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FEAR THE UNSPEAKABLE

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PROJECT: VISCER A / FESTIVAL LOGO & TICKETS

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PROJECT: VISCER A / FE STIVAL POSTER

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PROJECT: VISCE RA / FESTIVAL CATALOGUE

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PROJECT: VISCE RA / CATALOGUE SPREADS

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PROJECT: VISCE RA / S OUVENIR TORTURE KIT

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PROJECT: HANE S / ICHI THE KILLER MANGA & ANIME BOXSET

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PROJECT: VISCER A / FESTIVAL EMPLOYEE UNIFORMS

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T R A

SH

OXFORD AMERICAN DICTIONARYENGLISH LANGUAGE LEXICOGRAPHER

THE WORD EPHEMERA IS DEFINED AS:


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EPHEMERA

Ephemera was probably the most fine art piece Ive done as a designer. Not only was it a projectthat got me away from my printer and almost entirely off my computer, as a silkscreen project, it was

a chance to work with my hands, let go of the ne ed for clinical perfection in my design and get a little

messy. Starting at the computer, I developed the basic design and pacing of the pages. From there, I

added hand-drawn elements and used all of that to create the separations necessary for the silkscreen

printing process. This piece was very much conceptually driven. My goal was always to create something

visua lly intriguing out o f something that was, e ssent ially, cons idered tra sh. T he concept behind the book

is the same as the title: Ephemera. And I applied this concept not only to th e content of the book, but

also, to the form. It was made entirely of perishable, reused materials. I silkscreened each page by hand

onto found newspaper pages I had discovered one day sitting in a stack near my apartment. And then, I

finished it off with a piece of old chipboard cover as the material for the book cover. I knew going into

the process that this book was not going to be a lasting piece. The pages werent on archival quality, acid-

free paper and the book would eventually rot and fall apart. But, even that unfortunate fact fit into my

concept. I liked the idea that I had created something beautiful on something transitory and knew that

even if a viewer enjoyed it, at some point , they would have to throw it away.

CATEGORY / BOOK

COURSE / SILKSCREEN

INSTRUCTOR / CARRIE-ANN PLANK

SPECS / 7 x 7, 20 PAGES (ALL PAGES & COVER HAND-SILKSCREE NED)

IMAGES / ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRIANNA JOHNSON

FONTS / POESIE NOIRE & POPLAR

PROJECT: EPHEME RA / INTRODUCTION

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PROJECT; EPHEME RA / BOOK SPREAD DETAIL

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PROJECT: EPHEM ERA / PAGE DETAIL & BOOK SPREADS

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PROJECT: EPHE MERA / PAGE DETAIL

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PROJECT: EPHEM ERA / SIGNED COVER, EDITION VARIE 3 OF 3

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HESI


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BUT FANDOM

R UL E S

HENRY JENKINSAUTHOR & POP CULTURE FAN

IT IS ASSUMED THAT NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM POPULAR CULTURE:


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CATEGORY / IDENTITY, EXHIBITION, PRINT, PACKAGING, ETC.

COURSE / MFA GRAPHIC DESIGN THESIS

INSTRUCTORS / MANY, MANY, MANY BRILLIAN T PEOPLE

SPECS / VARIOUS DIMENSIONS

IMAGES / PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO BY ANGELA DEVILLE & BRIANNA JOHNSON,ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRIANNA JOHNSON & 3D COMPUTER MODELLINGBY ARTURO LINDBERGH

FONTS / BERTOLD AKZIDENZ GROTESQUE & BARUTA

SUPER

LOVE

SMILE

What is this so-called fandom thing all about? That was the core question I asked myself when I firstbegan working on Superlovesmile. Fandom (or fan culture) is a phenomenon that, even as its popularity

grows and becomes more mainstream, is still rather misunderstood. It is most predominantly viewed

as being a just bunch of freaks and geeks. But, I found the entire notion to be absolutely fascinat ing.

The cultural implications of a group of people wholly devoting themselves to subjects that were neither

political nor religious was incredibly compelling. In fact, as I immersed myself in this world and really

researched and observed the people, I began to see a direct correlation between the growing saturation

of media in our society and the growing rate of fandom. As a result, the project became one specifically

about Pop Culture media fans. These are the people most individuals think of when the words fan

culture are brought up. Indeed, they are the comic nerds and the cult film geeks and the dorky toy

collectors. But, what most people dont recognize is that they are also the hip fashionistas and the music

officionados and the common brand lovers. This is the point I wanted to communicate with my project,

that Pop Culture fans are a broad spectrum of people and we all, even those of us who dont consider

ourselves fans, share one common denominator: the influence of our popular media. Consequently, I

wanted to develop an experience that encouraged viewers to identify with fandom. In the end, I did so by

creating a uniquely interactive and immersive contemporary anthropological exhibition that invites the

viewer to explore the fan tasy, fasci nation and sheer spectacle that is pop culture f andom.

THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / INTRODUCTION

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / INTERACTIVE BUSINESS CARDS

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / LOGOTYPE & LOGO ICON

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EXH IBITION OVERVIEW

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EXHIBITI ON WALL DETAILS & FLOORPLAN

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B1

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EXHIBITI ON WALL DETAIL & SCALE

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EXHIBITI ON FAN STATION DETAILS & SCALE

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EXHIB ITION WALK-THROUGH


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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EXHIBITION TICKETS

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EX HIBITION LOCATION SIGNAGE

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / EXHIBITION PROMOTIONAL MINIPOSTERS

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / GIFT SHOP COLLECTIBLE FAN BUTTONS


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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / GIFT SHOP COLLECTIBLE T-SHIRTS & PACKAGING

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THESIS PROJECT: SUPERLOVESMILE / GIFT SHOP COLLECTIBLE SHOPPING BAGS

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