On Monday, I start a new position as a designer at Staccato Design. Staccato is a highly regarded firm in Portland, and I am thrilled at the opportunity to work with such a talented team! I will now be enjoying a quick commute, lunchtime escapes to the waterfront (when its sunny), and a delightful view of the Hawthorne bridge.
After eagerly consuming the novel Sometimes a Great Notion (by Eugene resident and bus-painting pioneer, Ken Kesey) and watching the movie, my boyfriend and I were among the first in the door to the Portland Center Stage production of the novel. The play was fantastic and we chose to attend a symposium on the play’s creation the Saturday following the first week of shows. Among the speakers was playwright, Aaron Posner, film director Gus Van Sant, and prankster extraordinaire, Ken Babbs. Babbs was one of the self proclaimed Merry Pranksters who, along with Kesey, journeyed across America in a converted school bus spreading the peace, love, drugs, and rock and roll message of the 60s. Babbs stole the stage more than once because his crazy non-linear stories could not be told from a sitting position. Nonetheless he was an interesting character an interesting message. Plus he has his own Wikipedia article, so he must be cool.
Another spring hits Oregon, and another non-traditional Easter weekend passes. I paused to honor and admire this ardent display of Easter love on NW Everett. These eggs did not hide tucked away in tall grasses, but were strung from the trees like Christmas lights in all their pastel painted glory.
Fanatic Easter displays aside, this was a weekend of many discoveries.
1. Rose City Rollers
From the rhythmic drumline intro, to the body-slamming crashes on skates, Portland’s roller derby scene is pulsing with energy and dripping with sweat and a dash of mascara. I witnessed the action for the first time on Saturday from the crash zone. These hardcore girls get down and dirty, whipping around and around the track, fighting for position, while keeping their lipstick intact. Quite the spectacle for the uninitiated, and highly recommended.
2. The Albina Green
My boy and I skipped the madness of Easter brunch, instead opting for a cup of Stumptown coffee and a morning of wandering. Our afternoon adventures led us to the Mississippi district with our copy of the newly released Willamette Week Cheap Eats in hand. We found our way to Albina Green, a wonderful restaurant tucked off the road. Advertised as “the working man’s rock restaurant” this funky, musician-centered hideaway served up a slew of organic greens and tasty meats. We chowed on our respective feasts, watching the neighborhood church release a batch of brightly dressed and spirited North Portland residents into the rain.
3. Yael Naim
While I admit that it is rather lame to discover a musical artist via commercial, but thus is the nature of this technologically advanced society in which we live. Yael Naim is the Israeli artist making waves with her whimsical and metallic song, New Soul. I picked up her album on that wandering, aimless, Easter Sunday, and am mesmerized. The songs are in English, Hebrew and French and all have their distinct moods and tone. There is even a cover of Britney Spear’s song, Toxic which takes on a seductive and otherworldly rhythm.
Happy Spring!
Every year Ad2 Portland (an advertising networking club for young professionals) takes on a different public service campaign for a local non-profit organization. This year’s challenge: Harry’s Mother, a program within Janus Youth that provides emergency shelter for runaway teens, and offers free family counseling to reconnect these teens with their families. The Ad2 team - Carrie, Daniel, and I - took on the challenge and, after many meetings over a beer at Rogue Brewing, developed the following creative concept with I executed.
Since our target audience was teenagers, we wanted the graphics to be edgy. Text is rough and off kilter, the colors are bright, and the images have a halftone effect. We wanted to show the divide between teen and parent and illustrated such with the torn paper. We used duct tape to illustrate the effect Harry’s Mother has which is to bring the two sides together. (Duct tape fixes everything right?) In the large poster version of this ad, we will be die-cutting the art into two pieces of paper with the diagonal jagged edge separating the teen from parent. To connect the two pieces, we will use actual duct tape (with Harry’s Mother info handwritten on it) so that exposed wall shows in between.
Harry’s Mother has been thrilled with the fruits of our labor so far, hopefully as we move into production it will prove to be a valuable tool for them. As for Ad2, we are putting all campaign elements, research, reports, creative together into one book which we will submit to a National Competition. Wish us luck on this St. Patty’s Day!
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