emi1337@gmail.com / 734 846 1182 / resumé
| EMILY JOHNSTON IS A 20-SOMETHING GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES, WHERE SHE EARNED HER BFA IN GRAPHIC DESIGN IN 2009 ALONG WITH MINORS IN BOTH ART HISTORY AND VISUAL CULTURE. |
| FALL 2009 / MIXED MEDIA Things that should be unacceptable in any city have become overlooked in Detroit, even boasted to an extent. People seem to either take pride in Detroit’s violent reputation, or they’re simply apathetic. The focus of this project was to expose Detroit’s issues that are too often overlooked, ignored, or are not being addressed appropriately. Taking quotes people made about Detroit were taken out of context and paired with facts and statements about violence and crime in the city, giving a sarcastic and ironic tone to controversial messages about Detroit. The messages were then painted on 4’x8’ boards of plywood, (a material that is commonly used to cover up things we’ve abandoned) and then drilled into the sides of two abandoned buildings along Michigan Ave, creating a gallery of messages within two blocks. Collaboration with Marilyn Chapman. |
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| WINTER 2007 / PRINT Belle Isle is an island park located in the Detroit River. It is known for its beautiful architecture and landscaping, but also the crime and illegal activity that occurs there after-hours. Through an extensive study of the location and all that it entails, this series of cards was designed to represent the various attractions and features of Belle Isle. |
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| FALL 2008 / MOTION With the November 2008 election approaching, when asked to define the word "voice," I chose to define it politically. The right to vote is a right that many Americans often take for granted. I wanted to encourage voting for the upcoming election by showing how voting is a way that citizens can voice how they feel about issues. |
| SPRING 2009 / TYPE DESIGN This typeface was inspired by design created during the Bauhaus movement, particularly looking at the artwork done by artist Marianne Brandt. |
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| WINTER 2008 / PRINT In this book, three separate articles, each written by a different author, were used for content. The focus of this project was to come up with a concept, or general theme, that tied the three articles together, and to illustrate that concept within the book. The theme I found that connected the articles was communication and how it is becoming more visual due to changes and advancements in technology. To illustrate this concept, the book literally becomes more "visual" by gradually making the text less prominent through the use of scale, color, and eventually introducing images, which can be read in place of the text. The book starts off with the content being all textual and scaled very large across the spread, with the viewer's attention focused solely on the words themselves. The content then begins to scale down gradually, changing the layout of the page and also introducing elements of color–giving the viewer not only the content itself to focus on, but also shapes created by the grid. Then, just as the text slowly scales down in both size and prominence, the same is done for the images, which start off small and gradually grow. For the last article in the book, an icon was crated for every word, allowing the viewer to stop concentrating on the text all together and simply "read" the visuals. |
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| WINTER 2009 / INTERACTIVE One Size Fits All (OSFA) is a mock sub-brand of XL Recordings that was created to give XL's fan base the opportunity to contribute their own creativity and be a part of a mega-band whose members reside all around the world and connect via the internet. Three different interactive pieces were created to show the system of the brand. The chart explains the basic details of what each user level is capable of contributing. A mock website was created to show where the users would go to connect with one another and submit their contributions. Lastly, an iPhone interface for a mobile ticket was created that each user would be able to download and use to attend XL shows. The "ticket" allows its user to add upcoming shows that they want to attend, and also functions as a ticket that would be scanned at the door. Once inside, it would pick up the current song being played and display it along with the lyrics in real-time. An option to purchase the track and interact with other audience members is also available. LAUNCH CHART LAUNCH WEBSITE LAUNCH MOBILE TICKET |
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| WINTER 2008 / PRINT This book contains an extensive self-written biography on the Dutch book designer, Irma Boom. After researching her life and the way in which she works, this book was created in an attempt to try and emulate her process when creating a book. In many of the books she designed to showcase companies or other artists, I found that she would often include her own process in the book by including her research and findings. Designing my book to emulate her process rather than her style, I included all of my documented research of her and her life. |
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| FALL 2008 / PRINT This informational pamphlet on the drug, heroin, provides its entire lifecycle, examining it from its beginning in its manufacturing phase to the end when it has its affect on culture. The information provided includes its many dangers along its entire lifespan while emphasizing the extensive impact it has on culture as a whole, effecting even those who are not directly involved in its production or use. |
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| WINTER 2007 / INTERACTIVE Pop culture has an enormous effect on what people perceive as "beautiful," which, in turn, greatly impacts women's body image. Using news articles as text that dealt with this issue, this website was created to expose that idea while also visually interpreting it. LAUNCH WEBSITE |
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