Bachelor Pad

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual of American Illustration, 2006, p338
Illustrator: Dan Sipple

The designer's "assignment was to create a hip, modern, masculine card [for American Greetings] featuring an African American male" using an assigned palette of colors. I like how the designer was able to pull off the design with minimal detail by using subtle textures. The strie painting behind the man is just enough to separate him from the wall. The textured lanterns, chairs, and patterned floor add visual interest and rhythm. The solid white pants are the focal point and the negative shape of the pants seems to create an arrow pointing to the man. The lanterns hanging directly over the man in combination with the stripes in the wall give the appearance of light raining down on the subject further enhancing the focal point. Finally, the lone orangish-red square hanging alone on the right side of the wall is the final detail to balance the image. Oh, and, of course, you can't deny the importance of the glass on the table. It adds ambiance to the scene and sets the mood. The glass says "it's time to relax and chill out."

Seasons in the Sun

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual of American Illustration, 2006, pp244-245
Illustrator: Andrew Selby

This illustrator creates entire landscapes with simple geometric shapes and limited color palettes. His work is interesting because the more you look, the more you see. I love the illusion of hills and how each drawing has a feeling of perspective created with the bottom of the illustration appearing to be closer. Both illustrations create perspective by size with objects in "front" being larger in proportion to objects at the top of the drawing. Notice the pumpkins larger than trees and the fox larger than the horses. The autumn image also has a road which appears to wind toward the "back" where it eventually disappears in the horizon. Even the ground appears to be flatter in the front with the shapes becoming more rounded and then pointy, indicating hills turning to mountains, as your eye travels upward. The final clue is the cloud shapes at the very top.
Another detail I enjoyed is the illustrator's buildings. None of the buildings are squared. They seem to lean every which way furthering the concept of hills and uneven ground. The combination of the misshaped buildings and curvy shapes create an inviting, interactive atmosphere enticing the viewer to stop and gaze for a while.
As for color, the illustrator's limited color palette very clearly indicates which season each image represents. The limited use of white creates added interest and breaks up what would otherwise be monotonous image.

The Capuleti & the Montecchi

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual of American Illustration, 2006, p239
Poster illustration, Illustrator: Rafal Olbinski

This poster was created to promote the opera The Capuleti & the Montecchi based on the story of Romeo & Juliet. The illustrator introduces a clever solution to showing the two "star-crossed" lovers being torn apart by their respective families.
One's focus is immediately drawn into the faces and the strong negative space between them. Your eyes naturally follow the zipper downward to the ropes attached to the zipper which continue to pull your attention downward toward the message. The symmetry of the two groups of men pulling and the way they span the writing seems to enhance the message by framing the text. I like how the men dressed in business suits bring the classic tale to modern times and how the men's body language reinforces the idea of pulling your attention downward. Furthermore, the perspective type treatment creates more visual stimulation and interest to the design.
The concept of "star-crossed" lovers is introduced with the faces being formed in the sky and the eyes of the lovers looking upward to the stars (or heaven). I am wondering if the idea of the two halves being torn apart from the top down like a curtained backdrop is representative of the biblical account of the temple veil tearing in two from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus' death. Is the darkeness of the heavens that is revealed symbolic of the darkness that descends upon the families upon the lovers' deaths?

Halloween Magic

Society of Illustrators 46th Annual of American Illustration, 2005, p327
Book Illustration, Illustrator: Greg Couch

Tonight is the night when pumpkins stare. And all cats are black and a flying leaf looks more like a bat.

The illustrator's goal was to depict "Halloween as a magical night...filled with danger and delight...and there is always a full moon."
I like the eerieness the illustrator creates with the dark colors, shadowy figures, and the faces that seem to be peering out from everywhere. The moon, the bat, the Jack-O-Lanterns, the houses, and even the tree appear to have faces looking at the children. The trees around the houses hint at reaching hands and hair. The floating leaves create eyes and a nose on the enormous, glowing moon while an exaggerated-sized bat creates a gaping grin. The size of the bat hints at how large the children would perceive the bat to be.
This image brings back memories of a racing heart as a child when I would trick-or-treat with my friend and the wind would make things rustle and the light from street lamps would cast long shadows and the doors to strangers' houses appeared menancing. A time before parents stayed with their children and you only went to homes of people you knew. It was a time of full-sized candy bars, apples, and Mrs. Warren's large homemade popcorn balls. Ahh....the memories.

Portland International Film Festival

Society of Illustrators 52nd Annual of American Illustration, 2010, p192
Illustrator: The Heads of State

The first two things I noticed about this design were I couldn't read what the filament was spelling and the color choices seemed odd. Light bulbs are warm objects and this design has a cool undertone with its choice of colors. So I ask myself why isn't this bulb yellow and what does it spell? This forced me to look further to read the small print and see the threads of the bulb are created from a film strip. Aha! (The light bulb goes on in my head!) And, now, I think "clever."
I like how the illustrator grabs your attention with the filament and pulls you down to the print for details. The way in which the film strip leads off the paper and how the type follows it adds extra visual interest by creating a little tension.

Snow Cat

Society of Illustrators 49th Annual of American Illustration, 2007, p279
Illustrator: Richard Goldberg

The assignment was a secular "winter holiday" greeting card. The image is from the illustrator's memory of his black cat Satan who would chase snowflakes in the lights at night. (I thought the cat's name ironic, especially since I consider every "holiday card" is actually a Christmas card in disguise.)
I like the playful, artsy nature of the card and how the snowflake the cat captured is the one perfect flake in the illustration. It appears the cat is admiring his find. The way the cat reaches for it, the direction of the cat's eyes, and the undefined white dots in the background lead the viewer's focus to the one distinct snowflake. That one flake is the clue to this being winter, and the playfulness of the cat reminds us that winter can be fun.
And what about the C shapes in the design—the shape of the cat's body and the resulting negative shape? Is this the illustrator's underlying effort to imply C is for Christmas? Hmm...
Actually, my very favorite part of the illustration is the artist's initials. I love his letters, especially the "g". It reminds me of an upside-down exclamation mark and feels like the last period on the last page of a long book — There!

Frantic

Society of Illustrators 49th Annual of American Illustration, 2007, p155
Illustrator: Thomas Fuchs

This is a portrait of Nathan Lane used for a theater poster to promote his play Butley, in which the main character is slowly falling apart. I think the illustrator brilliantly conveys this idea. The artwork represents so many aspects of mental instability —literally falling apart, being torn in different directions, losing one's identity, not knowing where to turn, and seeing the world in black and white. The literal representation of black and white creates an onimous, dark atmosphere and adds dramatic flare. My favorite aspect of the image is the disharmonious rhythm resulting from the fragmentation, which causes my focus to bounce back and forth between the subjects's eyes.