Ignite Baltimore 9

I was fortunate enough to present at Baltimore’s most recent Ignite. For those of you unfamiliar with the format, each presenter gets exactly five minutes and twenty slides, automatically advancing every fifteen seconds, to get his or her point across. I chose to present an adaptation and evolution of a paper I wrote for a film theory class in college, one of my favorite classes, about Marshall McLuhan’s evolutions in media and how they pertain to our most recent technological innovations in communication. Specifically, I propose that the Internet and the World Wide Web have retribalized us in many of the ways that McLuhan predicted back in the 1970s.

(more…)

Turning My Life Into My Biggest Project Instead of the Other Way Around

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Art Director’s Club in New York on May 4th for their annual portfolio review along with other students graduating from Art & Design schools all over the country. I have to admit, I enjoyed talking to the other students more than pitching my work to the various Art Directors, Talent Scouts, and Head Hunters who attended the event. There is a great sense of community among these people and many shared ideas and philosophies.

I have timed this post to be published precisely at the moment I walk across the stage at the Baltimore Symphony Hall to receive my Bachelors in Fine Arts in Graphic Design from The Maryland Institute College of Art. I have come a long, long way since high school, and I can honestly say that I dedicated myself wholly to my work and studies at MICA. So much so, that looking back I wonder if I was too narrow focused. At any given moment over the past four years, my work was at the forefront of my mind, almost exclusively; I was truly and happily immersed. Things like eating, sleeping, romance, and relaxation were distractors — speed-bumps in my productivity. While this might have been alright for my student years, it is not how I hope to live my life.

So on this, my graduation day, I am hoping to turn my life into my biggest project, instead of the other way around.

I have no aspirations to move to New York or Chicago and work for some big shiny design studio, no dreams of becoming a “Young Gun” in the next seven years, and no desire to swim in big piles of money. I want to surround myself with people I love who inspire and challenge me, do fulfilling, wholesome work in my local community and beyond, and live a balanced life wherein I stare at a computer screen for less than eight hours a day.

To everyone out there graduating this spring, from Art School or otherwise, congratulations. Do what you love and don’t let it consume you.

Two Faced Business Cards

I know it’s been quiet around here, but here is a business card I created for local photographer Josh Sisk. Josh has two distinct sides to his photography practice: that of a seasoned, professional studio photographer, and that of a scrappy concert photographer not afraid to put himself or his equipment on the line to get the best shot. In a dark venue or black-lit club, the glowing lettering highlights Josh’s gutsy gig photographer side, while in a well lit studio or office the cleanly typset information speaks to his professionalism and experience.

These are just the proofs, hence the mediocre documentation. Will take better shots when I’ve got a nice big stack of them.

Making Connections

I have always been captivated by the culture and community of Craigslist. I am glad to announce a new ongoing project of mine, which takes advantage of the infamous “missed connections” section on the popular classifieds website.

For those of you uninitiated to the splendor that is “Missed Connections,” it is a section of the personal ads that is dedicated to the little connections we make with strangers on the street everyday. Say you see an attractive person everyday on your commute to work, or buy coffee from some hottie at your local cafe, but don’t have the nerve to say something. Missed Connections is a place where you can post these interests, in the hopes that the person you are talking about somehow finds your posting, feels the same way, and gets in contact with you: a romantic shot in the dark, an amorous hail-mary. I have decided to try my best to drastically increase the chances that these people actually get connected with each other by extending the message from a mere online posting in a niche section of Craigslist to a series of small, targeted print campaigns.

(more…)

My Favorite Subway Let Me Down

I have a favorite Subway sandwich shop. Though I have eaten at franchises all over Philadelphia and Baltimore, as well as up and down the east coast and a few select locations in the mid-west, none can compare to this one location in Charles Village near both of my current employers. I have eaten there on a regular basis since the beginning of 2009, so when I was asked by a school assignment to tell the story of a person I have regular interaction with, but know nothing about, the friendly sandwich-smiths at this Subway naturally came to mind. I came in for my usual five-dollar-footlong (BLT of course) and briefly explained my assignment to the nice gentleman behind the counter. As it was during the lunch rush, I also pre-wrote a little note explaining the project and asking if he/she would be willing to participate, providing all of my contact information. Although he gestured that he would be glad to help me out, I never heard from anyone at my favorite Subway, and was forced to move on to the next casual encounter on my list. The social aspect of Social Design often pushes the designer out of his or her comfort zone, quite intentionally, and it is hard not to take the would-be-collaborator with you sometimes.

I’d be lying if I said I won’t be a little embarrassed next time I visit my favorite Subway; and I don’t get shy very often.

UPDATE

As it turns out, my favorite Subway did not in fact let me down, they merely lost the piece of paper I gave them before they were able to even read it. I shall continue patronizing their franchise, and we have been brought closer through this whole ordeal.

Thrift Store Sign Delivered!

I have some good news! I have finally delivered my large painted sign to the owners of the thrift store that suffered severe fire damage this past spring. They were very grateful to have the sign and are hoping to reopen their doors soon, though they’re not sure exactly when. Hopefully, they’ll get things up and running this fall.

Baltimore: what I think, what I know, what they say.

Baltimore: 10 things I think, 10 things I know, 10 things they say. from Andy Mangold on Vimeo.

For my Design Coalition course this semester, we will be doing 5 quick, one week turn around projects. The first prompt was 10 things I think about Baltimore, 10 things I know about Baltimore, and 10 things they say about Baltimore.

I didn’t really start to truly discover the city until I started riding my bike everywhere. I found myself more comfortable just going a direction without knowing where I was headed. So, I decided to try and show the world what it’s like to see Baltimore from the seat of a bike. This required me building a little helmet cam rig, and the results are a little shaky, but that is the nature of riding a bike in pot-hole USA. This was really my first time making a video from beginning to end as well, and while I am not thrilled with the finished product, I am glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

For the “10 things they say about Baltimore” portion of the prompt, I thought it would be best for me to integrate video footage from outside sources concerning Baltimore. It would be inaccurate for me to sit down and guess what the outside perceptions of Baltimore are, so I used a combination of clips from interviews, travel TV shows, and The Wire to paint a picture of Baltimore’s portrayal in the media.

Geometry & Minimalism in Book Covers

One of my favorite resources in Baltimore is The Book Thing, which is just an awesome place where one can go one weekends and get free books of all types. Though most of them are unfortunately designed, every time I go I manage to find a few gems. These are some of my books from my last two trips to the book thing. The Practical English guide and “Geometry: Plane & Solid” are definitely two of my favorite book covers ever. I would love the opportunity to design a textbook cover!

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do, and you can find bigger versions of the pictures on Flickr

(more…)

The Action Upscale Cultural Community Thrift Store: Philanthropic Design Fail

This past semester I was really digging on my lettering course, but also feeling compelled to connect more directly with my community, and maybe even help somebody with my work. So, for my final, I decided to try and unite my aesthetic, passionate interest in lettering with philanthropy and community focused design. I set out to create an old-fashioned hand painted sign, for one of the many well meaning organizations in Baltimore with less than wonderful signage. After some research, I decided on “The Action Upscale Cultural Community Thrift Store,” a secondhand store nearby my apartment, run by volunteers, that puts on programs for “women, youth, young adults, and the elderly”.

(more…)

Globe Posters

Photo by Becky Slogeris

Today, I had the pleasure of taking a tour of Globe with my letterpress class. I of course forgot my camera on said life-changing tour, but luckily the amazing Becky Slogeris had her’s and was snapping away.

I was absolutely in awe of the equipment, tools, wood type and presses in the Globe shop. It was humbling to see the workspace of such authentic craftsmen, and very sad to see it so dusty and unused. In its prime, Globe was a premier provider of show and carnival posters, among other things. They have an enormous collection of wood type, one-of-a-kind etchings and wood cuts, not to mention a prestigious portfolio of work. Globe is a family run business, and unfortunately doesn’t have the money to get their huge poster presses running again just yet. They do sell stunning screen-printed re-issues of their classic posters, and they are available here: Globe Poster Classics

The posters are cheap, beautifully printed, unique and supporting an incredible business that has sadly fallen off the map in many ways. Holidays are approaching, I’m just sayyyiinnnn’. (so is Becky)

Becky’s Pictures