Hand-lettered sign found in a log cabin memorial built (c. 1956) by Peter Versluis near Grand Rapids, Michigan. The cabin, in part, memorializes some of the earliest Irish settlers in Michigan during the 1840s.
—“Wisdom is a friend which will never fail you.”
Thursday, March 17, 2011
“cabin of remembrance” in Michigan
Monday, March 14, 2011
Roy’s logotype
This homemade, vernacular road sign for an old archery indoor practice range is located on Highway 3 near Cherokee, Iowa. Roy is a rather uncommon first name and Roy’s logotype is rendered as a stylized calligraphic signature that seems unique and friendly. In addition, when a circle encloses the logotype the combination forms a mark that has visual impact of simplicity and strength. Obviously, the sculptural arrow reinforces the point (no pun intended) in a visually compelling way.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
intrinsic color and pattern
“The Juggler,” a Parisian street performer who seems to be playing for the camera, is performing near the Carrousel Venitien at Place Saint-Pierre in Montmartre. This location is below the hill from the basilique du Sacré-Coeur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart). Photograph © 2010 by versluis.
Besides being one of the best street performances in Paris this performer was also visually compelling by the intrinsic color and pattern of his attire. In addition, this photograph tries to capture the unruffled balance and symmetry of the juggler’s dynamic movements.
One of the things suggested by this photograph is a passage from George Nelson’s book, “How to See” in which he writes, “Just how much any of us sees of the most intimate personal environments is an open question. Can you describe to colors and pattern of any rug in your dwelling? The wallpaper in the bedroom? When were they last looked at?”[1]
- Nelson, George. How to See: A Guide to Reading Our Manmade Environment. Boston, Toronto: Little, Brown and Company, 1977. 224. Print.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
new work: “Saint John Passion” performance poster
The 2011 Sioux County Oratorio Chorus Poster, © 2011
Size: 11 x 17 inches, 27.94 x 43.18 cm
David Versluis, designer and photographer
This crucifixion image is a photograph of a medieval French lifesize wood sculpture and predates J. S. Bach’s musical work by many years. However, the image still seems appropriate for promoting the performance of the Saint John Passion by the Sioux County Oratorio Chorus (Iowa). The sculpture is from the collection of the Musée de Cluny in Paris, which is officially known as Musée National du Moyen Âge (National Museum of the Middle Ages). Light passages in the image were generated by the shadows in the original photograph and created through Adobe Photoshop® invert techniques that reinforce the power of the image. Sometimes Photoshop can produce cheap special effects, but I believe the strikingly dramatic effect of the image in this poster signals an important theme in Bach’s work.
In scripture God expresses his style with exceptional word pictures and metaphors. As we approach the Lenten season next week (Ash Wednesday is 9 March) let us do so with imagination—“O lieber Heiland” (“O precious Savior”). [1]
- Schmidt, Thomas. A Scandalous Beauty: The Artistry of God and the Way of the Cross. Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, a division of Baker Book House Company, 2002. 7-8. Print.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
A very nice “thank you” from AIGA Nebraska
Sending this keepsake in the mail is a great way to say thanks. Especially if you appreciate letterpress typography and printing as I do. This piece is also a fine epitaph for László Moholy-Nagy and I think he would have approved of the funky rendition of his quote.
All the best to the Board members of AIGA Nebraska and to Jim Sherraden—manager of Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee.
By the way, I learned all I know about wood engraving and letterpress printing from Jim Horton of Ann Arbor, Michigan—thanks Jim.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Integral design
With news last week of the big Boeing contract we thought about this print ad from our archives. The ad, which ran in the May 10, 1963 issue of Time magazine is designed to show a rational grid-like precision, which seems appropriate for “Testing, testing….” the Boeing 727.
In his book titled Typography, Swiss designer, typographer and teacher, Emil Ruder makes a strong case for utilizing grid systems in organizing type and pictorial elements on a page. In describing the Boeing ad we have adopted what Ruder states in his book, “The layout is based on a grid unit of [twelve] squares for various picture sizes, which allow for numerous positions and sizes. Consistency of design can be achieved by developing an underlying grid pattern to which all elements must comply”.
Ruder further adds, “…This pattern is the means of establishing a formal unity between the different amounts of text and different sizes and shapes of pictures. The pattern should not be conspicuous in the final result but rather be concealed by the diversity of the pictorial subjects and typographical values”. [1]
- Ruder, Emil. Typography: a Manual of Design. Trans. D. Q. Stephenson. New York: Hastings House, Publishers, Inc., 1981. 185-86. Print.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Andy Warhol and the parodic model
The Dordt College 2011 Annual Junior Art Show poster was designed by Ellie Dykstra and others with photography by Annemarie Osinga.
This year’s Junior Art Show poster is an imaginative parody of the parody by referencing Pop artist Andy Warhol’s reproduction of media stars. It may seem obvious, but the art show poster is based on the parody of multiples in Warhol’s Hollywood imago pieces of the 60s and 70s, which he serigraphed photos taken from glossy magazines. The junior students are using pseudo serigraphy from Adobe Photoshop, but I enjoy the colors and density of typed information in the poster layout. In addition, what I appreciate about the Dordt Student’s poster is expressed by the tongue-in-cheek attitude and bright toothy smiles that critique and mimic Warhol’s work but without the mockery, which seems to characterize much of postmodern art parody. The poster is filled with signs of life, energy, and enthusiasm without the inanimate vacuity sometimes associated with Warhol’s Pop art. [1]
This year’s Junior Art Show poster is an imaginative parody of the parody by referencing Pop artist Andy Warhol’s reproduction of media stars. It may seem obvious, but the art show poster is based on the parody of multiples in Warhol’s Hollywood imago pieces of the 60s and 70s, which he serigraphed photos taken from glossy magazines. The junior students are using pseudo serigraphy from Adobe Photoshop, but I enjoy the colors and density of typed information in the poster layout. In addition, what I appreciate about the Dordt Student’s poster is expressed by the tongue-in-cheek attitude and bright toothy smiles that critique and mimic Warhol’s work but without the mockery, which seems to characterize much of postmodern art parody. The poster is filled with signs of life, energy, and enthusiasm without the inanimate vacuity sometimes associated with Warhol’s Pop art. [1]
This poster, besides being fun, is also about the relationship of images and their originals.
- Kearney, Richard. The Wake of Imagination. London: Century Hutchinson Ltd. and Routledge, 1988. 254-397. Print.
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