Peace on Earth: Christmas 2012

The holidays should be a time of peace, but often, they are merely a pregnant pause in the hectic and spiteful world. With the hardships in our lives today, it's difficult to be calm and quiet. There are those struggling with loss, pain, and joblessness. There are families and loved ones coping with tragedy and uncertainty. But the Lord has given us His peace and if we can let loose the dams in our hearts, the barriers of prejudice, if only for a moment, we can truly know that peace.

I wish for you a peaceful holiday full of love and kindness. God bless!

A Wish of Peace

original vector illustration

© Rachael Sinclair

Details Matter: Know Your Subject

'It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.' -Sherlock Holmes, A Case of Identity

Design is an art, true, but design and art are not the same. In art, liberties can be taken, but in design, attention to detail is a must. And it could be said that too much research may never be enough. No matter the size of the client or job, a bit of sleuthing can make the difference between success and failure.

In the late 90's, an ad campaign was launched by Quilted Northern tissue featuring cartoon women quilting. Though the intention was fine, the ladies were 'quilting' using knitting needles. This was a costly mistake, teasing the sensibilities of a large demographic: homemakers and housewives. The campaign was eventually revamped to show quilting instead of knitting, but the lesson wasn't a nice one to learn. This is where research could have saved them a lot of time and embarrassment. Knitting and quilting may both use needles, but that in no way means the two are interchangeable.

Agencies and designers work with a lot of different clients. Though it may be familiar for you to work for a coffee shop if you love coffee and know a lot about it, it may not be a simple when the client deals in something outside your realm of expertise. Don't be afraid to take to the books, so to speak, and learn some things. Start by listening to your client, ask lots of questions. Dig deep and pay attention to the smallest of facts. This will not only make your design better, but can really help establish a trusting relationship.

Next, research every angle. If your client has something to do with music and you aren't a musician, give yourself a lesson in musical theory. Don't go by what you think may be okay, start out with a strong foundation and build your house there. You can have a design that's technically good, but if the base concept isn't sound, that design may end up on the scrap heap. And pay special attention to symbols and what they mean. A symbol or term may have a completely different meaning to one group than it does another.

Designers can be crunched for time more than we'd like, but our clients aren't always of a 'get it to me when you can' mentality themselves. If you've listened to your client, gotten to know them and their business, and done your research, what you deliver will be the cream of the crop. "Measure twice, cut once" as they say also applies to design. When you bring your client something that's thoroughly researched, it's easier to move forward without time-wasting error correction.

Jacks of All Trades, designers are detectives with sketchbooks. Knowing a little something about a lot of subjects isn't only beneficial for a trivia buff or Jeopardy contestant. These days, when information is so readily available, there's no excuse for errors of continuity. Be respectful of your client and good things will happen. And remember, you can't quilt with knitting needles.

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

Bourbon is a Kentucky tradition and a source of Bluegrass pride. The bourbon ball candy has been around for generations, a potent truffle of liquor, nuts, and chocolate. These little bits of rich, fun goodness (just one of the many types of recipe featured below) would be great for a holiday gift or to serve at a party. Enjoy your treats responsibly!

Click to embiggen!

Kentucky Bourbon Balls

hand drawn recipe

© Rachael Sinclair

Birds of Kentucky: Eastern Wild Turkey

The varied topography of Kentucky is home to a wide range of plants and wildlife. The feathered variety is no exception. I love wild birds; they're fascinating and all so different. They have been a great inspiration to creatives for eons, not just for their form and color, but for their personalities, songs, and symbolism. In these posts (I hope to do a series) I will introduce you to some of Kentucky's native birds with some facts and a special illustration.

As Thanksgiving approaches, our minds may conjure up the image of Tom Turkey, the jovial nodding character from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Kentucky is home to the Eastern subspecies of Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), a large, imposing bird. Though most turkeys prepared for the holiday are the domesticated variety, bred from a Mexican turkey subspecies long ago, there's no denying the commanding presence of the wild turkey.

This bird can reach 4 feet tall and males can weigh up to 30 pounds. Their body feathers are warm brownish gray and the males have red and blue featherless skin on their heads. Males also have red waddles at the throat and base of the neck. The tail feathers, a fan of mahogany and cinnamon, are tipped with a chestnut color, thus differentiating them from the other subspecies of wild turkey.

Habitat	Diet	Nesting	Conservation Status
Open Woodland	Omnivore	Ground	Least Concern

In the Bluegrass, wild turkeys can be found in open forests and farmland near wooded areas. They may come out to feed in fields, especially in the late summer and fall after the crops have been harvested. They're a foraging species, feeding on nuts, seeds, berries, insects, and even small reptiles. They make their nests on the ground, in shallow dirt craters protected by forest vegetation. Hens lay an average of 10-14 eggs with the young (called poults) leaving the nest mere days after hatching.

Though some may feel they have a face only a turkey mother could love, wild turkeys are strong, majestic birds in their own right. Native Americans, especially eastern tribes, favored the turkey as a food source, eating not only the meat, but the eggs. The feathers often made their way into ritual dress and equipment. So steeped in tradition was the turkey even in the infancy of the United States, Benjamin Franklin theorized it may be more fit than the Bald Eagle for the national bird. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin called the turkey a "Bird of Courage".

This Thanksgiving, as you gather with your loved ones, pay mind to the turkey. The turkey has been a source of nourishment and conviviality for thousands of years. May the blessing of food, warmth, health, and family be with you this holiday season!

Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Wikipedia

Pop Inspiration: White Zombie

With these zombie eyes, he rendered her powerless. With this zombie grip, he made her perform his every desire!

Released in 1932, the film White Zombie is considered the first feature-length zombie film. It starred Bela Lugosi, fresh off his unforgettable role in Dracula. He played a sinister witch doctor, 'Murder' Legendre, the vile owner of a zombie-staffed sugar mill in Haiti. Though it doesn't command the adoration of Dracula or Frankenstein, there's something enchanting (pun perhaps intended) about this film.

The posters and promotional items for the film give us a wealth of fun design. Take the colors for instance. In the pieces featured here, we see a period-perfect palm green, fading to a jade. On the opposite of the spectrum, we have a rusted red, a rich earthy tone. Perhaps subconsciously, these colors can transport us to the film's setting in the tropical world of Haiti in the 1930's.

Typefaces are predominately san serif, chunky and 'modern' in most cases. The titles are in a similar design, but tremulously edged, to give the words more intrigue and almost tribal mystery. The imagery shifts from graphically altered monotone photographs to posterized features and faces, sure to unsettle the nerves. These posters hearken to a time of minimal color usage and bold graphics.

White Zombie is a wealth of nostalgia, a transportation to the world of roaring Hollywood studios and 'monsters' more famous than the actors who played them. The story, the setting, the crackling audio, it's quite fantastic. With a short running time, it's great for wiling away a little over an hour. Have a Happy Halloween and watch out for zombies!

Legendre Sugar

Original lineart label

© Rachael Sinclair

Happy Birthday Bob

Kawaii Bob Ross
original vector art
©Rachael Sinclair

Happy birthday Bob Ross, who would have been 70 years old today. 

Color Flavor: Jay Feather and Sorghum

Autumn blows in on the backs of leaves to the calls of the garrulous blue jay. The electric blue feathers stand out against the contrasting golden leaves. Kitchens are thick with the smells of apple pies and pumpkin bread. On foggy mornings, warm biscuits aren't the same without a creamy spread of butter and sorghum. The rich, warm gold of this special syrup from the south paired with the near-holographic blue of a shed jay feather is the perfect combination to welcome the closeness of the season.

Sampling the darkest tones from the jay feather, we come up with a slightly greenish blue deepened with gray. This color is a little rustic and very natural. In design, the color is great for use on backgrounds (as it is fairly easy on the eyes) and in themes that call for a 'rugged' feel. See the theoretical logo for Dean & Sons Custom Denim. Here, the blue is married with a vellum neutral and the syrup umber. The tones separate well and accent each other perfectly.

In the home, jay feather and sorghum are a recipe for cozy with a touch of class. The colors are rich and deep, but not shocking or heavy. Here, the walls and ceiling are painted in the jay feather color (Behr Kingfisher 520F-7). The window seat inset is in a slightly lighter hue (Shale Gray 540F-4) and the neutral is a cooler cream (Windsong 390C-3). To warm things up, the upholstery and accents come in unadulterated burnt umber and gold. Throw in a rich, warm oriental rug and you're set for a little reading in the afternoon sun.

Jay feather and sorghum are colors of nature in transition. Summer is giving way to autumn's bounty. The jay calls in the blazing trees and the cane is cooked down into semi-liquid gold. If you're in the market for 'country' with a touch of elegance, give these hues a try!

Patterns can be found here, here, and here.

Color by COLOURlovers

P.S. If you'd like a good cookie recipe using sorghum, check out the chewy ginger cookies on my past post here. I mention molasses in the recipe, but I always use good Kentucky sorghum.