Curtain Up! Special Projects

This grouping has a nice mix of the classic, comedy one-acts, and drama. There is a single thread connecting them, but I’ll keep that to myself for now. It’s all part of a project I’ve been dabbling with for a while; however, I need to pitch it to someone else who’s a bit closer to the scene than I am. (Not what I usually like to do with a challenge, but it is the more practical course of action, dang it.)

The Three Sisters
Moscow is the fading dream of several characters throughout this piece, and while it may be too literal, I used a decaying image of the iconic St. Basil’s cathedral as a backdrop; tilted as if it were tossed casually on a table. To me, it evokes a vintage mid-century reprint. Come to think of it, that could be said for all three of these.

Black Comedy/White Liars
The font is reminiscent of one usually found in the late 1960s, when this duo debuted. Both stories are wacky enough that I don’t believe a simple image can sum up either of them. Actually, this design reminds me of a book I used to have, a collection of dirty songs. Well, more like racy than blatantly smutty, with a bunch of limericks thrown in. (Those were 50/50.) If I recall correctly, it was a solid black cover with a similar typeface to this. Amazing what the subconscious can conjure up.

Sweet Bird of Youth
An abstract drawing of a bird was used for a print edition in the late 1950s, but I wanted something a little more graceful for this Southern drama. Again, I tweaked a font in order to pay homage to that period, slightly bumping up the words “sweet” and “youth.” (Unfortunately, in reducing the size of this file for the internet, the bird comes out a little too pixilated for my liking; my humblest apologies. Its edges are completely smooth in my original file.)

In works like this, pops of color for emphasis can do wonders, when used judiciously. With the exception of Black Comedy/White Liars, I can see these titles in a nice warm red. But too much can be, let’s face it, too much. Plus, if you plan color newspaper ads, sometimes the print process may not always be kind, causing hideous bleeds outside the lines, ruining your carefully planned work. I've seen it happen, and some of my work has fallen victim to such smudging. Don’t get me wrong, if there’s room in the budget for color, by all means, go for it. My point is, you can (almost) idiot-proof your design and still get your message across using black, white, and subtle shades of grey.