Bree Frontczak - Graphic Design

Bree Frontczak

http://www.bree-zdesigns.com/

Major: Graphic Design

Graduation Date: This quarter!

What is it that you love about design?

What don't I love about design? haha! I guess the thing I love the most is the feeling I get from it. I feel good, I feel accomplished, I have fun, I love to create and to think and to put these ideas together and watch them come alive on paper and on a computer screen. I love making others happy and creating a piece that not only I am proud of, but that others can look at it and admire. Seeing others smile and enjoy my work is a great feeling and something that I love, and something that inspires me every day.

Who inspires you?

Which I guess leads me to my inspiration... A lot of things and people inspire me. It's hard to pinpoint just one thing in particular because there are so many things, and most of the time its when I'm not really looking or expecting to be inspired by something, it just happens. I feel that's what makes good design though. To be inspired by everything around you, by people, their ideas and thoughts, by a piece of fabric, a color, another piece of design, a quote, anything!

What are your plans after graduation?

My plans after graduation, I'm sure, are a lot like any others. To find a good paying job doing something I love to do. But it's also more than that. I want to find a design firm that I feel my design coincides with. A place where I feel I will fit in and my talents will truly blossom and continue to grow. I never want to stop learning, stop exploring possibilities, stop creating. I've always wanted to move to California, ever since I was young, so that's where I want to be. I have already started my job search even now as I am still in school, though graduation is right around the corner in June. I want to get a head start and really explore my options and find a place sooner rather than later.

Are there any projects that you are currently working on/just finished that you are exceptionaly proud of?

There are a few projects that I am particularly proud of: my annual report for Bloomers, which I created about half way through college and has been one of my strongest pieces throughout schooling and something I knew I wanted to include in my portfolio. My ad campaign for a jean company called Berkleys, which I loved for its simplicity but impact on words and movement and everyone who has seen it has absolutely loved. And finally, a few pieces from my senior project, Equipt For The Arts Foundation, including my direct mail piece and credit card idea. The two pieces I feel are very strong and unique to my company. They were fun to make, and I think what I really like about them is that my idea and inspiration for them really came out of nowhere and I fell in love with the ideas, and they turned out to be the strongest pieces in my campaign!

How was your experience at AI?

I loved going to AI. The teachers and staff are absolutely wonderful and really love to help out the students and really want to see them succeed in everything they do. It's hard to really find that in teachers, but most of them I've met at AI are that wonderful and caring and really know their stuff and can and will answer any question you have for them. The students are also great... you could start up a conversation with a complete stranger in the elevator, and you can't really find that at any other school, which made my experience very nice and made me feel right at home.

Need some inspiration?

Gary Fernández is a freelance illustrator and graphic artist based in Madrid, Spain.

His clients range from DDB, Coca Cola, Nokia, Camel and many others...

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/art/Gary-Fernandez/

http://www.garyfernandez.net/

Image Copyright - Gary Fernández

A very resourceful link...

The following website provides many important resources for graphic designers and advertisers.

http://www.designerstoolbox.com/

Not only can you view what size for example, business cards standard american style, but MANY international sizes as well!

TATAU aka TATTOO

It is very common amongst art students to wear their souls on their sleeves, literally. Tattoos are no longer taboo and act as a billboard for self expression. Many people carry their designs with them everywhere, but what most people don't know is where it all started.

I'm of Samoan decent...and I want talk a little about our tattoos, because they are so extremely sick! So much detailed design goes into it and I bet you didn't know that word tatoo was taken from our language. Doing things the old school way means a lot more pain. Design hurts. Check it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk7Bj5w8EFI


Here are some of the hottest Samoan tattoo artists that are coming out of Las Vegas!! This is where ancient design meets modern tactics:

http://www.sacredcentertattoo.com/

A LITTLE HISTORY:
Tattoos, or pe'a, demonstrate the strong ties many Samoans feel for their culture. Samoans have practiced the art of tattooing both men and women for over 2,000 years. To this day, a man's tattoo extensively covers from mid-back, down the sides and flanks, to the knees. A woman's tattoo is not quite as extensive or heavy. The geometric patterns are based on ancient designs, and often denote rank and status. The va'a or canoe, for example, stretches across a man's mid-back.

Samoan oral tradition generally recognizes that two Fijian women, Taema and Tilafaiga, introduced the practice of tattooing. Before the arrival of Christian missionaries, starting in 1830, all Samoan males got a traditional tattoo. Though the early missionaries did not succeed in outlawing the practice, which they considered as defacement of the human body and heathenish, they eventually succeeded in refocusing the custom on the sons of chiefs.

In Samoa's cultural past most males were tattooed between the ages of 14-18, when it was determined they had stopped growing, so the designs would not stretch and suffer in beauty. Today, there has been a strong revival of traditional tattooing in the past generation, not only in Samoa but throughout Polynesia, often as a symbol of cultural identity.

WE INVENTED THE WORD TATOO!!
The Samoan word for tattoo is tatau which means "correct or workmanlike." It also signifies the correct quadrangular figures in reference to the fact that Samoan tattoo designs do not include circular lines, although other Polynesian tattoo motifs do. Early Englishmen mispronounced the word tatau and borrowed it into popular usage as tattoo.

Traditional tattooing is a painful process. The Samoan tattoo master dips his cutting tools into black ink made from the soot of burnt candlenut shells, and then punctures designs into the skin. The cutting tool, or "needle," consists of a short piece of bamboo or light wood with a piece of tortoiseshell bound at right angles at one end. A little bone comb is bound to the lower broad end of the tortoiseshell. The larger the comb, the greater the area on the skin is covered with fewer strokes. The master uses a small mallet to repeatedly tap a short handled instrument. The process takes days, and is sometimes partially accomplished over longer periods, with recuperation in between.

Tattoo designs have changed to include freehand symbols such as the kava bowl representing hospitality; the characterization of the Samoan house or fale signifying kinship; emblems of nature — shells, fish, birds, waves, centipedes; and the traditional geometric lines and angles of different lengths and sizes.

Thanx for bloggin with me..
♥Ez.

People of Interest: Students

Emanuel Trevino

Current student at the Art Institute of Phoenix majoring in Graphic Design.

How far along are you from graduating AIPX? EMANUEL TREVINO: I’m technically in my 7^th quarter but may be in my 9^th quarter or sumtin with my transfer credits from El Paso Community College.

How is your experience at AIPX so far? EMANUEL TREVINO: I have really liked it. It was a culture shock at first, but as I got to meet people it became an enjoyable experience for me.

What classes have you enjoyed the most so far? EMANUEL TREVINO: I love everything that has to do layouts and the use of color. So, mostly publication stuff.

What would you recommend for the new upcoming students? EMANUEL TREVINO: Don’t procrastinate! It’s so easy in this type of environment but it’s something you should try to avoid at all times.

What are you working on right now? EMANUEL TREVINO: A magazine, a website, a couple of logos, and organizing an art show with Jehan in El Paso. My magazine consists of street art which I’m starting to pick up again.

What’s next? EMANUEL TREVINO: After graduation I would love to work for a music blog, or anything music related preferably indie music, although I’m open to anything because I love all types of music.

Are you planning on staying in Phoenix after graduation? EMANUEL TREVINO: If I find a good job here, then I’d stay but I’ll really just go anywhere depending on the job opportunities.

You can view Emanuel's art work displayed throughout AIPX
Emanuel's MySpace

Modern Royalty

Alison King is one of our distinguished faculty members here at Ai Phoenix. While constantly challenging her design students to take it to the next level, she also champions modernphoenix.net, a veritable eyes on architectural design round the valley. Find out more about Alison, her home, and the business that is her labor of love via retrorenovation.com. Pam Kueber's interview delves into Alison's history with Mid-century Modern design, her home and how she has changed it, the website she oversees and what others can do to start something similar. 

Visit both and find out more about the city of Phoenix as well as more on the lovely Alison King. Design is everywhere and in everyone, you just have to know who to talk to and where to look. 

BFF4L

Everyone has that friend that knows the ends and outs of everything. Let the Dealy be yours. Find us on all your favs. 

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Makes friends and be officially in the know. 

Photoshop Awesomeness

I recently started tutoring various students in photoshop both new and advanced. I always loved finding new tutorials and figuring out crazy new ways to do stuff. Here are some great links for sweet tutorials sites. One is a general site for photoshop the other for all tutorials. 

All Photoshop

Tutorials for tutorial sake

There are many more but I found that these have some good references especially for texturing. Enjoy!! 

Commanding a new Presence

The Graphic Design Club otherwise known as COMMAND P will be changing their meetings to Wednesdays @ noon in 244. The change came after multiple requests to move the day. With expressed interest from the those involved with SIGGRAPH, Command P keeps you in mind as the meets get rescheduled. Hopefully the change will be welcomed and progressive. 

In related news, Command P is well on its way with their own special forum. If you want to know anything about the club, the various goings on, and what's awesome right here and now in "the industry" peep them out @ 

http://www.commandp.tk/  

Some of the "inforumers" include the Kings, Erin Radler (the student affairs Graphic Designer), advertising students such as myself, and many other promising designers. 

Here is a place to post work, get critiqued, and see what kind of competition you are open to. This is  the place I like to go to find out what's up. Command P is also trying to get involved in AIGA Student Chapter, a membership that stands to benefit all designers in many ways. With the upcoming meets, the club will be exploring these avenues and having a good time doing it. JOIN THE TEAM 

Patrick Nagel

Patrick Nagel painted the cover of rock group Duran Duran's Rio album, and contributed to Playboy in 1976.
The image looks flat, but he emphasized elements which he thought was important. I love his steller style; totally 80s!

Check out Patrick Nagel's work.

http://www.patricknagel.com/art/nagel/1415.jpeg

Help Us Out

We are trying to gain viewership on the world WIDE web. Technorati is all that is blog and we want to be seen there. 

The Grand Premier

This is the start of our wonderful new Ai-centric news outlet. Here anyone will be able to have access to what is going on here in the school, what the students are currently doing now that they have graduated, and what kind of work we are producing as whole. We will start out with our Advertising and Graphic Design students and follow their doings as they progress and flourish. Stay tuned and get connected with The Dealy News!