#lsadgraphicdesign

ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɴᴇ ɪɴᴄʜ ɴᴀɪʟꜱ ʟᴏɢᴏ ꜱᴛᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴇᴀꜱɪʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴꜱᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪꜱᴀʙʟᴇ ʙᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏɢᴏꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀʟʟ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʀᴇɴᴛ ʀᴇᴢɴᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄ ᴅᴇꜱɪɢɴᴇʀ ɢᴀʀʏ ᴛᴀᴘʟᴀꜱ, ɪᴛ ʜᴀꜱ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴜɴᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ɪᴛ’ꜱ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇᴘᴛɪᴏɴ, ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴜʟᴛɪᴘʟᴇ ᴠᴇʀꜱɪᴏɴꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ. ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ɪᴛ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʀᴜᴍᴏᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ‘ɴɪɴᴇ ɪɴᴄʜ ɴᴀɪʟꜱ’ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʀᴇꜰᴇʀᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴇꜱᴜꜱ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ɴᴀɪʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴏꜱꜱ, ʀᴇᴢɴᴏʀ ʜᴀꜱ ɪɴꜱɪꜱᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴠɪᴇᴡꜱ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴄʜᴏꜱᴇɴ ᴀꜱ ɪᴛ ᴀʙʙʀᴇᴠɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴇᴀꜱɪʟʏ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ "ᴀɴʏ ʟɪᴛᴇʀᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴀɴɪɴɢ”.

ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀꜱᴋᴇᴅ ʙʏ ꜰᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴍᴀɢᴀᴢɪɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴀ ᴠɪꜱᴜᴀʟ ᴀɴᴀʟʏꜱɪꜱ ᴏɴ ɴɪɴ’ꜱ ʙᴏᴅʏ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴏʀᴋ, ʙᴇɴᴊᴀᴍɪɴ ᴄʀɪᴛᴛᴏɴ, ᴀ ᴅᴇꜱɪɢɴᴇʀ, ᴀʀᴛ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴏꜰᴇꜱꜱᴏʀ ᴀᴛ ʀᴜᴛɢᴇʀꜱ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱɪᴛʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ᴏꜰ ᴠɪꜱᴜᴀʟ ᴀʀᴛꜱ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏɢᴏ:

“ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴘʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ꜰʟᴀᴡʟᴇꜱꜱ. ɪᴛ ᴜᴛɪʟɪᴢᴇꜱ ᴜɴɪꜰᴏʀᴍ ʟɪɴᴇ ᴡᴇɪɢʜᴛꜱ, ᴍᴀᴛʜᴇᴍᴀᴛɪᴄ ꜱᴘᴀᴄɪɴɢ, ʙᴏʟᴅ ʟᴇᴛᴛᴇʀꜰᴏʀᴍꜱ. “ɴɪɴ” ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏɴʏᴍ, ᴀꜱ ᴏᴘᴘᴏꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴ ɪɴɪᴛɪᴀʟɪꜱᴍ. ɪᴛꜱ ᴀʙʙʀᴇᴠɪᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪꜱ ᴀɴ ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛᴇ ꜱᴘᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛꜱ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀʀᴋ ɪꜱ ꜱʏᴍᴍᴇᴛʀɪᴄᴀʟ. ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄ. ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴᴇʀɪᴢᴇᴅ. ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ʟᴇɢɪʙʟᴇ. ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴇᴀꜱɪʟʏ ʀᴇᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ. ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇꜱ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ꜱɪᴢᴇꜱ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪꜱᴛ ɢᴏᴇꜱ ᴏɴ.”

ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʀɪɢɪɴᴀʟ ʟᴏɢᴏ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ꜱᴛᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘꜱ ᴘʀɪᴍᴀʀʏ ᴍᴏᴛɪꜰ, ɪᴛ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴇᴄᴏɴꜱᴛʀᴜᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘᴇʀɪᴍᴇɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ɴɪɴ ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏᴜʀ. ʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʙʀɪᴇꜰ ʀᴜɴᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴏꜰ ʜᴏᴡ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴠᴀʀɪᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ:

ARTIST RESEARCH: OBVIOUS PLANT

Obvious Plant is Jeff Wysaski, a man who has been making seemingly real yet obviously fake products (mainly toys) and sneaking them onto store shelves since 2015. 

Upon first glance, most of the products he makes don’t look much different from what you might find in your local discount shop. However, a closer look will reveal something is not right...

GRAPHIC DESIGN: RESEARCH

TERRY RICHARDSON | SISLEY “FARMING” CAMPAIN 2001

There was a time that Terry Richardson was one of the most sought after fashion photographers in the industry. Whether you loved him or hated him, it was impossible to turn the pages of a fashion magazine without seeing his work. While some considered what he did to be ground breaking, many believed it to be nothing more than cheap exploitation by a creepy pervert who used shock tactics as a guise for high-fashion. 

Knowing what we know now, it’s seems more likely that the latter sentiment is truest to form. 

ARTIST RESEARCH: KEITH HARRING

Keith Harring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist who came to prominence out of the New York graffiti scene during the 1980′s. His early influences included the likes of Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney, as well as his father, who was an amateur cartoon artist. 

Harring’s style became a familiar sight in the New York City subways, and as his popularity rose, he began producing much larger works, in a very stripped down yet highly energetic style. 

Much of his work was embodied by social activism, namely AIDS awareness and the promotion of safe-sex ideals. A gay man himself, he was a victim of the AIDS crisis in the 80′s and the ignorance and stigma around it. 

Speaking on the AIDS crisis and the influence it had on ‘The Downward Spiral’ track ‘Heresy”, Trent Reznor has said: 

"I was trying to explore some of the paranoia I have as a sexually active person in the age of AIDS," he says of "Heresy."

"I guess I feel cheated for not growing up in a more liberated era. At the same time, what gets me mad is the way the right wing has used the 'convenience' of this epidemic in helping to promote their own agenda."

Harring spoke of and spread awareness of the AIDS epidemic at a time when the country and the politicians who ran it refused to acknowledge its existence. Despite the virus being identified in 1981, President Ronald Reagan himself did not even utter the word in public until the end of his two term presidency. This hesitancy to act would inevitably only worsen the situation. As the epidemic spread like wildfire, so too did the ignorance and ostracism directed towards the gay community. 

‘THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL’ - NINE INCH NAILS

FOUND OBJECTS: FINAL DRAFT

TRACK 7: THE BECOMING

These are my two final drafts for ‘The Becoming’. 

I wanted to do a “clean” and “dirty” version, as it brought me back to buying CD’s as a kid. The Parental Advisory sticker was something of a badge of honour back in the 90′s.

At this point in the album our protagonist has successfully overthrown God and regained his control and identity, only to find all meaning lost as there is now nothing to believe in: 

"all pain disappears it's the nature of my circuitry, 

drowns out all i hear there's no escape from this my new consciousness, 

the me that you know used to have feelings, 

but the blood has stopped pumping and he's left to decay, 

the me that you know is made up of wires, 

GRAPHIC DESIGN: STORY PROJECT

‘THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL’ - NINE INCH NAILS 

TRACK 1: MR. SELF DESTRUCT

Final draft for the single artwork for Mr. Self Destruct. 

‘THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL’ - NINE INCH NAILS

RESEARCH: 10500 CIELO DRIVE: THE TATE MURDERS 

On the night of August 9th 1969, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian, forced their way into the home of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski on the orders of Charles Manson, who instructed them to "totally destroy" everyone in it, and to do it "as gruesome as you can".

Manson’s motivation was revenge against famous record producer Terry Melcher, with whom Manson had a previous relationship with before being snubbed concerning the possibility of recording his music together. Melcher was the previous resident of the house before Tate and Polanski, and had invited Manson over as a guest on a couple of occasions. 

At the time, Polanski was away in Europe working on a film project, and Tate was entertaining guests, among them Abigail Folger (heiress to the Folgers Coffee fortune) her boyfriend, aspiring screen-writer Wojciech Frykowski, and Jay Sebring, Tate’s friend and former lover. 

Steven Parent, a friend of the caretaker who lived in the guest house in the back, was the first of the Manson Family’s victims that night, as he was stabbed and shot leaving the residence.  Among those invited that night but did not attend were record producer Quincy Jones, and actor Steve McQueen. 

After an evening of socialising, Tate and her guests had fallen asleep, only to be awoken by Manson’s followers and brutally murdered in the ensuing struggle. Included in the list of victims was Tates unborn child, Paul Richard Polanski. Tate was 8 1/2 months pregnant. 

‘THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL’ - NINE INCH NAILS

PAINTING WITH FIRE: FINAL DRAFTS

TRACK 6: RUINER

Final drafts for Ruiner artwork. 

I’m very happy with the textures of these pieces. If I could find a way to create like this without burning highly toxic fumes then this is all I would ever do. There is nothing I like more than a happy accident, and waiting to see what results from such a chaotic event as burning a painting is quite thrilling.