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How one designer created the “look” of Jazz

   Design Music    24 November 2018  |  0

Blue Note captured the refined sophistication of jazz during the early 60s, giving it its signature look in the process.

When asked to visualize what jazz looks like, you might picture bold typography, two tone photography, and minimal graphic design. If you did, you’re recalling the work of a jazz label that single-handedly defined the “look” of jazz music in the 1950s and1960s: Blue Note.

Inspired by the ever present Swiss lettering style that defined 20th century graphic design (think Paul Rand), Blue Note captured the refined sophistication of jazz during the early 60s, particularly during the hard bop era, and gave it a definitive visual identity through album covers.

Some songs don’t just stick in your head, they change the music world forever. Join Estelle Caswell on a musical journey to discover the stories behind your favorite songs.

Vox — Published on Nov 19, 2018


 

The Incumbent Coroner

   Art & Design Books Design Video    21 August 2018  |  0

Whodunnit? Well, Paul Austin Ardoin dunnit. Again.

That’s right, Paul’s killed again—he’s written another mystery novel, and I’ve designed the cover.

For you ultra-professional designers like me, here’s the very formal, exhaustive creative brief:

  • As with the first book, the title and author name must be very prominent.
  • It needs to carry on the general look and feel I created for the first book (i.e. big, bright crime-scene tape across a dark, sinister background), but it should look different enough that the two books would not be confused with one another.
  • The victim in this story was found in a seedy motel room (not a spoiler—it says so right on the cover).

So, with that out of the way, here’s a little video I put together showing exactly how I designed it.

The Incumbent Coroner is the second in Paul Austin Ardoin’s Fenway Stevenson Mysteries series, and will be available for purchase as an ebook or paperback on September 25.

 

100 Fewer Trumps: A Retrospective

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics Video    11 July 2018  |  0

Here’s a quick look back of my 2018 100 Day Project.

If you’ve got a copy of PhotoShop (or GIMP) and want a peek behind the scenes, the layered PSD files for all 100 are now available to view and download on Dropbox, along with an extra folder containing almost 50 duds, rejects, or otherwise unfinished pieces. Enjoy!

 

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 100 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    11 July 2018  |  0

Ladies and gentlemen: I give you my final crapsterpiece. My magnum doofus. My pièce-of-shit de résistance. Thanks to everyone who followed and enjoyed these, and extra thanks to my friend and colleague Tess Evans for introducing me to The 100 Day Project and encouraging (forcing) me to do this very rewarding (arduous) project.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 099 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    10 July 2018  |  0

On the penultimate day, the ultimate peen.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 098 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    9 July 2018  |  0

If there’s one thing I simply can’t tolerate, it’s when assholes slap their nonsense on a building and completely ruin its aesthetic. This type of juvenile defacement needs to stop! Thankfully, I was able to erase all of the offensive language from the front of this otherwise fine hotel.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 097 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    8 July 2018  |  0

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 096 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    7 July 2018  |  0

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 095 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    6 July 2018  |  0

Pictured (L to R): FLOTUS, POS

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 094 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    5 July 2018  |  0

Would someone kindly get that big pile of garbage off the stage? He’s blocking my view of the scrap metal.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 093 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    4 July 2018  |  0

Gallagher delivering the keynote at the Watermelon Club.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 092 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    3 July 2018  |  0

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 091 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    2 July 2018  |  0

“This correction will run its course until the middle of the year. Then things will pick up again, because not even Greenspan can stop the Internet economy.”—Larry Kudlow, February 2000

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 090 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    1 July 2018  |  0

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 089 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    30 June 2018  |  0

Nah nah,
nah nah nah nah,
hey hey hey,
fuck off.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 088 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    29 June 2018  |  0

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 087 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    28 June 2018  |  0

Choke: To lose one’s composure and fail to perform effectively in a critical situation.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

Day 086 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Politics    27 June 2018  |  0

Oh say can you see? Because I can and, let me tell you, it’s not a pretty sight.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

A Rich, Rich Friend Like You

   Art & Design Music    26 June 2018  |  0

This photoshop job was commissioned by a friend for an internal company event. The creative brief was essentially “put these five heads on five of these celebrities, ditch the sixth person.”

And it’s a fast five hours of work over four days, compressed into just under four minutes. Designers, fastidious viewers, and anyone on a heavy-duty meth bender will see that, rather than fighting endlessly to wedge several heads into a single photo, I chose to rebuild the whole image from scratch.

The only original elements left in the final image are the two seated bodies/chairs in front (Barbara and Mr. Wonderful) and their chairs, and the (literal) sharks swimming under them. Everything else—the title, the water, the other three bodies—was either googled and heavily-modified or drawn from scratch.

The song is “Rich Friend” by Portugal. The Man. If you like it, do yourself a solid and go goof around with their absolutely brilliant interactive music video at chardonnayandadderall.com.

Day 085 of The 100 Day Project: #100fewertrumps

   Design Fine Art Funny Motorcycles Politics    26 June 2018  |  0

Hey, check out the obnoxiously loud hog. Also, this motorcycle.

@wkyirqi | The 100 Day Project

 

© 2019 Ziad Ezzat