Seo Kim Thesis Book 2014
description
Transcript of Seo Kim Thesis Book 2014
2 KIMTHESIS 2014
P 1 2 3The Beginning
4-5 6-11 12-18 19-31
Inspiration and Background
In the Garden Editorial through Nature
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3
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5 6E4Textiles and Patterns
32-45 46-55 56-67 68-73
Book Covers The Exhibition The Future
CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 EPILOGUE
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The Beginning
What is visual communication? It’s about problem solving, delivering a concept, a message, a visual narrative, but above all it is about telling your own story. Steven Heller mentions in his book The Education of an Illustrator, “As the line between illustration and graphic design blurs, illustration has become an integral component of visual strategy. It has become necessary for illustrators to expand in to a more self-sufficient role and take total control of the creative content.” I also acknowledge the importance of taking an entrepreneurial role and working in collaboration across various disciplines. It has become ever more important for illustrators to be versatile, and I fully embrace that role. Now I would like to lead you through my journey in discovering my role in the world of illustration.
PROLOGUE
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Inspiration and BackgroundCHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 1
I’m an illustrator that loves drawing plants and the natural world.
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The natural world and observing organic forms have always been a part of my life.
As long as I can remember, I have always been astounded by the genius of the natural world. As a child I reveled in curiosity when encountering the natural landscape. I found pleasure in discovering new phenomena in nature, and often paid careful attention to inanimate details that defined a certain plant or element in the natural world. The brilliance of their engineering never ceased to surprise me. I find inspiration in things that are grow, live and transform through time.
CHAPTER 1
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Drawing the natural world makes me
HAPPY
Transparent Things, 8.5”x11” Digital ,2013
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My illustration work has a wide range—from product design, iPhone apps to editorial work—but they all remain genuinely personal through the use of my own voice and visual vocabulary that stems from my personal interests. I strive to connect the viewer with a visual experience that is both aesthetically sophisticated and visually eloquent. As long as I can remember, I have always been astounded by the genius of the natural world. As a child I reveled in curiosity when encountering the natural landscape. I found pleasure in discovering new phenomena in nature, and often paid careful attention to inanimate details that defined a certain plant or element in the natural world. The brilliance of their engineering never ceased to surprise me. This fascination with the natural world shows through my work as the driving force that narrates my concepts and ideas.
My studio work involves taking natural, organic forms inspired by nature to create, expand, and explore the world of image making. The vitality of living, breathing organisms animate the world I create, and through this world I strive to solve problems and provide solutions that perpetuate wonder. My digital paintings integrate intricate digital brush strokes with bold textures. I combine different types of scanned textures within a composition to create an organic and traditional surface. As an illustrator my goal is to create images that cause people to appreciate the natural world and captivate them in its graceful beauty through unexpected avenues.
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In the GardenCHAPTER 2
A series of images inspired by the theme of gardening[CLOCKWISE] Wheelbarrow,
2014 Garden Tools, 2014 Gardening Boots, 2014 Flower
Cluster, 2014 Watering Can, 2014
This series of images were created specifically for the exhibition with the theme of gardening in mind.
The images are decorative in nature, and can be applied to a variety of different avenues pertaining
to the field of illustration. The images are suitable for greeting cards, prints for frames, a variety of surface
design and product application.
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[LEFT] Gardening Boots, 5”x7” Digital, 2014[RIGHT] Garden Gnome, 8”x10” Digital, 2014
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Editorial IllustrationCHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 3
Select Editorial Images[TOP TO BOTTOM] Overcoming Obstacles, 2013 Contained Risk, 2014 More Than Meets the Eye,
2014 Vanity, 2013
For my thesis work I wanted to draw images that I was intuitively attracted to, while challenging
myself to think conceptually, and quickly. Editorial illustration addressed all aspects of illustration
that I wanted to investigate and explore while sharpening my skills to brainstorm, come up with
concepts and work somewhat quickly. I researched certain prompts that were associated with popular
editorial assignments and created images that accompanied a prompt. Each image below is
paired with a prompt that helps guide the message along. All editorial assignments use natural and
organic elements to solve specific visual problems associated with each prompt.
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Trapped, 12.5”x9.5” Digital, 2014
“I wanted to solve visual problems while
incorporating themes I love to draw most.”
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The pattern workshop with Julia Rothman opened up possibilities to numerous ideas. After becoming versed in the world of licensing, Julia guided us through an extensive demo on traditional pattern tiling and digital tiling. Afterwards we were to create five patterns under the same aesthetic or theme and apply it to a product. The Brooklyn based soap company SAIPUA was my main inspiration. I selected five different soap scents and created the patterns based on the name of the soap. The Gardener’s Soap features a blooming garden, the Oatmeal Lavender highlights the lavender scent, Peppermint Pumice emanate freshly picked mint, Cedarwood represents the woodsy, more masculine scent, and Coffee Mint encapsulates the deep aromas of warm coffee. All patterns are united by organic forms and plant matter while differentiated by colors.
[LEFT] Detail shots of the Binoo soap packaging.
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“Packaging design should sell the product, protect the product and facilitate the use of the product. ”
[LEFT] Detail shots of the soap packaging. The packaging was applied to other bath products to show variety of application methods.
CHAPTER 4
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Patterns Applied to FabricTapestry, 36”x44” Cotton Linen
My interest in patterns and textiles began during my first year at MICA. During a pattern workshop, I discovered my interest in
organic continuous patterns, especially repeat patterns where you cannot tell where the specific pattern “tile” is located. I have a love for
patterns that weave in and out and flow continuously. With patterns, the opportunity for application is endless. With these specific
patterns, they were inspired by specific grouping of plants and designed with those specific color schemes.
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Book CoversCHAPTER 5
Warm Soup Recipes From Grandma5”x7” Digital, 2012
In addition to editorial illustration, I wanted to investigate the art of book covers. During the first year, I had worked on a publishing project that allowed me to create a “pitch” for an idea and determine the type of publication as well as the market it is aimed at. I wanted to create a recipe book that combined a grandmother’s tradition and seasoned wisdom with a more modern take on the tradition. The initial story was that the granddaughter found recipe clippings that belonged to her grandmother in the attic. This soup journal is a collaged book of personal stories she associates with each of the found recipe clipping. Through this recipe book I wanted to convey warmth and family tradition that is passed on to future generations. The audience for this book would be someone who enjoys cooking, but also likes looking at nostalgic stories and illustrated books.
By redesigning well-known chapter books, I was able to develop an understanding of traditional parts and functions of illustration and design when it pertains to books as well as the fundamentals in choosing the themes to visualize a narrative. I explored and researched different types of book cover imagery and effective design that is functional/practical in the book publishing industry. I mostly targeted Young Reader books, but also designed some decorative book covers for a poetry chapbook collection.
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CHAPTER 6
Exhibition To-Scale Mock-up Model, 2014
My thesis exhibition was divided into three parts. Initially, I started out with a mock model that indicated the spatial layout of the gallery. In the far left corner, I built two shelves that held more intimate illustrated objects such as framed prints, book covers and ceramics. In the center, I displayed my editorial pieces, which were digital prints wrapped in foam core. To the far right, I hand sewed printed fabric and hung them as tapestry. As a whole, I wanted the exhibition to represent me as an illustrator and a creator of things.
CHAPTER 6
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The FutureEPILOGUE
[LEFT]Hi-Fructose Magazine Redesign9.5”x12” Digital, 2012
What is in store for me in the future? I have always loved design and illustration. I firmly believe that the two fields go hand-in-hand. After all, aren’t both fields about visual problem solving? Whether it is a specific design for a client, or an illustration that is accompanying an article, they both require understanding of the audience, and the brand that it represents. I would love to work in an environment where I can utilize both my design skills and my illustration skills. Publishing houses are an excellent match since they require confidence in typography, layout and hierarchy as well as the ability to harmoniously combine image and type.
I am also interested in stationery, paper goods and the world of licensing. I enjoy branding and product design. I believe application of illustration to different materials is endless. I am excited for what the future has in store for me!
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Thank you!Whitney Sherman, Jaime Zollars, Rebecca Bradley, Eric Leland, Lydia Nichols, Shadra Strickland and all of the lovely faculty and staff members at MICA.
To Aaron, Marki, Mom, Dad and Guhn for all their support and love.
Finally to my lovely Illustration Practice family. It was an honor to spend the past two years with you all. I am eternally grateful for your friendship, love and support.