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 CREATIVE
POSTCARD CLUB
I have been involved in the Creative Postcard Club since September of 2001. I found the site from a forum, and it looked like a great club, so I joined. It has been an incredible experience which has allowed me to grow in my expression of design and illustration, as well as meet great people from around the world. However, the best part of the club is the inspiration it has brought. Seeing how others have solved the problem always reminds me that there are mulitple ways to arrive to a design. Below are my submissions, what the assignments were, and how I tackled it. Some indicate they were selected for a book deal that has since fallen through. Also, if you would like to see more of my work, please click on any of the navigation on the top or to the right. And if you feel inspired by my work, then please let me know and sign up at the CPC to contribute your own ideas. I would love to see them. Round 11 Round 12 Round 13 Round 15
Assignment: A Music CD cover with you as the star. The album must have your portrait on it somewhere as an illustration, abstract collage or photograph. Nows the time to have fun with a photoshoot you've always dreamed of. Name the title of your album (think letterforms or logotype) and list "Featuring the #1 hit..." that is moving up the Billboard charts. The design should relate to the type of music genre you are in for instance: blues, pop, hip hop, jazz, country, alternative, rock, big band and so on. Are you a solo artist or are you the lead singer of a group? The cd print size should be 4"x4" on a regular 6"x4.25" postcard size. Use the extra space as a design element or leave it blank. If you are ambitious--create a logo for the record company producing your album. How I tackled it: My inspiration for this postcard was 1970s because of the bright colors and energy of the period. I actually like all genres of music, so it was difficult to decide on a particular one. Having a sillouette allowed me to vaguely fill the requirement of having a self-portrait, while the color selections and flow of the piece speak more to a "personality" self-portrait. But make no mistake, I am no singer and will not be applying for American Idol. *smile* Back to Top  Round 13 -- A Travel Vintage Poster Postcard (10.02) 
Assignment: A Travel Vintage Poster depicting your city or region. The style should be that of the 30's and 40's Art Deco era. Blocky sans serif fonts and bold shapes. Think of the colors used in these types of posters. The poster should be geared to tourism attractions from your area. What would make us want to visit your city or region? Do you have ocean views, famous landmarks, ski resorts, sporting events, historic architecture and etc. The card can be created by using your color pencils, paints, collage, scanned images and digital layout. How I tackled it: To me, travel posters should be interesting to look at and also inspire people to come visit the location. I chose to use a blocky 40s-type graphics, typography and some creative license to emulate the American flag and describe a small part of the country where I live, which hopefully makes you want to visit. Back to Top
Round 12 -- A Wine Label Design Postcard (8.02) 
Assignment: Each CPC member has just purchased a winery and/or vineyard. The designer's first or last name must be used in the name for the wine--using winery, vineyard or other name to describe the wine itself or region (i.e. Travis Rivers, Tom's Vineyard, Tom Wineries, Travis Red and etc.). The wine label must be designed on a limited budget--only 3 pantone colors of the designer's choice are allowed for the project. Typography is stressed as an important element to the design along with creative layout and composition including the use of a logotype, icon, scanned images, illustration or photography. On a 4.25"x 6" sized postcard format the labels should be designed to original size. To authenticate the design of the label do research and find out what the normal design elements are used on a label. For example: does it show the ounces of the bottle, year, location and shows the type of wine such as Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Cabernet, Sauvignon and etc. Will the buyer or collector purchase your wine based on the label design and packaging? How I tackled it: I chose a more contemporary, elegant approach. I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, so the design is for my mother. Her favorite colors are purple and red, and her favorite wine is White Zinfandel. Back to Top
Chosen for the book.
Assignment: The subject matter can be about anything you are interested in such as: Botanical, Sports, Arts, Theater, History, Historical Figures, Movie Stars, Games, Insects, Shells, Reptiles, Health Issues, Landscapes, Boats, Cars, Toys, Inventions and etc. You get the idea. The only stipulation is that all 4 stamps in the series must relate to each other in subject matter and the design style must be consistent. For example if you are using watercolors or scratchboard as your mediums then use these mediums for all 4 stamps. The stamp designs should stay away from using money symbols and postage fees since these are not commissioned by a government postal service. Instead think of the space as an opportunity to be creative with typography by titling your subject matter or theme. The stamps can vary as landscape or portrait formats with size varying as long as all 4 stamps fit on a 4"x6" postcard. The stamps can be larger (think 200%) than original size to show the design and details better. It's up to the designer if you want to show the dotted edge of the stamps. Think of a design and subject matter that you think philatelists (stamp collectors) would be interested in collecting. How I tackled it: My inspiration for this round was the bright colors and culture of India. For each of my stamps, I chose an animal found in the region and made them into icons that you might find adorning temples or ruins. Gold and copper inks were applied to red paper to create the fanciful stamps. Back to Top
Chosen for the book.
Assignment: You will design 2 playing cards that you are assigned and use Illustration, collage, typography, and/or photography in creating your cards. Pursuit of trying new techniques and exploring new styles is encouraged. Be creative and think outside the typical playing card box. Any subject matter--Fairytales? Sci-Fi? Landscapes? Mermaids? Historical figures? Sports? Movies? You get the idea. Pay close attention to color of suits (red and black) but not mandatory--think of the function of the card as if you were actually playing with them. How I tackled it: I had the 2 of hearts and a joker. I wanted to get back to the basics of design and used a very graphic approach with repetition. Back to Top
Chosen for the book and featured in HOW magazine.
Assignment: The assignment for R9 is the cover design for the HOW Self-Promotion Annual 2002. Members are asked to design a concept of self-promotion for the magazine using the HOW logo, taglines and upc symbol as graphical elements. After contacting the editor at HOW they became interested in viewing our postcards for possible inclusion in the actual issue as a follow-up article on the CPC. Members will send a printed copy as a postcard to the editor. For members this is strictly a CPC project and the added bonus is that HOW is considering printing some of the designs in their issue if they like them. How I tackled it: My concept relies on the goal of all promotional material - client contact. Back to Top
Chosen for the book.
Assignment: Your Holiday or New Year postcard designed in the style of your favorite artist such as Davinci (Starry Night of santa on his sleigh), Degas, Warhol (repeated images of party horns in primary colors?), Harring, Picasso (an abstract cubist reindeer?), Vermeer (woman with champagne glass by window?), Monet and etc. How I tackled it: My postcard is based on Georges Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of LeGrand Jatte. I created Santa clones watching ice skaters on the frozen pond with acrylic ink. I wanted it to be fun and whimsical because that's what the Christmas season is for me. Back to Top
Assignment: How about we create a postcard using non-traditional methods a.k.a you can't use your computer. Use a photocopier, cut out images, hand render the text. Try to go back to the "old school" to see what you can come up with (and get away from all those photoshop filters (yuck). That could be the subject for the card as well "old school design". I guess it could be any subject matter (look for theme below--World Peace) as long as everyone uses the same process. It would be interesting to see what everyone could come up with. (Submitted by Shawn Kavon). The designer is allowed to scan the final hand made piece to print from their inkjets or laserprinters as finished art. You may also color copy or photocopy your cards to duplicate. However, the card can not be fully designed with the aid of your computer or other software. All of the type must be hand done by paste-up (photo copies and print from publications cut and pasted with glue), rub down lino type or hand lettered. No scanning is permitted until the final piece is ready to scan. Illustration, collage and found objects is accepted. This should be fun--getting back to our pencils, pens, crayons, paint, glue and scissors. Xerography? Photo polaroid transfers? Woodcuts/Lino Press? Scratchboard? Watercolors? Crayon motif india ink? How I tackled it: This design speaks to the essence of peace. If you have peace, all good things radiate it from it to make your life and the world peaceful. Back to Top
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