#learning design

A new fantastical uniquities poster! Really enjoyed pairing the typefaces and art for this concept.

Art credits: Chaoclypse. Map elements by Kyle Latino / Map Crow (https://mapcrow.itch.io/), CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), modified. Steven Colling. Maciej Zagorski / The Forge Studios. Compass rose by Art SilverGlass.

Fonts: FS Alvar, Lovecraft's Diary, Pathways, Passage.

This design dabbling was all about aligning and masking the more than 100 graphical elements. Lots of layers, for map features, the eye in the compass rose, the title text, the magnification effect, the foreground elements obscuring the stem of the magnifying glass, the sepia elements, the papyrus pattern, etc.

Added more pages to my website and worked on the layout some more: now there is a now page, about what I am doing, like Scott Boms put it on his own now page, now‑ish, a page about which tools I use to stay informed and mostly secured, and I have added a page linking to my friends.

That last part is sort of important, because of how important my connections are to me. Currently, most of the people on that page are from my graphic design study, but this will expand, with time, of that I am equal parts hopeful and certain.

I am also currently excavating the milieu around the book Creative Code by Maeda, with my eye already on Design by Numbers as well.

Autumn is here, with the Spätsommer’s last rays of a kinder sun, and as the outside air wafts in through heavy green curtains, I briefly understand that all things change, before I type on.

I wanted to write something about how it has been a long time since I have worked on my foundations for drawing, painting, and illustration, but I won’t.

I am moving on from judging, instead. I have been judging all kinds of things in all kinds of manners, and I am frankly just plain bored by it.

Have been playing Cyberpunk 2077 a lot, and I plan to play a lot more of it in the upcoming days.

I even bought two books about Cyberpunk: the artbook, and the pen and paper RPG called Cyberpunk RED.

(Everyone had that experience at the athenaeum where some barely-trained local inquisitor came in to tell the class that Cantrips Are One More Gateway To The Occult.)

Texture: Texturelabs.

Fonts: Advent Pro, Decalotype, Millimetre, Ostrich Sans, Saira, Selima.

Design dabbling: I wanted to try a proper composition and make a poster entirely from scratch. This uses no art assets other than the paper texture. I took the kernel of the idea in the D.A.R.E. direction because I was tickled by the absurdism and figured my own amateurishness would fit for that clumsy 80s aesthetic.

Halfway through my month of fantastical uniquities posters!

This one's for my new game, Overzealous.

Art credits: Evlyn Moreau. Gordy Higgins. Adobe Stock. Lorc, CC-BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), modified.

Fonts: Nevermind Display Extra Condensed, Roboto Condensed, Moonrock.

Overzealous is funding on Kickstarter right now. Check it out!

Today's design dabbling: Overzealous has a visual style of cartoon line art and matching thin letterforms. I wanted to try a conversion of line art to silhouettes and text to a hefty poster weight, while keeping it consistent with the established style and themes.

I like how the curve of a sickle imitates punctuation in the title.

I also made this alternative version:

Another fantastical uniquities poster! 'Ascent' is a common concept in tabletop games.

Art credits: Amanda Lee Franck. Some artwork copyright William McAusland, used with permission. Some art by Josh Soper, © Josh Soper, 2017. Art by Hairic Lilred (https://hairic.itch.io/) and Emiel Boven (https://emielboven.itch.io/) used under CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), modified.

Fonts: Saira, Lora.

Today's design dabbling: Revisiting black-and-white, with a dip into some grid-based layout. I tried manually adjusting the title character letterforms as vector curves, but kind of botched it. I didn't go into it with enough of a plan, and the angles and spacing are a mess. Look at that awful S in particular.