WOW ... Weekend of Weaving

This brochure was a challenge. In looking at what other groups had done, most were difficult to follow, and difficult to read. Not that they were illegible, it was that the flow of information wasn’t laid out in a fashion to engage the reader. Granted, if you’re already a basket weaver, such details probably don’t matter, but if you’re looking to attract new weavers, then you want to produce something that’s not threatening.

 The covers and insides of the WOW brochure. Trust me,

there is a way to fold this and have it make sense.

With 10 baskets to choose from for a cover photo, something made of the same material throughout to offer a consistent background was needed. I know, I know, you’re probably wondering, “Wayne, why didn’t you use a full bleed on the cover?” First, for those who don’t know, a “full bleed” is when the image extends to the edges. (Think of a photo in a magazine.) This group has a color photocopier networked to their computer. Copiers cannot print to the edge of a page. The bonus is you can print whatever need whenever, and not be stuck with hundreds of brochures that have a date on them, rendering them useless after a certain point. However, you do lose the option of having a full bleed with your graphics, but with a little planning and effort, you can still have a professional looking product.

When first approached with this, the weekend didn’t have a name. I suggested Weekend of Weaving (WOW) secretly hoping something else would come to mind. But WOW stuck, and it grew on me, mainly because if you’re doing something out of your comfort zone, and succeed, the response is mostly likely, “WOW! I did that!”

The poster came next. The two need to refer to each other. Since the cover is narrow, I tried to scale it, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t a fan of the narrow poster. I had cropped the original image, so I extended out from the left. The text starts just a smidge from the center, and it looks on purpose. Something new is the addition of a QR code. (Just because they’re basket weavers doesn’t mean they’re not tech savvy.)

Resorts at Sea - August 2012

I think I’ve already expressed how important it is to get as much from the artist’s mouth as possible regarding their shipboard work to give this project a more personal and immediate feel. Currently, I’m wrapping up drafts for a couple artists for their approval. Even though they’re in their late 80s/early 90s, they’re still creating, which is awesome.

Precious little has been written on the American South African Lines’ African Comet, African Planet, and African Meteor, save for Mark H. Goldberg’s Caviar and Cargo: The C-3 Passenger Ships. In fact, this book was instrumental in gathering artist names for this class, and American President Lines’ President Jackson class.

 

 

Two views of the dining room mural for the African Planet.

Top is daytime, bottom is at night when backlit.

Images taken from American Artist, February 1942.

If I hadn’t found the name of Domenico Mortellito in Caviar and Cargo, I wouldn’t have come across several articles he wrote. While Goldberg notes Mortellito’s work on the African Comet, he stated that artists for the other two were basically lost in the fog of the coming war. However, I found out that Mortellito was working on a mural for the African Planet’s dining room, and he wrote of his techniques using plastic and glass in its creation.

I feel like an archeologist, slowing chipping away at the layers. It’s out there; I just have to keep on digging.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a basket weaving brochure. It’s about done, and – not to toot my own horn – it looks better than I ever thought possible. The photos are great. I didn’t take them, and that’s ok. A good photo is a good photo, no matter who takes it. If, when creating a poster, or a brochure, or what have you, the designer is bent on using their inferior photo over someone else’s superior one, then they’re just looking to pad the bill. You do what’s best for the project. Anyway, I can’t wait to show it to you. It’s undergoing final revisions, and I hope to have it to you next week.

RAGBRAI hits Anamosa

If you’ve not heard of RAGBRAI, I dare say you may have been living under a rock.

RAGBRAI is The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Register meaning the Des Moines Register, Iowa’s largest newspaper. For 40 years, bicyclists have spent one week in July winding their way across Iowa, west to east, from the banks of the Missouri to those of the Mississippi. There are six overnight stays, where upwards of 10,000 people lay siege to those six communities. Anamosa is the last overnight stop of the week, and it is expected to host the most people due to that status. (And there's a rumor that Lance Armstrong may be here.)

This has probably been the most challenging project I’ve had in recent memory. The mission: coordinate tons of information and arrange it in a fashion that’s easy to digest.

front, center, back

Aside from thinking of a newsletter, I can’t even begin to describe how I did this. The mantra was: Simplicity. And it was important to keep it a little playful, to keep in tune with the Ride It Like You Stole It logo. I was fortunate to find a font similar to that of the logo, and a couple graphics to go with the prison motif: a guy behind bars and a surly lunch lady. Oh! Why the prison motif? Anamosa is home to a state penitentiary. If you’ve cruised channels late at night on weekends, you may have seen the prison on MSNBC’s Lock Up series.

As late items came in, I had to nip and tuck and tweak and tighten, and make it look like it was there all along. It’s like putting on an addition to a house; you want it to blend in seamlessly. I had hoped to include more pictures, but they were the first casualties in the battle for space. A bonus is the map is being blown up to 4’ x 6’ and will be on display at a couple locations downtown. (I may even get one as a keepsake.)

I plan to wander about on July 27 and take as many photos as possible.

In the meantime, I need to begin my research on basket weaving. Yes, basket weaving. I’ll be doing the brochure, poster, and postcards for a basket weaving weekend in November, but the push for registrants needs to start in late August/early September.